| Product: |
Iceland.co.uk |
| Date: |
01.09.04 (2812 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Fantastic customer service, Prompt delivery, Cheap items
Disadvantages: Unable to do full shop
Living in a rural area, I have come to realise that not many of the supermarkets actually offer a home delivery service for my groceries, but out of the two that do, Iceland is easily the best and most competitive service. I shall do my best to explain why.
Our local Iceland is in the heart of our nearest town, and I do not use it as often as I would like, the reason being the other supermarkets are on the outskirts of the town and are easier to get to, and also to park. About a year and a half ago I discovered the Iceland home shopping service, and have used it monthly ever since for a large shop.
From the home page of the website, it is possible to navigate to other sections and the most important point to mention before we go any further is that Iceland do not only sell groceries online. It is also possible to buy appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and freezers to name but a few, with the Iceland guarantee of delivery within two working days which applies to any location in the country. All of the appliances have the normal one year guarantee supplied by the manufacturer, but Iceland also offer extended protection for a five year period, which can also be purchased online. The extended coverage covers accidental damage, new for old cover, and their repair service is available all year round, even on Public Holidays. I have purchased two freezers and a refrigerator from Iceland over the years and the service has been wonderful in every way.
The customer service section of the site is comprehensive, with details of how to contact Iceland, by telephone, post, or e-mail. I have used this service twice, both times for technical difficulties on the site. The response was fast and the staff were most helpful on both occasions.
Within the customer service section is one of the most valuable sections of the site. A zip file can be downloaded, which lists products sold from the store that are free from gluten, milk, soya
and egg as well as products suitable for vegetarians. There is also an extensive, informative section about nut allergies and I think this part of the site goes a long in showing that Iceland really do care about their customers.
Iceland are of course well known for their fantastic meal deal offers, in which you can buy sometimes five or six items for the ridiculous price of £5. The most recent offers are listed on the front page of the site as are a listing of any new products in stores at the present time. This is my first stop every time I log in as there?s always an offer or two here that I can take advantage of during my virtual shop.
Iceland are also offering an internet connection service, and for those interested, a CD can be applied for by clicking a link on the front page, so another string to add to their bow and although I do use Tesco to connect to the internet I?ve had a few problems so will be looking into this service more thoroughly soon.
In order to shop online with Iceland you must of course register with the site. In order to ascertain whether Iceland deliver in your area, simply enter your postcode into the box provided for instant clarification. Registration is easy. Simply enter your name, address, password and telephone number, to enable you to carry out your first Iceland online shop. Goods can also be delivered to other addresses which can be set up by the click of a button.
After registering and being given the option of choosing a delivery slot, the site will then direct you to the shop front. Here, there is a section about Iceland?s latest innovation, ?The Yummy Award?. The award is given to Iceland?s own labelled goods, which when sampled in a taste test by members of the public, were voted as good as the leading brands. It is worth mentioning that Iceland have a policy whereby all of their own brands carry a free from genetically modified ingredients, artificial colourings and flavourings policy, whi
ch is one of the main reasons I am more than happy to buy their produce.
Also at the ?Shop Front? there are various sections that give wonderful recipe ideas. At present the cooking sauce section gives five tips on using Iceland cooking sauces, and there is also a section featuring celebrity chef Alan Coxon, which details various recipes using Iceland products as part of the dish.
Product lines can be searched for in a number of ways on the site. The most common option is to type the name of the product you wish to buy in the search box. However, if you have no definite idea of the goods you wish to purchase, there is an option to browse the aisles almost as if you are actually shopping in the store. Once your first order is placed, there will also be the option of browsing the items previously purchased for a quicker way to shop. Information is available on all products such as nutritional information, ingredients used, and preparation guidelines. Many have pictures displayed, together with any offers running on the products at the time. Iceland have many offers running continually and we have bought two large chickens for £7 for the past seven or so months, which are tasty and represent wonderful value for money. Of course, quantities of products can be entered and edited at your will.
After placing the first order, any items that you have purchased will have a green flag beside their title, and by hovering over this flag with the mouse, it will be possible to see how many times this product has been purchased before.
There is a speed shopper function on the site, which I have not used, but this is pictured in the form of a shopping list, whereby items are typed in and can then be searched for.
Iceland like many other online grocery sites, allows you to create lists, without actually placing the order. This is ideal for me, as I tend to write shopping lists, and then mislay them. Once the list is created it is possible
to add, edit and delete items, and of course change the quantities. The lists can then be stored until it is time to order your goods, at which time a simple click of the button will add all the items to the virtual shopping basket and you can check out at the touch of another button.
When ordering items can be either added to a list, or added to the online basket, ready for checkout. When the online shop is completed, a simple click of the ?proceed to checkout button? is all that is needed to verify your purchase. However, if the site crashes or you shut the page down by mistake, provided you were logged in originally all of your goods in the basket or on a list will still be there which is a Godsend as I?ve had a few accidents!
Payment can be made by credit or debit card, and card details can also be stored for ease of use the next time you shop. When your order has been verified and delivery slot chosen, a confirmation email will then be sent to the email address specified during registration.
Of course, there are some negative aspects of the online shopping experience. For some reason, Iceland do not allow orders to be placed more than six days in advance, and because of this, it is advisable to place your order early in the morning, as the two hour slots can be taken quite quickly. However, there is no delivery charge for groceries, but a minimum spend of £40 has to be made, before acceptance of the order is allowed. The other negative point is that it would not be possible to do a complete shop with Iceland, as their fresh produce is limited, but for frozen items, I do not think they can be rivalled. Our local store has recently had a huge refurbishment so I am able to buy more items than ever before and were it not for the fact that Iceland do not offer a large selection of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as household items I would do the main bulk of my shopping with them.
My local Iceland store are very friendly and wi
ll always call me on the telephone to let me know if there are going to be any additions or amendments to my shopping. I have even been given more expensive items at no extra charge if my specified choice is not available and recently the store had an offer whereby each online shop would entitle the customer to a booklet on Days Out for the Kids with free offers inside. I?d done three shops before I realised I?d never had the booklet and a quick email to Iceland resulted in the driver bringing the three booklets to the door. What wonderful service!
Delivery has always been prompt and on time, and I have never had to return anything to the store, nor has my order ever been wrong. The drivers are all very friendly and pleasant, and I am never allowed to help to bring my shopping to the house unlike with my Tesco delivery, where I am positively encouraged to lend a helping hand!
If you have not tried the Iceland online shopping experience, I would recommend that you give it a try. The customer service is second to none, as is the quality of their food. Offers are extensive, not only on frozen foods, but in all areas of the store, and I am constantly amazed at the amount of food I have purchased for the amount of money I have had to pay.
Capital letters courtesy of: http://www.chuckleweb.co.uk/fixit.php
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