My Sisters Are Driving Me Crazy … And 'Bare Babies Online' Isn't Helping The Situation!
Written: Mar 21 '05 (Updated Jul 30 '06)
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As I have mentioned in several other online reviews, I come from a family of breeders. I only use this term with love … but as of late, my relatives are really working my last nerve with their emails. I really think they go though and look for sites that don’t ship overseas or don’t accept credit cards from foreign banks or institutions just so they can get me to order the stuff and ship it to them! Nah, it’s not about the money, hours at the post office, Customs forms or tracking packages … it’s that they are finding all the good sales!!! Yes, I can admit defeat. My sister emailed me telling me that I had to go to Bare Babies ‘at once’ to get her as many of the Starting Small Ballerina Storage Bags as I could get my hands on. Her daughter, my niece, lives, eats, sleeps, dreams and obsesses about her dance classes and one day hopes to be a ballerina. Yeah, wait until she sees what they get paid and she might change her mind. She wanted to get these as gifts for all the girls in her daughters dance class. Anyway, she sends me the link, I put in the order, get the confirmation email and everything is set. Not even a week later [we are talking six business days here folks] UPS arrives with the box of ballerina storage bags.
If you think that is the end of the story, guess again. You have to remember, I come from a family of breeders, having one or two kids just isn’t in our bloodline. This brings me no comfort since that means I will ultimately hear the word “grandmother” or “grammie” coming from more than just a few little mouths. Then I get the email from my sister in law, she heard how quickly the other stuff arrived and “wondered” if I would do her a “small” favor. For those who have no children or siblings, when you hear the words “wondered” and “small favor” in the same sentence, do yourself a favor and pretend that the call is breaking up, you lost the email or there is a bee chasing you around because it only means trouble, and with a capitol “T”. This time my sister in law wanted a Bowron Lambskin Comforter. She sent along all the information I needed [URL, name etc] so I added on a few things to get the free shipping deal that they offer for orders over $99.00. That order took a little longer to arrive but was still a day quicker than what they quoted me in the confirmation email.
Selection
The site sells a lot of stuff; everything from toys to clothing, books and videos and even carriers, strollers and bouncers. Some of the big names at the site include Little Giraffe, Cloud B, Tigex, Baby Delight, Per Amore, CoCaLo, BeBe Sounds, Child Craft, Levels Of Discovery and a lot more!. When I first checked out the site I was a little confused as to how to navigate it but after playing around for a few minutes and getting the hang of using the links on the main page it was simple. There are no pop ups or outside advertising and so far I’ve yet to find one thing offensive at the site so it’s safe for kids to cruise through although I doubt many kids would find the site all that interesting [unless they hit the toy section]. If you are stumped for a present the site does offer gift certificates in the following denominations: $25.00, $50.00, $75.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $250.00, $300.00 and $500.00. The best part is that these are sent via email and arrive shortly after you place your order and it’s billed to your credit card. For added savings be sure to check out the sale and clearance section [Bare babies Outlet], that’s where my sister found the Starting Small Ballerina Storage Bags. The site also carries a well stocked section of videos, books, bedding, monitors, furniture and diaper bags. Needless to say, I am sure that my family members will have me ordering from this site on a regular basis since Bare babies doesn’t ship internationally.
Customer Service
Bare Babies
17815 Newhope Street
Suite F
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
[800] 220-7743
info@barebabies.com
www.barebabies.com
Shipping Fees
The site does offer free shipping on orders over $99.00 however this doesn’t cover people who live in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Additionally, the site doesn’t shop internationally so if you live outside the United States you will have to have someone within the States order it for you and send it to you. If you order less than $99.00 then your shipping fees are calculated by the dollar amount, not the weight. Base shipping starts at $4.95 for orders up to $9.99. My first order came to $59.36 and my shipping was only $8.95, not a bad deal to me. If you are close to hitting the $99.00 mark you might as well add on a few small items – look at it this way, the money that you are spending on the extra items will sort of be like getting free stuff because you will save about ten dollars if you are above the $83.00 mark but haven’t hit the golden number of $99.00. Sales tax only applies to orders that are shipped to California.
Payment Options
The site currently accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, The Discover Card, Diners Club and two Yahoo payments [Wallet and Direct Pay]. I was really surprised that they didn’t accept PayPal since they are a lot more popular then the two Yahoo options. Alas, I used both my MasterCard and Visa for purchases and never really had a problem with the orders being approved, processed or billing discrepancies. You do have to enter some extra information [when compared to other sites] but most of this is to avoid fraudulent charges or people using cards without permission.
Return Policy
You have a thirty day time frame in which to make returns to the site but you have to obtain an RMA [Return merchandise Authorization] number first. Put this number on the box [the shipping box, not the box of the product] as well as the return slip inside the package so it can be processed quickly. Items that have been personalized cannot be returned unless there is an error and it was their fault. Most things are credited within two to four weeks but you can call the customer service number to check and see about the progress of it. You can also email them if you are making an exchange to check on the new order.
The Bottom Line
So far I haven’t had any problems placing orders, getting them approved or dealing with customer service. When I did have to email them about the measurements of something or how it was going to be shipped I usually got a reply within a few hours, at the most, ten hours when I contacted them during the week. They do have a toll free customer service number for placing orders or if you have any questions but I’d much rather send an email and have a hard copy of something than a verbal “ok” from someone. I like the fact that they offer gift certificates too, this way you can give someone the option of picking out what they want. If you are shopping for yourself or someone who is having a baby, this site has a lot of cool stuff. Much easier than trolling the aisles at kid stores and you never have to worry about them closing … they’re open twenty-four hours for your shopping convenience!
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Gifts for my wacky family members
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