Seven Slings Review *Updated*

My good friend Kallie turned me on to www.sevenslings.com. They currently have a promotion going on where you can get a sling for the cost of shipping.  Baby T loves to be worn, and I was really struggling with the Moby wrap, so I was very excited to try a sling out. Unfortunately I've had some minor issues, the process was a bit confusing, so here's what you need to know.


The Website
The website is easy to use.  You go to the "shop now" tab, pick out your pattern, quantity and size. It automatically adds to the cart.  You can then enter your coupon code.  The first time you shop this site, it also adds $3.50 for "size exchange insurance." I thought that was kind of odd, but see below

Sizing
Slings come in sizes 1 through 9. The sizing chart is very complicated and I had a hard time determining what size I would need (I quickly saw why the size exchange insurance was offered). Sizing is based on your conventional size, your t-shirt size, height, weight, cup size, and (most importantly, according to the chart) your shoulder to hip measurement. By the first two measurements, I was a 6. Height, weight, and cup size put me at a size 4. Shoulder to hip measurement put me between a 5 and a 6. I decided to split the difference and order the size 5 and made sure to purchase the size exchange insurance. 

Ordering
Ordering is the easiest part of the process. Pick your pattern, your quantity, and your size. It adds the sling to your cart and gives you your total with a place to enter a coupon code.  I used code family2012, and it removed $39 - the cost of the sling. I checked to make sure the size insurance was in the cart. My total came out to $15.45 for a sling that was sale priced at $39. Excellent.  I entered my info and clicked the order button.  I got an e-mail confirming my order right away with a link to track shipping.

Shipping
The reason the shipping is so expensive is it's first class and with processing you can expect your delivery "within 2 to 8 business days" by the website's description. I ordered the sling on February 27th and when I went out of town on March 6th it had not arrived.  When I returned on March 9th, it was waiting in my mailbox.  I never got a confirmation shipping e-mail, and the link to my shipping information just took me to a page that said my order was being processed.  So while I'm not sure exactly how long it took to get to my mailbox, it was relatively close to their 8 day estimate.  Usually when a place gives you a shipping estimate of several days, it comes either on the lower end or right in the middle of the estimate, so I was a little disappointed in how long it took.

Product
I opened the sling and the first thing I noticed was the smell.  It had a very heavy chemically type of smell. The fabric also feels very thin, cheap, and not very soft. My first impulse was to wash it, but I decided to get it tried on and put the baby in it so that I could return it if it was the wrong size.  When you unfold it out of the package, it's just one big long piece of fabric sewn together at the ends. You have to fold the sling inwards on itself to make it into an actual sling.  The website and the sling itself have step-by-step instructions, and it didn't take long to figure it out.  I got the sling on and it fit great shoulder-to-hip (which was the only measurement that told me to actually order a size 5). Unfortunately there is a lot of leftover material in the middle.  I put baby in and there was so much extra material that I folded it back at the shoulder.  Well, since the print is only on one side, folding it back really took away from the appearance of the sling.  I decided that I would need to take advantage of the size insurance and send it back.


Size exchange policy and a problem
This is where things get tricky, and this might be long winded but it's important. The size exchange insurance is $3.50 and for that you get a postage paid envelope to send it back and they will send you another size without charging you additional shipping.  Does anyone else find it odd that it cost me $12 for them to ship it to me but only costs $3.50 to ship it back?

The sling must be returned in "perfect resell-able condition."  I figured that meant no damage to the product.  Well, when you get the return instructions, you find out that it's a bit more complicated than that.  The sling must be perfectly re-folded, per their included folding instructions.  It must be perfect re-packaged and they must be able to literally take it out of your envelope and put it into another shipping envelope to send to someone else.


Unfortunately when I took the sling out, the green zipper broke off of the bag right in my hand. I figured I could put it back on.  I folded it to the best of my ability and squeezed the sling back into the bag. I sealed the bag and tried to reattach the zipper. No dice, it would not go back on. So I started trying to unseal the bag. It tore. In two places. It says right on the instructions that if the bag is torn it may result in them shipping the same sling back to you because it is no longer resell-able.  I was leaving town AGAIN, so I didn't deal with the issue until I got home.


I e-mailed the company on a Monday, got a response on Thursday that as long as the sling itself was not damaged, I could return it.  I e-mailed them back and said "Great, but now I'm really close to the 14-day return window, can I still send it back?" I got an immediate response saying they would waive that requirement for me.  I should have figured if I posted my review they would get back to me the next day! :) So it's safe to say that yes, I would recommend this company, with the following recommendations:


My Recommendations
1)Don't order without a coupon code, it's silly to pay full price (try coupon code familybump). 
2)Buy the size exchange insurance but be aware that your bag and sling need to stay in PERFECT condition (I don't know if they often bend those rules, so do the best you can just to be safe). 
3) Don't go in and out of town and wait to deal with it like I did, the instructions say if it isn't returned within 14 days of delivery that they can hold you sling and re-charge you for shipping! 
4)Overall, just be willing to take a risk.  I'm disappointed but it's a good deal and I can always re-sell it on Craigslist or a friend might be able to use it :)


Hope that you found some helpful information here!