Jessops.com - fast efficient service with better deals than their stores! (jessops.com)

Member Name: karlsm93

Product:	jessops.com
Date:	28/05/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ordering easy, website very information, delivery very efficient

Disadvantages: £9 delivery for Northern ireland or to deliver to a different address

It is fast approaching hubby's birthday and to make my life a lot easier he has decided that he would like a new camera....much easier than shopping for 'anything' or 'a surprise' as I am often given the suggestion of.

So, on a recent shopping trip we stopped off at Jessops store so hubby could have a good look at what was on the market, and also to get some information about the various cameras available. I had no intention of buying in the store and was pretty confident that I would be able the purchase any camera online for significantly less.

Anyhow, an hour later hubby and I left the store with him having selected a particular canon model of camera, after seeing the various types available and their pro's and con's. Back home, I immediately put the name of the camera into a search engine, and found that it was at least £50 less than Jessops store were quoting..hardly surprisingly.

Several online stores were offering the camera at a much cheaper price, on of which was the online jessops store as well as the likes of Amazon. Some of the other online shops had appalling reviews when I checked them out. Jessops online had mostly good with a few bad comments here and there. After deliberation, I opted to purchase hubby's camera via Jessop's online for two reasons. Firstly, I liked the fact that I could take the camera back into an actual store if there was something wrong and actually get speaking to jessops staff face to face. Secondly, jessops had the camera in stock whereas amazon did not, not particularly useful if its being given as a birthday gift.

Before purchasing I also did a check via some cashback websites to see if Jessops online store offered anything, and yes, quidco were offering 4% back (excluding VAT) with the only downside being that you couldn't use the cashback with any other offer.

Now, I freely admit that I am not into gadgets at all, and so was not really interested in the other products that Jessops offer...all I wanted was to read a little about the camera and purchase it online without any hassle or fuss.

I found Jessops website very easy to navigate. There are various tabs at the top of the homepage for you to select the range of products you are interested in such as: digital camera's, SLR's, camcorders, memory cards etc.

Knowing the camera my husband wanted, I was able to put the name of it into the search at the top of the page, and all the information, as well as the clear price came up, along with information about product stock levels. I also liked the fact that you could also read impartial reviews about the camera on their website, something I think a lot more stores should offer.

Jessops online also offered what they call 'bundles', that is, a combination of some of the items that you would probably be buying with the camera at some point anyway such as memory card, batteries and bag, but at a reduced cost for the 'bundle'. I did not take for the simple reason that others in the family were purchasing some accessories for hubby's camera, though I did think some of the deals at the time were very competitive.

As I mentioned Jessops online provide a vast amount of information about each camera, quoting facts and figures galore. Though I am quite sure most consumers would check around and read reviews before purchasing anyhow.

Being happy with the camera choice, and feeling comfortable with the Jessops website and more importantly the price, I went ahead and ordered. This process was extremely easy and efficient. After adding the camera to the basket you then proceed to a page where you can select any additional services or items that you desire by ticking boxes. I liked the fact that only the free boxes (such as manufacturer warranty) were ticked and therefore you would not be tricked into purchasing something extra simply by forgetting to untick boxes.

Now, my only complaint about Jessops is in regards to delivery. They advertise themselves as free delivery when you spend over £50 ( of course there is a little astericks beside this claim) which when you click you find that only UK mainland is included in this offer. As is very often the case, Northern Ireland (as well as the Scottish highlands, isle of man and isle of wight and channel islands) deliveries incur a charge, in this case £9. I also was disappointed to find that if you wished to have the product delivered elsewhere as I did, rather than on the billing address, this would incur aa charge, unlike stores like amazon which do not quibble or charge for this.

It must be said however, that you can pick up from your local Jessops store for free, which is terrific if you live near a Jessops store. We do not however, and the nearest is about 50 miles away ( the one we went to on our shopping trip) so factoring in petrol costs meant that we would probably end up spending more on fuel that it would cost on delivery.

Anyhow, having placed the order on a Saturday, the camera arrived the following Tuesday, which was much earlier than I was actually expecting. The camera was well packaged, and it has went down a storm with hubby.

All in all, I would not hesitate to recommend Jessops online shopping to others. The delivery (apart from the £9 fee) was very efficient, ordering was easy and without complication, and everything worked as it should. If only all online shopping experiences were as easy.

Summary: A great online service from Jessops