Dave Williams
Well-known member
Simply Electronics have had a lot of bad publicity, some of it posted here on Birdforum so I thought it only fair to share my own experience.
I ordered an Olympus Tough TG-4 pocket camera, attracted by a price saving of £75 (£209 vs £284 cheapest UK price I could find). A couple of hours later an advice was posted here on Birdforum to avoid them. Further checks on websites like Trustpilot seemed to carry similar messages.
This was my finding:-
Simply Electronics are their own worst enemy. When you order a product from a distant country it's a little unnerving if anything goes wrong and SE actually don't help in their communications.
Ordering online is simple and easy.
The order confirmation appears to come with a standard letter and the following written:-I am delighted to inform you that your order, order number: xxxxx-xxxxx has been upgraded to priority processing in our warehouse. This upgrade means you'll be notified of key delivery milestones on your shipment (e.g. in-transit, out for delivery). Your order will be dispatched today and you should receive it within the next working days via DPD UK!
Later that day you get another letter to tell you your order has been despatched and you are issued with a tracking number and told that all further communication should be with the delivery agents DPD.
After a week you start to wonder why no further information is available when you look at the tracking information. You start to believe all the negative reports you read on the web saying that this is a rogue company.
A phone call to DPD tells you that they haven't actually received the parcel yet, so where is it ?
A phone call to SE tells you it probably hasn't been shipped yet but it will be soon, so why did you get the first letter if it's inaccurate?( A bone of contention here, you dial an 0845 number which is free but then get switched to a number you pay for . It took 8 minutes to answer but the cost was still only £1.65 so it wasn't the end of the world)
I sat tight and my purchase was delivered with a day to spare within the 4-10 working days delivery promised.
I think SE need to drastically re-think their communication policy and not cause unnecessary worry when it's not needed. Simply confirm the order and state the delivery terms , not promising it's been despatched when in fact it hasn't. You only start to worry when you doubt the truth in their communication and this is magnified by reading others experiences.It seems to cause some customers to panic and try and cancel their order which further complicates things. More negative comments about trying to get a refund etc etc.
It's my belief that SE are a reliable but need to tweek their operation. Before ordering check out their prices, some are far more competitive than others. You are liable for import duties but as yet I haven't received a demand. A large parcel may well attract more interest than a small one.
I'm not sure I have the confidence to place an order worth 000's of £'s but I know someone who did and was very happy with a huge saving.
One extra trick is to shop through the Top Cashback web site and you get an extra 3% discount although you will have to wait 12 weeks for it to be paid.My purchase nets down to £203. ( Top Cashback applies to lots of other online retail outlets too including WEX)
So all in all a very happy ending to an unnerving week or so. I think most importantly is to be patient. In today's world of instant communication we expect too much speed of response. Dashing off an email and then complaining of the lack of instant response elsewhere is all too easy and actually doesn't help anyone, merely creates distrust and panic.
Give the retailer a fair chance, read the terms and conditions before ordering and only when they have not been met make a complaint.
I ordered an Olympus Tough TG-4 pocket camera, attracted by a price saving of £75 (£209 vs £284 cheapest UK price I could find). A couple of hours later an advice was posted here on Birdforum to avoid them. Further checks on websites like Trustpilot seemed to carry similar messages.
This was my finding:-
Simply Electronics are their own worst enemy. When you order a product from a distant country it's a little unnerving if anything goes wrong and SE actually don't help in their communications.
Ordering online is simple and easy.
The order confirmation appears to come with a standard letter and the following written:-I am delighted to inform you that your order, order number: xxxxx-xxxxx has been upgraded to priority processing in our warehouse. This upgrade means you'll be notified of key delivery milestones on your shipment (e.g. in-transit, out for delivery). Your order will be dispatched today and you should receive it within the next working days via DPD UK!
Later that day you get another letter to tell you your order has been despatched and you are issued with a tracking number and told that all further communication should be with the delivery agents DPD.
After a week you start to wonder why no further information is available when you look at the tracking information. You start to believe all the negative reports you read on the web saying that this is a rogue company.
A phone call to DPD tells you that they haven't actually received the parcel yet, so where is it ?
A phone call to SE tells you it probably hasn't been shipped yet but it will be soon, so why did you get the first letter if it's inaccurate?( A bone of contention here, you dial an 0845 number which is free but then get switched to a number you pay for . It took 8 minutes to answer but the cost was still only £1.65 so it wasn't the end of the world)
I sat tight and my purchase was delivered with a day to spare within the 4-10 working days delivery promised.
I think SE need to drastically re-think their communication policy and not cause unnecessary worry when it's not needed. Simply confirm the order and state the delivery terms , not promising it's been despatched when in fact it hasn't. You only start to worry when you doubt the truth in their communication and this is magnified by reading others experiences.It seems to cause some customers to panic and try and cancel their order which further complicates things. More negative comments about trying to get a refund etc etc.
It's my belief that SE are a reliable but need to tweek their operation. Before ordering check out their prices, some are far more competitive than others. You are liable for import duties but as yet I haven't received a demand. A large parcel may well attract more interest than a small one.
I'm not sure I have the confidence to place an order worth 000's of £'s but I know someone who did and was very happy with a huge saving.
One extra trick is to shop through the Top Cashback web site and you get an extra 3% discount although you will have to wait 12 weeks for it to be paid.My purchase nets down to £203. ( Top Cashback applies to lots of other online retail outlets too including WEX)
So all in all a very happy ending to an unnerving week or so. I think most importantly is to be patient. In today's world of instant communication we expect too much speed of response. Dashing off an email and then complaining of the lack of instant response elsewhere is all too easy and actually doesn't help anyone, merely creates distrust and panic.
Give the retailer a fair chance, read the terms and conditions before ordering and only when they have not been met make a complaint.
