October 7th, 2008 — Costumes, Entertainment
BuyCostumes.com is the world’s largest online retailer of Halloween costumes and party supplies. They sell the lion’s share of costumes for every holiday, so while Halloween is obviously their biggest selling period of the year, they also have Santa Suits, Easter Bunny Suits, Mardi Gras masks, St. Patty’s day beads, Luau party supplies, the Super Bowl, etc… Not to mention catering to theme party fanatics, murder mysteries and kid’s birthday party’s year round.
Due to Buy Costumes 30% plus market share, they have really good relationships with costume and party vendors throughout the industry. This makes it possible to acquire larger shares of inventory so when others run out of an item, you can count on BuyCostumes.com to have it in stock. They pride themselves on their huge selection so that when a competitor has 1-2 options for a particular themed costume; BuyCostumes.com often has 3, 4 or even 5 different options to compare.
The BuyCostumes.com website has been substantially enhanced in recent years. They have take huge strides to make mention of exactly what is included with the costume and what is not; how the costume fits and what colors it is available in. They also have quick “add-on” buttons to complete the look so the customer sees all the product’s images. This way there are no surprises when the customer receives their package. And the convenience of providing those “add-ons” has proved very effective indeed. The site also provides customer reviews to share customer’s experiences with the various costumes and this gives buyers a non-biased insight into the product.
Buy Costumes recommends that you shop early no matter what the holiday. They have become experts in making inventory available to their customers, but like anything, popular products sell out fast. Use their “email a friend” or “back in stock” email notification tools to stay on top of your favorite costumes.
BuyCostumes.com is home to over 15,000 costumes, party supplies and decor products. They place heavy emphasis providing quality customer service. Their shipping has been called “lightening fast” and they are well aware that your party or event is important to you… so helping you look your best is a number one priority.

Customer Satisfaction History:
A comprehensive review of the company history shows BuyCostumes.com to have an excellent record and very few complaints. We found no pattern of consumer scam or fraud. If you have had a personal experience with this company, please rate it below.
Website: www.buycostumes.com
Ratings:
Overall Rating: Excellent
Site Ease-of-Use: Excellent
Quality of Products: Very Good
Shipping / Delivery: Excellent
Customer Support: Excellent
October 7th, 2008 — Apartments & Rentals, Real Estate
The quickest and easiest way to locate the ideal apartment is the Internet. Apartments.com is a national online apartment guide and relocation resource distinguished by its highly customized searches and superior visual ads.
Apartments.com offers a comprehensive selection of apartments nationwide where users can view apartments online through video tours, photos, floorplans, and even contact a property on the spot by phone or email.
Apartments.com recently released innovative new 360 degree video tours of apartment listings and is constantly evolving to ensure the best possible user search experience.
They suggest using the “Email Property” feature on Apartments.com as a great way to contact several apartment communities with specific questions you have. This will give the apartment management a chance to contact you and respond to your concerns quickly and efficiently.

Customer Satisfaction History:
A comprehensive review of the company’s history shows Apartments.com to have an excellent record and very few complaints in relation to the number of people who use their service. If you have had a personal experience with this company, please comment or rate it below.
Website: www.apartments.com
October 6th, 2008 — Online Stores, Retail
CafePress is the leader in user-generated e-commerce. They sell t-shirts, gifts for the home, as well as other printable merchandise. The real kicker is that they don’t design the merchandise… their community of over 6.5M users do. And every time CafePress sells a product, the users make money. It’s called “User-Generated Commerce“, and CafePress is the market leader. With the world’s largest collection of user-designed products, you can find merchandise on just about any subject imaginable.
The site has recently been upgraded to improve user experience even further with enhanced search features.
CafePress recommends that consumers comparison shop when in the market for user-generated products. Compare the breadth of products and designs available on other user sites and see for yourself that CafePress offers more than any of their competitors.

Customer Satisfaction History:
A comprehensive review of the company history shows CafePress to have an excellent record and very few complaints. We found no pattern of consumer scam or fraud. If you have had a personal experience with this company, please rate it below.
Ratings:
Overall Rating: Excellent
Site Ease-of-Use: Excellent
Quality of Product: Very Good
Shipping / Delivery: Excellent
Website: www.cafepress.com
October 3rd, 2008 — Vision Care
For all you contact lens wearers out there, today we are interviewing Bob Drumm from www.aclens.com.
CS: Hi Bob. Thanks for talking with us. What is it that makes aclens.com one of the premier contact lens sites online today?
Bob: Well, we’ve been doing this for over 10 years and become one of the leading resources for low prices, award winning customer service and extensive health information. We carry all major brands of contact lenses including Acuvue, Focus, Biomedics, Freshlook, Purevision, Soflens and are able to offer our customers up to 70% off of retail prices. We have over one million lenses in stock, so there’s a good chance AC Lens has the exact contact lenses to fit anyone’s needs.
CS: Who founded your company and when?
Bob: Dr. Peter Clarkson, MD, PhD (President & CEO) founded AC Lens in 1995. His vision was to provide high-quality contact lens replacement services.
CS: What are some new features your site has to offer?
Bob: The new re-design of aclens.com launched October 6th 2008. It displays our discounted prices more clearly and provides easy access to rebate offers for even more savings for our customers.
We want new customers to be confident that we are here for them if needed, so our new design highlights our customer service awards — including the only contact lens retailer awarded “Platinum Support” by BizRate.com.
The new design also makes customer feedback more prominent through our contact lens forums, user product reviews or corporate blog, etc.
CS: That sounds great. What advice would you give someone shopping for lens replacement services for the first time online?
Bob: aclens.com is designed to be very upfront about everything. If you shop elsewhere:
- Be careful you don’t get hit with hidden fees which are common on some sites.
- Be sure to add up shopping cart totals to avoid paying more than you expected.
- Watch out for unannounced handling fees in the checkout process.
CS: Thanks very much for your time Bob. I’m sure our readers appreciate it as well.
Bob: My pleasure.

Website: www.aclens.com
Customer Satisfaction History:
A comprehensive review of the company’s history shows AC Lens to have an excellent record and very few complaints. We found no pattern of consumer scam or fraud. If you have had a personal experience with this company, please rate it below.