*Disclaimer*
This is a Review on Indiatimes Book Club(Though the mail from Mouth Pad says its added I couldn't find it)
My Dad has given me a habit in dharohar that is of buying & collecting books.
I have been an avid reader since my childhood days. In school was dependent on the school & local library. After joining college my source of reading used to be friends & some local library. But once I started working I had money in my hand to blow off(that’s what I thought). I started frequenting local bookstores in Ahmedabad and started spending big money on books.
And then one fine day one of my colleagues introduced me to Indiatimes Book Club. Initially I used use his account. I was so impressed that I became a member very soon and it would be the 4th time that I would be renewing my account this January.
Now let’s see what this Book Club is all about & why has it kept me hooked on to it.
*How to go there
*Log On to shopping.indiatimes.com, then choose the Category Books and then **Indiatimes Book Club **would stare on you:)
*What is it all about?*
It’s an initiative of Indiatimes online shopping.
To become a member you need
* An internet connection;)
* An account with Indiatimes
* To trust online shopping;)
Fees this membership comes with an Annual fee of Rs. 500/- & you get **three free books** by becoming a member. This means that you earn back your fee immediately.
*Why to shop here….*
~You get **a minimum discount of 25% **on most of the book purchases.
~Their range of books is very wide. Having browsed through sites like NDTV Shopping, Rediff Shopping, EBay, Indiaplaza, firsthandsecond etc I can vouch on it. The collection of books here is vast, especially on Indian Authors.
~ **Free shipping, **not all websites offer free shipping.
~ **Reward Points** by every shopping you earn carrots which can be redeemed later. You can exchange your Carrots for any product available on Indiatimes Shopping. You also have the choice to purchase a product using your Carrots plus pay the balance amount with Cash/Cheque/credit card etc.
~ **Payment Options** range from Credit Card, Debit CARD, Cheque, Demand Draft & Cash on Delivery.
~ **Tracking, **here you can track the current status of the order shipped. And this one is not just name sake it actually works. I have myself tracked my orders here.
~ **Customer Care** they have a proper customer care and trust me they do work.
Now these features are well displayed on the website, I’ll share with you my personal experience & what I think makes this club different from others.
## Unlike other online websites this store **doesn’t have third parties selling a product**. It is directly to Indiatimes that you place your order & It is Indiatimes which delivers the same.
## As soon as you place your order you receive a mail and if you send a mail to them it is always responded to.
## In case the product you have ordered isn’t available not only you get a proper intimation stating so but even the money gets credited back in the stipulated time.
## You can **Pre Order **books. Having done that I can say that they delivered it in time.
## **Wish list** is a feature I like the most. You can keep adding as many products in your wish list and order them as and when you want. Whenever I have time in my hand I browse through their store and keep adding books which I find interesting and order them later.
## **Ratings & reviews** besides each book there is a rating assigned by Indiatimes and a brief on the book too. Which helps a lot in the book buying decision and by now I have started trusting their ratings too.
## The website is divided into categories like Fiction, Non-Fiction, Health Mind & Body, Reference, By Authors etc. which makes the website user friendly and easy to browse through.
## I can still track my orders from the date I had joined the book club. Which is a huge advantage, (I can see how much lighter my purse is).
## We can also gift a book to friends. You just need to feed the address where the book has to be delivered. The gift can be sent with a personalised message & gift wrapping.
## You can store multiple addresses and just click wherever you want the book to be delivered.
##What I always do is that I visit a book store browse through the books and remember the titles I had liked. I would then log on to the website and buy the book on a 25% discount. In the present days when the cost of books are sky rocketing for Indiatimes Book Club is a blessing. I have ordered more than 50 books from here, for myself & my friends.
## The books are always couriered very properly. They are always packed in bubble wrappings and then plastic covering.
Online shopping has its share of disadvanatges like you can't see & feel the product. But I think for Books this is a good option, you need not feel it to buy it. And I also feel that the website & membership is must have for people who love to buy & collect books.
But yes we need to be a bit cautious with online shopping. But if you people trust my judgement then from experience am saying that this is a good option for book shopping. Till date I have recieved all my orders on time(with NDTV I Didn't), I have always recieved a proper feedback from them and last but not the least have always got my books in time & in good condition.
**PS: If you have a friend who's Birthday is just round the corner & u know she/he is fond of reading, you know what to gift & from where.:)
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