Meghan Markle forced to issue ‘As Ever' refunds
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, promised free replacement jars to her loyal buyers — just weeks after her website experienced a similar blunder with its $28 honey.
'Due to high demand, we are unable to fulfil your order of the apricot spread at this time. We are refunding the purchase of this item by the end of this week,' a message from the royal read.
The lifestyle company assured customers that they would be 'the first to receive it, free of charge' once stock becomes available.
The popular apricot spread, which sold within an hour of it going live, retails for $9 a pop, with the special keepsake packaging on sale for $14.
Needless to say, some customers were less than pleased when they were greeted with a 404 error message after entering their card details.
'Just received an email from As Ever, they are unable to fulfil my apricot order but will give me a full refund and a free replacement when it becomes available again,' one person wrote on X. 'I only have a half a jar of my raspberry spread left. It's war tomorrow!!!'
Another person wrote on X, 'I hope they fix this. At the minimum comms should be out literally on the day instead of waiting for your product for a while and being disappointed. Not a good customer experience even though the customer service is good after the fact.'
However, other shoppers praised Markle's excellent customer service.
'A refund and the product for free when it restocks? That's top tier customer service,' one person wrote on X.
While another added on X, 'I don't even want my refund, I just genuinely want Meghan to know she is so loved!'
The apricot spread had become a fan-favourite ever since Markle teased it on her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan.'
The spread, which is not called jam due to its lowered sugar content, is manufactured by the Republic of Tea, a US company headquartered in Larkspur, California, with its factory located 2,000 miles away in Illinois.
The company also produces Markle's pricey orange blossom honey.
The latest As Ever drop included several newbie items, notably the former royal's hotly-awaited Rosé line.
The 2023 Napa Valley Rosé launched Tuesday, but only offered customers the chance to purchase either three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159 and 12 bottles for $300.
'This debut rosé marks the beginning of As Ever's thoughtful expansion into wine, with a Méthode Champenoise Napa Valley sparkling wine planned for the near future and additional varietals to follow,' a spokesperson told The Post.
The wine range, which is produced by Fairwinds Estate in Napa Valley, saw Markle reportedly spend months developing the blend and conducting taste tests.
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