Zelda's archived FashionPatrol:
published February 2000

Offering FREE clothes,
this one lies like a rug!

Smells like website fraud to me: How badly can an online store suck?. I will attempt (and fail) to curb my disdain! A disgusting website called urbanQ.com has created an online stir by offering much of its large collection of moderate fashion apparel (for women, men and children) for free. As crazy as it sounds, most garments from urbanQ.com are absolutely free... after the "rebate." So what's this rebate, you ask? The answer seems simple enough-- by now you've taken the bait— until you read the fine print. Your time, frustration and ultimately your pocketbook are what it takes to put up with this most miserable of online shopping experiences.     free with purchase: the fraud begins UrbanQ.com claims most its merchandise is free... with "rebate." Skeptically, I delve deeper into this sercuitous mess of a site. I do not have the space to publish the dozens of details outlined there regarding this damned phoney rebate of theirs, but I can tell you that it involves mailing back garment tags, quoting order numbers, filling out forms and transferring information onto the envelope(s) in which you mail your rebate request(s). (No combining of requests into one envelope is allowed.) My conclusion-- their rebate system is an arcane one intended to fail, either by frustrating you with a paper-shuffling mess that's designed to get us to the point where that we won't bother making their claim(s), OR as a result of the company disallowing the request(s) due to any number of errors that are cynically calculated to occur. It's clear to me that urbanQ.com's profitability depends outright on denying the very rebate hype it so aggressively encourages customers to pursue. This is tantamount to fraud. To confirm my theory, I tested it Back in November 2000, I ordered three children's garments as holiday gifts. The prices were not bargains, but the prices aren't important when you're getting a full rebate back on them, right? The site states that you can take your rebate as a check made out to you (allow "...approximately 12 weeks for processing") or an actual rebate credit to use toward more purchases in the future (to be activated "immediately upon processing". The garments arrived promptly and in good condition. Reasonably well-made imports from China. No problem with the merchandise. Now the Rebate nonsense had to be done One form was included with the three item order, but the instructions demand that a separate form be used for each garment-- everyone has a copier at home, right? So I flounced into my local Kinko's for the copies like some rat entering a maze... sniffing for its rebate. I filled out most of the same stuff three times, but entered different product numbers as directed. Then I entered the rebate code-- which must be written in the lower left outside front corner of each envelopes (which I had to supply). And I had to check back in on the site regarding my account status, too. Well, after many eMail inquiries back to urbanQ.com about my rebate, the company has yet to credit Zelda's account and recently reported that the returned requests did not have the appropriate codes on the outsides of the envelopes. Now, I was meticulous about this. I DID put the numbers on the envelopes. I complained and complained (probably well beyond what most shoppers would do) and finally got the promise of a settlement. The latest eMail (dated June 7, 2001) reads: "You will be receiving a check. Please allow several weeks for your checks to be sent to you. Being that these rebates were initially denied, the process of retrieving all of the necessary documents, submitting them to our processing department and allowing the rebates to be re-processed will take several [more] weeks." ...HELLO: THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO!. Still holding my breath-- I'll let you know when the check arrives. UrbanQ.com has broken new ground in customer dis-service. They've turned the convenience and fun of online shopping inside out by offering free goods that most customers will never get. This is the ugliest, most unethical style of doing business I have seen. They are greedy skum-sucking frauds. If you have been ripped-off, put-off, or otherwise fooled by these guys, I invite you to post an online complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Comission... . With that said, I now invite you to visit my "Golden Hanger" Award sites, tested and evaluated for great service, quality merchandise, significant value and excellent style.

choose from a few reputable online stores... One of London's great traditional men's luxury shirt and accessories stores...       or visit my collection of noteworthy stores in these categories:   check out my homepage...