Online Last Minute Shopping Not So Hot
For those who grabbed the free shipping, plus 50% discount deals on the Internet during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday window of opportunity, you’ll probably notice that things are definitely winding down. Online shoppers are now receiving less perks & discounts, and definitely no promise of arrival by Christmas Day. An examination of the inventory you may search for will most likely show some of the popular items unavailable or sold out. For down-to-the-wire shoppers, your best bet is to head for the physical “box” store where “what you see is what you get”.
ONLINE SHOPPING
PROS – Get items you can’t find elsewhere (big & tall clothing, online specials only, etc.,) get items shipped directly to recipient, avoid spending gas money to drive around and shop, avoid parking hassles, avoid waiting in line to pay for item, and avoid all those wheezing, hacking coughers and sneezers spreading cold germs everywhere they go.
CONS – Wrong orders shipped, item is broken or defective, and color or size isn’t accurately portrayed in the online promotional materials. In addition return shipping issues include: you must pay for shipping when something’s wrong, item gets lost during the shipping process and doesn’t arrive in time, and you sometimes must take the merchandise to a physical place to ship it. Also, your credit card may not be credited appropriately and communication with company can be difficult.
“After receiving the wrong item and having King Size Direct tell me it was my fault, then force me to pay to ship it back as a return, I called and complained,” said customer Shelly B., who placed an order from California. According to the dissatisfied Christmas shopper, the customer service rep said it was Shelly’s fault because she placed the order herself rather than speak to a customer service rep. The discount was only valid for online orders, but when she had to pay for shipping to return the wrong merchandise, she lost money rather than save. “I won’t be ordering online from this company again,” she said.
LESSONS
Pay attention to the shipping costs & return policies.
Double check your invoice fees.
Test the phone number provided on the website to see if it actually works before you place an online order. You may need to call someone and it’s good to know that you can actually get a hold of them.
Double check your confirmation message in your email inbox. Make sure items listed are exactly what you ordered. If there are any discrepancies (which there often are), call right away before items are shipped to correct the order.
