Play.com - my experience

clhs

About a year ago I ordered a mobile phone from Play.com. Having ordered countless gadgets through Amazon, I expected next-day delivery, or at least within four or five days. This didn't happen. The phone, in fact, never turned up at all. I emailed Play.com but they refused to do anything about it until 28 days had passed, during which time I was without phone and the money I had paid for it. Eventually, and after their 28 days had passed, they sent me a replacement phone, which arrived about 3 weeks later. So it took 7 weeks to get the item I had paid for.

This experience really soured me to Play.com and I didn't see myself using them again. Nevertheless, about a fortnight ago I wondered if they had improved at all and placed an order for a wristband for jogging. The next day I had an "Item has been sent out" email but, to date, some nine days later, it still hasn't arrived. When I emailed Play.com about this they said that they would not look into it until 15 working days (so three weeks) had passed.

I wish I had just trusted my instincts and stuck to Amazon, who seldom (if at all) let me down.

rachel90

Personally, I have never had a bad experience with Play.com!

forgotmyname

Bought many items from play.com over the years, never any problems until last year.

Phone cradle, Charger and case for a mobile phone.

They sent the wrong cradle, Charger was a cheapo one not the super duper all singing and dancing one advertised. Case had sharp edges.

Not a happy transaction. Not helped by their lack of customer service. They apologised for the cradle, Said the charger was a suitable match. No offer of a refund on the extra though. And they said the case was fine for the job and i would have to pay to return the items.

Not used them again.

Tubbss

I think Play.com are great. I have been a customer of theirs for over 10 years and have ordered from them a few hundred times and have always been pleased with their service. I ordered a game from them on Sunday and it was delivered today, never had a problem.

johnnyboyrebel

clhs wrote: »

About a year ago I ordered a mobile phone from Play.com. Having ordered countless gadgets through Amazon, I expected next-day delivery, or at least within four or five days. This didn't happen. The phone, in fact, never turned up at all. I emailed Play.com but they refused to do anything about it until 28 days had passed, during which time I was without phone and the money I had paid for it. Eventually, and after their 28 days had passed, they sent me a replacement phone, which arrived about 3 weeks later. So it took 7 weeks to get the item I had paid for.

This experience really soured me to Play.com and I didn't see myself using them again. Nevertheless, about a fortnight ago I wondered if they had improved at all and placed an order for a wristband for jogging. The next day I had an "Item has been sent out" email but, to date, some nine days later, it still hasn't arrived. When I emailed Play.com about this they said that they would not look into it until 15 working days (so three weeks) had passed.

I wish I had just trusted my instincts and stuck to Amazon, who seldom (if at all) let me down.

This has nothing to do with Play, it is the postal service delaying delivery.

Like any company Play will ship the item out within 24 hours which means 24 hours after you place the order it is passed onto Royal Mail. From that point it is entirely down to Royal Mail to deliver the item so not sure where the logic comes from that this means Play are a crap company. Plays default postage method is second class (you can now pay a postage rate for first class post) also their website clearly states that the maximum period that they need to allow as a 'worst case scenario'

With all due respect, people who obviously dont read ALL the info available to them on the site then place an order anyway cannot then complain.

clhs

johnnyboyrebel wrote: »

This has nothing to do with Play, it is the postal service delaying delivery.

Like any company Play will ship the item out within 24 hours which means 24 hours after you place the order it is passed onto Royal Mail. From that point it is entirely down to Royal Mail to deliver the item so not sure where the logic comes from that this means Play are a crap company. Plays default postage method is second class (you can now pay a postage rate for first class post) also their website clearly states that the maximum period that they need to allow as a 'worst case scenario'

With all due respect, people who obviously dont read ALL the info available to them on the site then place an order anyway cannot then complain.

You're entirely incorrect. Every item I order from Amazon (and if you want me to upload my order history you'll see that there are literally hundreds of items) arrives promptly, within a few days. Play.com are doing something wrong if they can't get an item out within 12 days, which it has now been. Just because they claim to have sent it out, doesn't mean they have. A blind man on a galloping horse could see that. And if you go to almost any review site and search for Play.com you will see loads of complaints similar to mine. So maybe think before you type next time?

Also, if you had taken the trouble to read my post properly, I never called Play a "crap company", I simply offered up my experience of them. If you inferred that they are a crap company, that's entirely your prerogative.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

johnnyboyrebel wrote: »

Like any company Play will ship the item out within 24 hours

Assuming it says in stock and dispatched within 24 hours. I'm not sure where the notion has come from that every company has everything in stock and ships within 24 hours?

clhs wrote: »

Every item I order from Amazon (and if you want me to upload my order history you'll see that there are literally hundreds of items) arrives promptly, within a few days. Play.com are doing something wrong if they can't get an item out within 12 days, which it has now been.

If the item has been marked as shipped then Play have done their bit, assuming the item is less than £15 it comes from Jersey so delivery is different from an item coming from Amazon's UK warehouse and postal delays are completely random.

The wristband issue doesn't really have much to do with Play and asking you to allow time for it to arrive is perfectly acceptable. If it doesn't arrive it is their responsibility but it isn't their fault.

If the first phone went missing in the post again there's not much Play can do, although as you mention 28 days perhaps it was out of stock as 28 days is the standard time a retailer has to fulfil the contract under the DSR regs.

If a replacement was sent and it took 3 weeks to be delivered that seems a bit strange. I would hazard a guess that the phone was OOS for 7 weeks.

The problem here is "I expected next-day delivery". Just because Amazon offer a level of service it doesn't mean every other company does the same. Amazon focus on owning you as a customer and the cost is their margin, compare their turnover to their profit and you'll see what their service costs in real terms and most companies either can't or won't do this.

Amazon also doesn't offer next day delivery unless you pay for it (either via Prime or per order) and when I order DVDs with Super Saver Delivery they generally take a week to arrive.

coacs

True, you should wait a few days. 12 days is too much, though.

clhs

ludovico wrote: »

The problem here is "I expected next-day delivery". Just because Amazon offer a level of service it doesn't mean every other company does the same. Amazon focus on owning you as a customer and the cost is their margin, compare their turnover to their profit and you'll see what their service costs in real terms and most companies either can't or won't do this.

Amazon also doesn't offer next day delivery unless you pay for it (either via Prime or per order) and when I order DVDs with Super Saver Delivery they generally take a week to arrive.

Fair enough, maybe I have been a bit spoiled by Amazon. I suppose next day delivery isn't really always reasonable. Equally, though, seven weeks for a phone, and 12 days for a wristband seems a bit bizarre.

I suppose I don't accept that Play.com really have passed it to Royal Mail. If they had, it's weird that the post office have simply not bothered to deliver it, when everything else I have ordered from Amazon and other e-retailers has arrived. I even ordered a bespoke painting on canvas last Monday, and that was actually painted to order, sent out, and has already been received.

Thanks for an informed, non-biased answer, though. I suppose I hadn't considered that the wristband would have been sent from Jersey. Your answer makes a lot of sense, so cheers for a mature reply.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

I agree 7 weeks for the phone is far too long and Play's CS isn't great but even Amazon have overseas call centres nowadays.

I should have added I don't think Play are particularly that great and once their VAT free prices disappear in April it will be interesting to see how well they do.

Scarpacci

johnnyboyrebel wrote: »

This has nothing to do with Play, it is the postal service delaying delivery.

Like any company Play will ship the item out within 24 hours which means 24 hours after you place the order it is passed onto Royal Mail.

You can't assume it's posted out within 24 hours just because Play.com say it would usually be posted out in 24 hours.
You have to at least wait for a dispatch message before your "blame" turns to Royal Mail. Unless you pay for express delivery, it's very unlikely Play.com will ship your item in 24 hours.

Back when free delivery was all they offered, my orders would never ship rarely ship within 60 hours - let alone 24. Play.com were notoriously slow at dispatching items and probably still are. Their 'usual' dispatch times are way off the mark. I paid for 1st class delivery and it still took them two days to post out (admittedly it did arrive on time). Express will most certainly ship quickly, but other than that the 24 hours is meaningless.