Play.com - my experience

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I never used to have a bad word to say about Play but towards the back end of 2011 and this beginning of this year I've had nothing but trouble.

I ordered two Christmas presents - the first one came absolutely battered (maybe the couriers fault but still) and the second one wasn't as described on the website, it was supposed to be a mug in a nice giftbox (pictured) but what I got was just a mug wrapped in some bubblewrap.

I sent both back as they weren't suitable to give as gifts.

Just a couple of weeks ago I ordered a tea towel from there and ended up with an apron.

:eek:

I also find their dispatch has become slower than what it was. Bye bye Play for me.

johnnyboyrebel

On a side note one other thing to watch out for on Play are any products with 'Play.com exclusive' in the title as clearly these are exclusive to Play so if you buy from a marketplace seller you will get the standard version.

Example http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/28102359/A-Different-Kind-Of-Truth/Product.html?searchstring=van+halen&searchsource=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search

This one has no other sellers so not the best example but Play normally use the standard barcode even for these which means any seller importing or using software to list will list standard version against the barcode and therefore list against it even though they can only supply the standard version.

Just something to keep in mind, I only mention it as we had an unfortunate situation a while ago getting lots of orders for something like this. we have since put something into stop this from happening.

JamesK10

The Royal Mail comments back and forth are interesting, but for their items which are flat and light but the same size as a DVD, Play has now switched to Hermes Couriers.

These lovely people, who damaged my items in an Ebay sale last year, decided to deliver to my neighbour to fulfill their 2-3 day slot and not bother leaving me a card so I would know it wasn't coming by Royal Mail. Then the neighbour went somewhere for the weekend and I got my stuff on Sunday.

So goodbye Play, competitive prices mean nothing if your items are going to get dumped wherever and then Hermes will hide behind the seller. Zavvi aren't much better so it's not even about whether a UK company is better or worse anymore, they're all risking their rep by going with couriers.

JamesK10

OK, there was a special offer on a game, which came around again from the sale where I had these delays. So I went for it but paid the first class delivery this time just to see if the service is any better. So for once it's not about the price. Any of the problems of the last sale and I can drop them now that HMV will still sell games.

This and the Amazon sale are present purchases so I just want them to be delivered problem-free, instead of penny pinching. Fingers crossed!

johnnyboyrebel

JamesK10 wrote: »

The Royal Mail comments back and forth are interesting, but for their items which are flat and light but the same size as a DVD, Play has now switched to Hermes Couriers.

These lovely people, who damaged my items in an Ebay sale last year, decided to deliver to my neighbour to fulfill their 2-3 day slot and not bother leaving me a card so I would know it wasn't coming by Royal Mail. Then the neighbour went somewhere for the weekend and I got my stuff on Sunday.

So goodbye Play, competitive prices mean nothing if your items are going to get dumped wherever and then Hermes will hide behind the seller. Zavvi aren't much better so it's not even about whether a UK company is better or worse anymore, they're all risking their rep by going with couriers.

So you're reason for not using Play now could be because of Hermes? I can't argue with that as know very little about them and if they insist on using a courier you don't like then i makes sense for you not to use them. My comments however were based on Royal Mail's basic policies that most people should be aware of already.

This isn't in direct reply to anything you said by the way, was just pointing out again to the OP that they need to look at the route of the issue rather than simply the website.

JamesK10

Well the good news is, those last two orders I paid the first class charge, they both came by Royal Mail and both arrived next day (today) with no interference/theft or misdelivery as happened to two out of the last four Blu Rays I bought. So there is the "get what you pay for" argument after so many years of the postage charges being masked with a heavy spread of sales and being called "free".

I generally mentioned Hermes because they were DVD-shaped items but cardboard and flat which is how Microsoft Xbox Live coupons are packaged. So if the item was lighter than a DVD/Blu Ray/Game then Play is off the list, great price or not.

On Play's Marketplace I thought that had been spun off and was less tightly integrated now it's not called Play2trade anymore, but I've only ever bought an import DVD and a secondhand Star Wars film from the 3rd party sellers, both were the first rather than limited editions. Being Star Wars they were extremely well looked after, it's always good buying from collectors

johnnyboyrebel

JamesK10 wrote: »

now it's not called Play2trade anymore

It never was, it was called Playtrade and still is

JamesK10

Thanks for the correction, been up late the past few days and the number just jumped in there!

[EDIT] and having slept on it, on reflection it could've been much worse if Play used Yodel, I might still be waiting for those light packets now