topic Re: Food = Perishable in Suggestion Box

Food = Perishable

KateLynninAZ — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 20:47:24 GMT

In June, I ordered the Lindt Lindor truffles with the intent of adding them to food baskets I put together every December. The shipping address is in Phoenix, AZ which is one of the most heat sensitive areas in the country and recently this trend continued. Whereas many locations in the country are getting snow, we exceeded 80+ degrees this past week. . . the same week that the Lindt Lindor truffles were being delivered. UPS dropped the box in the early evening, meaning it sat within a hot metal truck all day. The chocoloates were a blobby goopy mess. There was no markings on the box of it being perishable. Why? If QVC is selling a product to all locations of the country, they need to be sensitive to the logistics of the location. Cynthia in Customer Service was very nice and credited the order vs. my having to return the unusable mess which is now a waste. Over the summer months, QVC sold salt water taffy -- same situation but it was 115 degrees and again, nothing marked "perishable". This is a waste of product, a waste of time, not to mention the impacts to the environment with shipping and such. Strongly suggest that QVC work with its vendors in not only shoving a product in front of consumers but also ensuring it is shipped and delivered properly -- otherwise, don't sell it.

Re: Food = Perishable

Desertdi — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 20:51:03 GMT

I live in Phoenix...and I don't order anything perishable (including makeup) from May thru October...

Re: Food = Perishable

LindaSal — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 20:58:51 GMT

I'm sorry but perhaps you should be more mindful of purchasing perishable food when you live in a very hot climate. I don't even order food online in the summer months and I live in New England.

Re: Food = Perishable

geezerette — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 20:59:27 GMT

I no longer order treats from QVC. My Lindt took a week and a half to reach me after it was shipped. Luckily, it happened to be when the weather all over was rather cool so they were ok.

The food vendors used to ship two day delivery. Now, perishable food takes as long as any other order.

I'll be making up my own gifts from now on.

Re: Food = Perishable

jlkz — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 21:26:16 GMT

@Desertdi

Just yesterday I was speaking with someone at 3 Color Specialists to order tubes of the lipstick color they have duplicated for me before. When he heard that we "might" arrive by mid-January in FL, he said they'd hold off sending until the 15th just because they didn't want the product to sit in the mailbox with 80 degree temps there.

Glad they care about their product.

Re: Food = Perishable

skatting44 — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 21:38:18 GMT

Some companies who sell confections do not ship during the summer months such as the Barley sugar from New England

Re: Food = Perishable

Kachina624 — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 21:51:41 GMT

@KateLynninAZ. It's unfortunate that it's so warm in Phoenix this year so that your order was a googy mess. I think most of the USA is not aware of that. You'll notice they don't sell the truffles in the summertime for that reason

Are you aware that all food products are shipped by vendors who are responsible for selecting the packaging? When a refund, such as yours, must be made the vendor is dinged for it.

Mine arrived in fine shape in Albuquerque.

Re: Food = Perishable

NYCLatinaMe — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 22:28:13 GMT

@KateLynninAZ I think QVC should take steps to protect the product in shipping, like including dry ice. I have received products with dry ice.

If QVC doesn't take steps to protect the products it ships, customers should not have to return them. Everything you say is reasonable.

And like @Desertdi wrote, another solution is for QVC to state it can't ship to ceratin locations or not offer it at all if it can't protect it.

I know some companies don't ship good chocolates in the summer to avoid the results you have. We have to wait for the cold weather to enjoy these or find them locally!

Re: Food = Perishable

NYCLatinaMe — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 22:33:15 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@KateLynninAZ. It's unfortunate that it's so warm in Phoenix this year so that your order was a googy mess. I think most of the USA is not aware of that. You'll notice they don't sell the truffles in the summertime for that reason

Are you aware that all food products are shipped by vendors who are responsible for selecting the packaging? When a refund, such as yours, must be made the vendor is dinged for it.

Mine arrived in fine shape in Albuquerque.

I think when QVC takes the order, it knows where it is going and what can happen. Other vendors do. This is just bad decision making by QVC. They could easily say they won't ship to certain locations or include dry ice. If they won't, then don't sell the product.

This kind of service tells me the company (QVC in this case) doesn't care about its customers' enjoyment of the products it sells. It only cares to sell. They know most people won't bother to return and "eat" the cost. I think it's disrespectful.

Re: Food = Perishable

deeva — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 22:37:02 GMT

I live in Arizona too. I don't order food or candles in the summer.

Re: Food = Perishable

Kachina624 — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 22:54:55 GMT

@NYCLatinaMe. QVC doesn't even accept food returns. If a customer is dissatisfied for any reason, they just issue a refund. Read my post above.

It has apparently been unreasonably warm in Phoenix. Most companies shipping probably assume it has cooled off there.

People would be miffed if vendors refused to ship to the Phoenix area.

Re: Food = Perishable

geezerette — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 22:55:20 GMT

I've never heard of QVC requiring a customer to return a food product they were unhappy with. They normally just give you a refund.

Re: Food = Perishable

Kachina624 — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 23:03:48 GMT

@NYCLatinaMe wrote:
@Kachina624 wrote:
@KateLynninAZ. It's unfortunate that it's so warm in Phoenix this year so that your order was a googy mess. I think most of the USA is not aware of that. You'll notice they don't sell the truffles in the summertime for that reason

Are you aware that all food products are shipped by vendors who are responsible for selecting the packaging? When a refund, such as yours, must be made the vendor is dinged for it.

Mine arrived in fine shape in Albuquerque.

I think when QVC takes the order, it knows where it is going and what can happen. Other vendors do. This is just bad decision making by QVC. They could easily say they won't ship to certain locations or include dry ice. If they won't, then don't sell the product.

This kind of service tells me the company (QVC in this case) doesn't care about its customers' enjoyment of the products it sells. It only cares to sell. They know most people won't bother to return and "eat" the cost. I think it's disrespectful.

@NYCLatinaMe. It's the vendors who know their product and are responsible for designing appropriate packaging and doing the shipping. They don't know the weather report for every city. It's normally cooler in Phoenix by now. A cold pack adds tremendously to costs to ship as they're insulated and can be very heavy. Usually reserved for meats and fish, more expensive products.

All people have to do is call CS.

Re: Food = Perishable

Venezia — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 23:05:17 GMT

@LindaSal wrote:
I'm sorry but perhaps you should be more mindful of purchasing perishable food when you live in a very hot climate. I don't even order food online in the summer months and I live in New England.

Blaming the customer is just wrong. QVC and the vendors need to know when they can ship to which areas, and package and label things appropriately.

I live in New England and recently had a shipment of Just Bagels take 5 days to reach me, three of those days sat in the UPS warehouse over a weekend, under who knows what conditions. They were completely stale. Just Bagels say they only ship Monday to Wednesday, but they shipped on a Thursday afternoon. They did this before in the summer and I received moldy blueberry bagels.

I contacted them that time and said UPS doesn't deliver on the weekend here. They were supposed to be shipped 2-day Perishable. They simply blamed QVC for determining the shipping method, but didn't explain WHY they shipped on a Thursday. So they do it again?

None of these things are the customers' fault.

Re: Food = Perishable

Kachina624 — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 23:34:17 GMT

@Venezia. I found the blueberry bagels mold very fast but I've kept the others in the fridge for up to two weeks and they were fine. I bet those UPS warehouses are unheated and rather cold. They may not have been fresh when shipped, despite their claims.

Re: Food = Perishable

Love my grandkids — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 02:00:06 GMT

@geezerette I only order treats from Amazon and never a problem. My DIL loves Lindor and last Christmas I ordered DS and DIL and family a huge batch. Arrived perfectly in So. Cal. in a short time.

Re: Food = Perishable

LindaSal — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 13:33:25 GMT

@Venezia I simply stated she should be more "mindful" as she did order them in June living in Phoenix. IMO you have to take some responsibility when you are the one who lives there and is well aware of the summer temperatures. If it ships from the vendor which many do, I guess maybe they should include dry ice but the customer also has to be willing to pay for that. I'm sure Phoenix has some lovely little chocolate shops that you can buy from locally and avoid the whole problem.

Re: Food = Perishable

geezerette — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 15:55:47 GMT

@Love my grandkids wrote:
@geezerette I only order treats from Amazon and never a problem. My DIL loves Lindor and last Christmas I ordered DS and DIL and family a huge batch. Arrived perfectly in So. Cal. in a short time.

@Love my grandkids

Thanks, but my Amazon orders take as long to get to me as most of my QVC orders so that wouldn't help.

I'll just stick to making my own gifts up from what I can source locally.

Re: Food = Perishable

Qvcmeow — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:06:06 GMT

QVC isn't actually shipping those food items; that's the vendor, and they decide whether to use dry ice and things of that nature.

Re: Food = Perishable

ROMARY — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:22:12 GMT

Either don't sell them at all in the Summer, OR don't ship to warmer states during the Summer.

Maybe offer them in the three or so Spring months and again in October, Nov., Dec. ..... next January, February.

Well, that's what I would think about if I were in charge.