QVC in decline?

[Pick-a-Lily]

I haven't actually watched QVC in years, so a lot of these new presenters are just names to me. I come on this forum to find out what's on offer. If there's something I'm interested in, I might look at it on the QVC website, and occasionally even watch the accompanying video. Then, I look around the net to see what the reviews are like, and IF I'm still interested, (and by this stage, I've often been put off already) to check whether I can get one cheaper elsewhere.
I'm sure most shoppers are similarly savvy these days, cash is tight and we are more discerning about what we buy.
Since I retired I've been slowly decluttering and paring down, shipping out bags full of stuff to charity shops and friends. My 'new' lifestyle (which I am thoroughly enjoying, btw) requires little more than underwear, jeans and casual tops, warm layers for winter, comfy footwear and a dab of moisturiser, so I'm afraid QVC will not be benifitting greatly from my continued interest. Particualrly as I sew a lot of my own clothes these days.

 

[boffy]

I'm an Elemis devotee but NOT from Q. I get it from timetospa.co.uk who don't charge p & p. Anything that's not on the website I buy from Harvey Nicks. I used to dread shopping there as some of the staff can be so snotty. However, the elemis staff have got to know me and the last time I made a purchase I walked away with nearly double the amount I'd spent in freebies! I was offered 4 freebies so I opted for 4 x 7 days supply of Bliss Capsules. I was well pleased.

harvey nicks and liberty both shops who think they are better than the customers. harrods staff are more proffessional

 

[Moth]

I think QVC's P&P is a scam. It's far too expensive for the third-class service you get and it really annoys me when they go on about saving half when you order multiple items. They don't really make it all that obvious that you have to order identical product. Why they can't offer the discount for the same item number is beyond me. Is it really necessary to charge twice just because the customer wants two different colours? They are probably sat next to each other on the shelf after all.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

I'm an Elemis devotee but NOT from Q. I get it from timetospa.co.uk who don't charge p & p. Anything that's not on the website I buy from Harvey Nicks. I used to dread shopping there as some of the staff can be so snotty. However, the elemis staff have got to know me and the last time I made a purchase I walked away with nearly double the amount I'd spent in freebies! I was offered 4 freebies so I opted for 4 x 7 days supply of Bliss Capsules. I was well pleased.

Just had a peek at timetospa. 3 for 2 on Elemis and some good freebies depending on how much you spend.

 

[amelia]

Hmm, interesting. As far as Kim is concerned, I can't see that qvc are squeezing her and causing a decline in quality. Sleeveless tops nudging £50 seems a more than healthy price that should deliver very good quality. If the quality is down could there be another reason? Maybe she has had some bad deliveries that slipped under the radar or maybe the higher price/lower quality is to cover all the unsold goods, in which case she'll soon go into a spiral of decline. The whole Kim thing is odd - a Canadian company who's only customer seems to be qvc. I wonder if they are one and the same and how it all came about. Maybe taxes are lower in Canada.

Having bought a lot of her clothes over the last 5 years or so I have noticed a difference in quality over the last few months. I've got some lovely "weighty" garments that wash and wash beautifully. They never crease and are great for hols. Lately all my orders have been returned as fabrics have been poor, sizing is hit and miss and styling has got a bit boring. I purchased a TSV a while back - bat wing tunic - and it "pilled" even before washing, totally unlike her usual stuff. Other items are so thin you can see through them. I do think she must be feeling the pinch. Sad really.
The only reason I buy from QVC is because I can't go shopping by myself. I now make use of M & S, East, John Lewis etc online. Often you get free P&P AND free returns and reasonable prices. At least I'm no longer forking out for postage on the items I have returned using DSR. I return them cheapest postage so doesn't cost too much. I probably would have spent that cost on parking & petrol if I could go clothes shopping anyway.
"Every dog has his day"

 

[Vienna]

Last Friday night I ordered some trousers in the Planet sale. They arrived this morning ( Tuesday ) and they`d sent me the wrong size. I rang their CS who were full of apologies, I arranged collection online and could have had them collected as early as tomorrow but chose Thursday and printed off a pre paid label. No faffing about, no cost to myself, no traipsing to the post office, no hassle from CS and CS said as soon as it showed on their system that the parcel had been collected they would refund my money to my card which makes me think there must be some form of electronic system between some retailers and their couriers. Q have a lot to learn and a lot to compete with and yet they honestly don`t seem to want to join the 21st Century. Bigger fools them.

 

[shopperholic]

Last Friday night I ordered some trousers in the Planet sale. They arrived this morning ( Tuesday ) and they`d sent me the wrong size. I rang their CS who were full of apologies, I arranged collection online and could have had them collected as early as tomorrow but chose Thursday and printed off a pre paid label. No faffing about, no cost to myself, no traipsing to the post office, no hassle from CS and CS said as soon as it showed on their system that the parcel had been collected they would refund my money to my card which makes me think there must be some form of electronic system between some retailers and their couriers. Q have a lot to learn and a lot to compete with and yet they honestly don`t seem to want to join the 21st Century. Bigger fools them.

Isn't it a relief to deal with a proper Customer Service, not an out dated one like QVC. They sent me a Centigrade coat instead of the Babyliss auto curler I ordered, a courier picked it up on the 5th of June and I'm still waiting for my refund, it's ridiculous. It now reminds my why I order very little from QVC now, so out dated.

 

[Brissles]

I decided to buy Tova's cufflinks for my bro's 60th birthday. Admittedly they ARE beautiful, BUT BUT BUT Q sent them in a diamonique box for a necklace/earrings !!!! so no way will a pair of cufflinks be displayed (they shoved them in a plastic envelope inside the box) - Got in touch with CS so am now waiting to see if I am sent a 'proper' cufflink box. If not, then they've lost a £100 sale and will be returned. Jeez if they can't get a 'considered' purchase right, what hope is there for them now ?

 

[thatu]

I've just had a massive wardrobe clearout of summer and winter clothes. The ones that went out first were those I hardly wore, and without exception they were QVC purchases. The ones that were impulse buys from the high street have stood the test of time and are there for the duration. Unless they up the stakes, buying clothes from QVC is a total waste of money - I never wore some of the stuff and didn't feel comfortable in the things I did wear. A salutary lesson for the future. One or two Kim & Co tops and 3 Susan Graver tops that I bought when she first came on to the screen here and sold at a reasonable price are the keepers, the rest will find their way to the charity shop.

 

[Julius]

I remember before QVC existed, people used to do home shopping from catalogues. My mother had one called "Grattan" and used to get loads of things from there. Whenever the Grattan catalogue came out it was always great to see what they had in there.

 

[May]

I remember before QVC existed, people used to do home shopping from catalogues. My mother had one called "Grattan" and used to get loads of things from there. Whenever the Grattan catalogue came out it was always great to see what they had in there.

My dear Mum had Janet Fraser for years and years ...would get our holiday clothes and Christmas presents from them and ver missed a payment .....she recieved a red letter once and was so angry ...she rang them up and told,the customer services person that she wanted to talk ( who wasn't helping at all and being very aggressive ) to the Head ...not the bottom ....lol took a lot for my Mum to get shirty ...lol but I always remember her distress about being accused of dodging a payment bless her ...I have been tempted to say that to rude people myself ....other than that my Mum Was the best and she was called Mum until,the day she died by my brothers ex.....

 

[Autumn]

The problem is Q has become complacent and i think this is mainly due to them not having a close Shopping TV rival. Its a pity IW didnt get there acts together and offer more products and better Customer Service.

There must be ablot of people out there that cant get out and about and perhaps dont have access to the internet so Q is there main resource for shopping. There the people who IMO keep Q going yet the pushy presenters neglect that fact and spend more time plugging Fb groups and twitter.

 

[maymorganlondon]

The problem is Q has become complacent and i think this is mainly due to them not having a close Shopping TV rival. Its a pity IW didnt get there acts together and offer more products and better Customer Service.

There must be ablot of people out there that cant get out and about and perhaps dont have access to the internet so Q is there main resource for shopping. There the people who IMO keep Q going yet the pushy presenters neglect that fact and spend more time plugging Fb groups and twitter.

So very true, sadly! On all counts, I think you've called it right.

 

[maymorganlondon]

I remember before QVC existed, people used to do home shopping from catalogues. My mother had one called "Grattan" and used to get loads of things from there. Whenever the Grattan catalogue came out it was always great to see what they had in there.

Grattan is still going!

Yes, before there was shopping telly there were catalogues. Littlewoods and Grattan were the biggest, I think. I remember the shockwaves that went through the industry when Next brought out their catalogue - seen as a real cut above and far more fashionable.

 

[Julius]

Grattan is still going!

Yes, before there was shopping telly there were catalogues. Littlewoods and Grattan were the biggest, I think. I remember the shockwaves that went through the industry when Next brought out their catalogue - seen as a real cut above and far more fashionable.

I'm glad to know they are still around! We got all sorts of things from there - sofa, fridge-freezer, microwave, clothes, everything. My mother was always diligent about the payments and established a good credit rating. Sometimes she'd take orders for other people and earned commission. I know it's a bit sad but I kind of get a similar feeling when the new Argos catalogue comes out. It's funny because we had cable TV from when I was a kid (my mother connected it illegally!) and we used to watch QVC and laugh at it. I remember when Steve Whatley would bring his dogs onto the show. My mother always said he was as happy as a clown, and that the bright exterior was a front. Seems she was right. I'd like to see one of those catalogues now just to see what they have in there. I bet it's all tablets and mobile phones. I always remember my mother getting upset with Grattan because the operators on the order line would do this thing where they would take the product code and then say: "And your next order... and your next order." One time my mother said to them: "Why are you saying that when I told you I was calling to buy one item?"

 

[Brissles]

Oh crikey yes ! back in the 60's and into the 70's it was the heyday of catalogue shopping - Marshall Ward was my Mum's favourite. In fact most of my 'bottom drawer' items (couples rarely lived together before marriage, so collected homewares when engaged), were bought from catalogues; strange to think how much excitement could be gained from buying a rug on the weekly and having it stashed in my bedroom, wrapped up brand new until my marriage in 1979 - along with the Pyrex dishes, Prestige saucepans, and the little gifts from my Mum of tea towels when she went shopping. We lived in another world then (sigh!)

 

[Autumn]

I remember the Grattan Catalogue too , My mum had one along with "Kays" (i think it was called that)

 

[Julius]

I remember the Grattan Catalogue too , My mum had one along with "Kays" (i think it was called that)

Yes, Kays! There was another one called "Burlington" as well, I think.

 

[boffy]

mum had a freemans catalogue. life was a lot simplier in those days....sigh!

 

[Vienna]

When we were kids and money was really tight my Mum relied heavily on catalogues for our clothes and household items. Around November she`d let us browse them and she called them our wishing books because whilst we browsed the toy pages the only words she heard from us were " Ooooh I wish I had this or I wish I had that ". Little did we know she was listening very carefully and come Christmas Day there`d always be at least one of our wishes wrapped in paper and sitting under the tree on Christmas Day. She probably spent the next 6 months paying for them and then she`d order our Summer sandals, shorts and T shirts, Summer dresses and the whole cycle would begin again. By the time we all started secondary education she`d returned to work so money wasn`t so tight and gradually the catalogues became a thing of the past.
When my own children were small they always browsed the Argos catalogues and I too always listened out for the " I wish ... ".