Overstock.com

I ordered a dining room set which was named Gracy Transitional Medium Brown Ladder Back 5-piece Dining Set and listed at $877.49, This is a very small table with 4 chairs. I was expecting decent quality both from the description on Overstock and the price. However what arrived was a total piece of junk. My husband spent a lot of time putting it together and each of the chairs wobbles by at least 2 inches. The quality is super cheap. I went on Overstock to see if there were any reviews and it stated that the product was out of stock and there were no reviews. I looked at the box that the table and chairs had arrived in and googled that. What came up was a Shasta dining set from Coaster Furniture. Indeed it was the exact same photo that was used to advertise this Gracy Transitional set on Overstock. The kicker this Shasta set was selling everywhere else for less than 1/2 what I paid. In fact I found it for as little $319 elsewhere. I called Overstock irate and told them I would be returning the table and to refund my credit card. They told me I had to disassemble the table and get it back in the boxes. Hell no we just spent hours putting together this piece of crap that you falsely advertised. I have been calling them daily for almost a week now and getting a total run around. Their customer service beyond sucks and they told me that it is an issue between me and the oversize delivery company. What? The oversized delivery company did not change the name on a product and more than double the price. The oversized delivery company did not sell me chairs that are super flimsy and wobble all over the place. Buyer beware. Never order furniture from Overstock.

I recently ordered a wooden computer desk with hutch from Overstock. It is indeed as pictured and described. It is nice piece of furniture (at over $1000 I was hesitant with to order.) It exceeded our expectation and we're pleased with the desk/hutch combo.

That being said there was some minor 'assembly required' and no instructions. I say that not because it was a problem but because if you didn't have a drill and screw driver some mechanical intuition you might not install the small brackets to secure the hutch to the desk. Drilling a small pilot hole for the screws will help prevent splitting the wood when you attach the bracket.

The only problems were with the delivery service - first, it uses a robo call to schedule delivery (not a live person.) Our call screening blocks robo calls so we missed the first couple attempts to schedule the delivery. It was only when I reviewed the caller id log at the end of the week and looked up the new blocked call numbers on the internet that I saw the delivery service was calling. The second problem was with the delivery itself. Overstock's site was very clear that free delivery was to the door and I paid extra for to the room and unpacking. When the shipment arrived I was informed that it only included door delivery but they'll do extra for tips. Whoa, I didn't appreciate having to explain to the delivery person that I had already paid extra. They delivered into the room but I gave them a pass on unpacking - with the desk and the hutch it got rather tight and would have been better unpacked before being brought in.

Historically, our local businesses have been more concerned with good customer service. I for one like good customer service and will have to think real hard about ordering big items over the internet.

Navigating the Overstock website is frustrating as the webmaster and anyone else involved in designing it, has crowded so much information on the pages that unless you know exactly what you're doing, you will probably have questions about the products. I would be very wary of the consumer REVIEWS on the website since Overstock.com keeps pushing buyers to leave reviews of products and reviews of the site in general since you get added discounts for reviews--the more reviews the better the discounts, but it's fairly apparent the reviews had better be four or five stars. Just to experiment I looked up comforters for $30 or less since comforters that cheap have been poorly made from my experience. All reviews were 4 or 5 stars! As a comparison, I looked at the site of one of Overstock's competitors, and there were plenty of 3 star reviews and even a couple of 2 star reviews for furniture/furnishings. Most likely, people are leaving better reviews on overstock to get discounts for future purchases. The site I used as a comparison didn't mention any such offer. I ordered an item, which was advertised as 'easy to assemble.' It wasn't! Besides that, the item--which I needed quickly--had a delivery date but the delivery was two days late, and too late for my being able to use the item. As it turned out, to return the item required a $60.00 (sixty dollar) return fee which was hardly worth it given that was 50% of the purchase price. Now, if the website provided easy links to return policies, I wouldn't be that upset, but to find the policies requires searching through lots of menus. I've been using computers for 30 years, and it was hard for me to find their policy. Regarding customer service, I spoke to someone that clearly did not understand a simple inquiry I had. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with the person, and while the person (I'm trying to be gender neutral) acted as though I had communicated clearly, it became apparent later on that the person didn't. BTW, after your purchase, you'll get lots of thank you emails for your trouble, and questionnaires to fill out so they can improve their quality control. The best and smartest way to improve your shopping experience is to take your business elsewhere.

Em:
I have a Club O Membership which offers free returns. I recently purchased an item on the Overstock website that listed as a "marketplace Seller". I was able to use my Club O reward dollars on the purchase as well as earning Club O points in the purchase. It was shipped for free per the terms of my Club O Membership. But when I went to return the item, I was told that I would be charged a 50% restocking fee as well as the shopping cost. After 3 hours and 4 customer service agents I was told that due to being a 3rd party vendor my membership doesn't apply so no free return for me! What? My membership applied to every other aspect of the purchase and there is absolutely NO disclaimer stating that Club O Memberships are not valid on Marketplace vendors purchases. When I spoke to Curtis, Dominique, Donna and Naomi, I was also told that "you should have known" and "your points are absolutely not applied (which they were" and " nothing we can do". I asked all of them to pointt out any terms and conditions that listed this caveat to the membership and not one of them could direct me to it. Then it was back to "you should have known". I truly believe that this is a bait and switch and I am wondering if there is a class action out there because certainly it is affecting others. I have filed with the Attorney General as well. Overstock.com's customer service truly lags behind the industry standard. When I mentioned to one of the agents that my Amazon Prime membership covers outside vendors they stated "we're not Amazon". I can attest to that. Save yourself the trouble and go with another company. These guys are truly substandard.