Misleading and poor customer service…
I had several problems with my order from Julian-Giraldo.com, and based on my experience, I would not recommend purchasing from this website.
1. I expected a U.S.-based business, but my order shipped from China
Julian-Giraldo.com was an unfamiliar brand to me, so before ordering, I looked through the website for information that would give me confidence in the company. The website listed a contact address in Austin, Texas, along with an email address. However, after placing my order, I discovered that the product was shipped directly from China. I was not expecting an international shipment based on the information I saw on the website. In my opinion, the website should make this much clearer before a customer places an order.
2. The packaging did not match the product description
One of the things that gave me confidence in ordering was the detailed description of how the belt would be packaged. The product listing stated, “Packed like it matters. The belt comes coiled onto tissue in a rigid oxblood box, with a card from us sitting on top. It is how we send every order, because a good belt should not turn up squashed in a plastic mailer.” That is not how my order arrived. My belt was wrapped in bubble wrap and stuffed inside a plastic shipping mailer. There was no rigid oxblood box, no tissue paper, and no card. The actual packaging was essentially the opposite of what was described on the website.
3. I received the wrong size, and the proposed solutions were unreasonable.
The biggest problem was that Julian-Giraldo.com sent me the wrong size. I contacted the company and provided photographs showing the size I received. They acknowledged that the item was the wrong size. I expected them to simply send the correct item or provide a reasonable way to return the incorrect item at their expense. Instead, I was given three options:
Option 1 — Keep the incorrect belt and receive a 15% refund.
Their initial proposal was for me to keep an item I did not order and receive only a 15% partial refund. After I questioned why I should pay for an incorrectly fulfilled order, they increased the offer to 25%. This still meant I would be paying for a product in the wrong size.
Option 2 — Return the belt to China at my expense for a full refund.
I was told I could return the incorrect item to their international fulfillment center in China, with return shipping typically costing approximately $40–$50 USD. I do not believe a customer should have to pay substantial international return shipping costs when the seller acknowledges that it shipped the wrong item.
This also raised another question for me: if the website lists an Austin, Texas contact address, why must a customer return an incorrectly shipped product to China at their own expense?
Option 3 — Place another order for the correct size.
The third option was a “one-time replacement,” but it required placing another order for the correct item. I had already paid for the product I ordered. I did not understand why I should need to place another order because the seller shipped the wrong size.
Overall, my experience with Julian-Giraldo.com was extremely frustrating. The product shipped from China when I expected a U.S.-based transaction, the packaging did not match the website's description, the wrong size was sent, and the proposed resolution would have required me either to accept a partial refund for an item I could not use, pay expensive international return shipping, or place another order.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend shopping at Julian-Giraldo.com.