The Citizenry Avis 200

This one was a bit of a miss for me. Product wasn't quite what I was expecting and at a high price point too.

We had a terrible experience with The Citizenry and would strongly discourage others from buying from them, especially if you’re expecting even basic customer service.

We purchased two Naveta velvet pillows in-store. They didn’t have them in stock but assured us they would ship within a few days. At checkout, we were also promised a discount—but the store associate failed to apply it. We had to follow up ourselves via phone and email just to receive what we were originally offered. The discount was eventually issued as a partial refund, but only after unnecessary effort on our part.

Only one pillow shipped. The second never arrived. Even worse, The Citizenry made zero effort to communicate the delay. No emails, no updates, nothing. We had to proactively reach out just to find out what was going on.

They eventually responded saying the second pillow would ship by mid-to-late June. When we still hadn’t received anything by then, we followed up again—because once again, they did not contact us. Only at that point did they inform us that there was an “inventory discrepancy” and that the second pillow was no longer available. They processed a refund, but didn’t offer any solution or accountability for the situation.

This left us with a single expensive pillow that we never would have bought on its own. The entire point was to have a matching set, and that’s what we committed to in-store. Their failure to deliver on that—and the total lack of follow-up or care—makes it feel like customer satisfaction is the last thing on their minds.

This was not a small order. For a brand that presents itself as premium, their operations and communication are shockingly poor. We will not be purchasing from them again, and I would strongly recommend others take their business elsewhere.

the rug I purchased never arrived.
I placed a order for the rug in early February and the order was cancelled by Citizenry the next day. I replaced the order. I had to reach out repeatedly for status updates thru March and April and May, and I did get responses but I didn't feel like there was urgency to find the rug and get it delivered to me. Finally I was told the rug was lost and I would have to wait until September and October for a new rug. I had to cancel the order, I could not wait that long and I didn't have faith that I would get the rug in October.

Beautiful product, horrible customer service. I had to call the retail store in NYC just to get someone on the phone. The citizenry customer service team is only allowed to communicate through email (with customers and vendors), which is a terrible policy. It prohibits them from quickly and effectively solving for the customer. Horrible experience waiting for our product, which was ~6 weeks late and not getting any meaningful answers on timing. Less frustrated with the delay of the product and far more frustrated with the lack of communication and effectiveness from “customer service.” There’s unfortunately plenty of the same experiences and feedback. Citizenry was a great brand but the acquisition by Havenly is diluting and ruining the name.

Quality of the AVON nightstand is exceptional. the ordering process is less so. Initially I was informed there was no way to be on a waitlist for this second night stand, then I was told I could order this and it would be delivered in mid May, finally I was advised of a delay from the manufacturer (these things happen) and the AVON stand was delivered on Friday the 13th of June. Great product but the communication between your customer service organization and the supplier could use some improvement.

The quality of the Citizenry Stonewashed Linen Bed Bundle is truly exceptional. The linen feels incredibly soft and comfortable right after purchase, and it only gets better with each wash. The craftsmanship is evident, and I appreciate the natural, relaxed aesthetic it adds to my bedroom. Overall, it's a premium bedding set that combines durability, comfort, and style. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for luxurious and soft linen bedding. We also love the espresso color.

Almost a carbon copy of the experience below. I ordered two carpets on Black Friday. After several delays, I decided to cancel one of them in late February, but held out for the other only be to be told in late April that they needed to cancel it. I started working with two of the sales reps from both the Dallas and the New York stores, and was told by customer service that was the best way to go. In an act of complete delirium on my part, I acquiesced and ordered the same carpet for the second time being told that it was in fact in the warehouse and would ship in 6 to 9 days. I just received an email saying that it was delayed and would be shipping in late June or July. Apparently it is too difficult for anyone to speak to anyone at any level at this company. I am not actually convinced they have a warehouse filled with anything and if they do, apparently phones are not allowed inside. This is not rocket science, they either have it or they don’t. Do not be a doof like me!

SAME ISSUE
I ordered a rug from them on Black Friday and did not receive it until late April. Why would I not just cancel, you might wonder? Because every three weeks, someone would promise me my rug was shipping soon and whatever problem had occurred was resolved. For long periods of time as I waited, the rug was advertised as "in stock" in their website, even though they knew it wasn't and were telling me that it wouldn't ship for weeks or even months. In April, while the rug was still advertised as "in stock," they actually told me there was yet another delay and it wouldn't ship til LATE JUNE, and then the rug showed up at my door a week later. It's nice, and I would have been fine with a few weeks' delay to get it, but that was by far the worst experience I've ever had with any company. The Citizenry is an absolutely absurd mess and will take hundreds and even thousands of your dollars without feeling any real obligation to ever ship you your items.

I ordered a rug from them on Black Friday and did not receive it until late April. Why would I not just cancel, you might wonder? Because every three weeks, someone would promise me my rug was shipping soon and whatever problem had occurred was resolved. For long periods of time as I waited, the rug was advertised as "in stock" in their website, even though they knew it wasn't and were telling me that it wouldn't ship for weeks or even months. In April, while the rug was still advertised as "in stock," they actually told me there was yet another delay and it wouldn't ship til LATE JUNE, and then the rug showed up at my door a week later. It's nice, and I would have been fine with a few weeks' delay to get it, but that was by far the worst experience I've ever had with any company. The Citizenry is an absolutely absurd mess and will take hundreds and even thousands of your dollars without feeling any real obligation to ever ship you your items.

I sent a change of delivery address on the first day of my order and they never responded and shipped it to the wrong address. Then they refused to make it right. Don't do business with these idiots

I placed an order with The Citizenry in November 2024. Over the course of five months, I was repeatedly told my rug would arrive “within the month” or “this week”—promises that were never fulfilled. At one point I was even told the item had arrived in Dallas, but no tracking details were ever provided. In the end, I was told the rug was lost in transit and issued a refund. If I wanted to reorder, I’d have to wait for a list that wouldn’t even begin until June.

I contacted customer service multiple times and even included CEO Rachel Bentley in my final email expressing my concerns. I never received a response.

How the company can improve:
• Be honest and transparent with shipping delays—don’t provide estimated delivery windows you can’t stand behind.
• Improve internal communication so that customer service has accurate information to share.
• Provide tracking details to customers and follow through with promised updates.
• Ensure that serious concerns are acknowledged and escalated appropriately, especially when directed to leadership.

I regret ordering from The Citizenry and hope they take real steps to improve how they treat customers moving forward.

terrible customer service, dont answer phone and dont answer emails.

they refuse to cancel orders.

Worst CX i've received in ecommerce by far.

Here is the response that I received after being ghosted for several weeks (for an order that was to ship in 6-9 days). Time to rethink the communication strategy (lie about delivery date, stick head in sand, hope the storm blows over).

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out! We're happy to provide an update on your order. Our team is currently transitioning to a new warehouse, which has led to extended shipping timelines. We’re working hard to get everything up and running as quickly as possible and will send you tracking details as soon as your order ships. We anticipate shipping your Organic Stonewashed Percale Sheet Set within the next 2 weeks. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, as we know you're eager to receive your order.

The recent warehouse move has impacted our timelines, but we believe things will go smoothly once we fully integrate this change. We truly appreciate your patience. However, if you wish to cancel your order, please let me know.

I placed an order on March 12th and never got an order confirmation or the merchandise, but they managed to charge my card. I've contacted them three times with no response and the phone number on the website directs you to the e-mail, which they don't respond to. Do yourself a favor and don't even think about ordering anything from this place.

I barely want to give this place a star. IN STOCK, READY TO SHIP, is BS. they haven't sent me a thing in a month, no updates, no status. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM.

Be careful ordering! Many items on their site state "in stock and ready to ship". After waiting 15 days after placing my order with no update, I reached out to customer service. They let me know there was a "warehouse discrepancy" and are "unable to confirm when they will be back in stock" yet the items are still listed on the site as available! Something fishy is going on with this company, and they were recently bought by the same company as Interior Define (if you know you know, google it.) Be warned.

So far, I've heard nothing about an order I placed for a $351 pillow. :(
When ordering it, the website said it was in stock would ship in a few days. That was almost 2 weeks ago. I check the website and the status says order confirmed but nothing else. I've received NO communication from them. I've chatted with their robot (worthless), sent and email with no response and called. The call is answered by voicemail saying to email them.

The Citizenry has pretty pictures of things that are pricey and theoretically worth paying the extra money for assuming that the business and its fair trade values are legitimate. However, after months waiting for a rug that was never delivered, I'm convinced the whole website is a scam. I ordered a round jute rug and I paid for it in early September. I was told it would be delivered to my home at the end of November. I emailed customer service in December after I received no update on my order, and I was told the rug would be shipped in the coming days. It wasn't. I continued to email customer service every few weeks, and I kept getting the same, I assume automated, response that the order would be shipped within the next few days. It never was. To make matters worse, I kept getting bombarded with ads online for the rug, which the website falsely claimed was back in stock. It's the end of February and I still don't have the rug, so I finally canceled my order and asked for a full refund, which, to their credit, they issued immediately -- I'm guessing because this is probably a common problem for The Citizenry. (In any case, I ended up immediately ordering a nearly identical rug from Pottery Barn that's a fraction of the price, which will be delivered to my home this week.) I would have been willing to wait for the rug from The Citizenry if I believed I was getting honest responses about the timeline for its delivery, but the company seems like it has set up AI bots to scam consumers, and doesn't have the capacity to fill the numerous online orders it apparently gets. It's too bad too. There were three other, much more expensive items that I was planning on purchasing had I had a better experience, but the company and its vendors lost out on the business and really my heart goes out to the vendors, who really shouldn't be blamed for The Citizenry's shipping and customer service incompetence. If you end up taking the risk and buying something from The Citizenry be warned. You may end up waiting for months, if not years, for that pretty item. It's probably quicker to just go to Mexico or India and buy the item directly from the vendors yourself.

Customer service is awful. Rug was delayed multiple times and I only found out when I contacted them. I finally cancelled the order.

DO NOT PURCHASE from this company. We paid $ for a new VALE chair. Waited months, it finally came. Ws the most uncomfortable chair I ever sat in. We called them immediately. No they don't guarantee their product. The comfort of this chair, was if a piece of a styrofoam and a large rock had a baby. We had to send it over for consignment at a local retailer.

DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS WEBSITE.
I ORDERED TWO RUGS ON DIFFERENT DATES IN FALL, 2024. THE FIRST DELIVERY TOOK MORE THAN TWICE AS LONG AS THE "ESTIMATED DELIVERY." THE SECOND RUG, ORDERED ON OCTOBER 4, 2024, HAS NOT ARRIVED. THE DELIVERY DATE HAS BEEN DELAYED REPEATEDLY, BUT I ONLY FIND OUT ABOUT THAT DELAY WHEN I CONTACT THEM! NOW THEY ARE WRITING TO ME THAT IT WILL BE MID FEBRUARY, WHEN I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN! (AND CURIOUSLY, ON THEIR WEBSITE, FOR THE RUG I ORDERED, IT SAYS MID TO LATE FEBRUARY!
CUSTOMERS HAVE LITTLE RECOURSE TO EFFECT CHANGE!