Great prices but poor service from this online retailer (7dayshop.com)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	7dayshop.com
Date:	30/08/09 (120 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Many items cheaper than anywhere else.

Disadvantages: Customer service is poor.

7dayshop.com is an internet based retailer supplying computer and photography equipment and accessories. The business is based in the Channel Islands, so have some advantages over mainland companies where VAT is concerned.

Their website is busy and confusing, with many products being shown on the front page. 7dayshop have a huge product range so the items shown will invariably be ones that the buyer is not interested in.

The site does offer a reasonable search engine from the front page, however. Here, the product type is clicked on (photography, for example) which then opens a second menu for that product range, and a third for manufacturer. The user can also type into a box the exact item they're looking for. A list of matches will then be shown quite quickly.

The store's main focus is accessories; batteries, memory cards, computer memory, blank CD's and Blu-ray discs as well as many other computer accessories. The site also sells video games, mobile phone and GPS accessories, too. Because of the huge range of products on offer, there's a very good chance that the accessory you want is offered for sale here.

The best thing about 7dayshop is the prices. It's important to look carefully, as some prices are similar to those from bigger stores such as Amazon (and I'd much rather use Amazon than 7dayshop if the prices are similar), but many prices are amazingly low. Currently, 2Gb of RAM (PC5300) is available from £16.99 including delivery.

Their Channel Island location means that they are not subject to VAT. For import into the mainland, all items below £18 are VAT exempt, so 7dayshop's already low prices do not attract further tax upon delivery. For items over £18, 7dayshop include VAT in the price so that there's nothing else to pay upon delivery.

These great prices do come at a different sort of cost, however, the customer service is poor. I order from this retailer now and again and find that there's something wrong with about 50% of my orders. Trying to get issues resolved with 7dayshop is almost impossible as they do not respond well at all to complaints about orders.

My last order this week, for two packs of four 1000mAh AAA rechargeable batteries, at only £2.99 per pack (amazing price!) was received within five days. Unfortunately, 7dayshop had sent one pack of 1000mAh and one pack of 800mAh! Not what I ordered (and not what was on the invoice sent with the batteries), but I know from bitter experience that there's no point in complaining as it would take more money in phone calls than the batteries are worth, with no guarantee of resolution.

The website does have more expensive items for sale such as digital cameras and external hard drives, but I would never, ever, buy anything expensive from here. Knowing that there's a good chance of the order going wrong or the item being faulty, I feel it's just not worth the risk. I'd rather go to an online store with a better record than 7dayshop. I suppose you get the service you're paying for.

In summary, 7dayshop is a great online resource within certain parameters. If you're looking for cheap accessories such as batteries or memory (especially if they offer them at less than £18) then this is a good place to get them cheaply. I would do a thorough search of other online shops before taking the plunge with 7dayshop, however.

If you're looking for more expensive items then don't risk your money with 7dayshop. There's a high probability you will end up out of pocket and/or disappointed.

Their website address is www.7dayshop.com.

Summary: A good place to buy cheap accessories from.