Disappointing at best. After seeing Zappos highlighted on the TV show, The Apprentice, I thought I would give them a try. Despite their website, which lacks visual appeal and is quite dense with information, their selection of shoes is OK. They lost a sale, however, when they did not have a size I needed, so instead of buying two pairs, I only purchased a pair of $200 Cole Haan Oxfords.  
 
An hour after I made my purchase, as I was attempting to see the status of my order, I noticed that the $200 price of these shoes had now dropped to a sale price $137. When I sent an email highlighting this fact to their customer service, I was told that they would not honor the reduction in price because they do not follow "industry standards" for price matching on different colors of the same shoe. I find this confusing at best and dishonest at worst. What retailer offers different prices on different colors of the SAME exact model shoe?  
 
Now I know one.  
 
Today, Zappos had the chance to earn a new customer who loves shoes. They blew it. I will return the shoes I ordered, at their expense, and hope that they quickly adopt a better business sense. They tout their "amazing customer service and unique shopping experience". I can certainly attest to the latter...it was a "unique experience" and one that I will not repeat with them. Especially when they are so many other choices. I wonder what Donald would say?  

Skip Zappos - shop somewhere else!  
 
Zappos used to be the gold-standard in online shoe stores but they are quickly falling from grace. They used to have an aggressive pricing policy, 110% pricing guarantee, but they decided to do away with it. I spoke to a live customer service rep and got the most bogus and lamest answer when I asked why they stopped beating the competition - because they really want to focus on "good customer service". Hmmm - maybe their overpaid marketing director slept through that MBA class on bringing in business, but competitive pricing IS a customer service issue. And with the economy in the shape that it's in, customers deserve both good service AND aggressive pricing. ShoeBuy.com got my latest orders because they still know how to beat the competition's prices. And if they can do it, so can Zappos. At this point, Zappos has been relegated to my 'try-on' store. I take advantage of their free shipping and returns and then go elsewhere to buy the shoes for less. Sorry Zappos...Hopefully, the CEO will wake up from his deep slumber and realize he is losing customers in droves. Mr. CEO, I suggest you get back into the game before it is too late. Good luck to you! (you're gonna need it)

update - March 2008.  
Zappos.com no longer price matches other stores. Yet another reason not to shop there.  
 
Zappos.com has a bad attitude with regards to customer support. I tried to place another order and their system was down, it wasn't accepting any credit cards. When I called to inform them, they rudely told me that there is no way it was their system, but rather that I should call my bank.  
 
There was no problem with any of my credit cards but I called my bank anyway and they verified that everything was fine with my credit cards.  
 
When I called Zappos back, by then they woke up and got a clue, admitting to me that indeed they had a problem with their credit card processing system.  
 
I hate Zappos.com's attitude of automatically blaming their own customers for a problem which was in actuality their own. They wouldn't even consider the possibility that they were experiencing a problem on their end, instead telling me that it was my problem and not theirs. When I asked them to check to see if they were experiencing any problems on their end, they should have admitted that there might have been a problem on their end and then look into it.  
 
I have a real problem with a company falsely blaming their own customers like this, it's plain wrong.

This review was modified by its author, mediahound, on 3/28/08 6:44 PM.

This store used to be excellent. They still have flawless customer service, but their prices leave a lot to be desired. They got rid of their 110% price match guarantee and now they are just overpriced. Most of their prices are usually a few dollars over MSRP. They say that they would rather have you pay for the customer service, but other stores especially endless.com (owned by Amazon) offer the same level of customer service and the competitive pricing. If they keep this up, I don't think they are going to stay in business too much longer. There is too much competition in the online shoe market to have high prices. Endless.com got my business in the past 4 orders I have placed, because they price match. I canceled a 248 dollar order at Zappos which cost me 186 at Endless for the same items after price matching. Not too many people want to pay a 62 dollar premium just for customer service that they may not even use. Good luck Zappos.

This review was modified by its author, dbb, on 5/6/08 9:56 PM.

Zappos carries a large selection of shoes in a huge range of sizes, including very hard to find wide widths (4E/6E). For more than two years, Zappos was my first choice for all of my shoe purchases because of the wide-ranging selection and 110% price match guarantee and free overnight shipping which made up for the fact their prices were always higher than most of their competition.  
 
Unfortunately, in February 2008 the company discontinued their price match guarantee and free overnight shipping, making them an overpriced choice for footware. You can do much better elsewhere, particularly when it comes to upfront cost. Shop around and use Zappos only if you have no other choice.

This review was modified by its author, phillipdampier, on 3/26/08 9:37 PM.

I specified to have the gift certificate I bought online for my brother emailed the day I bought it- 12/21/06. On 12/23/06 he still hadn't received it. I called customer service and had to wait for the clerk to finish a spell of laughing at something to find out they just plain never sent it. When I asked how I will know when they do actually send it she told me "Ï already told you we just sent it". When I replied that she told me he should be getting it "sometime soon", she told me I ought to call my brother and find out if he got it or not.  
Yes, I get that they are having some kind of problem with gift certificates, but I thought that was terrible service.  
My wife's experiences with them have been very good on the other hand.  
Updated- My brother did receive the certificate albeit two days later than requested and he was satisfied with their service in delivering his new shoes.

This review was modified by its author, pwscott, on 1/2/07 1:45 PM.

Their customer service is consistently helpful and friendly, even through two exchanges on the same order! I placed the original order with 3-5 day shipping and was upgraded to next-day for free, a trend that continued through the exchange process  
 
Hands down the best experience I've had ordering shoes online; I will definitely be frequenting the site in the future

I would never bought anything from Zappos before I had read the reviews for the product. www.ShoeRating.com may be a suggestion for finding ratings and reviews.

Interesting kids merchandise; purchased unique boots and raincoat set for 3 yr old. Had to search for the raincoat on site; not obvious.  
Delivery was especially quick, well in time for the event for which purchased.

This review was modified by its author, mikesuefle, on 4/8/06 8:19 PM.

I found Zappo at Resellerratings.com. Thank you for your helping me find onlines store's I can trust. Your information was very helpful.  
Zappo's online store is one of the best I have used.I have place three orders in the last month, one was a return whicn was taken care of very fast. The return shipping was paid by Zappo and they credited my account a day after confirming the return. The other two orders were as described and shipped to me very very fast. They have the best selection of Running shoes I have seen. They not only had what I wanted but a good selection of colors too. I will definetly shop with them again.

This review was modified by its author, mc8, on 10/16/09 6:20 PM.

The New Balance shoes I ordered for my wide-footed son were priced right, arrived quickly and fit well. Unfortunately they started to fall apart after about 10 days of normal wear. I told the good people of Zappos and they made good right away. They apologized, issued a refund and upgraded me to VIP status for my troubles. I was already a happy Zappos customer, now I am practically an evangelist.

I did a search for a pair of shoes. It listed a great price, and it was at Zappos. When I clicked on the link the price was not what I had seen at the search site. I emailed Zappos, told them about the difference. I can't tell you how nice they were, except to say they honored the lower price and were more than helpful in placing my order. There policies are in the best interest of their customers and from my experience, they bend over backwards to please & help you. Their Customer Service Rocks! I will shop their first when I need any of the items they carry, especially shoes. Bonus, Free shipping both ways too!!!! Zappos, is one great place to shop!!!!

I ordered a pair of Uggs in pink for my new step daughter. Was happily waiting to get them next week, but to my surprise you guys sent it next day air for FREE!! Great job and great service. Boots are beautiful and will always look to you guys first. Thanks .

As usual, Zappos delivered the product on time, with minimal packaging, and with no shipping charges or return. Plus, you always get a 1-day shipping upgrade!  
 
People think I'm strange for only buying shoes online, but it's so easy with Zappos because they don't charge to return shoes...just order the sizes you're between and try both. It's always a perfect experience shopping there.

This review was modified by its author, kca, on 9/18/09 3:44 PM.

Ordered my shoes for the cheapest price I could find online from Zappos. Shipped quickly and received them 5 days later.  
 
right price, right product, and right time= I will be ordering from them again!