Ladies, I do not often strongly denounce retailers, but in the interest of my readers, I felt I had to post this blog after I, and many of my friends, had unacceptable–and, frankly, unethical experiences with completely fraudulent online vendors.
Take a look at this innocent looking website: It is advertised as Donna’s Dresses of Charleston. It is actually quite inviting. The caucasian woman standing here truly looks legitimate.
Well, I thought her websitewas truly legitimate. And the clothes looked so nice. So, instead of doing what I should have done and CHECKED THE REVIEWS FOR THIS VENDOR, I ordered the two darling dresses seen below:
Cute, huh? I thought so. (And priced, well, maybe too good to be true.)
They took my credit card number, all right, and sent me a tracking number for the dresses, which did not appear until 4 1/2 weeks after I placed my order. It took so long to get them, the event I was going to wear them to came and went. But, no matter, when I finally received them, the fit was no where near my size (the arm holes were so tiny I could hardly get my arm into the sleeve), and the quality of the fabric was atrocious.
What was advertised as “playful linen” turned out to be 100% polyester.
And it is hard to tell in photographs, but the print looked almost as if it had been pressed into the polyester fabric.
And the items definitely did not come from Charleston, unless there is a Charleston in China.
So the moral of this story is BUYER BEWARE. AND THE BEST WAY TO CHECK OUT A WEBSITE IS TO CHECK THE ONLINE REVIEWS. IF I HAD DONE SO, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD HAVE FOUND:
ALL I HAD TO DO WAS GOOGLE: DONNA’S DRESSES REVIEWS.
Customer reviews and complaints for Donna’s Dresses (donnasdresses.com) overwhelmingly warn that the online boutique operates as a scam or high-risk storefront.
Key Findings from Customer Reviews
- Poor Product Quality: Buyers consistently report that the items they receive look nothing like the promotional photos on the website, featuring cheap synthetic polyester or plastic-like fabrics instead of advertised materials like linen.
- Shipping & Delivery Delays: Customers note severe delivery delays, with packages taking months to arrive or never showing up at all.
- Deceptive Practices & Returns: The store often falsely claims to be a local U.S. business (such as “Donna’s Dresses of Charleston” or listing a Sherman Oaks, CA address), but forces dissatisfied buyers to pay expensive international shipping fees to return items to an overseas processing center or China.
- Refund Issues: Reviewers state that getting a full refund is nearly impossible, often receiving minimal partial refund offers or being completely ignored by customer support.
There is a consensus among online consumer groups that buyers should exercise extreme caution or avoid purchasing from the site.
Most users on Trustpilot agree that the delivered items suffered from terrible workmanship and looked completely different from the promotional website photographs.
Additional consumer feedback highlights severe disappointment with poor fabric quality, unfulfilled orders, and unhelpful customer service responses regarding refunds.
IF YOU ARE WONDERING IF I TRIED TO RETURN/EXCHANGE THE DRESSES, I DID. BUT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO PAY $85 FOR SHIPPING BACK TO CHINA (NOT CHARLESTON).
I DECIDED TO KEEP THE DRESSES AND LEARN A LESSON. A LESSON I HOPE YOU DON’T HAVE TO ENDURE.
Online shopping is here to stay, but for best results, go with a reputable company you have ordered from before. And, if in doubt, GOOGLE the reviews of the company.
It could save you a lot of money. And, for me, a huge feeling of personal disappointment in business ethics.
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW IF YOU HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. YOU COULD BE SAVING SOMEONE THE SAME REGRET.
Thanks for listening to my story, I hope it’s not yours.
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