lightingdirect.com

Ordered merchandise on 6/12/10....LightingDirect(Build.com)will happily take your money long before anything is shipped. Absolutely no indication that any items are on back order. It is now Oct. 21 and I am still waiting for my fan lights. NEVER again!

We placed a large order for all lighting fixtures in a new house using LightingDirect.com (aka Build.com) using their builder discount program and found their pricing (discounts on lighting fixtures can be very significant if you can work through a builder), service and delivery just fine. We had to cancel one item because it became unavailable and a credit was issued quickly. We also had one damaged glass shade which the account rep we dealt with replaced without question. Everything appeared to be drop shipped but all arrived within a few days in separate shipments. Anyway, it's a shame other reviewers didn't have comparable experiences but we're happy with this company and would recommend them.

I've placed a total of three orders (significant quantities of fixtures, various brands) beginning May 6. Prices have been good (better the larger the order), and service excellent. In-stock items have been shipped quickly, and company sends updates on the progress of items whose shipment is delayed due to special order.
Freight delivery instructions are very specific, and when I needed to return an item when color or size didn't work as expected, they sent the necessary information for return exactly as stated on the website.
This excellent experience helped reverse the negative opinion I'd developed from a recent experience with another online retailer. I'm continuing to buy from this company and other vendors in their network because of these consistent positive experiences. Highly recommend.

I planned to buy 3 items from Lightingdirect.com, had them in my shopping cart and requested a price match from a live chat operator on 2 of the items. Both of the items had a "Low price Guarantee" icon on their page and met the criteria of the price match. I provided URLs to the two sites that had lower prices and the chat operator said they couldn't match those prices and ended the chat session.

I ordered a Thomas Lighting shower trim (TR6SHR) from LightingDirect.com on December 5, 2011. After reading the other reviews, I was skeptical about purchasing the trim from this Internet retailer. However, I decided to place the order because my local Menards store was unable to order this part number from Thomas and the cost was under $30, so if I got ripped off it would not be the end of the world. I did in fact receive the product on December 16, 2011. The product was in the original factory packacking and it was not damaged in any way. This was good and a relief.

Overall, here is what I learned from my experience ordering from and extensively researching LightingDirect.com. First, this company is a reseller of merchandise. When you place an order with LightingDirect.com (or any of their sister companies), they turn around and place an order for the same product with another retailer. In my case, LightingDirect.com purchased the shower trim from Philips Consumer Luminaries in Elgin, IL. LightingDirect.com places the order in their name, but listed me as the "Ship To" address. I imagine they get a small discount, pocket the difference, and generate income through high volume.

Second, after I placed the order, I received multiple email messages, each one pushing the shipping date back, first from Dec. 7, then to Dec. 8, then to Dec. 13, 14, and finally the 15th. After it went to the 15th, I called them. The first time I called, the customrer representative stated that "all their systems were down" and he was unable to check but would call me back in a few minutes. I assumed he would not call back, which he never did. I simply called back in a few seconds and spoke with a different representative. This person claimed to be calling the manufacturer and inquiring as to when the trim would be fabricated. He stated that it was ready to go and would ship on the stated date (Dec. 15). In the end, he was correct. The item did ship on the 15th. However, I think we all know that he did not call Thomas Lighting, the manufacturer. Rather, I assume he called Philips Consumer Luminaries, the retailer that LightingDirect purchased the product from. I really have no idea why the company perpetuates the charade of ordering direct from the factory. There is value in aggregating products from multiple sites to save customers time and effort. They would be better offer just admitting this is true. As a result of their business model, your experience with LightingDirect.com is really your experience with the company they repurchase from. For example, I went to the Philips Luminaries web page (which is lightingoptions.com) and found that LightingDirect.com repeats exactly the same information from this site (e.g. each site lists the "in stock" value to be 200 for the shower trim). Clearly LightingDirect.com is pulling the inventory numbers from this other retailer. I have no idea how LightingDirect chooses from whom they purchase the products. I can also imagine that some companies know what LightingDirect is doing and purposely ship damaged, faulty, or previously returned merchandise knowing that it will be a huge pain in the a** for the end customer to return it. Like I said before, your experience with LightingDirect is really your experience with the company form which they purchase the product. I imagine this is the source of the high variance one sees in the reviews of this company.

Third, you need to read the fine print on their policies. For example, to a return an item, their return policy clearly states that you are NOT allowed to even write on the box that the item came in. This will invalidate the return. Unfortunately, though this is obviously a gimmick, they are within their legal right to enforce the stated policy. Their return policy needs to be strict because they need to be able to return the product to the company they bought it from. If that company refuses to accept the return, then so does LightingDirect.

Fourth, use a CREDIT CARD for the purchase. DO NOT USE A DEBIT CARD for the purchase and keep records of everything. The reason is that consumers have greater legal protection if they use their credit card. For example, if the company does not ship a product within 30 days of the order, you can dispute the charge and receive a refund from the credit card company. This is not possible if you use a debit card. Also, I printed out and saved all communications with this company in case I needed to dispute the charge. I printed the product page showing 200 items in stock and all of the emails showing the shipping date being pushed back. If the shipping date went over 30 days, then I had a very strong case for a refund.

Finally, it is clear that the employees of this company write fake Internet reviews. Any review that sounds like a sales pitch for the company (what a great web site, they had the lowest prices anywhere, what an amazing experience, etc.) was probably written by employees of the company. Since all they do is reorder from other companies, the employees presumably have lots of extra time to screw around on the Internet. Employees of LightingDirect.com are also very aggressive in responding to negative or critical reviews on the Internet. In each case, the response follows a generic template - contact the company because they want to make the customer happy. I really doubt any of that is true. I can only speculate, but their employees might be paid on commission for every sale they make. So if they can refuse, delay, or confuse customers to prevent the return of an expensive item, the more money they make.

I bought some fixtures from them about 3 years ago and the experience was pleasant. Prices were good and they shipped promptly.

I decided to buy a couple of things again last weekend. Ordered something that was supposed to be in stock and expected to ship in 24 hours. But it turned out that it was backordered by a week or so. I contacted CS via online chat. They called the manufacturer and told me that it was indeed backordered and they apologized for the error. They offered to up the shipping to a free 2-day air as ground would take another 5-6 days to reach. I told them that I wasn't in any rush and that they could save their dollars and just ship ground. I hinted to the rep that I'd actually appreciate some sort of $ credit rather than 2-day air because I wasn't in a rush. I didn't insist and she didn't say anything. I just mentioned it in the passing and left it at that.

This morning, I get an email that they gave me credit of over 10% on that order. I was pleasantly surprised that they felt they wanted to do this without me insisting on any refund. I think it is a very nice gesture. I wish more merchants showed this type of common courtesy to their customers because it certainly wins loyalty.

I went to their site and I see the item I want is listed in stock for immediate delivery, many available in stock and they offer overnight or 2 day shipping, just what I needed.(I was fooled, but did not know it yet) I order the lights (Thomas Ligghting, bath light bars - 2)and pay for 2 day shipping. Order confirmation comes back and says items are "Backordered". I immediately email customer service to request cancellation and receive a confirmation response from Mr. Sanchez that says: order cancelled. All is well, I think...wrong again...I then receive a an email a couple days later that says "order is in process", estimated shipping on (date). I contact Lighting Direct again and am told by Mr Sanchez that order could not be stopped. I state I will refuse delivery and he says do not do that, you will not get a refund/credit or it will not be in a timely manner. I remind him that he confirmed cancellation and that the date for item is past the time I need it for the contractor to install. He says no problem, they will issue a return # and I will ship back for immediate credit. Problem is, I discover later, I have to pay postage to return and it is very expensive to ship two bulky items. They should have paid for return since their site was wrong on inventory availabilty and their advertising was deceptive and their documented and stated cancellation of order was incorrect. Do not do business with them, I even had to re-wrap the boxes to protect the unopened original shipping containers to assure I "might" get a refund. I had the opposite experience withone of their competitor's Bellacor - 1st rate service, honest inventory/sales practices and great help and returns were easy - try them instead. Amazon.com is another GREAT choice you can trust.

I ordered two pier mounts to go with some lights that I had. When the mounts arrived, they were just tossed into a box with no packing material, and more importantly, no mounting hardware, which in my experience they usually should. I decided to find out if they were supposed to come with the hardware so I logged onto the Live Chat on the LightingDirect website. I asked the customer service agent if these pier mounts come with mounting hardware, and he asked me to hold for a moment while he went to check. He came back a few minutes later and said that they DO in fact come with the hardware. I then informed him that my order I just received did NOT include the hardware. He then told me to hold on for one more moment while he checked, and after only about 10 seconds he comes back and changes his mind and says that they don't come with the hardware... Clearly this company doesn't care about providing honest information to their customers. They will tell you what they want to when it suits them. I will not be buying from them again, they are liars.

I placed an order from lighting direct for lighting fixtured from Meyda Tiffany on 9/17/2011 Order total $288.00. I had a delivery date set in early October 2011, they pushed it out until November 2011, December 2011, two dates in January and now February 22, 2012. When I have called both companies they blame it on each other and at times, the Chinese company Meyda out sourses to. I have complained and gotten the run around. But, today Jessie(very professional) at Lightng direct has assured me she will e-mail me on Monday 2/13/2012 with a resolution. Lets see what happends! To Medya Tiffany, I do business with China too, pay your bill to then so they will ship my order, you have my money!!

I found myself in need of a new light post (with photocell) and post lamp in a short time period (1 week). I basically had 7 days to purchase these items to be ready installation by the electrician. I thought Lowes and Home Depot would have something to my satisfaction but I was wrong. So I took to the internet and found what I loved on LightingDirect.com. Like the informed buyer that I am I checked ResellerRatings.com and was fairly disappointed in the reviews and definitely nervous to purchase.

Most of the negative reviews seemed to be based on internet orders. So I waited till the next morning (Tuesday Nov. 9) and called to speak with a CSR. I explained my situation of needing these 2 items quickly and they needed to be guaranteed for delivery on my time line. The CSR (Todd at ext 749) took the time to call both manufactures and secured a guaranteed delivery date of the week’s end (Fri Nov 12) from both, separate manufactures. Based on his promise, I decided to take the dive. I had a connection, felt comfortable with him, and thought I’ve got to at least try.

There was one hiccup where the manufacturer sent an email saying the item was backordered. I called Todd immediately and he was off……but he left another name and extension number on his message for his customers to speak to. I contacted him and he promptly contacted the manufacturer, and they said, ‘our error – his item already shipped, here’s the shipping number’!!

Both items arrived, perfectly, one day EARLIER than their promised date. Everything was perfect. I even got a follow up phone call from Todd the day they were delivered saying, “I see we have two delivered packages”!! What service! If you have any questions about them – CALL them. DON’T just order and hope. Talk to them and tell them your expectations. They will tell you if it’s possible. Oh, and enjoy their great prices too! First class!

If you are happy to have your credit card charged immediately when you place an order and then wait 4 months for delivery then you should feel very comfortable using this merchant. When I made the purchase delivery was promised for 2 weeks. The delivery date was changed at least 3 times, always just short enough that you would not cancel the order. This is a clear bait and switch. If I would’ve been told at the onset that there would be a 2 month delay, let alone a 5 month delay I would have shopped elsewhere.
This was a $2000 fixture. I feel as though I was deceived and manipulated and as such will never do business with Lghtingdirect.com again. This is substantial as I had just spent $8,000 in the last 18 months. This is not an honest merchant and I would highly recommend LightingNewYork.com as well as CanadaLightingExperts.

+ I've made 5 purchases in the past 2 months and have been very pleased. Their website is easy to use and I appreciate their online inventory availability.

+ shipping has been very quick and items well-packed. Every light fixture I bought had glass in it and everything arrived intact.

I ordered two lamps from lightingdirect.com in January of 2010. One lamp shipped within a reasonable time and it was received in good condition. So when I was told the second lamp would take a little longer I thought nothing of it. I later received an email stating the delivery of the lamp would be delayed until March of 2010. In March I was told the item had been “forwarded to [their] warehouse and [is] being prepared for shipment” but would not ship until May 11. Meanwhile, the item was listed on their web page as able to ship in 1-2 weeks. When I asked why it would take so long to processes the item at their warehouse I was told they did not have it and the manufacture would be sending more. It is now November, almost a full year after I ordered the item, and I still have not received it. The item is still listed on lightingdirect’s webpage for sale. http://www.lightingdirect.com/meyda-tiffany-77774-craftsman-mission-accent-table-lamp-from-the-arts-crafts-collection/p276134 Even though they have told me the lamp is on extended back-order. I will continue to review this site until I receive my lamp or until they properly list the status of the lamp on their webpage.

This is an update to my post. It is now Jan of 2011 and the above mentioned lamp is now scheduled to arrive in April. If it is delivered by April it will be over a year late!

I ordered 3 pendant lights from Lighting Direct. I received them quickly and in good condition. The lights, however, were not going to work for me. So I returned them. 12 days after they received my shipment I called (for the second time) looking for my money back. Finally, a guy told me the credit has been approved. I'm not sure why I had to call twice for this. Then I receive an email saying that it will take up to 10 days to get my money back, "if it is approved". I am very disappointed about the service I have received. Now I wonder whether or not I have been scammed.

I own rental properties and work for a major apartment operator that owns 50000+ apartment units. I will never recommend them to anyone. Selection and price are not everything in business. Service is as important, if not more so.

2 poch lights purchased, Hinckley lighting 1800, purchsed on November 3, 2014.

We began our search for porch lighting in late October, 2014. Our newly purchased house was built in 1938. The big box stores offered several styles, however, the quality of the materials used in their selections did not meet our expectations for specific design alignment, also we questioned the longevity, of the big box store products, i.e. the brass and or bronze etc. was painted, not the real deal. We were less than enthusiastic. Our canvassing of the internet provided us with a bit of luck. We purchsed 2 porch lights from lightingdirect.com, Hinckley lighting 1800, and the result is appropriate in fulfilling our interest to faithfully restore the pre world war two house that is beginning to resemble our home. Being aware of the styles and quality offered at lightingdirect.com. our future search will be shortened by going directly to their web site.

Sincerely,

Charles Luskin
Ocean City, New jersey

I placed an order for a light fixture that didn't have any notice of being back-ordered or out of stock on July 13th. The item page and order email said it would ship in 1-2 days. Great!
5 days later... I got an email saying that it was back-ordered and my estimated ship date was August 7th!
I was annoyed but decided to just wait on it.
About a week later, I saw that my credit card had already been charged for it. Personally, I think it's wrong to be charged for back-ordered items before they're available. I contacted customer service and told them I was not pleased with this order in ANY way. They wrote back the standard "...blah, blah, we'll look in to it..." and I never got anything else.
The item shipped on August 2nd and took almost 2 weeks to get to me.
I will NOT be shopping with LightingDirect.com ever again!

We browsed the web and found that this business has an active Facebook page. We have discovered that this business has SSL (secure sockets layer), which means that this business handles your data, such as personal information or credit card details, with secure connection. We found that the domain for this business is older than two years which could be an indication that this is a trustworthy business with an established customer base and experience in their field. We found that this business has an Instagram page, where they communicate with their customers using images and videos. This is usually an indication that the business has some visual aspects that it wants to showcase.