Babyuniverse: Lots of merchandise, lots of deals!
Written: Oct 06 '04
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We were recently looking for crib sheets for our new arrival. I looked at several different sites and found that, with BabyUniverse, once I stacked up the special offers, I got the best deal.
MERCHANDISE
Babyuniverse sells just about everything for your baby. There are strollers, high chairs and all kinds of baby gear. I focused on bedding and found baby universe had one of the best selections out there.
ORDERING
The ordering process took several screens to gather my information. The process could have been a little more streamlined but it wasn't too bad. My only complaint is that I was forced to choose a password. I am sure I will need this password in the future and won't be able to remember it.
SHIPPING
Shipping for my items was free and the site runs frequent promotions for free shipping. The only downside is that the free shipping is for ground shipping which can take up to two weeks. If you want your items faster, you have to pay.
MY EXPERIENCE - SPECIAL ORDERS
The items I picked were special orders. According to the site, they charge your credit card immediately for special orders. It then takes 3-6 weeks for the special order to be delivered. I placed my order on August 31. My credit card was charged promptly. About three weeks after placing my order, I emailed customer service to get a status and got the following generic response:
The product(s) that you purchased are special ordered and do take approximately 6 weeks for delivery Your accessories have been ordered from the manufacturer and will be sent to you just as soon as we receive it in our warehouse. In addition, we will email you a tracking number so you can track your BabyUniverse purchase.
I was disappointed that my time frame increased from 3-6 weeks to "approximately 6 weeks" but continued to wait. I got an email on September 30 that my items had shipped. The finally arrived on October 6 - about five weeks after I placed my order.
PACKAGING
My sheets came in a cardboard box that was pretty beat up upon arrival. One corner of the box had been smushed in and was partially ripped. Since my items were not breakable, the dents didn't matter but I thought the hole, if slightly bigger, could have caused some problems.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I got an email when my order was placed and an email with a fedex tracking number when it shipped. However, customer service was not helpful at all in checking on the status of my order.
STEALS AND DEALS
The site periodically offers free shipping on its merchandise. When there is no free shipping, there is often a low flat rate for shipping.
Babyuniverse participates in Ebates and currently offers a 7% rebate through that site.
Babyuniverse also offers coupons that you can find through the web. Try inputing the search terms "babyuniverse" and "coupon." I found a 10% off coupon that way.
When I stacked up the 10% discount, the 7% rebate and the free shipping, babyuniverse had the best deal on the sheets I liked.
If you join their email list - you will get notifications of special offers and sales.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
It seems to me that babyuniverse is a bare bones site. They order your items from the manufacturer and stick a new label on the box and mail them out to you. Don't expect any handholding during the process. While the prices were good and the items arrived on time, I am deducting one star for poor packaging and impersonal customer service.
DO YOU LIKE TO SHOP ON THE INTERNET? HERE ARE SOME MORE REVIEWS OF WEB STORES:
Clothing and Accessories: Talbots; The Gap; CWD Kids; Hanna Andersson; J. Jill; Tote Le Monde ; Blu Pyxie ; Miniboden; One Hanes Place; Nordstrom; Gymboree; Simple Shoes; Sierra Blue.
Clothing and Home Goods: Land’s End; Bluefly; Soft Surroundings; Garnet Hill; Sundance; L.L. Bean.
Home and Garden: Smith & Noble; Restoration Hardware; Gardener’s Supply Company; Unicahome; Homeclick; FaucetDirect; Gardens Alive; West Elm; Crate & Barrel; MyKnobs.
Books and Magazines: Amazon.com; ValueMags; Magazine Values; Dover Publications.
Office Supplies, Furniture and Services: Staples; Officemax; Topdeq; Efax.
Electronics: HP Shopping; Buy.com.
Travel: Amtrak; Hotwire; Orbitz; Hotels.com.
Discount: Overstock.com; Target.
Photo Developing: Shutterfly; Snapfish.
Baby Stuff: Babystyle; Baby’s Here Birth Announcements.
Miscellaneous: 1-800 contacts; Movie Tickets.com; Drugstore.com.
Rebate Sites: Upromise; Ebates.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? baby bedding
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modernmarvel
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