Q Talk

[cosmic1]

The 1st products that I thought of that may have dropped off are GILI and Judith Ripka. I have bought nothing from GILI since LR left. There just isn't the buzz around it anymore, which is understandable. That was LR's baby and she spent a lot of time promoting it.

Judith Ripka's prices have been out of this world and I can rarely but anything that I like.

I use Wen and I still but just as much and I don't sense a lack of enthusiasm around it. The bad press may catch up though.

[glamwitch]

I agree with everything said in Havarti's excellent summary. But I'm wondering why QVC's management staff hasn't responded to their downturn in sales by (a) changing their business model, (b) being more responsive to customers' criticisms of what turns us off (too few brands and too little variety, etc.), or both. We tell QVC how we feel in these forums -- what do they ignore what we say? Why don't they recruit long-time and/or frequent customers for focus groups, where we could tell them what would rekindle our interest in their products and make us reopen our wallets? It's like they've chosen the course of action they're on and won't deviate from their plan, no matter what they hear from customers.

CEO George says QVC is counting on customers' loyalty to carry business forward. Well, Mr. George, if the Q keeps turning a deaf ear to what the public wants, even old-time diehard customers won't be loyal much longer. The migration is already happening...

[stevieb]

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@glamwitch wrote:

I agree with everything said in Havarti's excellent summary. But I'm wondering why QVC's management staff hasn't responded to their downturn in sales by (a) changing their business model, (b) being more responsive to customers' criticisms of what turns us off (too few brands and too little variety, etc.), or both. We tell QVC how we feel in these forums -- what do they ignore what we say? Why don't they recruit long-time and/or frequent customers for focus groups, where we could tell them what would rekindle our interest in their products and make us reopen our wallets? It's like they've chosen the course of action they're on and won't deviate from their plan, no matter what they hear from customers.

CEO George says QVC is counting on customers' loyalty to carry business forward. Well, Mr. George, if the Q keeps turning a deaf ear to what the public wants, even old-time diehard customers won't be loyal much longer. The migration is already happening...

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I read recently where they sent out a survey to a 'cherry picked' group of customers and among the questions asked were why they were watching and buying less...  Really Q? You had to ask? All you need to do is read these boards, as some of us have been telling you why... And we've been telling you for several years...

[stevieb]

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@Puppy Lips wrote:

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@depglass wrote:

I'm betting on WEN.  Huge, I tell you, huge.  GILI is a niche brand with questionable quality.  As for Dyson, Dell, they can do nicely without QVC.  It?  Loreal would not have bought them if they were on a downward slope. 

I REPEAT, WEN. 

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That is a good guess, especially considering the lawsuits they are facing.  I bet many would stay away or cancel auto deliveries from WEN at the mere possiblity of hairloss.

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It could be, but a reading of those forums shows many of 'the faithful' minimizing the problem, demeaning the sources cited, and otherwise clearly denying (or in denial...) that there's a problem... So some of them aren't being swayed and who knows how many are...

I'd guess the dew is off quite a few of QVC's former 'roses'... It seems unlikely that those brands they've been literally beating to death for the past several years (Ripka, Dooney, Dell, Dyson and so on...) could possibly be selling as they once did... What mystifies me is how the 'suits' can convince the major stockholders they had no idea this was going to happen... Common sense would tell you that anything repeated endlessly is eventually going to result in product saturation... Who knows, maybe they simply didn't care... Perhaps they were banking so much in the way of bonuses and salaries that when the well goes dry they're set for life anyway... Hmmm...

[Q4u]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@Q4u wrote:

I haven't purchased clothing in awhile because I've been so disappointed in sizing, fit, fabric, etc.....

BUT I recently bought 2 Joan Rivers TSVs.  I purchased 2 because I knew the boyfriend shirt (I have one in denim) and they offered it in faux suede/moleskin (my favorite fabric of all time)....  when they came, they came out of the packaging soft, drapey and gorgeous!  Very well made, fit perfect (I sized down one complete size)...  I was SO happy I went ahead and ordered two.....

THEN, as I always do, I washed them (according to instructions) and hung them to dry.  They were a wrinkled mess....  I washed them on gentle again but this time I WRINKLES!  I tried ironing them (inside out with a wet cloth with a slightly higher heat) and although it was better, the fabric was horrible.... it was stiff and full of tiny wrinkles that I could NOT get out.  

I have faux suede/moleskin tops that are 20 years old.  They should wear like iron.... throw them in the washer and the dryer and take them out immediately and they still look new.  THIS fabric was awful.....

SO, I returned them at $6.98 per package.  $14.00 to return two items that IMHO were defective.  Either that or this fabric was developed because it was cheap to do so.  I even have faux suede from WalMart (5 years old) that looks better than these did.....

I've sewn since I was in Jr High.  I know fabrics.... I can't get over the extreme drop in quality in the fabrics being produced out there.... and then showcased on the Q.... what is going on out there??  

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@Q4u

How sad...what a bad experience---and I bet you paid a high price for that top too.....Quality has gone down in clothes at all retailers not just QVC, but a so called "designer line" at QVC should hold up better and for that price and have the quality that you should be able to expect!!!   I've had the same issues with a different QVC line of clothing (D&C)---it's sad when a 5 year old White Stag top from Wally World for $10 holds it color, doesn't stretch out or pill but a QVC top I paid $43 for doesn't......QVC just made a believer out of me to buy clothes locally!!!

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It's so disappointing.  I don't treat myself to $50 tops everyday much less buy two of them at the same time!  My Wally World faux suede were $14.95 each (I bought four of them, I remember!!)  

[Q4u]

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@TY wrote:

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@Puppy Lips wrote:

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@depglass wrote:

I'm betting on WEN.  Huge, I tell you, huge.  GILI is a niche brand with questionable quality.  As for Dyson, Dell, they can do nicely without QVC.  It?  Loreal would not have bought them if they were on a downward slope. 

I REPEAT, WEN. 

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That is a good guess, especially considering the lawsuits they are facing.  I bet many would stay away or cancel auto deliveries from WEN at the mere possiblity of hairloss.

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I think WEN is a good guess too. When the FDA issued a bulletin about WEN and hair loss that has got to be bad publicity that is bound to affect WEN's sales.

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I used WEN for about six months and lost hair.  I was astounded at pictures of me taken during that time where my hair looked flat and greasy.  I came to these boards and was practically tarred and feathered for even bringing it up......  it's not for everyone but there are obviously those who love it.  My hair grew back in (I was lucky) but it took months to see it and what a relief....

[sueeich]

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@libbyannE wrote:

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@Q4u wrote:

I hadn't been to an Outlet Mall in several years and decided to drive to one a few months ago.... a Coach store.  Empty Mall, half the stores were gone.  The Coach store was not the crowded, grabbing store I remembered... empty, really low prices.  Selection wasn't much but I don't think they stocked it well because the Mall just doesn't get many people

Sad.....  hope it turns around but many of the Malls (big and little) just aren't doing well here or within an hour's drive.  

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What happened to Coach, besides the decline in designer handbag sales well documented in the industry, is that, unlike Dooney, they started making a different and obviously cheaper line of bags for the outlet stores. We gave a good outlet mall nearby, but I don't even bother to go into coach. 

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I loved Coach 20 years ago.  I hate spending a lot of money on something only to be used as free advertising.  Coach used to make very basic, high quality leather handbags with minimal advertising.  Then they moved away from the all-leather bags to the fabric bags with the "C" logo all over them.  Personally, I think all of those bags are ugly and I refuse to provide the company with free advertising.  And, yes, the Coach outlets are a joke.  

[GinaV24]

@stevieb well people will believe what they want no matter the facts in evidence it seems.  I'll bring up a similar example of NASCAR hoping I won't be run off if I admit that I am a former NASCAR fan.  The new management there made a bunch of really awful decisions, built cookie cutter tracks and insisted that a generic car would be great. Sound familiar?  Many fans didn't agree and howled rather loudly, but were constantly told by the management and by the media that WE just didn't get it and we'd learn to like it.  Any guess how that worked out?  NASCAR's attendance and tv ratings have been in the tank for the past 8 years at least.  The "old" fans who were essentially told to shut up and like it or leave, took the option to leave.  Funny how that works.  Annoy your customer base and then wonder why they stop spending $ or showing up.  yeah that's a great business model.  Again very familiar.  Coca Cola is one of the few companies that was fast to correct an issue.  When they introduced "new coke" and took away regular old Coke and people screamed like they had been scalded, well, they correctly realized that giving the customer what they wanted was a smart thing.  It's a shame that so many other companies  (and other institutions too) insist that they are right in the face of facts that say it isn't working!

[Q4u]

I agree regarding Coach making "special" handbags for their outlet stores.  I also believe that Dooney did the same thing, as well as making special TSVs for QVC.

There was/is a difference in the overall handbag quality compared to what is sold at Nordstroms.  I used to buy D & B's at Nordstroms and still have one.  The difference in quality is actually astounding.  But not only that, Coach has literally bombarded the handbag field with handbags.... utter glut... not only Outlets, every major store you can think of, their website as well as the resale market .  Dooney didn't quite do this and their core fan base has hung in there and is still interested (even with QVC's offerings) while Coach's core fan base seems to have gone away.

It's been interesting watching all this business acumen on display because I'm seeing the same thing happening to Michael Kors.  I resell these handbags (when I can get them) and NO ONE is buying Coach or MK like they did even a year ago.  I haven't purchased Coach for resale in nearly two years.  I have a couple of MK items up and haven't sold them.  A year or so ago they would've been gone in weeks.  

[stevieb]

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@GinaV24 wrote:

@stevieb well people will believe what they want no matter the facts in evidence it seems.  I'll bring up a similar example of NASCAR hoping I won't be run off if I admit that I am a former NASCAR fan.  The new management there made a bunch of really awful decisions, built cookie cutter tracks and insisted that a generic car would be great. Sound familiar?  Many fans didn't agree and howled rather loudly, but were constantly told by the management and by the media that WE just didn't get it and we'd learn to like it.  Any guess how that worked out?  NASCAR's attendance and tv ratings have been in the tank for the past 8 years at least.  The "old" fans who were essentially told to shut up and like it or leave, took the option to leave.  Funny how that works.  Annoy your customer base and then wonder why they stop spending $ or showing up.  yeah that's a great business model.  Again very familiar.  Coca Cola is one of the few companies that was fast to correct an issue.  When they introduced "new coke" and took away regular old Coke and people screamed like they had been scalded, well, they correctly realized that giving the customer what they wanted was a smart thing.  It's a shame that so many other companies  (and other institutions too) insist that they are right in the face of facts that say it isn't working!

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See, this is what gets me Gina... @GinaV24... The feedback has been there... The evidence has been there... Their financials haven't been exactly glowing for quite some time... BUT THEY DID NOTHING... Why? Why did it have to come down to having to spin-doctor a series of marginal financials that then deteriorated to really lousy financials to make them start asking why...?  And why are they just now asking...? And do they really even need to ask at all...? All the feedback they need has been right here for the taking... Frankly, it's rather unbelievable and, in my book, unacceptable... The 'corner suite' should be very glad I'm not Chairman of the Board...