CCL for your Computing Needs (CCL Computers)

Member Name: Deru

Product:	CCL Computers
Date:	17/02/08 (184 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Competitive Prices, Good product range

Disadvantages: Can't choose your own username, Some parts of site a bit slow

CCL Computers is one of several online shops where I purchase my computer bits from. Their website has been known as CCL Online for a few years now since their revamp of the old site. The website allows you register an account, which is nothing unique if you've been using the Internet for a while but their old one didn't require registration. Creating account means they also let you view past orders, store your details, etc to make buying stuff easier. The site is organised with products divided by brands as well as product type. It also very professional looking.

The site is quick loading, easy to navigate and order stuff with but the username that they assign you as the user name is a bit annoying and is one that I can never remember. My username is CCL_######, where the hashes are a bunch of numbers, and a password with all sorts of characters in it. Logging into the account, I'm able to see details of my past purchases, update my details, password, etc just like most other online retailers. One thing that differs from the rest is the price list feature, which lets you look at a list of the prices for all the items rather than browse their website. This section is categorised by product type. This is handy for those who want to compare prices quickly or if they're looking for a particular model of an item. I find this feature sometimes takes a bit of time to load though.

PRODUCTS & PRICES

They don't have many items as some other places (i.e. Dabs, Ebuyer), and you may not be able to find certain products from certain manufacturers but there are often alternative brands. This is not good if you were after a specific item from a particular manufacturer, however, their prices are very good. Some things, I can find cheaper elsewhere, some about the same but others, unbeatable. They also have some items that other places don't stock. They offer discounts for bulk purchases too. I think they have a pretty good product range.

ORDERING

Ordering is very easy through their website but on one occasion, I couldn't have an order shipped to my work address so I phoned up. The reason I was given was that I could only ship to the billing address on the first order. This was strange because it was definitely not my first order with them so I was asked for my postcode. They found about five previous orders with them. I tried to order over the phone to get the item (a flash drive) at that time but they couldn't complete the order without applying a £6 delivery charge. I queried this and was told that they could only give me the usual £3.95 delivery rate if I ordered online. I thought that was a bit daft and wasn't worth the extra cost so went ahead and ordered online instead. This aside, I've never had any problems with ordering from them.

The order process is easy where you simply add items to your basket and checkout. If you have an account, just log in and you won't even need to enter your billing and delivery details.

DELIVERY

Delivery varies depending on size and weight of your order. Small items cost £3.95, Medium costs £5.50 and multiple or larger items not exceeding 20Kg costs from £7.50. A full PC system costs £12.50 and any additional items ordered with the system would add to the delivery cost.

If items are in stock, then you can expect your item in 2 or 3 days, which is superb. They send you're an email letting you know that your order has been despatched. Delivery rates aren't bad either but I reckon they could lower the £3.95 band if you only want, for example a USB cable, since it would cost less to post.

They email you tracking codes, which and links to the Initial City Link site so you know where your order is once they have been despatched.

Nice fast delivery. I don't remember them offering a faster delivery service option but not like I'd use it anyway.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service is excellent. They give you all their email address for all their departments, as well as all sorts of phone numbers and even their postal address. I phoned them up one time to add an item to my order. I phoned up just after 9am and got an answer without being put on hold. The item was added into my order by the guy who picked up the phone and I received the item with the rest of my order. Excellent! I haven't had any problems with their items so I can't say what they'd be like if I received a faulty/damaged item but I reckon they'd be pretty efficient.

SUMMARY

I started buying things from them because of their prices. Some of their items seem very good in terms of price, whereas others are not as good (but still better than high street shops!), and delivery is quick. They offer good customer service and good products. They're a bit like PC World, except the prices aren't a rip-off, they have good customer service, and they mainly sell stuff online since they only have one store. In fact, they're nothing like PC World...They're much better. So, I would highly recommend for you to shop there. I've even bought a £1000 laptop from them with no problems with delivery so they are definitely a trustworthy company.

Thanks for reading.

Summary: CCL Online, Formerly CCL Computers