30/60 day MBG

[merryone]

I often read the comments on Q's fb page and have noticed pretty much without fail, when somebody's slagging off the ridiculous p&p costs and policies, somebody else will pipe up with "where else can you get to try, and actually use something for 30 or 60 days and get a full refund?
My opinion on this is mixed. It's a good thing in many ways. For example I could order a pair of shoes or boots, get them home try them on, love them, they feel great so wear them for a day out and find me feet are in absolute agony, or I buy a fragrance because they've made it sound divine, give it a quick spritz, and in less than half an hour's time it's completely worn off, or worse still has settled into a smell so putrid, you've checked the cat litter tray! Similarly I've bitten the bullet and bought some expensive skin cream to find after a few days that my skin feels the worse for using it. These example, yes, I think it's pretty good, and yes it might cost you £15 to send a £95 pair of boots back but in this case I think I'd rather be able to get £80 back than end up having them just sat there doing nothing, or to donate, or try to re-sell.
However, how many times have we ordered clothing online, tried it on quickly to find it doesn't fit, it doesn't hang right, the quality's not what you expected, or it simply looks awful on you? Footwear, that you can't even get your feet into, despite ordering the correct size, footwear that feels uncomfortable from the get go? and finally the times when you've simply changed your mind about something and haven't even opened the packaging. Most other retailers allow at least 14 days to return goods in unused/pristine condition free of charge and will provide a pre-paid returns label. I think Q should consider doing this as well.
The 60 day mbg is all very well, but I believe that it comes at a cost to every customer, in that they're having to pay premium prices for goods, pay often non sensical/overinflated postage costs on individual items and are offered TSVs with as little as a fiver shaved off the price. I think I'd rather forgo the 60mbg and have fairer and more affordable prices all round.
I do try and avoid buying expensive goods online, though I know it's unavoidable sometimes. I'd rather go to a store when I can see the goods up close, see an instore demo, pick up a sample before I buy, rather than pay the price and take my chances, even if the 60 day mbg only leaves me fractionally out of pocket. Finally, I don't like the idea that Q could be sending you customer returns that have been used!
What do you think folks?

 

[Turandot]

I don’t hang on to things . I return them straight away if I’m not happy. I never wear things out or even remove the labels. I’ve never returned any used beauty items.
I recently returned a jacket that had been worn , possibly washed and it’s the first time I’ve received anything like this. You can get postage if you return within 14 days.
I don’t buy a huge amount these days and I think the longer you hang on to something the less likely to send it back. In the past I’ve sent things to charity shop with the labels still on.

 

[merryone]

I don’t hang on to things . I return them straight away if I’m not happy. I never wear things out or even remove the labels. I’ve never returned any used beauty items.
I recently returned a jacket that had been worn , possibly washed and it’s the first time I’ve received anything like this. You can get postage if you return within 14 days.
I don’t buy a huge amount these days and I think the longer you hang on to something the less likely to send it back. In the past I’ve sent things to charity shop with the labels still on.

Oh ok didn't realise that...just had a look at their refund policy and the 14 days is a statutory right anyway, so fair enough. Even so, the 60 day mbg isn't a selling point for me as I would only ever consider sending something back after use if it caused me pain or I was allergic to it. If it was a cheap item then I'd probably be happy to chalk it up to experience, but we're talking Q here, so it's never gonna be cheap! If it was faulty or damaged you'd not have to pay for returns anyway. I really don't like the idea of wearing an item of clothing for a couple of months, or using a fragrance and sending it back either to be scrapped or sent out to another unsuspecting customer...It doesn't sit right with me. Would rather see good old fashioned quality and value for money.

 

[Grizelda]

I often read the comments on Q's fb page and have noticed pretty much without fail, when somebody's slagging off the ridiculous p&p costs and policies, somebody else will pipe up with "where else can you get to try, and actually use something for 30 or 60 days and get a full refund?
My opinion on this is mixed. It's a good thing in many ways. For example I could order a pair of shoes or boots, get them home try them on, love them, they feel great so wear them for a day out and find me feet are in absolute agony, or I buy a fragrance because they've made it sound divine, give it a quick spritz, and in less than half an hour's time it's completely worn off, or worse still has settled into a smell so putrid, you've checked the cat litter tray! Similarly I've bitten the bullet and bought some expensive skin cream to find after a few days that my skin feels the worse for using it. These example, yes, I think it's pretty good, and yes it might cost you £15 to send a £95 pair of boots back but in this case I think I'd rather be able to get £80 back than end up having them just sat there doing nothing, or to donate, or try to re-sell.
However, how many times have we ordered clothing online, tried it on quickly to find it doesn't fit, it doesn't hang right, the quality's not what you expected, or it simply looks awful on you? Footwear, that you can't even get your feet into, despite ordering the correct size, footwear that feels uncomfortable from the get go? and finally the times when you've simply changed your mind about something and haven't even opened the packaging. Most other retailers allow at least 14 days to return goods in unused/pristine condition free of charge and will provide a pre-paid returns label. I think Q should consider doing this as well.
The 60 day mbg is all very well, but I believe that it comes at a cost to every customer, in that they're having to pay premium prices for goods, pay often non sensical/overinflated postage costs on individual items and are offered TSVs with as little as a fiver shaved off the price. I think I'd rather forgo the 60mbg and have fairer and more affordable prices all round.
I do try and avoid buying expensive goods online, though I know it's unavoidable sometimes. I'd rather go to a store when I can see the goods up close, see an instore demo, pick up a sample before I buy, rather than pay the price and take my chances, even if the 60 day mbg only leaves me fractionally out of pocket. Finally, I don't like the idea that Q could be sending you customer returns that have been used!
What do you think folks?

This might be a naïve question, but what's to stop people buying a whole outfit of, say, Christmas/New Year clothes, including shoes, handbag and makeup/skin product, using, wearing and washing them several times over and then sending them back at the end of January ? The cost of return postage would be weighed against the pleasure of impressing others with a new Christmas wardrobe and, indeed, the fun of wearing it. It's dishonorable, but do some people do it ? Would QVC blacklist these people ? (I'm not considering it myself, because buying clothes/shoes from QVC is too risky re size and I'm one of those people who never send things back ... too much hassle and I put the loss down to my own weakness at being talked into buying.)

 

[Twilight]

This might be a naïve question, but what's to stop people buying a whole outfit of, say, Christmas/New Year clothes, including shoes, handbag and makeup/skin product, using, wearing and washing them several times over and then sending them back at the end of January ? The cost of return postage would be weighed against the pleasure of impressing others with a new Christmas wardrobe and, indeed, the fun of wearing it. It's dishonorable, but do some people do it ? Would QVC blacklist these people ? (I'm not considering it myself, because buying clothes/shoes from QVC is too risky re size and I'm one of those people who never send things back ... too much hassle and I put the loss down to my own weakness at being talked into buying.)

Absolutely nothing & it must be done all the time. Years ago my husband had a customer with a clothing company, they made lovely dresses & skirts in natural fabrics & I'd worn them for years before he took over the account. They had one customer who always returned every garment, not illegal so they just put up with it, then one item got returned with sand in the pockets, they contacted her & being nice people said how disappointed they were, she slunk away.

 

[Akimbo]

They blacklist people who return over 50% of what they order...well they call it "working with the customer to address the level of returns" However they don't say how this is measured 50% of items counted or 50% of value, nor how they measure the time period.

I always believed the rationale behind Ideal World offering a 90 day MBG when the channel launched: folk would forget to return things because they had so long to do it. I see they reduced it to 14 days after a few years.

 

[fwend]

I send back straight away, I’ve never sent back make up, I would not have that option in a shop, so I don’t feel I should take a liberty, I chalk it up to bad luck, also I’d feel terrible if someone got my return! I bought some Korres, it’s beautiful stuff, it’s that night cream, they had, well I was okay for the first few wears, but I do have allergic conjunctivitis so it became a no no pretty quickly, could of sent it back, but have given to a friend and she’s more than pleased. I always claim the p&p back, I learn’t that from here, thanks folks !

 

[donna255]

There are people who have bought clothes from shops worn them to attend a wedding or special event and then returned to the shop saying it was unsuitable. I know someone who did use to do it tucking the labels out of sight. She did get her comeuppance with a very expensive dress for her daughter's wedding. I was with her when she returned the dress and the store manager said it had been worn and you could clearly smell smoke and perfume on it. She was outraged as she could not smell anything on the dress(I could clearly smell smoke. She is a smoker) and told me she would have nowhere to wear the dress again.

 

[merryone]

I send back straight away, I’ve never sent back make up, I would not have that option in a shop, so I don’t feel I should take a liberty, I chalk it up to bad luck, also I’d feel terrible if someone got my return! I bought some Korres, it’s beautiful stuff, it’s that night cream, they had, well I was okay for the first few wears, but I do have allergic conjunctivitis so it became a no no pretty quickly, could of sent it back, but have given to a friend and she’s more than pleased. I always claim the p&p back, I learn’t that from here, thanks folks !

I agree with you there. I would rather send back something immediately rather than um and ahh about it, I'd rather have my money back sooner, rather than later. Make up, yeah I've made a fair few make up mistakes, thankfully none too costly - mascaras that have made my eyes stream, eyeshadows that have flaked all down my face, colours I've liked the look of in the palette but have looked terrible on but wouldn't dream of trying to get my money back. I'm happy enough to experiment, find what I like and stick with it. Stuff I don't like as long as hygiene allows I'm happy to pass it on, whether it be to a mate or to a charity shop.
Yes, I guess you could buy a load of high end stuff to wear over xmas/new year...Lulu guiness bag, a posh fragrance and a new pair of shoes with the intention of sending them all back..but I'd be afraid that if they got damaged in any way I'd have to bear the brunt of the cost, plus I couldn't be bothered, and as I said before..it just wouldn't feel right! I remember a young lass hiring a dress to wear to the work xmas party one year, and she looked stunning, she got some lovely photographs of herself wearing it to keep forever, got a ton of compliments..but on the downside she was nervous that she'd lose her deposit so she had to be very careful indeed. Too much stress for me I'm afraid. So QVC stick to your word...give us quality and value and work a bit harder on what you consider convenient..'cause I don't think paying over the odds to compensate for perks such as a 60 mbg is worth it.

 

[Deleted member 21102]

It's a risk the seller takes, but the downside for buyers is of course that they may just be buying something that someone else has worn or used which was advertised as new, not as it should have been, as second hand, and priced as such.

 

[Twirl58]

There are people who have bought clothes from shops worn them to attend a wedding or special event and then returned to the shop saying it was unsuitable. I know someone who did use to do it tucking the labels out of sight. She did get her comeuppance with a very expensive dress for her daughter's wedding. I was with her when she returned the dress and the store manager said it had been worn and you could clearly smell smoke and perfume on it. She was outraged as she could not smell anything on the dress(I could clearly smell smoke. She is a smoker) and told me she would have nowhere to wear the dress again.

We had a customer that bought an evening jacket just before Christmas. As was the custom we reduced evening wear about a fortnight before Christmas, she returned the jacket for a full refund. The following day she came back and bought it again at the reduced price. Bad enough eh? But she did it every time there were further reductions. After the 4th instance my manager placed it in the store room. When a different customer asked if we had this jacket in stock she produced it with the claim that it had a slight mark on it and it was non returnable. Were we glad to see the back of that darned jacket!!

 

[Lemonpop]

This might be a naïve question, but what's to stop people buying a whole outfit of, say, Christmas/New Year clothes, including shoes, handbag and makeup/skin product, using, wearing and washing them several times over and then sending them back at the end of January ? The cost of return postage would be weighed against the pleasure of impressing others with a new Christmas wardrobe and, indeed, the fun of wearing it. It's dishonorable, but do some people do it ? Would QVC blacklist these people ? (I'm not considering it myself, because buying clothes/shoes from QVC is too risky re size and I'm one of those people who never send things back ... too much hassle and I put the loss down to my own weakness at being talked into buying.)

I used to work for a mail order catalogue in the 90's,come the end of August the amount of clothes sent back by people who had bought them just to go on holiday was mind boggling. The girls who worked on Orderline said it happened every summer and early into the New Year.

 

[Deleted member 21102]

I've worked on the shop floor and what people will try to exchange is amazing - garments with sweaty armpits, smelly, stained underwear - you name it, I've seen it all. Yurgh. Then try telling them it's not acceptable and wait for their reactions. Shop assistants are so undervalued but definitely among the heroes of this pandemic.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I agree that if you don’t send it back immediately you probably end up keeping it and in turn give it to the charity shop.

Does the temporary 60 day be applied automatically or is it like the extended Christmas for gifts where you have to tell them it is for “a gift”

 

[Akimbo]

It's automatic, you don't have to explain that it had been a present.

 

[Silver Fox]

I have ordered from QVC if I wanted to try something like the Dyson hairdryer I was curious about, but then decided it was not worth me spending that amount on.I am very careful with the packaging and return as it had been received.I have returned jewellery, makeup and skincare, but tried only a couple of times.Occasionally footwear that I have tried on at home.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

It's automatic, you don't have to explain that it had been a present.

In previous years I recall them saying you had to specifically indicate it was a gift and the invoices still had 30 days as latest return date. Julian, just before he was given the push, said “even if it’s for yourself just say it’s a gift”