Hi, I was just wondering if any Sheffielders have had experiences with EBuyer. Looking at their reviews on various sites on the net, they seem to be very hit and miss. Since they are located in Sheffield on Woodbourn Rd though, you'd think (if the world was logical) that delivery and returns involving Sheffielders would be very efficient. I have noticed their efficiency in charging my credit card :wink: , but haven't as yet experienced their delivery (they still have a working day left yet though). Have any of you ever bought from them? How did you find them?
Cheers.

I bought the 5 button optical mouse which I posted in the bargains thread.
They delivered on time and in one piece.

Recommended! :D

yup, we bought a fair amount from them last time we ordered, all worked fine and delivered on time..

(btw, the Artec Scanners are an ABSOLUTE bargain)

i bought my whole computer from them, and every thing was fine. i did have a bit of trouble with a dodgy delievery but it was sorted out straight away. so i would recommend them as they are good value 8)

I've never had any problems and they are very cheap. From what I can tell though, there not too hot with post sales service.

my products came on time so I can only commend them really. cheap, on time delivery, im just glad that nothing (so far, touch wood) is wrong with them because by the sound of it they're rubbish with returns.

Originally posted by "kittykat"

my products came on time so I can only commend them really. cheap, on time delivery, im just glad that nothing (so far, touch wood) is wrong with them because by the sound of it they're rubbish with returns.
There is always credit card dispute if you ever have any problems. You are covered by every credit card companies policy!

ok thanks for all ur input everyone, i received the order on time and intact and as yet no problems to speak of. cheers 8)

Everyone I know who shop with Ebuyer have nothing but good things to say.

I am yet to give them a go - but will do as their prices look really good.

Bought a PC case and monitor from them, with no problems.

EBuyer are OK until you need to return something or get a refund. I onced tried to return something directly to them as opposed to posting it, and it confused the hell out of them. They told me I should post it to them, and I was like "what difference does it make if I deliver it here or a postman does?" - eventually they accepted it, but my replacement product took abotu a week to come, which in turn was faulty, so I then had to wait another week and a half for a refund. Liek I say theyre good if your product works OK and stuff - its just their returns / refunds system is a bit crap. Its also a shame they dont have a retail counter that you can go to, like Insight do in Worksop.

For anyone who wants to pay ebuyer a visit here are their local locations:

Unit 5
Centurion Business Park
Bessemer Way
Rotherham
S60 1FB

Ebuyer (UK) Ltd
Holbrook Industrial Estate
Holbrook Ave
Holbrook
Sheffield
S20 3FF

Ebuyer (Uk) Limited
201 Woodbourn Road
Sheffield
South Yorkshire S9 3lr

I've had several items off of them and all were delivered on time, and the said items were in good working order. I find them to be one of the best value suppliers on the internet and with such a huge choice too.......

8)

Aslong as you don't ever want to speak with a real person (i.e. phone them up) then they seem ok. Although having said that, I've only used them once and I have also read some horror stories. I think their main problem must be dealing with complaints, so aslong as you don't have one you will be fine... :lol:

I've bought a monitor, two printers and a computer case from ebuyer. All were delivered quickly and in good condition. I did have a fault on the monitor (blurry screen), but I contacted the manufacturer to swap it, as it has a 3-year on-site swap-out warranty.

I think they're very good value. Two printers - a laser and a colour ink-jet - came to £130 inc. next day delivery.
The USB lead for the in-jet was 48p! You'd expect to pay over a tenner from PC World.

I ordered the printers on thursday afternoon, and they arrived first thing Friday morning.

I thoroughly recommend them.

I don't like to disillusion anyone, but I think you will find that Ebuyer are fine as long as nothing goes wrong. I have a friend who swears by them. I would never use the again if you paid me to take their stuff away.

A measure of a company is (a) how well it does at getting things right first time and (b) if something does go wrong (as it will in life) how well they handle that. On (b) Ebuyer score zero -- and if you search Google for their name and look at other forums you will see I am not alone by any means.

Whilst you get what you pay for in life, companies like Misco (www.misco.co.uk) have excellent prices. You pay for carriage but the stuf arrives next day -- sometimes, even with carriage, they are cheaper than Ebuyer. www.Stuff-uk.net is also good. I had a faulty item from them once and they replaced it pretty pronto.

You have no idea how frustratingit is not being able to ring Ebuyer and just communicating via "ENotes". It's a good idea, but there are times when you need to talk to someone.

Those of you who still have faith in them, all the best. I hope it stays that way!

I was reading in a computer magazine last week that Ebuyer have now installed a new customer care officer and he is supposed to be sorting all the returns/ refund situation out a.s.a.p

I haven't had the pleasure of dealing with Ebuyer yet. Mainly because it bug's me that i work a few hundred meters away, yet i can't just pop in to pick up the things i want :suspect:

I've bought quite a few things from them and had to return an item I bought in error and not had a problem at all. They've even upgraded my deliveries twice. They did have a telephone customer service number at one point but it was slowing things down they said:confused: which doesn't make much sense to me but I suppose that's how it goes with some companies.

Went past Ebuyer today and they have a sign up on the side of the building saying "collect". Has that always been there or do you think they will soon have a trade counter:confused:

Originally posted by Scutts
Went past Ebuyer today and they have a sign up on the side of the building saying "collect". Has that always been there or do you think they will soon have a trade counter:confused:

Certainly wasn't there when I had an interview with them a couple of months ago. When I asked about collection I was told that they just don't do it.

Wasn't very impressed when I went for an interview - Certainly wouldn't want to work for them.

Originally posted by wendy
I've bought quite a few things from them and had to return an item I bought in error and not had a problem at all. They've even upgraded my deliveries twice. They did have a telephone customer service number at one point but it was slowing things down they said:confused: which doesn't make much sense to me but I suppose that's how it goes with some companies.

Yes. They "upgraded" my delivery too. Caused a lot more hassle as I had already booked their original delivery date off work.

My advice is to avoid them unless you have infinite patience.

It's a shame that they don't have a trade counter, they'd do a roaring business.

When Dabs used to have a trade counter people from all across the North used to travel to get their stuff. Scan just up the road still do, as does a place in Manchester called Micro Direct and the customers are queueing out of the door at weekends, even queueing before they open.

I know a number of people who regularly drive over from Sheffield just to get their stuff.

bought a product from them.....missed the first delivery time but sorted it out 2 days later.

They're fantastic.

I've ordered parts for numerous computers from there.

My graphics card stopped working after 9 months, and I got a credit note with no questions asked.

I'd definitely recommend them to anyone !!

AdamBaz

Originally posted by t020
Hi, I was just wondering if any Sheffielders have had experiences with EBuyer. Looking at their reviews on various sites on the net, they seem to be very hit and miss. Since they are located in Sheffield on Woodbourn Rd though, you'd think (if the world was logical) that delivery and returns involving Sheffielders would be very efficient. I have noticed their efficiency in charging my credit card :wink: , but haven't as yet experienced their delivery (they still have a working day left yet though). Have any of you ever bought from them? How did you find them?
Cheers.

I've spent about a grand this year, no problems. I wouldnt shop anywhere else online if they sold everything. Bought a 1gig mp3 player and a 16x dual layer DVD writer for just over a ton. Delivery was supposed to be 30th March but sent it me out last Thusday 24th, Brilliant. I still buy from Amazon, CDNOW, Maplins, Asda. I love shopping on line, I even bought a Kitchen Sink, yes I am serious.

Wow, I wrote that almost 2 years ago. I have used them quite frequently since and have even had a faulty item which was returned and changed without problem. I'd recommend them, the only thing letting them down is the delivery, both in the high price and the length of time it takes.

Originally posted by alchresearch
It's a shame that they don't have a trade counter, they'd do a roaring business.

When Dabs used to have a trade counter people from all across the North used to travel to get their stuff. Scan just up the road still do, as does a place in Manchester called Micro Direct and the customers are queueing out of the door at weekends, even queueing before they open.

I know a number of people who regularly drive over from Sheffield just to get their stuff.

My parents live fairly close to Dabs and Scan, so I used to visit both regularly. I can only assume there is a good business reason for Dabs closing their collection service - my guess would be that what you and I think is a good queue of people, really represents a drop in the ocean compared to their mail-order business. It also makes it too easy to call in and complain! ;)

On the Ebuyer subject, the majority of people I know like their prices but are wary of their service. I've known plenty of people rave about them for a while, but sooner or later their post-sales customer service catches you out - no company is perfect, so will need to sort out a problem sooner or later by the law of averages!

e buyer is a good shop but a lot of the stock is stored in warhouses that are not in sheffield i once rang them to ask if i could pick a heavy object up and they refused .

I've bought loads of stuff from them . Can't fault them . The problem lies with the courier . Citylink ... one friday i stayed in all day and nothing .. so after three calls to them and being told it was on it's way . It finally turned up saturday morning . And thats only because i went to pick it up ...

No problems what so ever with Ebuyer though :-)

I've used Ebuyer on one occation and won't be using them again. I once purchased a motherboard and memory from them but the memory was faulty.

I was in a hurry to get the PC up and running so purchased more memory elsewhere and returned the faulty memory. Ebuyer emailled me after about a month and told me that their tests showed it wasn't faulty and only refunded me 80% of what I paid.

It was only a few quid so I didn't take it further.

I have used ebuyer before and at one time I was using them exclusively to buy parts for the company I work for.

After a number of problems with returns and having to wait a week for a reply to their enotes I gave up, told them to shove their account up their backside and went to insight.

I don’t trust any company that doesn't offer any form of human contact. Try and find a telephone number on their site, you can’t!

I purchased a motherboard from them last year. After a while it turned out the motherboard was faulty. I sent them an enote and had to wait weeks for a response. By the time they had accepted it was a faulty item they informed me that I was now a few days past their money back period. I was told to go speak to the manufacturer and it wasn't their problem!

It’s my view they will try it on if they think they can get away with it.

Insight are by far much better than ebuyer. Yes they are a little more expensive, but you can actually speak to someone and get an answer.

Also read this forum on the bad service from ebuyer:
http://forums.itweek.co.uk/thread.jsp?forum=1&thread=27882&message=331857

Or just go to Google and type in “Ebuyer Complaint UK” you get about 1,560 hits!

i always use them...but if something goes wrong i have heard they are gits about things.

i guess its luck of the draw. i have ordered about 3 systems worth and not had any problems.

when i do i'll be back here to nag ;)

I've had mixed experiences with them and in truth their aftersales service can be a complete nightmare...

Having 2 screens go missing pre-xmas and no response to enotes for 2 weeks was awful but perhaps understandable...

The way that prices can fluctuate in a major way, is another cause for complaint/celebration (if you know it happens) so sometimes it's worth watching goods you want for a while to see how the price is normally and then pounce at a good time.


One thing I can definitely suggest you all avoid like the plague is the blank DVD/CD media as they tend to send you whatever the heck they feel like.. This is shown very clearly in their review system... Not good at all..

Originally posted by t020
Wow, I wrote that almost 2 years ago. I have used them quite frequently since and have even had a faulty item which was returned and changed without problem. I'd recommend them, the only thing letting them down is the delivery, both in the high price and the length of time it takes.

Yes, I found the thread doing a search on Google. I think the fresh set of replies my comments have generated just go to show that, as with many companies, some get great service and others get rubbish, and there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason. You could probably start a similar thread about cheap car insurance companies!

Thanks for all your replies and interest!

Just in case anyone is still interested in this thread, Ebuyer have now (6/4/05) re-instated their customer help line.

The person I spoke to actually went down to the warehouse, dug out my return and processed the refund within about an hour!

They do now have a number under the "Contact Ebuyer section, but 0870 467 5012 gets you straight through to cutomer service with no queue or automated message.

Anyone else out there still suffering, give them a ring quick before it gets busy! Have your RMA or order number handy though.

Phil

My advice to anyone thinking about purchasing anything from ebuyer is .......DONT BOTHER. I bought a pc from them over 3 weeks ago and about 2 weeks ago it blew up. Getting a refund from them is like getting blood from a stone, I can honestly say that I have ever experienced anything like what I am at the moment. They were quick enough to take the money from me but I cannot believe that its over 2 weeks ago since pc blew up and I am honestly no closer to them sorting this out than I was then. As anyone else had any experiences like this or has anyone actually gone to where there based to demand the money back.

I have ordered from them about ten times and have only had delivery on time about 4 times. Prices are good delivery is terrible, although it is getting better.

Changes in the customer services enote sysyem make it almost impossible to get your message to the right person. They often pass them on to the right person and forget to tell you how to reply to that person in the correct section

I was once delivered the wrong processor, it blew my motherboard and they offered me compensation based on the original motherboard and processor less depreciation.

I wasn't impressed.

Also WHAT NO SALES COUNTER.

If you don't mind your stuff being late but at a great price use them, but dont go wasting time off work sitting in for parcels.

My experience of them is pretty bad and I have one rule when dealing with them. Don’t buy anything they can question if it is faulty.

Its kind of strange they have now removed all telephone numbers from their site so the user is forced to use their enotes. When they where trialling this all I heard was people going mad they where not getting answers for weeks. I also had this problem. But instead of learning from this and canning the idea, they just went ahead with it.

Also I have heard of them trying to tell customers to go to the manufacturer for support if the product is faulty. This is clearly wrong and just them trying to "pull a fast one".

On them being based in Sheffield, there is no trade desk so you cannot just pop in to collect something or take an item back.

The company was setup by the guy who created plusnet i think. Goes someway to explain their anti customer policies (the way plusnet used to be).

The one thing they have going for them is they are cheap and have a lot of stock. But if you are prepared to pay a little extra, go to Insight, also based in Sheffield. You get a 0800 number to call their sales guys and they are really helpful.

Watchout for their deliverys, I paid more for a quick delivery and it arrived a day late. No word from them even thought they knew it left their depot on the day it was supposed to arrive. I had to chase them for the money back, but still only got credit!

I have bought a few things from there, and only had to send one back using the online returns (no human contact), I got a replacment 5 days later very good service.

PS make sure your in if you are expecting a large delivery it can be a pain if not.

I have bought loads from there, never had any trouble. Apart from the fact they will only make deliveries during the week unless you pay a supplement. Although that isn't really their fault.

I had to make a return and after getting a returns number (whatever they call them) they happily accepted it at the reception. The replacement then arrived the next day, which was pretty amazing service!

Ive order a lot of stuff from Ebuyer and like previous posts have said if everything goes ok then its a great place but when things go wrong there can be problems.

But I havent had a single problem upto now touch wood

Perhaps I just need to repeat that, in April, they re-instated a customer service telephone line, number 0870 467 5012. Unless this has (a) been cut off again or (b) got really busy, the people answering that number were helpful. If the number is still working, ring it, do NOT use the e-note system.

I don't think the number is prominently displayed on the web site, but here it is again, folks: 0870 467 5012.

Enjoy! Better still, go to Misco. Most prices as good as E-buyer, even with delivery charges and much more reliable service. Or Stuff-UK.net. Also excellent prices, cheaper delivery and good follow-up service if any problems, but a smaller range of goods.

Well... just as an update...

My most recent experience over the past 6 months has been varied...

The enotes system is a nightmare but so long as you NEVER buy anything time critical you should be ok when it comes to regularly sending updated requests... They do get to you eventually...


Right now I have a seriously large order in that is sourced from various suppliers including one for 40 (yes forty) 15" TFT screens that worked out to be quality items, good price and saved over £600 for the primary school I'm sourcing this stuff for...

If you know how to work the pricing system and are patient it's worth the effort...



At the end of the day though it's a case of "pay peanuts, get monkeys"... You can't get perfect service and pay naff all for it.. So, if you expect excellent/speedy service for nothing, get a reality check...

Originally posted by t020
Hi, I was just wondering if any Sheffielders have had experiences with EBuyer. Looking at their reviews on various sites on the net, they seem to be very hit and miss. Since they are located in Sheffield on Woodbourn Rd though, you'd think (if the world was logical) that delivery and returns involving Sheffielders would be very efficient. I have noticed their efficiency in charging my credit card :wink: , but haven't as yet experienced their delivery (they still have a working day left yet though). Have any of you ever bought from them? How did you find them?
Cheers.

I bought a PSU from them once, an extreme bargain (I popped it in an old wreck, so I wasn't too bothered). They're very quick to deliver, and to charge my card too - :P.

Alex

Originally posted by Wainburger
Perhaps I just need to repeat that...

Sorry Wainburger,

I didn't know this. Its about time and I think they may have been tipping over the edge of unacceptable customer service from a DTI view.

Well its good to hear the number is back. Just to let people know, there is a site (cant remember which one) that gives you the local number associated with a 0870 so you don’t have to pay the national rate. If you want to know the site, PM me and I will trawl through my IE history.

Oh and Yes I do know I replied to this twice :blush: within 7 months! I didn't realise this was the old thread.

If you want to shop with a local company you won't find much better than http://www.morecomputers.com ..

I am glad to say after threatening legal action they have confirmed my return and have just arranged a collection. Fingers crossed they are going to arrive otherwise theres going to be trouble. Just to comment on one of the previous replies, ebuyer tried to refer me back to the manufacturer numberous times but kept telling them I wasent prepared to do this as it was their responsibility. Also no from ebuyer which I now know straight of the top of my head is 0845 114 5000. NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE EBUYER......EVER

I find a lot of Sheffield folk make the journey to Manchester to visit Microdirect and Scan, especially at weekends.

Ive been to the pc shop just a few doors down from the manchester picadilly station, excellent prices. Good range of products and good purchasing info if you are not sure about something. If I can find the name, number and web address out I will post it asap.

Originally posted by peter_19_73
Ive been to the pc shop just a few doors down from the manchester picadilly station, excellent prices. Good range of products and good purchasing info if you are not sure about something. If I can find the name, number and web address out I will post it asap.

That will be Morgan Computers (http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/)

I must have spent £1000's at ebuyer over the last two years, I've built a couple of computers from scratch from stuff entirely brough from there, I've brought numerous hard-drives and every other component that you can think of, I know people who have brought laptops from there also and everything has been excellent, very cheap and very reliable delivery.

I once accidently brought the wrong kind of memory for a computer upgrade job, I simply ordered another one then posted back the incorrect one, and even though I had broken the seal on it they took it back and gave me a full refund within days.

The only problem I've ever had with them was when I built a computer from scratch and brought everything from them, on the delivery due date I received all of the parts except the case, which was a bit annoying as I couldn't really start putting it together without the case!!

I would whole-heartedly recommend them and will continue to use them until they either let me down or become more expensive than competitors.

Grant

Total spent at ebuyer in the last 4 years: £11447.96

They arnt bad as long as you never have to return anything, and also they use a thieving courier service, I ordered 2 TFT monitors, 2 got checked into the citylink depot, one got checked out and delivered. :| took me 3 weeks to get them to send me another.

Joel

I use ebuyer on a regular basis, usually maxtor 300 gig hard drives that i order, i have never had a problem, getting an RMA returns number can take a bit of time apart from that they are ok.

The only issue I had was a week ago, i ordered 2 h/d's and selected the next day delivery which cost £11 however it took 48hrs but i did get a refund for the extra postage i paid, also they use city link for thier deliveries.

ebay continues to get a thumbs up from me, another to try is http://www.scan.co.uk

I have found that there selling service is very good, but there returns system is a bit slow and could be improved

I have used them only a couple of times and they were ok (although I preferred Misco and Ebay for both price and ease of use). However, last month they managed to ship me the ink cartridges for a printer without checking that they had the printer first ... guess what, they didn't have the printer and it was out of stock with the manufacturer! :-(

I used to buy stuff from ebuyer all the time until about 5 months ago when I updated an expired credit card and placed an order.

The order should have been shipped that day on next day delivery as I needed the parts urgently, they failed to do this and just cancelled my order and sent a really dodgy looking e-mail asking for ID (driving licence/ passport + bills).

Never used them since, now all my business goes to BT Business Direct I'm not in urgent need for it and can wait or CCL in Tong (nr Bradford) if its required on same day collection.

....................

Hi, I was just wondering if any Sheffielders have had experiences with EBuyer.

Absolutely the worst online trader I have ever had the misfortune to use.

Can't put into words how much you should avoid them.

I was under the impressio that E-Buyer had moved to Goole. What used to be woodburn road depot is now a builders merchant

Hi, I was just wondering if any Sheffielders have had experiences with EBuyer. Looking at their reviews on various sites on the net, they seem to be very hit and miss. Since they are located in Sheffield on Woodbourn Rd though, you'd think (if the world was logical) that delivery and returns involving Sheffielders would be very efficient. I have noticed their efficiency in charging my credit card :wink: , but haven't as yet experienced their delivery (they still have a working day left yet though). Have any of you ever bought from them? How did you find them?
Cheers.

Ill tell you 2moz if my Hard drive is delivered on time and works ok.

It's the first place I go to when I'm building a pc/buying a tv/sat nav...well pretty much anything electrical. I found their returns service excellent. You are kept well informed of what stage of the returns process you are at via a web interface and they even pay for a courier to pick up the item. When I have had to ring them I got through to a person pretty fast, with a handy "You are in a queue. There are x people ahead of you" so you know how long its going to take, which when I have rang up has been around 2-3 minutes.

I use Aria.co.uk as a back up if ebuyer don't have the particular item I need.