QVC: Quality, Value, Convenience. Your 24 Hour Online Shopping Mecca!
Written: Nov 22 '04 (Updated Nov 22 '04)
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I remember the very first purchase that I made from the QVC television show; it was a gift for someone that I’d been desperately trying to find that special something for. After that I was semi addicted to the show. It seemed that no matter what they showcased, I could find some use for it. It turned into a game of “beat the clock”, trying to get my order in before they moved on to the next item or it was sold out. My fascination with the site faded after a month or so when I found a few of the “oh so rare and hard to find items” locally for a few dollars less. This didn’t turn me off of QVC but it made me a much smarter shopper and whenever I had the urge to jump on a deal on the show, I’d remember what happened in the past and opt to pass on it knowing that eventually I’d find it someone else for less. When I started lurking at the QVC online site I could feel that semi addiction slipping back into play. So many sections to check out, clearance items, the ease of being able to shop when I wanted to and knowing that QVC wasn’t a fly by night site that was going to close up a month after I made my purchase. So far I’ve made about ten purchases from the site and overall I’m please with the service, delivery and quality of the goods but just like every other online store, there are some areas that could use some improvement.
QVC Quality, Value, Convenience
The website is very clean and easy to navigate with no pop up advertising. If you are interested in seeing what was on the shows during the day or past 24 hours you can select your time zone to get a recap of the shows and items that were featured. This is great for people who may have been flipping through channels and saw something that caught their eye but didn't have the time to check it out or make a purchase. Getting around the site isn't hard to do but there are times when it is a taxing thing – there are some problems here and there but overall the glitches are quickly fixed. The main sections of the site are the heavy hitters – jewelry, electronics, home items, clothing, sports related items and media. From these main sections you can select from sub divisions that will take you to smaller more detailed parts of the site. The search function is also a great way to quickly find what you are looking for and you can choose to have it search the entire site or a specific section.
Almost all of the items that are listed at the site are featured with a good bit of detail; things like movies, music and books have a lot of detail to them [for the most part] but to be brutally honest, most of them are not the best bargain. A good example of this is Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon [CD version] that QVC is listing at $18.98 plus $4.22 for shipping. This isn't a special release or an enhanced version – it’s the basic CD. This is about eight dollar more than what other sites sell this for so knowing what the going price is on an item is something that you need to know before you start shopping at the site. Even Tower Records sells this for three dollars less than QVC and they offer free shipping on orders over $20.00 [limited time offer]. But knowing a products current value and selling price is something that holds true for ever and any online site - knowing what you are looking for and which site has the best price for comparable items is key to getting the best bargain. On the up side there are a lot of uncommon or hard to find items available at the site and back orders or ‘out of stock’ listings are few and far between.
Out of all the purchases I’ve made at the site, all of them arrived within the quoted time frame and packed well to ensure that they weren’t damaged in shipment. Email correspondence is adequate but there are some issues with the getting filtered out if you have a spam guard in effect. I’ve never had any trouble getting my email confirmations or shipping notifications at my Yahoo account but some HotMail and Mail.com users have said that they had trouble getting emails. There have been a few times that I received shipping confirmation notices after items have already arrived, it’s not annoying but it could be confusing to people who are drop shipping items to a friend or relative. Compared to other mega shopping sites QVC gets high marks for customer service, shipping and quality of goods but could stand to do a little better in the areas of shipping fees.
Selection & Shopping
Wow. The site does offer a tremendous amount of variety and chances are if you are looking for a specific gift for someone, they’ll have it or at the very least something that’s comparable. The clearance section of the site is a great place to start your shopping and it does change on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes the site seems a little too big, like Amazon.com mega sized. To some people this could be a little overwhelming, especially if they are new to online shopping. I do have to admit, I do spend a lot of time in the toy section looking for bargains and from time to time I come across some that are just too incredible to pass up and if you are a toy junkie, make sure that you check out the special offers section as well as items that are offered with free shipping. Another great section to check out is clothing; something for everyone here with plenty of size and color options and everything from casual to designer names, seasonal items and a very nice section just for kids.
One thing that you will notice is that there is a lot of overlapping that goes on, you go to the kids clothing section and aren’t just tossed into a myriad of selections – you are shown other sections that are also available like toys, accessories, furniture and jewelry. This is a great way for them to market themselves and keep people at the site instead of going elsewhere to find other items. This is a great idea to keep people at the site but for those that are new to the site, it is a little confusing. When you go to a specific section and are shown other items of interest the actual section / sections you are looking for are shown on the left hand side of the screen. It took me a while to get used to this type of search result and I really wish they would minimize the amount of alternative purchases that they display or at the very least, make the links on the left side easier to navigate through. If you get lost within the site or find yourself stuck in a glitch, just click the QVC logo on the top left side of the page to go back to the main page where you can start over or at least find the main listing for the section you are trying to shop in.
There are a lot of major names sold at the site – from clothing giants like Quacker Factory, Reebok and Fila to home goods from Coleman, Sunbeam and Rubbermaid. But that’s just the start of some of the heavy hitters you’ll come across at the site – you can also make purchased of items from Hummel collections, NutriSystem, Things Remembered, Pilates, Lexmark, Nintendo, Leap Frog, JVC, Samsonite, Chicco and even dolls from Marie Osmond. A nice thing about the structure of the site, since I mention a few of the downsides in this review, is that you have the option to browse the brands of each section, this way you can compare all the items that a company has to offer to pick out the one that suits you the best. If you are stuck for a gift, make sure you check the gifts section for some very helpful suggestions that are broke down by category, price or recipient. This is a nice feature of the site and can give you some great ideas for picking out that perfect gift for that someone special. They also offer personalized items as well as gifts that are suitable for businesses and customized gift packages.
Creating An Account
You will need to create an account to shop at the site and they ask for the basic information as well as a four digit PIN [personal identification number] that you pick. This helps to add a little privacy to your account and is something that you should safeguard. It takes about twenty seconds to fill out the form and after that you can elect to continue shopping or check out. I never got any kind of “welcome” email or anything to let me know that I opened an account there – something that I was a little shocked by. Again, this could be to email filters or just the way the site processes new accounts. I did get an email after I placed my first order – but this doesn’t seem to be a good way to protect people against internet fraud. I’d rather deal with a few extra pieces of email letting me know someone opened an account with my email address than having to undo unauthorized purchases or being a victim of identity theft.
Warranties
If you are someone that is worried about warranties, you can get information about the warranties on the product pages if one is available. This is something that might be a little confusing to some people since it doesn’t flat out say “warranty information” in some cases. You might see the letters LMW [limited manufacturer’s warranty] on a page and that’s all you have to go on. If you are worried about if a company is going to honor the warranty or what the specific terms of it are, you can call QVC’s toll free customer service line to get the information that you need before you make your purchase. I called a few times to get information about warranties on some battery operated toys and the person that I spoke with actually sat there and read the warranty to me – you don’t get that kind of service from many sites so two thumbs up for the live operators.
Site Issues
There are some times when the site just doesn’t act the way that it should. I’m not sure if it’s my computer, my choice of web browser or the QVC site but there are some times when I switch from section to section that I end up back at the same page only the header of the page [where the section tabs are located] duplicate – this has happened about five times and I didn’t catch it until there were four headings and all I could see was about two inches of the bottom of the actual QVC site. Refreshing the page did clear off the extra headers but it didn’t take me to the individual sections that I wanted to visit. Today was the topper, I was trying to order some NFL jerseys for presents and no matter how many times I tried to get to the section, the only thing that happened was the header duplication. I am hoping that this is a site glitch that will be cleared up quickly because I hate having to wait until the last minute to order these types of gifts.
Customer Service
[800] 345-1212 - Ordering
[800] 367-9444 - Customer Service
[888] 345-5788 - QVC.com
QVC Customer Service
1200 Wilson Drive at Studio Park
West Chester, PA 19380
The LiveHelp module is available to help you 24 hours a day. You can access this from the customer service tab at the top right of every page. You will need to fill in some basic information to get started and all the operators that I’ve spoken with in this module have been extremely helpful.
Gift Certificates
Oh my, this is a shopping junkies dream – opening your email and seeing a gift certificate from QVC. Having the ability to buy what you want, not necessarily what you need, but what you want – it’s a great way to treat someone for a job well done, say thanks or grant some birthday wishes. You can have the gift certificate delivered by email or sent directly to you so you can hand them out when the time is right. I have done both and can say that I’ve never had a single person complain about getting one or saying that setting up an account or redeeming one of them was a tough task. You can pick the amount you want – from $20.00 to $500.00 – so there is a level for everyone’s budget or gift giving need. This is an easy way to give someone a gift certificate to a site that offers them plenty of choices, if they can’t find something of interest at this site then god help them!
Return Policy
If you make a purchase from QVC and aren’t satisfied with it you have thirty days to make a return. When you receive your order you may want to hang on to all the paper work that comes with it in case you need to make a return. You’ll get a return sticker on the back of your invoice, a return form, warranty information etc. If you can’t find any of the information you can call the toll free customer service number to get specific information on making a return. If you’ve lost your return form, you can print one here: www.qvc.com/cshtml/csgenreturnform.html There are three different addresses that items should be sent to, this is done to ensure that each facility can work with specific types of items and so that refunds and exchanges are handled in a timely fashion. Since this type of information isn’t easy to find at the site, here is the list that I received with my most recent delivery slip:
General Returns
QVC - Returns Department
100 QVC Boulevard
Rocky Mount, NC 27801
Apparel, accessories and cosmetics
QVC - Returns Department
1000 Stony Battery Road
Lancaster, PA 17699
Jewelry
QVC - Jewelry Returns
1365 Enterprise Drive
Eagleville, PA 19415
Shipping Fees
One of the nicest things about the site is that the shipping prices are listed with the items so you can see them up front before you order them. They do offer you a discount if you order more than one of an item , full shipping fee for the first item and 50% off all additional items providing that they are all on the same order as well as shipped to the same address. I’m not sure if this is a limited time offer so make sure that you check the site when you are ordering to see if your purchase qualifies for this special deal. This is a great way to save a little extra money when shopping for the holidays but I’d really like to see them offer free shipping if you order a certain dollar amount – especially around the holiday season, this would being in a lot more people to the site and make things less complicated for those who aren’t internet savvy. There are some specials on shipping but you’ll have to cruise around the site to find them, they should really list these all in one section to make them easier to find.
Overall the shipping fees aren’t bad, they aren’t great but they aren’t that bad. I’d like to see them offer different shipping levels on the product pages instead of having to go through the check out process to see other options. In some ways I wish all sites would list their shipping fees this way, it lets you know up front if you are going to be saving money on the purchase – but to make this truly effective they’ll have to list different shipping options, something that most large companies like QVC aren’t willing to do since it would be a shipping nightmare for the warehouses.
Payment Options
You can pay for your order using your MasterCard, Visa [including debit cards], American Express, Discover Card, Q Card, Carte Blanche and Diners Club. I’ve used my MasterCard and Visa at the site and have never had a problem with being billed an amount other than what was quoted at the time of check out, approval, processing or double billing. If you elect to pay by check or money order you will need to do so within fifteen days or your order will be cancelled. You will need to mail your payment to a specific address so that it can be processed in a timely fashion. That address is:
QVC, Inc.
PO Box 1900
West Chester, PA 19380
Coupons & Codes
If you are someone that spends any amount of time on the internet you can check different sites for coupon codes for a percentage off your purchase or free shipping. Additionally, sites like MyPoints offer you rewards for shopping through their online portal; these rewards, issued in the form of points that are redeemable for gift certificates and at other online sites, are credited to your account within a month or two of your purchase. From time to time sites like this will offer “free shipping” incentives if you shop through their site and use a specific code. It’s really important to read all the details of offers like this and to make sure the site you are shopping through is on the up and up. The golden rule is that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Be leery of sites that insist you have to use a public code [something that is listed at the QVC site or sent out to QVC account holders via email] though their site. All they are trying to do is piggy back on your order and make money off of your for information that is available everywhere else.
How does this differ from what My Points offers? Good question. MyPoints offers you points based on the dollar amount you spend or in some cases each order you place. They get a percentage of what you order and trickle that down to you. What these small scam sites are doing is getting a percentage of your order by offering you a code [that may or may not work] that is public knowledge or something that QVC offers to everyone – but they are making you think that you are getting something special or something that requires you to shop through their site. Currently MyPoints offers you 2 points for each dollar you spend at the site but this could increase at the beginning of December to get more people to shop through the site; FreeRide members might also benefit from this type of offer with the current reward being 25 tokens per dollar spent – again, the reward amount could increase to encourage more people to shop through their portal. Using these types of reward sites is a great way to get the most from your purchases but you have to be aware of the rules and limitations before you place an order so look before you leap and read before you order!.
Memolink – 2 points per dollar
FreeRide – 25 tokens per dollar
My Points – 2 points per dollar
Sales Tax
Two things in life are certain, death and taxes. Yes, you will be charged tax when you make a purchase though the site, at least I am – even when the items are shipped from a warehouse in Pennsylvania, I’m still charged with sales tax. I started looking around the site to find their policy on sales tax and found that they charge it on every order, regardless of where it is shipped [within the United States that is] and so far the only exception that I’ve come across at the site are the gift certificates however, when you or someone else uses the gift certificate, the appropriate amount of State sales tax will be tacked on to the order.
The Bottom Line
I normally don’t go into this much detail about an online site but QVC is one of the largest online sites that requires a little more information so potential customers can have the best experience at the site. QVC ranks up there with Amazon, Target and eBay when you are talking about the overall size and amount of traffic that the site gets. Even so, customer service is great and the fact that they have 24 hour live internet support is a real perk for me – especially when some “other” sites take days to get back to you and most of the time it’s a canned response or something that does nothing but frustrate you. If you’ve shopped through the television show or via phone then you will know the type of service that QVC gives you; don’t hesitate to try out the website for your shopping needs but remember, just because a site is huge or carries a ton of different items doesn’t mean they are going to have the best prices. Shop around, compare deals and don’t forget to use the online codes to save on shipping!
As always, thanks for the visit …
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Other mega online giants …
K Mart Online Store
Target Online Store
Buy.com
eBay Online Auctions
Walmart Online Store
Amazon.com
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Clothing, gifts, toys, gift certificates.
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