Chemist Direct???

[SarahShattered]

Hi all,

I have a question, and wonder if anyone can help......

Does anyone use chemist direct? If so are they trustworthy?? :confused:

I've done a search, and can't work out whether people use them and they're great, or, if all the posts about them are self promotion. :rolleyes:

Thanks.

[Nile]

Hi all,

I have a question, and wonder if anyone can help......

Does anyone use chemist direct? If so are they trustworthy?? :confused:

I've done a search, and can't work out whether people use them and they're great, or, if all the posts about them are self promotion. :rolleyes:

Thanks.

Hello SarahShattered

I've ordered medicines from ChemistDirect successfully. The process went smoothly and other than having to be at home to sign for the package when it's delivered (which could be an inconvenience if you're not at home;) ), I can't fault them.

I would be happy to order from them again.

I have no connection to the company, so I'm not doing self promotion and I have nothing to gain from my endorsement.;)

Regards

Nile

[SarahShattered]

I've gone ahead and placed an order anyway, thanks for that, it makes me feel a little easier about it! We'll see I guess!!! I'm such a cynic! :D

[SarahShattered]

Does anyone else have any experience of using this online company? I've seen it mentioned lots of times, and am really interested in people's views/experiences of it? :think:

[garys missus]

Bad experience with them I'm affraid. After I had placed my order, I waited 6 weeks before trying to contact them by email several times, they never responded. When I finally managed to get through by phone, I was told that they had dispatched my order, but would do so again? The PO couldn't help me with the tracking order as they had not yet tried to deliver the package! (So you would assume from that that the order had not been shipped). After another 4 weeks and numerous phone calls where I had to wait on the line while people consulted their manager, I was told that it was obviously my address????? And that they would now refund my payment. In all it took me over three months of twoing and froing to get my money back but no goods. So I for one would not recommend them. Savers or Superdrug from now on.

[SarahShattered]

Oooeeerrr!!! That's not great, but glad you got your money back in the end - after what sounds like dogged determination... fair play to you!

[MRSTITTLEMOUSE]

I've used them no problem.got my stuff within 48 hours.

[moneysaving pharmacist]

The business is under the control of a pharmacist, so should be trustworthy and is regulated by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/about_us.php
http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/registrationandsupport/registration/searchourregisters/

I've never used them, and have only had a quick look around the site. Some of their price comparisons tread a fine line - I'm not really sure it's valid to compare the price of ibuprofen tabs to nurofen for example.
http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/48-ibuprofen-tablets-200mg_1_10470.html

[SarahShattered]

Thanks for that, it does seem hit and miss! :undecided

[SarahShattered]

Well, Apparently my order has been dispatched.... I'm hoping it'll arrive today.....ever the optimist!!!! :rolleyes:

[Cosima]

I have used them a few times to get stuff like shampoo and toothpaste delivered to the office. Find them fairly good and I’ve only ever had one problem with an order, I complained and they sent it straight out again and I actually reckon it was Royal Mail’s fault cos some other stuff from other sites I was expecting did not turn up.
SarahShattered hope your order finds you on time!

[SarahShattered]

I'm delighted, :j :j my order has turned up, complete, and I guess in 48hrs, if you count it from Monday?

Thanks for your input peeps, I really wasn't sure whether to use them or not!!

[Jane Moorman]

I would not use these people.

I ordered quite a bit of stuff on the 21 November, and because some of it was prescription pet food I paid for the special delievery.

On the 24th no sign of the items. So I called them. After 10 minutes on the phone the very pleasant lady said that the item holding everything up was the pet food... I asked why because it states on the web site that it was in stock. Ten minutes later - I was told that the Pet Warehouse were not even aware of my order, and that they had to order this in especially - this would take a day for it to arrive and another day for it to be dispatched. I then received on the 25th November a partial delivery - no food, and another item missing.

On 29th November no sign of rest of order. Phone line not open, so sent email. I received a "holding" email stating they would check with the pet warehouse and they would call me.

On the afternoon of the 1st December, no call, no food! I called again. I was told that the food had not been received by the Warehouse, but the matter would be resolved on the 2nd December. I asked for confirmation that this would be dispatched on the 2nd and was given assurances that it would be.

Guess what, today the 3rd December, no food, no sign on the web page that it had been dispatched, so I phoned again, to be told that the food would be dispatched sometime this week but could not give a date... I asked why when this should have been ordered in on the 21st, a mistake was made, which was fine, but should have been ordered on the 24th, and on the 3rd December they still have not go it. Yet the web site is claiming this is in stock.

I have asked for my money back and was basically told "fine". I cannot believe the attitude. This is not a cheap item and I need to buy this on a monthly basis.

These people suck - if I was told I would have to have a 2 week wait then I would not have ordered in the first place. I cannot afford to shell out £53 for something I don't receive - I have not go the money to go to the vet and pay them for a sack of food while I wait for this company to deliver.

[ginvzt]

Horrible company!!!!! I ordered some gifts to be sent abroad. After contacting them few times by email for a few days - no reply. Tried on-line live help after realised they charged my card and not still haven't posted. The website states the card will be charged once the order is processed. Was informed that one of the fragrances was not in stock - the website clearly says all my items are in stock. Tried asking can I remove that fragrance from the order so that it can be sent out as Christmas are coming closer only to be told that they can't get hold of their fragrance team?????

I asked them then if they can remove both fragrances and post it today. To which 'Claire' replied that she has spoken "to customer service manager and warehouse manager and the order is now cancelled. The decision has been made that we will not be sending the order out due to the postage and packaging and also the destination address." So, now I am out of the pocket by £130 and I need to wait for refund. In the meantime, I missed Royal Mail deadline to post gifts abroad, so my family most likely will have no gifts from me on Christmas day.

The best bit - they sent an email of cancelling order listing each item 4 times, so the total amount in that email is 'Total cancellation £504'. If they sent me this amount, I'll make sure to keep it for a while after they'll ask for it to be returned!

[trigger2]

I have to say I've used them a couple of times, not for anything too expensive, and I've found them great. Thats just my own experience though, my friend swears by ebay but personally after being stung by a seller I wouldn't use ebay again !

regards

trigger

[ianianian]

I used this company before christmas. Ordered on the 10th for a next day dispatch plus few days delivery time. I've had nothing and so had to buy a replacement xmas present for the person the gift was for.
I've emailed them and they have blanked me, so i'm not sure what course to take now?

[Julian123]

Do not use them!
They have taken my money and delivered nothing!
Now my online account says I have never made any orders with them.
I'vs started a claim to get my money back from paypal.

[Darrenh]

I placed my order on the 10/01/09 they took the money from my credit card on the same day, all items in stock on the 10/01/09 and still in stock today.

Five days later the site still says "We will process your order shortly" last checked at 11:43am 15/01/09.

I tried 4 times today to speak to their customer service on the phone and 3 out of 4 calls was picked up by a fax machine and the other by answer phone to leave a message.

The order was for over £100 so maybe if I don't get my order I may get my money back from the credit card?

[peanutnboo]

this company debits your debit card immediately whether it has stock of an item or not.
I placed an order on 9th Jan for a heater which was marked in stock on their website.
Tuesday the following week i received an email stating the item was not in stock and they didn't know when it would next be in stock but possibly some time in February.
No mention of refund
I emailed and phoned several times over the next few days . No reply to three emails and the sales and customer service phones both diverted to a recorded message .
Finally on the 16th after holding on the phone for 24 minutes I got through and a refund has been arranged .
19th after 7 days I finally receive a response to my emails stating that the website is not live and therefore none of their items shown in stock on their website is actually an acurate status of their current stock. It is their policy to debit customers cards immediately despite there possibly being no stock of any given item.

post script: the item I ordered is still shown as 'in stock' 12 days later .Presumably customers are still paying for them with no warning about items not being in stock .

[dellydaisy]

Ive recently paid for some goods totaling to £30 on my debt card its the 4 time ive ordered but this time my goods havent arrived chemist direct keep telling me to check with post office (who say until delivered they cant trace) i seem to be in a hole now any suggestions anyone? do they have to refund me or is it royal mails fault??? thanks guys x

[aardvark65]

I would phone them again and ask THEM to pursue with Post Office - you have paid for goods and not received!
I have today risked a small order after reading mixed reviews.

Note they give cashback with Topcashback and their is also a discount code for Jan on the topcashback site (incase anyone else wants to risk it!!):rolleyes:

[artymiss]

I ordered a heater recently from Chemist Direct and after having no contact after a week re its delivery I decided to research the company and arrived at this forum. I was very worried having read some of the comments but managed to sort out the problem eventually. I left a message on their answerphone and managed to go through the 'live chat' process after quite a wait and they said they would contact me at 5.30pm that day as they couldn't get through to the warehouse. Of course they didn't ring back so I rang again the next day and actually got through to an operator assured me the heater would be with me within the next few days. When I got home there was an email saying as they were out of stock(?!) I would be refunded within 3 to 5 days. Happily I was refunded and got the goods elsewhere.

[GabrielKnight]

I'm in the same boat - waiting for a > £100 order for well over a week with no contact.

[galactic]

I should have read these comments before placing an order. I have had similar experiences with a recent order - system suggests cc not charged until order processed, order in 'terminal' state of processing, all items always in stock but in actuality not available. I even had an order cancelled and placed another for items I was assured were in stock by the telephone assistant who went into the warehouse to verify. Evidently they are changing their system. It appears they have been in a state of system upgrade for years. They need to have a numeric part system without which they don't have a hope in hell of finding anything. Has anyone ever had their credit card credited by this company for orders placed and never received??? I have disputed the charge with the credit card company so that we will not have to pay. You shouldn't either!!! This company should be taken off the registers. Don't place a single order with them. They are doomed.

[aardvark65]

Email today to say order made yesterday despatched today with trackling number and everything. Also tracked v quickly on Topcashback so I am happy so far!;)

[kittie]

good experience a few times

[aardvark65]

Order came today. I have no complaints - good service:D

[RoyalBlue]

Chemist Direct may offer very good prices but in my experience their delivery and customer service leaves an awful lot to be desired. Plus, as has already been pointed out, they debit your credit card account the moment you place your order, only to subsequently tell you that they don't have some of the items that you have ordered (and for which they have charged you) in stock! You then have to wait until they finally get around to refunding the money to your account.

On their delivery advice they state that they offer 'same day despatch' and ask you to email them if there is anything they can do better. Again in my experience you can forget both! 10 working days or more for a part despatch and numerous emails chasing delivery and refunds for items not in stock remained unanswered.

As far as I'm concerned they are really not worth the hassle.

[aitch2oh]

I put my order in on 28th January 2009. My money was taken out of my account on 6th February 2009 and still I do not have the goods.

I have emailed and phoned and got no-where.

On 17th February 2009 "Louise" promised to chace up my order and get back to me. She did not.

Surely this is theft?

I am house-bound with disability and frequently shop on line now. Most on-line "shops" do not take your money until they send your goods.

Chemist Direct do the opposite. This is dishonest to my mind.

I will try emailing the director as someone has suggested.

Best wishes

[aitch2oh]

Success!!!!! I did as suggested and emailed director@chemistdirect.co.uk (check above if that is correct) and got a phone call from someone very polite and my parcel arrived today!!!!!

V. PLEASED!

The man said it was something to do with the computor but that is not my problem.

I explained to the man that my order was for a handsfree can opener which is not a matter of life or death but can be a matter of severe discomfort and that many house-bound people love the independance that online shopping gives us and that the best way to help us and their company is to give us a service. Not a freebee. Just let us know what is going on and dont take our money until you depatch the goods.

I did rant a bit. I hope they get the message. Best wishes to all, Aitch

[Julian123]

When I had problems with them I sent many emails to director@chemistdirect.co.uk and still got no replies for weeks! They are one of the worst (if not the worst) companies I have ever dealt with. I will never use them again..

[Brit Chick]

I placed an order with them back in november which included, amongst other things, an electric toothbrush for approx £100.

I received everything but the toothbrush which I was charged for and have since been engaged in a battle trying to get my money back. Now, several months later and after many emails and letters saying that they are looking into the matter they emailed me to say that they've reviewed the CCTV footage in their packing dept and can see that the toothbrush was placed in my delivery.

:mad:

So now it seems like I'll have to get in touch with my credit card company and try and get my money back that way instead.

[Julian123]

I wouldn't believe a word they say. You no doubt have the right to see that CCTV footage, I'd ask for it if I were you. They must have incredible quality cameras if they can tell exactly what was packed!

[ianianian]

Hi guys, i posted this thread months ago about how chemist direct took my money, sent me nothing and wouldn't reply to me (until i left them a huge rant of a voicemail saying i was taking them to court).
Since then I have seen post after post regarding their bad service, from the usual places such as MMS to the likes of topcashback where people have ordered trying to save money and have received nothing.

Stay away!

[Julian123]

Yes I agree, they have a terrible reputation.

[karlos99]

I wish I had read this forum before I ordered.

I ordered 3 items for a cold (lemsip, sudafed and a cough mixture - mainly because of the big discount and convenience). However, the next day I got an email saying the cough mixture was in the post and should be with me shortly. No mention of the lemsip and Sudafed which was strange. When I checked they said that they had decided to cancel the lemsip and the sudafed becasue they only send one item containing pseudoephedrine (this is not mentioned on their site). They did not bother to ask me if this was OK or if I would like to change or cancel my order. It's a bit annoying as this meant that the P&P was going to cost more than the item they were sending! I talked to them (via their livechat feature) and they said that if I wanted to, I could put in 3 separate orders, which they would not have a problem with for some reason. Of course, that would mean that I would pay the P&P charge three times which I suppose is nice for them.

Anyway, after much toing and froing I eventually got them to agree a refund of the item plus postage (after about an hour of discussion), but it could all have been avoided if they had let me know there was a problem with the order instead of trying to second-guess which item I would prefer. I'm now waiting for the cough mixture to arrive, so I can send it back, but I have a feeling that getting my money back will involve another couple of conversations.

Well, at least my cold is starting to clear up.

[7650nokia]

www.chemsistsdirect.co.uk (http://www.chemsistsdirect.co.uk) chemist direct

i used these also .. verry dissapointed!!

orderd over a week ago and still my order staus just says - order recieved :mad:

its a good job my life dont depend on what i orderd - im just waiting for there customer services to open at 9am to ring and cancell my order ... i wish i had read this post before ordering !!

will try elsewhere ....

oh .. is it me or does this website look like play.com with its layout ect .. im going email play and let them know , even the checkout screen ect is exactley the same!

[joanygee]

Advertise a fast delivery service BUT they charge your account instantly, take weeks to 'process' your order. Their prices are low; however chances of receiving goods any time soon are equally low.:mad:
Then they say they are out of stock and offer a delivery date mid-April when the order was at the beginning of March.
Don't use them unless you enjoy waiting and waiting...

[positivelymummy]

i wish i'd read this post before i ordered too! ordered last thursday, item received the following wednesday! that is no way near 48 hours, but after reading this post at least i received the item:rolleyes: , i'm not using them again, the main reason i ordered was for the 48 hour delivery..pants!!

[Henry_Hoover]

I wouldn't recommend using them. I placed an order which totalled £58. The money was taken straight away. A week later, I got an email saying that one item was out of stock, and the whole order will be sent when the out of stock item is available?

I was not given any indication of how long I had to wait. I sent them an email, to be told they will check with the warehouse and get back to me.

The items arrived a few weeks later, after my further emails, which went ignored.

[Optimist]

Just read this thread with interest. I placed an order yesterday through Cashback Kings as they give 7.5% back and it did say they had stock so I will be interested to see how long delivery takes. Currently the order status is just showing received

[Julian123]

I had a terrible experience using them when I ordered some cat food. Recently I tried another company called MedicAnimal and the goods arrived in just 2 days. I'll be using them again!

[GoldFool]

Another for the nay crowd...

I've ordered with them before, and though the delivery is always late they're cheap and they accept PayPal (I get paid by PayPal, so very convenient) so I used them for orders that weren't urgent.

Order placed: 23rd March

Yesterday, nothing. So I contacted the live help. They said they were going to need to pass the matter on to the warehouse to find out what was happening - that was it.

Can you contact them now? - No.
Can I contact them? - No
Will you contact me to say what's happening? No, you'll just receive your item. (Yeah, I believe you this time...!)

Minutes later, an email arrived saying the order was cancelled. I hadn't asked them to cancel it, just where it was. No refund as yet, which there should be as PayPal is instantaneous. Have filed a PayPal dispute.

Also, the live help wrote "i am...". While not usually a grammar Nazi, I can't believe they'd employ someone who makes such a basic mistake for a text based help service. Doesn't exactly speak highly for their professionalism, does it?

I've now discovered The Chemist. Much safer :D

Useless!

[floyd]

After reading this thread I decided against using Chemist Direct and opted for Chemist 4 U insted http://www.chemist-4-u.com/home.php

Couldn't be happier with the service and price and speed of delivery. They may not have the same huge range as Chemist Direct but I will definately stick with them for all my antihistamines and painkillers from now on.

[Maroc]

Hi I've just received an order from Chemist Direct - It took only 4 days. It arrived complete and in good condition. I may have been lucky - or maybe they're getting their act together. I'll be using them again for sure. :T

[Optimist]

Just read this thread with interest. I placed an order yesterday through Cashback Kings as they give 7.5% back and it did say they had stock so I will be interested to see how long delivery takes. Currently the order status is just showing received

Update to the above. My order continued to be shown as "received" from the 25th when I placed the order until the 3th April when I decided to ask the sales for some progress.. The response was "passed to warehouse" with apologies for the time taken. However that then seemed to be another black hole so I finally sent a message to the director@chemistdirect.co.uk which seemed to do the trick and I got a phone call to say that the items were out of stock with no known date for delivery and they offered me a alternative which I accepted.

I was informed on Thurs 9th that it had been despatched.

I'm sure they are good when they have stock but if there is a problem the order seems to go into a black hole with nothing done proactively to update the order. The order status showing as "recieved" is not helpful.

[brownsauce]

hi,
i was just typing in chemist direct on google and i thought i would give my two cents.
i worked for them for about a month about a year ago. its quite safe to buy from with regards a pharmacy point of view, everything is legal and checked by a pharmacist before it is sent to check for any interactions.Which is why they wouldnt sell all that pseudoephedrine to the woman with the cold. Its illegal.

however, it is a small set up and that means that there are problems.
I order from them regularly, but even i have had problems. to be one the safe side, i only order general toiletries from them and regular over the counter drugs which are far cheaper than boots, like smoking cessation tools, hair loss kits and womens health medicine.
They never have any of the cosmetics and electricals in stock. so you will be waiting a while for them if you do order and trying to get a valid response from their customer care team is like trying to get blood from a stone.
I dont know if this is still how it works, but when i was there if you wanted a refund you had to send an email to the customer care team, you couldnt get your money over the phone. Then you were waiting god knows how long for them to respond.

They are a fairly new company and are still trying to find their feet. I think it got very successful quite quickly and are trying to cope with the demand while only having a small staff.

[Julian123]

Well that may well be true but I found them to be totaly useless and will never buy from them again. They ignored all my emails and phone calls and took nearly 4 weeks to deliver 1 item of cat food!

[sunnygir1]

It would appear that I was not one of the 90% of chemist direct customers who have there order dispatched either on the same or the next working day. I always seem to phone them when they are very busy as I have never got to speak to someone yet to ask about my order. The live chat person must have died when on duty because they never respond either. I decided to send them a third email (they replied to the first one saying the warehouse would dispatch the order ASAP but never replied to the second one) asking for my order to be cancelled because I was going on holiday in two days time and they just ignored my cancellation request and dispatched the order. it will now arrive when I am not here so it will be interesting to see how long it takes for me to receive my refund.
I would not bother using them again because I found it almost impossible to contact them to chase up my order.

[mickyboy1]

I ordered item on the 26th feb 2009, never recieved the item, was given a tracking No. I could not track. Was told post office could not deliver after 4 weeks, no explanation as to why but they seemed to consider it normal ? Said they would refund my money.
So on the 27th feb they took the £42.48 from my account the delivery was post free, they failed to deliver for whatever reason then after several phone calls and promises they refunded me £39.53 on the 15th april, less £2.95 ??? Do not buy from this company you WILL be sorry and out of pocket.

[Julian123]

Yes that sounds almost exactly like me experience with them.

[KxMx]

I too think I should have read this as i'd have gone somewhere else! Although I only placed my order Friday, live help tells me some items fell out of stock and should be there shortly. I wonder how long it'll be?

[KxMx]

Well I got my order today so am pleased. My order was under £20 and of general medicines so think that was why mine was ok. The things that were out of stock came in the next day which was good. But I wasn't notified by email until after the live help chat.

[Sunnygirl]

Oh dear...another bad report here! I ordered just over £20 worth of stuff a week and a half ago. Only hayfever tablets, a few toiletries and medised so nothing too out of the ordinary. I have also heard nothing, the website status is 'order received', my email unanswered, the phone line continuously engaged. Getting nowhere fast with them at the moment.:mad:

Have sent another email just now to the director email address...thanks to Optimist for posting the email address, (did someone else mention it also..if so thanks as well).

Funny how my money left the account pretty sharpish though! I paid by debit card so does anyone know if I can contact the bank and get my money back if I don't hear anything back?:confused:

[Sunnygirl]

Just this minute received an email confirming despatch. Maybe the order will come after all?:confused:

[fbrj]

My recent purchase experience with Chemist Direct was very different to most of those detailed on this thread.

I chose to use Chemist Direct as their pricing seemed good for the item I was looking for (an electric toothbrush ). Before placing the order I had a quick look through this thread and very nearly did not proceed owing to the poor experiences of others. In the end I decided to try them out as I was only ordering 1 item even though it was quite expensive (£60) but if there were problems with non delivery then I thought I should be protected using my credit card.

I have to say the purchase went extremely smoothly and I was most impressed. The order was placed at 7pm in the evening of Wednesday 22nd, I had a dispatch confirmation on Thursday afternoon (with tracking details) and the package was delivered at 10.30am on Friday morning - almost up to Amazon standards!

[Julian123]

Yes - if they have the stuff in stock you'll get it fast, but if not they will take ages and will ignore all your emails and phone messages.

Rayder - is see you have only made 2 posts on this forum and both are saying how fantastic Chemist Direct are. Who do you work for? Just wondering!

[satsu]

Hi All,

I ordered an electric toothbrush and some curanail (both shown as in stock) at 9am last Tuesday morning. I have to admit that I was taken in by the slick (Play-esque) look of the site and didn't do my usual homework, otherwise I would have probably gone elsewhere.

By Wednesday evening the order still showed as "received" so I had a look around and my heart sank at all of the comments on this forum. I sent a strongly-worded email (to sales@) on Thursday morning, asking for confirmation that they would dispatch that day or a full refund. About an hour later I was happy to receive an email from their CS team, apologising and saying that it would be treated as a priority. However, my heart sank again when it said that it was being referred to the warehouse, which has been a black hole for so many others.

Later that afternoon I received an email confirming dispatch, and the goods arrived in the post on Saturday morning. The box felt a bit light, so I braced myself and opened it but it was all present and correct.

Based on others' views I'm not sure that I'd use them again unless the reviews improve, but overall it wasn't a bad experience for me, so I thought I should share it here.

Steve

[Disco Des]

:eek:

Oh dear their website seems to be down?

:think:

[climbgirl]

Now that Martin has recommended them in his weekly email for cheap hayfever tablets, I imagine they'll be swamped! If they're too small to cope with orders at normal levels, imagine how poor they'll be when they're swamped with bargain-hunting MSE-ers! :rolleyes:

That was a useful post from the former staff member, thanks for that. After reading this thread, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole! If you can't keep up with demand and growth in your business, you won't be in business for long.

[looby75]

Grrr I wish I had seen this thread before I placed my order earlier this week.

I placed an order for antihistamines as both dd and I have hayfever and as they were so cheap on the site it was less hassle than going to the GP for a prescription for dd's, I also ordered some other bits and bobs so in the end my order was for £17.

It said most orders are dispatched within 24hours, so I expected my order to be here by today, checked my bank account and noticed the payment had been taken, so I checked my account at chemistdirect and discovered they haven't even processed my order yet!

I emailed customer service to find out what was going on and got the most pathetic reply back.

" Thank you for your query. I can only apologise for the delay and inconvenience caused to you. The items may have been out of stock. We will purchase this from our supplier and get your order dispatched to you ASAP."

The weren't showing as out of stock when I ordered them AND it clearly says on their site that you card is only charged once the order has been prosessed. I've just emailed them back telling them I'm not impressed. If they don't give me a clearer answer to when I'll be getting my items I'll be cancelling my order.

[foxynats]

How interesting... the 29p tablets which were featured in the newsletter have now shot up to 49p on this website!

[CHRISSYG]

ive just recieved my 1st order from them without any problems. i got a load of 28p allergy tablets /nurofen/asprin. placed order last wed so only waited 3 days .will deffinately use them again.

[fido8753]

This is an incredibly frustrating compay to deal with - however they are 20% cheaper than petmeds.

I ordered pet food and eagerly waited my dispatch email. I waited , waited , waited and then rang them after five days. Goods out of stock - be in tomorrow , and out to you the same day. Surprise surprise - goods not dispatched. Another five phone calls the next day, and they promised overnight delivery ( which has just arrived ).

TOP TIPS FOR DEALING WITH CHEMIST DIRECT

Pay by Visa - if they don`t deliver you can ask Visa to snatch back the money.

Don`t email - telephone , and speak to the same person every time.

Report them to Consumer Direct if they continue to mess you around - the company is well known to Trading Standards

[looby75]

TOP TIPS FOR DEALING WITH CHEMIST DIRECT

Pay by Visa - if they don`t deliver you can ask Visa to snatch back the money.

Don`t email - telephone , and speak to the same person every time.

Report them to Consumer Direct if they continue to mess you around - the company is well known to Trading Standards:wall: chance would be a fine thing they never answer the phone when I try to call them. They put you on hold and then it automatically goes to answer machine, I've left a message but no call back.

How long do you have to wait before getting visa on the case?

[loobert]

Hi
I've been waiting since 24th April for my order despite receiving an email a week ago saying that it had been dispatched. :confused:They don't seem to respond to emails;they don't answer the phone;I've been trying to make some contact via "Live" Chat for the past 20 minutes and there's no joy there either.

I'm beginning to worry that that I've thrown my money down the drain.

I won't be using them again. I'd rather pay more and actually receive the goods.

Laz

[Vereniki]

Hi. I am afraid I have been waiting for over a week for the allergy pills I ordered as well. Apparently the order is still being processed. If only more companies were like amazon and took the money upon dispatch. I have tried the online help form, no response. I will try emailing them too since I have no landline to call them from! It is really frustrating. I understand the volume of orders being overwhelming but hiding away from their customers is not good for their business! It's medicines they sell, not clothes! You just can't wait for them forever!!

[shoppaholic returns]

Yep me too,cant get through by phone and theyve taken my money!:mad::mad::mad:
Very unhappy,had to repurchase the product which isnt cheap "£40 +!!!!!!!!!!

However one light at the end of the tunnel is that I found a lovely lady at www.expresschemist.co.uk (http://www.expresschemist.co.uk) , who was so lovely and helpful and is posting out today,she checked for my items and fetched them herself, TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD STOCK! and told me how to use the new products etc. Would use them again, and their prices were good for my purchase!

[davidwilkins]

Yes, I've been caught too. Sent an order 16 April, immediate dr to my credit card. No goods received. Emails only fobbed off with promises of immediate delivery. Nothing received, my last email ignored. I have now involved Trading Standards, credit card provider (dispute procedure) & I've even phoned the Police in Birmingham about them.

I've formally requested a refund by recorded delivery & will see what, if anything, happens. This company may be insolvent & trading fraudulently.

D

[thomasmazur]

I just wanted to share my personal experience, ordered a few things after reading about them on Martin's newsletter. Same story, money taken, order marked as received for over a week etc. Tried to call, email sales and customer support without any support.
What I did today is opened the live support window and waited until someone answered in there, and cancelled my order with the women there; explaining how disappointed I was. She did not comment, no explanation whatsoever, just cancelled it and I should get my money back within 3 to 5 days.
I also requested an email from them telling me my order was cancelled and I got a personal email from that women telling me so.
I advise as many people to do the same.

Thomas

[looby75]

Just managed to contact someone via live help too, didn't have to wait too long this time. I've cancelled my order just have to wait to see how long it takes them to refund me, not as quickly as they took the money I bet :( Will never use them again and I hope Martin never recommends them in his newsletter again.

[thomasmazur]

I forgot to mention that I am quite happy to let people have the email address of the representative I spoke to on live help, although I am not sure if this would be against the terms and conditions of this forum

[jennyone1]

I have bought lots of things from Chemist Direct and at the start they were great. Goods arrived within 2 - 3 days and were as ordered. Then in November I order some items and got messed around. Items weren't in stock and were listed as being in stock. My order arrived a week late and there were two items missing, but they were listed on the invoice and not as pending. I chased them up and was ignored for a week.

I finally got an email to say the missing items were on their way. One arrived, but was in the wrong quantity - I'd ordered 30 pills and they sent me 10 - the other item was missing.

After emailing them from another address it was finally sorted out and I was given some excuse about them expanding and them being so busy and that's why there was a problem. When I replied that if they couldn't deal with a small operation they shouldn't be expanding the manager I spoke to agreed.

Through necessity I ordered from them again and yet again I was messed around. I won't be using them again.

[shoppaholic returns]

My order after 10 days,has gone from recieved to despatched! I wonder if this is the full order or just part of it??????? The plot thickens.

I can't believe martin is still recommending after all of the comments made about this company on various different threads!Unless he doesnt know:confused:

[Optimist]

For what it is worth if your willing to put up with the wait when they don't have stock you do get 7.5% cashback through Cashback Kings for Chemist Direct and it seems to work, having just received mine

For those who do have problems with delivery I have found a mail to director@chemistdirect.co.uk gets a response

[bordercars]

£40.02 for a bottle of 2.50 cough medicine. nothing else in stock..lok at the order not exactly hard to source stuff.
when this is sorted i will avoid like the plague..they wont be able to help with that either

Product NamePriceQtyTotal PriceCovonia Night Time Formula (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/covonia-night-time-formula_1_2243.html)£2.9901 £2.99 Flexitol Heel Balm 25% Extra Free (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/flexitol-heel-balm-25-extra-free_1_2708.html)£3.9901 £3.99 Scholl Freeze Verruca & Wart Remover (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/scholl-freeze-verruca-and-wart-remover_1_6071.html)£7.9901 £7.99 Mitchum Roll On Powder Fresh 100ml (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/mitchum-roll-on-powder-fresh-100ml_1_6178.html)£2.6501 £2.65 Pain Relief Co-Codamol Tabs Effervescent 8/500mg (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/pain-relief-co-codamol-tabs-effervescent-8500mg_1_9254.html)£3.9901 £3.99 30 Days Allergy & Hayfever Relief Cetirizine Tabs (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/30-days-allergy-and-hayfever-relief-cetirizine-tabs_1_10167.html)28p08 £2.24 Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/lanacane-anti-chafing-gel_1_10595.html)£4.9902 £9.98 Pernaton Gel (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/pernaton-gel_1_11182.html)£6.4501 £6.45 Autan Protection Plus Body Spray (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/autan-protection-plus-body-spray_1_12492.html)£2.9901£2.99

[runcible]

Just be careful with these people. I ordered 2 nasal sprays at £2.49 each and had to pay £2.95 P + P. Royal Mail tried to deliver this on a Friday which meant no redelivery was possible for the next day (or indeed any Saturday as they only hold recorded items for 7 days).

I emailed Chemist Direct to ask about this but they didn't reply. I rang them and they said I would have to pay another £2.95 for delivery. That means I have paid more for delivery than for the goods themselves! I said I wanted to cancel and they are going to refund the money for the sprays but not the P +P, so I have paid £2.95 for... ...literally nothing.

Rubbish. Avoid. :mad:

[shoppaholic returns]

Hurrah, full order has arrived today,thank god! At least I havent got to contact these idiots again!!!

[dmillich]

I ordered various pharmaceuticals and some essential oils 9 days ago - around £35 in value. Yesterday there was still no indication that had been despatched so used the site's messaging system. Threatened to cancel if could not despatch before mid-afternoon - they contacted warehouse people and the full order was despatched 90 minutes later. Demanded that they inform me via email of despatch.

Seems that you have to be pretty forceful with them if there is a delay - probably down to bad internal systems/staff. Got the parcel today.

[steamwheels]

Does Martin read postings on this forum? If so, does he still recommend chemistdirect in view of the overwhelmingly negative reviews of a company that appears to lose interest in customers as soon as it collects their money? In fact, does he research companies before recommending them, or do they perhaps pay for a mention? It seems we can't trust bankers or MPs - who's next?

[KimYe0vil]

I have had no problems with them before.

Maybe because I live in a strange town with needy folk, they took pity on me, for I am above the common folk.

[GandL27]

Hi Guys & Dolls

I received my order of 5 months worth of hayfever tablets last week...when they arrived I noticed the expiry date on them is August 09. That means over half my order is going to be thrown away and i have wasted my money.

The email i received back once I questioned this was 'thats why they are cheap' - Not stated on the website anywhere that I can see or at the end of my order when I ticked a box to say these were all for me...

Still awaiting a response from my second email to ask why they sold me a product which is not fit for purpose.

My advise - don't bother unless you like wasting money!!

[marshall2k]

Gotta stand up for ChemistDirect here. I received my cetirizine quickly (despite me getting the postcode wrong - kudos to Royal Mail). They expire end of 2010. I am a happy customer.

[oscarfelixjake]

Another big fat NO vote for Chemist Direct from me too.

I purchased some 30 day packets of Loretadine hayfever tabs from them. They limit you to sales of up to 8. When they arrived they have a short expiry date on them and all have to be used within 3 months.
I contacted their customer services by email and got a reply saying that I could return them and they were so cheap because they all have the same short expiry date on them. He said to fill out the attached form and return them.
There wasn't an attachment so I asked for them to send a returns form (replied to same email) only to get another sales person say that medicines are non-refundable as they may have been tampered with and couldn't be re-sold.

Why didn't they tell you about the short date when you buy them, or at least limit the sales to 3 packets?

Have received another email from Chemist Direct saying that they were sorry I was disappointed and have offered me a refund for the 5 packs without having to return them and hope that it has not put me off using them again.

Hope everyone else in the same boat gets the same positive response from Customer Services in the end.

[notanothergreyhair]

I had a great experience with Chemist Direct.

The 6 months' worth of loratadine turned up a few days after I paid for them; their expiry date is Feb 2011. Very pleased to get the 7.5% discount too.

[suki1964]

Is it just me thats thinking how strange it is that 99% of the neg posts here are by those who have just joined in order to post to this thread?

[Optimist]

Is it just me thats thinking how strange it is that 99% of the neg posts here are by those who have just joined in order to post to this thread?

I was thinking much the same.

[Julian123]

Why is that strange? I joined this forum because I had a bad experiance with them and wanted to warn others. I searched google for the companies name and found this thread. I joined the forum and left my comment. Nothing odd about it.
Shall I post the entire history of my dealing with them here? Would that make you less suspicious?
I've sent an email to this forum suggesting they do not recoomend Chemist Direct in the news letter.

[looby75]

Is it just me thats thinking how strange it is that 99% of the neg posts here are by those who have just joined in order to post to this thread?It's far from 99%, there are many long term posters who have had problems, me for one. That said I don't think lots of new posters on a complaint thread that unusual tbh. If you look on any thread about a company giving bad service you will see a fair number of new posters as very often this site comes up in the first few results on google.

[lilibeth]

Hi Guys & Dolls

I received my order of 5 months worth of hayfever tablets last week...when they arrived I noticed the expiry date on them is August 09. That means over half my order is going to be thrown away and i have wasted my money.

The email i received back once I questioned this was 'thats why they are cheap' - Not stated on the website anywhere that I can see or at the end of my order when I ticked a box to say these were all for me...

Still awaiting a response from my second email to ask why they sold me a product which is not fit for purpose.

My advise - don't bother unless you like wasting money!!

They have done that to me before as well. I think Martin needs to explain how he can justify promoting them.

[lilibeth]

Is it just me thats thinking how strange it is that 99% of the neg posts here are by those who have just joined in order to post to this thread?
I suggest you learn to count because that is a lie.
This wouldn't have something to do with me pointing out that there is a thread on here devoted to how rubbish they are when I was on the phone to customer service would it?
So do you work on the phones or out the back?

I'm not new am I and as off today I'm boycotting them they are utterly useless they repeatedly lie on the phone. And on the website. And now I have been sent a different drug than what I ordered.

[Julian123]

Good comment lilibeth - I find suki1964's post a little offensive and also a bit suspicious.

[oscarfelixjake]

I also find Susi1964's post offensive. I joined this forum in 2007, just posted on this thread because I felt strongly about my experience with this company.

[MSE Lawrence]

Following negative comments about Chemist Direct on this thread and elsewhere, we got in touch with its manager to investigate. He gave us this statement:

"Over the last year since my wife and I founded Chemist Direct we are proud to have built up a loyal base of over 200,000 repeat customers who are delighted with our service. A sudden and major surge in orders over the last few weeks did create a few problems for our small team, and we’re sorry to any customers who may have experienced a less than perfect service. However, we have just carried out a major expansion of our customer services department, with more staff to deal with enquiries, and I’m confident we’re now well back on track to offering a quick, efficient and friendly service. We'd like to ask that any customers with queries should email my customer services team at sales@chemistdirect.co.uk (sales@chemistdirect.co.uk). We will then ensure their queries are resolved amicably and quickly."

Mitesh Soma
Founder and Managing Director
Chemist Direct"

As it stands, we're going to leave the recommendation in the article, and keep a close eye on feedback in the forums. If you order in this period and run into problems, do please post to let us know what happened. If you've already waited more than a week for your delivery of hayfever medication (not anything else) drop me a PM and I'll chase it up for you.

As an aside, I'd like to reiterate that all the companies we include in articles are chosen solely based on editorial merit. In this case, Chemist Direct was included because it currently offers significantly lower prices than any other online or high street chemist we've come across, and furthermore has received overall good feedback in the past. There is no commercial relationship between it and MoneySavingExpert.com. For full info on how this site works, please read the How This Site Is Financed (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/moneysavingexpert-finance) guide.

[Sazbo]

But reading through this thread, why are they debiting credit cards when items ordered are not in stock?

[skylight]

I ordered last week from these people. The hayfever/allergy ones - 49p; a bargain! 5 packs for just over £5 so thats the family sorted out.

Anyway, money deducted from my account AOK - emailed updates on despatch AOK and received the items very quickly all AOK.

All in all, I did not have any problems with this company and am very pleased with the whole process. And I ordered anyway after reading this thread too!

[lilibeth]

It is rubbish that they have sorted it out and their own staff have admitted as much on the phone. YESTERDAY!
I have had staff admit that the 90% dispatch thing is a blatant lie and that it isn't their fault because those in charge do what they want.
If you want to believe them above us go ahead. So much for being a consumer site. This is not a recent blip they are always like this. Each time oh it was a new person oh sorry it was rm. Oh sorry it was somebody else's fault.
I have never had a single order dispatched from them within the time stated on their website.
Their attitude to me this week stunk!
And they take your money with stuff out of stock and don't dispatch until you make numerous phone calls.
Constantly contradicting each other on if it has been sent and with which courier.
Telling me it was my fault for not guessing which courier the tracking number belonged to and also guessing that it was not the courier the last two people had told me it would be with.
Someone on the phone repeating over and over it was dispatched in four days it was dispatched within our guidelines.
Yeah right love perhaps you should read them again. This one was so useless that when I quoted her what it actually said she didn't believe me. :eek::rolleyes:
Then of course there is the little matter of how the managed to send the wrong drug.
Keep your endorsement. I'll be very wary of your endorsements in future!
I trusted you guys completely up till now! I'll rely on the forum peeps but not official endorsements no way.

[mikeyboy1980]

Terrible customer service!!! never dealt with such a pathetic excuse for a company.

Took payment at point of ordering yet took 3 weeks to deliver!!!!

Not impressed, would not recommend and certainly will never use again.

IMO AVOID!!!!!

[Julian123]

Hang on - in the post above the manager of Chemist Direct says...
"A sudden and major surge in orders over the last few weeks did create a few problems for our small team"

What a load of rubbish! My order with them was in December LAST YEAR and they didn't deliver the goods for weeks. They ignored all my phone calls and emails. So it's a total lie to say the've had problems for a few weeks - it's been for neary half a year!!!!

He also says to email them at sales@chemistdirect.co.uk (sales@chemistdirect.co.uk) to resolve any problems - yeah sure, go ahead and email them, if you get a reply in less than 2 weeks your doing better than I did!

[suki1964]

I suggest you learn to count because that is a lie.
This wouldn't have something to do with me pointing out that there is a thread on here devoted to how rubbish they are when I was on the phone to customer service would it?
So do you work on the phones or out the back?

I'm not new am I and as off today I'm boycotting them they are utterly useless they repeatedly lie on the phone. And on the website. And now I have been sent a different drug than what I ordered.


And may I suggest you take a chill pill?

I think you also owe me an apology. I just posted my observation about a thread, I have nothing whatsoever to do with the company in question and I find your inference that I do extremely offensive

[suki1964]

It's far from 99%, there are many long term posters who have had problems, me for one. That said I don't think lots of new posters on a complaint thread that unusual tbh. If you look on any thread about a company giving bad service you will see a fair number of new posters as very often this site comes up in the first few results on google.

Thanks for the explanation about it being at the top of the google search which would bring on more complaints - I didnt think of that

But then it would only be those who did have a problem who would find this thread and post to it - if they werent already members of this site and subscribed to this thread. So where as there may well be 5 pages of posters with grievances, there could be thousands of very happy satisfied customers out there - as their reply to the team implies?

[suki1964]

Good comment lilibeth - I find suki1964's post a little offensive and also a bit suspicious.


Would you like to clarify why you find my post offensive and in particular suspicious?

I really would love to know what you could possibly find suspicious about a post I made here:confused:

[thomasmazur]

Julian123 I think you only got what you deserved by posting such a pointless comment in the first place, that's my opinion.

Anyhow I was really shocked by customer service this company provides, as in completely ignoring emails and phone calls, I also find it outrageous that they charge the money as soon as the order is received, and yet manage not to deliver at all, where does the money go? I also don't believe in their story of expending as some people seem to have had this problem going on for a while.

Here is the email address of the customer representative I eventually managed to contact: HelenDelaney@chemistdirect.co.uk

I hope it can help other people who are trying to get in touch with them in vain (like I did).

[looby75]

Thanks for the explanation about it being at the top of the google search which would bring on more complaints - I didnt think of that

But then it would only be those who did have a problem who would find this thread and post to it - if they werent already members of this site and subscribed to this thread. So where as there may well be 5 pages of posters with grievances, there could be thousands of very happy satisfied customers out there - as their reply to the team implies?possibly, but it goes back to that old adage of "one satisfied customer will tell one person, an unsatisfied customer will tell a dozen" basically don't give bad service because you really will pay for it.

I cancelled my order mainly because my emails and phone calls went unanswered, if I had been given at least an indication of when my order would have been fulfilled I may well have been willing to wait a bit longer. Bad customer service is bad customer service, simple as that.

[Julian123]

Julian123 I think you only got what you deserved by posting such a pointless comment in the first place, that's my opinion.


I didn't consider my comment to be pointless. I was highly suspicious that she was sticking up for the company (as she still is I see!). She has had no contact with Chemist Direct (so she says) so I don't think she can make any comments on this thread.

[suki1964]

She is the cats mother and I can make comment on any thread I like

Now can you please clarify what it is you mean by "suspicious"

[Julian123]

It must be obvious what I mean!
Anyway - back to the important issue here, which is that Chemist Direct seem to be useless. You only have to check all the various online reviews to discover that many, many people think the same.

[suki1964]

It must be obvious what I mean!
Anyway - back to the important issue here, which is that Chemist Direct seem to be useless. You only have to check all the various online reviews to discover that many, many people think the same.

So you are inferring I have something to do with the company?

[meggsy]

I contacted them back in January, my problem was resolved quickly after emailing their director. However they told me at the time "We recently changed our payment methods so that payment is not taken until the order has been dispatched." Seems they have forgotten this already :rolleyes:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=19257067&highlight=#post19257067

I think I will avoid them now, especially if they are overwhelmed with orders due to being mentioned in Martins newsletter (I wonder if he warned them)

[thomasmazur]

I didn't consider my comment to be pointless. I was highly suspicious that she was sticking up for the company (as she still is I see!). She has had no contact with Chemist Direct (so she says) so I don't think she can make any comments on this thread.


I am so sorry Julian123, I totally agree with you, I was meant to say that suki1964's post about people posting were newbies was quite pointless in my opinion, not yours.
I got confused and put your name instead of the other....
Apologies, and I'll shut up now

[Julian123]

lol - no problem thomasmazur.
suki1964 - I wasn't inferring that you work for Chemist Direct but I was wondering if you do. You seem to be sticking for a company that you have never used which just seems odd. It seems that others here agree with me too.
I have used the company, I have sent them many emails and phoned them on many occasions. I am in a position to comment about them, you are not.
Would the director of Chemist Direct who made the previous post stating they have thousands of 'delighted' customers please care to prove that statement?

[suki1964]

lol - no problem thomasmazur.
suki1964 - I wasn't inferring that you work for Chemist Direct but I was wondering if you do. You seem to be sticking for a company that you have never used which just seems odd. It seems that others here agree with me too.
I have used the company, I have sent them many emails and phoned them on many occasions. I am in a position to comment about them, you are not.
Would the director of Chemist Direct who made the previous post stating they have thousands of 'delighted' customers please care to prove that statement?


You were indeed inferring I worked for the company as well you know.

No where on this thread or any other have I "stuck up" for this company. I have never used them nor do I have any link with them in any shape or form,

What I do have is a different outlook on this thread then you. Now I can fully accept that your opinion on things can be toally different then mine and thats ok. Doesnt make either one of us right or wrong.

However you seem to have a problem with people who have a different opinion then yours and then seem to find hidden agendas where there are none.

Now you are more then happy to make complaints about this company and let anyone else do so because they are backing up YOUR experience yet you take offense to people who report positives and indeed have claimed that the company in question "plant" posters to give them good ratings (he told me this in a pm )

Maybe in your world everyone agrees with you but this isnt your world and if I or others see things differently, we too have the right to say.

I still would say that of course theres many hundreds of disgruntled customers posting here as like looby says, not many people bother to do a search to sing the praises when things go right. Perhaps just perhaps you can understand that there are possibly just as many very happy customers of this company

[suki1964]

I am so sorry Julian123, I totally agree with you, I was meant to say that suki1964's post about people posting were newbies was quite pointless in my opinion, not yours.
I got confused and put your name instead of the other....
Apologies, and I'll shut up now


Another one who seems to live in a world where only the opinions that match their own are acceptable?

Sorry but if you dont or cant accept different opinions and outlooks - keep off discussion boards

[Optimist]

lol - no problem thomasmazur.
suki1964 - I wasn't inferring that you work for Chemist Direct but I was wondering if you do. You seem to be sticking for a company that you have never used which just seems odd. It seems that others here agree with me too.
I have used the company, I have sent them many emails and phoned them on many occasions. I am in a position to comment about them, you are not.
Would the director of Chemist Direct who made the previous post stating they have thousands of 'delighted' customers please care to prove that statement?

For what it is worth they probably do have thousands of satisfied customers. I have found if they have stock then there is no problem the items are delivered within a short period of time.

The problem occurs when they don't have sufficient stock to fulfil the order, it goes into a black hole and they seem to have no system in place to keep the customer informed, and it is difficult to get a response other than a standard reply i.e. passed to warehouse.

The fact they charge your card on order not on despatch as do most companies I have dealt with online is also an irritant when they don't have stock !

I didn't see a response from a director but if one is reading this thread then I would hope they have taken the criticisms away and put processes in place to improve their systems taking the money on despatch would be one big plus for their customer services

[Julian123]

Another one who seems to live in a world where only the opinions that match their own are acceptable?

Sorry but if you dont or cant accept different opinions and outlooks - keep off discussion boards

There is no question of accepting the opinions of those who have had a positive experience with the company. The problem lies in posters who make positive posts about them having had zero experience with them!
I now suggest that you keep off this thread as you have nothing to add, positive or negative. Your comments are pure conjecture and are not based on any facts.

[suki1964]

There is no question of accepting the opinions of those who have had a positive experience with the company. The problem lies in posters who make positive posts about them having had zero experience with them!
I now suggest that you keep off this thread as you have nothing to add, positive or negative. Your comments are pure conjecture and are not based on any facts.

I will post where ever I want, unless martin or his team tell me otherwise.

And it beggars belief that you chose to comment on my reply to thomas yet totally ignore my comments to you


Now show me exactly where I have made positive comments about this company?

[TooNice]

I'll be watching this thread carefully as they do sell some of the things I'd like to buy rather cheaply. Do they actually tell you at the point of order whether the item is in stock? I've yet to come across anything marked as out of stock, but maybe they don't?

[laurab32]

I am another newbie who's joined simply to post on the subject of Chemist Direct, so appalled am I with their standard of service.

I have used them a couple of times before and thought they were great. Good value, items arrived quickly, took the hassle out of a shopping trip into the city centre.

Not so when I ordered in March. I experienced the same problem as many others with the web site saying items were in stock when they clearly weren't, yet taking my money. I've tried phone and email and have wasted lots of time chasing them - at first for my goods, and then for a refund. They don't seem to have a networked IT system - every time I contact them they seem to have no record of my previous communications with them, and can never tell me whether something has been sent, or if it is in stock.

Having come to the conclusion that they didn't have two of the items I requested in stock, I requested a refund, which they actioned:-

On 5th May I was told: "I have refunded you for both outstanding items."

When I subsequently received an refund for only one item, I was told on 8th May by the same assistant "The second refund was put through at a later date. This should appear shortly."

Wait, so she said she had arranged a refund on 5th May, then said it was in fact put through at a later date? It is now 17th May and I still haven't received the refund. It is getting on for two months now since my original order was placed, and I am still owed £27.00.

I have told them I will contact their local authority's Trading Standards section, to which a response came that they would refer me to the "Refunds Department". I have the feeling I am being played..

[MSE Martin]

Hi folks

I hadn't spotted this thread before, a member of my team pointed it out to me.

I will take a look at this on monday and we will speak to chemist direct and see if we can push them to sort out any of these problems.

And to answer the question, which I'm slightly offended was asked, there is no relationship either commercial or otherwise between MSE and chemists direct. We list it in the hayfever guide as its the cheapest price (any links that are affiliated has a * you'll see it doesn't nor ever had - not that this makes any difference to our picks anyway)

We had last summer generally good feedbakc from its delivery service. And you will see in this thread some evidence of that. I have a suspicion its bitten off more than it can chew.

As I say we'll look tomorrow.

Martin

[Burlesque Babe]

I'm also unhappy with Chemist Direct :(

I ordered a batch of the cheap hayfever tablets and 2 other items. I received 1 of the other items, sent by recorded delivery at great expense and total silence on the hayfever tablets and the 1 other (very run of the mill item). I emailed, I tried the Live Help, nothing. Live Help just doesn't have anyone there (well, I gave up after 15 minutes).

The full amount has been debited. I eventually got an email (after saying there was some negative feedback on a forum) saying they would ask their warehouse manager to make my order a 'priority'.

I wait but don't think it will be forthcoming. I think they've got themselves into a hole. I have enough hayfever tablets for the next 5 days and then I'll have to go and buy some more if they don't arrive.

[pegginout]

I use chemist direct for medication.
Never had a problem with them.
I normally order ibuprofen, paracetamols, rennies, hayfever medication etc.
Very prompt delivery & good communication via email.

[laurab32]

Update: I have received a reply from the Director this evening, who says he will investigate what has gone on, and he does apologise. I had drawn his attention to this thread - hopefully he will sort things out internally.

It could be, to paraphrase what Martin says, that Chemist Direct are victims of their own success? Respect to Martin :money:and his team for getting involved on behalf of the consumer.

Update #2 18th May - I have since received a message from Chemist Direct to say that on the two previous occasions I was notified that a refund had been actioned, this was not actually true! However, I am again assured that my money has been refunded (for real, this time) and that I should receive it within 5 working days. They also say they are reviewing their service to make sure similar occurances don't happen again.

[TooNice]

Oh well, I decided to go ahead and place an order with them. Will keep you updated with my experience.

[shoppaholic returns]

Update: I have received a reply from the Director this evening, who says he will investigate what has gone on, and he does apologise. I had drawn his attention to this thread - hopefully he will sort things out internally.

It could be, to paraphrase what Martin says, that Chemist Direct are victims of their own success? Respect to Martin :money:and his team for getting involved on behalf of the consumer.


Maybe also look at the thread on the vent board also!

[elona]

Just don't order anything you would buy at a chemist from them!!!

Over three weeks ago I wanted to stock up the first aid cupboard for a family of six so bought paracetemol, ibuprofen ,Diorelyte, Immodium, cold cure remedies etc.

I am still waiting for an acknowledgment - I e mailed them and got told I should have completed about 8 various downloaded forms!!! My computer won't let me do that!

I e mailed them back days ago explaining the situation and said they could just send what they could and bill me for that and I would go and buy what I wanted at my local chemist and supermarket instead.

I will never use Chemist Direct again!!!!

To add insult to injury an order I made a week ago has just arrived - but I heard nothing from the one from over three weeks ago now!!!

It's not even that cheap!!

[bordercars]

they have managed to find the time to redesign the website, the live help and several email addresses have disappeared. this company is sh... shocking or whatever else starts sh

[sunflower76]

I ordered hayfever tablets from Chemist Direct last year and had no trouble whatsoever. This year has been a different story and I've had problems which they don't seem to want to rectify.

Firstly my order took almost two weeks to arrive and when it did one item was incorrectly sent. I emailed the company straight away to ask them how they wanted to proceed (they had sent a conditioner rather than a shampoo - nothing too technical you'd have thought) and ten days later I got a response saying they would send me a reply paid envelope for me to return the incorrect item. When they receive it back they would then send my correct item. That was a week ago and I have seen no sign of an envelope.

I expected a better response if I'm honest, it's their mistake and surely it would cost them less to put the envelope in with my correct item? I know they are taking the chance of not getting the conditioner back but honestly this is turning into a bit of a farce!

I've emailed again but no response. I don't think I shall be using Chemist Direct again.

[PaulyB71]

I ordered some goods from them 6 weeks ago. Again money taken immediately, but no sign of goods. Status always say's Order being processed.

Even more interesting, is that each time I have chased them, I have recieved the same e-mail back WORD FOR WORD just with a different name on the bottom apologising and stating that they will bring it to the attention of the warehouse team. Their phones still go to voicemail, and the live assistant has mysteriously vanished. Mitesh Soma has some great PR spiel "
Our success has been about trying to keep it simple. Make sure your customers are happy, keep ahead of the competitors by offering the best service and build a team with customer-focused values.
Despite the great start, I have only given myself a modest salary, choosing instead to reinvest most of the money back into the company." - this is from an interview with Sky News. Does he really believe in making sure his customers are hapy?

This company is a joke, and I am in the process of becoming yet another person who has had to contact Trading Standards about the Mickey Mouse company.

[TooNice]

Received an email stating that 3/4 of my fairly large order has been dispatched. That's reasonable given the number of items I ordered (they were marked as in stock when I placed them, but I will accept that there are still a number of e-tailers who do not monitor their stock live). At least they are not making me wait until everything is in stock.

But it sounds like I will have to quite thoroughly check that I am receiving what I have ordered. More update to come regarding what is coming and what has not yet been dispatched.

[applemark]

Personally Disappointed.

Site told me I qualified for free super fast delivery, It took them a week to dispatch and I had to chase by email to which I got a standard email with the blanks not filled in just .....

Got the stuff today 10 days later and one of the products has a RRP marked on it less than what they charged me. It was cheaper in Tesco.

Not sure its worth emailing them again to get a template not filled in.

[TooNice]

What was dispatched yesterday (three-quarter of my order) arrived today. Content as described, expiry dates are in the 2010. So far so good, remains to be seen when the rest will arrive (I suspect not in a while due to bank holiday).

[moredeadthanalive]

I ordered from them on 4/5 and it took until 10/5 for them to dispatch. I emailed them to comment on their delay and how this is at odds with normally next day dispatch from other online retailers but the replies I got seemed to miss the point. No reasons were given for the delay.

I can only assume that they are overwhelmed with orders as they are recommended on the MSE site.

I think they are good value but you need to order well in advance.

[TooNice]

One more item has been dispatched and the rest (multiples of one item they can't source stock) cancelled. Says that it'll take 2-3 days for the money to be refunded, so I'll be watching for that next (as well as the dispatched item). In retrospect, I shouldn't have paid with Paypal since don't use it often and I am guessing that the money will be refunded there. Still, as long as I don't have to chase up on the refund, I'll consider this experience mostly positive. To be honest, I mainly ordered some of the stuff I did to get free shipping, which I am now getting anyway - some of the stuff could have just as well been bought from Boots and the likes without a significant premium.

[Burlesque Babe]

had an email to say hayfever tablets and other missing item sent today. Fingers crossed.

[rockyr]

I used Chemist Direct recently and ordered 15 products. I got 12 products within 4 days of placing the order. I'm still waiting for 3 products im sure they will turn up soon. The value for money is the best thing.

[TooNice]

Last non-cancelled item arrived today. Satisfied so far. Now, the question is, when am I going to be refunded for the items that they cancelled (a bit worried due to laurab32's experience so far).

[TooNice]

I just checked my Paypal account, and it looks like they have refunded the payment for the items they couldn't source. It has yet to appear on my CC statement, but that is not surprising given that it's bank holiday week-end. Based on this sole experience, I am relieved to say that they are no rogue e-tailer, although they need to ensure that they can provide this same level to everyone.

Other than that, they could improve on the way they are measuring stock. Not taking payment until they are dispatching the item, or at the very least can confirm that the item is in stock would also save them from having to issue refunds.

[rockyr]

I just received the rest of my items. For a minute i was worried after reading everyones situation but all my items have been fine. Prices and stock received were all ok. :money::money::money:

[Lief]

I've found some products on this site that I have had a hard time finding elsewhere. No problems with delivery, everything I ordered has arrived.

[flea72]

i havent had any problems with ordering or delivery, but i bought their cheap version of Zirtek, and although i know its not a non-drowsy one, im finding i feel tired all the time

Ive never had this side affect with Zirtek, so assumed these would work the same, has anyone else found this?

Flea

[pmduk]

Ordered wednesday morning. received email to say items despatched at noon. Goods received today. I'm very happy. Like the previous poster I'm finding that these pills make me drowsy this year, It's strange as the same items have never had this effect before!

[catsclaws]

Is anyone else still having problems with Chemist Direct? I placed an order on 17th May, card was debited immediately, but nothing has been despatched.

I have contacted them, but keep being told my order has been ticketed up to the warehouse and will be dealt with as quickly as possible.

[MRSTITTLEMOUSE]

i havent had any problems with ordering or delivery, but i bought their cheap version of Zirtek, and although i know its not a non-drowsy one, im finding i feel tired all the time

Ive never had this side affect with Zirtek, so assumed these would work the same, has anyone else found this?

Flea

Oh dear,I've only just.(five minutes ago) ordered these.
I hope they don't make me feel drowsy,I can't stand that with hayfever tablets.
I'll let you know when I've tried them.
Just wanted to add,if they make you feel drowsy,why don't you try taking them before bed.My husband does this and the effects still last the full 24 hours and he's covered till the next evening.

[liz1706mia]

Hi All

Made an online order with Chemist Direct for 9 boxes of the cetirizine hayfever tablets (29p box) on Monday 1st June. Have just arrived by recorded delivery today Weds 3rd June (nicely packaged too). Unbelievable service :j

I was really worried about ordering from them after reading all the varying posts on here, however can report that my experience was a fantastic one. Maybe they've got their act together ;)

[davefb]

Wish I'd read this first.[moving[ed]from other thread]

Ordered loretadine last year due to this site, from chemistdirect. Great, no probs ( though p&p seemed a lot compared to price of goods ;))
Ordered this years batch on 10th may PLUS some other stuff to make the order +40£ and no p&p :).
Order marked 'processing' , didn't check as I just assumed the order would arrive before my holiday on the 17th. It didn't , after returning, order still marked 'processing'. I then get my credit card bill, money taken out instantly on the 10th.
I've now spoken to them 4 times.
1st time. 'we had problems with the loretadine , but i'll speak to warehouse to check , it'll be sorted.'
2nd time. 'oh, i'll personally check , sorry sir'
(order was now marked cancelled and I'd received email as such.)
3rd time. 'sorry for cancellation, must have been another order , oh your credit card won't have been refunded, we don't do that automatically'.
*still* not changed status, so today's
4th call ' i'll take a number , oh sorry for problem , i'll speak to warehouse'

4 phone calls to 0845 from mobile, money taken 10th may, it's now 3rd june.
I'd *not* recommend them at all. I've had to buy from a supermarket own brand instead, I could have tried another online supplier.

So, what is the legal deal with just taking money from someone without having inventory and not supplying goods? After 15 minutes talking to credit card company, they just said I have to try to get a refund first, and if that fails they will get in touch. I just feel annoyed at being out of pocket due to time and due to phone charges ( 00845 and 0870 to credit card).. I'd obviously not be anywhere *near* as annoyed if they hadn't taken my money.

[davefb]

*update*.
4th CS seems to have sorted it :D . Apparently part of my order had been discontinued , which may have been why they didn't send the full order out..
'arrives tomorrow, we won't charge you the extra that the new stuff costs'.
err no, no you won't ...
*crosses fingers*

[Elspeth]

I placed an order last week - money was debited straight away. Email received yesterday to say it's been despatched, but also another email to say that one of the products I ordered 'has been discontinued' and that I will receive a refund (which may take 3- 4 days).

Hopefully the order will be here soon and I'll get my refund... (Will update here either way.)

[pattycake]

I ordered 2 bottles of Mosquito Milk from Chemist Direct. I have been unable to buy it from anywhere else this year. I had to pay £2.45 for P&P but I am just grateful to get my hands on some.

Anyhow, I placed my order at 17.30 on Tuesday, got an email a couple of hours later to say it had been dispatched. Received this morning. I certainly cannot complain about customer service. I am very pleased with my purchase.

[davefb]

*update*.
4th CS seems to have sorted it :D . Apparently part of my order had been discontinued , which may have been why they didn't send the full order out..
'arrives tomorrow, we won't charge you the extra that the new stuff costs'.
err no, no you won't ...
*crosses fingers*
5th call. 'you said it would be dispatched thursday, its friday' ' oh yeah, the toaster arrived late last night, so it'll go today'
gets email saying they've dispatched all goods APART from the 'problem' toaster (i wanted a toaster and it seemed like a nice one at a good price ;) )
6th call.. ' oh well the toasters are out of stock, so they'll dispatch on the 12th. she pretty much hung up before i could say 'so why did they lady say they'd arrived then?''

i really can't recommend them, i mean 1 month to dispatch a toaster.. and at no point have they contacted me to say there was any problem, either by email or by phone ( they once called me to say the goods would definately be out yesturday)..

and now my old toaster has given up the ghost, completely.. grrrreat.

[davefb]

*and* not exactly impressed that the item is listed as 'in stock' on the website..

[Elspeth]

Quick update as promised: my order arrived yesterday. Now waiting for refund on items they could not supply.

So I'd give them 8/10 I think and will probably order from them again (if they're cheapest).

[davefb]

ah , so toaster arrives (after email yesturday saying they'll arrive).. i think ' oh , didnt think it would look that normal' ..
oh yeah, thats because the one thats arrived isnt actually the one i ordered.
'cosmetic difference' ' 50w less power' (lol)
oh and 8 quid cheaper..

[sunflower76]

I ordered hayfever tablets from Chemist Direct last year and had no trouble whatsoever. This year has been a different story and I've had problems which they don't seem to want to rectify.

Firstly my order took almost two weeks to arrive and when it did one item was incorrectly sent. I emailed the company straight away to ask them how they wanted to proceed (they had sent a conditioner rather than a shampoo - nothing too technical you'd have thought) and ten days later I got a response saying they would send me a reply paid envelope for me to return the incorrect item. When they receive it back they would then send my correct item. That was a week ago and I have seen no sign of an envelope.

I expected a better response if I'm honest, it's their mistake and surely it would cost them less to put the envelope in with my correct item? I know they are taking the chance of not getting the conditioner back but honestly this is turning into a bit of a farce!

I've emailed again but no response. I don't think I shall be using Chemist Direct again.

Just an update: I finally received an email saying that as aa gesture of goodwill they'd send me my item, an additonal item for free and let me keep the conditioner that they'd sent by mistake. I was pleased with this and waited for the delivery. When it arrived it was still the wrong item. :confused: So I now have two wrong shampoos and one wrong conditioner. :rolleyes:

So, I emailed them again and was told that they wanted everythign back and to complete the form that they'd attached to the email. They were also going to send my item out right there and then and the warehouse manager was going to pack it to make sure it was right. No attachment, so I emailed them again.

One week later I emailed them again advising them that they needed to collect the items if they wanted them, and to refund my card. Their response? A returns form! No explanation, no apology, no information as to where the heck my parcel is. A blank email with the attachment.

I've emailed back saying that I expect a refund and if they want the items to come and fetch them within 7 days or they'll be disposed of. I'm not prepared to pay to return items that I haven't ordered especially when six weeks on my original order still isn't complete.

So, my advice is just don't bother with them. They are far more hassle than they're worth.

[davefb]

gah, i've just been off the phone and *extremely* angry about ' a returns form'.

' no, you've sent me the incorrect item, send me the right one, and i'll then send you the one because i've no confidence of you sending me the correct item'.
'thats all we can do sir'
the sae they're sending will be 'monday' , send that back, 2-5 days refund, so that'll be 40 days interest on goods i never recieved ..(i still can't believe they took the money immediately rather than on dispatch).
I'll just order the loretadine next year and put up with the p&p charge..

[pabenny]

Hayfever tablets ordered Wednesday afternoon, delivered Friday.
Fine for me.

[njduckw1]

I, too, recently ordered some hayfever tablets (loratadine). I ordered them on Friday morning, received a dispatch email a couple of hours later and they arrived on Monday morning. All have long (2 years) use-by dates. Am really pleased with the service, and I would recommend them to others. Perhaps they have turned a corner with their customer service?

[davefb]

i'd just never order anything except the loretadine..
they havent turned a corner with service though, just can sort out simplistic orders..

[usignuolo]

I have used Chemist Direct three times in the past nine months. No problems with any purchase. All arrived promptly. I do live in London.

[davefb]

i think it's just their stocking system. after all the item which they couldnt get for me was still 'in stock' according to the website..
1 week , and i've still not got an SAE to send the incorrect item back.
i feel *utterly* conned, was I expected to not notice the cheaper toaster they sent me and charged me extra for?

[TruthSeekerGA]

MS Experts haven't done their research here. The company in it's entire PR campaign has stated that they have been trading since 2007 and how Mitesh made the jump by giving up his job and following his entreprenurial spirit blah blah. I cam across these articles and I was 'nice one Mitesh' until I did some basic research and came across the following information.

The domain name was registered in 2003 and using the wayback machine archive.org I can confirm the business has been running since 2004. You can see how they site appearance has changed over the years. They've had high rank all these years and when the timing was right Mitesh left his job, and embarked on a PR campaign in which I have absolutely no faith in now. It is based on self serving waffle concocted by an expensive PR agency. What can that say about the ethics of a company and should't we be worried?

There is nothing unadmirable in a company which has grown to £5 million revenue in approx 5 years so why lie. Oh yes, because it doesn't make the headlines aswell as £5 million in one year.

I'm surprised this information wasn't revealed earlier to the public and I'm making it my duty to spread the truth.

[potato_pizza]

Like others, I ordered my hayfever supplies from them last year and no probs at all so this year we ordered a load of stuff including Loratadine on the 11th of June, account debited on the 12th - we have still not received a thing. Their customer service is a joke - on hold for 5 mins then you have to leave a message (noone calls you back). We are in a position of emailing them at the moment but getting no replies. I may have to make a written complaint (address on 'Contact Us'). Have spoken to Consumer Direct, suggest everyone else does the same to make these people sit up.

[LinW13]

I placed an order for just under £100 - so far nothing to show for it except a bigger phone bill. After reading this thread, I'm giving them to the end of the week before quoting Distance Selling Regulations (2000), etc.

The company behind Chemist Direct is Direct Healthcare Ltd.

Mitesh Soma did a "Dragons Den" with a Venture Capital company called Atomico Investments in March 2009. He trousered a big wedge and is now a minority shareholder.

Checking pharmacy registrations, he also seems to be linked via DirectChemist.co.uk to B D Healthcare Ltd (Birmingham B69) and to Express Beauty Ltd.

Doing a google on IP registrations reveals that Mitesh registers his sites using an address in Leicester. That address is also used by the company that designs some of his websites. He has also registered the following websites:-

DirectChemist.co.uk
ClinicDirect.co.uk <--- This one does online consultations and prescribing!!
PetshopDirect.com
UKPharmaceuticals.com
PharmacyServe.com
Kids2u.com
NationwideLocums.com
ABCChemist.com
Homeserveit.com
AtomicDistributions.com

Not all are up and running though.

The whole point of the exercise was to find a decent phone number to use instead of 0845 259 0175 - but so far no luck.

Happy hunting guys and gals. Hope this helps to get the refunds flowing.

Lin the Stalker. :eek:

[ginvzt]

When I had my issues with them back in December, I sent a message to Watchdog about them, as I think it is a scam, that they take your money straight away, but somehow can't refund it just as quickly when THEY cancel your order!!!!

[MSE Lawrence]

Hi guys,

If you're still having problems with Chemist Direct orders, try emailing helendelaney@chemistdirect.co.uk, and note that you came from this site. We've been assured that all enquiries from MSE forumers will be handled swiftly, and so far this seems to have been the case.

Failing that, drop me a PM with your order reference and postcode and I'll chase it up for you.

Whatever happens, positive or negative, do please let us know about your experience by posting below.

Thanks,

[Aspman]

Ordered hayfever tablets from them. Was all delivered quickly but they sent the wrong stuff. Couldn't be bothered doing anything. Won't use again.

[Isjubaleen]

:mad: Agree - Drawn in by 90% savings (on all the things you don't want to buy or all the things that are out of stock!), paid money, waited, waited, complained, waited, waited, complained, finally cancelled. Took nearly 6 weeks to get my money back from intially placing order. Shoddy outfit. Found a much better alternative - the chemist. And they don't take the money from your credit card until your order is dispatched. Chemist Direct claim to have 'thousands of satisfied customers' - I'm not one. Cheapest is not necessarily the best.

[Trunky]

I've tried Chemist Direct in the past, but won't again. Ordered 'alli' weight loss pills, said they would be despatched next day. Arrived two and a half weeks later, tried to re-order, out of stock. Tried several other options no luck, but ordered from thechemist. 'alli' arrived two days later. Have since placed second order. Again arrived two days later. Slightly dearer than Chemist Direct but worth it, cos they work. Also have a cheap hayfever tablet option at 65p for 30. Impressed so far.

Didn't realise they didn't take your money till order despatched, as mine were despatched on time, but makes good business sense to me.

[LinW13]

Well, they did answer my email asking about delivery. Got a reply from Helen Delaney AND the helpdesk. Told me there would be a delay, but not how long the delay would be.

So, I sent an email to cancel as is my right under the Distance Selling Regs. This email sent 25/06/2009 at 9:33am.

They sent me an email on 25/06/2009 at 11:30pm (just before midnight), saying they had dispatched the item.

They don't say if they have used Royal Mail or A.N.Other. But the RM system does not recognise the number. So, does anybody recognise the courier from this tracking code? (I'm not giving the real code, just the format of it which is ten numbers followed by the letter B).

1234567890 B

Dunno if I have been lucky, but haven't had a problem buying online for several years now. Goes to show that an awful lot of companies CAN get it right.

I reckon they have a badly designed system that just does not work.

They should ask SVP or Play.com how they do it!!!

Lin

[LinW13]

Pleased to report, that after a nervous few days my order was delivered today. All present and correct.

So that is that. Successful conclusion. :T

Would I use them again?? No. Not worth the hassle to contact customer services.

Incase anybody else wants to know, my tracking number belonged to a courier called DPD.co.uk.

Happy shopping folks!
Lin

[Julian99]

My experience with chemist direct has been poor. They are cheap however that is OK if they have the goods. If they do not they charge you any way and in my experience forget to send them out. You then have to make many many calls to get a refund or your goods.
When you phone they always seem confused, can never state the date they refunded you or the amount.
I thought it was against the law to charge for goods you do not have.
If can put up with this sort of thing, then it is cheap.
Julian

[joedog]

Hi
I have used this company a couple of times before and didn't have any problems.

On Tues 23rd June I placed an order worth over £100. The payment was taken on Wed 24th June.

I contacted Livehelp on Sat and was told order ticket in warehouse. I contacted Livehelp on Mon 29th June and told I would receive an email in 24 hrs. I didn't receive one so I contacted Livehelp on Tue 30th June. Told ticket in warehouse and would receive email. I then mentioned Money Saving Expert and they said that order was marked high priority. Also sent email to Helen Delaney on Tues 30th June but no reply yet.

I mentioned that if some of the items are out of stock, I would like my part order and the money refunded for the rest but they didn't comment on that.

How long do you think I should leave it before I contact Helen Delaney again?

Kind Regards

[buttercup80]

I am having the same problem with chemist direct. Placed order on 24th June, they took the money that day, i emailed on monday to ask why it had not been delivered, the reply was one of my items was out of stock...even though it said in stock on screen and does today. I also rang on monday where they offered to part deliver so i agreed.

Still nothing!! "Fast delivery within 48hours" I don't think so.
Have now read lots of bad reviews and worried i'm not going to receive anything??

Have just sent another email quoting "Non delivery of goods (distance selling) regulations" hoping that might work??

Who is Helen Deleany??

[buttercup80]

Have just realised who she is and have also sent her an email.

[Stompa]

Oh blast, I only discovered this thread after ordering something from them this morning. When I used them a year or so ago they were fine. Fingers crossed that it'll turn up!

[joedog]

Have received 3 emails from Chemist Direct!

The first says that one item has been removed (not longer stocked) and my money will be refunded.

The second one says that part of my order has been despatched.

The third says that they are awaiting delivery of some items and that they will be delivered to my by 8th July. (The whole order cost over £100 and the items that aren't in stock add up to nearly £70).

I really hope that things go smoothly and that I receive the refund, that the first part of my order arrives and that the remainder of the order arrives by 8th July.

[Isjubaleen]

I understand that Chemist Direct have money problems. That's why they hold on to your money even when they know they don't have an item in stock. My friend tried to order 'alli' from them recently. It says its in stock but when she rang to ask where her order was, she was told they were waiting for new stock. Still waiting for her money to be returned. Guided her to thechemist, where they have stocks of alli, and when they don't, as with other items they mark them out of stock. Chemist Direct just try to hook you in, but personal experience has taught me not to use them ever again. I use thechemist because they're up front about everything, and they don't take your money from your credit card till your order is despatched.

[Stompa]

Well, I'm not impressed.

I ordered one item (which was shown as being 'In Stock') on July 1st, my credit card was debited the same day.

On July 7th, my order status still remained at 'Order Being Processed', so I emailed the contact given in Post #165 - to which I've not received a reply.

On July 8th, I contacted them online via their 'Live Help' system, and was told that they'd chase it up at the warehouse, and email me if there were any problems - no email received.

The item is still shown as 'In Stock', my order status is still 'Order Being Processed' - it's not looking good.

[Mike63uk]

I ordered on 2nd July, contacted live help on Tuesday and they said it would be marked urgent to the warehouse. I then sent an email to the contact in post #165 but no reply. I contacted live help on Wednesday as I needed the products ordered and got the same response as on Tuesday. The order is still being processed and my credit card has been charged.

Don't bother trying to ring as they keep you hanging on for ages and then just get an answer machine, which of course they don't reply to. There live help is no better as there is a long wait for an advisor and they then can't give you any info or do anything.

Mike

[buttercup80]

After sending emails stating i wanted refund they part despatched my order, but they still owe me £75 of goods.
They said it would be delivered on 8th July.....suprise suprise nothing arrived so i emailed again and suprise suprise my order is delayed yet again, even though they are advertising my products as in stock!
I have just sent another email saying i want a refund today.

Chemist Direct should be shut down!

[Bella198421]

I ordered a few items from Chemist Direct a few days ago and received them today, no problems at all.

[buttercup80]

I have just received a email from chemsit direct and they have said i will receive a refund in 3-5 working days......watch this space!!

[womblenuggets]

I ordered a catflap off these jokers and have just cancelled my order.

Had an internet chat with someone there would could only provide "one click" stock ansers to everything I said and could give no indication whatsoever of how long order would take, so I cancelled it. When I asked for email confirmation of my cancellation, I was told I would get it "within a few days". Electronic systems don't take that long, so I am highly suspicious and will be checking my account and going to Visa if they try to defraud me.

I wouldn't trust them at all.

[Postcard]

Thanks to MSE Lawrence (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.html?u=134861) (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.html?u=134861).

I placed my first order on the 4th July and had no emails of confirmation or delivery within 48 hours. Found this thread and emailed Helen. She emailed back within a few days stating she'd look into it. 24 hours later and the package was finally dispatched (albeit an item being discontinued). The refund for the item was also instant. All items turned up correctly today!

From first experience I think I'll be avoiding this company in the future, even though they eventually managed to get my order out.

[Stompa]

I placed my first order on the 4th July and had no emails of confirmation or delivery within 48 hours. Found this thread and emailed Helen. She emailed back within a few days stating she'd look into it. 24 hours later and the package was finally dispatched (albeit an item being discontinued). The refund for the item was also instant. All items turned up correctly today!
No such luck here. Ordered on July 1st, and order status has not changed since. An email to Helen did not elicit a response. A couple of online help 'chats' were essentially a waste of time.

[mikeyboy]

I have nothing but problems with these jokers... a COMPLETE waste of space. Some of the prices look good but in reality not worth all the grief you will get.

They don't have the common decency to reply to emails... dont waste your breath, go elsewhere!


AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!

[angelang42]

ive been quite lucky i order pretty regular from this company because i have crohns disease so i spend quite a lot of time in bed i cant fault them and the products that are not known brands work just as well and the prices are quite good guess its just been bad luck you have not received your orders.

[bo0]

AVOID ! AVOID ! AVOID !

Me and my friend recently made a purchase worth over £60 , nothing special just regular items you would find at any chemist or supermarket
i.e shampoo, deoderant, pet food etc

That was over one week ago, and the order still hasnt been processed and no sign of any email explaining what is happening.

I tried ringing the phone number listed on the website but have yet to get an answer.

I have also tried the livechat system they provide with limited success, the first person disconnected from the chat after keeping me waiting almost 1 hour. tried again and got a different person who said he would chase the order up and mark it as URGENT, obviously that never happened because I have yet to recieve my goods.

I really cannot stress enough how much people should avoid this company and go spend their money elsewhere.

AVOID !

[Stompa]

FWIW I received an email from them yesterday saying my order has been dispatched - 3 weeks after the day I ordered. I wonder if it will arrive?

[SmallEnglish]

I have also tried the livechat system they provide with limited success, the first person disconnected from the chat after keeping me waiting almost 1 hour. tried again and got a different person who said he would chase the order up and mark it as URGENT, obviously that never happened because I have yet to recieve my goods.



I placed an order on Friday 10th July - the status showed "order being processed" until Friday 17th July when, after emailing and live chatting with them (and them promising to "fast track" the order), I decided I'd had enough and cancelled.

I was told I would receive a refund within 3-5 working days - it's now the 4th working day and still no refund. I find it outrageous that they debit customers payments when they are unable to dispatch the goods. BTW I ordered from another company on Friday 17th and received them on Monday 20th - happy days!

Now about this refund........

[Stompa]

FWIW I received an email from them yesterday saying my order has been dispatched - 3 weeks after the day I ordered. I wonder if it will arrive?
Oh well, it finally arrived - only took 22 days!

[imhassan]

I put the order and still awaitting, being in contact >5 times. nothing happened. explain need some of the stuff urgent and nothing happened. poor custormer service . won't recommend to anyone and will not do it again.

[rockyr]

I've just placed another order with them last week and i received it full and in good time. I spent £89.78 with them, it was risky but it paid off. I think people have just been unlucky.

[Stompa]

I've just placed another order with them last week and i received it full and in good time. I spent £89.78 with them, it was risky but it paid off. I think people have just been unlucky.
Maybe, but when there are loads of other suppliers out there, why risk being unlucky a second time.

[rockyr]

Maybe, but when there are loads of other suppliers out there, why risk being unlucky a second time.

That's very true but they were the cheapest for Malarone Tablets for adults.

[celyn90]

I have been trying to get a response out of these people, but no luck yet. :mad:

[Julian123]

They are the worst company I have ever dealt with.

[AbbieCadabra]

just about to place my usual order for james wellbeloved cat food with chemistdirect, thought i'd have a look for any discounts on offer - this thread popped up! :eek:

hmmm, think i'll pay a little extra & go elsewhere now!

thanks guys :T, hope all outstanding problems are resolved (& you've still got some hair left! ;))

[Star123]

I placed an order with them on sunday evening and just found this thread today and was getting a bit worried and 5mins later the postman came with my stuff, I am really pleased and would probably use them again, one of the items I ordered was 99p but the same thing from boots and a smaller pot was about £3.50, so that was great
I hope everyone else that has had/having problems with them get it sorted out.

[boojims]

Awful company!!!!:mad:

I placed an order on 5/8. Was asked a couple of questions about some medicine I had ordered on 6/8 and I replied straight away.

Same questions asked again on 10/8 so i contacted them via their livechat, told they would mark it as urgent.

Two days later same email asking the same questions so I asked them to cancel my order as I needed the items sooner than they would be able to send them.

They have now taken over £40 out of my account....... after they cancelled the order.

They have promised a refund in 3 to 5 days,................... will let you know!!!

[Penstemon]

I have bought from Chemist Direct on several occasions with mixed results. A couple of orders were fine although slow on delivery and bad on communication. Another had no packing in the box and items had been broken. They did replace them.

The last time I ordered in July, the whole process has been diabolical, so never again. I finally received only part of my order, although all was shown as being in stock. They said I would have the rest very soon. Nothing came. They would not reply to emails and ringing Customer Services was hopeless - it was never answered. We even got the alternative numbers through 'Say No to 0870' so that we didn't pay the expensive rate.

Yesterday I started going in harder, even threatening them with Trading Standards in Birmingham. Immediately they replied! The rest of my order had been cancelled and no-one had bothered to tell me, or refund the money. They didn't even know why the items had been cancelled, although agreed that it was an error. I exchanged mails with them, still continuing to talk about Trading Standards. Finally I was told that a refund would be in my account in about 3 - 5 days. We shall see. If it isn't, then we shall definitely contact Trading Standards and tell them about this company's trading practices.

I recommend other people to go elsewhere. I would not buy from them again.:mad:

[CyanIsland]

Like others, I too found this thread through sheer desperation! I placed £50 worth of goods with Direct Chemist but received no confirmation e-mail. They took my money IMMEDIATELY, yet the order was continually being 'processed' for two weeks. I tried three different e-mail addresses to try and sort it out but all were returned as 'not recognised' and they didn't answer their phones either. I was waiting on one line for 35 minutes before I gave up. Eventually I got through to someone on live chat which I had left open while I did other things. It took them 1 hour and 25 minutes to respond via live chat. After much wrangling they promised to refund my money and cancel the order. I'm just waiting for them to actually do it now... :(

[Julian123]

just about to place my usual order for james wellbeloved cat food with chemistdirect, thought i'd have a look for any discounts on offer - this thread popped up! :eek:

hmmm, think i'll pay a little extra & go elsewhere now!

thanks guys :T, hope all outstanding problems are resolved (& you've still got some hair left! ;))

You may want to try 'medicanimal' - I tried them and they were very good.

[jennyone1]

I have dealt with Chemist Direct a few times and its been a nightmare. Customer service is abysmal - they only contact you if they can be bothered. They never tell you when items are out of stock and let you order them. Delivery times also seem to be when they can be bothered. Unforunately I had to use them to order something I couldn't get elsewhere recently and a week after the order I am still waiting.

I would never use them again. Not even if they had a cure for cancer, because you'd be dead before it arrived with the time they take to despatch.

I would urge anyone else thinking of ordering pharmacy items online to use another site.

[jennyone1]

I should have mentioned that when I've complained before - it was about a £40 order - I've been told the company is 'restructuring' and that I need to be patient. I think that's a euphemism for shifting customer service abroad and keeping cash flow going by charging customers for items they wait forever for.

CD's stock may be cheap, but so too is their customer service.

[jennyone1]

What do you know. After working my fingers to the bone sending 25 different emails with a variety of headings so their email system can't weed it out, I have received a disptach notification from Chemist Direct. Yipeee, well it would be if I hadn't paid my money to this company and ended up having to waste so much time chasing them up. Maybe pester power works - or more likely its just a fluke. I'm sure they'll be back to their usual dismal service again if I ever need to deal with them again.

[Quizzical Squirrel]

I used this company (Chemist Direct / Direct Chemist - different websites, same company) and I was unimpressed.

I did not receive an email confirmation and so after a couple of days I emailed (no response) and then rang them. I rang several times over two days and there was no answer, the phone just rang and rang. I started to think they had gone bust and I wouldn't be seeing my money again.

I emailed them again and a day later finally got a reply to tell me they were waiting to fulfill my order because an item was out of stock.

It would have been nice if they'd told me. It would have been nice if they'd bothered to answer their phones. It would have been nice if they could have sent me a confirmation email so I at least knew they'd received my order.

I ordered what I needed from a different online chemist but I was pretty annoyed as by the time Chemist Direct had bothered to respond so I knew to order elsewhere, my order placed elsewhere got delayed by the postal strike and I had to put up with an eye infection for yet another week.

I'm not ordering from them again. Terrible communication.

[chan245]

I place an order with Chemist Direct beginning of September. Order confirmed & despatched. Then things went horribly wrong. Waited 7 days, still no delivery. I had a holiday booked & couldnt wait any longer.

Returned from holiday 2 weeks later & saw a card from Royal Mail saying sender has not paid the delivery charge & I will have to pay £3.16 in order for goods to be delivered. Delivery date was 11 days from when chemist direct told me the item was despatched.

Contact the company, they said to pay the charge & they will reimburse. Informed them the goods were no longer at the depot & Royal Mail confirmed that the sender will have to pay extra to have them returnec back to them. Stale mate.

Had enough from them, have filed a dispute with paypal !! Avoid them

[ClaireLR]

Uh-oh. Wish I had seen this thread sooner........

I placed an order with these guys over the weekend. I've received a confirmation email, followed yesterday by a "delay" email. As far as I can tell they haven't actually taken any money from my account yet. Wish I hadn't bothered ordering from them now. I suppose all I can do is wait and see what happens for now!

[ClaireLR]

Ok I've had a reply from them saying my order has been sent to the warehouse - but they still haven't taken any money out of my account :confused:

Wondering if there's any way that I can cancel this now because I just can't be bothered with chasing it up all the time, plus with the postal strikes I don't know if I'm going to get the stuff in time (we go away in 3 weeks).

Any advice?

[thatsfabulous]

Have you looked on there website?
I'm sure i seen something on there website about cancelling orders as i was looking on there website about returns.

Ive just ordered an item of them, not as described so good enough when i return to them they will refund postage too.

[ClaireLR]

Decided to leave my order a while.....rang them today and they said they were out of stock of a couple of items and that they are now in stock, she said I should receive my order in the next few days so heres hoping....

[lynx10]

... I was told that a refund would be in my account in about 3 - 5 days. We shall see. If it isn't, then we shall definitely contact Trading Standards and tell them about this company's trading practices.

I recommend other people to go elsewhere. I would not buy from them again.:mad:

Hi - how did this work out ? Any contact with Trading Standards ? I ask because I've had problems, too - a supposedly 'in stock' item, but with the wrong goods supplied, which ultimately had to be cancelled and I'm having problems obtaining a refund.

[peter250]

I wanted to share my experience that i had with chemistdirect. First of all they are useless, and yes i am new here and only joined here to write this review. I found this thread on google.

Anyway i see that this thread is pretty old, and you would of thought chemistdirect would of sorted themselves out by now, but they havent.

I had all the usual problems that most of the people on this thread had. Like getting no reply to any emails, the order being stuck in the "Process mode", and having to phone them numerous times only to be promised the order would be sorted out, but it never happened. The customers service people just keep saying "all i can do is apologise".."I will check with the warehouse" etc etc.

Most people on this thread that have complained have said there problems arose when the items were not in stock The thing is - everything i ordered was in stock (customer service told me so) and they still couldn't even sort it out. Customers services didn't even know why my order was not sent. They promised to ring me back -never did-then said they would email me, but i got no reply at all. It was me that done all the ringing and e-mailing!:mad:

The stock didnt even leave the warehouse, even though all items were in stock. So much for their "free fast delivery". Im even located in Birmingham so i thought i'd get a really quick service as chemistdirect are just the other side of the city center! The last time i spoke to them they said they couldn't find the stock! It was lost somewhere in the warehouse. How unorganised can they be - they shouldn't even be calling themselves a company. Needless to say, i canceled my order there and then.


All in all chemistdirect are an unorganised, very badly managed company that lie to the people who help them grow and make more money - the customers.

Do not waste you time with them.

In my experience there just as bad as they were last year, if not worse.

Hope this helps a few people out that were thinking of buying from them - Don't do it.

[Penstemon]

Hallo, Just as an update to my earlier post in August, I never did receive a refund from Chemist Direct, and have had no success with them at all.

But, something far worse has happened now. I have been the victim of Identity Theft. It is a card that is only used a little, maybe four times a month. The card has not been out of my sight, and I have not been to the UK for years. My computer has full up-to-date Internet security, and I have not used an ATM. The card was used to purchase designer items in the UK, and the orders were by telephone. One of the shops did give me the name and address of the person who committed the crime. All details have been given to the Police, but it is proving difficult as the perpetrator lives in London. One purchase was in Kent and the other in Birmingham, so three separate Police forces, and they really are making it hard. Amazon also emailed me to say that someone had attempted to open a new account, but they must have a brilliant system as they saw that the card didn't belong to the new account holder, cancelled the account and all their orders. They say they will co-operate with the Police in any way necessary.

I have only paid five UK Internet companies with that card this year, and one is Chemist Direct. As far as I can see having spoken to them, they are all totally secure. Most are very well-known and respected companies. The only one I haven't contacted is Chemist Direct, but do have bad vibes about them having tested the security. It has written all over it how secure it is, but is it?

Interesting too that when one shop had to get a Mastercard authorisation, they got it without any difficulty. All they want is the card number and the security number, just to ensure that the cardholder has sufficient funds. It is no protection to the cardholder at all.

Has anyone else had this kind of problem, and also dealt with Chemist Direct. It may be the wrong trail, but I have to try everything.

Penstemon

[lynx10]

As peter250 says, they strike me as unorganised. So I'm still waiting for a payment refund, and have asked the credit card company to intervene.

[ClaireLR]

Well I haven't received my order from them either, have rung them once and emailed 4 times now, yesterday saying if no parcel by today then I wanted a refund and today telling them it hadn't arrived (supposedly sent out on 14th Oct) and so I expected a full refund within the next 48 hours. Will be calling them tomorrow. Original order was placed on 01.10.09 so they really are taking the **** now (I have the patience of a saint with these things but this has tested my patience).

As I paid on debit card, I take it that I cannot contact my card company to help me to get a refund (as I could with a credit card). Is there anything else I can do? If I contact trading standards will they do anything or should I just chalk this one up to experience.

Penstemon sorry to hear about you experience, its making me wonder if I should contact my card company and get a new card issued to be honest.

[treliac]

Don't have experience of Chemist Direct but I have used Express Chemist and found them to be very good. Prompt delivery, easily contacted by phone and found them completely helpful!

Better to be safe than sorry where debit cards are concerned !!

[lynx10]

If I contact trading standards will they do anything or should I just chalk this one up to experience.

I've submitted a complaint to our local trading standards office (accompanied by several pages of comments from this thread), and if others who are disatisfied with an unacceptable level of service do likewise, then the information will be shared and thus make a stronger case for action.

[Penstemon]

Just to add that I have reported all of my experiences with Chemist Direct to the Trading Standards Department in Birmingham. Chemist Direct's offices are in Smethwick.

If anyone else wants to the same, the email address is:

tradingstandards@birmingham.co.uk

Let us hope we can get some results.

[pmduk]

I wonder if it would be worth reporting your problems to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. After all their alleged behaviour is discrediting the industry as a whole?

[lynx10]

An interesting point. Meanwhile, an advert from Wikipedia ;-)

Chemist Direct
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemist_Direct
Chemist Direct is a leading online pharmacy in the United Kingdom offering thousands of everyday health and beauty products at low prices. Chemist Direct operates from registered pharmacy premises in Birmingham, UK.
Chemist Direct is a member of National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and adheres to clinical standards and procedures set by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) with the services supervised by fully qualified pharmacists. It provides pharmacy medication, health, beauty and pet products at a discount... Chemist Direct have seen off some serious competition and won some great awards, including “Best Retailer” and Regional Start Up Stars. They have been nominated for numerous other awards. Mitesh has also been recognised as a Top Gun - one of the UK’s top entrepreneurs under 35 and as the East Midland's Under 42 Entrepreneur champion.

N.B. I've just noticed, it was created 22 Oct 2009, i.e., 2 days ago. [update 26 Oct 2009 - page contents deleted: 'Unambiguous advertising or promotion']

Also, searching for "Chemist Direct" and "Trading Standards" makes for interesting reading, e.g., plenty of disgruntled customers and suspicious positive reviews ?

Trustpilot Chemistdirect reviews | Customer reviews of Chemistdirect
http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.chemistdirect.co.uk
We have gathered and analysed 216 customer reviews from national and international sources. TrustScore for this company 3.4 / 10 = VERY BAD. With 216 reviews the statistical significance is high.

And for anyone with a sense of humour, this is apparently the Venture Capital group which backed Chemist Direct earlier in the year:

Atomico Ventures - Investing In Disruption
http://www.atomicoventures.com/

Chemistdirect.co.uk backed for £3m, Growing Business, 16/03/09
Mitesh Soma, founder of Chemistdirect.co.uk, has agreed a £3m deal with VC firm Atomico, for a minority stake in his company...
http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/chemistdirect-co-uk-backed-for-3m.html

[ClaireLR]

An update on my order.....

I rang them on Wednesday all ready to start WW3, anyway the woman said your parcel should have been delivered 16 October, I said well it wasn't and there was no card so I don't believe you. She gave me a tracking number and when I checked Parcelforce had indeed tried to deliver it on 16 October.

Because of the strikes I couldn't get my package redelivered yet, but have asked for it to go to OH's mom'son Monday, so we shall see.

Will still be putting in a complaint to trading standards about this though.

[lynx10]

Please can Martin review the Chemist Direct threads before continuing to endorse them 15-05-2009, 10:32 AM
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1690023

In view of the service problems posted since, there is a strong case for pulling the 'cash-back' endorsement of Chemist Direct forthwith: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cashback-sites-comparison/Chemist+Direct

[Penstemon]

Many apologies if others have tried to contact Birmingham Trading Standards by email and used the email address I posted. I made a mistake. It should be:

tradingstandards@birmingham.gov.uk

I had two bounces and then realised what I had done:confused:

Penstemon

[Penstemon]

The correct email address I gave today:

tradingstandards@birmingham.gov.uk

definitely is right. I have had an acknowledgement saying they will respond to me within eight days. We shall see.

Penstemon

[Penstemon]

I have had a mail from Birmingham Trading Standards today. They can't deal with Chemist Direct because they are outside Birmingham. Here is the relevant part of their mail giving details of where to go with this.

I am afraid that as the trader is outside Birmingham I must refer you to
consumer direct on 08454 040506 or consumerdirect.gov.uk


So, off we go again!

[lynx10]

I am afraid that as the trader is outside Birmingham I must refer you to
consumer direct on 08454 040506 or consumerdirect.gov.uk


My experience is that Trading Standards offices will refer cases directly to a more relevant office if necessary. Perhaps ring Consumer Direct and ask why Birmingham can't do likewise ?

[ClaireLR]

I thought chemist direct were based in Birmingham??

Meanwhile, my order has FINALLY turned up today.......almost FOUR weeks after first placing it.

If anyone has any luck with complaining please let me know where to go to to voice my opinions!

[lynx10]

Chemistdirect.co.uk was launched in November 2007 by entrepreneur Mitesh Soma. The website offers up to 90% off thousands of different health and beauty products in the UK, significantly undercutting prices on the high street. It is fast becoming the UK’s most popular online chemist, turning over more than £5m in its first year, establishing a significant customer base and attracting 80,000 hits a week The company’s mission is to supply good quality, cut price chemist products to your door within 24 hours. Mitesh has also overseen the launch of an online prescription and pet medication service within Chemist Direct. In 2008 Mitesh was named Retailer of the Year by Startups.co.uk and was shortlisted in the National Final of the HSBC Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
Copyright Brian MacLaurin Associates © 2007
http://www.brianmaclaurin.com/clients/chemist_direct

[usignuolo]

I've bought a couple of things from them in the last year without any problems.

[lynx10]

The local trading standards case officer has said that my complaint details will be forwarded to their counterparts at Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, being the relevant trading standards office for the registered office of Chemist Direct: (Companies House extracts below)

Direct Healthcare Limited, 34 Hartsbourne Drive, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 8ST
Company No. 06349417
Last Accounts Made Up To: 31/08/2008 (TOTAL EXEMPTION SMALL)
Next Accounts Due: 30/09/2010
Last Return Made Up To: 21/08/2008
Next Return Due: 18/09/2009 OVERDUE

Correction: Small and medium-sized company exemptions
1. What exemptions are available?
Certain small or medium-sized companies may prepare accounts for their members under the special provisions of sections 246 and 246A of the Companies Act 1985. In addition, they may prepare and deliver abbreviated accounts to the Registrar. This chapter explains the exemptions available to small and medium-sized companies. Certain small companies with a turnover of less than £5.6 million (£250,000 for companies that are charities) and assets of less than £2.8 million can claim exemption from audit ...

Companies House - Accounts and Accounting Reference Dates
http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gba3.shtml#three

Update: now it's a £20m-turnover business, but claiming audit exemptions ?:

Mitesh Soma, founder of £20m-turnover online pharmacy ChemistDirect.co.uk, agrees that the hikes are a nightmare for SMEs but doesn't believe the Mayor had any other option, London's businesses hit by Oyster and C-charge hikes, 16th October 2009
http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/news/sales-and-marketing/5705486/londons-businesses-hit-by-oyster-and-ccharge-hikes.thtml

[lynx10]

Update - my local Trading Standards office tell me that Sandwell Trading Standards have 'a relationship' with Chemist Direct, and that they will be challenging the trader over my complaint about 'passing off' goods.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council - Trading Standards - Rogue Traders
http://www.laws.sandwell.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/business/trading-standards/rogue-traders/

I believe that this is the relevant address:

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Environmental Health and Trading Standards
Environment House
PO Box 42
Lombard Street
West Bromwich B70 8RU

Meanwhile a replacement page has appeared on Wikipedia, which someone has challenged as spam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemist_direct

[TruthPromoter]

I have been reluctant to post up until now, but recent events have forced my hand. ChemistDirect are scammers, but it's even more serious than most people realise! It's for the greater good that this type of thing is stopped.

For my part, amongst other means, I have been tackling them in the following ways:
1) Trading standards. The normal route is through one's own local trading standards team, who then contact the relevant office for ChemistDirect. Unfortunately, trading standards tend to be less powerful than people realise, so they are only part of the solution.
2) Many of the positive reviews on reviewcentre (reviewcentre.com/reviews166261.html) are obviously fake. They are all written in the same style, and claim to be "shocked" at the truthful negative reviews. One can simply click "report this review" for the suspicious 5-star reviews.
3) Clicking on the "Internet Shopping is Safe" logo and informing the relevant body as to what you think.
4) Inform wikipedia of their spamming (their PR agency is behind a lot of this). Note that it's easy to edit any article on wikipedia - give it a try!

I've been seriously scammed by ChemistDirect and am also pursuing them through other means. I do not like scams, and they kind of chose the wrong person to do this to.

Note that they are at it again with stationerydirect.co.uk. Same old spiel as before!

It gets worse, but that's enough for now....

The founders of Skype should hang their heads in shame for investing in all of this.

These people need to be exposed for who they are!

TruthPromoter

[lynx10]

The point has been made earlier in the thread, but this is so important that it warrants another mention. There are records on the web for www.chemistdirect.co.uk (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk) that date back to 2004 (7th August) and say:

"Chemist Direct is the UK’s largest online discounted pharmacy. Famous for supplying well known brands at consistently low prices. Chemist Direct stocks over 6000 products and is continually adding new products to the catalogue. Chemist Direct operates from fully licensed pharmacy premises in Central London...
Tel: 0845 130 2912 (calls charged at local rate).
Fax: 0870 132 951
Email: CustomerServices@ChemistDirect.co.uk (CustomerServices@ChemistDirect.co.uk)"

Yet somehow the business was accepted for the 2008 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards:

HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards finalists - Finalists archive 2008 (Chemist Direct www.chemistdirect.co.uk (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk))
http://www.startupstars.hsbc.co.uk/finalists/archive?custom:filteryear=2008

Perhaps it was this: "Chemist Direct was launched in December 2007 by entrepreneur Mitesh Soma – by June 2008 it had become the UK’s largest online chemist shop and recorded a first year annual turnover of £5m."
http://www.consumerforum.org.uk/members/chemist-direct/

[lynx10]

“The company’s mission is to supply good quality, cut price chemist products to your door within 24 hours”, web site of the PR agency for Chemist Direct.

Business maxim: ‘You never get a second chance to make a good first impression’

I’ve now received a credit for the incorrectly-supplied goods, shown as held ‘in stock’ at the time of ordering, and also a reimbursement for the goods returned at my expense. Trading Standards upheld my complaint about ‘passing off’ goods that were no longer manufactured by the named company, and the product has since been removed from the Chemist Direct web site. This episode lasted almost 11 weeks from the date of placing order/payment to the receipt of final refund - but call that 9 weeks as I was away for a fortnight.

Their representative apologised for the problems and suggested that they would try and do better next time. But why they think that anyone, after this experience, would entertain the idea of a ‘next time’ is a mystery.

PS Companies House reports that the annual return is now two months overdue:

Direct Healthcare Limited
Company No. 06349417
Next Return Due: 18/09/2009 OVERDUE

[gerryspn]

[QUOTE=SarahShattered;12255829]Hi all,

I have a question, and wonder if anyone can help......

Does anyone use chemist direct? If so are they trustworthy?? :confused:

I've done a search, and can't work out whether people use them and they're great, or, if all the posts about them are self promotion. :rolleyes:

Thanks.[/QUODTE]
Do not use these cowboys!!! I sent a Private Prescription and my debit card was debited on 31/10/2009. By 16/11/2009 I had received nothing and have since contacted them on 5 occasions and was assured I would be phoned back by a Pharmacist / answered by e-mail etc. Nothing!!! The result is that 21 days after my card was debited I am left with no prescription and £140 worse off. What can I do now??:confused: