The World’s Best Shoe Store? Zappos Review Round-Up

The World’s Best Shoe Store? Zappos Review Round-Up article cover

The shoe: a girl’s other best friend. Because another best friend is always needed when you’re feeling annoyed with your first, right? So when the diamond’s not sparkling brightly enough, a girl needs to be able to look down at those Roberto Cavallis and revel a bit in the glory of a shoe company that ships you shoes of your choice and returns them also – all for free. Free shipping both ways? Who does that? Zappos.com. That’s who.

To date, Sitejabber reviewers have contributed 31 reviews for Zappos. So that you don’t have to weed through the numerous reviews, we’ve done the gardening for you: a round-up of what Sitejabber reviewers think of Zappos.com. Put on your dancing shoes for this one – and if you don’t have any, head over to Zappos and find a pair (well, read this first because there are some things you need to know).

The Good

Citing features like the fast round-trip free shipping, the copious selection, easy-to-use website, and the excellent customer service, Sitejabber users have had a lot of love to give to Zappos.

Reviewer Angela W. advises that, to maximize the value of the site, a shopper should have in mind the style they want: “It’s so easy to shop for shoes here. You can narrow it down by size and color and style of shoe or you can just browse around in general if you’re not looking for anything specific. The best thing though is that returning stuff is free!! So I usually will get something in a few sizes, figure out if i like the shoe and which one fits best and return all the rest. It’s been great though for browsing to find the perfect shoe when I know the style and color I want, and they have a wide range of prices, so you’re bound to find a pair for the right price.”

Reviewer Elizabeth M. writes: “I love you, zappos.com! Your customer service should be emulated everywhere. And the stuff you sell is pretty great too (cute wide-width shoes, oh my!). Keep up the great work and don’t ever change.”

Alicia M. adds in a review: “They have an unbelievable selection and the fastest shipping I’ve ever experienced. The customer service is stellar, and they offer free shipping (even if you have to return the item you purchased). I’ve never had to wait more than one business day for my purchases to be delivered. The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate.”

The Bad

While Zappos offers an excellent web 2.0 experience, the quality of service is reflected in its prices. Zappos tends to be more expensive for some brands, and it would behoove the customer to do a cost comparison (against an equally reputable company such as DSW) before buying. While some have claimed there is a price match policy, that policy only applies to sales on Zappos.com within 10 days of your purchase. As well as that, some higher end brands aren’t sold on the website or bigger sizes might not be available.

Despite all this, Chris O. comments on a review that: “Zappos is owned by Amazon, and it’s one of the very few places to shop safely for footwear in the USA. Much as I’m opposed to the idea of web monopolies, this is one case where the ‘big boys’ of the web seem to have got it right.”

The only relatively negative review we received was from a user who’d received the wrong style of boot.

User Katina S. shares in a review: “I ordered some boots from this site. They were very affordable. The only issue was that they sent me the wrong boots. They were by the same company, the same material and color, but they were the wrong style. I didn’t realize this until I actually wore them out. In the end, it turned out that I really liked them anyway. I didn’t want to risk sending them back for the other boots, and then find that the boots they sent me by mistake I liked better. Not that I could send them back now, since I already wore them. I am still a happy customer, because it turned out that I really liked the boots they sent me, even if it was a mistake.”

The Ugly

Sitejabber users haven’t reported any ugly or shady business practices at Zappos yet. Probably the only ugly that can come out of this online business right now are those gawdy salmon-colored Dsquared2 ankle boots you got by the unkind persuasion of your so-called best friend.

To write your own review for Zappos or to read more reviews, visit the Zappos review page. Share this via Facebook and let your friends know about Zappos.

Sitejabber is a consumer protection service which helps people avoid fraudulent websites and find good sites. You can use Sitejabber to review websites and report fraud, as well as research unfamiliar sites. Sitejabber is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation and was named a Top 100 Website of 2010 by PC magazine.

Note: Sitejabber corrected misspellings within reviews for this article.

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