This could be a long one!!!

[C-Lion]

In the last few months I have returned a reasonable amount back to QVC. Last Friday was close to the final straw for me. I orders a Wynne Layers ‘Topper’ when it arrived it smelt strongly of stale perfume - overwhelmingly and pretty close to the Dior Poison scent (remember that from the 1980’s?).

I rang CS and told them that I am annoyed that this had happened. Previously over the last four years it has been a cycle of four pairs of Emu boots all returned due to being clearly worn. Items being despatched where they are absolutely second - even third hand.

Today I received a phone call from QVC asking me why I had returned so much recently. I said scents were off and also about the MarlaWynne.

Frankly, if they suspend or even close my account I would not be surprised. I have had a look around on the web - that is how I found this forum - and it appears that qvc’s profits are down hugely and returns are notably high.

Ultimately, I nor anyone else is not going to pay for substandard and used products. I am at the point of using QVC less and less now. I went through a full 13 months and did not use them. Then came back.

I am finding the TSV are not as good as they were. The CS ladies in Liverpool are really great, always polite and helpful, but I think I need to pull up the drawbridge for a bit with it.

I am just fed up I suppose of what I suspect is going on and then coming in here to read that actually, after all, I am not alone in my views as to what is happening with QVC UK.

 

[ClaireKelly]

Welcome to the forum!
You are not alone. Sadly more and more of us are finding that QVC is no longer anywhere near what it was in terms of quality and value. Exorbitant postage (any postage) poor quality and more recently, old stock have made a lot of us very wary.

 

[donna255]

To be honest, comments for years of people getting returns which were in bad condition. It is as if their returns department just doesn't care. Smelly and dirty clothes sent out again. On here, there used to jokes about handbags people going to leave a clue it was a return. People had got bags with used tissues and even once a prescription left in a returned handbag. Now that shows the return department did not even look in the bag before sending it to be sent out again.

For years, people getting the famous letter about how the woman has returned too much. The virtual slapped wrist. Seems they do not take into account damaged items separate when counting returns. If you look at your orders, it will just say returned.

 

[mina]

It's obvious there will be a lot of returned goods being flogged again and again because it's one of their key selling points - you can wear it for x number of days, wash it then return it. Something has to happen to those items and that something is that QVC won't lose out, they just put them back on the shelves, so no surprises if you get something pre-unloved, it's just an occupational hazard.

 

[Bea Frugal]

They should either check every return and if they can’t do that then all returns should go into a returns category at reduced prices on the website. At least the customer would know they might get a soiled item but they might get lucky too. The list would be very telling and very long. I don’t suppose they’d want to share that information.

 

[Brissles]

Why don't they send returned handbags to old Evey ! She'd make a fortune extolling their virtues as pre-loved (second hand reurns) on her website. I'd love to hear how she would market Ruth Langsford's offerings against a Coco Chanel bag !!

 

[RAJ]

There is a QVC outlet shop in Birchwood, Warrington. Occasionally, you can get real bargains there. They sell returns and, presumably, end of stock that isn't selling on line. Most of the clothes are returned in a sorry state - a jumble sale comes to mind. Believe it or not, they have candles, almost burned out, being resold at minimal discount. Best bargains are usually handbags or the never-ending Shark vacuum cleaners.

 

[stratobuddy]

....... the never-ending Shark vacuum cleaners

LOL

 

[Clothescloth]

I really miss the Shrewsbury outlet. I’ve had some good bargains from there . I always assumed that all the returns went to outlet, but with only the Warrington one open now, it surely couldn’t handle all the QVC returns, so many of them obviously are sent back to customers. They always had loads of Emu boots there, most of them covered in mud and dirt!

 

[AndiK]

The only items on the website that QVC seem to admit “could be” returns are those in Outlet. To be fair, there are some heavily reduced items in there and at least they admit what they are:

“Our range of outlet products are items which are not in their original manufactured condition or packaging, but are available at great low prices. They may be returns from other customers, or come from discounted ranges - but be quick, there's only a limited number.”

I don’t know why they don’t sell all returns (unless clearly unopened and genuinely as new) in Outlet. I have risked a few orders and everything looked brand new to me so if they were returns, QVC had done a good job of checking and repackaging.

I must just have been lucky with orders generally, probably because I’ve only ever bought 3 or 4 items of clothing. Only one item I have received (not Outlet but possibly Clearance) had clearly been returned by someone. The packaging didn’t look original, there were no spare buttons as advertised and the label in the seam had been chopped out, oddly. It wasn’t damaged otherwise (and didn’t smell!) and it was well reduced but I was aggrieved about the “faults” so I rang CS and as they didn’t have any more to replace it with, they offered me the £5.95 postage back, which I accepted. They neither denied nor admitted it could be a return, of course.

 

[markd]

The real point is that qvc has in place with their suppliers the 60 day returns policy which means that it is the supplier not qvc that takes the hit so there is no reason for qvc to be sending out used goods. Any supplier wanting/willing to sell on qvc has to sign up to whatever conditions qvc impose.

 

[candycane]

I had a Christmas decoration once that looked as if it had been broken and glued back together, another one that the music didn't work, lights that didn't flash or twinkle, clothes that smelled of curry/perfume, and others where the seams were coming undone. Not had any disasters recently but I've had my fair share.

CC

 

[maymorganlondon]

The flip side of the "benefit" of being able to wear clothes and shoes for real is that everything after any proper wear is now second hand.
The risk we take with Q is that they have the brass neck to sell second hand goods at the same price as new and yet do not take the care to ensure said secondhand goods returned are in as pristine condition as possible.

 

[C-Lion]

The stinky perfume laden cardigan went back today - the return postage label finally having turned up!

The lady in the Post Office said to me that on average it is about 20 parcels a day to go back to QVC and in January it’s epic ! That is just one small Post office so multiply that by other Post Offices plus the Evri returns and it must be epic the amount of returns they are dealing with.

I think QVC could be heading for financial problems unless they get a grip on the returns.

 

[alter ego]

I understand that items are given the MBG so that people can try items to their heart's content but if something very obviously doesn't fit or if I hate it as soon as it's tried on I return immediately.

I've heard of people who wear things around the house even though they know they're going to return. That's not on in my book.

The girls working in my local Waliis years ago would wear stock out at the weekends then return to the racks with BO and stains in the armpits, stinking of smoke. Some of the skirts and dresses were viscose that creased easily in a fine pattern that's difficult to iron out unless damp. The girls didn't bother. They'd just throw an iron over dry then put back to sell at full price. I was in the changing room one day and overheard the manageress telling one of the staff to make sure the stock was re-priced. I looked at the label and sure enough, there was an extra puncture hole in it as if the price gun had gone through twice. I stopped shopping there after that. Having suspicions was one thing, getting them confirmed was another.

 

[AndiK]

I understand that items are given the MBG so that people can try items to their heart's content but if something very obviously doesn't fit or if I hate it as soon as it's tried on I return immediately.

I've heard of people who wear things around the house even though they know they're going to return. That's not on in my book.

The girls working in my local Waliis years ago would wear stock out at the weekends then return to the racks with BO and stains in the armpits, stinking of smoke. Some of the skirts and dresses were viscose that creased easily in a fine pattern that's difficult to iron out unless damp. The girls didn't bother. They'd just throw an iron over dry then put back to sell at full price. I was in the changing room one day and overheard the manageress telling one of the staff to make sure the stock was re-priced. I looked at the label and sure enough, there was an extra puncture hole in it as if the price gun had gone through twice. I stopped shopping there after that. Having suspicions was one thing, getting them confirmed was another.

Funny you should say this about Wallis in particular as it’s the only shop where, when I returned a top I had taken home, tried on and then returned within a couple of days, the assistant leaned over it and sniffed and said, “This has clearly been worn” as she examined the armpits for marks. I was mortified! It was in front of a small queue of people, too. Like you, I would never, ever wear something and then take it back unless there was genuinely something wrong with it. And one of the reasons I take things home to try on is that I always do so just after a bath and when I am not wearing makeup so I can’t get that around the neck. I kicked up such a fuss in the shop, and told them to cut my store card up there and then as I wouldn’t be shopping in Wallis again, and they did refund me. I also wrote to head office to complain and, to their credit, they sent quite a grovelling apology. I noticed the assistants were wearing Wallis clothes and think I might have mentioned in my letter that it was more likely they who had made things smell, wearing them all day (although I didn’t know if they had bought items to keep at very reduced staff rates).

If you are in a shop and see someone smelling the underarms of clothes and checking for foundation and lipstick around necks, it’s probably me because I am now paranoid about accidentally buying something already marked/tainted that I could get the blame for if I return it. It’s pretty revolting anyway.

 

[C-Lion]

QVC actively say you can try it and wear it for 60 days and if you are not happy send it back. That’s fine if they are happy to promote that, but to then send that clearly worn item out to an unsuspecting customer is not on. I had paid just under £95.00 - including postage and I certainly did not expect a used item stinking of old perfume for that price.

I am very very reluctant to even order clothing from them now and certainly not footwear after the Emu fiasco!

The bonus is that I found you all lurking in here from this ‘event’ so I know I am not alone now in quite a number of things on QVC.

 

[boffy]

I got the letter once so I only buy what I know I will keep. No clothes because they are overpriced and not great when you get them. So that keeps returns extremely low. I buy skincare but I know what I like so no dabbling with new brands. Its QVC's loss. No other online companies have a hissy fit when you return anything they even let you return for free. Vote with your feet and dont buy from them

 

[donna255]

I have told this before. A friend when she had to go to weddings etc use to buy outfits and then just return and get her money back. So her eldest daughter was getting married, and I went with her to find an outfit, this time she went into a small high-end boutique a beautiful dress and jacket which was expensive. So did the usual, kept the labels on and wore it I had to go into town that Monday, and she asked me to return the outfit. I was wary but did, in the shop the woman said this has been worn, firstly is smells of cigarette smoke and also perfume. She got me to sniff and yes it did. Friend was a heavy smoker and heavy-handed with the Chanel Coco Mad perfume. My friend was outraged that the shop would not take the outfit back, I said perhaps if you went to them. No, she would not, and said she would never wear the outfit again.

 

[madaunty]

I have told this before. A friend when she had to go to weddings etc use to buy outfits and then just return and get her money back. So her eldest daughter was getting married, and I went with her to find an outfit, this time she went into a small high-end boutique a beautiful dress and jacket which was expensive. So did the usual, kept the labels on and wore it I had to go into town that Monday, and she asked me to return the outfit. I was wary but did, in the shop the woman said this has been worn, firstly is smells of cigarette smoke and also perfume. She got me to sniff and yes it did. Friend was a heavy smoker and heavy-handed with the Chanel Coco Mad perfume. My friend was outraged that the shop would not take the outfit back, I said perhaps if you went to them. No, she would not, and said she would never wear the outfit again.

You’re a nicer friend than me. I wouldn’t dared have take it back.
There is no danger of me ever wearing and returning anything to a shop.
Even if my conscious allowed me to, my ability to spill/drop stuff onto anything I’m wearing would prevent me trying.