Pottery Barn Mystery, Part I
Posted by Lotte on Thursday, April 15, 2010. Filed under: home, Life
We are currently on the market for rugs. One for our living room and one for the nursery. For inspiration, I’ve been browsing the web, looking for just the right color and pattern. One of my browsing sessions led me to Pottery Barn. At least, that is where it should have led me. To my great surprise, instead of Pottery Barn’s homepage, this is what I got:
“Sorry, due to website restrictions we are unable to display the requested page.”
That’s all. No information, no phone number or contact e-mail. Puzzled, but not fazed, I continued on to other websites. Then, I tried West Elm. The same mysterious message appeared, this time with a contact phone number. Williams-Sonoma: same story.
By this time, I was truly flabbergasted. What is going on? I live in Europe for Pete’s sake, not North Korea. I know that these companies don’t ship to Europe, but we should at least be able to see what it is we are missing out on, right? Well, wrong apparently. So far for the World Wide Web...
After a short round of googling the restricted website message, I quickly learned that I was not alone. I found more complaints of Europeans who were unable to access these websites, and none of them seemed to know what was going on.
I am determined to get to the bottom of this. I started with West Elm’s contact number. The phone was answered by a lovely lady who ensured me that this was not West Elm’s policy (turns out West Elm, Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma are all the same company; I did not know this); the governments of the countries where the sites are blocked are responsible. My quest for the truth brought me to the Dutch government. No information about blocking websites could be found on their web pages, so I gave them a call. The lady told me she did not have an answer right away, but would inquire with her colleagues and get back to me. She called me back one day later (at least they’re fast) to tell me she had contacted the economic affairs department and they assured her that no such practice exists within the government. Blocking websites only occurs when sites are involved in illegal activities, which these furniture companies obviously aren’t.
So, this is where I am at today. I’ve gained some information, but it has not brought me closer to an answer yet. Next up I will contact my internet provider and Williams-Sonoma’s IT department. I will keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, if anyone has already found the answer, I am dying to know here, so please clue me in!
May 5, 2010 at 7:05 PM
Hi, the same thing happened to me, I live in the Dominican Republic and our government doesn't block websites, they are blocking non US customers.
September 19, 2010 at 5:24 PM
Hi,
I have had the same thing and I live in South Africa. So frustrating because it worked a couple of months back. They don't ship to S.A but I absolutely love to look at their stuff :(
September 20, 2010 at 8:00 AM
Well Erika is totally right our country doesn't block any websites, why the hell is Pottery Barn blocking us? So many people outside US loves the store, I've just found out because I though i could order something online!!
September 30, 2010 at 4:56 AM
Well, it is really disappointing to get that message when you are eager to check out whatever it is you are interested in. I guess they will be losing followers in the long run.
November 26, 2010 at 10:34 PM
Hi there
I've been wondering the same thing and after searching on-line for a while I found this message on Pottery Barn's Facebook profile (yes, they too are on FB :o))
Hi Mascha: The website restrictions occur because we take the security of our customers and credit card information very seriously. Unfortunately not all countries maintain the same standards and legal protections for credit card information. Therefore to protect our customers, in some areas, access to our website is limited.
It can be found at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/potterybarn?bnrid=3301566&cm_ven=Email&cm_cat=CouponUS&cm_pla=PBAll&cm_ite=facebook&cm_em=kpierceh@bellsouth.net
The answer does not make sense to me, because I know the standards and legal protections of customer and credit card information is as high in Denmark, where I'm from as the ones in the US. And I absolutely LOVE looking at their website, so I'm incredible disappointed at this time.
Hope it helped solve the mystery.
Hugs from Denmark
November 29, 2010 at 7:50 AM
This might be a financial thing? There's no money to be gained from us foreigners, so why spend money on us lurking the website?
December 13, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Love Pottery Barn as well same access issues as everyone, but found a post that mentioned this optional site for access to non US market try it out and enjoy however does not look like full selection. ; http://www.potterybarn.me
December 14, 2010 at 7:33 AM
Hi,
Thank you so much for posting this...I've been trying to figure out whats the dealio for the entire year :(
I too live in South Africa, and just loved, loved, loved looking at Pottery Barn for inspiration.
Really sucks that they blocking countries...I mean it costs them nothing to allow us access. I should know, I'm in the Online field, I think its just so unnecessary :(
At least we can still look at Ikea. I hope they dont do the same and hopefully they'll open a few stores here in South Africa.
Thanks for the link Al :)
December 17, 2010 at 3:59 PM
FYI - I live in the united states and got the same error message so it doesn't have anything to do with your country. I can't figure it out!
January 17, 2011 at 9:24 AM
Hello there.
I'm Gary.
I've been reading these comments with interest, as my wife cannot connect to PB here in Holland. So, I tried this download:
http://expatshield.com/
It gives your computer a different IP address which makes the website, Pottery Barn think that your computer is in a different country.
Hey presto! Now have full access to PB and any other restricted website.
The only thing is, there are lots of pop up advertising. But you can uninstall the download after you have finished browsing. Then re-install whenever you want to check out Pottery Barn again. It's a pretty quick and easy download.
By the way I have no connection with this download. I use it to watch BBC iplayer which is also restricted to UK only.
January 27, 2011 at 9:51 PM
I am glad to hear it wasn't just happening to me. I live in (third world) Africa and actually do shopping via the internet (Eddie Bauer, Nordstrom etc) without any hassles at all! EB ship direct to me via UPS. I pay the US tax, plus the duty when it arrives here so it becomes pricey, but hey it all works!
I think it is totally silly that PB and W-S websites are blocked to non US IP addresses.
I was hoping to make some purchases, to be shipped to a friend in the US who will be coming out to visit soon. Guess they won't get my money then..!
January 28, 2011 at 11:32 PM
I came across this blog while trying to figure out what the hell that "website restrictions" message was supposed to mean. I'm also in the Netherlands - an American ex-pat, I wanted to show some Pottery Barn images to my boyfriend as examples of how I'd like the house to look :-P. PB apparently does not want us using them for inspiration.
And, as the last poster said, I might very well have ordered something and had it shipped to my mom's house, for next time she visits or next time I visit her. Now they've lost my business for today, and for when we move back to the states in the future as well!!! There are other, more friendly companies that also sell beautiful things.
February 13, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Hi Everybody,
I live in Turkey and I'm glad that this restriction is for the rest of the world except USA:)... Though I've never shopped via PB site, I've requested some of the items I loved from my relatives and friends who are USA residents. But now, I can not even see what's new in PB. Does it make sense?!
February 19, 2011 at 3:29 PM
i live in the Dominican republic, and before that I use to live in haiti.
5 years ago I could enter in the site from Haiti.
I would like to thank big bear freddy for posting the link that allows at least look at their catalog.
best regards to all
February 20, 2011 at 8:09 PM
Hi all, thanks for posting your experiences here! Also, glad to know I'm not alone in my frustration about this... Thanks Freddy for the link. I still am determined to contact them and ask them what the deal is, exactly. Any way you look at it, they are losing money by blocking us, as hits garner ad money!
August 26, 2016 at 6:58 PM
Ok, so I'm in NYC and am getting blocked. WTH???
February 8, 2017 at 1:56 PM
Currently working in Cape Town but a US resident so i can't even purchase anything for US address delivery as a gift or to my home!! their loss!
August 5, 2018 at 12:38 PM
I have a daughter living in US and son living in Canada and I shop at both PB and WS whenever I visit which is at least three months out of the year. I live in UK and have only had the restriction to the site since I returned in July this year. I wrote to ask WS what the problem was and they gave the impression it was EU restrictions although for a long time now I have had ongoing communications with them regarding ordering for my families in US and Canada because I dont have a US or Canadian credit card....although they take the same credit card when I am there in person. When last in US the Manager in the Virginia store suggested I bought a Gift Card which I could use online to buy gifts for US delivery, this option is of course no longer any use if I cant see the catalogue. I really had no idea this problem had been going on for so long (2010) as I was just looking for an answer regarding their recent reply to me and found this link. I will definitely be contacting them again to try to get a truthful answer and try to get them to open the site up to all their followers around the world. How petty if indeed it is just because they dont want people using their ideas. I will also go back to them and let them know that not only do they have US citizens overseas (customers with US bank accounts) that they are restricting but also an army of PB followers that love their stuff and are bitterly disappointed at their decision. Thanks also Gary will try the download. (My husband is so mad at the fact it could be WS/PB that are blocking, he doesnt want me to shop with them again ( I spend hundreds of dollars every time I visit) Think I will give them a chance to rectify it though, I love their stuff tooooo much, especially the seasonal stuff.
December 21, 2019 at 10:10 AM
Use a VPN software to see the website and order the items through this website:
https://www.shopusa.com/
June 24, 2020 at 9:06 AM
I am from the us and this is happening to me....
April 2, 2022 at 9:10 PM
still happening. Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn and West Elm. Guess I'll shop elsewhere - though of course I could just shop at WS - i'm in the US
April 8, 2022 at 7:43 PM
Same thing is happening to me on a Mac with Chrome and Safari from San Francisco -- Williams Sonoma's home town. This is lame.
February 25, 2024 at 12:55 AM
I live in Southern California, and I am getting the same notifications as the rest of you. No luck so far in resolving the problem.
March 17, 2024 at 6:35 PM
3/17/2024. In this US, east coast. Was working yesterday, get the error today. Clearly tied to IP address as website will work if I use my phones mobile connection.
April 2, 2024 at 10:10 PM
They are likely moaning about language laws again, they have been doing this for over a decade.