House of Labels by LOL website

St. Louis, Mo., May 12, 2015 -  Four months after Love of Labels owner Brittish Williams apologized to customers for their "unprofessional experience" with the business and promised to restore her firm's reputation, Better Business Bureau (BBB) continues to receive complaints about Williams' online company.

Consumers from the St. Louis area and across the nation have filed more than 50 complaints against the business since Williams issued the apology in January. BBB received 18 of those complaints in April, the largest number since October.

Most of the complaints are from customers who say they waited weeks or months longer than promised for delivery.

"I would never recommend this company to anybody," said a customer from Hyde Park, Mass., who has been waiting for her merchandise or a refund for three months. "They have been negligent in almost all parts of their business practice."

Williams

BBB advises caution when dealing with Williams, Love of Labels or her newest company, House of Labels By LOL.  House of Labels lists an address at 11628 Old Ballas Road, Suite 200, in Creve Coeur.

House of Labels has an "F" rating with BBB, the lowest possible. Customers have filed 180 complaints against Love of Labels and House of Labels in the past 36 months.

Michelle Corey, BBB president and CEO, said complaints against Williams' business have jumped dramatically since BBB issued a news warning on Love of Labels in January 2014.

 "Despite promises to turn her business around, it seems that little has changed," Corey said. "We continue to see complaints from consumers who are frustrated and angry about the way their orders are being handled and how they are being treated."

Williams gained notoriety last year for her appearances on the VH-1 reality TV show "Basketball Wives of L.A."  She registered Love of Labels LLC, an online boutique business, with the Missouri secretary of state in February 2012.  In February 2015 she registered House of Labels LLC, which also takes online orders for clothing, accessories and jewelry.

On Dec. 15 and again on Jan. 7, Williams told BBB in emails that her company would soon send out an apology letter to unsatisfied customers.

The letter, in part, states: "As the founder/CEO/creator, I would first like to sincerely apologize to you for this ordeal. There is no excuse as to why this has happened and I take all responsibility for this."  The letter blamed former employees for the issues and said, "I'm back to clean it up and restore Love of Labels' good name."

Williams said she was in the process of restructuring and rebuilding the company.

The company's website, www.thehouseoflabelsbylol.com, describes House of Labels as "your one stop shop for vintage labels, new season favorites and exclusive one-of-a-kind pieces." The site states that all orders will be shipped in seven to 18 business days.

A woman from Chicago told BBB she learned of the business via Instagram. She said she paid $127 for three pieces of clothing on Feb. 18, but still had not received her order as of May 4. She said she tried to contact the company dozens of times before finally speaking to a woman who identified herself as the owner.  The customer described the woman as "extremely rude, extremely short," and she offered no satisfaction.  "It has been awful," the customer said of the experience.

A woman from Athens, Ga., said she paid $80 for two dresses she expected to be delivered in time for a graduation event in March. When the dresses never arrived, she requested a refund. She said she was unable to reach the company in the past three weeks. "This was my first time using this company; I would never use them again," she said.

Several St. Louis area customers who never received their merchandise finally received refunds several months later, but only after filing complaints with BBB.
In a recent email response to BBB, Williams argued that Love of Labels and House of Labels are two separate companies. She also said she has made several changes in her business operations.

"We have been opened for about two years now and have drastically changed our practices to adjust to our high volume," she said. "We expect complaints to go down tremendously over the summer. We are, indeed, improving."  
     
BBB offers the following tips for consumers ordering items online:

• Order from reputable businesses and be careful of businesses you know little or nothing about.
• If you do order from an unfamiliar company, try to reach a customer service representative by phone or email before ordering. If you can't reach a real person or if you are put on hold for a long period before being able to speak with someone, that could be a sign of problems.
• Read and understand the company's terms and conditions, which usually are printed on its website. Pay close attention to the firm's refund policy and know how long you have to return an item in case you are not satisfied.
• Pay by credit card whenever possible so that you can challenge the charge with the credit card company if there is a problem.
• Research the business and owners carefully before signing a contract or paying any money. Check the company's BBB Business Review at www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.