Financial Woes?

AddictedtoQ · ‎05-23-2010

Read the article written by the Philadelphia Business Journal about the financial woes at Q. One suggestion to help viewers and sales would be to totally revamp the return process. It takes forever to get a refund.

Q really needs to adopt the return model used by Amazon, not to mention the free shipping with Amazon Prime. Refunds are amazing too: Request the refund online, choose whether you want a refund to your credit card or an Amazon credit. (I always choose the Amazon credit for simplicity and speed.) Print out your mailing label, and take the return item to a UPS store where they scan it. In most cases, before I even arrive back home (20 minutes away) I get the text saying my purchase price has been refunded and I have my Amazon credit. I've usually spent that refund within a day or two. I really encourage Q to step up and adapt this model. A business needs to be competitive. Your customers would love it.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@AddictedtoQ. This ma6 come as a shock but QVC has a similar process. Have you read the return instructions lately? They've changed and now include using a QR code that's scanned by the USPS/UPS. I wouldn't say it's as fast as Amazon but it's much improved. Update yourself.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

KittySoftPaws · ‎07-21-2020

I disagree, on revamping it to the likes of Amazon. Too much risk for abuse by the buyer. As a business, it's a risk to refund someone before the product is returned and verfied. Amazon is way bigger and can afford some losses.

Aside from that, one thing I wish they would do is what HSN, their sister co. does, and that is the item can be exchanged right from their site. You select the exchange, they send it out, and then give you a certain amount of time to return the other item before you would get billed for it. So it's reserved right away versus returning it for an exchange like the Q does.

By the time Q gets the return/exchange, the item color or size you need will be gone. Or worse, they don't read the return slip that says "exchange" and simply refund you. They do this a lot. All that being said, returns cost a company a lot of money. And Q is no different than most companies in that it can take 7-10 business days to process a refund. Comparing them to Amazon is not fair or realistic.

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." Charles Dickens

Bhvbum · ‎07-18-2010

Amazon doesn't have the same business model that QVC has. When you buy a shirt from Amazon, have you seen it modeled on TV in a showroom, with the designer/vendor talking about all its features, as a model wears it?
Is it offered in petite and tall? How about extra small all the way to 3X? do they put together an outfit of complementing pieces? BTW, nothing is free, you want free shipping then you're going to have to pay for it somewhere else.

pdlinda · ‎10-23-2011

@KittySoftPaws You must have misunderstood the Amazon return procedure. You go on the app and indicate the item you want to return. They send you a QR code on the app. Then, you don't have to wrap the item or prepare any other paperwork. I take my return items to my local Whole Foods Mkt (where I normally shop). I RETURN THE ITEM and the clerk scans the QR code on my phone. By the time I return home, the credit is issued.

KittySoftPaws · ‎07-21-2020

@pdlinda I know this is an option with Amazon returns, I have done it before. My point is, there are many who do not return items this way, and Amazon has had issues with boxes being returned empty or otherwise damaged and unsellable. So it's a situation that is ripe for fraud, and I imagine costs them plenty. My point was the Q is nowhere in comparison to Amazon in size or profit. IMO. Q is a small company compared to them, and would go bankrupt if they took on that kind of liability. Again, IMO

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." Charles Dickens

Jaspersmom · ‎06-08-2011

We can debate Amazon vs. QVC, but we can all agree that QVC will have to do something different in order to survive. Their prices on most goods are no longer competive and adding S and H boosts costs even more. QVC once was the only game in town and yes, they stood for quality, VALUE and convenience. That no longer holds true.

Here are some things the company many want to think about:

1. Do we need a half hour for the first presentation of the TSV at midnight? Maybe for a computer, but sneakers? And talking about TSV's. Are they really? On the QVC home page, I'm STILL seeing the 17 inch HP laptop that was presented weeks ago. What's special about that?

2. Stop recycling the same items over and over again. This season was the worst in a many years. It seemed the same ten or so items were introduced in October and shown ad nauseum right up until this past week.

3. Prices are out of control. I tune in mostly for clothing items and everything is moving towards the 100 dollar mark. It really annoys me when I see an item that I have in my closet that I purchased years ago for well under 50 dollars that now is 70 plus. SAME ITEM. When LUG, for example, was first introduced a few years back, the prices were quite reasonable. They too are now 20, 30 and 40 dollars more.

I understand the cost of doing business has risen dramatically, but the consumers want to know that what they're spending is worth it. Nothing is particularly unique about QVC products as they once were.

4. And finally . . . something must be done about shipping and handling costs. I saw a Dooney and Burke bag yesterday and the S and H was nearly $13 dollars. Priced me right out of the game.

ellaphant · ‎12-13-2010

@KittySoftPaws wrote:
@pdlinda I know this is an option with Amazon returns, I have done it before. My point is, there are many who do not return items this way, and Amazon has had issues with boxes being returned empty or otherwise damaged and unsellable. So it's a situation that is ripe for fraud, and I imagine costs them plenty. My point was the Q is nowhere in comparison to Amazon in size or profit. IMO. Q is a small company compared to them, and would go bankrupt if they took on that kind of liability. Again, IMO

Amazon now does all the return boxing, etc.. You hand the person the item, they scan your return code. That's it. No fraud.

ellaphant · ‎12-13-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:
@AddictedtoQ. This ma6 come as a shock but QVC has a similar process. Have you read the return instructions lately? They've changed and now include using a QR code that's scanned by the USPS/UPS. I wouldn't say it's as fast as Amazon but it's much improved. Update yourself.

" update yourself "??? Are you kidding with the rudeness?

pigletsmom2 · ‎05-20-2025

I think the returns thing is interesting to debate. There are tons of people who buy just to return and with clothing being a big part of the Q items that can add up quick. There are probably a lot of people who would buy at least two sizes to try something ensuring constant returns and I can see why they'd want to keep that in check. Also I knew someone who returned like close to 20 boxes a week to the Q and HSN and it wasn't even clothing.

I do think the shipping fees are a different situation. If I'm buying something for 40 bucks and knew shipping was free at 50 then I'd probably just look around for something to add to my cart. I could spend close to 40 with shipping and tax and get nothing for that extra money or see if there's something for 10 dollars and I actually at least get something for it. People will absolutely buy more items if there's a reasonable minimum free shipping amount.