Guilty Of Returning Too Many Jeanne Bice Tops And Joan Rivers’ Jewelry? Irate QVC Customers Accuse Network of Reneging On 30-Day Unconditional Return Policy

For many months now, some posters on QVC’s online forums have been complaining about “the letter.” A number of customers claim they have received letters from the No. 1 home shopping network warning them that they are returning too many items. The gist of the letter is apparently that these excessive returns are costing QVC too much time and money.

Customer complaints have surfaced again this week, on a QVC forum thread called “The Letter! The Q Has A Lot of Nerve!” Several irked customers claim they were sent the letter, charging that the warning violates QVC’s stated policy of merchandise being able to be returned within 30 days, no questions asked.

Skeptical posters said if such a letter exists, how come nobody has posted it on the forums. But other customers claimed that the letter and excerpts from it have been repeatedly posted, only to be quickly deleted.

It’s unclear how many returns trigger a warning letter, or what the precise consequences are if you keep sending back products. Are you banned from placing future orders with QVC? Is your Q Card revoked? Some posters claimed QVC was threatening to close the accounts of compulsive product-returners.

Let’s put it this way: We have been reading complaints about this “letter” for at least six months now on QVC’s jewelry forum. Unless mass hysteria has hit QVC’s viewers, or they are compulsive liars, we’ve got to believe the letter does exist and is being mailed.

We’d love to see it, by the way, if you have a copy. There’s got to be some fans of Joan Rivers, Robert Lee Morris, Barbara Bixby, Michael Dawkins, Judith Ripka and Jeanne Bice who have gotten it.

QVC declined to comment on the matter. “QVC’s practice does not encompass sharing any information pertaining to our customers,” was the response from the home shopping channel’s PR department.

The purported letter has sparked a lively debate on the “Lot of Nerve” thread. There are 13 pages of comments. Some complained that they were returning more items because the quality of QVC’s products had gone downhill, or because of inconsistent sizing of its clothing. So customers shouldn’t be penalized for returning merchandise that’s not up to par, they argued.

“The new arrogance and greed of QVC never ceases to amaze me,” wrote one poster, who suggested people write their own letters to QVC’s president.

Another poster cited QVC’s return policy verbatim. “A customer may return an item to QVC (and its subsidiaries) for any reason within 30 days of the customer’s receipt of the item. QVC wants you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. If for any reason you’re not, send it back within 30 days of receipt for exchange or full refund of the purchase price, less applicable Q Return Label fee.”

She wrote, “If the above is NOT, in fact, QVC’s return policy, and QVC has some unwritten rule about the number of returns a customer can make, then what is stated above is clearly false advertising. I can’t imagine why QVC wouldn’t want to be as forthright as possible concerning their business practices.”

Others defended QVC, saying that “serial” returners were taking advantage of the 30-day return policy by using beauty or food items for nearly a month – or wearing clothes for special events — and then sending them back for a full refund.

Others argued that QVC was doing out-of-control shopaholics a favor by allegedly threatening to put the kibosh on their buying.

“I don’t blame QVC,” wrote one poster. “You must return close to 60 percent of purchases to get the letter.”

And still others said if customers are so dissatisfied with QVC’s products, whey do they keep shopping there?

“I do not think the letter is nervy,” yet another QVC defender wrote. “It’s good business.”

Tags: Barbara Bixby, Jeanne Bice, Joan Rivers, Judith Ripka, Michael Dawkins, QVC, return policy, Robert Lee Morris, the letter