Argos Direct

Argos is one of those stores that has a bit of everything which makes it appealing whatever your needs are. Let's face it, they're huge! When you want something big, it seems an ideal place to shop online and get your stuff delivered. The website is user-friendly, and the automated customer service is prompt and concise. But!!! And for me this is a major "but". When they say an item will take up to 35 days to deliver, you kind of plan around it. In my case, we were waiting for bedroom furniture and so took all the old furniture out and redecorated. Then, 36 days after we placed our order we received a letter saying there has been a delay and they now expect the furniture to be in their warehouse in 40 days time. Not in my bedroom - in their warehouse! We ended up cancelling the order and going elsewhere, to a small shop who delivered 2 days later. We felt we had no choice as it's very difficult to live in a small house without bedroom furniture. To be fair, it was easy to cancel the order and the man I spoke to on the phone was friendly and helpful. My money was refunded very promptly, although I was a bit annoyed that they took my money before the goods were dispatched - if the money had stayed in my bank account I would have earned interest on it.

On shopping around and buying my furniture from a small seller, I did manage to get a better price and the customer service was more personal. After all, small retailers are hopeful of return business so will usually bend over backwards to help.

I will probably shop at Argos again, but only if I can't find the product I want elsewhere. I will try instead to take my business to small shops where they will tell me honestly if a product is not available, not keep me hanging on for months.