Online Shopping In Oz, Slow and Painful Process

jimbobaus on 13/12/2013 - 10:04

So, This year i decided to give some local retailers a chance and place some online orders
A majority of the time i miss the deals in store as i am working the hours the stores are open etc… anyways i have noticed a trend of late in regards to online ordering in Oz,… ITS SLOW… With the exception of one or two (see below) i am yet to see an order despatch at least a week after placing it (when items in stock)

Here is where i am at with some retailers… you have any other experiences you like to share?

JB Hifi: On all three occasions it took me emailing them to get the items sent
Big W: 5 days to process an in stock order.
Dick Smith: over a week, took an email to get items posted.
Megabuy: Best so far… 2 days and it was posted (although i had to call the courier as they didn't put an address on the parcel at all )
Chemist Warehouse: I placed an order last week, it is still in "packing order" stage, will be contacting them today.

As for overseas retailers i find Amazon is fastest, Zavvi.com has improved and has gotten very good now.
I also buy from firebox.com and society6.com they can be slow, but always arrive. Society 6 has NO CUSTOMER SUPPORT and i have had one parcel go missing and i am having no end of trouble getting it found.

Any one else have some good or bad experiences to share?

General Discussion

Comments

  • sparkles on 13/12/2013 - 10:16
    +2

    Have to agree, ordering from overseas can sometimes arrive before an Australian store has even dispatched (or cancelled on you). If they are trying to compete, people will only give them one chance and then go back to what works - which are the likes of Amazon and even eBay.

    I have found JB to be on the better side, items always arrive pretty promptly unless they don't have it in stock, and then it can take ages. In terms of clothing and shoes, Country Road are good and very efficient. Oroton are OK as well.

    But don't buy from Big W, Dick Smith or Target if you want your stuff anytime soon.

    • Baghern on 13/12/2013 - 13:33

      JB Hifi does this dodgy, send a copy of your license… through EMAIL… process now.

      • jimbobaus on 13/12/2013 - 15:46

        And the items are picked and posted by your "local store" which is probably why it takes so long.. i am yet to go into a store and not see it packed with people, they probably have no time to do it.

        Harvey Norman are the same apparently

        • _Bruce_ on 13/12/2013 - 16:00
          +2

          If they don't have time, why do they have time a week later? Either do it or don't.

      • Marrk on 14/12/2013 - 00:01
        +2

        I work for an online store that does this too. Don't like it? Blame all of the scum out there, placing orders with stolen credit card / PayPal details etc.

        The victim who has had their details stolen usually gets the funds reversed back into their account, and the business is left out of pocket. Businesses are therefore being forced to implement their own order verification processes.

    • nikey2k27 on 13/12/2013 - 21:55
      -2

      I know what u mean total about Aus online real need look Amazon online big w 3 weeks at time Dick smith take 2 weeks google play store take month so far for my Neux 5 from play store. if shop online i want yesterday.

  • Prettyinpink on 13/12/2013 - 10:28
    +1

    She's Electric - full priced items - Postage is ok (Maybe 3 days) Not fast or slow. Sale items - very slow (5 days) AND I WAS THE FIRST ORDER PLACED. People who placed orders after me received their items first.
    Bing Lee - Super fast. Lightening fast - 2 days.
    The Iconic - 3 days which I find slow considering The Iconic raves about their postage time. Otherwise I would have said average.
    David Jones - amazing. I love their online store. 2 days maximum regardless of what time I placed the order.
    Witchery - average. 3 days or so.
    Wanted Shoes - very very slow. 7 business days or so.
    Woolworths and Coles - fast postage - next day delivery - but can have issues with what is actually delivered.

    I would rather have cheaper postage than receive things really fast. Netaporter is 4 days but you pay $30 while Asos is 6 days and free.
    David Jones is definitely faster than any overseas retailer I have used. 6 days is short for overseas retailers so all my Australian orders (sans Wanted Shoes) are received before then.
    I HATE paying for postage and receiving things just before an international retailer which was free.

  • twinbag on 13/12/2013 - 10:30

    Officeworks are great, next day delivery.

  • _Bruce_ on 13/12/2013 - 10:37
    +1

    What I don't understand is - why?

    It takes the same amount of time to pick and pack the order regardless of when you do it. If they have a christmas rush on and the work is too much for a few days it makes sense, but why do these retailers always take this long? Why not just catch up and stay on top of the orders?

    Only thought I have is that they use this to run low stock levels. If someone buys the item from a store in that week they can replace it with the online order, in the mean time the replacement stock is already on the way. So 'in stock' actually means 'I want to hold this in case someone walks into a sote'.

    • pax on 13/12/2013 - 10:55

      I think the same thing occurs in that the vendor keeps no, or little stock on the expectation their supplier has it in warehouse stock, so they need to wait for it to come to them before dispatching. This happened for me with a PCCG order. I am fairly OK with that though as the RAM I ordered was DDR2.

      I ordered with OzCableGuy the other day and just missed the daily cut off for same day shipping. I received an email from them letting me know as such and that it would be dispatched the next day. It was then delivered the day after, so I am more than impressed.

      Pax

  • lancedefrance on 13/12/2013 - 11:01

    Had a really bad experience with Dell, it takes over two weeks to deliver a laptop. I sometimes think that I should have just bought it from ebay instead.

  • Shibuya on 13/12/2013 - 11:15

    Have to agree with OP, I tried to purchase locally to put me 2 cents in to help the economy and all I get in return is more headache with chasing up my purchases. The most recent experiences……

    Target - click and collect it over 2 weeks and had to chase them up three times, shipping was from their warehouse in the Western suburbs (I think Altona) to Glen Waverley Target. At one stage it got lost in transit by Aust post.

    Harvey Norman - click and collect - bought the 2 x $2 iphone cases took 2 weeks, 3 phone calls to chase up the status and one store visit when I was told that my cases weren't ready yet even though I was told by someone at the store that my products were there and ready for pick up. In the end they had to post out my cases free of charge.

    • sparkles on 13/12/2013 - 18:15
      +1

      Target Click and Collect is a hideously slow process, and wasteful to boot. They ship things to the store in huge packaging all the while the same item is sitting on the shelves about 20 metres away. I won't use it again.

  • retiredfeline on 13/12/2013 - 11:19
    +5

    Appliancesonline.com.au have been good for me, they deliver the whitegood within the window when they say they will.

    • pax on 13/12/2013 - 11:23

      ditto.

    • mafmouf on 13/12/2013 - 12:15

      Who would have thought things happen when they are supposed to? But yea I had a similar positive experience and was very happy. In fact, they were quite co-operative in redirecting the item to my work because of the window not suiting me.

    • Yarkin on 13/12/2013 - 14:59
      +3

      Why not just use the door??

      • mafmouf on 16/12/2013 - 15:13
        +1

        Delivery instructions:
        1. Open window.
        2. Throw in fridge.

  • SirFlibbled on 13/12/2013 - 12:20

    Yep. It's quicker to order stuff from Amazon then it is a local company. I don't often order stuff from AU companies for this reason.

    Ordered a shower curtain from DealsDirect. Took over 2 weeks to arrive.

    Ordered Man of Steel from Big W last Sat and it still hasn't dispatched.

    Mind you Good Guys can be excellent even with their silly system of getting the closest store to you to post it. I ordered a Navibot from them last Thursday. I had it on Saturday.

  • Almost Banned on 13/12/2013 - 12:24

    In my single experience I found DSE not too bad for my home theatre in a box.
    I have found stuff coming from Hong Kong/China (Banggood/Tmart and Ebay) lately to be very slow.
    I was stunned by how fast I got stuff from Macy's recently.
    It is a bit hit and miss but postage is unquestionably the one main thing that is holding back e-commerce IMHO. If it wasn't for the extra time and cost I would be buying most stuff on the internet.

  • c64 on 13/12/2013 - 13:11

    pick ups from target click & collect take about 2 weeks iirc

    the only time i ordered from cotd is was slow (~2 weeks?)

    orders from china takes about 3 weeks.

    most other australian companies i have found to be quick.

  • kabigon on 13/12/2013 - 18:57
    +1

    What a lot of online stores don't get is that most customers don't mind if there's a bit of a delay, as long as they are kept in the loop.

    If something has unexpectedly high demand, tell us* with a revised timeframe. *Tell us = an email to every account holder affected, it's not good enough for someone to have to login to their account to find out that there's an issue.

    OzBers probably know the feeling of having multiple orders processing at once and wondering what's happening with them all, I love RightStuf's "We're Working On It" emails. They send you a reminder email every week if an order hasn't yet been shipped. Sure it's automated, and not hard to implement but it's one the little things they do that make it a pleasure to order from them.

    Another pet hate is reps on OzBargain that don't respond when clearly a lot of customers are having the same issue, especially if we can see that they've recently logged in. Ignoring the issue will not make it go away as it may have in the past (any retailer can be searched for on OzB for example).

    Dick Smith seem to be serial offenders (haven't ordered from them online for a while, but from what I've read nothing much has changed over the last year or more). No communication (have to login to account to see that something is wrong), long phone wait times, inconsistent messages once you do get through etc. Other stores take note and do the opposite.

    Perfect example of good communication is the Sony Powerbank deal. Not only did JB honour all orders for a price error, they emailed customers repeatedly explaining the situation and let them know how to cancel and when they could expect delivery if they wanted to keep the order. Five stars.

    • lancedefrance on 14/12/2013 - 17:25

      Agree with you there, DSE was bad, ordered a laptop was showing in stock. Waited 2 weeks and nothing rang them up was told that they dont have any left yet clearly on the site was showing that they were still processing the order. They gave me a refund as they had no stock left, refund took a few days to clear so all up negative experience with no purchase :(

  • 8ball inc on 13/12/2013 - 19:47

    Agreed. Have ordered twice from Eastbay.
    Placed order on Thursday evening and received Monday / Tuesday.
    Pretty impressive for delivery from the US!

  • CMichael on 13/12/2013 - 21:15

    Shopping for clothes, I've had great experiences with Citybeach, Surfstitch, Universal Store on many occasions.
    Glue store was the only one that took more than the advised days to process my order, but luckily I don't shop there often (overpriced).

    With electrical items, my local DSE click and collect actually worked perfectly for me, received an email confirmation and a phone call from the store.
    Harvey Norman took 2 emails and a phone call to get anything moving.

    PC Case Gear I shop at quite frequently often regardless of price difference just for their great customer service and prompt delivery, when I don't go to pick up.

  • epicaricacy on 13/12/2013 - 21:45

    Kogan - rubiks cubes, so far 3 weeks and not yet got them!
    DSE - fast. Normally a few days later
    Tmart, ShoppingSquare etc - I often forget I ordered something it takes so long. For example, a 94c dual car USB charger I forgot. Turned up 10 weeks later!
    Globe - excellent

  • YTW on 14/12/2013 - 01:30
    +1

    I agree. I thought I'd support local retailers and have decided it was a bad idea. If they are seriously keen for our business then why on earth are they providing such lousy service?? They could easily beat OS retailers on postage time and costs alone, yet none of them bother.

    Big W - ordered on the 20 November, got email saying to expect delivery between 22-25th November. Got another email today saying order is being prepared and to expect deliver between 22-25th November. Severely irritated at their lousy system, no updates or explanations as to why it is taking so long (will take about 25+ days by the time I get it…if I ever do) and crappy updates that give the wrong information. That was my first and last order with Big W.

    Woolworths online shopping - NEVER. AGAIN. They stuffed up my deliveries, stuffed up dealing with my complaint multiples times. Ended up having to blast them on FB and via email multiple times before they actually corrected their mistakes. Two phone calls, about 8 emails and 2 FB rants. 3 broken promises and one pissed off customer.

    Target - slow. Stupid packaging. Didn't mind it for getting the odd thing when I couldn't make it into the store when a special was on, but now that you have to do $50 minimum I don't even bother looking.

    Kogan - ok delivery time. Faulty lens. Never bothered trying to return it as life was too chaotic at that point to add more stress.

    Virtu (ladies clothing) - delivery times a bit slow (takes about a week to get something, sometimes longer), but delivery is free and returns are always processed quickly and without any hassle. Website is easy to use. So overall I don't mind shopping with them.

    Pumpkin Patch - delivery time ok (anywhere from 3-7 days). Advertised discounts often don't show up on website in your basket (has happened to me a few times) which is a bit irritating. Often fixed later on, after complaints no doubt. Otherwise fairly hassle free.

    GoToddler (baby stuff) - had ok experience years ago. Then had a minor problem due to a glitch in their system which was handled very badly by them. The woman dealing with me was very rude and downright horrible to me, she also failed to give me the correct information on multiple occasions. I noticed that anyone who leaves them bad feedback gets attacked and they HAVE to have the last word.

    Eco Child - Great. Lovely people. They actually rang me to warn me that there had been a delay in their shipment so there would be a delay of a day or two in getting my order to me. Order took about 5 days to arrive, but that was with delay. They are a small business so have a nice, personal touch.

    Deals Direct - I've had multiple good experiences with them. Have ordered all sorts of things (rugs, small items, garden furniture) and had no trouble with delivery (usually within a week). My only gripe would be about a frying pan I ordered. It never arrived, I forgot about it and then remembered about 6 wks or so later. Looked it up and the order was just sitting in limbo as they had no stock (and none coming it). Had to chase them up to get a refund - that should have happened automatically.

  • normanwall on 14/12/2013 - 09:31

    I've had pretty poor experience with postage from anywhere unfortunately. But it seems like when I buy stuff from Australian businesses they're not even bothering to send it out within the first few days after I purchase, which just means I'll order somewhere cheaper next time(overseas if it's cheaper).

    Had that from an online grocery store - over a week for a small order, a few ebay online shops have done the same thing. There is no urgency even if I pay for faster postage.

    I've ordered a jacket as a gift from Amazon, took about 5 emails to the seller and a livechat with an Amazon support person until they correctly updated the international postage details so I could purchase, but they were helpful and replied promptly. Fingers crossed I get it before Xmas

    Kogan - ordered a Rubix cube, and completely forgot about it, still hasn't showed up weeks later

  • hallo123 on 14/12/2013 - 09:46

    Can’t say I’ve noticed this. I make an occasional local order (maybe 1/3 to 1/4 of the time), and items are dispatched at reasonable shipping times.

    Dick Smith couple of times, Clean Conscience (Tasmania), Budget Pet Solutions, Shaver Shop, Appliances Online. Pushys.com.au, Ryda.com.au. All good.

    Exceptions: Catch of the Day took a few weeks.

    Amazon stuff tends to take a week. Ozgameshop 7-10 days. Xtremeguard as well.

    Now, Wiggle (UK) on the other hand: amazing shipping times.

    Since “local companies” are being lumped into a group, try dealextreme.com shipping times.

  • burningrage on 14/12/2013 - 12:32

    Bought some stuff from USA. Delivery via myus.com on Friday yesterday. Looks to arrive on Monday at this stage. If it does, shame on oz Post.

  • Flying Ace on 14/12/2013 - 14:37

    I don't even bother with buying stuff from Australian online stores. I buy clothes from ASOS in the UK fairly regularly. Dispatched same day - free postage (unless I splash $10 for the express in which case it arrives within three days). Fantastic service, it's no wonder the Aussie stores are all crying poor.

    • Prettyinpink on 14/12/2013 - 19:56
      +1

      Not to mention the super cheap postage when returning items.
      Temando does it for Asos for well under $10 PER BAG regardless of size and weight.

  • sonic2011 on 14/12/2013 - 22:45

    My experience:

    BigW: Slow - Non professional packaging (items arrived with damage boxes) - need to return the item locally.
    Target / JBHiFi / DSE / TGG: Slow
    CoTD: As you know REALLY Slow. Do not trust their picture / images. Just buy their reputable brand.
    Woolworth Online Shopping: Delivered as time frame but Missing items
    ShoppingExpress / Rivers: Fast delivery
    Officeworks: Immediately

    Amazon / The Hut: Fast shipping (acceptable for overseas shipment)
    Tmart: Slow - need to emailed them few times

  • Baghern on 16/12/2013 - 13:38

    Not all are bad some of the small online retailers who have focused on online shopping do real well.

    Its just that most Aust stores have only made half hearted attempts at it, are unwilling to take a loss to build up reputation.

    Woolworths increased prices for online shopping is hilarious for a big company. Looking for short term chump change, and ignoring the huge profits possible in the long term.

    Places like ASOS, Wiggles, Amazon made huge losses for years.

  • branners on 16/12/2013 - 13:39

    Wife and I have been buying so much stuff online this Christmas that the Aus Post delivery guys just said, "See ya tomorrow" when he dropped some stuff off this morning.
    Agree with much of what has been written, but can I drop in a plus for Hallenstein's? Like the products, expertly packed and fast delivery from NZ to Aus — plus they drop in a chocolate in every order I have had. Excellent!

    • mafmouf on 16/12/2013 - 15:19

      Never quite understood the meaning of adding a little sweet in there or something. Maybe somewhere in a long lost Udemy lecture.

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