Today Show Steals & Deals FAQ's - Frugal Front Porch | MN Graphic Design & Parenting Blogger

I get lots of comments and questions about Jill Martin’s Today Show Steals and Deals segment that usually runs on Tuesdays on NBC. I’m going to try my best to answer some of these questions here and keep this list updated as new questions arise.

Steals & Deals Frequently Asked Question’s

How can I track my order? Retailers normally update their sites once the Steals and Deals offer has expired with customer service information to help consumers track their online orders. This means you can click the links in the original Steals & Deals post to learn how to navigate directly to those pages.
Can you track my order? No. Your orders are processed through a secure connections with the individual retailers but I can help you find the retailers website, email address, etc so you can track your order.
When can I expect to receive my order? Shipping ETA is normally posted on each retailers page but these are estimates. Some retailers experience much higher than anticipated orders which sometimes causes processing and shipping delays.
My credit card was charged and I don’t want the item anymore? Most of these deals have restrictions where “All Sales Are Final” so you may be stuck with the item. Please be sure to read the product details and the return/exchange policy on the retailer’s website before ordering. If you’re stuck with your purchase, you can always try to sell it on eBay, Craigslist or even perform a random act of kindness & give it away to someone!
The retailer can’t find my order and my credit card was charged. HELP! If the retailer cannot locate your order and they cannot find a record where they charged your credit card, you will need to call your credit card company’s customer service to dispute the charge.

This process applies to both credit cards & debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo.
But there’s a catch with the debit card, it must have been used as a credit transaction during checkout (aka-not entering your PIN).
The dispute process works for both online and offline purchases but you need to have receipts and have made a genuine attempt at getting the retailer to reverse the charges so it’s a good idea to have documentation and/or notes of this too.

What’s some general suggestions to help me keep up with my orders when buying online?

From personal online shopping experience, you should print your order confirmation page and use this to write all your notes about the order. This can come in handy during the dispute process mentioned above. Bookmarking those pages for online access later usually doesn’t work after a few days. These pages expire fairly quickly to protect your information so printing is the best option.
Take notes when interacting with the retailer. When calling to check on your order, jot down dates, times, the rep’s name, their employee id number, whatever information they give you. Sometimes a rep can forget to log the notes on your order so your notes can be very handy when you are promised something & the retailer doesn’t fulfill their promise. This has happened more often on my cable services than anything else but if you end up disputing the charge, these notes can be very helpful to your credit card company.
Allow for adequate time to process and ship the order. I get lots of requests for shipment tracking before the retailer ETA has passed. Unless you need to make a change to the order, allow the ETA to arrive before trying to track the order.

Do you make money off these deals? No, I don’t negotiate with the retailers to secure these deals nor do I receive any affiliate sales commission or advertising fee from them. The only benefit I get from posting these deals, is that you found them helpful to ease the burden on your wallet.
Still have a question about a specific Today Show steals and deals? Tweet @TODAYshow or @JillMartin with the hashtag #StealsAndDeals and she may answer it for you or leave a comment below.