Good Prices but High Shipping Costs, Poor Customer Service, and a Sketchy Return Policy
Brilliant Store
I was looking for a floor lamp and found a great price at Brilliant Store. The price was great but everything else after that wasn't so great at all...
What the Site Sells
This site sells electronics like air conditioners, kitchen appliances, lighting products, laundry products like washers and driers, and batteries for a variety of appliances and gadgets.
The Site
The site is basic with category links down one side as well as category tabs on the top. There is also a search box. Many photos grace the front page. Clicking a photo will enlarge it and give you a description.
Click on items to place them in your cart. A shipping charge will appear if the item is oversized or really heavy, otherwise you will be asked your zip code and preferred method of shipping and then will see what shipping is.
If you are happy with everything, then you go to the checkout where you can stop and order by fax, use a major credit card online, or use PayPal.
They accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Card, and Diners Club.
You will get a confirmation email and, supposedly, a shipping email with tracking. I never did get a shipping notice.
Orders should arrive within the timeframe of the shipping method you chose. Hopefully, everything will be as described and in working order when it gets to you.
My Experience
I was looking specifically for a full spectrum floor lamp for my Dad who did not have Seasonal Affective Disorder like I do but who needed a fairly bright lamp. I saw a great price on a 27 Watt full spectrum floor lamp and decided to give the site a try.
Then I put the lamp in my cart. $20 shipping for a $49.95 lamp! And that was just UPS Ground. The lamp is only 16 pounds. I was about to click off the site but my sister pointed out that even with shipping the price was better than we found elsewhere (she was helping me choose a lamp for our father) so I bit the bullet and bought the lamp.
I paid with Paypal and it went through immediately. I did get a confirmation email but no shipping email. I waited four days and heard nothing so I emailed the site using their special "Quick Mail" method. I should have heard back from them in three hours or less. I got no response. I wrote to their customer service email address as well. Nothing. I was going to call them but things got a little crazy at home and I put everything on the backburner.
Eventually — about 23 days after I paid for my order — the lamp arrived. I still never got an email telling me it was shipped nor any replies to my emails.
The packing was not very protective and the lamp is total junk. It is wobbly and seems like it will fall over at any moment. I called customer service about this and, after a few attempts, got through. I could return the lamp at my cost and exchange for another one. But why would I want another one when that one was such junk? I was told I could return the lamp but then I would lose not just my $20.00 shipping fee, my cost to send the lamp back, PLUS a 15% restocking fee. I probably would have gotten 10 bucks back after spending $70.00.
My father had passed away during all of this but I would not have given him the lamp anyway. It is just too unstable and I would have worried that it would have tipped over and burned him or fallen and the bulbs would have shattered.
And so it sits in my garage until I find something to do with it.
Shipping and Returns
There is no shipping chart on the site. You must add the items you want to your cart then go to the checkout and input your zip code to find out what your shipping will be. There are several shipping choices as far as speed goes and you need to choose one to get your accurate shipping cost.
For really heavy or big items, the shipping cost will be filled in already after you place them in your cart.
Only California residents will be charged sales tax.
You can return or exchange items within 30 days of receipt. You must pay return shipping costs. Items must be in new, unused condition. If you want a refund (as opposed to an exchange), you will be charged a 15% restocking fee. There are many exceptions to these rules and many items can't be returned at all and must be dealt with through the manufacturer. Some, if you even open the box, you are stuck with the product no matter what. Read the returns policy very carefully before buying big ticket items. You could get really burned if you don't realize what the policies are before you buy.
Contact Info
They have what is called "Quick Mail" onsite where you fill out a form and are supposed to get a response within three hours. Good luck with that.
General Information: Info@brilliantstore.com
Customer Service Department: Customercare@brilliantstore.com
Toll Free: 877-383-5641 Ph: 510-668-0398
Fax: 510-751-5309
Brilliant Store
933 Corporate Way
Fremont, CA 94539
Conclusion
I don't like high shipping costs and I don't like being ignored when I have a question. I don't like waiting well over three weeks for my order and I don't like having to pay a 15% restocking fee because they sell junk that looks good on the site. I don't like that I have a useless lamp here and it would cost me more to return it than to just let it sit doing nothing.
I won't shop at this site again. Customer service, to me, is key and I got none. I can find the same products for similar prices after the inflated shipping costs and I will do just that.
Not a dreadful, horrible experience but certainly not one where I felt like customer service cared about my satisfaction or even cared about what I was saying since I was never replied to. I give this one 2 stars. I have shopped at so many better online stores. This one isn't up to even average standards in the communication department.
Recommended:
No
