Giving Online Stores All Over the Net a Bad Name. Pinch Gear is the Worst!
Pinch Gear
Did you ever go to a website and get a bad feeling about it but the prices were so good that you just couldn't resist buying from them? Then your bad feeling turned into a nightmare and you wish you would have listened to your first instincts?
Well, that is exactly what happened to me when I got an email offering me 60% off my entire order at Pinch Gear Online Store.
I really should trash those promotional emails that come out of nowhere from sites I don't know.
I didn't. I went to the site and suffered through the terribly designed slow loading pages and out of stock sizes to get a "deal" on some clothing and accessories.
Heed the warning. This site — if it continues to exist which I can't imagine it will for long — is run by people who are unscrupulous, rude, and dishonest.
What The Site Sells
Pinch Gear sells inexpensive mostly summery tops, a couple different pairs of jeans, a few skirts, some shoes, and accessories like take offs of designer purses, sunglasses like certain celebrities wear, and some designer inspired jewelry.
About the Website
This is quite possibly the slowest loading site I have ever shopped on. There is a flash intro that will take forever so just skip that. It is loud and annoying and has nothing to do with the site.
The site has funky sound effects. When you click on a category or a product, there is a weird shuffling and pinging sound that made me wonder what was going on at first. Then I turned my speakers off.
The site opens with their featured products, usually the more expensive jewelry and handbags.
The menu down the side is broken into categories: Tops, Bottoms, Jeans, Dresses, Outerwear, Shoes, Activewear, Swimwear, Accessories, Intimates, Eyewear, and Formalwear. Don't be fooled — many of the categories are empty or only have one or two items in them.
The site looks upscale in a way. It has photos of what look like very attractive items modeled on mannequin torsos.
Click on an item and a larger photo appears, usually with no description. There is a size chart but it is not accurate. I actually went a size up from what the chart suggested and the items are still very small. Everything runs extremely small and is made out of very thin cotton that shrinks and wrinkles so buy BIG to get a decent fit.
None of the items has a color choice. Just click on your size if needed and add the item to your cart.
When you are finished shopping, go to the checkout.
You must register with the site before continuing. That involves the usual name, address, phone, and email address info. Moving along, you will see a few shipping choices. Pick the one you want and pay with a major credit card or Paypal.
You will get a letter — but not immediately — confirming your order. I never got a shipping email or a tracking number but I did get a letter a week after my order saying that my payment was accepted although they took the payment immediately after I ordered.
Your order will eventually arrive. Mine was in an old tattered box with a return address of some woman with no indication it was from Pinch Gear. The clothing was still on hangers and tossed in the box. I received no paperwork at all and was missing items.
My (Dreadful) Experience
I tell ya, in my quest to get good deals, I sometimes walk right on a land mine. I did with Pinch Gear.
The site is so slow, I almost clicked off many times and wish I had. The sound effects are annoying and unnecessary. The categories often were empty or had items in just one size, usually not mine.
However, I had a 60% off promo code and, by God, I was going to use it. I found several summer tops that sold for just $4.00 and, with my discount, were only $1.60. Although there was no info about the fabric or fit, I guessed my size to be Large because cheap clothing is usually made small.
I also ordered a cute purse at a nice discount.
I paid for my order via Paypal. A couple days later, I received a letter of confirmation with a listing of everything I ordered on it.
A week later, I received a confirmation of my payment being accepted — whatever that means — and again, everything I ordered was listed.
Many days later — at least 12 or so — I got a large box that looked to have been used several times. I didn't recognize the return address of the woman on the label and it didn't say Pinch Gear anywhere.
Inside were several tops on hangers tossed into the box with no tissue, bubble wrap, or anything else. There was no invoice and, after untangling the tops, I noted two were missing as was the purse.
The quality is pure junk. The tops didn't look at all like they did on the site. They're tiny, too. I am an average sized woman who generally wears a size Medium on top. These Larges and even one Extra Large were very small. If you are larger than say, a 34 or 35 bust, you will probably be out of luck.
The tops were wrinkled and threads hung from them. They are so thin that they are see through. I will never wear them. Horrible.
But what worried me was that I was missing two tops and the more expensive purse.
I wrote to the site asking what the deal was and I was told that the items were out of stock and I was refunded the day my order shipped. A quick look at my Paypal account showed that wasn't so.
I wrote back saying that and, after several rude emails on their end, was finally told that I would get my refund ($21.89) the next day.
Take a guess. Did I get it as promised? Oh hell no! Nothing showed up in my Paypal account so I emailed them again. This time, I got no response at all. Three more emails were ignored. The phone number listed just rang during their supposed open hours.
I went to Paypal with a dispute but they wrongly thought I was disputing quality. The quality does stink but I just wanted my money back for the items I was charged for and didn't receive.
I called Paypal and they gave me my money back from their own account citing that it was easier to refund me than to deal with Pinch Gear (I swear!). I have taken the case to Consumer Help Web for them to follow up because these people have no right to steal my money and make Paypal pay for the refund. (Update: January 1, 2007 — Consumer Help Web was able to get my refund from Pinch Gear in just a day or two after they contacted the site. Neither I nor CHW were informed that I was refunded. I saw it in my Paypal account. They never would have done anything if I hadn't gotten a dispute company involved. Thanks, CHW!)
Everything about this site screams "DISHONEST" and, from the emails I traded with them, they're a little wholesale company, possibly a drop ship one, with people who have no idea how to run a business. I can't imagine this company sticking around long unless they change their attitude and start charging people only for what they actually receive, not what they ordered but wasn't available.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping is a guessing game until the end. There is no shipping chart on the site. I paid $12.99 for a $33.00 order and that was the cheapest of the choices. And I ended up not getting items adding up $17.20 so I would say shipping is pretty darn high.
You can return non-sale items within 30 days. All items must be unused and have the original labels and tags on them. You need to send things back in the original box (which is probably why the box I got looked so used. It had come and gone several times, I bet.). The site says to use the self-adhesive sticker from the invoice to return things but I got no invoice, no sticker, nothing at all in the form of paperwork.
They won't refund anything from people who have a 50% lifetime discount which they actually sent me months ago and I tossed out. I wish I had continued to stay away from the site.
You need to pay for shipping back and obviously original shipping is not refunded. I would not chance sending anything back. I really don't think I would see a refund and then I would be out money and items. I am donating the stuff I got to the Rescue Mission. Some items may fit older kids or small teens.
Contact Info
They have several email addresses for different concerns but they all go to one person from what I saw. They don't sign their letters but the same person wrote to me from all the email addresses I tried. They have a toll free number but I was unable to get through the three times I tried.
Conclusion
I have had bad experiences online before. Aside from one really awful transaction with Tokyo Hobby, which eventually did refund me and go out of business, this has been the worst.
Although more money was on the line at other sites where I had problems, this site was bad from start to finish. The site itself is slooooowww and annoying. The descriptions aren't there or are very limited and quality is the worst I have ever bought from any online or brick and mortar store. This isn't just sour grapes. The clothing I bought really is unbearable and about to fall apart
These people don't tell you that items are out of stock and yet they charge you for them. When you kindly ask for a refund, they are rude and very nasty. They clearly had no intention of refunding me for the items they charged me for but never sent even though they fully admitted that I didn't get the items.
Cheap clothes — even ones that are wearable — are not worth dealing with dishonest, unethical people.
Pinch Gear is as unethical as they get and it seems to be run by a couple of uneducated people who can't spell, never were taught manners, and have no idea what it takes to build a returning customer list. I give them a generous 1 star and implore you to stay away from this site.
You'll be sorry if you order from them even if you aren't overcharged. The quality is bottom of the barrel and not worth the time it takes to painfully navigate through the site.
Recommended:
No
