McGee and Co Review: The Same Brand Scores 4.9 and 1.6

Search this brand and you will find a 4.9 out of five and a 1.6 out of five, both current, both about the same company.

That gap is where this McGee and Co review starts, because understanding it tells you more than either number does alone.

The Two Scores

Two scores, one brand

Score

Where it sits

On site review widget

4.9 / 5

The brand's own pages

Independent platform

1.6 / 5

570 reviews

The gap

3.3 points

Our arithmetic

One star share, independent

61%

About 348 people

Replies to negative reviews

100%

Within 48 hours

Four point nine on the brand's own pages against 1.6 from 570 reviews on an independent platform.

The brand's own site carries reviews through a widget that summarises them at 4.9 out of five. An independent review platform shows 1.6 out of five from 570 reviews, with 61% of those at one star.

That is a 3.3 point gap on a five point scale. Both figures are real and currently published, and neither is being hidden.

One number deserves to be read alongside them. The company replies to 100% of negative reviews, typically within 48 hours, which is the opposite of the silent treatment we usually find behind a score like that.

Why Both Can Be True

Why both numbers can be real

The mechanism

On site widgets

Collected from verified buyers, solicited

Independent platforms

Anyone, usually after a problem

Who bothers to post

Delighted and furious, rarely the middle

Recency, independent profile

36 of 570 in the last year

What neither is

An audited measure of quality

Different collection methods measure different populations, and neither one audits quality.

On site widgets generally collect reviews by emailing verified buyers after delivery. That reaches a broad slice of customers, including the many whose order simply arrived and was fine.

Independent platforms work the other way round. Nobody is prompted, so people arrive under their own steam, and the two groups who do that are the delighted and the aggrieved. On this profile 61% are at one star and 18% at five, with very little in between.

Recency matters too. Only 36 of the 570 independent reviews were posted in the last year, so a good deal of that score reflects older experiences.

The honest reading is that neither number measures product quality. One measures the average customer, the other measures the tail. If you want to know what can go wrong, read the tail, which is the next three sections.

Shipping Is a Percentage, Not a Price

How shipping is actually charged

Order value

Shipping

Flat rate band

Up to $57

$8.50

Fifteen per cent band

$57.01 to $150

15%

Twelve and a half band

$150.01 to $300

12.5%

Ten per cent band

$301 plus

10%, capped at $599

Cap reached at

$5,990

Our arithmetic

Ten to 15 per cent of the order, capped at $599, which is reached at an order of $5,990.

Most retailers quote shipping as a flat fee or by weight. Here it is charged as a share of what you spend.

Orders up to $57 pay a flat $8.50. From $57.01 to $150 the charge is 15% of the order. From $150.01 to $300 it drops to 12.5%, and above $301 it is 10%, capped at $599.

Work that through and a $200 order carries $25.00 of shipping, a $500 order carries $50.00, and a $1,000 order carries $100.00. The cap only starts protecting you at an order of $5,990.

None of this is hidden, and a percentage model is defensible on bulky home goods. It does mean the shipping line grows with your basket rather than levelling off, which is the opposite of how most people expect it to behave.

The One Cent That Saves $22.50

The one cent that saves $22.50

What happens

Decor order of $150.00

Shipping charged at 15%

That shipping comes to

$22.50

Decor order of $150.01

Free shipping threshold met

That shipping comes to

$0.00

Cost of one extra cent of goods

Minus $22.50

At $150.00 you pay $22.50. At $150.01 you pay nothing.

This is the single most useful thing in the article and it takes one sentence to act on.

The free shipping threshold on decor and similar categories is a subtotal of $150.01 after discounts. At exactly $150.00 you are in the 15% band, which is $22.50 of shipping.

Add one more cent of goods and shipping goes to zero. Spending $0.01 more saves $22.50, which is the largest return on a penny we have ever calculated.

There is a smaller version of the same effect at the band edges. A $150.00 order pays $22.50 while a $151.00 order pays $18.88, so even without hitting the free shipping threshold, spending a dollar more saves $3.62.

• Check your subtotal against $150.01 before paying

• Remember the threshold is measured after discounts

• Watch the band edges at $57 and $150

• Furniture is on a different rule, see below

The Rule That Works the Other Way

The discount asymmetry

How it works

Free shipping threshold on decor

Measured after discounts

Furniture, mirrors, art, lighting

Shipping on retail before discounts

A $1,000 light reduced to $700

Shipping still figured on $1,000

You pay

$100 instead of $70

Extra cost

$30 on that one item

On furniture, mirrors, artwork and lighting, shipping is figured on the price before the discount.

Here is the asymmetry. The free shipping threshold on decor is measured after discounts, which is in your favour. On furniture, mirrors, artwork, lighting and trees, shipping is calculated from the retail price before discounts, which is not.

A $1,000 light fitting reduced to $700 still has its shipping worked out on $1,000. That is $100.00 rather than $70.00, so the sale saves you $300 on the item and hands $30.00 of it back in postage.

We are not suggesting anything improper. Both rules are published. The point is that the discount you see on a lighting or furniture listing is slightly smaller than it looks, and nobody tells you that at the moment you are deciding.

Getting Out of It Is Expensive

Getting out of a purchase

The published terms

Restocking, furniture, rugs, lighting

15% per piece

Return postage

Paid by you

Original shipping

Non refundable unless faulty

Damage reporting window

48 hours

Final sale list

Artwork, vintage, furniture, custom, swatches

Also final sale

Prices ending in $0.99

Fifteen per cent restocking on furniture, rugs and lighting, plus return postage, plus non refundable original shipping.

Furniture, rugs and lighting carry a 15% restocking fee per piece, you pay return postage, and the original shipping is non refundable unless the item was damaged, defective or wrong.

Put numbers on it. A $2,000 sofa returned costs $300.00 in restocking before the courier is paid and before the original shipping you already spent disappears.

The final sale list is long. Artwork, vintage, furniture, custom upholstery and made to order pieces, swatches, customized lighting, and anything priced ending in $0.99 is final sale. Damage must be reported within 48 hours.

One thing we could not reconcile. The refund policy lists furniture as non returnable, while the shipping page describes a 15% restocking fee on returned furniture. Those two statements cannot both be fully true, so get your category confirmed in writing before ordering.

Final Verdict

Category

Score

Design And Curation

8.5 / 10

Response To Complaints

7.5 / 10

Shipping Cost Structure

3.5 / 10

Returns Terms

3 / 10

Independent Review Record

2 / 10

Overall Score

5 / 10

Five out of ten. The design and curation are the reason people come, and the company answering 100% of negative reviews inside 48 hours is genuinely better conduct than most brands with a difficult score manage. What pulls it down is money mechanics and evidence. Shipping runs 10 to 15 per cent of your order and only caps at $5,990, the free shipping threshold sits at $150.01 so $150.00 costs you $22.50, furniture and lighting shipping is figured before discounts, returns carry a 15% restocking fee plus postage, the final sale list covers most large purchases, and the independent record is 1.6 from 570 with 61% at one star. Anyone reading a McGee and Co review should add a cent.

FAQs

Why does McGee and Co have a 4.9 and a 1.6?

Different collection methods. The 4.9 comes from a widget on the brand's own pages that solicits verified buyers. The 1.6 comes from 570 unsolicited reviews on an independent platform.

How much is shipping?

A flat $8.50 up to $57, then 15% to $150, 12.5% to $300 and 10% above $301, capped at $599.

How do I get free shipping?

A decor subtotal of $150.01 after discounts. At $150.00 you pay $22.50, so one extra cent of goods saves the lot.

Is there a restocking fee?

Fifteen per cent per piece on furniture, rugs and lighting, and you also pay return postage while the original shipping is non refundable.

What cannot be returned?

Artwork, vintage, furniture, custom upholstery and made to order items, swatches, customized lighting, and anything priced ending in $0.99.

How long does custom upholstery take?

Six to 16 weeks to build plus about four to six weeks to arrive, so roughly 10 to 22 weeks in total.