At Discount Appliances we always try to offer the lowest price possible, so we keep our overheads low and our profits to the minimum. Of course with all appliance retailers claiming to be the cheapest, its hard to know who actually is! Price comparison sites can be useful and are very popular, and claim to find you the lowest price. But they only find you the lowest price amongst the companies who advertise with them, so you may not end up with the best deal. One thing does seem apparent though, compared to traditional high street retailers, internet companies are usually much cheaper. They achieve this by not having to maintain expensive showrooms, with huge wage bills etc. Having said this, price is not everything, quality of service is equally important but often forgotten in the race to bag a bargain. |
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So cheapest is not always best, so how do you tell where you will get good or bad service? Well there is no 100% way to know for sure, so all you can do is find out as many details as you can before you part with your cash. We hope by publishing this guide that we can help you find the best deal with the best service.
Over the years we have traded on the net we have seen many companies come and go, they seem to promise much but deliver very little. Generally most Internet companies do offer a good service, but as in all walks of life there are a few who let our industry down. Below is a very brief list of do's and don't's of buying discount appliances on the internet. |
- If you are searching for the appliance you want on the net, use a good search engine like Yahoo, Google or Ask Jeeves. Many of the searches will return with shopping comparison sites like Kelkoo or Pricerunner, in principle these sites are a good idea. But as stated above these sites rely on the revenue from the sites they list, so as a rule you will only see the cheapest price from the companies who advertise with them. We used to have some of our products listed on one of the largest comparison sites, but our listings were stopped when we refused to advertise. So the advice here is do check out the prices on these sites, but do check other sites who list the product you want who are not listed. You will also find that there are appliance retailers who are listed under four or more names, this can be very misleading for the customer. Some have even started their own shopping comparison sites, and only compare prices of their own sites!
- Do check that the price quoted is inclusive of vat & delivery, as many sites leave the addition of delivery charges until the very last page. We do not approve of this practice as many customers do not notice the difference in the total price, as the writing can be quite small. Also, after finding the appliances and placing them in the cart, many customers agree to the additional charge as they cannot be bothered to start over. All of our prices include vat and delivery, what you see is what you pay (as all sites should be). Generally we offer the lowest price we can, but it is still worth asking for a discount as it costs nothing to ask the question. Usually we only offer discounts on multiple purchases where we save on the delivery costs. A good way to get a discount is to list the product/s you require in an e-mail, then send it to 5 or 6 companies for a quote. You could find the best deal around just by sending one e-mail! Although we have been told by customers that some companies do not even reply to these e-mailed sales enquiries. But that would tell you all you need to know about a company, because if they do not reply to a sales enquiry what would they be like with a service enquiry?
- Do make sure that in the companies 'About Us' section or 'Terms & Conditions' they list their trading name and postal address (not a PO box). We know that there are companies who do not give this information on their web site, this is a legal requirement. It also offers you more protection if a need arises to complain, ie: where and who do you complain to? As stated earlier, companies often use several names, but they do not list their company name in the 'about us' section of the site. It is also a good idea to have a contact telephone number as you can wait a long time for a reply to an e-mail. If you you are unsure about any company it is probably better to keep away. However you can check any companies trading details on the companies house web site.
- Do check the companies 'Terms & Conations' section, to find out their returns policy. There are regulations which apply to Internet shopping, some companies do not adhere to these. Although you do have quite good protection against unscrupulous traders, it is better find out if there is a problem before parting with your money. Most internet companies offer a good back up service, but as in all walks of life there is a minority who will take advantage. If you read the returns policy in the 'terms & conditions' section, then you will have a good idea of the standard of back up to expect. Our own policy adheres to the now defunct 'Which Web Traders' code of practice, which offers an excellent level of protection for the consumer. It is a shame that Which were not able to continue offering this service as it provided clear guidance for both buyer and seller alike.
- Do check your measurements before placing an order, do not assume that every appliance is a standard size. It takes just a few minutes to check your space against the manufacturers dimensions. Most companies only allow goods to be returned if they have not been unboxed, so if you de-box it and find it does not fit you could have a problem. As an example a common mistake made by buyers is when buying a double oven to build under the worktop, they purchase a 'built-in' model thinking it will fit. But a built-in double oven is 900mm high compared to 720mm (on average) of a built-under. We always try to advise people about the sizing of an appliance, this is why we only employ experienced appliance sales staff and not telephonists.
- As stated previously, cheapest is not always best, so we do not stock some of the budget makes as we feel they do not offer good value for money. The companies we list have always offered a good standard of appliance with a reliable back up service. As we are a small independent company, if we felt this was not the case we would not list the products on our site. This may sound unrealistic, but if more companies took this approach then the manufacturers would get the message. There are loads of makes to choose from, so we do not need to sell makes which cause problems for our customers or ourselves. If you are able to, it is better to pay a bit more in the beginning, so you get a more reliable appliance with a longer life. Also, think about the use of the appliance, for example with a washing machine, how many washes a day? A family may use a machine 2-3 times or more a day, whereas a single person may use it once every other day. So when purchasing a washing machine for family use it would be advisable to buy a more expensive better quality machine, if you can afford it.
- When paying online, when you arrive at the page to enter your card number, DO make sure that it is a secure server (look for a little padlock symbol in the bottom right corner of the page). If in any doubt do not place the order, perhaps e-mail or call the company and clarify if they have a secure server. Despite media ramblings about internet fraud, online secure payments are incredibly safe. Virtually all fraud committed on the net is where card details are obtained elsewhere (petrol stations, restaurants, hotels, payment slips in waste bins etc), the the Internet is then used to purchase goods more anonymously. DO NOT EVER e-mail your credit card details, it is not safe as e-mails have no protection from hackers (people who break in to software to obtain information)
- We would love to tell you that we are cheaper than every company, and that our prices can never be beaten. But in the real world we all know this is just sales talk, but we can assure you that we will always offer our lowest possible price. As we are not affiliated to any other company or maker, we will always give you our honest opinion on the best make to buy. Our staff do not receive commission, so they will not try to sell you something you do not need. In fact when customers own machines have broken down, we advise them to make sure the old one cannot be repaired before making a purchase. Crazy? we think not, because people thank us for our honesty and often come back and buy something else, or recommend us to their friends. It is this honest accurate advice which has enabled us to increase our sales year on year without advertising. We would love you to order all of your appliances from us, however if you do decide to shop elsewhere we hope the guide above is some help.
- If you feel there is an area we have not covered in the guide or you would like more information please mail us. Over the coming months we will be compiling a buying guide for each appliance in the kitchen, we would welcome any information on your experiences good or bad to add to the guide.
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