I received an advertisement in the mail of summer 2000 explaining that the college that I would be attending, The University of California, Santa Barbara, would have extra-long twin size mattresses. Since standard size sheets would not fit these mattresses, I would have to either purchase king sheets and fold them over twice or buy extra long sheets. At the time, RHL sounded like a decent, cost-effective alternative to purchasing king sheets, so my parents and I decided to purchase the student starter pack. Additionally, "Residence Hall Linens" appeared to be affiliated with the University.

When I received the order, I found that the incorrect color had been shipped to me. I proceded to contact Residence Hall Linens; however, my messages were left unanswered. Thus I had no choice but to use the linens, comforter and pillow. After washing according to the instructions provided with the linens, it was noticed that a substantial amount of dye from the linens bled into clothes that were washed with them. Even now, after more than 15 washes of the sheets, a significant amount of dye still bleeds when they are washed. Additionally, the RHL advertisement made it seem as though they were the only suppliers of extra long twin sheets.

Pillow

• The one pillow that came with the package is very cheap. It does not provide decent support for one's neck and feels like sleeping on a lump of plastic fibers. It is advertised as "The perfect pillow for your perfect night's sleep! Start your daily classes refreshed with these 18oz, non-allergenic machine washable pillows." However, 18 ounces of non allergenic plastic is about all you'll get from it.

• The comforter, advertised to be "extra-warm" is far from it. You might as well sleep with the only the sheets, as the comforter is less than an inch in thickness after 5 months of use. (This is something to take into consideration for students that will be living in colder environments) RHL also claims that "Our super-soft comforters keep the chill away." As mentioned before, the comforter does not provided sufficient warmth. The comforter is about as soft as a paper towel.

The comforter

Submitted by a student from an East Coast University:

"Good: RHL delivered exactly what I ordered to the correct location (University Store), at the agreed upon time. It was also very convenient, because I did not have to ship a pillow or comforter across the country, and I did not have to go through the trouble of finding a linens store on the East Coast.

HOWEVER, the RHL products I received were not as good as I had expected. First, the pillow was literally 18 oz. Since I am not an expert on pillows, I assumed that their one choice, the 18 oz pillow, at ~$20 (???) would have sufficient filling. Although it did not impair my ability to sleep, I think I could have found a much better pillow at Wal-Mart for about $8. Second, the comforter was much thinner than I expected. Typically, with radiators that never turn off, there's no need for a comforter, but on a few cold mornings, I could feel the heat passing right through my thin comforter. In addition, when I washed my RHL comforter in cold water, it left a white t-shirt with a light-blue tint. Beware, the color bleeds during at least the first 2 washes.

Overall, RHL is very convenient and easy, but if you want to save money, and get something worth owning, it is best to go to a store and buy it yourself."

Submitted by a parent:

"I totally agree with the comments I read concerning the quality of the products ordered from RHL. (I am a Mom of a student at SDSU). Prior to ordering from the flyer sent by RHL, I had intended on purchasing a similar set from Lands End, which is a top quality company. However, the RHL flyer provided for additional items (pillow, mattress cover, extra wash cloths, etc.) and since it appeared RHL was somehow connected with the college, we regretfully chose RHL over LandsEnd. I was personally very disappointed when the shipment arrived. The products were cheaply manufactured - I spent a hour cutting strings off every item. As you stated, the pillows were junk (my son took his old ones instead) and the mattress cover like tissue paper. But of course, it was too late. They needed to be packed for the trip to the dorm. And now, just a few months later, my son was complaining that the sheets have created their own "fuzz balls" and are very rough to sleep on. He brought them home and I guess I wasn't too surprised. Point of my story? I am going to return the used sheets and demand a refund. If I had read your comments prior to ordering, I would never had placed an order for any products from Residence Hall Linens. LandsEnd is on the web. Hope your readers choose them instead of RHL. -Parent 11/14/01"

Submitted by a Parent:

10.14.02

"I've had similar problems with RHL lines as complaints posted on your website. In addition to those problems, the comforter came apart at the seams at the second washing. I called RHL and they said I could return it and they would refund the prorated amount for the comforter but would not pay for shipping -- they even offered to replace it but couldn't guarantee that it too wouldn't come apart. RHL is a complete rip-off -- they also sent me wrong colors, the colors bleed profusely, the shower sandals which they say a Small fits sizes 6-8, is HUGE for a person whose shoe size is 7-1/2. At this point and having read other peoples' complaints on your website, I'm inclined to return the entire shipment, but there's a considerable cost and inconvenience to consider in doing that. I wish I had read your website prior to ordering from them. Is there any way to get word out to colleges of RHL's poor quality? Because the fact that students get information about RHL from the colleges makes RHL seem like THE place to buy linens, which couldn't be further from the truth. Thank you."

Submitted by a Student:

10.9.02

"Hello my name is Kayla. I visited your page and would like to add to it, to warn others. I ordered my sheet set back in July it arrived in mid August. I also ordered a discount card, which was suppose to come with my linens. It did not come, it still hasn't arrived. it is now early October and the $20 card has not arrived. I called them up in late August, I was put on hold for 30 minutes. They said they would reissue a card and send it to me right away well I'm still waiting for it. I have noticed the piss poor quality of the comforter, it is only about 1/2 in at it's thickest parts. I am up in Erie, it is cold here now and winter isn't even here yet. I am going to have to bring another blanket from home because this one is so poorly made. My towels are cheap. They are like the cheapest towels that Walmart has but more cheaply made then them. It is ridiculous the amount of money spent on my linen set...for crap. I thought that you would find this interesting."