I never buy clothes on line for this reason. Much better to see things in a shop and try them on.
AI Receptionists in GP surgery.
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Scams and fraud
"Cambridge Artisan" are not in Cambridge and not artisans.
(9 Posts)I have noticed all those people on FB sadly closing down businesses that I had never heard of. My reaction was that if they had put as much effort into marketing and growing their sales as they seem to be putting into telling everyone their sob story (and of course into making their goods so attractive and such good quality that eveveryone spread the word to their friends) they might have been more sucessful.
I was caught out by ‘London King’ or something similar. A good looking dress turned out to be a nasty cheap thing - I realised it was from China, so returning it would be costly and I’d probably lose my money and the dress. Still, it’s made a nice tent for DGS2 when he’s in my garden.
Most of the adverts on FB for “artisan” firms “sadly closing our doors for ever” are fake sites. They vary from glass sun catchers to leather bags, to knitwear to jewellery to sandals. They are all based in China and the stuff is cheap tat.
If you follow Instagram you will notice that all these clothes offers have a British name and say UK but if you google reviews for them they will invariably be very poor.. I did order a cardigan thinking it was British but it came from China and was extremely small.. never again...
So do I, normally, but a couple of weeks before that I had bought something from La Redoute online that I was really pleased with - beautifully made, and their customer service was excellent - and on this occasion I was in a hurry, so I pushed my luck.
We make it a rule to Never order anything via Facebook.
Make a note of the website, and go into it via the Internet, then you can see exactly where the goods are coming from and read the reviews of the Company.
We were caught out once , never again.
Oh dear, I hope it turns up but thank you for the warning.
Lisa from Cambridge? 🤔
Someone in Guangdong.
Over a month ago, I spotted a linen mix summer top at half price on "Cambridge Artisan" a Facebook clothing web page. There were about 8 or 10 versions of the same item, in different fabric designs, all very attractive, and the page was professional and efficient. I ordered one, and received a confirmation of the order, then went back to surfing Facebook.
About 20 minutes later I came across another picture of the same line-up of tops, in the same photograph and the same page design - but under a different name - "London King". Alarm bells went off. Why the duplication if it was an artisan's site? So I had a search for reviews for each site.
On Trustpilot I found this page - www.trustpilot.com/review/cambridge-artisan.com The stars given were -
5-star <1%
4-star <1%
3-star <1%
2-star 1%
1-star 98% (you can't give no stars) and there were stories of long delays in delivery, dreadful quality, wrong sizes, being told you had to pay the postage to China yourself to get a refund, and offered ridiculously small amounts as a refund.
I also searched for reviews of London King. Opinions were much the same, but I can't find them now to link to them - maybe the firm is no more. I discovered that neither of them are anywhere near London or Cambridge. They (and also a shoe site called Orthofit London that one reviewer thought was connected with them) are, you won't be surprised to hear, in China.
Decided to chalk it up to experience and hope it is wearable, but it is now more than a month. I emailed them a couple of days ago to ask when it was going to arrive. Received this answer this morning. Many other people have had the same excuses. I haven't repied yet. Will do that tomorrow. -
"Dear XXXXX Thank you for reaching out again. My name is Lisa from Cambridge Artisan, and I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you’ve experienced with your order.
We fully understand your concerns. We regret not meeting your expectations regarding the delivery.
However, we’ve experienced delays due to two main reasons. Firstly, the item was sold out due to high demand. This caused a slight additional delay as we had to ship them directly from our factory in Asia.
Additionally, we are facing unforeseen logistical issues on one of our main transit routes, which has led to extra customs inspections and other challenges. For these reasons, we estimate that your order may take approximately 7 to 8 more weeks to arrive.
To resolve this situation as quickly as possible, please choose one of the following options:
Option 1: Receive a 5% refund of your total purchase amount, and you can keep the item once it arrives. This is an exception we are offering in the hope that it will be a satisfactory solution for you, as we don’t usually offer this type of compensation.
Option 2: We are offering you an additional 25% discount on your next purchase with the code VIP25DELAY, which can be combined with any existing promotions in our store.
We are working diligently to ensure your order arrives as soon as possible. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Please let us know which option you prefer, and we will proceed with your request right away.
If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m here to help with anything you need.
Best regards, Lisa from Cambridge Artisan
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