This blogpost is coming to you in more of a warning rather than an encouragement to join in! More and more of us these days are shopping online, it so easy so why not!
Many online stores take on celebrity endorsements, as this encourages main stream shoppers to support their brand – with reality TV at an all time high, this is the perfect partnership (for them!)
So here’s my story…
For me, this was JustFAB and Kimora Lee Simmons. I love watching Kimora on all her shows, with one of her latest highlighting her new business venture with JustFAB.
Buzzed by watching an episode late one night, I went straight onto the site and before I knew it I was buying a bag. What I didn’t realise is that I was also agreeing to become a VIP member – that’s because I was not reading the T&C’s properly when signing up and I didn’t realise what I had committed myself to, until I received my purchase a few days later.
So as a VIP you get all items, be it shoes or bags for £35. And for each purchase you collect points, which works out to be 10 purchases x £35 you get a free pair of shoes worth £35. Simple.
Until you understand the small print. On the first of every month they send you an e-mail, detailing the purchases they recommend for you that month and by the 5th of the month you need to either have purchased or “skip the month”. If you don’t skip the month properly then your account will be debited £35 – to be redeemed against purchases the following time you shop.
At first I was making purchases, however I found the quality of product not as great as the images shown, but they did have an easy returns system so not a problem.
But after a few months, I was tired of all their e-mails, they were now sending me two to three a week! Therefore I was being very careful not to delete the one whereby you had to skip the month. Now I know what your thinking….why didn’t I just cancel. Well I had tried the time I phoned to return an item. The person at the end of the phone clearly had a script that he wasn’t allowed to move on from, so it simply failed. I also feel it was becoming a bit like a gym membership, you have one, because everyone else has one, and yet deep down you just wish to CANCEL!
So after a year of this stupid behaviour – I made a call. Determined just to go through to the cancel option and cancel. They threw everything at me, promising to reduce the e-mails, offered be extra discount. Offered me this and that – but I stayed strong. I canceled.
Huge relief.
And a big huge vow to myself to make sure I read properly what I’m signing up to if it’s more than just buying an item.
If this blog saves one person the hassle I’ve gone through, then my work here is done!!
