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boots.com
by Eilidh70
Although I'm trying to spend more time shopping in 'real' shops these days and less time shopping online (having watched too many local amenities close recently), there are still times when a decent shopping site comes in handy.
Boots.com, the online version of Boots, packs in a lot of information. It's possible to search the ... catalogue of products stocked by Boots (many of which aren't available in my local branches), to place online orders and choose between delivery and collection from a local store, and to access different services provided by Boots, such as BootsWebMD, an online symptom checker that I've found quite handy on occasion.
I've been using Boots.com for a few years now, and will list some of the main advantages and disadvantages I've found with the site.
***Advantages***
One of the main benefits of the Boots site is the huge range of products you can purchase - a much more extensive range than you would find in many of the branches. You can order the products to be delivered to your door or have them delivered to a local branch. I've used the latter service a few times, and have found it to be very reliable - you get an email notification of your order being ready to pick up, and can then access items from your friendly local branch that they wouldn't normally have in stock.
Speaking of advantages, the Boots rewards scheme, Advantage Card, can also be used when shopping on the website, so you accumulate points on your online shopping. Many of the in-store offers are also available to online shoppers, such as the famous '3 for 2' deals.
The website is pretty easy to navigate from the main product categories including 'Fragrance' and 'Toiletries' - hovering your mouse over one of these categories produces a drop-down menu of options and you can search for products from there. There are plenty of useful sub-menus when you begin to search, allowing you to narrow down results by brand, price and so on.
***Disadvantages***
Boots.com hasn't been a perfect shopping experience for me, and I'll list some of the niggles I've had with the site. Firstly, the search options don't always work. On some occasions (for example, when checking the prices of items for my DooYoo reviews), I've been taken to a page saying, 'No results found', even when I know the item is a Boots staple. The site seems somewhat temperamental for searches.
I've also noticed that Boots are rather reticent when it comes to product ingredients. Each item has a link to 'view detailed product information', but this information is anything but detailed and usually just has one or two generic lines describing the product. As many of Boots' 'natural' ranges contain ingredients that are anything but natural, I would prefer the option to make informed choices about my purchases. I am sure it's well within Boots' capabilities to do better on the product information.
It is worth mentioning here that there are qualifying spends that entitle you to free delivery with Boots. For example, delivery to a local store costs £1.95 unless you spend more than £20, and standard delivery is £2.95 unless you spend £45. Of course, many websites have these qualifying spends, but it's worth bearing in mind that there are extra charges unless you're spending the minimum amount.
Similarly, although the Boots website carries some special offers, these may not always match up to the ones available instore. For example, Boots tends to run special Christmas Advantage Card evenings with extra point giveaways. I've noticed that the instore deal tends to be £12 worth of Advantage Points when you spend £50, but the deal online tends to be a bit less generous. It's worth keeping an eye on the different deals if you have the option of shopping instore.
***Summary***
I find Boots.com better for some things than others. For the convenience of having orders sent to my local store, it's great. I tend to stick to tried and trusted products, though, because of the lack of product information available online, which is something I think Boots should sort out.
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Streetshirts
by nextfew
I ordered from Streetshirts on May 8, 2013, and then didn't receive any sort of confirmation on the order.
When I finally emailed them to ask about - and I will say they are quick to reply to emails - they told me they were having problems with their company. I felt sympathy, and resolved to be patient with the order as they ... seemed to be working it out.
Finally, over three weeks had passed. I even received an email asking me to rate their shirts, despite them not having arrived. I emailed again, was told that they didn't know why the shirts hadn't arrived, but they would re-make them and mail them right away.
Despite their constant mentions on their website about next day delivery and quick delivery in general, even after this second order was put in, I didn't receive it for almost over a week. In contrast, as someone who regularly orders online, my orders from Amazon and other places are example are very quick to arrive.
Finally, when the shirts arrived two days ago, they were incorrect. Not just a little incorrect - the t-shirt itself was incorrect, the design was in the wrong place (they mixed up the back and front, despite it being crystal clear on their own design application on their website), and the finish on the design was also incorrect. The other shirt I ordered also had the design with the wrong finish.
When I emailed back again to ask for this to be corrected, they told me that if I sent back the shirts, they would see 'what happened', and re-do it. I asked if they could make and mail the shirts immediately since it's been not their supposed next day service but well over a month we're talking about now. If they at least started the process right away, I wouldn't have to wait for them to receive the shirts, reprocess the return, start the order again, and deliver again, all of which just adds more time to an order that's already outrageously late.
Instead, I got a one line response telling me to send the shirts back first if I wanted a reprint.
I'd been patient up until this point. The whole experience with Streetshirts was so bad, that despite the fact I almost never write reviews (the only exceptions in the past have been places that provide stellar service), I felt I had to share if only so that someone else could avoid this. I understand their company is going through a tough time but that makes it more important for them to provide good customer service to customers they still have. They definitely lost one here!
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bedworld.net
by AErlwell
Before you hear of my awful return issues, the delivery was one day late. It was supposed to arrive on a Saturday and came at 7am on Sunday morning.
But that is NOTHING compared to the complete nightmare of a time with Bedworld's return service.
I had arranged for a mattress I wanted returned to be picked up on ... Wednesday, May 29th, 2013.
On the 29th at about 3pm, I got a phone call from the collection agency asking if they could come the next day instead. I said that would be fine as luckily my partner was going to be in both days.
Come Thursday, 30th, no one came. Friday, May 31st, again no one came. My partner rang Bedworld and I emailed my contact. No word.
On Tuesday, June 4th, I emailed again to follow up with no response. Eventually someone rang me to see if Thursday, June 5th would work. I arranged for my mother to come to my flat.
Nothing. AGAIN.
I called Bedworld and they said the agency came round my flat but I wasn't in. Never did they ring my mobile, or apparently the door as there were people at the flat each time.
Finally, they said they would come on Friday, June 6th.
And finally they did.
Apparently you're supposed to have your mattress refunded once it arrives, but 5 days later, no refund. So I had to email again.
In the end, I sent a nice email and expected they would offer to wave the return fee of £49 for all the pain and distress. Nope. Not a penny.
All the stress, time and energy is NOT WORTH IT.
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