SimplyElectronics.net Euro Rip off

Hippo pants · 11-11-2010 1:10am

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 2:57am

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 3:30am

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 10:10am

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 1:06pm

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 1:45pm

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 2:01pm

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 6:11pm

http://simplyelectronicsnot.webs.com/

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

Hippo pants · 15-11-2010 11:13pm

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 9:25am

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 5:57pm

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 4:32pm

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 4:33pm

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 11:11pm

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 10:44am

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 11:30am

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 1:06am

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 5:29pm

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 11:14am

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 2:07am

Who did they ship the products with?

tipperaryjim · 11-12-2010 2:45am

MiCr0 wrote: »

Who did they ship the products with?

With DHL for me... I assume this is similar for others!

angeleyes · 11-12-2010 4:19am

My camera was delivered by DHL.

I will buy from simply electronics again but I would wait now until after Christmas as I am assuming that they are very busy which would delay shipments of orders.

Stonybroke23 · 15-12-2010 12:06am

Hi I just ordered a nikon camera from simply electronics -they sent me an ema seeking utility bill and photocopy of my credit card?has anyone else had to do this? Also when it's delivered to Ireland do we get caught for import duty as it's a hong kong company but with a uk centre too. Any feedback welcome

angeleyes · 15-12-2010 12:41am

I ordered a 5d II from them and I had to submit a copy of the credit card and a utility bill. You can block out some of the numbers of the credit card.

There is no import duty as the item is shipped from the UK but if you are ringing them you are put through to a call centre in Hong Kong.

Be prepared for a bit of a wait. My order took 11 days from start to finish but it was the best price so I can't complain.

MiCr0 · 15-12-2010 10:01am

my order of a canon 550d ordered on the night of Dec/3 arrived yesterday, not near their delivery time estimation, but much cheaper :-)

emy · 13-01-2011 10:48am

As already stated, I made some purchases with this company. Unfortunately one item ( Sigma 17-70 OS lens) came faulty, the other two are working fine. I sent it back twice and received it the third one and it is the same, on AF/MF does very wired noise when focusing like need some lubrication/grease job to be done.
If anyone buy stuff from them and the item works fine is OK, if not it is a nightmare.
Personally I will NEVER deal with them ever.
Money back 30 days........ is a joke. You will never get it, they deduct from it 15% restocking fee. With 15% from the value of the lens I better find a Sigma center to fix them!.....I can not report them to the credit card bank, the purchase was made by Laser Card.

I have also reported this company to ECC, the result below:

" ""Please note that according to Directive 97/7/EC on Distance Selling, where the seller fails to perform his side of the contract on the grounds that the goods or services ordered are unavailable, the consumer must be informed and be able to obtain a refund any monies paid within 30 days.
Please be advised that if the company is not based within the EU the aforementioned Directives may not be applicable as the transaction is not governed by European consumer legislation. The fact that the company uses an Isle of Wight address in a number of an internet sites does not help matters as the company is not registered with Companies House in the UK.""

This is my experience with them (cut it shorter)
:mad:

Qwikpix · 13-01-2011 2:37pm

@ emy: As a matter of interest when you found that the product you received was faulty did you follow the returns procedure set out in the company's terms and conditions? These are here: http://www.simplyelectronics.net/terms.php

It is quite clear on their website that they are a Hong Kong company. While they have a distribution facility in England and their deliveries to Ireland come from there via DHL the fact remains that the contract is between the purchaser and the Hong Kong entity. Hence I don't think that EEC distance selling regulations apply any more than US regulations would apply if the purchaser were living in the USA.

In effect the website says that faulty goods will be replaced or the full costs refunded. They say that they will also refund in other circumstances subject to a re-stocking fee. In either case it is necessary for the purchaser to follow the correct claims procedure.

As previously stated here, my three experiences with the company have been good although it is clear that others have been less than happy.

emy · 13-01-2011 2:56pm

Qwikpix wrote: »

@ emy: As a matter of interest when you found that the product you received was faulty did you follow the returns procedure set out in the company's terms and conditions? These are here: http://www.simplyelectronics.net/terms.php

It is quite clear on their website that they are a Hong Kong company. While they have a distribution facility in England and their deliveries to Ireland come from there via DHL the fact remains that the contract is between the purchaser and the Hong Kong entity. Hence I don't think that EEC distance selling regulations apply any more than US regulations would apply if the purchaser were living in the USA.

In effect the website says that faulty goods will be replaced or the full costs refunded. They say that they will also refund in other circumstances subject to a re-stocking fee. In either case it is necessary for the purchaser to follow the correct claims procedure.

As previously stated here, my three experiences with the company have been good although it is clear that others have been less than happy.

I know, I did follow all companies procedures RMA....p&p lost a lot......I got fed up...over 50 emails sent..
Just now i have got an email asking to send it back. The third time? No way. No money for p&p. It might be refurbished stuff, who knows.
I will try to find a cervice center in dublin to check the lens, if not i will use the way it is till throw into the bin.
They also have 30 days money back policy: (joke)
http://www.simplyelectronics.net/moneybackg.php

I think you notice the the ups and downs of the prices. In the price of the same lens from 350 went up to over 400€, than went back down.
For me this company is past.

Hippo pants · 21-02-2011 1:26pm

Back in November I received a Nikon D3100 with a number of accessories. Thankfully they all arrived but the adapter I received was faulty.
I notified SE about this and they sent out another adapter of the same variety which was also faulty, which I then notified them of and then they sent out another of the same which was also faulty.
They then asked me to purchase an adapter myself and they would reimburse me. For the past 6 weeks I have been trying to get reimbursement from them and although I'm being told to rest assured that I will be reimbursed, it seems like this is going no where.

I feel really lucky that I received everything else in working order and will never be dealing with this company again due to the poor level of customer service and unreliability.

oneillMan999 · 22-02-2011 11:37pm

Qwikpix wrote: »

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.

Do you by any chance work for simplyelectronics Qwikpix??

SimplyElectronics.net Euro Rip off

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