Anyone have experience buying from The Rake?

[Nat25]

How does it work with VAT and customs on the orders to the states? Does DHL always hit you with a bill or is it the luck of the draw? Have ordered 3 times from the rake and only for a charge once. Thx.

 

[haloitsme]

If you order from outside the us, and value is below 800$ no duties/vat

 

[circumspice]

I did a return with them, and they forgot to credit me, so I dropped them an email on a Sunday and they were on it like hyenas on meat and my card was credited that day.

 

[mattg1027]

If you order from outside the us, and value is below 800$ no duties/vat

Dammit - my order yesterday was $830 and would've been $750 had I waited till today. On that note, code SALE10 gets extra 10% off for today, in case anyone didn't know.

 

[usctrojans31]

My third order with The Rake arrived quickly and accurately. Only issue was DHL deciding to leave it in my building entrance without a signature, which isn't The Rake's fault.

 

[sartoriale]

Here's the damage:

Any recommendations on how I can fix the front crease? It's that big ripple in the middle.

Here's the back crease (don't think it's fully fixable):

You can tightly roll it up and keep it for a couple of days like that, if the crease is stubborn, your tailor can press it.

 

[othertravel]

Your can tightly to roll it up and keep it for a couple of days like that, if the crease is stubborn, your tailor can press it.

Thank you! Will try that.

 

[Nat25]

Is that the wine or burgundy? I can’t figure out the difference in color?

Your can tightly to roll it up and keep it for a couple of days like that, if the crease is stubborn, your tailor can press it.

 

[willjwoo]

I had a pretty miserable experience with The Rake recently. Ordered a couple of items and was informed they were shipped, but never received tracking. Never received the items and the customer experience was horrible. Never really helped me resolve the issue. I ended up opening a case with Paypal to get my money back, which takes about a month. Paypal reimbursed me. The Rake didn't actually trigger the refund themselves. Can't say that I will be buying from them again anytime soon.

 

[sartoriale]

Is that the wine or burgundy? I can’t figure out the difference in color?

I have no idea, we are not the sellers

 

[John Rosen]

I've been shopping with The Rake this whole summer, and my experience could be summed up as follows:

PROS:
– arguably an unrivalled selection of products (if you are aware of an equally good one, please let me know)
– free international delivery / returns
– quick delivery (once DHL has picked up your order, that is)
– customer service team has never been hostile or rude (although their almost obsequious tone often sounds contrived and mechanical rather than genuinely polite. Not that I care much, but still better than rude)

CONS:
– routine processing and dispatch delays
– very poor communication (the customer service team usually responds only once a day, or does not respond at all)
– simply staggering after-sales incompetence (on a few occasions I was wondering if I was dealing with mentally incapacitated people. Took me weeks to sort things out, having to nudge them all the while)
– very poor packaging (you would struggle to find an online shop — and I mean any online shop, not just the ones selling blazers for two or three grand — that would use just a single squashy cardboard box that's not even been wrapped in some protective sleeve or cover, with a scrappy piece of packaging paper within and, if you're lucky, a latest issue of their magazine)

In view of that, I think it is really a dilemma, whether to buy from them or not, given that their range of products is quite spectacular, and occasionally allows you to buy goods at lower prices compared to the original source, especially if you ship outside of the EU and the source's online store does not offer exemption from its local VAT (whereas The Rake does). The goods that I have purchased were themselves totally in order, yet given their shoddy and careless packaging, the damaged grenadine tie discussed earlier in this thread comes hardly as a surprise. Regarding their customer care team, I really have the impression that their at times almost comical ineptitude stems less from their unwillingness to do their job properly than from a combination of a disproportionately large amount of work a relatively small team has to deal with and, no joking, the team just being formed of not particularly bright individuals. In sum, I would say unless something has been done to improve the quality of their customer care, if there is no difference in price it is certain one should have no second thoughts about purchasing from somewhere else.

 

[Aloysius16]

I echo your experience. I was dealing with a succession of pleasant posh young people who promised to correct the latest error but almost invariably a further cock-up would ensue. Almost comical by the end (e.g. when DHL came to my house for the third time to collect a return that they had already collected two weeks earlier, having been triple-booked by the Rake people).

 

[John Rosen]

I echo your experience. I was dealing with a succession of pleasant posh young people who promised to correct the latest error but almost invariably a further cock-up would ensue. Almost comical by the end (e.g. when DHL came to my house for the third time to collect a return that they had already collected two weeks earlier, having been triple-booked by the Rake people).

Comical indeed, on one occasion I have been provided in succession with three or more different tracking numbers, each one accompanied by "Great news, Sir, we have finally located your tracking number" — none of which of course corresponded to my order. It seems as if they often have barely any idea what's going on within their own enterprise. You really have to fancy something from them a lot, as well as be prepared to display a good deal of stoicism, to risk going through such experiences a second time.

 

[othertravel]

It’s an interesting dilemma. If you recall, I ordered two Anthony Cleverley pairs for something close to 70% off.

Initial email from them confirmed my order, and then they wrote saying there would be a slight delay as my pairs were being manufactured. Then another email about my order being manufactured. And then one last email saying the vendor was sold out of the shoes I ordered.

I asked for and received a coupon code for the trouble.

That all said, aside from the gren tie I mentioned above, everything that was shipped to me arrived well packaged and as specified. Will continue to order from them as their curation is fantastic.

 

[usctrojans31]

I know there has been some editorial staff turnover, and I wonder if fulfillment had some as well. I have to think that a third party platform would be better than trying to built it all solo.