Simply Electronics: Warning!!!

Nearly bought from these lot a while ago....thank god for that!!
 
I have recently attempted to purchase from this company, usual stuff, in stock then not delivered. I went through Google to get my money back and they have refunded me today. You can go through Paypal, your Bank (best if you have paid by credit card for the bank to act) or Google. Google were excellent, good communication and only took 5 working days.

Simply Electronics will keep telling you that your refund is going through the process but don't bother waiting they are good with words but no action.

Hope this helps all those who have dealt with this company and are waiting for money back.
 
Damn I wish I'd read this post a few days ago.....:mad:

I've been trying to buy a Samsung WB600... its been a saga...

I found it cheap at a place called Yorkshire Cameras, registered, went though the order process then found that anything over 100 euros they only accept International bank transfer..:rolleyes:
I scrapped that idea, then ordered through Ebuyer who said they had 50 in stock. Got the order confirmation email, followed by a "sorry we're out of stock" email. When I rang them they said those cameras were "end of life" and wouldn't be restocked... the "50 in stock" was an error.

So I looked around again, and guess where I ended up ordering from... yes, Simply Electronics....:facepalm:

Ordered on 3rd May, on the 5th I checked my account and it still had the order status as "new". (It was when I googled them to check my account I found the load of "beware" threads in forums).
I emailed them asking what the status of the order was and I did recieve a reply on the 6th (today) stating that "Upon packing your order, we had discovered that our shipment of Samsung WB600 (Grey) Digital Camera was damaged, and therefore had to be returned."
(I seem to remember reading that this was an excuse they'd used before.)
They did offer me the black version, or I could pick a different camera and as a gesture of goodwill they would waive the difference as long as it was slight.
I replied saying that black was fine, as long as they could guarantee I recieved it by the end of next week, (when I go away on holiday), and maybe as a gesture of goodwill they would send it express delivery.
As this was a Friday, and I knew I wouldn't get a reply until Monday, I thought I'd try giving them a ring.

At 18:00 I dialed their number and was told I was in the queue with an expected 50 min wait..!! but the message said if I called back my number would be remembered and I'd keep my place in the queue.
Being very sceptical, I hung up, and tried again 45 mins later.
Amazingly, it did say "welcome back", and I was now less than a minute from the front of the queue. Within a minute or two I actually spoke to someone!!. They confirmed that they "had the black camera in stock" and that I should have it by the end of next week, and their colleague who dealt with the email enquiries would confirm this on Monday.

So... sorry for a long waffley post, but despite my heart sinking when I read these threads, so far Simply Electronics are no worse than some other online companies.

Whether I'll feel the same this time next week remains to be seen...!!

I'll keep you posted...

Daryll.

Update (9th May):
Email from Simply Electronics today
"Dear Daryll,
Thank you for your response.
I have notified our relevant department to make the change in your order to Samsung WB600 (Black) Digital Camera.
Thank you for your patience on the situation. Once we are able to make a dispatch, we will notify you immediately. "

Forever hopeful....:rolleyes:


Update (10th May):
No email about the camera being dispatched, and when I visit the website it now says the black version is out of stock :mad:
I decide to give them a call....eventually I get to speak to someone who assures me my order is being dealt with, and that they will dispatch it by express delivery so I will have it by friday..... we'll see...


Update (11th May):
Still no email regarding the camera being dispatched, so I've replied to their last email saying its unlikely that the order is going to reach me by Friday, as I asked them to, and therefore I wish to cancel the order, and can they please refund me ASAP.... we'll see how long that takes...

Update (12th May)
No response to my email regarding cancellation of the order, so I rang and spoke to someone (Tony?? Toby??), and stated I wanted to check my order has been cancelled. He said there was no record of it being cancelled, so I referenced my email, which he then found and said he would cancel the order. I asked that as they took my money within minutes of my order, would the refund be as quick? He said it normally takes 3-5 working days.
As I'd paid through Google Checkout, I've also followed their cancellation links to submit an online form requesting a cancellation....
If there is any delay with the refund I'll get Google to mediate.

I was willing to give SE the benefit of the doubt, but now I'll join in the band of people saying don't buy from Simply Electronics..!


(Last) Update: (8th June)
I eventually got an email from Google Checkout to say Simply Electronics would refund me... a day or so later I got a confirmation email from SE and about 3 days later the money appeared in my account. :)
 
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I have had the same trouble, ordering from a website in Australia, a local phone number, them asking me for my utilities bill and copy of my card to "authorize" payment, I got a bad feeling and have just cancelled my order a girl called Leslie has been emailing and guess what now that I have cancelled it, no responce!!!! I am not looking forward to the fight to see my $550 back as it was a debit card!!!!! I feel so stupid.
 
pasq71 said:
I have had the same trouble, ordering from a website in Australia, a local phone number, them asking me for my utilities bill and copy of my card to "authorize" payment, I got a bad feeling and have just cancelled my order a girl called Leslie has been emailing and guess what now that I have cancelled it, no responce!!!! I am not looking forward to the fight to see my $550 back as it was a debit card!!!!! I feel so stupid.
Click to expand...

Never EVER buy anything over the Internet with a Debit Card! Its like paying with cash over the Internet!
 
I have to say if I had read these warnings I would not have bought anything from Simply Electronics. It seems many of you have had a bad time of it. However I was unaware of Simply Electronics bad reputation and ordered a Panasonic FZ100 from them....took about 3 days to deliver it and in perfect condition.
So was I lucky?
I was about to order a new Sigma lens for my D90, but after reading all your problems I’m not so sure now.
 
Fortunately, I have not bought something from there, but almost. Ah...
 
I've ordered a Canon 50mm f1.4 lens was told 2 to days delivery. Still not arrived, even though they've taken payment. Most reputable suppliers don't debit your account until the order is shipped.
Looks like I'm another one who should have read this forum first - maybe I should just stick to Amazon, even if they're sometimes a bit more expensive!
:(
 
A bit of luck,

I have received a refund. I emailed each day and asked how long it would take. I phoned my bank and lodged a dispute. I then informed Simply Electronics that the bank would be taking it from here and I received my refund. So ordered on the 8th, cancelled on the 13th and refund received on the 26th! Banks in Australia have the same protection for visa debit cards as visa credit cards. Thankfully. They were also very unimpressed that SE had asked for copies of my card, electricity bill, drivers licence and passport.
 
As a follow up to my previous comments about Simply Electronics, I decided to go ahead and order a new lens. A Sigma APO 50-500mm DG OS HSM which at the time of ordering cost £1,044.95p a lot of money and if anyone had said to me this time last year I would pay so much for a lens and would have said ‘don’t be so bloody stupid, there’s no chance’. However, the lens arrived yesterday 4 days after ordering and very well packaged. Free postage as well. I have to say it’s a monster. Coupled with my Nikon D90 it weighs in as a real heavy weight. I haven’t had much time to play with it yet, but the main reason for this post is to dispel any thoughts that Simply Electronics is a bogus site. That’s 2 items I have ordered and they both arrived within days. So I'm a happy bunny.
 
Hi

I ordered a Sonos S5 from this company on 15th May, it said item in stock in UK with 1-2 days normal despatch time. They took my money from my CC that day. 5 days later no comms on despatch, contacted them and they said it had not be despatched, could not say when and there terms are 5-7 days just to DESPATCH the item. I cancelled the order, they tried to offer me a free gift to stay and asked for feedback why. I gave them feedback that I did not like being deceived and that in this day and age such slow delivery was poor service. Also that I could only believe that the delay was more likely they were importing. Item was cancelled on 20th May and I still have not received the money back. I have chased them today and they say it will take another 2-3 days. I have now contacted my CC company as this gives me protection. I have contacted Simply Electronics and told them that I will never deal with them again and they have missed out on what would probably have been a lot of business.

PLEASE DO NOT BE TEMPTED WITH THEIR KEEN PRICES, NOT WORTH THE HASSLE.
 
I ordered a Kindle DX in March. They failed to deliver the goods so I requested a refund. Since then I've had nothing but fob-offs. I've sent several emails but get the same old reply - 'customer services are dealing with it'. You can't speak to anyone who actually deals with refunds, like the acounting department. Their last email stated: 'We understand your concern. One of the relevant departments is the accounting department. Unfortunately our internal departments are not accessible to customers and it is Customer Service who will follow this up with them on your behalf'.

Nearly three months now and no refund on my card purchase.
 
mikeq said:
Nearly three months now and no refund on my card purchase.
Click to expand...

I am also waiting for a refund, only two weeks in my case, but my credit card company advise to allow up to 30 days. After this period they say they will pursue my claim for reimbursement. They have refunded fraudulent transactions in the past, so I am fairly hopeful if SE don't come up with the goods soon.

mikeq - have you approached your CC company?
:(
 
I too have fallen foul of Simply electronics. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab, their website clearly stated and still does! shipped within 1 - 2 business days. I

I placed my order and received a confirmation email stating shipping would be 2 - 5 working days? I immediately rang them and told them I wanted the tab to take on vacation with me and that 2- 5 days was too long and pointed out their website said 1-2 days. After lots of absolute lies from their customer service department I cancelled the order and bought the galaxy tab from Amazon and got it delivered in time.

When I cancelld my order with Simply electronics I was informed that it would take 3-5 working days for the refund to be processed.

I cancelled on 12th May and received an email confirmation from them accepting the cancellation and informing me that the refund would take 3- 5 working days.

After 10 days nothing had happened, I contacted them again and was told the accounts department had been very busy and they needed another 3-5 working days to process the refund.

Since then I have emailed Simply electronics on a daily basis and keep getting responses ''apologising for keeping me waiting but the refund will be processed as soon as possible. Today June 8th, I rang them again, they put me on hold while they talked to the accounts department and guess what, the accounts department have been very busy and need another 3-5 working days to process my refund!!

29 days thus far and now they need anoterh 3-5 working days!!!
 
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Same story for me. The company are based in Hong Kong, not the UK. Although they claim not to charge a card until the order is confirmed, they debited my card immediately while waiting for me to provide further ID.

I backed off at that point, realising this was not a normal transaction. The company freely offered to make a refund, first on the phone and then in a series of emails. But a month later... still no refund.

Stay well away.
 
Finally got my refund, no thanks to Simply Electronics though. My credit card company placed an order direct to SE's bank and my refund came through within a couple of days. It would appear that this is the only way to get any money back from them.

As noted earlier, SE is based in Hong Kong, see their terms and conditions:
Buy Consumer Electronics at Simply Electronics

This in itself shouldn't be an issue, especially if the goods are genuinely in stock. The problem comes if they are not, SE already having taken your money!

End of tale (for me anyway) ... :thumbsdow
 
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Glad I read this thread I was about to order a Samsung 10.1 tablet off them for my holiday. It seems that not only would they most likely not ship it in time (even if the site says 1-2 days) but it would also be a hassle getting a refund. Guess I will have to wait for Samsung to release it in the UK :(
 
I have had the *exact* *identical* *carbon copy* experience, as mentioned by others on this thread, which strongly indicates that this is Simply Electronics' modus operandum, i.e. their normal way of conducting their "business".

In my case, they took money from my credit card on the day I placed my order. Then emailed a few days later asking for all the same "identity verification" documnets previously mentioned. And even when I supplied them, they still didn't even begin to process my order. When nothing had happened after 10 days I asked for a refund. A week later they acknowledged the cancellation of my order and for the following month they always responded to my reminders with "your refund will be processed within the next 3 to 5 working days". This is standard BS. I had already reported the matter to my credit card company on the 10 day after ordering and they cancelled my old card and issued me a new one immediately, due to what they considered to be "highly suspicious activity" of Simply Electronics asking for my personal documents, particularly as the payment had already gone through at that time. My credit card company said I should give them 30 days to issue the refund. This seems overly generous as I've read forum posts by other "victims of SE" that other credit card companies have immediately started chargeback proceedings at the very mention of Simply Electronics' name.

Getting back to my case, I sent warnings to SE on the 28th day and 29th day of this 30 day deadline (although by now it was 40 days in total since they first took my money) and I got this unbelieveable response: "We would suggest contacting your credit card issuer directly if you are no longer able to wait for our accounts team to process your refund." In other words, they will wait as long as possible and then they advise you themselves that the only way of getting your money back is by getting your credit card company to forcibily extract it from them!!!

To date they have had my money (over £700) for 47 days!!!

As I said modus operandum... :(
 
Grrr - why did I not check here myself before ordering - same bull as everyone else - only upto 11 days after ordering but I think my next stage is a disputed transaction on the credit card :(
 
I did get my money back eventually, after 51 days!

Here's how I did it. I sent them a nasty email (including a carbon copy to [email protected] as I think she is the Customer Sevice Manager) which prompted an immediate response that my refund was being processed. If anyone wants to use any of these ideas feel free, although obviously it's better if you actually go through with some of these actions, rather than using them as empty threats. I have already drawn up an outline for my report to the Serious Fraud Office so I may still go ahead with that, after all, I'll only be even with SE once I have caused them 51 days of stress and inconvenience...

In the email I threatened to report Simply Electronics to the following organisations:

The Serious Fraud Office Serious Fraud Office (SFO) (they have international powers)

BBC Watchdog (many others have written to BBC Watchdog in the past few months)

UK Trading Standards

All major UK credit card companies (to blacklist SE from ALL attempted transactions by their customers)

Google (recommending that they not longer associate themselves with such a disreputable company - applies to Google Checkout and AdWords)

RBS Worldpay (as above)

PayPal (as above)

moneybookers.com (as above)
 
stitchedup said:
I have already drawn up an outline for my report to the Serious Fraud Office so I may still go ahead with that, after all, I'll only be even with SE once I have caused them 51 days of stress and inconvenience...
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great idea to me, about time somebody did it!
;)
 
I was about to place an order for a Canon Flashlight with Simply Electronics when I decided to Google their name. I stumbled across AVForum, and THANK GOODNESS. I will always refer to this site in Future. Caveat Emptor! What a useful thread.
Uncle DeeDee
 
I just wanted to add my current situation to the many details already here.

Placed an order on Tuesday and only received an email on Friday asking me to send a scanned copy of my credit card and a scanned copy of a utility bill.

I phoned the credit card provider who stated this is not normal practice as the email makes out (something I'd never come across before).

I have advised that I want a credit issuing. Interesting that they take the money straight account of your account and then send an email requiring verification.

I will update how things go. Might be looking at another appearance on Watchdog. Based on my experience with the customer service department things are already looking like a massive hassle.

Rob
 
Quick update: I have contacted Quidco.com to ask them to review the fact that Simply Electronics are a registered merchant on their website.

I think it is important that companies such as Quidco to not support companies with such a terrible track record of customer service.

Rob
 

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