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loveallthingsitalian said:
I’ve never understood why big brands do “especially made for ….” which is inferior quality - yes they may sell big numbers once but surely the drop in quality sullies the brand?
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Funnily enough that's exactly the term that was used in the programme about TK Maxx last night. In the early days some of the designers actually said they'd rather burn old stock than to sell it to TKMaxx, let alone comission stuff especially for them, but as TKMaxx has become so phenomenally successful all that has changed. The stock is literally drip fed and spread out amongst the different stores and usually the store will be only given one or two items at a time, different sizes, so TK maxx doesn't get a reputation for being a place to get your Gucci. The store is deliberately set out like a treasure hunt where designer labels can be found. It was a really interesting watch and I'd recommend anyone to try and find it on catch up!
 
loveallthingsitalian said:
I’ve never understood why big brands do “especially made for ….” which is inferior quality - yes they may sell big numbers once but surely the drop in quality sullies the brand?
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Exactly. If you buy Le Creuset from QVC and it’s not great quality you won’t later buy the full price products and could well tell others that it’s not good.
 
I get my mascara from Escentuals (on the recommendation of a lovely member) . Last week they had 20% off so I didn’t qualify for free post so I ordered some hair conditioner to try which ended up costing very little when free post and discount was factored in. Included in the ordered was free nail file (pennies I know) plus a box containing three travel size bottles of cleanser etc, which I’m unlikely to use as I have ultra sensitive skin but that’s not really the point, Did I ever get a freebie from Q. No I bliddy didn’t!
 
merryone said:
I agree with all that, however as well as the ridiculous shipping costs, it's their insanely high prices across the board that put me off almost as much. If you really need interest free credit, then you're better off checking out what some of the mail order catalogues have to offer. I've just done a like for like comparison on a Ninja foodi grill/air fryer. QVC are selling it for £239 + £4.95 p&p Very.com are selling exactly the same model for £189.00 a £10 saving on their regular price of £199. P&p is £3.99 (which is per order not item) or free should you get it sent to a collect plus agent. Here's the difference and it's huge (not just the price). Lets say you can't afford to pay outright and need a little time very will allow you to put it onto a 9 month BNPL. All they specify is that the amount is settled before the 9 month period is up otherwise you will start to pay interest on the balance. It doesn't matter how much or how little you pay them during this period or how frequently the payments are made. What's more, you don't have to pay anything upfront to receive it, you make the first payment when it suits you. It's not only the catalogues, many retailers offer the equivalent of ez pays with the likes of Klarna, so really I think Q's Ez pays aren't really much of a USP.
I'm not saying that Q isn't a place to get the odd bargain - recently they did the 15% of clearance items combined with EZ pays and yes you could've spent ages trawling the site for impulse buys stuff you don't really need. Imo, Q is not a generally good place to shop!
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This is a bizarre idea, but QVC may be charging customers for the entertainment value of the presenters and BA's. Usually there are two people selling each hour, and they both have to be paid. Maybe we're the mugs who are paying them??
 
Bad business model!
Awful postage and returns policy!
Always seem to be assuming they are doing customers a favour.
Smug tat sellers who wouldn’t get a proper job in the real world.
Products with a high price tag especially fashion with no name designers,who else has heard of them besides Q?
Would I buy anything from them now certainly not, it’s to much hassle if you return an item,compared to other retailers you can return your item to the post office,within the hour the phone pings telling you your refund has been approved and the money is coming back to you.
Only the Qurio brainless seem to buy into Q as the ultimate shopping experience.
It’s not it’s a shambles with ideas and presentations from 20 years ago.
Other retailers are light years ahead and train their staff properly not to look bored or disinterested in customer service.
 
Grizelda said:
This is a bizarre idea, but QVC may be charging customers for the entertainment value of the presenters and BA's. Usually there are two people selling each hour, and they both have to be paid. Maybe we're the mugs who are paying them??
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And of course we are subsidising all the freebies for the likes of Debbie Flint…. 😡
 
merryone said:
Did anybody watch the channel 5 show last night called TK Maxx how do they do it? It was really very interesting and I was soon able to draw comparisons between them and QVC.
Designer and branded stock - There are genuine bargains to be had but you need to know what to look out for, and it's the number on the label. No.2 = last season's stock/excess stock/close down stock (ie the genuine article) a no.7 on the label is the same thing only it's been locked in storage eg, summer tops bought accquired from a brand bought up by TKMaxx in November and sold at a more appropriate time. No. 1 on a label means that the product or garment has been made especially for TK Maxx. They have a few "house labels" that you won't have heard of (obviously) but then, and this was the eye opener - The branded product with a no.1 on the label. It turns out that brands like Ted Baker, Bench, Le Creuset will produce goods especially for TK Maxx but attention to detail and quality isn't as good as the stuff they sell in their own stores or department stores, so they are able to sell them a lot lot cheaper. So is this what QVC are doing? Yes, they're upfront about their "made for Q" stuff from Phase 8/Joules etc, and we always suspected that the quality wasn't up to the brand's usual standard - but this absolutely confirms it. The Le Creuset stuff , especially the tsvs, are they the geniune article? It does make you wonder now!
I checked out some of the stuff available on the white stuff hour and a few Joules items and then checked the White Stuff and Joules websites and every single item was half price - So how are QVC getting away with selling end of range stuff at full price with all the added postage to boot? Obviously because they can, and people will buy it.
Please folks (though I know I'm preaching to the converted here) really do your homework before buying anything branded from QVC it could save you £££££s!
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stratobuddy said:
And she always seems to pick the most expensive items to present
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Do the presenters get a choice in what they sell? Or, maybe she has a high rate of sales, and QVC give her the pricey items because she's more likely to sell them
 
Their TSVs are a complete con these days.

I bought the SO-CALLED Bell and Howell fan TSV (It was completely unbranded so not B & H at all).

It was supposed to be £10 off as a TSV, but now that it is no longer a TSV, I see that I actually saved only £2, less than half of the PP cost.

And still the completely untrue waffle about B&H having a glorious 150 year history (or words to that effect). It ceased trading about 22 years ago, and the brand name was sold for use on any old tat. It is completely misleading to say they are a quality firm with a long history.
 
Your post is an eye opener, Merryone. I have no chance of shopping at British stores, unfortunately. However I have probably unwittingly bought 'made specifically for QVC' items, which I have heard are inferior to the regular product. For example, Kipling and Molton Brown. I agree with the remarks someone made on this forum, i. e. that many QVC shoppers are lazy.... me included.... and don't care to take the time to research prices elsewhere. So, you get what you deserve.
 
stratobuddy said:
Their TSVs are a complete con these days.

I bought the SO-CALLED Bell and Howell fan TSV (It was completely unbranded so not B & H at all).

It was supposed to be £10 off as a TSV, but now that it is no longer a TSV, I see that I actually saved only £2, less than half of the PP cost.

And still the completely untrue waffle about B&H having a glorious 150 year history (or words to that effect). It ceased trading about 22 years ago, and the brand name was sold for use on any old tat. It is completely misleading to say they are a quality firm with a long history.
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How can QVC get away with that? Was there no indication that the fan was a Bell Howell? Did they sell it as a BH? They could be in for trouble for lying don't you think?
 
stratobuddy said:
Their TSVs are a complete con these days.

I bought the SO-CALLED Bell and Howell fan TSV (It was completely unbranded so not B & H at all).

It was supposed to be £10 off as a TSV, but now that it is no longer a TSV, I see that I actually saved only £2, less than half of the PP cost.

And still the completely untrue waffle about B&H having a glorious 150 year history (or words to that effect). It ceased trading about 22 years ago, and the brand name was sold for use on any old tat. It is completely misleading to say they are a quality firm with a long history.
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That is pretty sneaky, though in this case when I bought the fan a couple of years ago it meant nothing to me that the words Bell&Howell wasn't printed on the product or the packaging. I was extremely pleased with the product and was really upset when it got broken by OH's mate's dog! He bought a replacement which was crap in comparison, so when the B&H fan came up as a tsv again I snapped it up and again I'm pleased. I agree with what you say though - It's not on. I was lucky with the fan, it's fabulous and I'd never heard of Bell & Howell anyway, but they shouldn't bang on about brand heritage when the name has been bought by a generic company who's products can be hit and miss. So many brands are like this now eg, Beldray, Wharfedale, Swan - There's a fair few out there. On a shop shelf, you make your choice, it's fine, because nobody's trying to convince you that you're buying a quality product from a heritage brand, you take your chances. I've actually got a Swan steam iron which I purchased from my catalogue about 3 years ago for the princely sum of £9.99 and it's honestly the best steam iron I've ever had, I didn't buy it for the name, it was the cheapest iron - It's hit and miss. Hit and miss is fine if you're not paying over the odds for it and being told you're buying a top notch brand when you're not. Postage is expensive, returns are expensive and slow. Use Q for ideas and shop elsewhere it makes more sense!
 
ClaireKelly said:
And of course we are subsidising all the freebies for the likes of Debbie Flint…. 😡
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‘Freebies’ are nothing new or unusual in retail. It pays a company to ensure their staff can speak with confidence on the products they are selling. A small outlay should increase sales. A friend of mine used to work for Chanel in a department store, before she went into the training side of things. She was provided with practically every product as well as her Chanel suit.
 
Grizelda said:
Your post is an eye opener, Merryone. I have no chance of shopping at British stores, unfortunately. However I have probably unwittingly bought 'made specifically for QVC' items, which I have heard are inferior to the regular product. For example, Kipling and Molton Brown. I agree with the remarks someone made on this forum, i. e. that many QVC shoppers are lazy.... me included.... and don't care to take the time to research prices elsewhere. So, you get what you deserve.
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Are the Molton Brown products specially made for Qvc? Or other beauty products?
 
Kit10 said:
‘Freebies’ are nothing new or unusual in retail. It pays a company to ensure their staff can speak with confidence on the products they are selling. A small outlay should increase sales. A friend of mine used to work for Chanel in a department store, before she went into the training side of things. She was provided with practically every product as well as her Chanel suit.
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I do understand that and it makes sense, but the QVC presenters, and Flinty in particular seem to gave such an air of entitlement about them. It’s really not pleasant to watch.

Chanel suits are something else….. so elegant
 

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