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Reviews (7)
Efoam
Great, just need to improve communication!
I was after some foam to fill my new Bosch L-Boxx tool cases. After seeing the crazy prices being charged for the foam accessories in the UK, I decided to look for other ways to pad out the cases.
This is when I found EFoam, and what a great find. I ordered 12 pieces of foam of two differing sizes, and the site makes it very easy to choose whatever sizes you want. Yes it's a basic looking site but don't let that put you off, as the choices and final products are great. I did have a slight problem trying to checkout with Paypal, for some reason it just wouldn't do the final confirmation so I ended up using Google Checkout instead which worked a treat.
My only real criticism is regarding communication. After a few days I sent an email asking when I was likely to receive the order. I didn't receive a response although I did a day later receive the product. There lies my other slight grumble, it would have been nice to get an email just to tell me the items had been dispatched as i would have stayed in if I had known. Otherwise it's a great service, and saved me probably 3rd of the money if I'd bought the proper Bosch stuff! Result :)
Apple
Perfect experience
Well I've been a customer for over 10+ years now, and in all that time they have never failed me. Obviously the products are simply amazing, from iPhones to computers and although seemingly expensive in the long term I think they work out far far cheaper than PCs. All my macs are still running perfectly, even my first G4, and don't get me wrong I've had the occasional problem with a laptop lead failing, or faulty drive etc, but I've had far less downtime and hassle running my Macs in 10 years, than the hell I used to go through with PCs.
Testament to this is how many of my friends and family have now moved over to Apple, probably helped a little by me.
Whether you're shopping online or in one of their stores the experience is nothing but exceptional. They have the best customer service in the business, whatever your question no matter how big or small it may be they just want to help you. Go into a store and they'll greet you, and then let you be until you want help. There is absolutely no sales pressure, they are simply there to help and answer your questions. In fact if you just want to go in and check your emails or facebook then that is no problem either as I did many a time when i went to the US.
Can't fault Apple in any which way, Steve Jobs has built the best products and software, and it was certainly a sad day to wave goodbye to him last year. Yes I am an Apple Fanboy, but once you've used an Apple product how can you not be!
Sportsdirect
Terrible Customer Service, Rude Staff, just two reason's I won't use them again!
OK, I'm going to cut this short as I've wasted far too much of my precious time moaning about Sportsdirect.com on Facebook and twitter which no doubt will hit a brick wall and achieve nothing!
So originally I was treated appallingly by some jumped up lad in the Kingston-Upon-Thames branch. He was chatting and laughing with four other members of staff around the entrance. He then insisted that I leave my coffee at the front door, this was a minor irritant but I agreed as I was going to be in and out swapping something over. However, queues were building and even with all the staff walking around and gathered around the entrance, they only had one member of staff on a till on the ground floor, and one on a returns till upstairs. So after 5 minutes queuing I gave up and went down to the entrance where the group of staff were still chatting. When I asked if any of them were able to help assist at the checkouts to reduce the queues I was bluntly told that they wouldn't but for what reason I could never ascertain, probably cos they were all neanderthals without the brain to handle real money! I was also pleased to highlight the fact that there was a coffee cup at the top of the escalator and his no drinking policy was obviously very thorough. This obviously didn't go down well, but I felt it my duty to inform him of such atrocities! Anyway, he was completely unhelpful towards me and seemed more worried to get back to the fun he was obviously having with his work colleagues. When I asked how to make a formal complaint, he told me I'd need to go to the checkouts to get a form to fill in. Really?!?! For starters I wasn't going to queue for a damned form, and in this day and age I'd expect an email or phone number! Anyway, he was completely rude in the end, unhelpful and sadly what I've come to expect from SportsDirect.com staff in all my dealings!
After that lovely service I went to a another store in Slough to swap my goods for the right ones. Sadly they didn't stock them and so I decided to take a refund in place. Annoyingly their policy is either a straight swap or refund on a gift card! So I had no choice but to take the gift card. I've since been to 5 stores looking for the items I wanted but I've had absolutely no luck. So I went online where low and behold they were in stock! One problem though, THEY WON'T ACCEPT THE GIFT CARD ONLINE! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely useless, why have a company name as .com if they can't actually run an online business that works alongside their highstreet shops.
Anyway, the more dealings I've had with this company the worse it gets. The sooner they realise customer service is HUGELY IMPORTANT the better! When I'm treated with courtesy and honesty then I will return to said company again and again spending more and more. Apple is a fine example, their products aren't cheap by no means, but I've been a regular customer for 10 years+ as they are completely honest in their approach let alone the great products. But if a company like Sportsdirect.com treat me like an idiot, are completely unhelpful or damn right rude like the chap in the Kingston store then they risk losing my business for good.
Their returns policy also reaffirms the poor approach to customer service with gift cards. This to me reeks of desperation to hang on to peoples money, I made an honest mistake with my purchase and if they were honest enough to give me a proper refund I would have walked away from the transaction happy and highly likely to return. Instead I get given a gift card and I walk away with a sour taste in my mouth. Not many companies I've used do this, but those few that do have NEVER received my business again as they lose any respect or trust on my part. The online gift card debacle is the final straw for me. The only positive thing about this company are the prices, but terrible customer service is what will stop me ever returning no matter how cheap they sell stuff for. This company needs a serious shake up because with it's current policies it's creating a great deal of customer animosity and destroying any goodwill we had for their business!
AmbienteDirect.com
Poor Communication & Customer Service
I ordered an item that was at the time showing to be in stock on 8th Feb. Obviously coming from Germany to the UK I expected a little wait, but after a a couple of weeks (21st Feb) I decided to contact them via email and ask when I was likely to receive the item.
Six days went by with no response, this sent alarm bells ringing and so I did a little search for Ambiente Direct and started seeing all the negative reviews. This left me a little despondent that I may have been duped, so I emailed once more (27th Feb) questioning the legitimacy of their company and asking for a response within 48 hours. This time around though a lady called Marisa contacted me (29th Feb). She apologised for the long wait in receiving a reply, but told me they were awaiting stock in weeks 11 or 12. This annoyed me as the site listed it as in stock when I ordered, and so I immediately responded (29th Feb) asking for a refund.
On 6th March I finally got a response saying my money had been refunded, and on checking my Credit card statement I can verify I got my money back.
So would I do business again, one word, NO! They have a severe problem with communication, and when buying from abroad let alone your own country it is nice to be kept up to date. If they had contacted me immediately they knew they had a stock problem, I would have been informed from the outset, but to have to repeatedly ask for information is irritating. Also to not get a response within 24-48 hours is also disappointing, they should at the very least send an automated response giving you a rough idea when you're likely to get a response. Overall a very bad shopping experience for me.
All I can say is thank goodness for the actual manufacturer of the product I wanted, as they shipped it from Germany with absolutely no trouble, with great communication and turned it all around in less than a week. Something Ambiente Direct didn't do for me!
Cash 4 Phones
A bit shady in my opinion!
This is the second review I've had to write for this company as my first one was taken down after a complaint. Now there were no expletives, nothing offensive, in fact there was nothing derogatory except the truth about my dealings with Cash4phones.co.uk. So it was strange that the day my review got removed, was the same day I received an email with a renewed offer.
Here's the back story, in fact word for word what was in my original email! My father had a like new Nokia mobile, it was in perfect working condition with no scratches, dents or problems with it at all. So due to a recent upgrade I suggested he recycle the old phone and get some cash for it. After using the comparemymobile.com comparison site, cash4phones came through with the best price at £46 and the reviews on the comparison site "appeared" to be 5stars, so I was full of confidence this would be the one to go for.
Sadly on sending the phone, Cash4phones.co.uk proved to be a bit of a rogue company. They claimed that it had excessive wear and tear, stating it had "significant cosmetic damage"! This was not at all the case when we sent it, and the revised price of £30.10 was a bit of a joke. It would appear to be a clever ruse whereby they suck you in by offering the best prices, then dramatically slash the price which will 9 out of 10 times be a win-win for them! Yes you could get the phone returned, but they charge £8 for the privilege which obviously secures them in the knowledge that most people will not want to pay this and therefore simply accept the discounted price! I could book a courier to collect it for cheaper than that!
At this point I was very annoyed and disappointed with the so-called service from Cash4phones.co.uk, and I questioned the validity of many of the positive reviews. I put up very honest and negative reviews and let all friends and followers know of my disgust on the social networks. So it was kinda funny that one day later I suddenly saw my review had been pulled, but also I had an email from Cash4phones.co.uk in my inbox. No apologies or acceptance that they may have made a mistake, no instead it was a generic reply exactly like my previous one, but this time stating the phone had passed all tests successfully. Well that's great news really, but I had a sour taste in my mouth now and no faith in the company as it seems to be a bit of a game on their part.
My father received his money thankfully, but after this experience I will never use this company ever again and would suggest to those I know to do the same.
Nb. A good suggestion may also to be to write down your IMEI number before sending, because if you are on the receiving end of this possible scam and you decide to get the phone back (in it's newly damaged form), you can at least verify that you're getting your original phone back and not a broken alternative!
Absolutemusic
Perfection
I've used Absolute Music numerous times, and to me the service is far and above that of larger shops like Digital Village. On the phone they're very friendly and keen to help. Stock levels are always healthy (unlike Dolphin Music), Prices are very competitive, and delivery is always quick and efficient with a great delivery company that gives you a specific hour on when it'll arrive - perfect! They are now my No1 place to visit online for all things musical, and I highly recommend them to both industry professionals and home studio owners alike. I am a very happy customer!
Tool Net
Could have been better!
Well I ordered a few bits last saturday in hope of having them by the following weekend. It took until wednesday for a representative to get back to me regarding one of the items being out of stock, and that if I was willing to go for the alternative option I could have it within 48hours which was absolutely fine by me as that would be friday. So after emailing back the same day, friday came around with no mention from the representative and no change of status in my orders on their site.
I decided to give them a call on friday to discover my email was sadly ignored as it was in their spam folder, so no order a week on. They were perfectly nice on the phone, and I was dealt with in a professional manner, but my experience wasn't the best or speediest.
I'm not writing them off as a company, but if I can get what I'm after down Screwfix or one of my other favoured online retailers then I will. Only a decent price will bring me back, and only if I'm in no hurry to receive it.
Right off to Screwfix I go to get the item I was after!
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