Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
contact next day as stated, delivery times arranged to suit you |
| Disadvantages: |
I believe they hand process credit card details |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
be-direct.co.uk is a great web site for buying electronic goods! They have a huge range on offer including audio equipment, cookers, DVD players and lots, lots more. I've used be-direct.co.uk once and I have written about my
experience here. I have also looked at the web site itself and how well it works.
My Experience with be-direct.co.uk
***********************************
-- First Contact --
My girlfriend was a looking for a HI-FI system for Christmas and we went looking at shops and she found one she liked so I thought I'd put it into a price comparison and see what sort of price they could bring up on this system. Be-direct was the cheapest price available so I took a look at their web site and had a look at what the delivery terms were and how much it would cost.
I've seen be-direct.co.uk advertised at other web sites before but I never thought about using it.
-- What did I buy, how much did I pay and why? --
I brought a Phillips HI-FI system for £119.99 which beat the high street shop prices by about £50, which is quite a saving! But it is a little bit more stressful buying online, as you have to worry about if it is going to get here and if there are going to be any problems, but this was a risk I was willing to take for a bargain price.
I trawled the internet for better prices by using lots of different price comparison engines and looking just for the system by it's model in search engines but I couldn't find a better price. I have found that price comparison web sites
don't always find the cheapest price, as once I brought a car CD-player and the price was £20 cheaper from a web site than what the engine was finding. I was confident that this was the best price for the product.
-- Postage and Packaging --
It is free! I was very pleased that the overall price wasn't bumped up right at the end of the transaction with hefty delivery costs. Being such a big item there wasn't any packaging for it and it came in the product box by carrier.
--Delivery Times --
A great service that be-direct offers is that they phone you either the day you place the transaction, or the day after, if it is placed in the evening before to arrange a delivery day! They want to confirm that you have placed the order and when you want it delivered. I ordered the product on the Sunday evening, a very polite person phoned on the Monday and I requested delivery for the Wednesday, and that wasn't a problem.
The Wednesday came and I was unable to sign for the package, but it had come on the
Wednesday! It was now a matter with the carrier service of when I wanted it next delivered. But be-direct had been very helpful and I had no problems as you can see.
-- Payment --
I paid by credit card and the company starts processing your account on the same day
that they phone. I am assured that the transactions are secure online, but what about when the card details are processed by someone working at the company, the details can fall into the wrong hands then. This is the only worry I had. I prefer where payments are
carried out online.
The Web Site, be-direct.co.uk
**********************************
Here is the part of my review that covers be-direct.co.uk's web site as a web site, for example the navigation, design and ease of use.
-- Design --
Welcoming blue, white and grey design with mainly black text, it is a very simple but effective design. It seems that many e-commerce web sites are using the style of a graphical header, navigation to the left, content in the middle and
special features in the right column.
-- Navigation --
be-direct uses a very effective navigational system, the main navigation acts as a fold out menu. You hover you mouse pointer over the heading and it folds out into more options so you can click on the link of where you want to go.
In the right hand column there is links to manufacturers parts of the web site, where
you can view all products by manufacturer. There are also links on the main graphic at the top of the page, which include links to contacting the
company, information on how to pay, information files and bargains! The quick link feature could be useful for getting at certain information quick and that is at the top of the content column.
-- Browsing --
Browsing the site is made very easy by using the navigation and select the area you want to visit, once you have found an item you want to look at, you can click on the corresponding link and all the information is shown about the item
including price and specifications.
-- Searching --
Searching the web site is made easy by search box that is at the top the left column, you type in the key words that you want to look for and the database of the site is searched and the results returned to you. An advanced search option is
available by clicking on the link that is placed under the search box.
-- Help Files --
I've had a quick look at the help files and they are very clear and I think they answer a lot of questions, if your question isn't answered you can contact someone at the company using the contact page. I haven't had to do this, but the
feature is available.
-- Using the Shopping Cart --
When you find items that you want to buy, you click on link to view all information and then you can click on the link to add to your shopping basket. You can view your cart anytime by clicking on the link that is situated on the left-hand side of the screen. It keeps a running total of how much you are going to buy. Items can be removed with ease by using the links.
-- Placing You First Order --
When I placed my first order you have to enter all your details like delivery address etc and you also have to enter your credit / debit card details and we are assured that this is all secure. You
complete you transaction and then you have to wait for the phone call from the company to arrange a delivery day, easy!
-- Confirmation E-mails and Messages --
There is a confirmation e-mail to confirm that an order has been placed and after that it is all done personally by be-direct.
Conclusion
**************
I haven't any problem recommending be-direct.co.uk as a great online retailer as they
kept to their word and their prices are great. If I was buying electrical equipment online again, I would first go and visit be-direct and see what
price they can offer and I wouldn't have any problems with placing another order.
The web site is looking and responding great and it is very easy to use and navigate, as you can read from above.
If you buy electrical good online and you usually use price comparison engines, then the chances are that you have come across be-direct.co.uk as one the best prices found. There is so much on offer at this web site that the chances are that the product you are looking for will be there. A great online retailer, with a
personal touch!
very helpful
helpful
helpful
