ValueBasket.com - any experiences?

lemuria11

The date today is 27th May 2015. My Samsung phone broke in January, and has still not been returned to me by this infuriating company.

Here is a copy of the review and communications I have had with Value Basket in the process of attempting to get my phone repaired.

I published a review on TrustPilot on the 27th April (below), and received the following reply from Value Basket:

29 April 2015
Dear Customer,
We apologize for any inconveniences caused.
I have advised our Customer Service Team and an agent will be in contact with you to provide resolution on this matter.
Thank you for your understanding.
..

Just to let you all know, I did not receive any communication (as expected) from their elusive Customer Service Team, but again had to write to them to find out where my phone is. Here are the communications I have received, so you can see for your selves! I am quite fed up now of having to chase up where my phone is - it broke (for no apparent reason) in January, and it is now mid May, and I have not had my phone for 5 months due to their complete incompetence!

15th May 2015
To Value Basket:
Where is my phone?
Please return it to me fully repaired ASAP.
The customer service of your company is very disappointing and I am quite fed up waiting for replies and having not had a phone since January!!!

19th May 2015
Reply:
We have been waiting for instructions from the service team.
Repair duration usually depends on the service centre and the nature of the fault hence we are unable to confirm a date of completion but once we have it, we shall update you accordingly.
Thank you for your patience.

So now I have been told they can not tell me when my phone may be fixed, when on 23rd January 2015 I received an email which said "Typically it takes 5-10 working days to process returns. We will aim to resolve your case at an earlier time."

and again on the 27th April:
"I would like to confirm that we have received the return parcel and verified the fault of the item. The item will be serviced under warranty and returned to you as soon as possible. Repairs typically take 2-4 weeks time from our end, depending on the repair required or the parts needed. But we will try our best to resolve at an earlier time."

It is now 27th May and still no idea what is going on?!

Anyone who is considering using this company - I strongly advise to stay away. There are numerous other reviews that say the same.

(Here is my original review)..

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phone in January 2014.
It arrived in good time and worked fine, I was very happy with it, until January 2015 when the phone went completely dead for no reason. I tried all advised techniques to get it running again, but it was completely dead.

I called value basket and they told me to try charging it (which I explained I had done several times), and gave me another few things to do which I insisted I had already done. I said I needed it repaired and was told that I should go and restart the phone first and then call back. I said that I had already done all that and that the phone needed to be repaired, and recovered as I had lost all my contacts and messages which i needed for work. The guy said that he needed to file the issue and that I would receive an email to confirm that I had called and that my phone was not working.

I had to call back another 2 times to check what was going on as I hadn't received the email confirmation as promised, and then it was 2 weeks before I received an email from them to confirm that my phone had been registered as needing repair, with instructions of how to send it back to them.

The email said that I needed to send the phone with its original box and all accessories (and if not that I may be charged administration fees) and that rather that the phone being repaired in the UK (as it says on the website), that it would be sent to China.

I sent my phone off in the post by first class mail, and 3 weeks later I had still not heard anything, not even a message to say the phone had been received. I phoned Value Basket and spoke to a representative who said that she needed to forward my enquiry onto the right department and that I would get an email to say if they had received my phone. 1 week later I receive an email to say my phone has been received and that it is being repaired and will take 2-4 weeks.

My friend, who also bought his phone from Value Basket, told me that they had his phone for 3 months when his broke.

This is really very poor customer service. One of the reasons I bought the phone form this company was the promise of 3 years warranty, but what good is this when my perfectly good phone dies and I loose all my contact and work details, and then am without the phone for 3 months?!

The whole system of this company is very unhelpful - every time I have called I have been told that my enquiry needs to be registered and that i will receive an email, which them comes 4 - 7 days later.

I do not recommend this company to anyone, and suggest spending the little bit extra on your phone, to actually get the value of decent customer service and a phone that will not break in the first place!

timma

I'm in the same position as a few people here - stupidly didn't do a thorough enough investigation of the company before buying, got the goods ok, though since there was a problem and I've sent the goods back for repair I've just been fobbed off (very politely but with zero progress being made).
I don't have a credit card so can't go down that route for reclaiming the money, but - due to ill health - I've been on benefits for the last few months and really can't afford to lose this money.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned which I'm wondering if it might be useful is the fact that the repair company is in the UK -
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Valuebasket Support Centre
Langdale
Flag Lane
Penwortham
Preston
PR1 9TP
UK[/FONT]

I don't know if this makes any difference, especially if my tablet has been sent to 'their main repair centre' (which I guess is in China), but does the fact that I have proof of postage from sending it there mean that I have any recourse to UK based consumer rights?
Any thoughts from anyone? tim

50Twuncle

timma wrote: »

I'm in the same position as a few people here - stupidly didn't do a thorough enough investigation of the company before buying, got the goods ok, though since there was a problem and I've sent the goods back for repair I've just been fobbed off (very politely but with zero progress being made).
I don't have a credit card so can't go down that route for reclaiming the money, but - due to ill health - I've been on benefits for the last few months and really can't afford to lose this money.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned which I'm wondering if it might be useful is the fact that the repair company is in the UK -
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Valuebasket Support Centre
Langdale
Flag Lane
Penwortham
Preston
PR1 9TP
UK[/FONT]

I don't know if this makes any difference, especially if my tablet has been sent to 'their main repair centre' (which I guess is in China), but does the fact that I have proof of postage from sending it there mean that I have any recourse to UK based consumer rights?
Any thoughts from anyone? tim

See https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7263733,-2.705469,135m/data=!3m1!1e3 on google maps
and http://www.ukaddressbook.uk/a/langdale-flag-lane-penwortham-preston-lancs-pr1-9tp which tells me that you are unlikely to get your goods back (dissolved company)


Companies house doesn't list a VALUEBASKET

timma

I still do not recommend using them in the slightest but to provide an update - I have just got back my tablet from repair: 2 months and 40 odd e-mails after sending it off for '5-10 days'.
The repair has been made as well.
They're obviously very dodgy, and shouldn't be shopped from - but just in case someone else is still waiting for their goods, don't necessarily give up just yet.
Regarding 50Twuncle's post about the lack of a company at companies house, the company that appears to handle their repairs in the UK is called Propellerhead (they come up when you google the Langdale address - sorry as a new user I can't post a link to their website, but they are online).
In the end I didn't need to, but people who are struggling after sending their goods off to the 'UK Repair Centre' might find tackling Propellerhead to be more useful.
As I say though, the best thing is to avoid all contact with Valuebasket if at all possible.

Grayjean

Despite the negative comments the price was too good not to risk using the site. I ordered on Monday of week 1 and the goods arrived on Friday of week 2. I suspect that the value basket model works in one of two ways or a combination of both. 1. I suspect they do not hold the items in stock, instead they 'collect' orders until they reach the level where they can place an order on the supplier that achieves a discount threshold. If you are first in the Q on a slow moving item with a large minimum order you might be waiting a long time! I was ordering a popular item so it was reasonably quick. 2. next is delivery - even taking into account the time it takes for export and import paperwork and taxes to be completed/paid this seems to take too long so I suspect orders are again grouped until the optimum weight or volume is achieved for the goods to be shipped - my order sat for a week at the 'logistics hub' before it actually arrived. Value basket worked for me but I could afford to take the risk and I was not in a hurry. Would I use them again? - well I would never say never but the deal would have to be astounding and certainly not on something I needed by a certain date - so probably not - once was probably enough - my luck may not last!

50Twuncle

Grayjean wrote: »

Despite the negative comments the price was too good not to risk using the site. I ordered on Monday of week 1 and the goods arrived on Friday of week 2. I suspect that the value basket model works in one of two ways or a combination of both. 1. I suspect they do not hold the items in stock, instead they 'collect' orders until they reach the level where they can place an order on the supplier that achieves a discount threshold. If you are first in the Q on a slow moving item with a large minimum order you might be waiting a long time! I was ordering a popular item so it was reasonably quick. 2. next is delivery - even taking into account the time it takes for export and import paperwork and taxes to be completed/paid this seems to take too long so I suspect orders are again grouped until the optimum weight or volume is achieved for the goods to be shipped - my order sat for a week at the 'logistics hub' before it actually arrived. Value basket worked for me but I could afford to take the risk and I was not in a hurry. Would I use them again? - well I would never say never but the deal would have to be astounding and certainly not on something I needed by a certain date - so probably not - once was probably enough - my luck may not last!

If you are insane enough to trust them - after all of the negative feedback on this (and many other) sites
More fool you !!

goetre

ordered my Canon 750d on the 29th June off valuebasket saving over £160 off most other retailers. Checked a few reviews first and seemed ok . Was horrified after when i saw the reviews on here !! However after a couple of days of anxiety i got my tracking info and a few days later the package arrived , well protected and the item was brand new and i presume shipped from uk as no customs info. Tonight i registeredthe product with Canon and again no problems. Sorry for the people who have had problems really anoying but i have to speak as i find and give 5 stars to valuebasket , however early days and if i do find a problem be sure i will be posting on here

RobinHood49

Hi,
If only I'd read comments on this website BEFORE placing my order!!!!On 8th July ordered IPad AIR2 gold, paid with debit card GBP 301.99, then I started checking the reviews. To my horror I found very bad reviews about Value Basket. So 2 hrs after placing my order I rang Value Basket, spoke to a person explaining the situation. He said the order hadn't been processed yet and I should send email on their website to cancel the order, which I did immediately.
Next day the money already was debited from my account.
Since then I've tried ringing Value Basket, can't get through. I get emails that somebody will contact me, but I'm very doubtful. I'm desperate. Can somebody tell me what I should do next?
Robin Hood49

50Twuncle

RobinHood49 wrote: »

Hi,
If only I'd read comments on this website BEFORE placing my order!!!!On 8th July ordered IPad AIR2 gold, paid with debit card GBP 301.99, then I started checking the reviews. To my horror I found very bad reviews about Value Basket. So 2 hrs after placing my order I rang Value Basket, spoke to a person explaining the situation. He said the order hadn't been processed yet and I should send email on their website to cancel the order, which I did immediately.
Next day the money already was debited from my account.
Since then I've tried ringing Value Basket, can't get through. I get emails that somebody will contact me, but I'm very doubtful. I'm desperate. Can somebody tell me what I should do next?
Robin Hood49

Contact your bank/card supplier and inform them that you are claiming a full refund using CHARGE BACK
That will get you a refund - but unfortunately the money will not come from valuebasket - but from central funds !!
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/different-ways-of-buying/buying-goods-and-services-on-credit-or-by-debit-card/extra-protection-when-you-buy-on-credit-or-debit-card/extra-protection-when-you-buy-with-a-debit-card/

Chino

50Twuncle wrote: »

but unfortunately the money will not come from valuebasket - but from central funds !!

What "central funds"?

From the link you provided:

"Also, there are no guarantees your card provider will be able to get the money back for you, particularly if the trader has gone out of business."