Kith Manhattan — Local services in New York

I've shopped at Kith for over three years now and it's finally official: I'm done.

I like a lot of Kith's releases and I thought it was cool Ronnie Fieg started the store so I became a customer. I've spent thousands of dollars through the years here.

One thing has remained throughout my experiences: terrible customer service.

A lot of the products they carry are sized funny as they are usually limited releases and/or specially created. This makes it difficult to order the correct size every time you make an order. What do you do when something doesn't fit? You return it. This is where Kith is terrible.

First, you don't receive credit to your card or however you paid. Instead they give you store credit. This already seems ridiculous, but because I like the products so much I haven't made a fuss. I've just ordered the correct size or waited until a new release I like is available.

When your return is received, you get a confirmation email with the subject "Your return was processed." The body of the email, however, requests for you to please wait 3-5 business days for your return to process. Confusing? I'd say so.

Here's the real kicker: I NEVER receive the store credit 3-5 days later. I always have to email them and ask why I haven't received it, and then miraculously they respond with a link to the credit.

This past experience pushed me over the edge. I bought a pair of shoes for my girlfriend on Christmas. They weren't the right size. I emailed for instructions on how to return. I don't know why I did this, as I have made many returns before, but I guess it was the holidays and I didn't want to research.

I never got a response. I followed up two weeks later and finally got instructions and returned the shoes accordingly.

I received an email confirmation like the one described above on January 18. I NEVER GOT ANOTHER EMAIL WITH A LINK TO STORE CREDIT.

Today is March 12. I had to email Kith and then try and start an online chat with customer service. The online chatroom informed me "KS" had signed on to assist. Then, moments later, "KS" signed off with no response.

I just received an email with my store credit. I never got an apology or a response from their customer service to my message. It simply gave me the link to the credit.

Why would you treat customers this way? The products you sell are expensive and selling limited products inherently means a heavy-load of returns. I can understand a slight delay in processing, but the fact I have had to follow-up to receive my credit several times now is absolutely ridiculous. This is the worst company customer service I have ever dealt with, period.

I wonder how many people return their orders, assuming to get their money back, just to be told they will receive a credit later on. Further, I wonder how many people forget about the credit and Kith pockets the money. Their return process is unethical, inefficient, and wrong. Get it together-you're...

If you like waiting in line for 40min just to checkout, this is the store for you. I had finally entered the store for the first time since usually the store is packed and today it was quiet.

First, it was very difficult finding available staff on the floor. You can’t tell who works there cause they are all chatting it up with one another like customers. When I finally did receive help to grab the items I wanted they directed me to the cashier line.

There were 3 lines so I entered the shortest one which had 3 customers ahead. 10 min in, the line hasn’t moved but all 3 lines were growing.

Suddenly, a security guard angrily tells everyone, like as if we should’ve all known, that there’s only supposed to be 2 lines. One for cash and one for card. No one knew. There were no signs to signify which line was which.

Some people angrily left the store and the others that had been waiting in the wrong line scrambled to get in front and cut the line. I figured the card line would go faster and moved there. Was I wrong! It seems there are always “system errors” occurring at this store, based on other reviews I read.

After 30min of watching the line move like a sloth, it was finally my turn. The cashier just looks at me and walks away. I’m waiting another 5min and a girl walks over and asks her colleague taking cash where the second cashier went. She had no idea. They just look at each other, sigh and start complaining about how this one girl has to close all the registers at the end of the day. She doesn’t bother to start cashing me out and another 2-3 min pass by.

Finally, the girl starts my transaction and boy, was she ever slow. She’s dragging her feet, grabs my items one by one from some dark corner as she’s still chatting it up with the second cashier.

When the transaction is finally complete, she’s so distracted by the chatting, she keeps dropping my receipt and has a hard time folding it into an envelope. At this point, the lineup grew to about 10 people from just me at the end of the line.

I wasted nearly an hour just waiting in line to pay. I don’t feel good about my purchases and wish I had not given my money to this store.

Definitely will not be...

Went to the Brooklyn store to purchase an item which it seemed like they didn't have so I purchased a second choice item instead. A day or two later noticed on the website the item I wanted was on the website as 'available in store only' and since I knew the Brooklyn assumed the Manhattan store was the store with the item -- cause there's only a couple of stores. Returned the other item i purchased (received a store credit) and swung by the Manhattan store only to find out they didn't have the item. What ensued was 'high jinks' that only Kith staff can dishout...I was told they didn't have the item in question but the other store probably did since the website noted instore only. I explained they didn't have them yesterday when I was in the Brooklyn store and that it kinda would be great to know before going if they truly had them....the sales associated acted as if I made 'im walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to get me a slice of cheese cake -- instead of the call to its fellow store. Not surprisingly no one answered/picked up the phone at the other store. After a round robin with the associate (ie: will you be getting more of the item, etc) I gave up. While leaving I realized I have never had a satisfying experience with Kith and wished it spent as much time on the staffing customer service 'aesthetics' as it did on the 'cereal bar' decor. But hey if i had a return policy that ensured I kept the cashflow of customers on returns AND ensured customers would come back to the store -- why would I worry about something as 'crazy' as customer service. Avoid Kith at all cost as there are better (much better) options in the city ... and not surprisingly you have multiple options...