Shopping Savvy Online

We’re shopping more online than ever before. But service varies wildly. Even big name retailers have struggled to keep up with pandemic related demand, and then Brexit happened. Which are the best sites for service, prompt delivery and easy returns? How can you avoid making expensive mistakes? What can you do if it all goes wrong? Woman’s Way is on the case, with all the tips, tricks and know-how to make you a pro at shopping online.

We’re shopping more online than ever before. But service varies wildly. Even big name retailers have struggled to keep up with pandemic related demand, and then Brexit happened. Which are the best sites for service, prompt delivery and easy returns? How can you avoid making expensive mistakes? What can you do if it all goes wrong? Woman’s Way is on the case, with all the tips, tricks and know-how to make you a pro at shopping online.

Outside of moaning about the lockdown, it feels like our main preoccupation these days is online deliveries, or lack thereof. “Any news?” we ask. “Well, that duvet cover I ordered before last summer finally arrived.”

For those of us stuck at home, unable to buy so much as a new pair of knickers, the combination of Brexit and the increased demand caused by lockdowns, both here and in the UK, created the perfect storm. Horror stories abound, made worse by the fact that there’s not much else going on in our lives.

 A promised delivery is the highlight of our day, nay week! And then it doesn’t arrive. So we send an email to what feels like a virtual dumping ground full of similar emails. Eventually we get an email back asking for the order number, which we already provided in the first email. And we just know we’re talking to a computer program rather than a real human being.  

Or perhaps the delivery does show up and it’s nothing like what we expected, or the quality is shoddy. Then we discover we have to pay to return it. If it’s a UK site, post-Brexit, we need to make a customs declaration at the post office. What’s even more infuriating is that we thought we were buying from an Irish site because it was a greatshop.ie and not a greatshop.co.uk or a greatshop.com.

We could give up. But sometimes there are things we actually need, or we want to cheer up an elderly relative living on their own, or a friend who is struggling. Dammit sometimes we need that thrill of hearing the doorbell ring, heralding the arrival of a lovely new whatever to brighten a dreary day.

So read on, and discover how to shop online with confidence.

The Big Online Brands

We can and should expect shops that were set up as online enterprises to offer prompt delivery, easy returns and excellent customer service. Generally they do, although Brexit has slowed things down and some people were hit with customs charges, out of the blue. It would seem most of these issues have been resolved, at least at the companies who do nothing other than sell online. 

Amazon.co.uk

The grand-daddy of online shops, Amazon has benefited massively from the restrictions imposed by lockdowns. Profits doubled to $21 billion (about €17 billion) last year. It charges a flat rate of £7.99 (€9.14 in February 2020)/month for Amazon Prime, which gives you free delivery on a host of products as well as access to Amazon Prime Video (a slimmed down version in Ireland for some reason).  

Pros: Huge range of products at reasonable prices and free delivery of small ticket items with Amazon Prime. 

Cons: Amazon is a huge threat to many small retailers. Questions have also been raised about how warehouse workers are treated. Deliveries were noticeably slower in the period immediately after Brexit, although this seems to have eased. 

Returns: Free. Fill in an online form, print the label, attach to package and take it to the Post Office.

Asos.com

Founded in London in 2000, ASOS sells beauty and fashion at affordable prices. It charges €18.99 for a year’s worth of free delivery. It was one of the few UK retailers that was ready for Brexit with deliveries barely delayed. 

Pros: Usually helpful customer reviews on quality and fit of clothes. Good range of product. Includes plus, petite and tall ranges.

Cons: Clothes are often aimed at younger age groups.

Returns: Free and Easy. Each delivery comes with a form and a peel off label. Even the package, if opened properly, has a reseal strip. Repackage the return item, tick a box on the return form indicating why it’s being returned, reseal, attach the label and take it to a Parcel Connect outlet.

Littlewoodsireland.ie 

(We love - but pay in full)

Part of the Very Group, Littlewoods Ireland is an Irish registered company, so there are no Brexit-related issues. It has a huge range of goods, pretty much everything you would find in a traditional department store – fashion, furniture, toys, electrical items, jewellery and giftware. 

Pros: Excellent range of products and brands. Free delivery on even small ticket items. For larger goods such as beds, washing machines and sofas, a standard delivery charge of €25 applies. Good customer service.

Cons: Think carefully before opting for the flexible payments option. The interest rate is high at 39.9% APR. In fact it can be hard to spot on the site that you can simply use your credit or debit card to pay in full, but the option is there.

Returns: Free. A returns form and peel off label comes with the delivery. Simply attach the label, fill in the form and return it to a Parcel Connect outlet.

Boohoo.ie/Prettylittlething.ie

These are effectively the Pennys of the internet. The clothes are cheap, on-trend and not necessarily the best quality. A fast fashion fix when Pennys is out of bounds. Free delivery for a year costs €11.99 at Boohoo and €9.99 at Pretty Little Thing. 

Pros: Cheap and cheerful. Plus, petite and tall sizing. 

Cons: The clothes are mostly aimed at younger people – lots of crop tops and baggy joggers.  Both sites have also been accused of promoting unsustainable consumption. (Following our special report last issue about sustainable fashion, the Woman’s Way team has pledged to give up fast fashion fixes for Lent!)

Big Retailers Online

Don’t assume that every big name retailer offers a good online shopping service. Most of the complaints we’ve received relate to this category of online shop. Several members of the Woman’s Way team have simply abandoned their favourite shops because the online service simply wasn’t up to scratch. 

The problem is that these businesses are geared to selling in-store and have struggled to adapt to increased demand. None offer free postal returns. Returns can be made to the stores when they are open but, of course, at the moment most of the shops, with the exception of Dunnes, are not.  

Here are some of the better stores:

Next.ie

Next carries a huge range of well-known brands (River Island, Estée Lauder, Barbour, Boden to name a handful) and products, everything from men’s, women’s and children’s clothing to furniture and homeware. Product is coming from the UK.

Pros: The sheer volume of product available makes it a great site for browsing and for locating unusual items. Delivery is free on orders over €20, with a €3 charge for orders less than that.

Cons: Product is coming from the UK and, as the customer, you are liable for any customs fees. Also there are no free returns. 

Dunnesstores.com

Most Dunnes Stores are open at the moment but only a very limited range of product can be bought in the clothes and homeware sections. However a wider range can be the bought online and collected at your local shop free of charge. If the nearest Dunnes Stores is still outside your 5km limit, delivery is free on orders over €50.

Pros: A familiar, Irish-owned company and definitely worth using the ‘click and collect’ service if a store is within your 5km limit.

Cons: Given the convenience for so many people, it’s a shame that a wider range of product isn’t available. Also returns must be paid for, if they are by post. 

Arnotts.ie

Arnotts has gotten several things right with its online shop. For example, you can make an online appointment for a virtual stylist, a personal shopper or a beauty consultant. You can also order by phone, which will suit many people unfamiliar with the online world. However, it charges delivery, about €5 for an item of clothing, regardless of how much you spend. Returns are also charged at a flat rate of €4.95.

Pros: Great range of products and brands, as you would expect from a premier department store. 

Cons: Hard to understand why delivery isn’t free on orders over a certain value. One of our contributors was in the process of buying a €400 coat from the site, but cancelled the order when she saw that she had to pay for shipping. 

Discount Stores

Our advice is to stay clear of so-called discount stores online. Usually if a product is being offered for sale at a ridiculously cheap price, there’s a catch. The big discounter in Ireland, TK Maxx, does not offer an online service. The exception, with a proviso, is:

Sportsdirect.ie

Discounted prices make this a mecca for sportwear fanatics. There are some great bargains to be had across clothes and footwear. However, delivery costs €7 and returns are paid for by the customer. Also product is coming from overseas so may be liable to customs charges. If you are sure of your size in a particular brand, then go ahead. But beware if you don’t!

Pros: The discounts on big sports brands. Excellent for a repeat order of a hiking boot that has sprung a leak or a favourite pair of leggings. 

Cons: The shipping and return costs, especially given that sizes vary hugely across brands.

Small Irish Retailers

We have been inundated with positive stories about experiences shopping with smaller Irish retailers. Most have adapted well to the online world. Deliveries are prompt and customer service is excellent. 

However, few if any are offering free returns, regardless of the order value. In our research, the cost and hassle of returns were the main reasons why people didn’t shop more on Irish stores.

Return, Return, Return

Because you can’t see or feel an item online, never mind try it on, the return rate on your online shopping is going to be higher. If you can’t get it together to return unwanted items, our advice is to stop shopping online.  

Before you shop on any site, check the return policy and procedures. You have a statutory right under EU law to get a full refund on anything you buy online, provided you return it within 14 days. Most reputable sites will allow you a longer return time.

Find out where you send the return and whether you are liable to pay, before you buy anything. 

A site using a ‘.ie’ address and quoting prices in euro is not necessarily based in Ireland. Product could be coming from the UK and will need to be returned to the UK.

For product imported from the UK, because it is now outside the EU, you may be liable to pay additional duties. The customer is responsible for any customs fees, unless otherwise stated.

If returns aren’t free, postage costs will be higher to the UK and you will need to sign a customs declaration in the post office. You are not liable for customs duties on return items.

Remember, if you are paying both for delivery and possible return, particularly if it’s a heavy item and from a non-Irish site, order with care. If you are not satisfied, the whole process could leave you seriously out of pocket.

When things go wrong

The most common complaints from online shoppers are orders arriving late or not at all. The big online brands are pretty good at dealing with such complaints. Many traditional retailers aren’t, and that can be extremely frustrating.

Persistence is key. In our fairly extensive research, we came across only one case of product not arriving and no refund being given. And that was from a small overseas site. More often than not, the retailer is just not managing the process. You may need to send multiple emails, with increasing levels of outrage, but the product will either turn up, or you’ll get a refund eventually.

A common issue lately is an order being cancelled because of insufficient stock, but only         after the money is taken and, sometimes, only after the customer has complained about it not arriving. Most of these incidents relate to traditional retailers and well known names too!   

In the aftermath of Brexit, several of our contributors were hit with customs charges in error. Again, it took some of them time to get a refund from the seller but all were eventually satisfied.