Complaint Review: Regine Chevallier LLC - Internet

I completed a large wholesale order with Regine Chevallier in excess of $3,500 with the interest of reselling these products in my own boutique and online shop.  The clothing items I purchased were beautifully photographed and presented on their website, which is well designed and managed.  After reviewing their return policy which is stated online, as well as each individual item description, fabric content and country of manufacture (stated as made in USA!), I felt confidant to move forward with my purchase. It seemed logical that these items would be high quality.  Most items were described as 100% cotton or 100% silk chiffon and all stated that they are manufactured in the USA, I took these descriptions as fact and felt confidant that these facts insured acceptable quality.

Prior to finalizing my payment and submitting my credit card details, I decided to call and speak to their "Customer Service Department" which turns out to be only two people, Sofie and Katie.  I stressed the importance of receiving my items in a timely manner, and Katie assured me that ALL of my products would be received in 7-10 business days.  I was told that my order would not be shipped in portions, but as a large, single order.  Finally satisfied that my items would arrive in good quality and in a expeditious nature, and that I had done my due diligence as a consumer, I submitted payment.

10 business days later, I called customer service again in order to check on the status of my shipment.  I was then told, despite what I was told in the call made before completing the order, that they had 14 business days to get me my order.  The reason given by Katie for this discrepancy was due to my order being a wholesale ticket.  Frustrated but unable to counter this, I requested that a tracking number be sent as soon as my order shipped.  4 days later, I still had not received any tracking information or my order, I again called customer service.  Katie assured me she was personally handling my order, and that it was shipping in the next several days. To my relief, several days later I received tracking information, and despite it being beyond the extended 14 business day guarantee, I was excited to see my garments. 

In several days, I received a single small package.  I was surprised, because I knew my complete order would need to be shipped in several boxes.  After opening the box I found a small portion of my order inside.  I quickly inspected the items, which included some camouflage jackets.  I was not thrilled with the quality.  The fabric was very thin, but the jackets themselves were a cute silhouette and attractive color, so after hastily checking them, I repacked the box and decided to wait for the remainder of the order.  I assumed the order got separated in shipment and would arrive the following day.  It did not, and again i had to call "customer service", ie Katie. 

Now Katie tells me that the rest of my order is still being processed and will ship when complete.  I explained that this was the exact situation I was hoping to avoid, and the very reason I called before completing my order. To reiterate, I was told in that initial call my order would NOT be shipped separately. I was made to feel that this objection was unreasonable and beyond Katie's control.  Therefore, I chose to pick my battles and did not escalate the situation.  Instead, I would wait for the entirety of my order and assess the quality and service then... by this point I was becoming worried about the entire order.  I am a small boutique owner and $4,000 on useless garments creates a significant loss to my business, and I was literally praying that this would not be the case. 

I had a planned business trip the following week (why I wanted to ensure my order would arrive prior to my departure) so I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to check the order after returning.  Upon my arrival home, I opened the two remaining boxes, which again arrived several days apart.  Still, all the items in my order had not shipped.  Worse, the additional items were awful quality and made the camouflage jackets that I was already dissatisfied with look very high-end by comparison! Again, the complete order still hadn't arrived, and ultimately never did.  This amounts to more than $500 worth of merchandise that I paid for but never, to this day, received. 

The garments in this last shipment were made of the thinnest fabric imaginable, being completely sheer, when that was not the intention or design.  The seams   were sloppily finished and even contained holes where the sewing machine failed to join the fabric.  Hems on dresses were entirely unfinished and with a raw edge.  The colors shown on their website were also completely different than the garment shown.  I am very well acquainted with monitor differences and that colors vary; this is not the case in this situation.  The images on their website simply depict items that are of different quality than what they sell, or, they so heavily photoshop and color enhance their images, that they are engaged in deceptive marketing and false advertising. I called customer service (Katie answered, go figure!) to get information on how to return my items.

This is where things went down the drain.  I was now told that wholesale order are ineligible for a return, which is not the return policy as stated on their website.  Furthermore, I could not simply send back the merchandise and be issued a store credit, as I requested.  I needed to pick out the items i wanted re-sent prior to being given a return address... What?!?!  I made in excess of 10 phone calls and numerous emails trying to get a return address to send the clothes back.  For a refund, for store credit, for anything, I just didn't want to look at these garbage clothes I wasted $4,000 on anymore! It was made clear that they were not going to give me an address to return the garments to, and of course these SCAMMERS have made sure to not include any of this information anywhere online or even on the boxes they ship.

I finally decided that my only recourse was to dispute the charges with my credit card, and send the items back to an address that American Express would hopefully be able to provide.  I am still in the process of having these charges removed, and ultimately the situation will likely end up resolved in the court room.  Did I mention, I STILL DIDN’T RECEIVE ALL THE ITEMS I PURCHASED AND AM BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR! This "company" is nothing more than a bait-and-switch scam schlepping sweat-shop quality garments at high-end boutique prices. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH THESE FRAUDS!

The items Regine Chevallier is selling are laughable. Several bathing suit cover-ups I ordered had plastic craft ribbon sewn to the macrame cover-up.  These garments were not fit to be sold at a flea market, let alone a curated, upscale boutique.  And certainly not for the suggested retail price of $120! A silver baseball jacket I arrived in a very apparent lavender.  A neon turquoise dress arrived as dark teal.  Furthermore, i took several of the garments described as 100% silk to a dry cleaner for their opinion on the fabric content.  The dry cleaner informed me that natural fibers burn and produce white smoke (silk, cotton, wool) whereas synthetic fibers melt and produce black smoke (polyester, nylon, acrylic).  Because the seams were so sloppy and hems unfinished, it was simple to work several strands of fiber from the fabric.  After holding a flame to these strands, the dry cleaner let me know that it was not possible the garments labeled 100% silk were natural fibers.  In her opinion, this was a 100% polyester chiffon, with a false fabric content label affixed. 

Regine Chevallier is the Haitian consulate in Miami, and her linked-in profile states that she is a Haitian industry leader and promotes business opportunities in Haiti.  What is not apparent is any physical address for Regine Chevallier LLC in the United States, nor can any information be found regarding any US based factory where her clothing is manufactured.  I DO NOT BELIEVE THESE ITEMS ARE MADE IN THE USA, DESPITE HAVING A LABEL SEWN IN DECLARING THEY ARE! It is my OPINION that Chevallier utilizes her contacts and connections in Haiti to have her garments manufactured there, for a sub-standard wage, producing a sub-standard product.  Then fictitious fabric content and country of manufacture labels are attached, trick photography is used to make the clothes look better than they do, and finally the images are heavily photoshopped.  The final product is a depiction of a product that Regine Chevallier simply does not sell, and she then forces you to keep the items by refusing to provide a return address or any type of exchange. I did not even receive hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise, but am still being held responsible for full payment.  DO NOT TRADE WITH THIS COMPANY!