Fashionable, sporty and the accessories to make it (mandmdirect.com)

Member Name: sirg0508

Product:	mandmdirect.com
Date:	14/09/06 (9257 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lower prices than even found on eBay, easy, secure

Disadvantages: Continual 'sales' with little/no difference in price

I’ve always been happy shopping at MandMDirect.co.uk (which used to be known as MandMsports.com) with ease of use and choice of mail order, ordering by phone or through the website I know they provide good quality sport (as well as fashionable) clothing, equipment and accessories because they come from top brands – although saving up to 75% off the RRP.

Well laid out the site is quite simple to navigate with choices at both the side and top to have a more defined search and find products relevant to Men, Women, or Kids (a unisex option is also available down the side). One option I do feel is missing is searching by Size because quite often there can be page after page of items and some of which are out of stock in many sizes. Searches can be specific to Gender, Brand and Product Type. There is a wide variety of products meaning it isn’t just for those who enjoy sports but who like the fashions some brands have. Usually I shop in the female section and generally not for sporty items because there are shoes, fashionable tops, jeans, underwear etc. that don’t fall in that bracket but still have huge savings.

The products I have ordered have always been top quality and with good name brands available on the site that really is what is expected (they do sometimes list ‘seconds’ but this is mentioned). Brands include Bench, Adidas, Nike, Playboy, Golddigga and Hooch as well as many more. Usually prices of these items can be around £40 but the prices on site can be at least half that. Sport specific products can be found e.g. Badminton which lists shuttlecocks and rackets or football which lists shin pads, football boots, balls, tops, shorts, socks and mouth guards so it is worth looking as most items can be found in one place.

When products are searched for they come up usually three in a row (depending on how many matches to the search there are) with a small picture of each, price, how much is being saved and if applicable, the sizes available. This does help a lot rather than just having a list and opening each one and if it is something I like and know will fit; I can click on it for more details or add to it my wish list. The photos of the products are set against white backgrounds so it is the product focused on than anything else. Annoyingly you only get one view of the product e.g. viewing a t-shirt from the back (if it has a specific design) but no picture of the front which obviously might not help much. Even if there are different colours these are normally listed separately but I have noticed that prices can also vary depending on colours.

Department stores are listed and tend to focus on different areas such as pools, trainers, surf, fashion and lifestyle as well as a few more. I still prefer to use the search option on the left though (while this is on the right) because even in fashion this option will show results from all genders which then could be specified but it still will show items like trainers and sports tops.

Postage for items under £100 comes to £3.99 and free for above which is reasonable but they did used to give it free on orders over £75. This is for standard delivery which can take around 7 days which does seem a bit of a wait but I have received my orders between 3 and 4 days from ordering. There isn’t too much in the way of packaging. All my items arrive in a large postage bag and each item usually in clear bags with their tags on and a few leaflets included for other areas like sports equipment showing their prices.

I do have one complaint and that is the term ‘Sale’. MandMDirect are always advertising that they have a sale on however I also receive catalogues from them and the prices rarely differ from one issue to the next. They are really only a knocked down price from the RRP however other places usually sell lower than RRP anyway so it is a good idea to have a look around for similar items. I have time and time again used sites like eBay although I have noticed that even on there the prices are higher so shopping at MandM can be cheaper.

You don’t actually have to become a member to order anything but I prefer it because it saves time ordering plus there is always the bonus of getting e-mails to keep me updated on any offers which recently have been sales or discounts on orders. In the e-mails received they contain your customer number so knowing similar shopping sites that don’t provide that information can save a lot of time trying to find it. I also receive the catalogues which surprisingly contain more Men’s items than they do female and kids combined. It can be a good idea to check both the catalogue and the site before ordering because there can be price differences. Item numbers can be entered on the site and instantly found rather than searching the site for them and the site does contain more items (and up to date) so really why I prefer this to ordering by phone or post.

Payment is secure, very easy to do and they do take Electron and Solo as well as the usual Switch, Visa etc. (the only card they don’t accept is American Express). When I place my orders as I am registered on the site it saves time having to enter in my name and address (I can just use my customer number) so then I just enter in card details, check my order and then confirm it and instantly (depending on e-mail hosts) receive an e-mail with the order number which can be noted down from the e-mail or on site. If there is no delivery made of the items after 7 days there is an option on the site to get customer services to track the order so it is a good idea to keep a hold of the number.

Items received can be returned within 28 days of ordering but unfortunately they don’t have free returns, although I did notice they will refund postage cost if it is their error or a damaged item which is quite fair.

Overall the site is simple to use and not focused on too many graphics slowing the site down. Ordering is easy; I am kept updated by e-mail of any offers running as well as receiving catalogues through the post. There are big savings to be made and it can be better value ordering several items rather than just one for the £3.99 postage. The quality of the products I have received have always been fantastic as they are genuine top labels but there are also brands that are not so good – with those you generally get what you pay for. It really is worth looking around before buying because sometimes it can be cheaper to buy on sites like eBay but there again it can be more expensive and the reason I usually end up at MandMDirect.

Summary: Top brands for lower prices