Whenever a college student is told they can have something for free, we generally don't mind going one extra mile if it's worth it. This was my mindset when I received an email from shoe subscription company, JustFab (formally known as Justfabulous), telling me I could get a free pair of shoes. Of course, I immediately read the fine print. I had to sign up for VIP membership and I knew I would have to pay for shipping. However, their website told me I could cancel my membership at any time with their 24 hour customer service. So I figured I would order my pair and cancel as soon as they shipped. Not surprisingly, only select styles were valid for the offer, but I found a pair I liked enough to pay five dollars for. Little did I know, those shoes would cost my bank account and my sanity much more!
Timeline of My Experience
Friday, March 7th...
I received my shoes in the mail and promptly cancelled my VIP membership. Customer service was a pain, as they desperately try to keep you on board even after telling them, "Yes, I know I can cancel anytime. That's why I'm canceling now!" It took twice as long as it should have, but I didn't mind it too much since I'd just gotten myself a $5 pair of shoes.
Six days later...
I get an email from JustFab saying, "Congratulations! You have a credit on your account!" At first, I was thinking they'd sent me a nice little present to beg for my return. Nope. My card was automatically charged $39.95 because I hadn't "picked my shoe for the month," even though I'd canceled my membership before that time was up. Thanks to this lovely gift, my account was now in the negatives. I called customer service right away. They told me there had been "a glitch in the system" and my cancellation hadn't processed. They would cancel my membership right away and process a refund to arrive in my bank account in 5-7 business days. I told them seven days wasn't good enough and asked to speak to a supervisor. They weren't able to get a hold of said supervisor but told me they would call my bank and get my refund to me in 3-5 business days.
Six more days later...
Nothing was in my account yet and I was growing more impatient everyday. I called them again to ask what was taking so long. The customer service representative told me my refund hadn't processed yet because there was yet another "glitch in the system." She immediately processed my refund and told me it should be in my account in 5-7 business days. I was furious. How was I to trust them when apparently their "systems" couldn't handle my account? I told her how upset I was and asked for a supervisor. I actually got a supervisor on the phone this time! She was apologetic, blah, blah, blah...but I told her how dissatisfied I was and demanded she do something else. She dodged around the problem with scripted PR words until she finally said she could speak to my bank representative. Of course, I was talking to her at 11pm, so there was no way to make this happen until I visited my bank the next day. She gave me her name and work hours and that was that for the time being.
The next day...
I arrived in Boston for the weekend and visited my bank. They gave me the line to call for electronic claims that's open 24/7 so I could talk to them at my convenience. I was busy settling in and visiting friends so I put that phone call off for the time being.
One more day later...
I finally received the refund in my bank account, without having to call my bank. I was so relieved to finally be finished with JustFab and all their "glitches."
The Shoes
I ordered a pair of sandals, called Ernesta, in size six. They were cute for five dollars, not much more. The materials were cheap -- the suede was fake, the satin thin and the woven-style platform was shedding its fibers. They were slightly big and fit closer to a six and a half. They looked cute on me though, and were surprisingly comfortable. But they were certainly not worth two weeks of high anxiety and a low bank account balance. 
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