Catherine's has a rating of 1.3 stars from 258 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Catherine's most frequently mention customer service, credit card, and business days problems. Catherine's ranks 144th among Plus Size sites.
They've raised their prices within the past 5-7 years, so you have to search out the deals and coupons, but their clothes are of a higher quality than most plus sized clothes. It's the best place for extended plus. If you're a regular plus, Kohls has better prices. If you have an issue and need customer service, call, don't web chat.
If there is one thing I know for sure it is that when a Brick&Mortar store was popular and it goes "Online only" and there are LOTS of negative reviews, steer clear. I haven't purchased, nor will I be purchasing anything from Catherines Online. They have more ONE STAR reviews than any well-established store should have. From quality of product, to shipping costs, to returns. Just horrible reviews. No thanks, who needs that headache. BTW the shipping costs really are criminal, just obscene.
Be careful ordering from this vendor. They claim FedEx left a package at my address on a day I was home all day. No package was delivered. Now they will not refund my money without a police report. I feel they should have to track down the package, not penalize me.
Date of experience: May 3, 2022
I ordered 3 tops and a pair of capris. I received 1 top size medium and nothing else. No items ordered were received. Customer service is terrible and did not resolve the issue. They have my money but I don't have my order or a refund.
Products used:
None
Date of experience: September 9, 2021
I was finally able to get ahold of Catherine's via chat. This is after numerous attempts to call them and told that I would need to try again later as they were just to busy with phone calls to answer the phone. I asked to cancel my order, but they said since it is processing I cannot. They claim that it is increased order volume. This order has said that it was "processing" since day 1. My favorite part of this conversation is when they said "make sure you check out our clearance items!". Not happening.
Tip for consumers:
Just don't
Products used:
Can't' say as I still have not received them.
Date of experience: May 29, 2021
I placed an order 6 days ago and no update on my account or on my order. I tried calling and they said it would be a 30 minute wait. I cannot believe the non-customer service and lack of communication. The message on the phone said that my receipt on my order would give me an estimate of when my order would arrive and it is not on my receipt. I overlooked the $20 they charged me for shipping thinking it would still be worth it, but never again. Since placing this order I have already received my packages from Macy's - there is something seriously wrong with this organization. Just don't do mail order if you can't handle it.
Tip for consumers:
Don't do it unless you don't mind waiting and don't ever need to contact them.
Products used:
I still have received any product or notification of shipping
Date of experience: May 20, 2021
The site is easy to use and has a nice search function. I'm happy with the quality of clothing and the variety of choices. Sometimes, the sales offered on the website and the store do not match each other which can be confusing.
Date of experience: March 21, 2014
I am returning a dress and being charged $10.99 processing fee? I guess that you don't care about returning customers! I wanted to buy a new wardrobe but I won't here. This is ridiculous.
Products used:
I ordered a top and a dress. The dress was too big so to return a less than $60 dress I am charged a processing fee of $10/99????? This place is terrible for doing that, WON'T SHOP HERE OR ANY OF THEIR STORES AGAIN. CUSTOMER RIP OFF!!!
Date of experience: April 13, 2023
I purchased a swim top which did not fit. I paid $20.13. I sopke with a rude customer service agent who explained to send it back would cost me a $10.99 handling fee plus the cost to ship it back. What a rip off! It was my first and only order from this company.
Tip for consumers:
Do not buy from this site unless you are willing to pay their fees for returns.
Products used:
Bathing suit
Date of experience: July 11, 2022
I ordered several tops and spent quite a bit in two orders. I wire one shirt fir my son's graduation. While wearing it, I noticed a defect in the front of the shirt. A defect visible in pictures. I trimmed the large loop of stitching and made the most of it. However, when I called then to get an exchange, they will NOT honor a return because I altered the shirt & that means I planned to keep it. According to them, once I put it on abd altered it, I voided the return policy. I should have left it alone & ruined our pictures & sent it back. I also should have noticed said flaw before wearing it. I didn't notice it, or even look, until I put it on fir graduation. I washed it afterwards so it would be clean to return & that was another no-no. Their customer service is deplorable! I have NEVER cussed at a customer service agent & I told this one it was "bull$#*!". Their brick and mortar stores were fantastic, but their online stores are anything but fantastic. I will look elsewhere for clothing in the future.
Tip for consumers:
This company uses a lot of foreign customer service reps that do NOT understand English. I had to repeat the spelling of my name a couple of times because they kept getting it wrong. It is unfortunate that a company that I used to love has become such an awful place to do business. I will look elsewhere for my clothing.
Products used:
I ended up using a couple of shirts.
Date of experience: May 31, 2023
If you have to return an item it will take forever and anyone you talk to at customer service will give you the runaround and delay your refund as long as possible. I ordered a coat, it didn't fit, I sent it back, got an email saying they got the return and did not issue a refund. When we called to complain we got a call center in the Philippines and spoke to Kate who also gave us the runaround and was no help to us. in the meantime we have not gotten our refund and it's been almost a month. This company needs to RE-learn (if they ever knew in the first place) customer service. To verify, our order number was *******8851.
Tip for consumers:
You will have a difficult time getting a refund if you have to return your item!
Products used:
jacket
Date of experience: December 18, 2021
Ordered some things online. Came too late for what I needed them for. Fought in store trying to get the refund, they so gladly said they could handle. Would not take the refund. Called Customer Service. She told me yes, no problem, only to come back and say you will just have to mail them back yourself. 3 minutes earlier, she was sending me a prepaid label. I paid with my debit card through Paypal for an added level on security. I repeatedly stated I did not pay with Pay Pal, I paid with my checking account, Too bad. Funny, another lady trying to do a return was having problems also. STAY AWAY... AND SAFE YOURSELF SOME GRIEF!
Date of experience: July 23, 2020
I am disabled. I order most of my items online. It was convenient to order online from catherine's and supposedly easy to return. We have a store near me so my caregiver returns items directly to the store should we need to. And we frequently need to. However, I've had enough of their red tape policies that prevent returns even with the shipping receipt, the card that was used to purchase it as well as the scannable barcode from the package the item was in. Especially when it's less than 60 days old. Their customer service line is a joke and the store manager Linda was even more so. I will not support a company like this any longer.
Date of experience: June 12, 2019
Ordered for the 1st time ever. Looking for something nice for an older neighbor. Hesitated due to the extraordinary ship cost. 2 days later went ahead and completed order. Recvd fairly quickly. 100% disappointed. Cheap material and totally misshapen. Most upsetting was the 3 lbs or catalogs I got. What a rip off. They charged me so they can ship their advertisements. All of it being returned. Including those unwanted catalogs.
Tip for consumers:
Don't have high expectations. None of their models are plus size therefore don't expect anything to fit or hang the same. Fabrics also very cheap and stiff.
Products used:
Sleep wear
Date of experience: January 29, 2022
Ordered something 2 weeks ago. Still no record under my account on orders. Called. Waited almost an hour. Guy could do nothing! After it's processing, no refund cancelations or anything. No idea when it's going to ship. Guy was upset for having to spend the whoooooole day telling people the same thing and they being mad. In fact, he blamed all the people for making the wait so long because they kept trying to get answers. Nope. No answers. Can't do anything. You are stuck if you make an order. I have had better experiences but I have two orders like this. Plus, I paid for shipping!
Tip for consumers:
I wouldn't order from them online.
Products used:
Haven't received them yet.
Date of experience: May 15, 2021
It's a long and costly story. I ordered a dress from Catherine's in late June. Got a message that it would be delayed so I immediately requested that the order be cancelled. Instead they quickly sent me something totally different than what I ordered. I returned it on July 6th. And over 2 months later, Sept. 8th, I still have not received my refund. It's all Covid's fault, of course. I have a post office receipt for the return and copies of the correspondence, for all the good it will do I've since learned that they are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and apparently are trying to solve their financial problems out of the pockets of their unwary customers. Don't be one of them.
Tip for consumers:
Don't trust them, Don't buy from them.
Products used:
none
Date of experience: September 8, 2021
I have ordered many things from Catherines and the other lines they are now attached to, but now the shipping costs are cost prohibitive. I made up an order for $100 and the shipping would have been $20! That's not worth it.
Date of experience: May 10, 2021
Their clothing is poor quality and WAY overpriced. One blouse that could have come from walmart was $60. I decided to walk 3 stores down to TJMaxx and bought 3 better quality blouses for the same amount! They overprice and then offer "coupons" to discount them down so women think they're getting a deal. No deal in my opinion.
Date of experience: February 24, 2017
Catherines often has coupons in the mail and on their site. Yet, the coupons cannot be used easily. They don't count on clearance, not perfect price items not storewide sales, not... should I keep going. The styles are frumpy. The sales people push Perks and are not helpful. I am trying to shop online to get better deals and more youthful clothing without the attitude.
Date of experience: April 16, 2016
I placed and order Feb 25th it is now July 7th and I still don't have it. Paid over $30 fo shipping. I've sent many emails no response. I waited over 20 mins for someone to answer the phone she told me I have to wait 2 more days and call back for them to send a refund. What a joke. I'd give negative stars if possible. They told me I knew it was on back order. Save yourself the headache and take your business elsewhere. The rep also told me she wouldn't be this upset because she works in customer service.
Date of experience: July 7, 2021
Do not order from Catherine's! They are unprofessional and the shipping is sooooo outdated that you don't know when you will get your orders. I paid for overnight shipping that was a week ago and I still don't have my order. This site is a joke I can't cancel my order as the cs agent said it's in process and for me to refuse the package when it arrives!
Date of experience: May 27, 2021
I've been waiting for an order for over a month! I am leaving for Vacation tomorrow and don't have the bathing suit or shoes I ordered for my trip. I'm livid! This is the last time they will get my business. A month is more than enough time for ship 5 items. Covid excuse is pretty worn out.
Date of experience: April 24, 2021
Since Catherines decided to close all it's stores, I have to buy off line. On August 18th I placed and order for under garments in the amount of 31.38. It was against my Catherines card. On the 21st of August they notified me that my order would be delayed. However, on September 1st they billed me for the garmets which have never shipped. I've left messages, I've tried to call, I've tried to get ahold of them, but their customer services is some third world country that speaks no english and they are telling me that they can't do anything about refunding my money (my card has been paid off since then) or ship my garments. Catherine's is impossible to do business with now!
Tip for consumers:
Stop buying from Catherine's. They obviously don't give a damn about their customers
Products used:
EVERYTHING
Date of experience: September 23, 2021
On hold for 46 mins... LISTENING TO TRUMPET MUSIC. Then a woman comes on to say they are really busy... and the partial order came really fast. I asked her if that is my fault... and where is the rest of my order. She put me on hold to come back to say... no one is answering. She didn't know what to do. I hung up. NEVER AGAIN.
Date of experience: June 2, 2020
I attempt to shop Catherine's using Safari on my smartphone. The site hangs, freezes, then reloads. I use Safari on my smartphone and do not have this issue with any other site except for Catherine's and Lane Bryant. Despite numerous complaints from me, they haven't corrected this horrible issue. And, on the rare occasion I am able to click on an item, you have to click on an item, then use a drop down box to see if it's available in your size. That's stupid. Why not have the sizes in tiles as well as the colors? That way you can click on either a size or a color and see if it's available without wasting time.
Most of the time I just give up and use Avenue instead. The quality isn't as good but their site actually works and it's laid out in a user-friendly format.
Date of experience: March 9, 2018
I'm a first and last time customer here. They had a great sale and I got carried away and spent $250. I checked the return policy before ordering and they mentioned using the enclosed label and that shipping was not refundable, but I guess I forgot to read the fine print. I expected a pre-paid label with a return charge deducted that was equal to what I had paid when purchasing. But you're responsible for shipping back on your own, plus insurance. Because my items were heavy sweaters and velour warm-ups, it cost me $25.00 to send back on top of the original shipping charge! I did like the quality of their clothes, but it was all really big on me. I wouldn't recommend this site unless you're very sure of your size.
Date of experience: December 1, 2014
I bought a dress, didn't like it and returned it. I have been charged ridiculous fees because I didn't make a payment on the credit card I took out! HELLO why would I pay on a dress I returned. The dress was about $119 with ridiculous shipping charges ($26). To get out of all this and cancel my account completely it cost me about $75! Late fee for payment I returned, fee for canceling account? Who does this! Just look elsewhere… you have been warned. Reporting them to The Better Business Bureau!
Date of experience: May 19, 2022
Ordered 2 cotton wire free bras- how hard can that be? I realize bras can be hard to fit but the quality of the fabric was so poor (cheap scratchy lace)and only the exterior was cotton... most of the interior that actual touches you ( the part that maters) was synthetic and - another thing the connector on your shoulder. Shoulder strap ( a huge ring thing) cuts into your shoulder. Also because I didn't have a credit card I didn't get the advertised free returns... shouldnof read the tiny return fine print... tricksters. Do not shop!
Date of experience: May 26, 2019
Catherines? Is dedicated to providing the best in women's plus size fashion. Designed specifically for the plus size woman & guaranteed to fit you beautifully. Free shipping to stores every day.
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