BabyStyle Vent

[BabyReagan]

Has anyone out there shopped on BabyStyle.com and encountered a surcharge? I went to Babies 'R Us today and passed up a Combi 6610 Stroller because it was the same price as BabyStyle with a $10 off first time customer coupon with get free shipping and no sales tax. By the time I got through the ordering process AND gave them my credit card number, they slapped a $9.95 surcharge on the order which made it cheaper for me to buy the stroller locally.

Does anyone know what this surcharge is for or have you encountered it in your own experiences? I have shopped online for many of my baby items and this is the worst experience I have had to date!

[katesmom]

I was thinking about buying a Kolcraft reclining umbrella stroller from babystyle.com recently. They had it at a great price of $12.99, with free shipping. However, I had the same problem as you -- once I got further into the purchasing process, the $9.95 "handling fee" appeared out of nowhere. I called their customer service and they told me that since the stroller is an "oversized item", that's what the charge is for. Needless to say, I didn't go through with the order because I was annoyed. I looked back through the process, and there is a small notation on the stroller description that it was an oversized item, but it didn't fully explain what that meant.

[MarchMom01]

The oversize surcharge (and other surcharges) are mentioned in their shipping charges page. It's not great, but sometimes you get a great deal even with the surcharge. I got the Combi 6600 (2000 model) for $59.99 with the surcharge but I had a great coupon so it came to $55 or something. Not bad!

[lmintzer]

I also ordered the Combi 6600 from e-style. I knew about the $9.95 charge before ordering due to having checked their ordering info. page. It seemed like a really good deal to me, given that other websites and stores are still selling the 6600 for full price ($99.00). I paid $49.99 for the stroller (it was priced at $59.99-$10.00 first time buyer coupon). Then, tacked on, were the following charges: sales tax since I live in CA ($4.00), regular shipping ($5.00), and the oversized item charge ($9.95). The grand total was: $68.94. I believe that the stroller is now marked down to $49.99, so you could get this model for even less than I paid.

I can see why buying the 6610 from estyle wouldn't be a great deal, unless you get free basic shipping and you can find a 20% off coupon from dealofday.com or another online deal finder. In that case, even if you have to pay the $9.95 oversized shipping fee, you'd still beat full price at a store.

Lisa

[BabyReagan]

Thanks everyone, the info. I didn't see anything about the surcharge because it wasn't prominently displayed. I guess I was so annoyed that I decided to forget the whole transaction anyway. I tried to by the 6600 which was still posted on their website for $49.99, but the site wouldn't let me in to buy. When I called their customer service center they told me it was out of stock and they were waiting for their website people to take the stroller off the site.

I am still less than impressed with them since I have ordered many items for this baby online and never encountered anything like this surcharge. I ordered the Colgate Mattress from BabyUniverse with free shipping, it too was a large item but they didn't charge any hidden fees. When I see free shipping posted on a website, I expect free shipping and no sales tax. That, along with coupons, is what makes shopping online a better deal most of the time. Plus it is fun coming home and having packages waiting : )

[wiz]

I bought the 6610 Combi from babystyle. I saw the $9.95 surcharge and was quite mad about it. Since I am in CA I had to shell out the sales Tax too.

During the early internet evolution some websites would attract customers with their very low initial prices and jack up their Shipping & Handling, bringing parity in costs. Babystyle seems to think that's the way to go - they will be hurt eventually.

From my experience the only reason one would shop at babystyle is if they have a great coupon. I had a coupon for $30 off purchase of $100 + free shipping, but after paying surcharge etc I was still under the $99 + tax that the stores charge and I bought one other thing. Moreover at that time the particular model I wanted wasnt in-stock at the stores. 20% off would be another great coupon.

[vicki3306]

I bought my 6610 last week from babystyle. I knew it had the surchare because I live in Hawaii. Plus their oversized 2nd air charge of $24+ thereabouts. This must sound outrageous to you BUT other sites wouldn't even send the stroller to Hawaii!!!

There is one shope here that sells the stroller, but for $129 plus state tax (costs more here cos of the shipping I guess) and the salesperson told me that even if I bought online, the stroller would cost much more than what they had it at.

Well, she didn't know I had an online coupon $30 off $100.since the stroller is $99, I took advantage and stocked up on my Avent needs--bottles and other things (since it also had a base shipping charge of $14)--got everything I wanted, and although it came out still almost the same price as the online price, (factoring in the shipping, plus the discount, plus all the things I needed), I still saved a bundle than shopping locally.

Furthermore, I really bugged the customer care guys to death before I palced the order, and they were very very responsive and polite and seemed to want to help with anything. I would buy from them again--I just have to think of what things to bundle together so that my prices turn out lower than local prices here. This would help other Hono residents--but you guys in the mainland should count your blessings of cheap shipping and handling! :)

[Geebee]

I agree that the "oversize surcharge" plus shipping is a bit much. It can really add up.

But I do want to comment on how great their customer service is. I had to send back 3 bad strollers (Maclaren Mistrals), and they were great about it. Each time, they sent me UPS stickers, so it was very easy to just drop the stroller off at a UPS place (well, as easy as it is going to be managing a huge box and an 20 lb child). When I called about the first stroller, they sent me the second one before I even sent back the first one. They were very accommodating.

After all of this (and then some), I decided that I wanted a refund. Since the original stroller was a gift, they don't usually give refunds, just store credit. But I sent a long email explaining my frustrations, and they were again very accommodating and refunded the gift-giver's credit card.

I think that sometimes you end up paying more for good customer service.

[whunter62]

I just saw your vent message and agree $9.95 is a bit much.

BUT, I must say I just got the best deal. I ordered the Ultra Savvy 2710 (newest model) and got the edealfinder coupon of $50 off, plus e-style was offering a free Combi Diaper Bag. I got all this including surcharge and shipping for $233.19. By far the best deal on the Combi Ultra Savvy Stroller I've seen.

In this case it was worth it.

[jacquirapp]

I've had a really great experience with babystyle.com thus far, but maybe it's because I haven't bought anything "oversized" at this point... It's all good info to keep in mind, though... thanks, I'll be sure to remember this stuff when we go to buy our bigger stuff.

Otherwise, I've LOVED shopping on babystyle.com. I've found some great deals, that I have really liked.