encircled.ca Avis 5

Ordered the Chyrsalis cardi from this company. They sent me a defective product. I contacted customer service and was expecting them to respond within 24 hours. They didn't. Will be disputing my charges with them and will never buy another product from this company.

Really, I always thought it was great how the owner felt comfortable sharing hot takes and opinions online. I genuinely believed they were championing a message. That changed the moment I became a customer who received an overpriced item that did not meet basic quality standards.

The passive aggressive, faux eco conscious rhetoric gets old very fast. After dealing with them directly, I learned it is not an online persona. The customer service is awful and the way they speak to people is downright unpleasant. The clothing itself is fine, but it is not special and it is definitely not worth the price. There are plenty of eco friendly brands that actually treat their customers with kindness and respect.

What truly shocked me was learning that a friend of mine worked for the owner briefly, and the stories she shared about the toxic and at times abusive behavior were disturbing. Sadly, it did not surprise me after my experience.

It is deeply troubling to know I supported a business that preaches values publicly while mistreating customers and staff privately. Poor service, products that fall short, and a harmful work environment. All a big no for me.

The first pair of dressy joggers I ordered were great. It was 2022. The last two pairs have been really poorly made. The second pair I received had a strange mesh down into the waist band, it ripped immediately (keep in mind these were the same size as the last pair) the legs were shapeless and much wider than the previous pair. The third pair, sent to me as a replacement have been on semi regular rotation (1-2 times per week) and all of the seams below the knees are falling apart. They also have totally lost their shape. I wore my first pair relentlessly for over 1.5 years without issue. It’s too bad.

This brand simply isn’t worth the price anymore.

I'm not a fan of their clothing, but that is perhaps a personal preference. It is a bit overpriced for the quality and the design is nothing special. I wholeheartedly agree with the previous review in terms of the e-commerce side of this business. I don't know how they can possible stay in business with the practice of charging a restocking fee on returns and taking quite literally 6 weeks to refund your money. This is insane when other companies process the refund as soon as they are notified from the carrier that the package is on its way. I get that they cannot operate like some of the larger online companies, but 6 weeks for a refund is absolutely crazy. I won't order from them again for that reason alone. I will say that their communication is fast and they are pleasant to deal with, but I don't want to carry anything on my credit card for 6 weeks.

The e-commerce side of their business is abysmal. On three separate occasions, the incorrect tracking info was attached to my order - once causing me to take a half hour drive in the post office to pick it up and it wasn’t there. How could there be such a disconnect between the order tracking number from my history to reality? They had attached a completely different tracking number to my order on the website than was eventually sent to me to correct. What kind of system problem is this? For exchanges, you have to buy the item first and then wait for them to process your return. I got an email today saying they’d processed my refund - SIX WEEKS after I returned the item. I’ve returned a few items and my average return time is FIVE WEEKS. It’s beyond unacceptable and, if you complain, all they say is that they are a small business. You have to pay $15 if you return an item - and there are no brick and mortar stores in which to try them for free. Exchanges are “free” if you can stand to be out your principal for the 6 weeks they wait to return your money. I feel like customers are providing bridge financing to the company. Also, the live chat online sizing info was off twice and that caused me to have to enter into the 5 week lag on return of funds and, in one case, a $15 charge. E-commerce is definitely store focused and not customer focused.

Further, the quality of the merchandise is variable. The pointe pants and shorts are really nice. The oversized gauzy shirts are nice, though sized way too big (I’m 5’10” and needed an XS - cue the exchange nightmare) and pilled a bit. The bamboo ribbed cropped pants got all scalloped around the bottom making them look like cheap pajamas and the same ribbed tank tops and long sleeves shrank, even though washed in cold, laid flat to dry and even pulled to shape. Also, that line is not made for tall people - too short in the skirt and the pants. If you lie flat to dry on a laundry rack it gets lines on the material and you can’t iron it, making drying it a large consumer of flat space in the house.

Oh, and the dressy sweatpants that they rave about look like sweatpants. I’d never wear them on a trip or out of the house for that matter.

Based on the poor e-commerce, I’ve unsubscribed from the mailing list and have decided not to buy from the store again. Ignoring customer complaints about the refund process (I’ve seen other reviews on the same) is irresponsible. I had complained about the 5 week return process when I initiated this last return - then I got hit with the 6 week one …