Hey guys! I don’t normally post these kinds of things since I’m not necessarily someone who rants on my blog, but please bear with me as I share my bad (and probably my worst) experience with an online shop I found on Instagram.

So just a short background, I buy online a lot, mainly because I’m not fond of the outdoor world. I’ve bought from Ebay, Amazon, Taobao, Etsy, Facebook, Instagram – really name it. So I’ve encountered lots of different sellers in my lifetime and online shopping isn’t new to me at all. Not to mention I personally own a tailoring shop based online. I practically live on the internet so I have both buyer and seller experience. I’ll try my best not to be biased on this post, but it’s gonna be pretty subjective when it comes to the items I got.

I became a little enthusiastic with shopping through Instagram lately since it’s really pretty easy and convenient. You know, hashtags, and some good scrolling on the profile can get your bank account crying so easily. Recently, July 28 (Thursday night), I came across Runway Doll Shop on Instagram. (Wholesale Retail Resell Fashion Runwaydollshop on Facebook.)

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They have nice items, a whole lot of followers on their profile, and lots of good client feedback that when I spotted one of the items I was looking for, I immediately DMed the shop on Instagram to ask specifics on the item I was eyeing. After some quick exchanges of convo and info, I went for some more scrolling till my imaginary cart was full. I submitted an order form. After that, the shop (re)uploaded an item to their profile that I also liked. So I included it in the total payment I sent and noted to the shop as well that I’m having that added. She replied “Noted sa additional sis.”

My order consisted of the following: A long sleeve denim polo, a blue skater skirt, a buttoned up skirt, a white racerback sando, and the followed up item, a striped top.

So all I had to do was wait for my items to arrive and I’ll be a happy kid. @runwaydollshop sent me the tracking number the next day, and the package arrived to me on a August 2, Tuesday. I was very excited to open them only to find out three things:

  1. The supposedly long sleeve denim polo I ordered was a sleeveless denim polo with a front tie.
  2. The supposedly blue skirt I ordered was actually a dark blue skirt.
  3. The striped top I added on my order was not in the package.

Obviously I DMed @runwaydollshop again to ask what happened, this was August 2 night. Note that I didn’t even get mad or anything, just asking and hoping for a proper resolution to my concern. I even told her that I should have sent photos of my order to avoid confusion in reference to the denim polo I got. I also check their shop about three times to see if the “item code” I used for my order was the same as the one I received since I thought I might have mistakenly named my order wrong, but there was no such item in their profile.

After specifically raising my issues, @runwaydollshop seenzoned me a short while after that. During the time, I was already expecting a reply since she already read it, but she didn’t. I thought to myself, since the shop has a Wed-Thurs-Fri 9am to 11pm business hours, I let it pass since it was a Tuesday.

I waited for a reply the next morning but there was none. What pissed me off was the fact that she was uploading positive client feedbacks in her profile that morning even though she already read my complaint the night before. How ironic. When night time came, I DMed her again to tell her I’m being patient because I know she’s busy and that I know that the value of what my order isn’t that big, but I hope she resolves it anyway as a professional. I told her I don’t want to start a fight, but if she chooses not to reply at all, I won’t hesitate to spread my experience with her shop in my social media accounts. Guess what? Not long after, @runwaydollshop replied.

She told me that the items I bought were based on the order form and the amount I paid. On their records, I had the complete package too (she meant I had no missing item based on their inventory). She even said, quoting, “Please understand that there may be slight differences in color due to lighting used.”

As you can see on the photo (lower right item), the product photo is a much lighter shade of blue, and the material is a smooth fabric, whereas the one I received is a textured dark blue fabric (photo is a little reddish). Not to mention that the item barely fits me when it says it’s freesize and fits small to large frames. (FYI my waist is 27 which could pass as medium but the fabric seem to be on it’s max stretch already)

During the time, my biggest concern were the wrong item, and the missing item. So I let the color difference pass despite knowing that the picture on @runwaydollshop’s profile is a different item from the one I received.

She asked photo of the denim polo I received, to which I sent her everything in the package I got. She apologized for the wrong item and told me that the packer assigned to me might have made a mistake. She asked me to ship the item so she can issue a replacement. I asked for her details and also told her that I’m hoping she can send the missing striped top when she ships the correct item. And she replied, quoting again, “your package is tagged complete. So if you are insisting na wala talaga, know that the replacement will be deducted to the worker assigned to your package. Kasi ok naman yun inventory report.” She also sent me her shipping details along with the note of me using JRS or LBC only as their place was a bit remote to be reached by other couriers. She lives in Cavite so that’s more expensive too compared to shipping it to Manila.

To me, it sounded as if she’s somewhat accusing me of lying and also tapping my conscience as if it was my fault that the worker would have a lesser paycheck. I had a hunch that the order form the worker might have received is the one I sent, not including the additional but idk. And tbh, I don’t think it’s my fault that the worker had the wrong items packed nor was it my responsibility to make sure that it’s logged in from their end. She could have also asked me to resend an order form with the additional item as well like what I do with my own shop.

After I sent her the photo was also when I realized that the skater skirt I bought had about 2 inches unsewn part. How sad right. Good thing she said she’ll have it replaced as well.

So I went to JRS August 4 morning to ship her the wrong and defective item which costed me an additional P120. Which she never even thought of reimbursing even though it was clearly their fault. I sent her the photo of receipt and she told me she’ll have the item shipped August 6 after she receives the ones I sent. Afterwards, I inquired if she can possibly ship some items to me together with the replacements as I planned on buying some more from her. She didn’t reply though until I hit her up on Viber.

We were both calmer in the conversation then, probably because the issue somehow subsided already. I added a few more items and she told me she’ll have it shipped together with the long sleeve denim, the replacement for the defective skirt and the missing striped top.

Today, August 9, I received the package with excitement but only to get disappointed again.

  1. The buttoned up skirt I ordered from @runwaydollshop were different from the first one I received. It’s the same as the one on photo, but different from the first buttoned up skirt I got. Making them inconsistent. What I hate the most is the fact that the first buttoned up skirt I got was made of a lovely stretchy fabric, but this one was a stiff very maong type of fabric.

I even posted it on my IG because I loved it. Loved it so much that I bought 2 additional ones. But only to get disappointed by the quality. And this second batch of skirt don’t even fit me by my hips. First one I ordered was large and it was a little loose so the next ones I ordered I opted for medium instead. wouldn’t fit at all. Fabrics won’t evne overlap to each other.

2. The trouser pants were too much for me to handle…

 I got the supposedly peach one (lower left) while the actual product is a salmon pink with wider leg hole and made of chiffon. It had a lining inside but only enough to cover your bum, the rest is almost see-through. Obviously two different products. I don’t even have to apply my tailoring shop skills to know that these two are totally different items.

Okay, I do get that the photos she uploaded were probably just inspiration, but there was no label on the caption or photo that it was just a peg AND the product I got, especially on that last one is way way far from the photo they used. And the way she replied to me was a little unprofessional for me even though she did apologize saying it was her first time encountering a complaint.

I posted a photo on IG that links to this page, and you can read all the other complaints from the same shop in the comments section by clicking below.. It’s not a “just me” experience nor am I destroying someone else’s reputation. @runwaydollshop did this to themselves.

I left a message of yet another complaint to @runwaydollshop, but right now, I’m not even expecting a reply more so a resolution. EDIT: She already blocked my IG account. So I’m just right here raising awareness not just of this shop, but all the other shops out there. Let’s all be careful.