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bouxavenue.com
by stickyangel
I used to do most of my lingerie shopping at La Senza so I was gutted when they closed. However I soon heard that the owner, and Dragon's den star, Theo Paphitis, had opened a brand new lingerie store called Boux Avenue, so I decided to take a look and I've now shopped on their website several times.
*The ... Site*
My first impression of the site was that it looks very professional without being boring. It is mainly white with a black and pink theme, and has a very neat look. The homepage always has lovely glamorous looking photos of the latest styles and current offers.
Everything is arranged in a very logical way which makes it easy to find everything. There is a main bar running across the top with each department listed, and drop-down menus for each with sub-categories helping you to find more specific items. When looking through the items you have the option to sort them by price which is handy if you need something cheap. There are also lots of options listed down the left hand side of the page, such as colour and size, which you can choose to narrow down your search results, which I find very useful as it can be very disappointing finding the perfect item only to find that they don't have it in my size.
When viewing an item I find this site better than most as it shows both front and back views of every item, which I think is very important particularly when selecting knickers as I'm very fussy about the cut of the back and have often been left disappointed with items ordered from other sites which don't give a back view. They also tell you what size the model in the photos is wearing, which can help to give you a better idea of how the item fits and whether you may need to go up or down a size from your usual. There are also many other simple little features which help make your shopping experience easier, but I won't bore you by going into every detail.
The only way I think they could improve the site would be to sort out the search function, as it does sometimes throw up some very odd results and generally doesn't return the results you would expect. For example, if I type 'black bra' into the search box, the first item that comes up is a 'racer back bra converter' and the second is a floral halter neck bikini top, not what I was looking for at all.
*Range, Prices and Value*
Although they don't have the largest range available online I do find Boux Avenue offer a nice range of styles to suit almost every need. From everyday basics to super sexy blow-his-mind sets, and everything in between.
The lingerie department contains a wide range of items including bras, knickers, matching sets, babydolls, basques, bodies and hosiery. Bras are generally priced between £12 and £30, and knickers between £5 and £14, whilst babydolls can be picked up for between £30 and £40. Whilst these are certainly not the cheapest prices I do feel they are very affordable for most people, whilst reflecting the high quality of the items. The nightwear department offers the usual pyjamas, robes and loungewear, as well as chemises and camis for those wanting something a little bit sexier. Again I feel these are well within most people's budgets, with pj sets costing between £20 and£30, and chemises and cami sets generally ranging from £25 to £35. If you want something a bit more special there are some more luxury options available for around £60.
Their swimwear range is much less extensive, offering only a few designs and whilst there are some nice styles I have yet to see anything I would actually wear. However, the fact that their swimwear uses bra sizes means you can be sure of a much better fit than with ones that go by dress size, and again the prices are quite reasonable, with bikini sets costing around £40.
They also offer a range of gifts which would be ideal as inexpensive stocking fillers, such as cute little keyrings for £6.50, trinket boxes for £6, and a small range of bath and body products priced from £12 to £15.
There is always some kind of offer on the site, such as their current offer of 3 for 2 on a selection of knickers, as well as regular sales, which allow you to buy even more items at great value. I recently bought 3 different styles of bra which were previously priced from £22 each for just £8 each, saving me a lot of money, which was great as I really didn't have the money to spend but needed a few new bras as my old ones were way too small after putting on weight.
Every single item I've bought from Boux Avenue has been very high quality, often surpassing my expectations, and I find the sizing to be very consistent, unlike other brands where I've often needed to buy 3 different bra sizes as different styles all fit differently. I've never had any reason to be disappointed with any of their items, they all look just like the photos on the site, and as a result I've never returned anything other than to exchange for a different size.
They offer a wide range of sizes on most items, often with 2 different bras in each style, the 'normal' one generally going from a 30A to a 40D and the 'full support' version going from a 30DD to a 40H, catering for most women's needs. Dress sizes go from an 8 to an 18.
*The Service*
As I mentioned earlier I have ordered from Boux Avenue several times now, and I have found their service to be absolutely second to none. Items always arrive packaged safely and securely and if you opt for their free gift packaging service they come beautifully wrapped in tissue paper with false rose petals in a lovely Boux Avenue gift box.
They offer free standard delivery on orders over £50, or free next day delivery to a store. Alternatively if you spend under £50 standard delivery costs £3, or you can choose next day delivery for £5 or Saturday delivery for £7.50. I've always spent over £50 and opted for the free standard delivery, and my packages have always arrived within 2 working days, so personally I don't feel the need to pay extra for a quicker service. They send their items via a tracked courier service, and send you an email or text message, depending on the option you've chosen, with the tracking number as soon as your package leaves their warehouse, so you are able to track your items online.
They also offer a free no-quibble returns service, allowing you to return any item in store or by post within 28 days for a full refund or exchange. I have taken advantage of the postal returns service on several occasions and have always been pleased with the ease and efficiency of the service. When I placed my first order I was unsure of my bra size as I'd put on weight and none of my old bras fit, so I ordered several different styles in 2 different sizes so I could try them on and choose the right one. After choosing the right size I simply filled in the returns form and sent the unwanted items back. I received an email when they received my returned items and my credit card had been refunded within a few days. On other occasions I have chosen to exchange items and I received an email letting me know when the new items had been sent out as well as when they received the returns, and my new items were with me within 2 days of receiving the email, just as beautifully gift-wrapped as my original order.
As I've found their service to be completely flawless I have never had any reason to contact their customer services department.
*Overall*
I can honestly say I have nothing but praise for Boux Avenue. Whilst there are a couple of things that could be improved they have a lovely range of high quality lingerie at prices that won't break the bank and offer, from start to finish, the best online shopping experience I've ever had the pleasure of using.
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pixmania.com
by Nik-Nac
Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong with the Pixmania site itself. It is bright, attractive and easy to navigate. There are plenty of options for payment and someone phoned me a day after I ordered (I'm assuming because my payment was quite large) to verify that I was the person who put the order through and that ... everything was above board.
I ordered an Advent Desktop PC with Pixmania on 16 April. It arrived promptly and safely packaged and I was pleased with the service. However within 3 days of use the PC shut down on me, and would not restart. Naturally I got in touch with them to arrange for a refund, which was fine. Eventually they emailed me out all the instructions, labels and extra information I needed to return the order. No apologies though for the inconvenience.
It seems like they made it intentionally laborious to return items, lots of different labels and printouts required and pretty vague instructions on how to return them. All the while stating that if not packaged and returned properly they reserve the right to withhold the refund.
So I eventually got to grips with how to package it, and what I needed to supply in the package, UPS picked it up from me on 3 May. I have a tracking number from UPS which states that my order has been delivered safely, but on the site it still says that they are waiting to receive the order. After emailing their after sales team on 15 May to enquire about this I got fobbed off with a generic 'We will check the warehouse and email you back' I still have had no reply.
I think it's time to get a little more aggressive in terms of pursuing my refund. It's a shame, because if their customer service had been good I might have re-ordered with them after I got my refund (which at the moment is looking a long way off) It's important to me that companies I order with issue prompt service for obviously faulty merchandise.
While the site is good value for money, I'd avoid shopping with them just in the instance that something goes wrong. The customer service that I've received has been very poor.
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