Loading
 

Shopping online drives me crazy

Shopping online drives me absolutely crazy!  It seems the larger and more expensive the item, the better the customer service, yet with smaller items there just doesn't seem to be the same level of customer care.

I am hosting a party at the end of next month, and I thought it would be nostalgic fun for all guests to leave with an old-fashioned party bag. As there is a theme to the party, I have shopped for certain items specifically with that in mind...

Of the eight UK online shopping suppliers I have bought from:

Online shopping drives me crazy...

  • One supplier sent an order that was twenty short of the required number of items.
  • One sent the wrong items altogether, contrary to both my order and the despatch note supplied with the parcel.  No explanatory phone call or note.  The same supplier has also taken the longest time to despatch, and when I rang to complain, an automated message explained the business was closed for annual leave until July 31st. 
  • One supplier levied an express charge of £30: items were ordered two weeks ago and are not needed until the last week of August - this seems a trifle excessive.
  • Another supplier phoned today: the items are out of stock until the second week of August. Again, I had ordered these two weeks ago.

And yet all these online shopping companies are supposedly accustomed to dealing with bulk and wholesale orders!  I know there are always extenuating circumstances, but I do feel sorry for anyone trying to run a business that is dependent on companies such as these.

Share on Google Plus

Comments from visitors

Post a comment

Enter your comments in the space below.

Name or nickname


Sort:

Online shopping is brilliant, recent purchase an element for an oven, many thousands of choices, would have no idea where to begin to find a shop selling oven elements for thousands of makes and models. A few minutes online, email to supplier with size and spec of faulty element and new one in post same day. Just bought 100 blank dvds, that's the only way I buy computer stuff, half the price of any High Street store, including postage and takes 5 minutes instead of hours. My experience of unhappy customers is that these people order the wrong stuff, don't read instructions so only have themselves to blame when things go wrong. I have had some problems but have always had money refunded and bank have refunded credit card payment when merchant wouldn't, even that was quicker and easier than trekking to store and arguing with shopkeeper.

-2

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

artuk - 17-Jul-11 22:24 

''Shopping online drives me absolutely crazy!''...Quick question, what did you do before internet shopping was possible. Enough said.

-7

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Bored@work - 15-Dec-10 13:55 

I love online shopping. I have had no probs sorry to say!!! Yes you can find Trading Standards online just use a search engine. Easy peasy.

-2

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Frannie - 27-Jun-09 05:38 

I ordered Tshirts from EBTM website in December, and despite numerous phone calls, emails, am still without the goods I have paid for. Is there a complaints body for Internet shopping? Anyone any ideas as what to do next as I am fed up hearing the same old story of 'we're trying to trace where your order has gone......we'll get back to you as soon as we find out' - needless to say they never do.

-5

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

ThelasttimeIbuyonline - 18-Mar-09 23:16 

HI,
eventually got my internet problem sorted out by dsuk, the owner was on holiday, the item was out of stock & they forgot to answer any of my emails regarding the dress???
Eventually they phoned my husband back ( wouldn't talk to me but rang my husbands work number....??) and a dress arrived about week and a half later....about 7 to 8 weeks late but it did arrive.....BUT what was cool about 6 weeks later & totally out of the blue, a free biba top arrived free of charge in the way of an apology.....I wouln't have bought the top myself but my daughter loved it and I was impressed with them remembering & bothering to send the free top, So DSUK is cool with me now.......xxxxxxxxxxxx

-3

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

higgy - 18-Oct-08 19:20 

I purchased a Biba sale dress from Designer Sales UK ( DSUK, the Firm which does the designer sample sales at Brick Lane in London...) on the 29th August 2008 for £55.00 and it has not arrived yet.... it is now the 19th September 2008...

I have tried ringing ( only get a answerphone...), I have tried emailing (nearly everyday now) and nothing has happened... No dress, no reply, no response, no nothing... they are totally ignoring me but they did do one thing, they cashed my payment of £55.00.. Nightmare firm!

This has really put me off buying off the internet as basically I have lost my money & if they keep ignoring me, I supposed they have nicked my money...anybody got any ideas???? Cos I haven't!! A very Depressed internet user.

-6

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Higgy - 19-Sep-08 18:36 

In response to the initial gripe about it being small deliveries and customer service. I have just spent money on what I would consider two very large purchases of £800 (bathroom suite) and £250 (Xmas present) both companies sub-contracted to delivery companies, failed to deliver and could not correspond to any of my complaints, hence I still have an incomplete bathroom suite which I have been wrangling with the company for 4 weeks now, and will not receive the christmas present in time for christmas now.

Does anyone know of on online shoppuing tading standards or valuable feedback site, because I would sure like to make these companies known to other people.

I am certainly put off internet shopping and fail to see how certain businesses manage to operate when they cannot provide a basic service

+4

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

King - 18-Dec-07 15:52 

Instead of buying on line - go out and get some air. Nothing compensates for actually turning the pages of a book or, feeling and trying on a garment.

+1

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Vicky - 2-Nov-07 10:06 

Like Lilian, I ordered and paid for goods from Unusualonline.Co.Uk which were not received. I have since found out that the company have gone into Administration and that the Director cannot be traced. BUYERS BEWARE.

-1

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Tom - 2-Oct-07 09:53 

I made a purchase on the internet from 'unusualonline' found through google.
I paid through Wordpay and received an email confirmation from both the retailer and worldpay.
That was on the 23 July I am still waiting for the delivery of the goods.
I have tried to contact unusualonline via email and telephone, the number is not in use.
I have contacted Worldpay who are part of the royal bank of scotland, they say they cannot do anything my issue is with the supplier. So they can take your money on behalf of these scammers that makes them part of it.
Also although the site uses the ISIS accredited retailer internet shopping is safe logo,
ISIS withdrew their accredited status from this company in june.
BUYERS BEWARE, CHECK OUT ALL SITES BEFORE YOU PURCHASE. DONT BUY FROM UNUSUAL ON LINE,,,,

+4

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

LILIAN - 14-Sep-07 12:10 

As the original griper, I would like to say sorry for having sooooo p****d off certain readers of this gripe - yes, those who would prefer to hijack the Weekly Gripe to use as a political forum, rather than as what it really is - a place to get something off one's chest, have a good old moan, and even a bit of a chuckle...where I thought I could do this without being labelled "totally stupid"...!!!

Some of you need to step away from the keyboard, pull back the curtains, and go out to re-direct that energy put into unnecessary anger where it may have some positive and tangible effect!

Alternatively, go stroke the nearest animal or buy yourself a nice jammy doughnut...

+1

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Moaning Minnie - 13-Sep-07 16:14 

Using the phrase 'rocket science' gets up my tits. oipon jhbUHS HJWUEDHANX BSGWYDGWQ

-2

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Algy Bra - 13-Sep-07 10:09 

Are you totally stupid? Wake up? Walk...go on...one foot in front of the other. Before long you'll reach a shop.

-3

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Thales - 7-Sep-07 00:47 

There's ONE answer to this gripe, Don't shop at all.

It all only crud made in China.

Whether you buy online or in the shops you are spending money you can ill afford. You are probably buying it using a credit card.

So don't buy anything. You don't really need it. All you are doing is making some fat importer stinking rich.

By buying from the importer you are denying some worker here in the UK a job. Such workers will not be ablke to find homes nor to be able to raise a family. You are condemning them to a living hell on streets.

There's ONE answer to this gripe, Don't shop. Save your money.

-1

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Save the Country - 11-Aug-07 20:29 

There's ONE answer to this gripe, Don't shop online then.

go buy it from the shops, in the cold, and rain, storms and floods.

Queues, crowds, overpriced public transport, Talk about something driving you crazy, if shopping on the high street doesn't drive you crazy, doing it online is a DODDLE.

+7

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Fred - 9-Aug-07 05:09 

What I hate about buying from the internet are the lies.

Lies about delivery time. Frequently 24 hour or next day delivery is quoted. That often means it will take a week.

Delivery costs. Surely some of the prices suppliers quote for delivery they've got to be joking. £10 for a small mobile phone? Count the stamps on the next package you receive and look up what you paid. The latter is often 3 times more.

Weekday delivery times where they only quot that they will arive between 9am to 5pm, and don't actually show up until 6pm.

Buying from the internet should be siginificantly cheaper [50% to 70%] than buying from the high street. Internet suppliers who charge the same are ripping you off.

-3

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Lie Detective - 8-Aug-07 06:09 

I ordered 1 x memory card a couple of months ago from a company called Memory Bits and they were excellent. I also used to order ink cartridges from a very small home based busines and they were excellent too.

I think some of the larger companies such as Amazon tend to drag their heals - maybe it's something to do with the number of staff / departments involved in the transaction, supply chain and size of warehouses?

The smaller and simpler the company structure surely the better?

+2

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Bargain Hunter - 6-Aug-07 15:22 

It's of no consolation, however, it seems we are slowly waking up to the idea that just because a business is web based it does not mean they won't make mistakes. Why would such a retailer be more reliable than a High Street one? People have their theories about how Web based businesses should be run. But, as ever, the difference between theory and practice is quite different. The consumer will have to change his/her expectations a bit more to the realistic side, then maybe he/she won't get quite so upset when these web businesses fail to deliver. The High Street is still there don't forget, although I tend to avoid it if at all possible.

-8

 Vote for this commentVote against this commentClick to rate  Report This Report

Chris - 6-Aug-07 00:20 

Sort:

Close

Enter email to receive updates:RSS Feed

Twitter