Paul now has 30 free pairs of sneakers from J.Crew for calling them out on some bullshit.
It started off with me shopping in a store in NJ. I really liked the sneaker there but the store was closing and I had to head back to Brooklyn. The sales associate told me to just go online and id be able to get the shoes for same price via website. They were 50% off in store, plus I had 15 % student discount. I call J.Crew online, and the sales person is super nice. She places me on hold to confirm with store the price.
She tells me that she spoke to the manager and that the shoes were never 50% off. I asked who she spoke to. Hang up and call store myself. Turns out there’s no manager in there by the name I was given
I call back J.Crew. I am told salesperson who i was working with left for the day, only to then find out she’s actually still in. Basically lied to non-stop.
I call CEO. His assistant takes care of me. I have 30 new pairs of sneakers now.
Awesomness defined.
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I’d much rather have a gift cert.. I can’t really do anything with 30 pairs of shoes. And I’m a woman.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: Yeah. It’d be great to like give a certificate like that (minus a couple pairs for my family, of course) to a homeless shelter, eh?
@Oranges w/ Cheese: Never need a new pair of shoes again (assuming your shoe size doesn’t change).
@Oranges w/ Cheese: I’d much rather have a new car or $100,000. But 30 pairs of shoes > “We are taking the matter very seriously.”
@Oranges w/ Cheese: Am I wrong to kind of doubt this happened?
I can’t really do anything with 30 pairs of shoes.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: …Can’t you just wear them?
@Oranges w/ Cheese:
Wear them
Donate them
Sell them on eBay
Give them to family and friends (this is at least a year’s birthdays and Christmases if you can find the people who would like these sneakers)
There’s three things to do right there.
@pecan 3.14159265: Oops. Four things.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: lol wow i did not know woman like you exist than again i am a guy and i have over 60 pairs of nikes not to mention clarks, timberlands, and work shoes.
@Jersson Gomez: Which shoes did you hide your grammar skills in?
@Con Seannery is apparently an ADMIN…: right next to the box i keep my grammer nazi bait in.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: It almost sounds sarcastic and/or passive aggressive.
“You want your fucking shoes so bad? HERE’S 30 PAIRS.“
@Oranges w/ Cheese: Um. Best Comment. Ever.
@Oranges w/ Cheese:
Ditto.
Plus now they just plummeted the value of those shoes lower than the 50% off it was when 29 pairs of those shoes makes it on ebay or craigslist. Kinda like when Lowes was selling $350 Kitchen Aids for $150 due to a typo.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: I was going to say EBay, but I like the other suggestions of donating to charity. WAY too many people in need now a days to ignore.
I use 30 pairs of shoes over an average of about 10-20 years, optimistically.
@nagumi:
I guy a new pair of sneakers every 4-5 years. It would take me 120 years to wear out 30 pair
@Allen Harkleroad: i bought three pairs of shoes in the last week and a half.
That’s a bizarre consolation prize.
I mean, a gift card: great.
30 pairs of shoes: uh, so now I have to make 29 eBay listings?
@ScottRose: LOLz
@noone1569:
SAD-OL
@ScottRose: What, and have to buy new shoes again when the first pair wear out?
@Rectilinear Propagation:
Hey man, I have keep up with the latest styles. Can’t be wearin’ kicks from 2009 in 2010.
Eh, just kidding. OK, 25 eBay auctions.. 5 pairs of sneakers should set me up for about 10-15 years. If they’re dress shoes, then I’m set with just the one.
@ScottRose: I would keep them all and everytime I was having a bad day, I would put on a fresh pair. I love that bouncy new-sneaker feeling that usually only lasts a day or two.
So thats why the rest of us pay so much for stuff in J Crew stores!
Well, dude’s not gonna be hurting for shoes any time soon. Honestly, I say Kudos. It’s unusual, but it just adds to the charm.
Who’s the dude in the picture?
@hypnotik_jello: Lucius Kwok?
This is an awesomely concise letter. I just had to point that out.
@Michael Belisle: Yeah the Jeep dip should learn a lesson or two..
Sounds like a rather Passive-Aggressive gesture to me. “Fine you can have your shoe. Infact you know what, have 30 of them. Free. Nothings wrong. I’m Fine.”
@Lucifer_Cat: I thought the same thing when I read that. Then I realized I’m laughing all the way to my gleaming closet full of 30 new shoes, and their accountant is grimacing his/her way through writing off 30 pairs of shoes.
I could wear a different pair every day for a month. I don’t even have the closet space for that many shoes. Hell, I have 3 pairs, and one is collapsible (my converse high tops that are about 8 years old).
i would love 30 pairs of shoes…even if i didnt need them, all, I could trade for shoes I did want:)
@cabjf: Eh, true if you wanted to buy them all at once. But seriously… cash equivalent, anyone?
All the guy needs in this picture is a blindfold and a cigarette. Damn dude, you just got 30 pairs of free shoes, lighten up.
Send them to Octomom — in a few years the tribe will be well coordinated
@Hoss: A few, right? Not all 30. It’s not like she needs encouragement.
@legwork: Actually…send all 30…and hope that someone uses them as a cork
@ComcastRedwoodFlyer:
Okay, I’m sick today, and you just made me cough up a lung laughing!
@ComcastRedwoodFlyer: aw man i got yogurt all over my desk.
I just hope he didn’t get 30 pairs of the same shoes.
I hope those 30 shoes were (to some extent) at the expense of the lying salesperson, manager, and anybody else who caused this fiasco.
Kim Jung-Il
@Borax-Johnson: Oh that was good, almost ruined keyboard
I only wear out a pair of shoes every 3-5 years (depending on how well made they are). Assuming these shoes last 3 years, I would have 300 years worth of the same shoe to wear. I guess I better get started figuring out how to stop aging.
@samurailynn: Oh wow… I got distracted while typing… 90 years worth of shoe wearing, not 300… still, I’m not sure that I have 90 years left.
I call CEO. Takes care of me. Happy. Write to Consumerist. Like short sentences.
@jake7294: Three words max. Makes good reading. All submissions like this. wait…shit!
@valarmorghulis: I wanted shoes. Shoes wanted me. Salesperson was mean. Manager was nonexistent. Then everyone lied. The CEO helped. FedEx delivers sneakers.
I feel like this could almost be a perfect haiku situation.
I h8 myself
Shoes h8 me
jcrew I h8
30 shoes h8
Consumerist H8 H8
that would be 60 shoes – 30 pairs = 60. just sayin.
Obama, you said there would be no earmarks in your administration. Yeah, liar, you owe me 30 shoes.
@kwsventures: No, he owes you 30 earmarks for your personal pet projects. You may tack them onto the pending budget legislation.
Is anyone going to explain how this guy just rang up the C.E.O. of Jcrew? That seems like a relevant detail.
eBay… or the trunk of his car. New Jersey sounds good for that. ; )
I have met him myself. Extremely nice guy.
@89macrunner:
who?
@uconn: Extremely nice guy, of course.
What an awesome opportunity to do the thing where you give to people who have shoes.
Like…hobbits?
They owe him an apology, too. Each person he talked to and came into contact should have to give him THEIR shoes, too.
Something smells.
Can we see the 30 pairs of shoes for proof?
Great service from the CEO. I just hope the slimeball salesperson is let go.
Yay for Paul! I find it despicable that they lie just to get out of things promised. Don’t even ask me to relay my Mediacom story. It’s not a pretty one.
I’m really happy for Paul and that someone did nice for him. Somehow, I wonder if the people he spoke to still have jobs. I’m betting the answer is no.
I’ve been shopping at J. Crew since I was in 6th grade (I’m 23 now) and I’ve yet to have a single unpleasant experience. They’ve changed a bit over the years, but I feel like they’re never alienated their core. I can still go in and find a great pair of chinos and cotton tees except now I can also get cute trendy or dressy pieces (gap take note!). And I have all of the tees I wore in middle and highschool still as vibrantly colored as they were back then. My favorite pair of jeans are a pair of boyfriend jeans I bought in 11th grade that I’ve worn at least twice every month since. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on the most expensive designer jeans and the quality has never come close to theirs. I’ve been to locations all over the NE and their sales people are great with helping you out even when they’re hella busy. My two staple locations even know me by name! I could go on… I have nothing but love for that company. Glad it all worked out.
A different pair for every day of the month. Sweetness!
Why on Earth would they give someone 30 pairs of shoes?? How about a $250 gift card which would have cost them much less and been much more useful. Not sure I call this “success”.
What the hell?! Seems like there’s a whole lot missing from this story. How the guy went from trying to get a 50 percent discount to getting 30 pairs of shoes…that’s the missing part.
Usually consumerist posts are rather more verbose than they need to be…but this one is just lacking in important detail.
I bet they are returns. Stinky used fungusy returns or ugly unsellable lime green crappy shoes. Dude buy some lysol.
That’s a silly consolation response. A non-expiring gift card for the value of 30 pairs of shoes would have been better. By the way, the headline says 30 shoes (15 pairs).
JCrew has great customer service, I am surprised you got the run around like that, but at least you got results. I remember about 5 years ago my wife and I were heading to a wedding, she was a bridesmaid and the dresses were all JCrew dresses. As we were leaving for the wedding (day before the wedding) she tries on the dress and finds that the hangar had left marks on the dress. We couldn’t get them off. She was so upset I called up JCrew to see if we could get another. We were going to ask for a discount, but not free. The dress was discontinued. The customer service rep called their warehouse and had them search for it, they called me back 15 minutes later asked for our hotel address and sent the dress fedex saturday delivery, no charges at all. I will forever patronize JCrew for that one instance of outstanding service.
Shouldn’t that be 60 shoes? If it’s 30 pairs.
Hey Im the Paul who received the free shoes. Just to get facts straight. I called them trying to oder as many pairs as possible in a size 10 because the shoes are really great and priced amazingly (on sale), That is the reason I got 30 pair.
After the incident, i felt wronged. There was a sour taste in my mouth. I have been shopping at JCrew ever since I was a kid. I was furious like heat of passion.
So I looked up the company ceo , found the corporate line and called. That simple. I must say that they were BEYOND nice to me. It was like their world stopped and they were only concerned with me. Danielle at Mr Drexlers office was amazing and so was Christa in Lynchburg. Reminder I am still waiting back for word on the gift card that was mentioned.
So lesson Learned -> J Crew Actually Gives a Shit about their Customers, Bravo!!
@Paul Abrahamian: I’ve bought multiple pairs of the same kind of shoe also (though usually just 2 pairs). It wasn’t clear that you had planned on buying 30 pairs of shoes at once – very nice that they made amends this way.
@Paul Abrahamian: Are they all the same style and color?
Wow! A bit overwhelmed. I have received a few dozen messages on facebook !
Ok so YES they are ALL THE SAME STYLE OF SHOE!! Call me a true consumerist but I like my sneaks to be fresh and clean. The night in store in NJ i purchased 4 pairs in Ivory and I have only 1 “fresh” pair left.
The total discounted price of the shoe at the store worked out to be $8 and change. There are people who smoke a pack a day ( $9 bucks at the bodega ) , what is so wrong with an addiction to fresh sneaks!
So the real # of shoes works out to be 28 – 22 Red, 2 Ivory , 3 Green and 1 Navy
Yes I know thats a lot of red shoes. I have already given away a few pairs to friends
Also I had a few questions as to why I decided to call office of CEO. The answer is simple. I have been shopping at J Crew since I can remember looking in a mirror.
I have had nothing but great purchases and good things to say about the company.
However the incident that took place made me furious , livid to say the least. I felt deceived. To sum up how i felt , If J Crew Was a person Id really want to kick him in the balls…..
This angst was the catalyst to my call and I was delighted that they were so supportive and prompt in addressing the issue.
Will I continue to shop at J Crew? Yes. I don’t hate the company. They have the best and longest lasting boxers! I am however angry at the lazy lying phone sales associates. And if either of you two are reading this , pick up the book How to Make Friends and Influence people, it might teach you a thing or two.
I would be happy with that many shoes assuming I burn through shoes the way I do. You have to look at it that they actually did something for Paul. Too many companies would simply try to blow smoke up your arse. While maybe not the ideal way to resolve it they did in a manner that benefitted the customer.
Wow…that is pretty badass. Talk about rectifying the situation.