italist - Reviews and experiences

the sale and return were inside the EU, so there shouldn’t be customs or import VAT in the way they described. I asked for documentation, asked them to explain, pointed to the EU consumer rules, and tried to get a phone number. At first they answered with contradictory reasons — VAT, then customs, then courier charges — and each reply felt more like fending off a question than actually helping. After I pushed a bit they just went quiet for weeks. On the positive side, the product quality and delivery were fine, and if you’re buying and not planning to return, this place can be okay. But if you do need to return something, expect a fight, unclear fees, and poor follow-up. My advice to others: buy only if you’re certain, or at least keep copies of tracking and expect to nag customer support. I wish they’d been transparent up front about potential deductions and shown the documents they claimed to have. A company that presents itself as premium should treat returns and VAT properly; sadly that’s where they fell short for me. Still, product = good, process = uneven.

the Ludmilla itself arrived and it’s lovely, but the belt was missing and the customer service made me want to tear my hair out. We actually needed this coat for an upcoming trip — my wife has a bad shoulder and wanted something warm and structured to help with posture, plus it’s almost impossible to find the exact style again. So yeah, we spent the money and felt justified. The coat came in a box that looked like someone tried to fit a mattress into a shoe box. It was wrinkled, not wrecked, and honestly I’m relieved it held up. But the leather belt, the one worth a couple hundred, was nowhere to be found. I asked for the belt, plain and simple. That’s the conclusion first: the product mostly survived, the missing part did not, and the follow-up was a mess.
They sent a video showing the coat and a packing slip, which is fine, but it didn’t show the whole packing or the actual box, so it felt like a half-answer. After several back-and-forth messages, they finally admitted the parcel might have been tampered with in transit. Good, that explains it. But then came the twist: they insisted I return the whole coat before they’d even consider anything. Return the coat my wife loves and that I can’t replace? No. I kept asking for the belt only and got stuck in a loop. Weeks went by. I was frustrated, wary of returns, and honestly a bit grateful the coat itself was wearable — so that’s the small win here. Still, for a high-end purchase you expect straightforward help. Service needs to improve. I’ll try consumer protection if it comes to that, but for now I’m left relieved the coat wasn’t ruined and annoyed that getting the belt feels like climbing a hill for no reason.