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Buying clothes online

(72 Posts)
aquagran Tue 08-Jul-25 14:18:10

I ordered, and eventually received, a dress from Vellon London, also known as Milano Romano. I should have had more sense.
When the dress arrived it wasn’t the design I had ordered and was of appalling quality. I hadn’t expected much as it was very cheap but,..!!
When I complained I was offered 10% refund and keep the unwanted dress, or complete a complicated return method which required me to pay for non refundable postage to China. Since this, silence.
Buyer Beware.

Elowen33 Tue 08-Jul-25 15:20:09

They have a one star review on Trustpilot so I am not surprised.

CountessFosco Tue 08-Jul-25 15:24:18

Their website stipulates
100% money-back guarantee
Easy return within 30 days
doesn't seem like it from what you have written!

Magenta8 Tue 08-Jul-25 15:29:17

I have been a victim of this dismal scam as have many other GNs who have posted on various threads. I've had to put it down to experience and try and make sure I don't get caught again. I now check Trustpilot before buying anything online from a company I have not used before.

Aldom Tue 08-Jul-25 15:30:49

The first thing I do, if I see a beautiful garment for sale online, by an unknown company, is to read the reviews. 99% of the time the reviews are dire.

Astitchintime Tue 08-Jul-25 15:47:56

I just do not buy clothes or shoes online. Sizes vary so much and I know that whatever I do order will most certainly have to be returned so it’s a waste of time and money.
High street shopping will soon be completely phased out whilst ever people keep buying crap online.

Primrose53 Tue 08-Jul-25 16:20:45

I posted a month or so ago about the most horrible trainers I bought online. I fought for weeks to get my £45 refund. They wanted me to post them back to China (£20) when I thought I was buying from UK.

They were far too small and just very poor quality.

No idea why Facebook allows these con merchants to advertise. Adverts show lovely quality goods with English sounding names so we are drawn in.

Always check Trust Pilot reviews first.

Whitewavemark2 Tue 08-Jul-25 17:04:03

I think it is perfectly ok to buy clothes and shoes on line, if you know that it is a British company, it isn’t too cheap and particularly if you have bought from them in the past.

I buy a lot on line and always know what I’m getting.

petra Tue 08-Jul-25 17:19:46

Magenta8

I have been a victim of this dismal scam as have many other GNs who have posted on various threads. I've had to put it down to experience and try and make sure I don't get caught again. I now check Trustpilot before buying anything online from a company I have not used before.

TrustPilot are not to be trusted
I know how it works through trades people I know. I can go back 20 years + when I was warned.
It’s the same with Checkatrade.
But don’t just take my word for it.

thecpd.group/articles/view/how-trustworthy-is-trustpilot#:~:text=They%20state%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrustpilot%20is,when%20it%20comes%20to%20reviews.

Primrose53 Tue 08-Jul-25 20:21:06

petra

Magenta8

I have been a victim of this dismal scam as have many other GNs who have posted on various threads. I've had to put it down to experience and try and make sure I don't get caught again. I now check Trustpilot before buying anything online from a company I have not used before.

TrustPilot are not to be trusted
I know how it works through trades people I know. I can go back 20 years + when I was warned.
It’s the same with Checkatrade.
But don’t just take my word for it.

thecpd.group/articles/view/how-trustworthy-is-trustpilot#:~:text=They%20state%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrustpilot%20is,when%20it%20comes%20to%20reviews.

When I was almost scammed recently I went on Trust Pilot (afterwards) and hundreds of people were saying almost word for word what my experience was. All stories were the same, ie we thought we were buying from a UK company, the goods were rubbish, we got nowhere contacting them, we were told to post goods to China at our own expense (approx £20).

busybee6969 Tue 08-Jul-25 20:45:47

i had a similar experience with a pair of heated gloves, ,did not heat up, told to return to china, i phoned my bank did a complaint of poor quality goods. filled in short form for bank got full refund from my bank,

Primrose53 Tue 08-Jul-25 21:43:55

busybee6969

i had a similar experience with a pair of heated gloves, ,did not heat up, told to return to china, i phoned my bank did a complaint of poor quality goods. filled in short form for bank got full refund from my bank,

You did well! My bank were very sympathetic but didn’t refund. The lady I spoke to said she had even fallen for a “chinese” scam too!

The very next evening Watchdog was on TV featuring the company that I complained about and said there are literally thousands of these scammers and they all work to the same remit and change their company names regularly.

Audun Wed 09-Jul-25 06:16:57

My daughter ordered a beautiful blouse. for my birthday in cotton, and was also scammed, what came was poor quality polyester rubbish, very badly made. She got no refund, also told to keep the blouse. These pretty blouses were being frequently advertised purporting to be from different British companies. I haven't seen them for a while.

Chocolatelovinggran Wed 09-Jul-25 08:39:29

I buy online from firms I know, where shops have all but disappeared.
I am bombarded with ads for attractive clothes from names unknown to me which I avoid.
I was told to look at the models in the pictures. If the models body only is shown, not the head/ face, it's been copied from somewhere else, and the garment you receive may near little resemblance to the one shown.
Have others found this to be true?

nanna8 Wed 09-Jul-25 09:15:06

I have had a lot of good clothes from online outlets. Mainly tops and jeans because with dresses I think you need to try before you buy. I have had some really lovely T shirts , they are good value online. Shoes , not so good because the sizing is more difficult so I don’t buy them now. The Chinese companies seem to have very good denim items, for obvious reasons.

Labradora Wed 09-Jul-25 12:45:16

I have been buying clothes online from Cotton Traders for several years and I find them to be very reliable as to quality and size however I usually go for their 100% cotton items. Even Cotton Traders are selling viscose stuff these days but they clearly state what the clothes are made of.
Their styles are fairly conservative but that is a matter of taste.
Thanks for the warning about Milano Romano, Aquagran.

Witzend Wed 09-Jul-25 12:52:59

I do buy clothes online, but I stick to a very few brands where I know the quality and the sizing, and where there will be easy, no-quibble returns if needed.

Scotty16 Wed 09-Jul-25 12:55:44

I am usually very careful when I see goods advertised. A couple of weeks ago I saw a very nice dress advertised on Facebook, I took the precaution of going into the company's own website and was pleased it was a UK company. I ordered the dress at a cost of £29.95. It arrived yesterday and the dress is nothing more than tat. I wouldn't even pick it up at a jumble sale. It's badly made, cheap fabric and there was no returns slip enclosed. I emailed the company and they initially offered me a different garment at no extra cost to me. I refused and requested a returns address so I could get a refund. They came back offering 10% off. I refused. They came back offering 20% off, again I refused and they came back with their FINAL offer of 30% off. Again I refused and they have now told me I need to pay to ship it back to China (???) and pay for it to be tracked. I reminded them that their advert states they are based in Manchester and I'd pay to return it there. It seems I should've checked their terms and conditions. The company is called Milford UK.

Buyer beware of this awful company.

Davida1968 Wed 09-Jul-25 13:11:20

Like others here I stick to reputable British traders. I like Seasalt, Cotton Traders, Hotter, and M&S (when the latter is available online!) Never had a problem with these.

Happygirl79 Wed 09-Jul-25 13:48:05

Martin Lewis has announced that now we can not return any item purchased from a shop unless its faulty. If we buy online we have the right to change of mind and can return the product for a refund within 28 days.

Frenchgalinspain Wed 09-Jul-25 13:48:46

NEVER have bought clothing or shoes online as we live in The Madrid Capital for 33 years ..

There are 5.000 retailers within a 5 minute walk from our flat.

We love ZARA and there are uncountable ZARAs in Madrid and the rest of Spain.

shoppinggirl Wed 09-Jul-25 13:57:37

If you see a site advertising clothes at ridiculously cheap prices on, say, Facebook, cut and paste the name into google followed by SCAM. It'll tell you if it's reputable or not.

Caleo Wed 09-Jul-25 14:01:18

I now buy online only from reputable and well known British shops. BTW Tesco's Florence and Fred is now online so you can get the buying power behind a huge supermarket to get you good value for money.

sunglow12 Wed 09-Jul-25 14:03:50

I find Pay Pal refund you if caught out by a scam like I have so pay that way now but avoid Chinese stuff as they seem to have taken over the world of shopping

Gill33 Wed 09-Jul-25 14:07:32

This happened to me. Tell them you won’t accept 10% and they will no doubt up their offer. I think ultimately I got 50% off by demanding a free return. They wouldn’t do that but after a while they eventually gave me 50% off. I never buy from China now as it costs as much to sent an item back as buying in the first place. Keep badgering them for a higher percentage off!