Buying White goods over the web

[Christian McArdle]

I've used QED several times without problems. They're usually close enough to the pace that I'll go with them even if someone beats their price, as I have a certain amount of trust in them.

Don't be. If there is a problem with the transaction and the addresses don't match, the credit card company will automatically charge back and the company may never see the money again, having already delivered the goods. There is considerable risk to the company by accepting alternative addresses. Risk costs. It is either reflected in increased charges, or by restrictive policies. It is no coincidence that the cheapest companies don't allow it, as they can't afford to pay for all the chargebacks.

Christian.

[bill]

they probably paid more than the other retailer,

£200 markup is possible though

[Richard]

Unfortunately John Lewis will not match web prices

Richard

[Mark Spice]

Cohen's I believe. My parents swear by him but unfortunately he doesn't deliver to Sheffield. Fortunately the aged parents will.

Cheers

Mark

[Bob Eager]

Nearly - J R Cowan...!

My father swore by him - sort of. He was area manager for Tricity Bendix for a long while and Cowan hit his sales quite a bit...

[RedOnRed]

Try the COOP Electrical Shop...

bought our washing machine from them and they were very well priced and provided a relaible service. They also have the sort of name you can trust.

A nice touch they have is that if your appliance you buy off them breaks down beyond repair in the first 12 months - they'll replace it.

[Dave Liquorice]

I should blooming well think so. Almost everything you buy new has a minimum 12 month guarantee, some things 3 or even 5 years. White goods tend to fall into the latter group as well.

[dmc]

One thing to remember is that JL will give at least a two year warranty on white goods. This maybe worth something to you - maybe not. Also, they will price match any shop price - just not internet sites. This can knock them down a bit. Talking of Miele, I don't know what sort of price you are looking at but I strongly recommend Miele dishwashers and washing machines. Ours came with a 5 and a 10 year warranty which is worth a lot.

and click on special offers.

I have but only from John Lewis. Can't really fault them - they are famous for having great delivery men (they *only* use their own trained people - no other carrier involved). I do know someone who ordered from Empire Direct and claims they would never do it again. I also know someone who ordered from some online site (don't know who - sorry) and it took three deliveries to get a dishwasher that didn't have a big dent in it.

Actually, now I think about it I got my TiVo from Empire direct years ago - it turned up a week later than they promised but otherwise ok. Not exactly the same scale as a washing machine though (and also several years ago). I guess the fact that they are still around may count for something though :)

Darren

[dmc]

Find the cheapest price you can on the street and they will price match. Also, tell them that you think a 200 pound difference in price is a lot and see if they will move a bit. If you are looking at spending a fair bit on a couple of appliances I have found that they are often willing to budge a little. The other thing to bargain with is their extended warranty - they appear to run this themselves instead of using domestic and general (or whoever it is) like everyone else. I have known people get extended warranties thrown in on some products. Interestingly, the likelyhood of this seems to correlate with their percieved reliability of the make of machine :-)

Darren - happy JL customer

[dmc]

Match - no (not anymore :-(). They are sometimes willing to negotiate though. I suspect you need to speak to the right person in the dept though.

Darren

[Richard]

Would have expected that that spending the thick end of £20K on a kitchen from them would have made them a little more flexible - but no!

Richard

[Richard]

I did - and bought almost £20K of kitchen from him!!

Richard

[dmc]

They won't consider a 1% move? That surprises me. Maybe I've just got lucky with the Bluewater branch...or maybe they have got stricter recently :-(

Darren

[Richard]

We're buying from Bluewater too!

Richard

[GymRatZ]

Absolutely.

Chargebacks are a pain in the R's. Credit card companies are becoming so "purchaser friendly" they don't give a fick about the people that actually give them money i.e. us humble retailers.

Would you believe we had a chargeback for goods sent to the card holder at the card holders registered address for which the card holder actually signed.

Because he "couldn't remember making the transaction" we had a chargeback. Then, as it was a CNP (card holder not present) and we had no customer signature the C.C. company didn't want to know. They gave the customer his money back and he kept the goods.

At that point it obviously becomes fraud/theft and as such a police matter, but we all know what reporting such an offenc to the police will achieve!

Pete