Updates on Quarterly’s Return Policy

Does Quarterly usually release full spoilers before it’s too late to cancel? I subscribed to the Will Wheaton box b/c I just have a feeling it’s gonna be really good, but I’m hoping to see the full spoilers before I make my final decision. If they don’t release spoilers before the billing date, I might have to cancel b/c I don’t really have $100 to risk right now!

Well.. I just unsubscribed from quarterly. I liked that I could return the box if I was unhappy… now that that is out the window, Im not gonna risk the $100.

I have returned several of my boxes as I was very disappointed in the value–namely Book Riot and Pharrell and I liked that part of the quarterly policy. I like that some curators you can buy the box once to try it out. I have two $100 boxes–Nina Garcia and Wil Wheaton (we’ll see how it turns out). After my next boxes if the content is disappointing and I have to swap, give away or otherwise take a loss, I will be cancelling all of my boxes except for MSA which has been fabulous.

Wow.. I received this e-mail and scanned over and deleted it without noticing the tiny “click here” for updates part. :/ Glad you posted this! Will definitely not be taking chances with anything other than MSA quarterly.

I just cancelled Hitha’s box. Her spoilers promised $70 in value, which is not enough over the $50 cost. I enjoyed her last box (and used almost everything on my holiday travel) but I could have just bought most of those items myself for less than the $50 for the box (adding $18 for the cost of her packing guide did put the value over but $18 for a PDF file packing guide seems excessive as well). I’m guessing the same will be true for this one since when companies list the value they always pick full price. Her second box (which I didn’t get) looked really great – just the eye shades were worth more than the box cost! Hopefully the no-return policy will give curators more to spend on their boxes!

I had a feeling when I got the email about the changes that one of them was going to be doing away with their return policy. They are probably one of the few in the industry that still had that kind of thing so I feel like it was only a matter of time. On the other hand, they should have been more transparent about it. I’d rather deal with the uproar on the front end-even if it means folks cancel their boxes- then to have the next set of boxes come out and have customers requesting returns only to be turned down. That seems pretty messy.

Well, now I’m only subbing to MSA after this. I understand that they can lose money over lots of returns, but the fact that I can return something if I absolutely hate it is what has made me spend more on their boxes. I’ve only ever actually returned one box, the latest Nina Garcia, but I’ve felt safe subbing to new boxes knowing I could return it if necessary. It really was their drawing point for me. And the sneaky way they put this at the end of their e-mail really puts me off.

I’m sticking with MSA because of Liz, but their other boxes haven’t always been strong enough for me to feel safe continuing to sub to them. I’d have to see some real improvements in some boxes and consistency in others before I’d consider a new box with them.

Uggh. Removing a unique advertised feature does not make for an “amazing experience.” Hiding the new policy like that did not leave me feeling warm and fuzzy, just manipulated. We are smart consumers. They should be more open about giving us the information we need.

I’m sticking with MSA and DesignSponge, but I’ve decided to hold off on the Bianca Jade for another quarter. (Sorry, Bianca — I think you’re fab.) I never return anything, but I liked having the freedom to do so.

I agree that it was probably the Nina Garcia box mass return that motivated them to change policy. I don’t remember seeing the return policy advertised on their site. I thought it was unofficial- like only if you know to ask. I only knew about it from MSA, but I never used it.
I think it will be good for Quarterly because now we will think more closely about which curators we trust- which means we will probably be more happy with our boxes. I only get Design*Sponge and MSA so even if a box isn’t perfect for me, I’ll probably still enjoy it because they have great taste that’s similar to mine.

I think this is a positive change. Quarterly obviously loses a lot of money on returns and I imagine that without them they will be able to put more value into the boxes. One of the things I love about subscription boxes is the risk/reward. Sometimes I am disappointed and sometimes I am wowed. If you take away the risk, you lose the reward as well. You may as well just go out and buy items that you like and forget subscription boxes all together.

Well that certainly removes any interest in trying our new boxes from them.

Keep in mind, though -if you pay with an American Express card, one of the benefits is return protection. If a merchant will not accept your return within 90 days of purchase, you can open a claim with AmEx and they will refund your money.

Even before this policy change, MSA and Wil Weaton are the only people I’d trust enough to get Quarterly boxes from. It’s just too much money to risk. I’d probably trust Design Sponge too except that my taste and theirs isn’t exactly the same. I wish there were more $50 Quarterly boxes from people I trust, but alas, MSA is the only one. 🙂

Can I ask how people have had success cancelling? I’ve tried to cancel Quarterly subs twice in the past. The first time I got a popup window asking if I was sure that I wanted to cancel and a little box to click if I wasn’t sure but no way to indicate that yes, I was sure that I wanted to cancel. I ended up needing to call/email (can’t recall which) to get them to cancel the sub. Last time I tried to cancel I had the same thing happen with the popup window to nowhere but I haven’t followed through yet to get them to manually cancel it (which is of course the design I’m sure). Has anyone else had this problem?

Not risking Quarterly boxes with this change! Pass!!

WOW. I read the email when I got it, but I had no idea about the returns policy, and it wasn’t even an email that sounded important. If I had had a busier day I would have deleted it. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

I am so tempted to cancel my Wil Wheaton box, but I will wait and see since I was born in the 70’s and I am very curious about the box. It is a $100 gamble though….I’m nervous! I am keeping MSA and Design Sponge for sure. We’ll see how Wil does and I’ll make a decision after initial box. I am definitely not risking any other Quarterly boxes with the new return policy. I would rather spend that money on Oui Please!

Thanks so much for highlighting this. I too got the email and just skimmed through it.
I’ve always been wary of the prices of the quarterly boxes and when I read reviews of some of them (thank you Liz!!) I am so glad I didn’t order them (Nina Garcia for one)
The only box I am planning on ordering is the MSA box

As a Canadian subscriber, the return policy didn’t really apply to me anyway so no loss. Just need to be more selective about which curators I subscribe too and stalk the spoilers.

This is a shame. One of the things that made Quarterly stand out was their return policy being so different from the norm. I don’t like returning things, so I don’t just order at random and return what I don’t like, but I did end up returning a new box I got as it was so very different from all the previous boxes I had seen reviewed in that subscription. This is going to make me very hesitant to sign up for anything new though I am not planning on giving up my MSA and Book Riot subscriptions .

I agree. I think it was definitely the Nina Garcia returns that changed this policy. I know I returned mine along with many many other people. The curation was terrible for the last box and I was thrilled to know I could return it for $100 refund. Definitely won’t be ordering the Nina Garcia box in the future without that safety net.

I get why they are eliminating the return policy – it seems that people were frequently abusing it. However, I totally agree that the communication about the change was really shady. The new policy should have been included in the email not as a vague side note. One of Quarterly’s major issues is communication and based on this email I don’t see that it is improving in 2015.

Thanks for posting this. I got that e-mail but I just kinda scanned through it and didn’t read about the new return policy. This is disappointing. I liked knowing that if I didn’t like what was in the box, I could return it and not waste $50-$100. I’ve gotten 3 boxes from Quarterly and returned one of them because it was totally not what I was expecting. I just canceled my subscription to Naomi Kyle’s new box because it is the first box and I just can’t risk $50 on trying out a new box.

🙁 Now I’ll be cancelling all my quarterly subs except yours Liz, that one I know delivers 🙂

I didn’t notice that part of my email. Wow… Well, that made me just cancel 6 boxes that I was getting. I am now only keeping one. Liz’s box. Which stinks but I am going to throw over $400.00 on boxes without that safety net. That net made me spend a lot more than I wanted too on boxes with them. O’well. 🙁 sigh

Well, this will make me cancel all of my sub boxes with Q, accept for Design Sponge and My Subscription Addiction. For a $100 gamble, it’s just not worth it. I do have a question regarding defective products, and if anyone out there has had good luck with Quarterly. I received a split cutting board in my DS box in December. Quarterly, said they were contacting the manufacturer. It’s been a few weeks. Any happy stories?