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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think next.co.uk emptying online basket after 20 mins is ridiculous?

23 replies

twinsister · 09/12/2015 07:53

I've had massive problems trying to do a big order of winter clothes with next.co.uk. It kept stopping me from checking out. I redid the order three times (took blimmin hours in total) before I realised what was going on. The email I got from Next customer services said:

"I apologise that the basket was emptied. Unfortunately after a period of inactivity of 20 minutes, the basket is emptied automatically."

Is it just me or is that just ridiculous?! Particularly as there is no warning that it's going to happen?

and...breathe....

OP posts:

TheDowagerCuntess · 09/12/2015 07:58

That seems really counter-productive. Why would they do that?

SevenOfNineTrue · 09/12/2015 08:01

Probably due to the way their systems work. In other retailers just because a customer puts something in their basket, does not mean they actually have been allocated that item. The customer could get to checkout and find the item has sold out in the meantime.

20 minutes is not long enough though and they should clearly warn customers this will happen.

BugritAndTidyup · 09/12/2015 08:02

Maybe they have had issues with people forgetting their basket has stuff in it and then kicking up a stink when their next order is far larger than they expected it to be? It sounds like a pain though especially if you're doing a big shop

Egosumquisum · 09/12/2015 08:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

twinsister · 09/12/2015 08:08

oh and just to rub salt in the wound, the basket doesn't ACTUALLY empty, you can still see all the things in it, it just wont let you check out...if you add anything new it starts a whole new basket. Just seems a completely nuts system

OP posts:

DoreenLethal · 09/12/2015 08:18

Their loss, obviously.

Go somewhere else. Next are a horrible company.

KakiFruit · 09/12/2015 09:23

That is ridiculous. I hope they take your complaint on board but I'm surprised they couldn't foresee the problems this system would cause??

Leelu6 · 09/12/2015 09:23

YANBU. Usually companies allow 45 minutes of inactivity at least. Did you leave the computer alone for 20 minutes or were you doing something else online?

Stormtreader · 09/12/2015 10:17

This sounds like an issue with how their basket works.

To talk "computer" for a minute, you can either actually save a record every time you add an item to a basket, or you can do the quicker way of asking the computer to "remember" it in the working memory of the page.
This working memory gets cleared out after around 20 minutes of inactivity so that it doesnt run out of room.
The internet window will save a local copy of what the page looked like so if it thinks nothing has changed, it doesnt have to reload everything all over again.

Hence, you can end up with a situation where you can SEE the items, but the details of them have actually been cleared out already.

jinglehelll · 09/12/2015 21:32

That's really idiotic and stupid - anyone in marketing knows you need to encourage people who abandon their baskets, not piss them off!

Fairylea · 09/12/2015 21:37

New look do this too. Most infuriating thing ever.

2rebecca · 09/12/2015 22:40

Why do you need over 20 minutes? If there is limited stock then they will want to prioritise people who are going to get on and buy the stuff over people just browsing and using their basket as a wish list.
If you want it get on and pay for it. You wouldn't leave it sitting in a basket for hours in a shop so why should you online?
Get on and buy the stuff and then do something else.

backtowork2015 · 09/12/2015 23:00

I've still got 2 hoodies in my millets basket from their summer sale in August. ....still haven't quite made up my mind

backtowork2015 · 09/12/2015 23:02

Millets still have faith I'll succomb, the hoodies keep appearing in my banner ad even now

UterusUterusGhali · 09/12/2015 23:02

I can spend over an hour leisurely buying stuff from a website, easily.

Next online is terrible. Says stuff is in stock when it isn't etc. Their app is abysmal. Quality of the clothes is shocking.

I used to buy loads from them.

DingbatsFur · 09/12/2015 23:03

Just a reminder that one of the millionaire owners of Next voted for the tax credit cuts in the house of lords.

TheDowagerCuntess · 10/12/2015 01:01

2rebecca - online shopping is different from in-store shopping though, it's the sort of thing you dip in and out of while doing other tasks. That's the beauty of it.

Surely it's better business to leave the basket full indefinitely, and then if the item goes out of stock by the time you go to pay, it's your loss.

Sleepybeanbump · 10/12/2015 08:38

I was having a total meltdown at the JoJo site a few days ago for exactly the same reason. Absolutely unbelievably infuriating. And utterly stupid on their part.

SistersOfPercy · 10/12/2015 08:54

Next have pissed me off this week anyway,
I have asked them why women don't get a look in here, they haven't replied.

to think next.co.uk emptying online basket after 20 mins is ridiculous?

MostlyCountry · 11/12/2015 20:10

I've noticed that too with Next and they're not the only retailers to do this. It's ridiculous - why make it harder for customers to buy stuff ! I work in ecommerce and best practise is to leave basket contents for at least 30 days, rationale being that customers often add items but wait until payday before purchasing.

I'd bet they have technical restrictions that mean they have to have it work like that.

karalime · 11/12/2015 20:42

They probably put that function in after having a load of people complain that they put something in their basket but when they went to the checkout 30 minutes/30 days later it was no longer in stock.

They might also have found that for them, very few people come back later so why waste memory (or whatever the correct technical term is here).

Ceic · 11/12/2015 20:52

Next used to have a Quick Search when you could look up item by their product code - I've used that before to fill a basket quickly. It is a right PITA though because you need to find all the codes for the things you want and note them down elsewhere.

I prefer it when online shops have a "Save Basket" option or when they update the stock levels and tell you that it's now out of stock.

minipie · 11/12/2015 20:59

Yes yes yes OP! this gives me the rage. especially since it takes feckin ages to browse through next site anyway as they have so much a few nice things amongst a lot of tat. Argh.

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