SimplyElectronics.net Euro Rip off

DanGlee · 22-11-2009 8:02pm #1

Just a quick rant/moan/observation.

I was just looking to see where I could buy the new Nokia E72 and found Simplyelectronics.net and it was listed for £309 (full price, inc delivery) Bargain I thought!

But you have to register to buy from them, so I registers and put in my irish address. When I got back to the checkout page, it had updated it with euros because it knew I was in Ireland, but also updated the price to €409.

So I opened a second tab, little bit of www.xe.com and £309 converts to €343?

Thats an addition €66 for being in Ireland?

Wont be buying the phone from them anyway!!!

Just thought I would share!

DG.

EKRIUQ · 22-11-2009 8:22pm

The only way that these company will learn is if all their Irish trade drys up and even then I don't know if they really care that much.

dudara · 23-11-2009 12:38am

Moved to Rip Off Ireland

dudara

PCPhoto · 23-11-2009 12:46am

did you happen to do some research on the reputation of the company when you saw your "Bargain" price ?

ejmaztec · 23-11-2009 1:35am

PCPhoto wrote: »

did you happen to do some research on the reputation of the company when you saw your "Bargain" price ?

Another infamous organisation with a multitude of complaints against them.:(

tigger1962 · 23-11-2009 7:34pm

as someone who "shopped" with them in the past... i won't do it again... They are actually based in hongkong!! see their terms and conditions! They were caught out recently at their uk address which turned out the be a house in an estate... they've recently moved their uk address to the Isle of man!

Check out AVforums for more info on them

MarysCross · 25-11-2009 11:22am

Always worth checking aboutus.org to see where their actually based, I made the mistake of buying useless knock of trainers form china in the past. Yeah learn.

captainscarlet · 03-01-2010 1:12am

They might have added our rate of tax onto that. Amazon does the same, substituting the UK 16% tax with Ire 21%.

Electric Fish · 03-02-2010 8:58am

Hi.

I purchased a G12 camera from Simply Electronics on 13/01/10 (and still hope to have it before the G13 is released)as they had four units available on their website. I had Today, 21 days later, despite their promise of a usual 3 to 10 day delivery turnaround I still have not received delivery...(although DHL have confirmed this am that a package arrived for me this morning). I bought the item on the recommendation of a (now former!)friend.... E-mails to the Company elicited half truths and excuses. Sometimes, it seems, a good proven service record is worth paying a little extra for.

loughlip · 17-06-2010 7:00pm

Do you have an email for simply electronics?

I need to hassle them.

richardw001 · 17-06-2010 9:52pm

DanGlee wrote: »

Just a quick rant/moan/observation.

I was just looking to see where I could buy the new Nokia E72 and found Simplyelectronics.net and it was listed for £309 (full price, inc delivery) Bargain I thought!

But you have to register to buy from them, so I registers and put in my irish address. When I got back to the checkout page, it had updated it with euros because it knew I was in Ireland, but also updated the price to €409.

So I opened a second tab, little bit of www.xe.com and £309 converts to €343?

Thats an addition €66 for being in Ireland?

Wont be buying the phone from them anyway!!!

Just thought I would share!

DG.

just on the e72 - you can get it cheaper than that from an irish company - 260 euro - maxroam - I got it from them at less that that actually however thats probably best not brought up again in boards.ie

Electric Fish · 17-06-2010 10:07pm

E-Mail addresses you can use are
SimplyElectronics Support Team <info@simplyelectronics.net>
or as they quoted me

"If you have any questions about your order, please feel free to contact us at" info@simplyelectronics.net.

ha ha...........enjoy

pleasant Co. · 19-06-2010 8:56am

captainscarlet wrote: »

They might have added our rate of tax onto that. Amazon does the same, substituting the UK 16% tax with Ire 21%.

The UK's VAT rate is 17.5% again, lower than here but not by so much.

keithclancy · 22-06-2010 10:14am

Plus i've never, ever managed to get anything close to the XE.com rate

(as its market rate not consumer)

Qwikpix · 27-06-2010 9:12pm

Simply Electronics' customer service may be open to improvement in view of the number of complaints one reads about them.

However I have bought two Canon lenses from them and received excellent service. The first lens was a Canon 100mm Macro 2.8 which was bought over a year ago and delivered on time, well packed and at a lower price than I could obtain elsewhere. A photo from this lens of a heron in a tree in the Botanic Gardens is on www.flickr.com/qwikpix. The heron was about 50 feet up a tree that was over 50 yards away from me.

The second lens was a Canon 70-300mm which I bought some months ago for a very good price. Photos with this lens of a duck on the Corrib and two cats are also on flickr. SE may be a Hong Kong company but the two lenses were delivered by road transport from the UK by DHL.

I have just ordered a Canon 50mm 1.4 from them. If any difficulties arise I will post the details here. Based on my previous experiences, I don't expect any. I have paid by credit card through Google Checkout.

Qwikpix

Qwikpix · 28-06-2010 7:21pm

Just a brief update: I have just received an email from Simply Electronics to say that my lens has been despatched by DHL Single European.

That is excellent service. The money was taken from my account this morning.

Qwikpix

dreamz · 27-07-2010 12:25pm

If you buy from Simply Electronics and do not pay customs duty on your imports (you are importing from Hong Kong - read the terms), then you are breaking the law...

..that is why the prices are so low.. that and the fact that they often don't bother to send anything at all (as in our case), lol... so, no - don't send your money to Simply Electronics - you might never see it again... (and adding the taxes, it makes goods the same price as in Ireland)...

..and when you complain, as we experienced, ignored emails, ignored phone calls, no stock (even though it says on the website), reports of damaged goods, opened boxes (perhaps customs)?

So, if you want to illegally import - but that is not legal of course...

..but not a clever idea to post online that you have broken the law... which makes one suspicious of the limited amount of 'positive' comments with English grammar problems in a variety of forums...

...this really doesn't qualify as 'rip-off Ireland', more like 'rip-off Hong Kong'. The HK police are investigating Simply Electronics and their practices under suspicion of fraudulent and deceptive practices...

..so, you have been warned! We're still awaiting a refund back from them, no goods and no money... not funny :-(

Qwikpix · 27-07-2010 12:44pm

While the experiences of others may differ, I can only reiterate that I have always received an excellent and trouble free service from Simply Electronics.

The Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, my most recent purchase was delivered to me by DHL on Wednesday 30 June 2010. It was ordered at about 8pm on Sunday 27 June, the payment was taken from my credit card on Monday 28 June and DHL delivered by road from the UK to me in Navan by 11am on Wednesday 28 June.

Qwikpix
Navan, Co. Meath.

Kkavgou · 03-09-2010 7:23pm

I have just recieved a new Nikon D90 from simply electronics, at over €100 less than I could get it anywhere else. yes the service wasn't the advertised 5 days, it took 8. but thats a small price to pay for the savings. I have no doubt that other customers have had a bad time with them, as I'm sure its the case with any company thier size. but for me there is no complaints

emy · 04-09-2010 4:04pm

I can confirm myself that i have bought Sigma 17-70/Sandisk extreme 16gb and hoya 72 mm UV filter (free shipping dispatched by DHL). Everything went fine. I am planing to get a canon 550D from them too. No complains so far, communication was perfect.

Jamsam · 08-09-2010 3:52pm

DO NOT BUY FROM Simplyelectronic.net!!!! Fraudulent Company!! This company (so called company) is based in HK. They operate internationally, take peoples money, do not send products, and make profits by earning money on interest payments while they keep your money in their accounts. They will make multiple excuses for not dispatching your order and make more excuses for not expediting your refund.

Be very careful!! Don't believe the positive reviews on this site.

Kkavgou · 17-09-2010 10:44am

I am a genuine irish buyer, I posted here because i nearly did not buy from this company because of all the negative feedback. I have given the details of my transation fairly. absolutly anyone thinking of buying from them should do the research, but you will find as I did that there is a bargin to be gotten here, consult independant monitors such as trustpilot.com.

chucky75 · 23-09-2010 8:44am

I bought a Canon 50d kit & a canon speedlite 580ex II for nearly €1400 and after about 6 working days I received my order by DHL. Would def recommend this site.

teramai · 02-10-2010 10:47am

tigger1962 wrote: »

as someone who "shopped" with them in the past... i won't do it again... They are actually based in hongkong!! see their terms and conditions! They were caught out recently at their uk address which turned out the be a house in an estate... they've recently moved their uk address to the Isle of man!

Check out AVforums for more info on them

thanks for that imfo tigger1962 was going to buy from them but would not touch them now

sodslaw · 03-10-2010 10:45pm

hi everyone
i am not saying theres no problems with this company but i just bought a new nokia n900 from them for the bargain price of €365. i recieved emails daily and was kept upto speed at all times. i recieved the phone in perfect condition from the uk (gatwick area). it did take a day longer than five working days to get though, i must admit after reading the views i was caking it for the week.
all in all i was very happy with my purchase. i know they have there problems but so do other large companies such as pixmania who are similar.
i dont know why it came from a warehouse in england when they are based in hong kong though.
steve

MollyMockit · 16-10-2010 8:09pm

what!

I am surprised to hear this. In the last few months I have used them twice and plan to use again.

First I bought a Nikon lens and when that went fine I bought a Nikon flash.

I found the customer service communication very good. But their dispatch is slow. I had to register with moneybooker to pay by credit card, money bookers seems like a British paypal. But money bookers didnt charge my credit card for about a week later. They emailed me saying that they were going to charge me soon, then I got an email form Simply electronics with my DHL tracking code. DHL were very quick, 3 days later I had it.

The 1st time I had an issue with DHL driver not being his phone with him to ring me to let him in to the building. I let Simply electronics know as they asked me to email them to confirm that I had received the product. The customer service rep was concerned that I was having difficulty with the courier.

I thought it was a UK company, everything seemed British to me. I would rather buy local but I just wouldn't have been able to buy the items at local prices.

I have gotten nikon goods from Hong Kong Sellers and they have chinese manuals with english photocopies. But the goods I got from simply electronics had genuine english manuals in the boxes. And the items came from the UK.

Tomeck · 22-10-2010 4:06pm

I was surprised by all the negative feedback on Simplyelectronics.ie
I was convinced that they were european based company - indeed the prices of some items are VERY low when compared to others.
I bought twice from them : Tokina lens for 469 euro, and Nikkor lens for 200 euro. They were perfect and i had no problems with shipping.
I hope that next time i buy from them i will not have to change my review.

ejmaztec · 22-10-2010 4:59pm

And still the new posters arrive to tell us all how wonderful SimplyElectronics is:pac:

They must think that we're all stupid.:eek:

Jarren · 22-10-2010 5:06pm

hmmm http://www.google.ie/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENZZ270&q=simply+electronics+scam&aq=1&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=simply+electronics&gs_rfai=

Dayglo · 28-10-2010 8:37pm

Hi folks,

I have ordered a Tokina fisheye lens from this supplier- then for some reason went to web review Simply Electronics AFTER I had ordered. Needless to say- have mixed feelings from the mixed reviews.
My order(and my money) was taken on 22.10.2010. Havent heard anything from them yet - save the order is confirmed and in the 'processing' stage. Standard delivery is 2-7 working days- so, in theory I should hear from them by early next week? Will let you know what the outcome is.

Am anxious- but....thanks a mill to all you who posted about this company(?) so far.

Dayglo · 04-11-2010 9:27pm

Update:
I did not pay extra for 'speeded up' delivery option so was prepared to wait the 7 or so working days for order to go through. On the eight day my 'processing' changed to 'packing' on my simply electronics account history- then I got an email to say my lens was on the way. So to finish off my little story.....
I received my brand new Tokina 10-17mm lens (Nikon Mount) today- complete with its CE mark and serial number- 4.11.2010- via DHL express.

Simply electronics does exactly what it says on the tin- I couldnt care less if its a white, grey, or black market product- bottom line- I got my lens for at a great price- at least 100 euro cheaper using Simply electronics (if I was buying the lens in good old Eire-more) - and for that I cannot fault them. Communication was perfect throughout- Will most definately use again.

So, from this genuine buyer, who loves his photography...

Thank you Simply Electronics.

Hippo pants · 11-11-2010 12:10am

On Sunday the 7th of October I ordered a camera and several accessories for it, from Simply Electronics. On Tuesday a friend jokingly suggested to me that they might be a skam site and I decided to read reviews. After doing some reading up I am now terrified that I've just lost the guts of €800.

After ordering, I received an email addressed to my surname only - Dear Smith, which was weird, it said that my order will take 2-7 days. According to the site, my order is processing.

From what I've been reading they're slow on delivery so think I'll wait it out for a while and hopefully my stuff will arrive.

If I could go back in time I would have never dealt with this site, it seems well dodgey to me.

sodslaw · 12-11-2010 1:57am

well did you get your order that you placed on the 7th, if people like yourself updated there posts and let other folk know how it turned out then maybe there would not be so many bad reviews.
do people a favour and let us know. when people get bad service everyone is told and when things go well nobody is told, this is why people think they are a scam.
hope you got your order.
ste
ejmaztec if you want i will pm you my dublin mobile number, its people like you that wreck my head and make out people leaving honests reviews are fraudsters. how do we know you dont work for pixmania! and your reviews are biased.

Hippo pants · 12-11-2010 2:30am

I have not got my order yet. My intention is to keep this thread updated regardless of the outcome of my experience with Simply Electronics.

I phoned them today and after waiting not too long on the phone (5mins), I got through to someone who told me my order should be posted from the UK, early next week and that I should receive it on Tuesday or Wednesday. Don't worry I will keep you updated on how this turns out.

Dayglo · 12-11-2010 9:10am

Well guys, its ironic that two posts after mine have come in at this conjecture…:mad:

Given my last email, I have to say that things have not worked out as glowingly as I thought relatively speaking.

After writing my last post- I took my new lens out for a test run and while it seems to work fine- I noticed- in the daylight- a number of tiny speckling flaws on the lens.
After a bit of deliberation I decided to let simplyelectronics.net know about it- with the intention of getting a replacement lens- as per their 30day guarantee.

They apologised and said that if the images were good enough, would I keep the lens and accept a gift as a 'goodwill gesture'? (!!). This basically turns their 30day returns guarantee (as per their website) on its head and flouts basic consumer rights- (but then again if the goods are grey market- the fault lies as much with me for buying them in the first place)

To say I have been put through the hoops is an understatement- and I now feel that this company will do everything it can to wriggle out of this guarantee. I am going to keep the lens in the end- because I simply don’t trust this company to honour its return/refund commitments- and chalk it up to learning experience.

What I have now learnt in the last few days are the following.

The address- when I finally got it out of them- for returning goods is in the Isle of Wight. They don’t say this on their website- wonder why??
The goods originate in Hong Kong
The 30 day guarantee on the website is all talk- as far as I can see.
The goods returns form gives them every opportunity to wriggle out of refund or replacement, if you read the small print. There is no field on the form to say you can return 'the goods for replacement as original goods flawed' If you return a good- you are told it will be checked by ‘our technician’- so its completely at their discretion as to what is a flawed good. They can easily turn around and say they damage was caused by you! Have a look at the RMA form return link in the My Accounts section.
If you pay peanuts- you get monkeys. SimplyElectronics seems great-and its easy to get sucked in by the cheap Hong Kong prices, but when you have a complaint/problem with what you have recieved- then you see the real deal.
Payment to Simply Electronics seems to be handled by an intermediary www.moneybookers.com- why do they not accept payments direct???
Contact phone lines can be routed to anywhere. Just because there is an Irish telephone contact number- doesn’t mean you will be talking to someone in Ireland.
Companys can pay other companys to write false reviews of their services.

Hippo- all I would say is buddy - if you can cancel your order- do so. Bear in mind point 6. tho’ if you are pursuing a refund claim with your card if Simplyelectronics does not play ball with you.

If your order comes thro’- and I do really hope it does my friend- (mine did after about 10 days wait)- check carefully everything you have received- in broad daylight- and ensure it is to your satisfaction.

My teeth are rotting from eating this humble pie.

To reiterate: I will now NOT be using this site again and have learnt a valuable lesson about on line shopping. SimplyElectronics is far too grey in it’s dealings for my liking.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

Hippo pants · 12-11-2010 12:06pm

I'm afraid to cancel my order with them because stupidly I paid with my Laser card, which means if things don't work out you have to deal with Simply Electronics to get your money back, you don't get the same security with a Laser card as you do with a credit card. And given the reviews I've read, I'm not going to trust this company to give me my money back when they don't have to. If I'd used my credit card I would be cancelling.

Sorry to hear your lens isn't flawless, that really sucks. Thanks for all the info you posted.

Dayglo · 12-11-2010 12:45pm

Well - hang in there my friend- I hope I didnt alarm you too much with my last post. Hopefully all will work out for you.
Like you- I bought first- and didn't think- only to check out web reviews AFTER I pressed the 'Pay Now' button.

I have done alot of online shopping in the past. The problem is you can get lulled into a false sense of security as each experience is positive generally- this is the first and hopefully last time I cross paths with something like this on line.

I did get my goods in the end .....eventually....despite the fact they were flawed. I just wont be dealing with them again- because they are not what they seem to be.

Best of luck

ejmaztec · 12-11-2010 1:01pm

sodslaw wrote: »

ejmaztec if you want i will pm you my dublin mobile number, its people like you that wreck my head and make out people leaving honests reviews are fraudsters. how do we know you dont work for pixmania! and your reviews are biased.

If I worked for Pixmania, I would have mentioned how wonderful they are, but I don't and I didn't.

As far as the reputation of SimplyElectronics is concerned, Google is our friend, and for this reason alone, I wouldn't touch SimplyElectronics with a barge-pole. One of my hobbies is photography, and researching equipment prices in recent years led me to their website. Naturally, this led to finding out how good they were, and what I found made me decide to steer clear.

Dayglo · 12-11-2010 5:11pm

http://simplyelectronicsnot.webs.com/

...interesting ..............

Hippo pants · 15-11-2010 10:13pm

Thought I'd post any progress (or non progress as the case may be) on my order with SE.
I rang them up last Friday and the guy I was talking to said my order should be shipped by Monday (today). It has not been shipped and my order is still processing.
I was told I should receive my order by Tuesday or Wednesday, so I'll keep you posted.

pinkmouse · 17-11-2010 8:25am

Hippo Pants,

I placed an order with simply electronics last friday for a Canon D550.Felt sick to my stomach about my own stupidity when I went and read the reviews after I clicked "pay now". Alarms bells also went off when they were asking for the proof of address documents.The bank were happy to authorize my payment and simply were happy to take the funds from my account although nothing had been dispatched.The more research I did the more freaked out I got.

So yesterday I sent them an email to tell them to cancel my order and refund the full amount to my laser card immediately or I would be forced to contact the Irish media.I got nothing but automated responses from info@simplyelectronics.net
I was preparing myself for months or fuc*ing around however this morning I received the following email....

Dear ??????????????,

Greetings from SimplyElectronics.
Please note that a refund has been initiated to your account. Kindly review the following details for the refund:
Order ID : xxxxxxxxxx
Item : Canon EOS 550D with EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens Kit

Payment Type : Credit/Debit Card
Refund Amount: EUR 649.95

Should you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@simplyelectronics.net.
Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Vivian Dawson
Customer Service Executive
www.simplyelectronics.net

No money has hit my account yet but I am hoping that it is looking good.I intend to ring my bank today to see if they can check that the refund is on the way.
If I was you I would cancel cancel cancel. You should check your banks laser card terms and conditions as some do offer protection. You can also submit something called a dispute of transaction for these types of issues.

Best of luck.
Serious lesson learned here.

Hippo pants · 17-11-2010 4:57pm

Thanks for that info Pink Mouse. As of yesterday my order status changed to 'packing' and I received an email from SE saying my stuff's on the way. So at this stage I'm not gonna canel the order. I'm going to video myself opening the package and inspecting the wares, so that if everything is not as it should be, I'll have proof that I received them that way.

I really hope you can get a refund from them, keep us updated!

sodslaw · 19-11-2010 3:32pm

hippo pants
my order changed to packing and it took about five days to do so. then within a day it changed to sending. i know you will be worried as was i after reading reviews but i found half the reviews were the same as some of the good ones, people who only ever posted one comment and then werent available for contact. i sincerely hope you will be happy with your purchase when you recieve it and all i can say is try hang in there because i dont think they like to refund and when they do it takes time.
but then again i have had issues with other companys i have ordered from over the internet, but when you do recieve it let everyone know because the nokia phone i got was very cheap and gods honest truth it came from uk, not england. if you want to ring me to prove im not spoofing i will send you my mobile number.
all the best
steve

sodslaw · 19-11-2010 3:33pm

on a second note, when it gets sent, they dont send the package code to your email, it will appear on your account on the site after a day, mine did anyway.
steve

Hippo pants · 19-11-2010 10:11pm

Hey just getting a chance to post now, I received my order yesterday, all seems to be in order, which is a great relief!
One slight problem is that the plug adaptor is broken and the filter I ordered doesn't fit the camera, but that could be my fault for not checking that I ordered the right one.

Anyway bottom line is I got the package and I'm happy. All the stuff appears to be brand new and seems to work fine.

Thanks for all the info that people have posted!

Jaguar240 · 24-11-2010 9:44am

Hi Folks
I was considering buying a 55-300 lens from Simply Electronics but looking at thread I think i'll go with Pixmania eventhough they are €50 dearer. Ive got several items fromPixmania & never had a problem.

Does anyone have experience to buy lens from Global Telephone.

Pixmania are using them as an example or supplier
see link
http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/536785/art/nikon/af-s-dx-vr-zoom-nikkor-55.html

Regards

tipperaryjim · 26-11-2010 10:30am

Just wanted to throw in my tuppence here lads.

I ordered a Canon EOS 500D with a 18-55 MM and 55 - 250 MM lens on November 3rd.

After reading a lot of the reports online (after I had ordered :eek:), I was inevitably extremely worried as the total order was touching close to €900!

Fortunately, I'm glad and relieved to report that the order got here ok and everything seems to be in working order.

I did find Simply Electronics pretty good in terms of giving updates on the order (if you don't mind holding on the phone for 20 minutes!) and in the end, I'm dead chuffed that I got a good bargain!

After reading some of the scary comments and experiences across the web about SE, I would certainly be very slow to endorse or recommend them but if you're willing to take a gamble, I'd reluctantly say, yeah - go for it.

Delivery will be slow (as the items most certainly come from Asia) but if you're not too bothered with that, I personally found no other issues with them.

PM me if anyone would like any elaboration on the above

sodslaw · 02-12-2010 12:06am

hi hippo
glad you got your order and it all worked out ok, good job you did not cancel like so many do after reading the reviews, i know the company isnt perfect because there are genuine bad reviews but also some who are happy with there bargain, i think the best advice would be to give them 10 days to deliver an item and then go for a refund if not happy with them then.
i recieved my item from a warehouse in london so they must be shipping different items from different places not that it matters if you are still getting a bargain.

sydthebeat · 03-12-2010 4:29pm

im very wary after putting in an order with them today, after seeing a great price on a lens.... 35% cheaper than elsewhere

however, (after i made the order :eek: ) i was curious and reviewed to company and have been shocked at what appears to be polar opposites of peoples experience with this company.

I hope i get an experience like tipperaryjim. i dont really mind too much about teh deliver time, im not waiting on it before christams, but that said, id like to get it within a decent deleivery time, say 14 days?

from what ive read its a company based in HK, with a "fullfillment house" based in UK (or isle of man, as some have now said). and others have said they recieved "grey orders" which i think is a technical term for a knock-off item.

im hoping as the product i ordered is chinese anyway, that there will be no issue

*gulp* heres hoping.

ill keep an update

sydthebeat · 10-12-2010 10:14am

well, excellent news and pleasently surprised.

the lens was delivered yesterday, so exactly 6 days between putting in the order and i receiving the item. Thats very satisfactory imho

i am very happy with the quality, its a japanese made product so im not too worried about there being no CE mark on the packaging. The lens works perfectly, used it last night.

and best of all it cost me €115 instead of the next nearest price of €175.

all i can say is that my experience has been very satisfactory.

MiCr0 · 11-12-2010 1:07am

Who did they ship the products with?

SimplyElectronics.net Euro Rip off

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