Freemans home shopping catalogue is a whopping 1100+ pages of quality, up-to-the-minute goods, all of which can be delivered to your door, free of charge, in as little as 48 hours.
The catalogue itself is big and glossy. Photographs are clear (with particularly 'true' colours), items are well-labelled and descriptions tell you everything you need to know.
Categories in Freemans include: Men's, women's and children's fashion and shoes Jewellery, beauty products and accessories Sportswear and home gym equipment Toys and bikes TVs, videos, DVD players, hi-fi, PCs, phones, faxes etc. Kitchen and bathroom furnishings and equipment Furniture, curtains and bedding And lots, lots more.
The clothes and shoes range from standard everyday fare to collections from high street stores (e.g. Warehouse, Miss Selfridge), to designer wear from the likes of Betty Jackson and DKNY. All are well-photographed and reasonably priced, and both men's and women's stuff comes in a wide range of sizes.
Sportswear carries all the big names plus Freemans own brand which is good quality and very inexpensive.
There is a wide range too of jewellery/beauty products/accessories, but these do tend to be a bit on the dear side, especially the perfumes which can be bought 10-20% cheaper in Boots, and even cheaper elsewhere. Kids toys are also dearer than in places like Toys-R-Us.
Ditto the electrical goods. There is an extensive stock but it is very expensive - I've seen TVs and hi-fi, for instance, up to 40% cheaper in the shops. (However, see 'redeemable factors' below as to how this might not work out so pricey in the end)
Furniture comprises the uninspired 'cottagey' to the really funky, and the range by TV's Anne McKevitt is contemporary and stylish but won't break the bank.
You could easily kit out a whole house, garden and wardrobe from this catalogue, and you can insure your house/car through them too. They seem to have everything covered, from carpets to washing machines to bedlinen to toilet brushes!
Although some prices are high, there are several redeemable factors to consider:
1. If you are a Fremans 'agent' (i.e. you have a catalogue rather than ordering from someone elses), you get 10% back in commission on everything you buy. Claiming commission is a quick phone call, and a cheque arrives a few days later.
2. You get 20 weeks interest-free credit on everything, or you can choose longer credit periods in which case the interest rate goes up. If you pay for something over only 20 weeks, it can work out less expensive than buying it cheaper from a store but paying an exorbitant interest rate on top.
3. Delivery is free, whether you spend £5 or £5000. And if you don't want it when it comes, returns are free too - you just call a courier and they collect it in a couple of days.
If goods turn out to be faulty, you simply return them with a form and a note stating what went wrong, and Freemans then refund the money to your account. I've had to do this a couple of times over the 10+ years I've been with Freemans, and they have never quibbled.
Ordering is a simple process over the phone (you can also do it via their website, but that's another ciao category!)At busy times, you might have to wait in a queue to speak to one of their customer service advisors, but when you get through they are always polite and very helpful.
Delivery generally takes two or three working days (but you can pay 2.50 extra for next day on some items if you wish), and goods arrive securely packaged and clearly invoiced.
There are often special offers running, such as Buy Now Pay in X Months Time, and occasionally free gifts with orders (I recently had a very good weekend travel bag).
Paperwork is minimal if you choose to have monthly statements, and the statements are easy to understand and always let you know how much you need to pay that month and how much commission you are owed.
I couldn't do without my Freemans catalogue and I would recommend just about everyone to try one too.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Shopping form your own home without leaving trying the goods before agreeing to buy, flexibility with payments Disadvantages: High price son some things and interest is high on Diamond Accounts
Squidget 29.06.2001 (29.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Freemans
Feb 7th, 2001
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