Empiredirect.co.uk (Empiredirect.co.uk)

Member Name: quiche

Product:	Empiredirect.co.uk
Date:	13/07/05 (284 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Competitive prices

Disadvantages: Customer services and after-sales support

Well, I have read the article posted about the new, dedicated customer services team from Empire Direct... not sure when they are going to be activated though. We were very impressed when we ordered a hi-fi from Empire Direct which arrived, as promised, within 24 hours and was delivered to the correct address. When it stopped working, we were assured that, because we were still under our 1 year manufacturer's warranty, we could have it repaired free of charge and that it would be back with us within 28 days.

Here is the list of our experiences:
- it came back scratched, with the packaging destroyed and the "repaired" control hanging off the main box. Odd screws had been used and our instruction manual did not get returned to us at all
- before we got hold of the "repaired" hi-fi, it was delivered to the wrong address, a work address which does not take delivery of private mail unless in exceptional circumstances
- 2 further scheduled deliveries of a replacement, new, hi-fi did not turn up, despite us taking time off work to receive the package - on both occasions Empire Direct had no record of scheduling such deliveries, even though it was their customer service consultants who had agreed those details with us.
- We have never been called/emailed back as promised and so far, their manager has not got back to us, even though there have been occasions when the person we have been speaking to has been unable to help us because a "manager is looking at the file records now and the system is jammed".

We will never use Empire Direct again and I will retract all recommendations I have made to friends and family about them. It goes to show that cheapest isn't always best.

Summary: Miscommunication and lack of delivery on what customer services consultants have committed to