Appliances Direct - When It Gets It Wrong, It Blames You, The Customer

Seagull_2024

I honestly think they're a scam. We ordered a dishwasher that was supposed to have been delivered yesterday between 13:00 and 15:00. When it didn't turn up, we kept checking the tracking link which showed that the item had been loaded onto the van, but not that it was out for delivery (the next stage). This morning, the status has been updated to "Delivery Success Electronic Signature Captured" - apparently at 18:06 last night - but nothing is here!

Like others, I have had no success trying to contact AXL (the delivery company) who just keep you waiting unanswered, with no indication of where you are in the queue (if indeed there is a queue and it's not all just fake). As I work from home, it's easy to leave the webchat on in the background for hours, and the status never changes from "Please wait whilst I pass you to the next available advisor."

Apart from all this, what makes me really suspicious is that I had an email from Appliances Direct asking for feedback ("How did we do?") and when I clicked on the link they sent to their review site, I got this warning message: "WARNING! Our system has noticed this company is cherry picking who to invite to leave a review. This will be skewing the overall rating. Some Reviews may have been removed from this profile."

They are clearly manipulating feedback, which probably explains their reassuring online profile (FYI @Hum@HumberFlyer). Nowadays it is very easy to generate thousands of fake bot reviews.

Based on similar experiences reported at reviews.io for both Appliances Direct and arrowXL (I can't post links as I'm new to the forum), I have no confidence in their ability, or indeed intention, to fulfil this order so have written asking for a refund. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

To me, this is all highly suspicious activity and I am looking into reporting them.

Seagull_2024

Sorry should have said @HumberFlyer in my post above, not sure what happened there! 

flaneurs_lobster

Ordered a fridge-freezer from them, paid extra for next day delivery because there's food about to be spoilt.

Annotated the delivery instructions to say that I live on a narrowish (big enough for a standard bin lorry) lane so don't try delivery in a 40-tonner.

Repeated this instruction by telephone to their CS, 

Any guesses? And no, they couldn't put the thing on a trolly and wheel it the last 100 metres.

Took another two days to get the fridge off the pantechnicon and onto something Transit sized and delivered.

The CS are dreadful, and yes, it was all my fault. Did manage to get the next-day premium returned.

There's usually a reason why a company is cheap.

BrynD

WARNING: Appliances Direct deliberately dispatch damaged faulty goos and when you refuse the Arrow Sub-Contracted Couriers Driver takes a photo of the damaged item STILL ON TAILGATE of their Unmarked Tatty Luton Van THEN DRIVE AWAY leaving me, disabled, stood across other side of road some sixty feet from my home. Then thewy fill in their own form stating delivered to room of choice, doctor their photo blackening out the tailgate and road markings, signing as room of choice but the doctored photo is sufficient for them to offload the item wherever they please and Appliances direct despite being called the instant the couriersignored me and drove away... claimed through VISA and my Bank and I lost £535 with nothing to show for it. I also had to spend £180 having my old machine stripped cleaned and serviced in hopes it'll last a bit longer. I initially paid Appliances direct a premium for the item and NEXT DAY delivery but that took over a week (3days for first which when unpacked was badly damaged at basen rear then a further week to send replacment) the RUB was despiute promising to swap one for the other they DENIED this and it took until folklowing friday to take away the first damaged unit. Then appliances direct suggested becuase I'd complained they can only contact Arrow via email and req 15 days+ to "Investigate" ... plenty of time to LOSE said goods wherever they please.

A further point to make is having old trade accounts NO suppplier not ever hoover direct had them in stock nor could they give an expected arrival of NEw stock. After this debacle I read that Appliances direct do not sotre any goods, they merely order direct from supplier WHO WERE OUT OF STOCK!

In short I was completely and maliciously DEFRAUDED by Appliances direct and upon placing simlar warnings to TrustPilot I was  disgusted to  get notification they were deleting my post as Appliances direct had claimed it was "Illegal" when it is THEY who have trounced the laws relying of a simple provision of a photo as an electronic signature.

But i argued as they had claimed "Room of Choice" but they can do no such thing as they never came within fifty feet of my front door.

This caused me to collapse through the stress, and depirved me of food shopping for three weeks until disbility income was replenished. But I'm severely out of pocket as a result.

turned out some two years ago I had the very same issue with a tea urn but upon requesting SPAREs for repair they refused staing they dont carry them. Yet they  ignored the FACt it was their own brand item.

that complaint remains on trustpilot to this day but their retort to my recent LOSS at their hands resulted in their reply which I'm copying HERE for you to see.. the point is the two years ago retort was word for word EXACTLY THE SAME for the tea urn as it was for the tumble dryer YEARS apart!!!

Reply from Appliances Direct

Updated 15 Jan 2025

Hi ****,

Thank you for your review; we appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

I'm so sorry to hear of the issues you had with your order; this does not reflect our usual great service and goods, nor is it acceptable.

Your comments have been passed on to the relevant department, so this can be investigated and dealt with internally regarding the concerns raised in your review. Apologies again for any inconvenience this has caused.

Kind Regards,
Dyann

IN SHORT I STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST PLACING TRUST IN ANY OF THE "DIRECT" GROUPS SCAMMING RIPOFF COMPANIES