Buying Crocs from the Source -- A Mixed Experience!
Written: Oct 01 '08
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| Full Review |
I enjoy wearing Crocs shoes. They are extremely comfortable. I have a foot problem, and the style shoe and color I wished to purchase was not available locally. Also, the other online shoe websites I visited did not carry this particular style shoe. Plus, my family wears Crocs, and these shoes make great gifts. So off to Crocs.com I went!
What Is Crocs.com?
This is a website that sells the Crocs brand-name shoes and apparel. They have branched out since they first introduced Crocs as a boating shoe. Now these comfortable shoes come in a wide variety of styles for men, women and children. And their color selection is like visiting the inside of a rainbow.
Most of the Crocs shoes are made from a soft foam-like material called Croslite PCCR, which is odor resistant. (PCCR stands for Patented Closed Cell Resin.) The material is designed to mold to the feet, which adds comfort. The shoes are incredibly lightweight. They also are anti-microbial, slip resistant and have non-marking soles.
Navigating the Site
I will say it upfront. This website is horrible to navigate! They need a major overhaul to make this site user friendly.
The Home Page is colorful and inviting. It makes the site one you want to browse through. However, there are some serious issues to actually viewing the products. Also, the website features Flash content. So if you don't have a recent version of Flash installed on your computer, you will not be able to view the pages as Crocs.com intends.
At the Top
The very top of the page has these buttons: products, company, shop, community, contact us. The buttons are a dull grayed-out white against a gray background. It's easy to miss them amidst the color images in the center of the page. There is also a search box, and a small link to visit international Crocs sites.
Clicking the "Products" button offers these choices: Footwear, Gear, Apparel, CrocsRx, Sports, Collegiate, Work, Jibbitz. The "Shop" link includes these paths: Cart, Wish List, Check Out, My Account, Find Crocs Near You.
In the Middle
The center of the page offers these text links: Featured, Women's, Men's, Kids', Apparel, Sports, Entertainment. Beneath these choices is a rotating slideshow of Crocs offerings ... such as featured shoes, the Disney Crocs collection, or special savings offers.
Beneath the slide show are several sections that highlight various features or sections of the website. Currently showing are the Santa Cruz Croc, the Crocs Newsletter Sign-up, and the Juneau shoe.
Along the Bottom
There are links horizontally across the bottom of the page. These are for additional product lines: CrocsRx, Crocs Work Shoes, Jibbitz, Bite, Ocean Minded, and You By Crocs.
Let's Go Shopping!
Looking at the Home Page, I thought it would be easy to browse the Women's selections. Not so. One would think that by clicking on the large "Women's" link that I would be transported to a page featuring a variety of women's shoes. No. Instead, the slide show on the Home Page changes so that I am viewing the featured shoe for women.
How about the gray-white link at the top of the page that says "Products"? I click on that and a page opens that shows a conglomeration of footwear for men, women and children. The images with brief text descriptions have no rhyme-or-reason to their order either. And there is no way to sort the listing.
If you are lucky and know the style you are looking for (ex: Cayman, Relief, Mammoth) ... then you can type the style name into the Search Box. The search results will show a thumbnail image of the item and a brief description. Click on the listing to go to a product page with more information.
Once you locate the product you are interested in buying ... the actual product page offers a lot of detailed information. There is a photograph of the item with the available colors shown as "color chips" below it. Click a "color chip" to change the color of the product in the photograph. However, there are no advanced features for viewing the item (ex: no way to view multiple angles of a shoe). When purchasing shoes, it is great to see the shoe from all sides, and I think the Crocs website would benefit from adding this feature.
From the product page, you can choose the color, size, and quantity of the item. The price is listed below those selections, but the price is in very small print. (Note: I have never seen a shoe on sale at the Crocs.com website. Expect to pay regular prices.) The sizes are also listed on the page in a horizontal row so that at a glance you know whether the item is available in the right size. A link to a shoe sizing chart is also provided (it is a pdf file). I highly recommend printing this chart out if you are in doubt about Croc shoe sizing. Croc shoes do not fit like normal shoes. I find I take a size larger than I would normally wear. Another feature is that you can email a product page to a friend, or you can add a product to your Wish List.
Note the product pages are sometimes "glitchy". For instance, I was on the page for the Cayman Crocs and the sizes refused to appear in the list for selection. I backed out of the page and re-entered it, and the sizes were visible.
Once you have made your selection on the product page, there is a large orange button that says "Add to Cart". When items are added to the cart, the product page flashes ... and at the left there is a shopping cart updated with how many items you have selected as well as the current total dollars. Crocs.com offers free shipping with an order of $100.00. The shopping cart at the left keeps a countdown of how much more you need to spend to reach free shipping. Every product page has a large green "Proceed To Check Out" button.
Checkout & Payment
An annoying feature to this website is that you have to register in order to place an order. Registration includes providing an email address and selecting a password. Typical information is required when making a purchase: name, address, email address, phone number.
The Crocs.com website takes limited forms of payment. They only accept Visa or Mastercard. They also do not accept any type of coupon or gift certificate.
During the checkout process, there is an opportunity to review the order. Once the order is placed, they send an email notification and another email with shipping information.
Receiving the Merchandise
I received my merchandise in a timely fashion. The items did not have much packing material around them. The merchandise arrived as it was displayed on the product page. The shoes were clipped together and easy to separate. However, I did have a problem with one pair of shoes ... and had to make a return.
Returns - Yes, Something Had to Go Back!
One pair of shoes was not marked correctly. The size was wrong. I was a bit nervous about making the return, especially since I didn't want to reorder the shoes. I feared that another mistake would be made, and I wasn't sure if I would have to pay for the shipping if that happened. My initial order was for over $100.00, so I qualified for free shipping. By returning one pair of shoes, that brought my total to below the free shipping amount. Note: Items have to be returned within 60 days. Crocs.com will not accept any returns beyond the 60-day mark. The shoes have to be in original, unworn condition ... and Crocs will not accept returns where the customer chose the wrong size or color.
However, defects are covered under a 90-day return policy. I lucked out in that Crocs.com paid for the return shipping since the shoes were defective. They also honored the original free shipping. The refund was applied to my credit card.
In order to initiate the return merchandise, I had to obtain an RMA number. No return shipments will be accepted without an RMA number. In order to obtain the RMA number, I had to log into the Crocs.com website and go the "My Account" page. From there I selected the order and the item I wanted to return. I made sure to indicate the product was defective. Make sure you follow all the packaging steps, and include a copy of the Sales Return Confirmation Form. I could choose a shipping method of my choice or print out their FedEx return label. I printed out the FedEx label and had no trouble shipping the package back to them.
Summary
Since this website is so difficult to navigate and has proven "glitchy", plus I received a defective product, I can only give this online store an Average rating. The one great thing about Crocs.com is that they offer their complete product line. Also, should a shoe rivet or strap break, they will send a free replacement (just telephone them with the size, style and color of the shoe). Overall, though, I do not find this an easy website to navigate. I would shop at Zappos.com first. And if Zappos.com does not offer the style of Croc I want to purchase, then I might find myself back at Crocs.com.
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Please read my other reviews:
Zappos.com (online shoe store)
Footsmart (online shoe store)
Crocs - Cayman Style
Crocs - Relief Style
Copyright 2008 Dawn L. Stewart
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Recommended:
Yes
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