Lise K.

There seem to be a lot of poor reviews for Instacart, but I'm going to add my experiences here.

I started using Instacart after a hip surgery - I was not going to be able to drive for two weeks and maneuvering through a supermarket on crutches was not feasible for some time. I was reluctant to place my first order because I'd NEVER had anyone do my grocery shopping for me. I'm the kind of person that likes to see and handle things before purchasing, make sure the fruit is firm and the dated items aren't expired.
But since I had no choice I went ahead and placed my first order.

I have now been using Instacart steadily for the past 4 years! It's been SO helpful. I work full time and maintain a busy schedule during my free time. Knowing that there's one less chore I have to worry about has been so helpful. The shoppers...for the most part...have done a great job!

Here's the thing - if your shopper doesn't do a great job, let's say they forgot something or the fruit they picked for you got damaged or something is just not right, customer service is incredibly responsive. I've had no problems getting refunds for incorrect orders - you can reach out ot them via chat or there's even a phone number. The app is very easy to use - like anything else, you may need ot take some time to learn all the bells and whistles, but trust me, it's not that hard.

Oh, and the shoppers can keep in touch with you via the app - there's a chat function. My shoppers sometimes send me photos asking me which version of an item I'd like? If I'd like a substitution for something that's not available? It's really been wonderful.

So I would give them a try. Highly recommend.

I used it twice and will not be using it any longer. It costs about three times as much as the store-bought color I used to use. Not much different in color quality and made my hair much much drier. I canceled my subscription and will be going back to my previous product.

I'll be fair and give them credit for having a clean shop, quick to get my car in, polite staff.

Here's what I can't stand - the endless SELLING. They want to get as much out of you as they can and it's obvious they see women as sitting ducks. I went in for an oil change. AN OIL CHANGE. They wanted to do $500 worth of services and made it sound urgent.

My regular mechanic took a look at this estimate (I didn't let them do most of what they wanted to) and called them crooks.

Never will I darken their doorstep again.

Oh, and my engine light came on a day after they changed my oil.

The old adage holds true - if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't! The clothes are very cheap. That's because they're shoddily made and sizes are all over the place. Occasionally you get something that's just "OK" and because you don't want to deal the hassle of trying to return something (They make it as difficult as humanly possible) you just decide to deal with it, right? Learn from my mistakes and don't waste your hard earned money on this joke of a company

Everything looks GREAT online. They present themselves as a trendy company with upscale items for reasonable prices. What you end up getting is a much cheaper and flimsier version than what you imagine after seeing the ads. I purchased a coffee table a few years ago and it was soon apparent that the tabletop part was cheap particleboard covered in something resembling wood. It chipped not long after I got it. My boyfriend has since made a new top for the table which is far superior. The legs look like wrought iron at first but they're obviously not. Some heavy books have already started disfiguring the small shelving area below the tabletop. What a shame. The only other thing I have since purchased is a beach scene picture for our bedroom wall. It was quite a large size but lightweight, which makes it perfect for hanging over the bed. The picture quality is not great. It's obviously not a painting but a copy of a copy of a painting... which is what I expected. But I still hoped for something a bit nicer looking. Returns are a pain in the behind so we're just living with it for now.

ThredUp, why is it so difficult to get anybody to respond back when there is an issue?

I've been shopping with them for a while. I've gotten some great deals on designer clothes, shoes and handbags. I do not recommend selling to them as you will get hardly anything back. Tried that once and was so disappointed with the incredibly low payment to sellers that I never did it again. However, I do continue to buy from them from time to time so that I have a professional wardrobe without having to spend tons of money at a retail store, spend hours combing racks for sale prices or scouring thrift stores. Thredup has definitely saved me time and money.

HOWEVER - it's always such a pain to get help from customer service that it has really tainted my reviews! Whenever there's been an item missing or an item not as described, it is a pain in the a** to get anybody to respond to you. I often have to reach out through several venues, email, Facebook, etc often receiving canned replies that go nowhere. I've had to resort to submitting a complaint through the better Business bureau on occasion to get any kind of results.