How can I check whether theses websites are legitimate?

Darkhawk

Hello everyone,

I want to buy this and almost bought it from Curry's when I found three websites offering it at a lower price.

How can I check whether the three following sites are not a scam?

First
Second
Third

I look forward to your posts, I am very sorry if I have posted this in the wrong place!

Cisco001

check at Trustpilot.co.uk/ reviewcentre.com

Get someone who are UK based.
Pay by Credit Card


Edit: kingdomappliances is existing. Can't find the other two
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews235603.html

LadyDee

How much are you saving? If anything goes wrong how easy will it be to return it? Would you have to pay return carriage? Do they take your old one away (assuming you already have a cooker)? If you do need to return it and try to get a refund, will it leave you unable to buy another in the meantime? If you have to go the CC route it could take weeks.

For something like this I personally feel the high street is the place to buy - try haggling with Currys - print out the offers and see if they'll come close to the price. John Lewis "We are never knowlingly undersold" would also be a very good place to try too, if they stock the cooker you want.

Another alternative if you have an independent retailer near you - they might not be the cheapest but you can be virtually certain of getting personal attention and good customer service.

There are times when it's worth paying a bit extra - this comes from someone who counts every penny!

TheOneSteeltips

looks like only one of them is using a ssl the third one
that is current i would use that one if i were buying and as stated else were use a credit card

NathanielB

This site is always good to turn to for checking if a company is registered http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo You can also use the certificates at the bottom of sites such as the third one to see if they are valid and real.

As mentioned above though, also check return and warranty information as you could end up spending more if your goods turn out faulty!

Coopdivi

I can't find that cooker on Kingdom Appliances' website but it's listed by them on Ebay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zanussi-ZCG662GXC-Freestanding-S-Steel-60cm-FSD-FFD-Double-Oven-Gas-Cooker-Grill-/360774505950?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Ovens_Hobs_Cookers&hash=item53ffd615de

This cooker is not brand new, it's refurbished. They say:

1) The item is new and unused.
2) The item may have acquired slight cosmetic damage during delivery or storage.
3) The item’s packaging may have been damaged
4) The item may come from a cancelled order

Delivery is £20 within 150 miles of Birmingham and more elsewhere.

If you are happy with these caveats then Kingdom Appliances look to me to be a reasonable company to do business with from Ebay. They have good feedback and Ebay have excellent consumer protection.

Coopdivi

Country Kitchen Appliances' contact address doesn't give a property number. When I looked on Google Street View, there were no business premises on Church Drive.

The Domain Registration details have been hidden behind a privacy service.

http://whois.domaintools.com/countrykitchenappliances.com

When I tested out the buying process, using made up details, I found that the only method of payment was by bank transfer. Payment by this method is virtually untraceable and there is very little chance of a refund.

It's obviously a scam website run by criminals who will just steal your money. There's no way you can contact them because the address has been falsified. The telephone number probably doesn't exist.

Coopdivi

I didn't have to delve very far with the third one, Europe Inter Electronics, to work out that they're another bunch of scamming criminals.

According to their website the only methods of payment are by bank transfer and Perfect Money which is an extremely dodgy form of internet virtual currency.

The contact address is a semi-detached house in Plymouth but the phone number has a London prefix. Almost certainly, they've both been faked. The Domain Registration details have been hidden behind a privacy service.

http://whois.domaintools.com/europeinterelectronics.com

Coopdivi

Don't necessarily believe the reviews on Trust Pilot. In return for a fee of £800 to £900 per annum, they allow businesses to vet reviews by only allowing verified customers and giving feedback. Some unscrupulous companies have hindered bad reviews by questioning their authenticity while sneakily adding fake, praiseworthy reviews of their own devising.

On another thread an MSE member asked how to tell a good site from a bad one. Here is the guide I made in response:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=63568079&postcount=4

LadyDee

Coopdivi wrote: »

I can't find that cooker on Kingdom Appliances' website but it's listed by them on Ebay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zanussi-ZCG662GXC-Freestanding-S-Steel-60cm-FSD-FFD-Double-Oven-Gas-Cooker-Grill-/360774505950?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Ovens_Hobs_Cookers&hash=item53ffd615de

This cooker is not brand new, it's refurbished. They say:

1) The item is new and unused.
2) The item may have acquired slight cosmetic damage during delivery or storage.
3) The item’s packaging may have been damaged
4) The item may come from a cancelled order

Delivery is £20 within 150 miles of Birmingham and more elsewhere.

If you are happy with these caveats then Kingdom Appliances look to me to be a reasonable company to do business with from Ebay. They have good feedback and Ebay have excellent consumer protection.

Yes, ebay does have excellent customer protection in certain circumstances, but if the buyer wishes to return something and the seller refuses to pay for return carriage, there is nothing ebay can do about it - the buyer would have to resort to the small claims court. Also, you have to raise a dispute within 45 days of purchase date through ebay/paypal, and only in very rare circusmtances will ebay/paypal not require a buyer to return the faulty goods.