Random musings and general banter.

[harrytumkins]

I am a hypocrite as I do not like Amazon for a lot of obvious reasons (tax anyone?) And they spent years price-rigging items which directly affected me as a seller on the platform.

However, if you are buying anything really you do know that you will get a hassle-free refund/return you can contact them within seconds and talk to a human

The main issue is Amazon and others have taught a whole generation that you can get any item of any value the next day or worst case in a few days. The shopping channels can't compete with that

 

[SiRich]

TBH i'm pretty crap at bullshitting and lying so there's absolutely no chance of me being a watch expert on IW. Plus as I've said before, i would class myself more at an intermediate level rather than an expert.

The other watch collectors here would probably agree that when you do become addicted to watch collecting you become very good at investigating & researching every watch and brand you're looking at, especially when your looking at watches costing from a few hundred up to a few thousand. You get to know all the places to look for info on brands, movements, watches etc, so that it then becomes pretty easy to spot the bullshitter brands taking advantage of the unwary from the genuinely decent watches and decent brands. So rather than a watch expert, after a few years of watching IW, i've become more of an expert on who is being honest and who is being deceitful shyster.

seems a bit of a disgrace the chat coming out of that so called expert, ‘a year in the making’ blah blah , ‘British design’, he was laying it on thick, something about buying your mate a watch at one point and everyone buys their mate a watch (plain weird) and then low and behold a internet link to the exact same watch , what have they done just gone to a generic watch manufacturer in china? , picked something out of a book, and said can you stick a Gresham sticker on it, that’s what it seems like unless they have some links to that other ‘German’ brand

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I can’t be doing with Draconian returns policies from companies. Essentially with this particular company your 14 day trial period, or whatever it is, doesn’t allow you to properly try the goods. It is restrictive in the extreme I feel. Whether anybody has tested it legally, I don’t know. I can quote one actual example from Amazon where I ordered a pair of well-known brand trainers, wore them for approximately three or four months and the heel was coming away from the top of the shoe. I contacted Amazon customer service, and they asked me to return the shoes even after this advanced stage of wearing them for a full refund.

I’ve also had examples with Amazon where I’ve been told to keep the goods where there has been a problem and they are lower value ones, and then refunded also. Probably the most amazing example was when I ordered a pair of expensive Timberland work shoes from Amazon in the US. The courier left the shoes with a neighbour that I’m not on particularly good terms with and created an embarrassing scenario of me having to knock on their door to get the goods back. I contacted their customer services and told them there were clear delivery instructions if I was out, which they ignored, and I was told that they would refund me without me having to go and knock for the shoes because of the embarrassment it could cause me!! That IS great service.

 

[harrytumkins]

Amazon can only offer all of this because of the monopoly-like position they hold in the market they are not doing it because they have great morals.

I would agree the terms of the Ideal World returns policy must be borderline but as long as they make it clear what you can and can't do then I would verge on them being legal.

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I understand that is the case as you say. There has to be a happy medium, though (or an XXL) when it comes to returning goods. Ideal World‘s loaded with conditions takes me back to the dark days of the 1970s, when the consumer had very little in terms of rights when wanting to return faulty or generally unsuitable goods in particular. With many retailers refusing a cash refund and instead insisting on a credit note if anything at all. I fail to see how a tag coming away from clothes worn once or twice, say, but proving ultimately unsuitable after the customer taking it off initially, can render those goods as then unsaleable. Another tag could easily be applied or the original returned with the item put back on by either IW or on a sale or return basis with their suppliers. Watch policy is equally full of riders. ‘Pristine Condition’ is a term and requirement loaded in the favour of seller. They can then effectively argue even a mark on the box, smear on the watch face, tear in the cellophane, or a slight fold in the instructions, say, merits not pristine condition and refuse a refund. If you are distance selling, then a fair and equitable trying out the goods policy needs to be offered and employed, and Ideal World’s in the example they get their presenters to reel off each show, sounds neither fair or equitable the way I hear it. Yes, some customers take the piss with returns, but you can’t set the overall policy to reflect everybody returning doing that.

 

[harrytumkins]

The more I think about it IF someone actually challenged them and went down the threatening small claims court action I think Ideal would just fully refund, the percentage of customers who could be bothered/knowledgable to go down this route would be minuscule.

Does anybody know for example how much they take from say a £40 product that has very minor wear if it is a few quid every time which adds up quickly the individual customer is highly unlikely to complain bar the first point of contact Whether that customer will ever come back is doubtful.

Just to be clear as a customer Amazon is way clear nobody could dispute that, having been a bit on the other side they have squeezed the life out of independent sellers by very questionable tactics including price gouging, illegal promotion of "own" product lines under other names and the most common over the past decade paying staff to access sales of the most popular third party products copy the best sellers rebrand them as "Amazon Own" and sell them for a price they know the third party can't (and then hide the original products in the depths of the sites most people
never visit).

That's big business sadly.

 

[Jazzydrury]

Due to my disabilitys im pretty much housebound, hense why Im on here all day

I buy most stuff from Amazon as its easy, you can order in the morning and get before bed, i also use Create and Craft a lot, I like crafting and seeing that I cant get out

I live with my parents, my dad has used IW but you have to wait days

 

[Jazzydrury]

i wonder what IWs return policy on those pies would be, Im guessing you could eat one

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I buy from IW on the rare occasions that I do buy on the basis when they are offering well known brands I respect at very decent prices. Rug Doctor being a prime example. I buy very much from them on the basis that I cannot return the goods, and just take the chance that they will be okay. I have zero confidence in their returns process - either in them accepting the goods back without argument, or how long it will take for me to get a refund or get one at all. I rely on PayPal if I get trouble with them, which I had to recently and won my case. Again, with Amazon, you return something via the post office and have it scanned and the refund is processed as soon as it is scanned. Presumably they don't even check the cheaper goods - just wanting confirmation you've returned something?

 

[Jazzydrury]

i dont know if they still do but QVC used to have a few outlet stores, for end of line and seconds

Couldnt IW do the same, maybe start with a branch in Peterborough and see how it does

 

[Jazzydrury]

or have a seconds department on there website

 

[Jazzydrury]

Think they use Evri who can provide Next Day Delivery, Why dont they say if you order before Noon and for a extra £1 you can get it next day

I know you used to be able to get certain products sent to your local Asda not sure if they still do

 

[harrytumkins]

I buy from IW on the rare occasions that I do buy on the basis when they are offering well known brands I respect at very decent prices. Rug Doctor being a prime example. I buy very much from them on the basis that I cannot return the goods, and just take the chance that they will be okay. I have zero confidence in their returns process - either in them accepting the goods back without argument, or how long it will take for me to get a refund or get one at all. I rely on PayPal if I get trouble with them, which I had to recently and won my case. Again, with Amazon, you return something via the post office and have it scanned and the refund is processed as soon as it is scanned. Presumably they don't even check the cheaper goods - just wanting confirmation you've returned something?

Under a certain value, they check a random sample of say 100 returns 5 would be checked or close to that figure.

You can ask for your returns to be "stored and processed" by Amazon as a seller (for a fee of course)

Every 3 months ago I would get them sent to me until it became depressing, 20/25% would be packages stuffed with paper another random
broken product or my best one a very very used teaspoon.

You have zero recourse on any of these matters even if you have seen that the customer has returned a teaspoon as the refund has long been processed.

On the flip side, I believe Amazon is now a lot tighter on "banning" address if customers return a high percentage of products.

 

[Hammy60]

or have a seconds department on there website

They sell both new and seconds on both Ebay and have seen them selling on Amazon marketplace (although can't find it at the moment).

Ideal World Outlet Store | eBay Stores

Welcome to Ideal World, one of the largest E-Commerce businesses with a TV shopping channel in the UK. In addition to our entertaining TV shows, we provide a 24/7 shopping experience, giving you access to all the great deals offered on TV, plus many more bargains from a wide range of...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Deleted member 21838]

'Unsaleable' best permanently written in inverted commas, then!!

 

[Price Plunge]

i dont know if they still do but QVC used to have a few outlet stores, for end of line and seconds

Couldnt IW do the same, maybe start with a branch in Peterborough and see how it does

The old shopping channel Bid TV also had a physical outlet store which they used to promote quite often.

An Ideal World outlet store I'm sure would consist of nothing but a huge pile of air fryers, ceramic radiators and treadmills

 

[SiRich]

Due to my disabilitys im pretty much housebound, hense why Im on here all day

I buy most stuff from Amazon as its easy, you can order in the morning and get before bed, i also use Create and Craft a lot, I like crafting and seeing that I cant get out

I live with my parents, my dad has used IW but you have to wait days

Amazon have their own delivery fleet? Certainly they dont seem to have much reliance on Evri (IW preferred courier) who are by and large the absolute pits, although my local evri delivery guy is a decent and honest chap.

 

[SiRich]

The old shopping channel Bid TV also had a physical outlet store which they used to promote quite often.

An Ideal World outlet store I'm sure would consist of nothing but a huge pile of air fryers, ceramic radiators and treadmills

They pretty much are an outlet store already, end of line stuff inc firetrap jackets from 1996 that make mason do a jig, wonder if really he had **** himself and needed to loosen his arse cheeks

 

[Jazzydrury]

Amazon have their own delivery fleet? Certainly they dont seem to have much reliance on Evri (IW preferred courier) who are by and large the absolute pits, although my local evri delivery guy is a decent and honest chap.

same with my evri delivery guy, been the same guy for over 10 years, and always comes early, Yes Amazon have there Electric vans

 

[Jazzydrury]

More skincare daft high RRP Prices, and big discounts