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Old 09-16-2009, 06:31 PM
  #21  
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I've never heard of anyone sending you a refund check if you paid by credit card. They usually debit it back to your card account. That sounds so odd for them to do business that way. I hope you get your refund. I won't order from them again either since I always use my debit card.
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Old 09-16-2009, 06:53 PM
  #22  
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I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them. I have ordered from them several times and never had a problem.
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Old 09-17-2009, 04:46 AM
  #23  
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tlrnhi,

I'm trying to remember from your other posts... are you overseas? (Not in the US?) If you're not... then I apologize, 'cause my answer won't really apply. If you're on a US military base, then my answer also won't apply.

But if you are (non-military) overseas, that's probably why they told you it could take 6-8 weeks.

I have bought from Clotilde a few times in the past - not recently, though - and it was always my impression that they were a reputable business. To be sure, Clotilde should have been able to tell you WHEN your package was shipped! I totally agree with you on that point.

I have found that there's a lot of confusion about international shipping, as a whole. So in the interest of anyone reading this forum who is overseas, I'm hoping that what I'm about to write here is truly helpful and of some use.

We ship internationally (and have done so for about five years), and I'll share with you what our experiences have been. While most of the time everything goes smoothly, I would guess that about 5% of the time, packages are delayed. It usually takes 2-3 weeks for packages to get delivered (except for France and Italy, where 6-8 weeks is the norm). But sometimes it takes much longer. Less than 1% of international packages do truly get lost, in our experience. We don't give up and consider a package "lost" until 45 days after it was shipped. (That's about six weeks.)

What any international buyer should be aware of is that in general, international packages are sent from the US are sent by USPS Priority Mail International (PMI). This is the budget-priced shipping method (costs about $13 for a flat-rate envelope), and it is definitely a no-frills service. When you ship an international package by this method, you give it to the Post Office... and then sit back, wait, and hope for the best. You can't track it. You can't hurry it up. You can't get any additional information about it, at all. The only thing that you can do is wait. It's frustrating... both for the shopper AND the seller!

So when Clotilde's customer service department told you there was nothing to do but wait, they weren't giving you a runaround, they were merely stating the reality of the situation. International shipping is not very customer-friendly. It's not seller-friendly, though, either!

At this point, you may be wondering, "Isn't there a better way to ship?" Yes, there IS a better way. It's called Express Mail International (EMI), and though the US Post Office picks up the packages, delivery is actually handled by FedEx. However, it costs more than twice as much. You can actually track packages sent by EMI, and it's a very good service, and it's a little faster than PMI, but it's expensive.

But... on to what you might be able to DO at this point. Did you pay by credit card? If so, you have solid protection available to you. If you don't receive your goods, or they arrive damaged, you can dispute the charges. (You probably should do this within 3 months of when you were charged.) When you file a dispute, you get your money back right away. If you paid by credit card, in the case of Clotilde, they actually SHOULD be doing the refund by credit card, too, not by a company check. (Actually, now that I think of it, if you're international you probably do NOT want a company check, because your bank might charge you a fee to cash it.)

I know a lot of people don't like to buy on the internet, using a credit card, but IMHO it's actually a smart move, because of the protection that you get. I would, though, suggest that it's smarter still to have one credit card that's ONLY used for internet purchases. That way, should it ever be compromised, you'll still have another card available for buying groceries, gas, chocolate, and other essentials. :wink:
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Old 09-17-2009, 05:33 AM
  #24  
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Hi,

About two years ago I placed an order with them and it took forever. I also called and got attitude from them.

I told them that they charge too much for shipping if they are sending it Pony Express, they didn't care. I did finally get my order.

I also told them to remove my name from their mailing list and I have never ordered from them since. There are other great companies to do business with that take pride in providing GOOD customer service. I am sure anything they sell can be bought elsewhere.

So sorry you had this exprience. I can see that after two years they have not improved.

Have a Happy Day,
Denise

PS I am in SW Ohio
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Old 09-17-2009, 05:37 AM
  #25  
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No, I'm not international. I live on Guam. It's a US Territory. We receive US MAIL! I have a zip code, a US ZIP CODE!! I cannot tell you how many times I have had to explain to companies to get them to change their shipping rates for here. I would say that 95% of them have changed them when they have been informed of this and have never had a problem with them. I order tons of things from online companies and have NEVER been told that they could not tell me when the package has shipped or what has shipped in the package. I have NEVER been treated as rudely as I was with Clotilde. Like I said before...calling and trying to talk to them seemed as if I was bothering them from something more important that they had to do.
I did send an e-mail to the company. Doubt I'll hear anything back or even get my refund. Glad it's only for $5, but for some people, that's the price of meals for a day.
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Old 09-17-2009, 07:53 AM
  #26  
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tlrnhi,

You're right, shipping to Guam or Puerto Rico or any other US territories is handled fully by USPS. So it would cost the same to ship to you, as it would to any of the 50 states.

I'd be interested to know how long it usually takes for you to receive a parcel from the US mainland.
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Old 09-17-2009, 07:59 AM
  #27  
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It takes about 10 days at the most to get a package from anywhere in the Continental US. I've had some take longer, just the mail system, but have never waited more than 15 days. Heck, I order from Joann's all the time and they deliver within 7 days.
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Old 09-17-2009, 08:30 AM
  #28  
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Clotilde may not realize it, but that company has annoyed a BIG group of quilters! It may not care, but WE do! I haven't ordered from Clotilde in a long time, but after hearing how badly they treated you on the phone, Terri, I won't order from Clotilde again.

The advice about contacting your Credit Card company is good - because Clotilde SHOULD have credited your card instead of sending you a check. I know you're tired of dealing with this, but if you haven't received AND cashed that check when the 3 month time limit is about to come due (from the date of your order), you should probably contact the CC company.
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Old 09-19-2009, 08:42 PM
  #29  
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I've ordered a lot from Clotilde over the years and have always had good service. I've received refunds in a timely manner. But I think from now on, I will begin trashing the catalog as soon as it arrives. It seems she has hired employees that are not a positive representaion of her company.
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Old 09-20-2009, 02:46 AM
  #30  
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I called and asked why I am getting a refund via check instead of back on my credit card. The girl I talked to said that is there policy. She then asked for my purchase order number, gave it to her and she said I wasn't getting a refund. I told her, yes, I am to get a refund of $5.69 due to a pattern not available anymore. She then says...oh, yes, I see it now. I again asked...why is the money NOT being put back on my credit card. She says, oh, that's our policy now. We issue refunds with a check and you should see it within 6-8 weeks. I asked her if it was being set by carrier pigeon to my house. She says that that is how long it takes for letters to get to me. HUH???????
I am SOOO done with them!
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