QVC is a television shopping channel, which is one of my great discoveries since getting a freeview box. QVC sell a great variety of products, ranging from jewellery, make up, household electronic goods, clothes, gardening and DIY products, kitchen gadgets and equipment, among other things. They also have a website www.qvcuk.com, from where you can see their entire product range, and make orders.

At first QVC was a channel I would flick past, believing the products to be bad value or not my style, though I do not really know what made me perceive QVC this way. I suppose I thought the channel would be like a 24 hour American style infomercial, where I assumed people would be ripped off and sold obscure or practically useless gadgets. But one day as I was channel hopping and reached QVC, there was a beautiful pair of pearl earrings on screen. As a woman, I find myself strangely hypnotised by jewellery. I called my mum over and we watched the entire show on Honora pearls. We both bought jewellery, for which you need to open an account with them. Opening the account was quick and easy - we did it over the phone - but one can also be opened online. Payment can be made by credit or debit card or cheque. Since that day, both my mum and I have been very happy customers of QVC, and often look there first for birthday or Christmas present ideas, or merely to treat ourselves.

The TV channel itself is actually rather annoying. It is arranged into 1 hour slots, where they will show and talk about all of the items in the range they are using, until they sell out. It's amazing how much they find to say about some things - and the amount of drivel that comes out of the presenters' mouths! It can be especially bad when they near the end of a programme, where all the best items have sold out, so they are left talking about a couple of items repeatedly. For this reason, I prefer to shop from the website, and just have the TV channel on when they are showcasing a range I'm interested in, so I can see how bits actually look on a person.

QVC is available on the following:-

Sky Digital - channel 640
Freeview - channel 16
Virgin TV - channel 740
Freesat - channel 800
...and can also be watched live online on their website.

Prices:-

I find QVC's pricing to be fair. I have most experience with the jewellery and cosmetic lines, though I have also got good deals on a sat nav, a Dyson, and a handbag. They often do "Easy Pay" deals on some items, which often only last for a limited time. Typically, "Easy Pay" means payment will be spread over 3 or 4 months, or for smaller items, occasionally the "Easy Pay" is over 2 months.

Every day there is a different "Today's Special Value". This is an item that is reduced for 24 hours only, from 12am. You can get some pretty good deals here, for example a few weeks ago I bought some stretchy pearl bracelets for £16, when the normal selling price would have been £28. The TSV for today is a LCD TV. The normal selling price is £1307, but today it is £1080 - it is also on "Easy Pay", so that's in 4 instalments of £270. For comparison purposes, this model of TV is currently for sale on Dixons.com for £1299.

Delivery:-

I have never had a problem with delivery from QVC. Their confirmation emails usually state that delivery will be in 5 to 7 working days, however in practice I have found that most products are delivered within 3 working days. We always pay by card; I imagine delivery may take longer if you pay by cheque. Delivery costs are reasonable - small pieces such as jewellery generally cost £2.95 - £3.95 in delivery; the TV mentioned above has delivery costs of £19.95. Delivery costs have to be paid up front in the case of Easy Pay deals, and is non refundable in the case of returns. QVC deliver to mainland UK, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, Western Europe and Nordic countries.

Products:-

I have found their products to be of consistently high value. I love the Honora pearls range, and the Diamonique range, in particular. There is a large variety of brands showcased on QVC; I can't say all of them are to my taste though, especially when it comes to the clothes! Well, you can't please everyone all the time.

Occasionally, you might have to join a waitlist to get a product, if it is out of stock but future stocks are expected in. You will not be charged for these goods until you actually receive them. If the item comes back into stock within 90 days of joining the waitlist, the goods will be despatched to you. If the item does not come back into stock, the order will be cancelled and QVC write or email you to let you know.

Returns:-

QVC are very good with returns - anything you are not happy with can be returned within 30 days for a full refund (minus the postage) providing it is in the original condition. If any item develops a fault within the first 6 months, QVC will repair or refund. My mum has returned a couple of purchases in the past, and refunds to her card have been very quick, despite the website warning that it could take up to 21 days to process a return.


Overall, I love QVC, as I'm sure you've realised by now. I sincerely recommend their products, if not the TV shows, and have not been able to fault their customer service.