A Very Average Site in Every Way. Not Bad Just Not Good Enough.
Lavinia Lingerie
Lavinia Lingerie and Activewear is like a tiny fish trying to swim upstream against the tide. The site has a very small selection, average prices, and not much to keep a consumer coming back in this sea of the internet where big lingerie and activewear sites have hundreds of items and lots of promotions going on.
Still Lavinia goes on, offering its under 20 choices in each category and looking classy while doing it. I recently found Lavinia while searching for something and ended up browsing, and ultimately, shopping there.
What the Site Sells
They call it lingerie but it's really just pretty bras and panties, thongs, boy shorts, etc and some activewear like sports bras, workout shorts and Capri's, and a few tops. They also sell a few accessories unrelated to either lingerie or activewear like a scarf, handbag, and a couple watches. I suppose you could wear the watch with your lingerie?
Selection
Selection is very small. As of today, they have a total of 15 bras and 16 panties/thongs for sale on the site. In all, they eight activewear tops (sports bras and camis) and seven activewear bottoms. Four accessories. That's it.
Navigation
I started searching for something totally different but saw the site name and decided to give it a click. The site is very well presented for being such a small one. The home page is tasteful and inviting.
Links to categories are across the left side and other links, like to customer service, promotions, and your shopping cart, are across the top.
You can search by category (Lingerie, Activewear, Accessories) or by specific things like bras or activewear tops.
A page with thumbnails of what they offer will come up. Nothing has more than one page because there are not enough items to spill over to a second page. If you like an item, click it and it will appear in a bigger window to the left. If you REALLY like it, you click the medium sized photo and you will go to a page with the item and any accessories/matching items that you may be interested in are shown in a larger photo with a small description.
Size guides are everywhere which helps consumers to pick the correct size and not have to deal with returns.
Once you chose an item, pick a size and color and put it into your cart. One gripe I have is, if they are out of stock of a certain item and you click to put it into your cart, you're not notified that they are out of stock. It just doesn't go into your cart and you may not notice until checkout. That was very annoying as, for such a small quantity of items, having anything out of stock is very counterproductive. Two items I picked didn't appear in my cart and I had to dump the things I got that accompanied them since I wanted the set, not just a piece of the set. That wasted my time.
Once you are done shopping, you go to the checkout area where you can register or checkout without registering. If you have shopped there before and registered, you need only input your email address and password to bring up your saved information.
The standard procedure follows. You input your personal information and check the shipping you want. They have regular and express shipping. Shipping is free this month as a promotion but in general it is based on your total purchase price.
Those in NY, like myself, have to pay tax. Most other states do not.
You can pay by MasterCard, Visa, or Paypal.
My Experience
I browsed around and saw a cute bra and panty set that was reasonably priced. Alas, the bra in my size was not in stock apparently as it didn't land in my cart so I started all over again and found another set that was just as cute. I chose against registering when I went to checkout because I had a feeling I wouldn't be back very often and I didn't want a load of email and promotional material coming at me from the site.
I filled in my personal information, was dismayed to see tax being charged (I hate to pay tax!), and chose regular shipping. At the time, there was not a free shipping promotion going on so I had to pay $8.95 for my order. I grumbled but the prices are pretty decent and even the shipping and tax didn't make the items overly expensive. I could probably have bought very similar items elsewhere for the same price with lower or no shipping but I spent too much time on the site to start over so I went ahead and clicked to submit my order.
I got an email thanking me for my order and listing what I purchased right away.
A couple days later, I received a shipping notice from Lavinia with a tracking number.
I received my order by USPS in about nine days from time of order in a sturdy poly plastic bag. The items were OK. They looked better on the models. Then again, that often happens when I shop for lingerie so I think it's a internet glitch. Or maybe it's just because the models are perfect and I am, well, not. Heh. At any rate, I was relieved to see that the items I bought fit and all went well.
However, I wasn't impressed enough to return and try to buy anything else. I can find very similar, if not the same, items at bigger sites that have what I want in stock and a much larger variety of items and sizes to choose from.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping is free right now but, in general, it is:
Up to $25.00 - $4.95
$25.01-$50.00 $6.95
$50.01-$75.00 $8.95
$75.01-$100.00 $10.95
$100.01-$150.00 $12.95
$150.01-$200.00 $14.95
$200.01 and over $16.95
Express shipping is an extra $17.95.
The returns policy is fairly standard except for the lousy restocking fee I don't believe in. You can return any unworn, tagged item except panties. If the tags are off, you cannot return the items. You will get a refund minus a 15% restocking fee. If the items are defective or you were sent the wrong items, you don't have to pay the restocking fee (but do have to pay to return the items even if it was Lavinia's error).
You must return items within 20 days after invoice for credit or exchange.
Contact Info
You can email customer service at customercare@lavinialingerie.com
Their phone number is NOT toll free - another negative, in my opinion.
(212) 486-4050 (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST).
You can also write to them at:
Lavinia Lingerie Inc.
Attn: Customer Care Dept.
F.D.R. Station
P.O. Box 549
New York, NY 10150 - 0549
Conclusion
There was nothing on this site to draw me back. Some items were nice and the photos were clear and showed detail well. Prices are average on most items, sometimes a bit lower than at chain stores like Victoria's Secret. Their selection is tiny, they are often out of stock on items, and their shipping costs, when they aren't having a promotion, are average.
As for activewear, there is just a tiny sampling and it can be bought at many stores and on many websites and is nothing special.
In fact, that sort of sums up this site. Nothing special.
While I didn't have a problem with my order and everything went along smoothly, I don't see the need to go back again. There just isn't anything on the site that isn't available elsewhere where I shop on a regular basis.
I also do not like the 15% restocking fee nor do I like that they do not have a toll free number.
I am not advising against shopping on the site - it seems reputable and my order went smoothly. I am just saying it doesn't have anything special that makes me, in particular, want to go back.
I give this site 3 stars. Average. Very average.
Recommended:
Yes
