ShopNBC

Full review
For those of you who are not familiar with ShopNBC (probably you guys who don't shop much), ShopNBC is an on-line store, BUT the majority of us shopaholics know it from watching TV. ShopNBC is on most cable line-ups, and it is also shown on Dish Network and DirecTV. Of the Big Three home shopping venues, it is definitely #3 behind QVC and Home Shopping Network. Just to give "you guys" some background on what this is.......

I have ordered items from ShopNBC when it used to be called ValueVision. When NBC bought them out, the entire operation started going downhill.

I will have to say that they have improved the design of the web site. It is easy to navigate and the item descriptions are intuitive. ShopNBC also has some good promotional codes now and then. I really liked their $50 off any purchase $99 and over promotion, but, darn it, that has ended. Still, if you go to web sites like CouponMountain, you should be able to find a small discount code. Also, sign up at Mrrebates.com and you will get a percentage of your purchase refunded back to you.

Now to my complaint:

Your online experience with ShopNBC will vary depending upon what you order: I'm very satisfied with their jewelry selection and quality, but large items that turn out to be defective are another matter.

On August 14, 2005 I ordered a Keys Fitness treadmill on line. It was delivered by a freight company to my home on August 26. The ShopNBC 30 day customer satisfaction guarantee begins on the ORDER DATE (8/14) so you do not have much time to decide if you wish to keep your item.

It turns out my Keys treadmill was defective straight out of the box. After four telephone calls to Keys troubleshooting department, I finally got the first problem straightened out, where I could finally walk on the treadmill. After just 10 minutes of walking at 3 MPH, the motor burnt out on it.

My 30 days with ShopNBC was not up yet. I notified their customer service department, and they said they would get a Returned Goods Authorization from Keys and get back to me in 3 to 5 days. Three to 5 days came and went several times. I sent numerous emails and called many times and all I got were "canned" apologies. By this time, my 30 day time period was up and they tried to pass the buck to Keys Fitness. I was not going to let them get away with this as $800.00 is a lot of money to me.

I just wanted to return the treadmill and not have to pay freight since it was defective. After all, this treadmill weighed 271 lbs. and it would cost quite a bit for me to air freight it back on my dime. ShopNBC started disconnecting me every time I called them. I even sent letters by snail mail to the Vice President of ShopNBC's Customer Service Dept. It took filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and filing a dispute with my credit card company to get ShopNBC to finally pick up my defective treadmill.

Of course, I have yet to see a credit appear on my statement, so this matter may not be resolved yet.

I had purchased many jewelry items in the past with this company and I was pleased up until now. But before I never had to deal with their lousy customer service department.