the cost of gift receipts

So we received a bunch of crappy gifts for Xmas this year, and seeing as our relatives feel the need to purchase items from stores that aren't located anywhere near our home town, we usually end up taking a road-trip every January to return or exchange all of the reject gifts of Xmas past.

This year, we found ourselves driving almost an hour to visit stores like Target, Toys R Us, and Kohl's. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that the gifts we were returning weren't even worth the cost of gas to get us there and back. Apparently, our relatives were all shopping the clearance racks, which is fine and dandy, but I wish they would have told us that the toy they bought my son was worth less than $2 at Kohl's before we ventured out there to return it. I would have donated it or eBay'd it instead.

As we are growing older, I just can't stand the whole gift-giving tradition of Christmas. I can understand getting gifts for the children, as they are fun to watch when they open them, but for adults - please.

So once again, we will have to try and reinforce with our relatives to please save their cash and only buy gifts for the kids next year, and that due to the expensive return/exchange trips, they are actually costing us money. Of course, they always like to chime in that they "included the gift receipt just in case!" Gee, thanks, but we've got enough paperwork to deal with during the holidays. Now I've got to worry about yet another store receipt during the great gift unwrapping frenzy that is likely to rub blank before I can get to the store.

I wish I could convince them to start shopping online like the rest of the modern world. After all, if they send me an online gift certificate, then I can not only pick out my own gift online (thereby saving gas and making sure that it is something that I might actually wear), but I can grab some nifty Kohls coupon codes to make that gift certificate value stretch a little farther.

shopping cart software - just do it

Here's another example of something not worth trying on your own - shopping cart software. I've had several clients over the years who were interested in their own online ordering and payment processing system, but in most cases I've steered them in the direction of third party solutions. Why? Simple - because there is no sense in trying to reinvent the wheel. Unless their application of online ordering is so unique and specialized that an existing solution isn't available (which is extremely unlikely), it just isn't worth the time and effort to program something from scratch.

Programming is expensive. Hourly rates generally start at $30, and that's on the low "bargain" front. I know guys that can fetch as much as $150 an hour for certain projects. And with so many available solutions already in existence, the hardest part is finding one that will work for what you are needing, and making sure that the company behind it is reputable and provides reliable support.

One that comes to mind is the E-Commerce solutions offered by Network Solutions. I was recently given an opportunity to review their offering. If you've ever had anything to do with the web or at least web domains, you've probably heard of Network Solutions, or "Netsol" for short. They were the leader in domain registrations for so many of the early years of the internet that it was generally believed that they were the only registrar in existence. While they have since found themselves in considerable competition when it comes to domain name registration, their reputation is still hard to beat. Although I have registered many domains with other companies over the last year or two, I still have a number of my "top priority" domains that I keep registered at Network Solutions, because I value these domains more and know that Netsol won't do anything inadvertently to mess them up.

Simple domain registration may not mean that much to you, but when it comes to other features like web hosting and e-commerce solutions, reputation is everything. Netsol's reputation is rock solid. When it comes to shopping cart software, you don't want to play around with your customers. Unless you're some fly-by-night operation, you want to make sure that your store looks good, it functions flawlessly, and you've got immediate support when you have questions. Network Solutions offers free 24/7 support for all of their e-commerce solutions. You get advanced features like data center security monitoring, and even CISP certification.

Best of all, they throw in the domain name for free, which means you get the value and dedication of a Netsol domain without the typical domain price. Others may offer cheaper solutions, but in most cases they can only offer deals because they are cutting corners somewhere else. I know customers who have tried bargain shopping cart solutions and ended up making a horrible first impression with their new online customers. Don't make the same mistake. If you value the relationship with your online customer base, don't cut corners. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

online orders versus in-store orders

So my online experience shopping for army surplus and seamless gutters has gotten me a little down on the internet lately. As convenient as it is to order items from the internet, it seems that there are very few companies that you can really pick something from their website and know exactly what you are getting when you order. While many stores offer some sort of guarantee for your order, setting up the return or exchange isn't as easy as it should be. Warranty claims are even sketchier.

So my assumption that moving to a small town wouldn't isolate us from the products that we need (because we have the internet) may have been a little naive. Sure, you can order items from the internet and get similar prices (or better) to what you would pay in a big city, but how often do you know exactly what you are getting? In addition, we have to worry about shipping and service issues that we wouldn't experience in a store. It's like buying new furniture. No matter how nice that store display looks, you're going to have to send it back three or four times before they deliver something that isn't damaged. Then there are inherent problems with warranties form items ordered online. How many times have you received an online order that arrived without a receipt or with a printout that doesn't look very official? Is that going to be adequate should you need to submit a warranty claim?

Fortunately, some online retailers are starting to understand this dilemma that net-savvy shoppers are experiencing. Just in time for my little quandary comes a big announcement from the largest online flooring company iFLOOR:

iFLOOR, America's largest online flooring retailer, today announced a $1,000,000 limited warranty designed to protect its customers from predatory manufacturer policies that exclude warranty coverage from online purchases.

The policy, which goes into effect immediately, offers up to one million dollars of coverage in the event that a customer's warranty claim is denied specifically because they made their purchase online. It is complimentary for every iFLOOR customer, and protects the buyer under the same terms as the original product warranty.

iFLOOR, Inc. CEO, Steve Simonson, came up with the program to combat "scare tactics" used by manufacturers of hardwood floors and laminate flooring. "Their idea is to discourage you from buying at a discount!" wrote Simonson in his blog "It's About Flooring". "This is not right! You deserve to save money! So we're going to take care of this problem once and for all."

And it would appear that federal law is on his side. Section 108 of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act, states that, "In general, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty."

Under iFLOOR's new warranty, a key provision allows for iFLOOR to "seek justice" on behalf of the customer in the event of legal action. According to Simonson, "I'm putting iFLOOR's money where my mouth is."

About iFLOOR, Inc.
Since 1998, iFLOOR.com has been the leading online and retail flooring company, with 36 local retail stores nationwide offering more than 70,000 products, including hardwood floors, laminate flooring, bamboo flooring and cork floors. iFLOOR.com is the largest online flooring retailer according to Internet Retailer Magazine, and was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States for the past three years. Committed to quality customer service, superior selection and friendly expert advice, iFLOOR.com enables customers to buy flooring both online and in its retail stores at a substantial savings over traditional retailers. For more information about iFLOOR, please visit www.iFLOOR.com.

So what does this mean for us e-shoppers? For one, it means that retailers are starting to step up to the plate to make the online ordering experience (and the follow-up delivery and any warranty claims) more pleasant. Gone are the days when online orders were happening because of the novelty of the internet. If I can get it locally without the shipping and return hassles, I'm going to buy it locally. Some still go for the cheaper prices of online items, but shipping and handling charges often negates those price differences. But if the shipper can offer an iron-clad guarantee that protects me in the event that even the manufacturer denies my claim, I'm going to be more open to the idea of ordering such a large item like flooring online. And with my wife bugging me almost daily about how much she hates the carpet, I may do just that.