9malls.com review of SmartBargains.com Rating: ***1/2 3.5 out of 5 stars Web site: http://www.SmartBargains.com Company History: SmartBargains.com has been around since 1999 having over 2 million satisfied customers since then. In a press release on prnewswire.com SmartBargains.com states, "On average, SmartBargains.com customers will buy two to three items, spend $120 - $150, while saving $250 - $300, in a seven minute shopping experience." Read article here. Read other SmartBargains.com press releases. Review: I want to rate SmartBargains.com four out of five stars so bad, but I just can't. The name indicates that they must carry some amazing bargains, but many times fail to deliver that promise. SmartBargains.com carry items generally in the price range you would expect to pay at Amazon.com or Overstock.com. Positives: Deals of everything you can imagine. Very attractive site and easy to navigate. Negatives: I want to like the items SmartBargains.com lists, but too often either the styles are too old or too expensive for a "bargain" site. I would like to see more doorbuster type deals on top notch name brand stuff. May be it's the fact that the name SmartBargains.com creates a biased in my mind that they will list unbeatable bargains, but regardless of the exact reason I haven't become a frequent shopper of their site. The biggest factor of all might be is Smart Bargains high $8.95 standard shipping rate. Overstock.com becomes a much more attractive option when looking at this number with lower everyday shipping and similar prices. Returns: Here are some interesting facts I've found about return policies. This is from eMediaWire.com, "Amazon deducts 20-50% for certain returns after 30 days. SmartBargains.com will keep any goods returned twice after 30 days, and provide no credit for such items. Buy.com's "Easy Returns" policy is over 1400 words long. OfficeDepot.com only offers identical exchanges on laptops, digital cameras, PDAs, projectors, and handheld computers returned within 14 days. New for 2006: In-store, without a receipt, technology items are only exchangeable for the same item. Target offers no returns without a receipt, but will search their system for one." This is what makes stores like Costco so wonderful the yearly membership fees IS YOUR WARRANTY. Difficult return policies like the ones described above are one of my pet peeves with retailers. Stores like Best Buy after they sell you something they make it sound like your crazy if you don't by their super expensive additional warrantees. Back to 9malls.com |
