Rent The Runway
Reviews and Complaints

I wanna tell you about my experience with Rent The Runway. I gotta say, it was pretty frustrating. I ordered some earrings and a dress for my wedding in April. But then, the day before my rental was supposed to arrive, I got an email saying the earrings weren't available. So I found another pair and ordered them instead. But then, a few hours later, I got another email saying the dress I ordered wasn't available either. I was pretty upset, especially since I had already cancelled one item on the order. I called and asked to cancel the whole order, but they only offered me a 15% discount on my next order. I mean, come on, I get those offers in my email all the time.

The next day, I got the replacement dresses they sent me, but I didn't even open the package. I just took them to Staples/UPS to send back. The day after that, I got the replacement earrings and wore them in my wedding. The day after that, I dropped the earrings off at a UPS drop box near my parents' house. But then, today, I found out I got charged a late fee of $56 on a $15 pair of earrings! Can you believe that? After all the trouble I went through with them, they still charged me a late fee.

I think the problem is that nobody on their customer service team is reading through customer history before acting. They need to fix that. And they need to refund my late fee and delete my credit card info from their system. I've been a happy customer for years, but this week has been a real disappointment.

I gotta say, I've used Rent the Runway three times now and I'm pretty sure I won't be using them again. The first two times were a bit of a letdown, but the customer service folks were able to make it right, so I figured I'd give them one more chance. Boy, was that a mistake. Just like the other times, I got an email saying my dresses were on their way, but of course, one of them was damaged and I had to get a replacement. The replacements were nothing like the originals, but at least I had something to wear. This time around, I got an email saying that one of my dresses was delayed by a day due to a shipping issue. I'm leaving for a wedding tomorrow morning, so that's not exactly ideal. They offered to reimburse me, but that's not really the point. Their whole job is to get me the dresses I ordered on time. I can't believe a company that's supposed to be so smart could mess up so badly. I'm definitely not using them again and I'm telling everyone I know about my experience.

I recently rented from Rent the Runway for an upcoming wedding and I gotta say, I was pretty stoked to be able to rent something instead of buying another expensive dress that I'd only wear once. I rented two dresses and even got a second size in one of them for free, which was a total win in my book. To complete my look, I also rented some jewelry.

The rentals arrived on the promised day, which was three days after I rented them. When I tried on the dresses, I wasn't happy with how one of them fit (the seams were in unflattering places) and the other had a high slit that I didn't think was appropriate for the occasion. So, I decided to exchange the dresses for something else right away. Luckily, there was an option to exchange right on my RTR page, which was a relief.

However, that's when my problems started. I tried to click on the exchange button and got a 'loading replacement options' page that never cleared. I tried from both my phone and computer with the same response from the web page... no alternatives ever loaded. So, I emailed customer service and explained my problem. The next day, I received a response that had nothing to do with my original problem. I tried accessing the replacements page multiple more times that day with the same results as before, nothing ever loaded (from multiple different computers at different places, work, home, etc.). I never did get replacements for my rentals and without time to shop ended up wearing a dress I already owned to the event. I feel like I just wasted my money for no reason at all.

Here's the email I sent to customer service:

On Thu, Nov 7,2019 1:40 AM,______ wrote:
I'm trying to get replacements for my shipment. Every time I try the loading page "loading replacement options" just sits and nothing loads. Please help.

And here's the response I got from RTR:

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting Rent the Runway.

We're so sorry for any confusion! If dates on the reservation calendar or certain sizes appear grayed out, that particular style or size is not available for the rental period selected. Dates will also be grayed out if you are trying to reserve an item more than 4 months in advance.

At this time, we do not currently have a waitlist for styles. We recommend browsing styles by inputting your desired rental dates and sizes to see all styles available.

You can also check back in from time to time as styles are constantly rotating with customers and can become available. We get new arrivals every week, so you may find a new style you love even more!

Any other questions? Ask away.
Best,

Egypt N.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with my experience with Rent the Runway. While I loved the idea of being able to rent dresses and accessories, the fact that I couldn't exchange my rentals for something else was a major letdown. I hope they can improve their website and customer service so that others don't have the same experience as me.

I gotta say, I've had some pretty decent experiences with Rent The Runway. But this last time? Oof. It was a real headache that just kept on going. So, I ordered my dress just a couple days before my event, because I'm a bit of a procrastinator like that. But I left myself some wiggle room in case the dress didn't fit or I didn't like it. Then, I got a notification from UPS saying that my dress was gonna be delayed by a day because of some bad weather. I checked both UPS and RTR's websites for more info, and they both said not to worry, the dress would still get to me by 8pm the next day, which was a Friday.

But when 5:30pm rolled around and there was still no sign of my dress, and no updates on either website, I started to get a little worried. So, I called up RTR to see what was going on. The person I talked to just straight up told me that the dress wasn't gonna make it. And get this, he said that if I had called the day before, they could have overnighted me a new dress. But nowhere on their website or in their recordings did they say anything about that. Eventually, he offered to refund me the cost of the dress, like he was doing me some huge favor. When I got mad at him for thinking that wasn't enough, he said he'd give me a 50% off code for my next rental. But the dress still didn't show up the next day, which was the day of my event. So, I called up UPS one last time to see if there was any hope. Nope. So, I asked them to just send the dress back to RTR. They didn't give me a new tracking number or anything, just told me to use the same one to let RTR know where the dress was.

I waited all weekend, but I never got that credit or discount they promised me. And to make things worse, they charged me a late fee for the dress that never even arrived. When I called them up to complain, they said they'd refund me when the dress got back to them. What kind of nonsense is that? I demanded my refund right away, and asked for more than just 50% off. But they said there was nothing more they could do. They told me I'd get my refund right away, but it might take a few days for my credit card to process it. Which is ridiculous, because they took the money out of my account the second I hit submit on my order. But, I did eventually get my refund, and the dress was returned.

I still haven't gotten that 50% off coupon they promised me, but honestly, I don't even know if I care anymore. I really like the idea of Rent The Runway, but I'm starting to think I might need to find another company that does the same thing. And like a lot of other people, I've had my reviews pulled or not posted. They need to be more transparent and not just cherry-pick the good reviews. When things go wrong, they need to make it right.

So, I gotta say, Rent The Runway's regular rental service is pretty great. Sure, sometimes you get an item with a few issues, but if you give yourself a buffer day (always do this, trust me), they can send you a replacement overnight. And let me tell you, my experiences with this have been AWESOME. So, when I signed up for the Unlimited membership, I was expecting more of the same greatness. But boy, was I wrong.

First of all, it takes FOREVER for them to ship items to you or even register that the items have been shipped back. You gotta give them at least 2 days from when you select the items before they even ship them out. And then, it takes AT LEAST another 3 days (sometimes even longer) before you actually get the item in your hands. And returning an item? Forget about it. That usually takes 5 days for some reason that no one seems to understand. So, what does all this mean? Well, it means that you're about 2 weeks into your first month membership before you can even exchange anything. And if your first few selections were duds (like mine were), that's not good.

Secondly, if there's an issue with something they were supposed to ship, you don't find out until the day it doesn't ship. So, now you've lost 4 days in turnaround time. Not cool.

Third, according to their customer support folks, the policy states that items can take 5-7 BUSINESS days to ship. That's right. And they don't care if it takes longer. I had a shipment get delayed an extra 6 days and they didn't even apologize or offer to send me another item expedited. Nothing.

And fourth, if you decide to cancel your subscription, they demand to have the items back in their hands by the end of the subscription or you have to pay as if you bought it. But here's the thing: returning items takes forever. So, you'd have to cancel the moment you placed your second order to be able to get the items (which takes a week minimum) and return them in time, without even wearing them. That's just not realistic.

So, let me warn you, consumer: this deal seems too good to be true, because it is. Although I did enjoy the variety the service promised to add to my wardrobe, the ongoing hassles of shipments, delays, poor customer service, etc. actually resulted in my wearing exactly 3 items the whole month. And now, I'm very likely going to be charged for a dress I'm returning (once I finally get it) without even wearing it, because they won't process the return until after my subscription ends. Hindsight tells me that renting each thing separately or just getting a few cute and cheap outfits that I'd own would have been a better option.

So, I'm a first-time renter and I heard about Rent The Runway from a friend who is a Marine wife. She used it a few times for Marine Corp Balls and highly recommended it to me. I was excited to try it out, so I ordered a dress in small and the backup in xsmall. When the dress arrived, it was beautiful and on time. However, I realized there was only one dress. Luckily, it fit me, but as I looked at it in the mirror, I noticed that the bottom 5 inches looked odd. It hung funny, and one side was snug on my leg while the other side was loose and actually stuck out into a point! As I looked at the seams on both sides, it was obvious that the gathering had come out. It was repaired with a straight seam instead of gathered like the other side seam. It was 7:30 in the evening, but I called anyway. Unfortunately, they were closed, so I sent an email. It has been 7 days now, and my email still has not been answered.

The next morning at 9 AM, I called again to possibly get another dress shipped in time for the party the next night. I spoke to Sheniqua, who offered to send me another dress in size XL. I turned down that offer, so she offered to send a different dress. I didn't want a different dress. I asked about why I didn't receive a backup dress, but she didn't know (and obviously didn't care). I also asked about a credit back to my card for part of the price I paid (not all of it because I knew I had to wear this one) since the dress was damaged and I was unhappy. Well, bless Sheniqua's heart, she offered to send me a 15% coupon for my next rental! I explained to her that this was my first rental, I didn't get two dresses as ordered, the one I received was damaged, and I was an unhappy customer. So, I did not want her 15% discount on my next rental because there would not be a next rental. She said okay!

I wore the dress, but I was so self-conscious of it that it put a real downer on the entire evening. What could have been a wonderful experience, making me feel like Cinderella, turned into a terrible experience. I also learned that the Marine's wife who referred me was shipped TWO damaged dresses the week before my disaster. When I received the reminder email to be sure I returned the dress on time, I replied to it explaining the situation and my disappointment. I also put a review on their website, which said it would be posted after review (whatever that means). It isn't showing up either. Terrible customer service! Don't believe everything they promise on the website-they don't follow through!

Update*** The entire amount was refunded to my credit card, and I received a very nice apology from a Rent The Runway representative.

I've used Rent The Runway (RTR) before for events and I loved it. However, I've also tried other clothing rental services like Gwynnie Bee, Infinite Style, and Le Tote, and I have to say that RTR is the most expensive one out there. I expected more from them, but I do like that you can pick the items you want to receive as long as they are in stock. The only problem is that there are so many choices that it can be overwhelming at times. This is different from other services where they pick what you get.

Another thing I like about RTR is that you can rent bags and jewelry too. It's a great way to complete your outfit without having to spend a lot of money. I also appreciate being able to return one item and get another one rather than having to return everything at once. However, the turnaround time to get new garments means that you don't get that many pieces. I live in DC, and while there is a store and a drop box near me, they are not close enough for me to pop over during normal business hours. If I do that, a spot opens up immediately. If you order before 2:00, you are supposed to get it by the next day, but that rarely happens.

When it works well, I put the item in the UPS box on Monday, they get it Tuesday, and I select before two and get the new item the next day. But this is rare. Usually, I put the items in UPS on Monday, they don't check them in and open up a spot until Thursday or Friday. They don't work on weekends, so that means I'm not getting another item until Monday or Tuesday, making it not worth the $135.00 per month. And it's not UPS as I can track the item, and it gets to them in one day, it's RTR.

I have also received more items that were stained, damaged, or too worn to wear than with any other service. If you can reach customer service, they will normally give you a credit and open up a spot for you. But I don't have hours to spend on hold or 4 days to wait for an email response. The chat never works, and every time you send them an email, you have to fill out a captcha! They also only published my positive reviews. When I confronted them, they denied it, but the reviews are not there. I took a lot of time to write them and was specific as I personally rely on them myself, and they only publish what they want.

It can be annoying if you don't have regular access to a UPS stop box, but there is one at my office, so that's fine with me. Otherwise, you have to call UPS to do a pickup or go to the store, neither of which are ideal. They send the items in cloth bags, which is fine, but they are all very dirty. Some were covered in mud. Overall, if they lowered the cost to $70 or less a month, I would keep the service. I think that's about the value I get based on the turnaround time, but I doubt they will do that anytime soon.

I was so excited to order an outfit for my bachelorette party from Rent The Runway over a month ago. I had my heart set on a gorgeous jumpsuit that I had picked out months in advance for this special event. However, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I received an email at 7pm on Wednesday, the day before my scheduled delivery, informing me that the jumpsuit was no longer available. Apparently, the last person who rented it either didn't return it on time or damaged it. I was devastated.

To make matters worse, the alternative outfit they sent me was a totally different style and didn't seem to be thoughtfully chosen for me. I was so disappointed that I wrote to customer service to express my concerns and ask for a refund. However, they ignored my inquiry about a refund and instead provided unrealistic options for how they could provide another outfit by Saturday at noon. I knew this wouldn't work for me because of my schedule and it seemed like a huge risk, because if the package didn't arrive or didn't work, I would be left with nothing and no time to shop for something else.

After several back-and-forth emails, I finally received a passive aggressive email telling me that I would be refunded and they had requested the package be returned to them. I was shocked and felt that this was very poor service. I had envisioned myself in the outfit for my bachelorette party and I'm sure many women who order from RTR are choosing something for a special day! It is just too big a risk to know that at the last minute they may not have your item and/or if won't be delivered at the requested time. To add a horrific and insincere customer service experience is inexcusable.

I will never attempt to use RTR again. I could have purchased similar outfits online for the same or less amount of money. It's just not worth the risk and disappointment. I now have to rush around to shop for an outfit the day of my event, which is not how I wanted to spend my time. I hope that RTR can improve their customer service and inventory management so that other women don't have to go through what I did.

The clothes I received from Rent The Runway weren't always washed well and had a bad smell. I also noticed that some jackets had loose buttons. One time, I sent a package back with my dirty clothes, and it made it to their warehouse and was signed for. However, two weeks later, it showed up back on my doorstep with the same dirty clothes in it just like I sent it in. I called them, and they didn't know how it happened but said they'd email me a free printable label "just this one time." It was frustrating because it wasn't my fault their employees mailed the old dirty clothes package back to me. They also put my account on hold because they were still waiting for that package. I paid over $200 a month and ended up only getting three of my four shipments that month because they put my account on hold due to their mistake. The shipping sometimes took a long time too, which I understand isn't their fault, but it also wasn't mine. They kept my account on hold for that reason, so there were several instances where I didn't get my four shipments in time before the month was up. They wouldn't reimburse me any of the money lost, so I ended up going down to the two shipments a month plan.

Then, the worst thing happened. I returned a shipment to them, but they never got it, so they charged my card $1400. I reached out to them and UPS immediately when I realized my account was on hold because they hadn't received the package. I gave them the exact date, time, and location where I returned it, and they started an investigation. However, it ended with them saying I may have put the package in the wrong drop box location, and they were going to charge me. A package with two dresses and two tank tops in it that were used items, probably worn dozens and dozens of times by many different people, plus their cloth bag with crappy zippers ended up costing me another $1400 on top of what I already paid for the subscription. Then they sent me an email saying I could keep the items. Okay jerks, I don't have the items. I was with them for eight months, and they didn't work with me at all. I get that they were then out of four designer items, but I also don't have the items, and the items were previously used so they've already gotten their money's worth out of them. Instead of charging me full brand new item price, they could have at the very least worked with me, and we both eat the cost, and they charge me half of that.

I enjoyed the clothes and sometimes got compliments on how well I dressed, and I would have stayed with them forever. But after they screwed me and took my money several times, including an amount so high it's going to take me a long time to recover from, I'm finally done. They are a bad and greedy business, and I will never go back and will trash talk them forever now.

I decided to give Rent The Runway a try after a friend recommended it to me. I was intrigued by the concept of renting designer clothes, but I wasn't sure if it would be worth it for me since I don't change up my style too often. Despite my reservations, I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, my experience with Rent The Runway was not a good one.

First of all, I had trouble finding items in my size (XL/16 - not 16W). I'm sure this is different for smaller sizes, but it was frustrating for me. Even when I did find items, they didn't look like the pictures on the website. The cut of the clothes was so different from what I expected that I wondered if they had pinned or taped things to change the shape. It was hard to know what I was ordering.

To make matters worse, half of the items I received had a strange smell. It was not pleasant at all. I tried to exchange the items, but the website didn't work properly. I couldn't see what items I currently had at home, and I kept getting logged out every time I tried to navigate to a different part of the site. I tried using multiple computers and different browsers, but nothing worked. I finally downloaded the app on my iPad, which worked okay, but I still had trouble exchanging items and posting reviews.

I tried to contact customer service by email, but I never received a response. I had to call them to get them to update the system so I could swap items. The new items arrived quickly, but I kept getting threatening emails saying they hadn't received the items from my first order. I had to email the help desk and call them again to get the issue resolved. It was frustrating to deal with.

When I received my second shipment, I was disappointed again. I decided to cancel my subscription. Canceling was easy enough, but I still had to go through the process of returning the second set of items. I'm tired of the automated emails telling me I'm going to be charged late fees, even though I've been reassured that I won't be.

Overall, Rent The Runway was a complete waste of time and money for me. Even if I had loved the clothes, I think I still would have canceled. I'm glad that canceling was painless, but I wouldn't recommend this service to anyone.

I use to receive an email when my paused account was about to begin. It was the usual behavior but this month there was no email, no warning. So, I was late one day in 'redoing' my paused account. I was charge $98 for nothing that month. I then cancelled because I want a service that keeps my account paused until I decide to continue it.

I filed complaint with better business bureau:
I signed up for their free trial of unlimited rental service. At the end of the trial period, I went on-line to my account to find information on how to cancel and to see my contract. Under my account information, there was no credit card on file nor any subscription information for which I was registered. I therefore did not believe I was under obligation or signed up for the unlimited services. I never once received an email invoice with charges to my account. Five months later I discovered the charges ($167 for 5 months) for which I never rent or received services. I called several times for reimbursement and they told me they did not have the authority and that a manager would call me back but they never did. They couldn't even transfer me to a manager. Customer service was rude and clearly intent on disbelieving and deceiving customers. The're website says pause or cancel anytime but when you call them it always says "high call volume" and you never get through, making it impossible or difficult to cancel their service. I have paid them $835 for no products or services. This business is a scam.

I ordered a size 8 Petite and I received an 8. The lining inside was hanging below the dress by about 2 inches, so I had to do a quick "hem" so that it would not show. I can't believe this dress made it to me in this condition, and the garment bag the dresses come in do not keep the items pressed. It was very wrinkled and I had to press it after I did the temporary hem.

My daughter is a loyal RTR subscription customer and she gave me a subscription as a Christmas gift over the Thanksgiving holiday when she was home visiting. We picked four things together and she signed me up. One formal dress was tight in the waist when it arrived so I put it back in the shipping bag and slipped the return label into place. I was worried about how flimsy the dress bag was but after reading the RTR booklet in my shipment and seeing no other instructions, I dropped he bag inside at a UPS store. A few days later I received an email saying that the dress was destroyed and I would be charged. I quickly replied saying I had never worn the dress and has returned it because it was too small. I told them I had been worried about the packaging but wasn't aware that there was a lock until I told my daughter what happened and she asked if I had seen the lock. I told customer service that I read the booklet that comes with the shipment and that it says NOTHING about using a lock for the return. They told me I should have gone online and read the FAQs! Seriously? Those are for people who have a question. Why would I read them if I didn't have a question? Then they said that because the shipping bag was ok, I couldn't prove the dress was damaged in transit. Well RTR also can't prove I damaged it and I'm shocked that you'd accuse me of ruinnng the dress under these circumstances. Naturally, I canceled my subscription, filed a complaint with the BBB and will do everything I can to post bad reviews for RTR. I tried over several email exchanges to resolve the issue but it appears that charging me $85 and losing my business is the solution your customer service department thought was the right solution. I hope whoever reads this has a different view of the way customers should be treated. I'm a 30 year Business executive and I wouldn't be where I am if I ever treated a customer the way RTR treated me.

Rent The Runway is the worst company ever. And here is why:
I was told so many times: try this website, it's a great service, save the money and blablabla.
Ok, they convinced me to do it. So many friends of mine couldn't make a mistake. Or could?
I chose the dress to rent it and there was nothing suspicious to pay attention to. So I put it in the cart and paid for it. The most interesting things have started after I got a confirmation email stating that the chosen dress is actually unavailable, but the order can not be canceled, so they will send me a dress similar to what I ordered initially.
First, why is that I can't cancel the order? I paid for it, I can do anything I want.
Second, how come they decided for me what exactly dress I need? I don't trust anybody's taste.
As a result, I got a terrible dress. Well, it was fine for someone, but I would never put it on. It was different. I wasn't even close to what I ordered.
Of course, the customer service did nothing to improve this situation. They simply apologized and said they didn't know what to do, it's for the first time and so on...
So here's my bad review, [censored]s!

Marketing kings. Use all the means to convince you to rent a dress or it will be rented by someone else in 3 minutes... 2... one... oh you're late!
So many people buy on this crap. Guys, it's just a website trick and nothing else. They have many dresses and don't believe when they say that the dress you chose is the last one. It's not true. Just refresh the page and everything will be as it was.

I have been a loyal customer for about several months now. But now I'm done with Rent The Runway and will never buy anything again. I made an order, paid for it and was told they've placed my shipment on a 2 day shipping with USPS. I was not hoping to receive my items so fast, because I know that It usually takes more than two weeks. Well, two months passed and I received nothing yet. I know their shipping is slow, but two months? Really? Contacted customer service and was told that they have no idea about where my order is. Well, they just lost a customer. I'll never order anything from them. I'm so disappointed!

I ordered a dress for my birthday party. The night before it was supposed to arrive I was informed that the dress was out of stock. They offered me to choose another dress and even offered me a discount. I quickly and in a panic checked their website and picked up another dress. But their rep told me that it will arrive a day later than expected. As an excuse they were ready to give me a %50 discount for my next order. I was so excited about that dress, but they ruined my entire party! This company is not reliable and you will never get what you requested!

I rented dress through the company www.renttherunway.com. But each time something was wrong with the dress. It didn’t look the same as on the picture. I rented and paid money, but I didn’t wear these dresses, because they were beautiful and stunning as they looked one the pictures. Also one dress, which I rented, smelled like rubbish and of course I again haven’t worn it. I wasn’t happy that I found the website.

We decided to rent three dresses for the event through the company www.renttherunway.com. It was bad idea, because one day before our event, it turned out that the dresses weren’t available. We contacted the seller and asked about our deal, but he assured us that we would get the soon. And we didn’t get them, but the seller offered to change the dresses, but it was too late. We don’t recommend this company.