Victoria's Secret is that she now accepts five coupon codes per order. Great site!
Written: Sep 14 '06
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I have been shopping at Victoria's Secret (www.victoriassecret.com) for years. I get about 100 catalogs a week from them but I prefer to do my shopping online because of two little words: coupon codes. Recently they started allowing five different promotional coupon codes per order. For that reason, I will never go back to the walk in store or catalog ordering again.
What the Site Sells
Lingerie is really a small part of the inventory on www.victoriasscret.com. They sell clothing, outerwear, shoes and boots, swimwear, accessories, and name brand bath and beauty products as well as their famous bras, panties, camis, and thongs.
Navigation
The site opens with the cover of their current catalog and specials. Across the top are links to certain categories: Bras, Panties, Sleepwear, Clothing, Shoes, Beauty, and Sales and Specials. You can also click anywhere on the home page on an item and be taken to that category.
Within the main categories are several subcategories, divided into types of items. For instance, the clothing area is split into several types of clothing (Sweaters, Tops and Tees, Pants, Jeans, etc.) and then those categories are even further categorized to make finding what you are looking for as easy as possible.
You can also search by keyword or by catalog number. I often input catalog numbers after flipping through one and sometimes, the prices are lower on the site than in the catalog. Bonus!
Beauty offers many names brands of skin care and cosmetics as well as bath and body products. You can buy clothes, lingerie, accessories, and skin care all on one site.
The sales and specials area is broken up into category and further into size. Input your size and you will get several pages of results all in the size you are looking for. This makes it easy to buy items on sale because, if you don't see it, it isn't available in your size. I hate to pick an item out and find it is sold out in all sizes but 0 and 56!
Large, good photos accompany every item, often with several views. Descriptions are good as well.
When you find items you want, simply pick your size and color if needed and add them to your cart. You can access your cart at any time by clicking on it.
When you are done shopping, the real fun begins. Just about all the time, there is at least one promotion advertised on the website. This could be free shipping, money off certain sized orders, or gifts with purchases. Those codes are readily accessible right on the front page of the site. But there are five slots. Why? Because there are always many other specials running that are exclusive to cardholders, in their catalogs, or that come from other sources.
I always have a long list of codes that I have gleaned from several of the billion catalogs that land in my mailbox as well as other codes that I am sent by Victoria's Secret as I am an "Angel" - in other words, I use their credit card to buy my purchases. I also look all over the web for codes and usually can find many I knew nothing about but are valid.
Enter the codes in the slots and hope one doesn't overlap with another. If this happens, you can keep trying different codes until they all work or settle on the best codes that work together to save you the most money.
If you are a registered member, input your email address and password to continue otherwise you will need to fill out your personal details.
You will see all your discounts and your total before you pay. Shipping can get a little nasty but usually there are codes that offset shipping costs or eliminate them altogether.
If all looks OK, enter your major credit card or your Victoria's Secret Angel card and you will receive an immediate email giving you a break down of all that you ordered and your order number.
When the order ships, you will get another email.
Your order will arrive, sometimes quickly, usually somewhat slowly, in either a grey polybag or a box depending on what you ordered.
My Experience
I love Victoria's Secret. I know they are expensive but I'm not crazy enough to pay full price for many things. I usually wait for the big sales or go straight to the sales and specials area.
Because I am an Angel, I get rewards every time I use my card and am sent gift cards when I reach a certain amount spent. I often use them in conjunction with whatever the current promotion is (Usually it is money off an order in a three tier offering. The more you spend, the more money off your order.).
I have found great prices on clothing, lingerie, shoes and boots, and beauty products. The brand names they carry now go well beyond their own products and are some of the biggest names out there. I like that I can buy Tarte cosmetics, Joey New York skin care, Jaqua bath and body products, and my favorite Body by Victoria lingerie all in one place.
I do my homework before shipping at Vic's because I want the best bang for my buck so I always have a handful of coupon codes ready. Every month there is a special birthday code (Doesn't matter if your birthday is in that month or not) that takes $10.00 off your order and a special free panty or other item with any purchase. There are so many freebies that I sometimes make two orders to get them all in.
Communication is good but shipping is somewhat slow. I find myself waiting for a week to 10 days for orders when I want them yesterday.
Every order comes with a prepaid UPS label. If you choose to return anything, you can use that label. They will deduct $4.95 from your credit but it's cheaper and easier than sending things back on your own, which you can do if you want.
Returns get hairy when using coupon codes because, if you dip below the minimum requirements, they will adjust the prices higher and you will lose the savings you worked so hard to get. Always exchange with your order or call customer service and let them know you are returning an item or items and give them your exchange items by phone. They will notate that you should not be penalized when your return arrives to their warehouse.
Customer Service is excellent. I have had long heart to hearts with the people on the other end of the phone - even men - about bra sizing, how low the rise is on a pair of jeans, and whether I should order a size up in certain clothing. They are helpful and patient and extremely accommodating.
You can return anything virtually at any time. I just returned some stuff I had laying around for months. I hadn't used or worn any of it. I just never got around to sending it back. I got a full refund and worked with customer service so I didn't lose my incentives and money off my orders by making a phone order in exchange for the stuff I sent back.
Aside from what I consider to be slightly high shipping costs at times, I love Vic's and will shop there as long as those promotions and coupon codes make the stuff I am buying reasonably priced.
Returns and Shipping Policies
You can return anything. It's crazy how liberal their policy is. But in a good way. You have 90 days to return items for full credit. After 90 days, you can still send items back but will receive gift certificates to use on the site or in the stores. No return authorization is needed and the shipping label makes returns easy.
One thing I have noticed is that the warehouse often overlooks that I want an exchange and just credits me back my money on returned items. That is OK but then I sometimes end up penalized for using a coupon code and falling under the minimum requirements. I have to call and let them know I wanted an exchange and give them the info. They do not charge shipping to send me exchanges whether they catch them when I return items or I have to do it over the phone.
Shipping costs range from $4.95 to $19.95 and then it is 5.5% of your total order over $400.00. You have the option of choosing several expedited shipping methods for an elevated fee. Victoria's Secret ships worldwide and they have a shipping chart on the site for US customers as well as those in other countries.
Contact Info
You can email customer service at: Service@VictoriasSecret.com.
Online customer service can be reached at 1.800.970.1109
General inquiries can be made at 1.800.411.5116
Mailing address:
VICTORIA'S SECRET North American Office
P.O. Box 16589
Columbus, Ohio 43216-6589
U.S.A.
Conclusion
I am a dedicated Vic's Secret Shopper. At first glance, their prices seem high but once you use promotional codes and snap up the specials as well as go crazy during their semi-annual sales, you will find that the prices aren't really that inflated at all.
The quality is excellent and customer service is competent, friendly, and very accommodating.
The only minor gripe I have is that shipping can get expensive. Usually I can offset that with money off and free gifts but still, their rates run higher than other similar online stores.
The other little gripe I have is that they are somewhat slow to deliver at times. Sometimes, I get my orders very quickly but usually I am waiting a good week to 10 days for them. That seems like a long time to me especially since I am paying for good shipping service.
Other than those two things, which are quite minor, this site just rocks. I love what they sell, I love their specials, sales, and promotions, and I love that I can use coupon codes from catalogs, my Angels Reward card, the site, and ones I just happened to find all together.
I have received many free gifts, have had a lot of money taken off my orders and I don't think I ever paid full price for a bra or a pair of jeans. I wait for a special and get them then.
I would go with 5 stars but the couple minor things I mentioned force me to go with 4.
Still, if you're a savvy shopper, you can pick up some great deals on quality merchandise at Victoria's Secret Online. It's challenge to me to see what codes I can combine and what freebies I can score. And it's all OK with Vic's. They encourage the use of promotional codes and always offer at least one or two right on their site. The rest, you'll have to hunt a bit for.
If you want the best deals, get an Angels Reward Credit Card. I use mine then pay it right off. This gives me all the benefits of being an Angel without all the interest of being a store credit card holder.
Go forth and shop then get ready to play musical coupon codes!
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Everything. I can''t stop buying!
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About the Author
Member: Patty Therre
Location: Upstate NY
Reviews written: 1950
Trusted by: 415 members
About Me: Get cash back at loads of online stores and $5 to sign up at Extrabux!
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