“Missguided is my little treat,” said Beth Harvey, who orders about once a month. But when her latest fashion package didn’t arrive, she joined a line of customers chasing orders and refunds.
“I’ve always loved the quality of the clothes, especially for a curvy woman,” said the 25-year-old, who orders different styles and sends back what she doesn’t need.
In April, she realized her refunds weren’t going through, and in May her package never arrived.
News then broke that the fast fashion retailer had collapsed over millions of pounds it owed suppliers – some were even on the brink of collapse.
Missguided and its sister brand Mennace have now been bought by Frasers Group, owners of Sports Direct.
It is understood that 87 staff have been laid off and 147 are expected to transfer to Frasers.
But many customers with pending orders and refunds say they’re still in the dark.
For the next eight weeks, Teneo admins will be running Missguided before the new owners arrive. But Teneo won’t comment on whether it will clear the backlog of customer complaints.
Meanwhile, the Missguided website is still advertising deals and taking orders, despite reports that their warehouse closed last Thursday.
When Miss Harvey asked what happened to her order she was told that an IT problem had delayed delivery and she would get hold of it.
The BBC has seen several examples of similar messages from Missguided to customers.
However, an insider claimed that staff were told orders were not being processed and were to be canceled and refunded with a generic response blaming IT issues.
“All orders are ultimately on hold and will be refunded if customers contact us,” they said.
On Friday Miss Harvey spotted a 50% discount so she ordered almost £100 worth of dresses hoping to find ‘just the right thing’ for an upcoming evening.
“I’ve ordered things that in my wildest dreams I would never have worn, but I’ve tried them on and loved them,” she said.
But when no packages arrived for delivery the next day, Miss Harvey was informed of an IT error and she promised her clothes by Monday.
- Sports Direct owner buys Missguided
Your clothes still haven’t arrived. Miss Harvey from Derbyshire managed to get a refund via Klarna’s Buy It Now Pay Later service.
“It’s disgusting how they’ve kept so many women in the dark,” she added. “I’m an NHS worker who works hard for my money and I was really frustrated that they took my money lightly but getting it back was a nightmare.”
Jenessa Sawyer, 23, of Maine, USA, said she shops at Missguided “religiously” and loves their sportswear and dresses.
“They’re fast fashion, which is convenient, but the quality is pretty good and there’s a good amount of options,” she said.
The mother-of-one said she was “lured” by discounts and ordered summer clothes for just under $100 from Missguided’s US website.
When she didn’t receive an order confirmation or her package, she checked the app.
“The app wasn’t working so I went to the website and there’s absolutely nothing, it’s like it never existed,” she said.
She added that the only online presence she could find for Missguided was on Twitter, where she encountered many messages from other dissatisfied customers.
“It seems they are still taking orders and promotional discounts on the UK site,” she said.
“It’s strange for me as it’s a big company. You feel like you can trust them and don’t expect them to withdraw your money.”
Miss Sawyer said she did not receive confirmation of her order from Missguided, so the only proof of her payment was the Afterpay “buy now, pay later” service.
Beth Davies, a 24-year-old business support manager from Sheffield, said Missguided was her go-to when she was looking for an outfit for a Saturday wedding.
She ordered 10 items totaling almost £200 to give her the chance to try them on and return them.
When she didn’t receive a delivery note or her package, she tweeted Missguided to find out what was going on.
They replied that an IT issue meant their order hadn’t been dispatched until next day delivery.
The message read: “I would like to try and reassure you that your package is on its way… wait until Friday.”
By this time news of Missguided’s collapse had made the rounds, as the newspaper reported that the warehouse had been closed since Thursday – two days before Miss Davies placed her order.
“Yesterday I was at work and I felt so frustrated. They said it was on the way, although that’s clearly a lie when the camp has been closed since last week,” she said.
“As it stands I assume they didn’t ship my items but they happily took my money. I have asked them to cancel both orders but I have received no response.
“I paid with PayPal so I’m hoping I have some protection, I certainly can’t afford to lose £200.”
Missguided’s new owner, Frasers Group, said steward Teneo will be responsible for running the business for the next eight weeks.
Teneo declined to comment on the claims made by customers and insiders to the BBC.
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