What you see is not what you get
I was excited to find an organic swim option and couldn't wait to receive my new bikini only to be very let down by what I actually received. The items I got (particularly the bikini top) were very different from what is shown in the photos on the website. It was a completely different shape, really odd, no structure, not functional. And I counted at least 6 distinct design differences between what I received and what is advertised. This is a deliberate bait-and-switch. For the cost of these swimsuits, I expected something of quality and this was anything but.
On top of that, their customer service takes a full week to respond to every single email. I asked for a prepaid return label (as their site promises for faulty items) and was told to pay for shipping on my own and they would reimburse me. So after paying out of pocket for return shipping, sending them the tracking number and receipt, I was asked to email them my bank account information.
I explained that I don't feel comfortable sending sensitive banking information over unencrypted email and asked if they could refund the amount to my original payment or use PayPal or Venmo.
Another week later, they said no, and I was offered a store credit instead. Which is also an unacceptable option. After this experience, of course I'm not going to turn around and buy something else. And I can see that I'm not the only one with a similar story.
Reply from pureearthcollection.com
Hi Jana,
Thank you for your feedback, and I’m sorry you had this experience.
Over the summer, orders grew faster than our small team could handle, and our replies slowed to around a week which in my view, is unacceptable. That’s far too long. We’ve since added to the team, including a dedicated customer services manager, and we’re back on top of the inbox - she's amazing and usually replies within hours.
I’m sorry the bikini top looked different from our photos. Due to tight production and launch timelines, our photoshoots are sometimes shot with samples, which may have been subsequently tweaked to make improvements and updates. We want our images to show exactly what arrives and we'll review all our imagery with your feedback in mind.
I’m also sorry you had to pay for your return postage. We’ve always prepaid returns in the UK, but unfortunately our US warehouse couldn’t offer this (which we didn't know at the time). We’ve now set up prepaid returns process for our US customers too, so nobody should be out of pocket sending something back.
All the best,
Emma
