Unique, Decently Priced Items But the Shipping Rates Can Get Crazy
Corporate Gifts Network
Recently an acquaintance and coworker achieved a goal that took him several years to attain. I wanted to acknowledge all his hard work and sacrifice but didn't know what I could do. I was told by a family member to check out Corporate Gifts Network Online Store for unique gift baskets and other things and so I did.
I ended up getting a gift box from there. I wish I had known about this place before. It's unique and everything went smoothly — but there could be some disappointment due to long waits for delivery in some cases.
What the Site Sells
This site offers executive gifts, baskets, boxes, flowers arrangements and plants, balloon bouquets, fruit baskets, and some unique items. It has a wide variety of gifts for different occasions including sympathy, baby, congratulations, promotion, appreciation, retirement, and more. They also custom makes baskets and gifts. It certainly is not the typical gift basket online store.
Navigation
The site is professional and clean. You can shop by occasion, gift type, or search for a product. You can customize a gift by filling out the online form with what you want and they will give you a quote by email.
Click on the area you want to search and several thumbnails come up with prices clearly marked. If you are interested in something, click on the "details" link and you will get a full description of the item.
Once you find what you want, fill in the zip code where the item will be delivered (for shipping cost purposes) and click to add it to your cart.
You will be taken to a new screen where the shipping cost is clearly displayed. I like not having to jump through hoops to find out what the bottom line is. The basket I chose was $6.95 to ship to Atlanta but I put in a few zip codes and the shipping remained the same.
The thing I didn't like was that I ordered on a Sunday and the $6.95 charge was good only if I was willing to wait until Friday for the item to arrive. You can have items delivered faster but each increment (three day, two day, overnight) has higher shipping than the other, up to $20.00 additional for overnight shipping. Yikes. Plan ahead if you go to this site. Floral arrangements are delivered the next day though, except on Sunday.
Once you chose the shipping method/length of time it takes to get to the recipient, fill in the recipient's address (Their city, state and zip code will already be filled in because you have to fill in their zip code on the previous screen). Lastly, fill in the phone number.
Next, you are off to the gift card area where they provide a standard small gift card. Carefully type in your message and pick the occasion from a drop down box so that they can match the card with the gift.
That is it. You end up at a clean checkout where you input your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diner's Club card number. You have a choice to keep that info on file or not. I never do because I don't often visit these types of sites and I don't want my credit card details in anyone's files.
Once that is done, you will get a confirmation number and email. You will receive another email confirming delivery.
My Experience
Pretty much everything I said above happened. I went to the site and found something rather unique. The price was good and I didn't mind the wait but would have if it were a sympathy or a new baby gift. I wouldn't buy from this site if I needed my items to arrive right away. The shipping costs are just too high. However, as I researched for this review, I saw that floral arrangements will be sent the next day (except on Sunday) for a flat $8.95 shipping charge and some other gifts only need a couple days leeway so check carefully and see when the default delivery date is for the item you are interested in.
In my case, it all was fine. I chose a manly, not too cutesy gift box and paid by MasterCard. I got a confirmation email right away and, on that Friday when the item was to be delivered, I got am email saying it was.
I couldn't see the gift box I sent personally but my coworker sent me a photo of it and seemed impressed and touched. I wasn't out as much money as I expected to be and the item was as described. In addition, the gift was unique instead of the same ole, same ole things that most gift basket sites offer. They do have traditional type gifts but I like the ones that were a bit different and geared toward a professional achievement (Hence the name Corporate Gifts, I suppose).
I had no need for customer service and all went well. But I will probably not use this site unless I have five or six days leeway because shipping is killer if you upgrade to a faster shipping method. I may check to see if something I want is available faster by default but won't pay to expedite shipping. It is easier to go elsewhere and get a similar item shipped faster for less money.
Overall, however, I was pleased with my transaction.
Shipping and Other Info
As I said above, shipping charges are based on the item and area. You have several choices for delivery dates but anything but the basic (sometimes up to a week or more for some gift items) is quite expensive to ship. Overnight for my item would have been $26.95. I don't THINK so!
However, I now see that floral arrangements are delivered the next business day for a flat $8.95 and some other gifts requite only a few days so check each gift you are interested in for the default delivery date.
Each gift seems to have a different default delivery date. (One I looked at was an eight-day waiting time for the default shipping cost. That's nuts.)
Default shipping costs are reasonable. Expedited shipping costs are not.
Contact Info
1-800-713-0326
Customer Service Hours: Mon-Fri: 6am-5pm PST, Sat: 7am-1pm PST
Corporate Gifts Network
1800 West 4th Plain Blvd.
Suite 120-B, Vancouver, WA 98660
There is also an online contact form to ask questions or contact customer service.
Recommendation
The variety on this site is refreshing and the prices are decent. There are expensive gifts on the site but no more expensive than anywhere else. They have some quite reasonable gifts as well.
Their standard shipping costs are reasonable. However, if an item isn't scheduled to be shipped for a week and you update, you will pay a hefty price. Floral arrangements go the next day for $8.95 shipping which is standard although some sites have free shipping these days.
I had a good experience. But I didn't mind the wait for my item to arrive to the recipient. Had I wanted the item to get there in a day or two, I would have paid through the nose for shipping.
So how do I rate this site? Ease of use, clarity, variety, and quality are all good. Shipping rates are average to outrageous depending whether you upgrade to a faster shipping method.
I give this site 4 stars simply because of the shipping rate tier. If all items were available within a day or two, this would be a 5 star site. But I am not paying $26.50 to get my item to my friend the next day. No way. However, as I said, other items have a three day wait, some are next day. You just have to check and see what the default delivery date is.
If you find something you like and the delivery date is OK with you, you can get a nice, quality item sent to anyone in the US and know it will be there when promised. If you want something but need it in a rush and it isn't offered in a rush for default shipping costs, then delivery charges can hurt. Choose wisely.
Still, despite the possible high shipping rates if you choose to go with expedited shipping, this is a good site with good variety and some unique gifts for many occasions.
Recommended:
Yes
