Why I'm Moving On from Dolia and Choosing Other Options
Hello there!
I've got to say, the option to break up my purchases into smaller payments has been a game-changer for me. As I'm currently paying off a big mortgage, I've had to cut back on non-essential purchases and even stopped buying clothes altogether. But sometimes, these kinds of purchases are necessary, and that's when the 'Dolia' app really comes in handy.
I've been using this app for ages, and I first discovered it by chance while shopping at Zolotoe Yabloko. I'd never heard of it before, but after reading a bit about it, I decided to give it a try.
From the main page, you can see the list of stores that work with this app, organized by category. When it first came out, there weren't many stores on the list, but now it's a lot longer.
Some of the stores I've seen on the list include Lamoda, Letual, Sportmaster, Detsky Mir, Sunlight, M video, 585 zolotoy, Sokolov, Zolotoe yabloko, TsUM, and many others, from big brands to smaller ones.
I've also been using this app for business purposes, and it's been a game-changer. The app gives you a spending limit, which is currently set at 70,000 rubles for me. I think that's a pretty decent limit, considering I haven't used the app in two years. When I first signed up, I was given a much smaller limit - either 30,000 or 50,000 rubles. The limit increases over time, based on how frequently you make purchases. If you've already made 70,000 rubles' worth of purchases and you haven't paid it all off yet, you won't be able to make a new purchase until you've cleared the outstanding balance.
Making online purchases is a breeze - just follow the instructions. For example, if you're shopping on Lamoda and you choose to pay in installments, the app will take care of the rest. It'll break down the payments and payment schedule for you, and automatically deduct the first payment. You can also pay off the balance early if you want to. Everything's handled seamlessly through the app.
If you're making a purchase offline, you'll need to show the cashier your QR code, which can be found in your personal account. Once you've entered the code, the cashier will take care of the rest, and the app will handle the payment schedule from there.
Your personal account also keeps a record of all your purchases, so you can easily track what you've bought, when, and where.
My Experience with Dolia
My first purchase was the Golden Apple, and it was a perfume. I paid 9,000 rubles for it. You can read my review of this luxurious perfume here.
After that, things started to get exciting, and I began making purchases with a coupon.
My second purchase was in RIV GOOSH. I bought a men's Carolina Herrera 212 perfume as a gift. The price was 6,300 rubles.
My third purchase was in Lamoda. I bought a Karl Lagerfeld hat in the summer for a great price of 4,400 rubles. I only wore it once, and then I left it in a taxi - what a shame.
My next purchase in Lamoda was a dress from the Turkish brand Nocturne. I was searching for it for a long time, and finally, I found it there. The price was 5,215 rubles.
My next purchase in Lamoda was my long-time dream - Converse shoes. I've been chasing them for three years now, and I finally got them. The price was 14,300 rubles.
I've started noticing that the 'Shares' app is now taking a service fee, which is basically a commission. I'm not a fan of this - I've never had to pay anything before, and now this pops up. When I made my next purchase on Lamoda, the app took 75 rubles. The amount is tiny, but it's still annoying, considering I was buying the last size of an intimissimi bralette and used a promo code. The total came out to 3,784 rubles.
My next purchase was on Sunlight. I treated myself to some gold earrings for my birthday. Luckily, the app didn't take a commission on this purchase. The total came out to 20,394 rubles. You can find my review of these earrings here.
My next purchase on Lamoda was kind of a necessity. I was on the hunt for a jacket to go with a Nocturne skirt, and as soon as the right size became available, I snapped it up. The 'Shares' app took a commission of 296 rubles, which is a significant amount. The total purchase came out to 15,000 rubles.
I made my last purchase on Lamoda through this app on October 29, 2024. I bought a Rinascimento jacket. The service fee was 159 rubles. The total purchase amount was 8,079 rubles.
To be honest, I've stopped making purchases on Lamoda. But I still haven't deleted the Dolya app. I only use it when I make a purchase on Randevu, Sunlight, Latuel, or Zolotoe Yabloko, and I have the option to pay in installments. I usually choose the check split option. They don't charge a commission, and the payment plan is the same. There's no point in paying Dolya's service fee if other services offer the same payment option for free. I've tried selecting Dolya from the list, but when I confirmed the payment, I'd see that they were going to charge a commission, so I'd choose Check Podeli instead.
However, the Dolya app still helped me buy the things I wanted without putting a strain on my finances. I'm not deleting it, and I'll return to it when I need to.