Debenhams wows shoppers with free delivery offer
Redefining the online shopping paradigm
Those of you wishing to take advantage of Debenhams' Summer Spectacular 25 per cent off e-commerce consumer frenzy will be delighted to learn that the store is offering an added incentive for punters to flash the plastic on the interwebs:
Nice one. Debenhams explains that its "new collect from store delivery option means you can now place an order online at debenhams.com for delivery to your local store within 5 working days" - and you won't be charged a single penny.
So, you've saved yourself the standard £3.99 delivery charge, and just have to physically go to Debenhams to pick up your purchase.
Be aware, though, of the following:
- After placing your online order you will need to wait until you receive an email from us informing you that your order is now ready for collection.
- To collect your order you must bring your order update email (or order number) and your payment card for customer verification. If someone else is collecting the order on your behalf, they must bring a copy of your update email (or order number) and additional ID in the form of: passport, driving licence, bank card, cheque guarantee card, pension book or proof of age card.
- Please note you must collect your order within 14 days of receiving your notification email.
Yes indeed, an entirely effortless process which should prove highly popular. ®
Bootnote
Thanks to Matt White for tip-off.
COMMENTS
Epic
Epic lack of understanding in comments.
It's not really free delivery if you have to go and pick it up, is it?
Debenhams - worst online shopping experience ever
Just bought some furniture from debenhams online and having a complete nightmare with it.
Ordered in store using debenhams gift cards to pay (had several cards, but couldn't use them all online as the stupid web site only accepts one per order).
Delivered to home. Opened packaging and found damaged items (after delivery person had legged it) - looks like caused by rough handling in transit.
Called debenhams - they offered 10% discount to keep damaged goods - said we wanted a replacement, not damaged goods. Told none in stock, asked to call back 5 days later to see if they had any then.
Called 5 days later - good news, now in stock. Great we say, please send replacement and collect damaged ones.
OK they say but you've got to pay for new ones first, and then when we get damaged ones back we'll refund back onto the gift card. Hang on we say, thats crap, can't the same person collect old ones and deliver new ones. No, they say (even though it is the same company doing it).
Also, we say, we don't have the gift card - the store kept it. OK they say, we'll send a new one to you (after we get the goods back).
But, we say that means we'll have ended up paying cash, not with the gift card we wanted to use. Tough, is the response.
OK we say, in that case cancel the order and collect the damaged goods, and send us a new gift card. And we can't take a day off to wait for the courier, so make it a saturday collection.
OK, they say.
As it happens I'm working from home the following Tuesday - and a woman turns up at the door saying 'I'm here to collect something (don't know what) for debenhams'. Oh I say, thought you were coming Saturday. Nope, she replies - doesn't say that in the collection details debenhams gave us.
Oh, well I say, you're here now - this is the item to collect.
I can't take that she says - I've only got a car and the weight limit is 17kg. You'll have to call debenhans again.
Called debenhams - they said oh, thats odd - yes it is still booked for a saturday collection (8am - 8pm). Call us after 8pm on Saturday if it hasn't been collected.
We notice their customer service line shuts at 8pm - so call at 7.55pm saturday to say we've been waiting all day and nobody has arrived to collect.
Oh, they say - we'll rebook it - but actually we can't collect on saturdays, or tell you what day it will be collected.
You bastards we reply - who do we complain to. Dunno, they say.
Since then I've been working from home for nearly 2 more weeks, no collection, despite frequent calls to find out why not. Just fobbed off with 'I'm sure it will be collected in the next day or two'.
The only alternative they'll offer is for us to take it back to the local store ourselves - but it is heavy and we can't lug it up the road from the car park to the store.
Truly the worst online shopping experience I've ever had, and the last time we consider using debenhams online.
It isn't delivery to the local store they need to be doing - it is a complete overhaul of their customer service and home delivery services.
Take them to court
Take them to small claims court - it really is painless and they will almost certainly simply not turn up so you just go along and collect the order for them to pay - if they don't pay, you can get a debt collection agency to just go along to a store and recover the value in goods.
(IANAL!)
At last
Finally my faith in El Reg Commentards is restored.
I thought I had fallen into some bizarro dimension where no one could read a Reg article properly anymore.
Thank you.
I assume this is an ironic reply to my comment
I have no doubt that you could replace Debenhams with the the names of many other brands.
The key point, in my reading of this, was not that Debenhams are offering a service that lots of other providers are offering but the irony of them headlining their new service which involves not having to pay a delivery charge if you collect from the store.
You are quite right in pointing out that lots of retailers offer this - in fact, I dont know (off the top of my head) of any retailer which levies a delivery charge if you want to turn up and purchase something at the store. I even tried it out at my newsagent this morning. Amazingly he didnt add a delivery charge for the newspaper I was going to carry out of the door.
Is this new technology wonderful.
Yes, you can even do it at Argos, but that wasnt (in my reading) the point of this article.
Since when has it been acceptable advertising crappage to say there is no delivery charge if you collect from the store? The very concept is madness.
That people are having a serious debate about how sensible and useful this is makes the mind boggle.
