simply electronics IS A Big scam website....

grumbler

Phatty wrote: »

....I will use again.

Any chance you are a gambling addict?

Kingsgraphic

Phatty wrote: »

Just purchased a canon 6d with a 24 - 70mm lens it took longer than they said on the website, but it arrived fine and a few hundred quid cheaper than most, I will use again.

Yes, but you don't have any Canon warranty so just hope it never goes wrong.

Pablo_Picasso

I think Simply Electronics pretty much have it all worked out. It is very clever and they are evading the law very well. I, like so many others bought online thinking it was a *UK company. After phoning their helpline (yes I did speak to a helpful guy but he had really slow English) I became suspicious and did a review search. OMG! All I wanted after reading hundreds of posts was my money back. I phoned my CC but they said the payment had already gone through so I tried to cancel the order with Simplyelectronics.net. They were very polite and apologetic and wanted to help by offering me a consolation 4G card with my mobile instead for free. My order was quickly escalated and I had to make several further *requests to cancel it especially as they said they were fast tracking it and will be dispatched soon. After a few *heart stopping emails they eventually agreed to cancel it and refund me. I was promised several times that this would be initiated soon but before they proceeded - was I sure I wanted to cancel the order? This followed by - your refund will be expediated but we would first like to know why you cancelled the order.

After reading many posts from people waiting months for refunds I decided to go for the throat in order to get my money back. I sent them an email a day telling them they were acting illegally, that I would alert the authorities, that I was going to instruct my card company to issue a chargeback, that I was informing *HK Trading standards and *HK police. All these were answered with cut and paste emails. Some were repeated, many identical, all very polite, and all signed with different Western names. I did get my money back within a week but I can't say whether that is their normal practice or whether they just needed rid of this mad customer. Lots of other customers don't seem to have been so lucky.

In my view though, everyone seems to either get their purchase or money back eventually - even if it is a long time, so they don't appear to be a SCAM company as such. There may be some delay tactics employed in order to hold on to your cash though and if that is the case it is wrong. Either way it is not the best business model. I really can't believe some people have ordered from them more than once especially as parcels are sent from the other side of the world.

I was disappointed to find I had ordered from Hong Kong though as the website should be clear about it, not pretending to be a UK company. Yes, I've ordered bits from HK traders on ebay before and they always arrive 15 days later marked as gift. The products from simplyelectronics are likely to be grey imports and yes, you could end up paying import duties and tax before you receive your Chinese phone or whatever.

It is wrong that you have to battle to cancel an order and this can cause a lot of undue stress.

I wrote to my local MP about the practice of duping customers into thinking they are buying from UK. Surely this has some implications with UK Trading standards and the grey imports must be costing the economy. He has promised to raise the issue with the Government because I also uncovered many other sites doing similar things - some from Saudi Arabia and China. Be Warned!

I also wrote to Hong Kong trading standards who are investigating too.

It is interesting to note that Hong Kong employ UK law as well as Hong Kong Law. They recently took on our model of Trading Standards investigating customs and excise as well as bad trading standards within Hong Kong. If anyone has really poor service from simplyelectronics just search for HK Trading standards online.
There is also a good site for HK Police if you feel that SE have broken the law.

My advice would be to review search first or buy from ebay. At least you can see realtime feedback on ebay. I eventually bought my phone from ebay - UK business, 100% positive feedback, it arrived the day after and it was only £40 more than the HK one. It is also a UK phone not a Chinese one.

BarbaraE_2

Like many on this forum I bought from Simply Electronics online, yes I was deceived by their website, it really does look like it is a UK site. It is a genuine company, I did eventually receive my mobile and it was new. So if you want a really cheap electronic item and you have time to wait then they will be worth using.
After four days I started checking this company on the net and found this forum, where alarm bells started ringing. I phoned their 0845 number and got through quite quickly. I told them about my reservations, not knowing I had purchased from Hong Kong, and the girl on the phone was sort of apologetic, she said she would make my purchase priority. I also mailed them about my concerns, and received reply. It is an excruciatingly painful waiting game! That is if your used to buying from the Internet and receiving within a few days.
Another four days later their tracking site showed my mobile was packed and would be dispatched in 1-2 days. Three days later nothing, so I emailed them again, and told them they have only two days left before their 4-10 working days deliver guarantee. They replied, they had upgrade my parcel delivery. Within 15 minutes I had another email with a DPD tracking number!
I tracked my mobile through Amsterdam NL, then on the 10th working day it was in my local depot and out for delivery. Phew I love my Nexus 5 and, in hindsight, it was worth the wait.

pogofish

What on earth has this got to do with credit cards?

Bantex_2

why not just buy from a UK shop? Keeps some of the cash within the country and keeps UK people in work.

SnowTiger

pogofish wrote: »

What on earth has this got to do with credit cards?

Some respondents, perhaps the OP too, paid for their purchase using a credit card.

Presumably you're unaware of Section 75 and credit/debit card chargebacks. You can educate yourself here and here.

pogofish

SnowTiger wrote: »

Some respondents, perhaps the OP too, paid for their purchase using a credit card.

Presumably you're unaware of Section 75 and credit/debit card chargebacks. You can educate yourself here and here.

These sites depend on people using credit cards, yes and I'm well aware of what Section 75 and Chargebacks are for. However this thread seems to be about neither and would be far better suited where it has eventually been put!

PDC

Always worth checking for a physical address on websites you are buying from

I know some places use mailbox type address' so its not always a guarantee but if there isn't a postal address listed on a site then it should set off alarm bells with you - Its also a legal requirement of trading websites in the UK to have an address listed.

Nothing on the contact page of this site but hidden in the terms is;

Simply Electronics Limited
1501-1508, Millennium City 5,
418 Kwun Tong Road,
Kwun Tong, Kowloon,
Hong Kong

jonesy81_2

I have ordered from them and had no problems what so ever!