Fashionable Reader, a reminder that this is not a sponsored post. I
don't do sponsors. Which, in this case, turned out to be a good thing. Insert dramatic music here...
So, my
eShakti chronicle of
the ordering process is in a different blog. It went OK. I hemmed and hawed over hemlines and necklines. Some of the site's UI was annoying.
1. My first bit advice? It is better to know what you want and have it all worked out before ordering, because changing anything later is a pain.
My Selection
So, if you remember, I wanted dresses to match my two coming covers:
November 2014, March 2015
I ordered these:
I ordered the teal with short sleeves and a modest V neckline and the lilac with half sleeves and a wide scoop neckline. I also ordered this one on impulse, no modifications possible except a slightly shorter hem.
For all the dresses I entered custom measurements and paid the $8 fee to have each tailored to my top heavy figure.
What happened next? The Good
At first, because I put a note in about my concerns over the neckline of the lilac I had a very good experience.
Two days after I placed my order I
received an email from
eShakti with a note and a picture telling me exactly how low
that neckline of concern was. How awesome is that?
It turns out it's about 8.5 inches down from the sternal notch, which is
way too low for me. I don't even own a bra with a neckline that
low!
2. Second bit of advice: utilize the notation box for your order if you have any concerns.
So What Happened? The Bad
I wrote back asking that
they switch to the boatneck or the smaller scoop. I asked her opinion on
which she thought would work better with the added sleeves. I guess it seemed like I was leaving it up to her to choose. We shall see what happens, for she did not write back again. (*note from the future, it came with the boatneck and is awesome!)
3. Be very clear with your wants and have a back up plan on customization.
I then received an update on my delivery, which was now three weeks from my order date. So that was good to know, if longer than I wanted. If I order again, to be safe, I should leave at least a month before my event.
4. If you have a particular event in mind order at LEAST a month ahead of time to be on the safe side. Because I what happened to me next, I should say a month and a half if you have no other outfit back ups and need to re-order.
The Ugly
Then I got a notification that they were out of the fabric for the dress I needed for the soonest event, the teal.
I had decided on the original dress because it
zipped up the back and was so entirely customizable, also it looked to
be the best color match to the cover. But, in the end,
I'd really prefer it in a deeper jewel tone, so I'm thinking of
seeing how this order goes, now, and waiting to determine if they get it
in a new colors for the Fall.
It's a risk because they could have nothing to match at all, and I did have two back up options:
 |
| Would look so cute over a corset |
 |
| Has some stretch and may fit best |
But since I have the time, I think I'd rather see the results of this first
eShakti order. I made a note to revisit another order in the fall, a month and a half before the book tour for
Waistcoats. That's assuming I like the dresses.
However, things continued to spiral.
I got a notification of the refund but it was not for the full amount of the dress. I wasn't certain whether this had to do with the coupon (which was for the first order, not three dresses, and thus shouldn't be effected) or the custom tailoring. In either case, I wrote back, included the original receipt, stating that I should be refunded for the full amount.
Silence.
Four days later (two business days) I call customer service.
Fuzzy hold music for five minutes and then I was forced to leave a message. This is not looking good, ladies.
And Good Again
They called be back near the end of the day and all is well. It was my mistake entirely and they explained how the billing and return credit worked. It turns out that they had given me, at check out, even more of a discount than I originally thought. So hey, that's cool!
The next day they finally responded to my email with the same information. I'm now much happier with the company.
4. Sometimes they will apply special offers even if you don't know about it or ask.
Next up, Fashionable Reader, I will let you know when the two dress arrive how they look and fit the Rack. Yes, I will try to post pictures, although they may be selfies.
