OYYY! Why don't you order your PC stuff here? (oyyy.co.uk)

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	oyyy.co.uk
Date:	15/10/09 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to order, fast delivery, excellent customer service

Disadvantages: Rather gaudy website, couriers let them (and me) down

Oyyy sell all sorts of different electrical and computer related equipment. As well as desktop or laptop PCs, they also sell things like computer peripherals, sat nav, blank CDs/DVDs and so on. Since they are an online only retailer, they tend to be slightly cheaper than either high street or hybrid high street/online stores.

I'm always slightly nervous when using an online company that I've never shopped with before, as there are so many dodgy ones around and if things go wrong, getting hold of someone to put it right can by much more difficult. However, some quick research suggested that Oyyy.co.uk was a company which could be trusted (they have won multiple awards for their service and customer satisfaction levels seemed high). Since they were the cheapest for the particular laptop I was after (and I could get some generous cashback from using them), I decided to go ahead and take the plunge.

First impressions actually weren't that promising. As well as having a silly name, the Oyyy website looks rather gaudy, with lots of colours and flashing adverts vying for your attention. The screen is very busy and as a result, it can be difficult to find the section of the website you are interested in. You can browse items by category, but this isn't immediately obvious as this option is rather hidden by all the distracting adverts. It's not a site which encourages browsing. Since I knew what I was looking for, I used the Search option, which found what I wanted in just a few seconds and was definitely easier than trying to navigate my way through all those confusing menus.

Once you're viewing an individual item, things improve drastically, with a nice, clean page layout. Unlike some websites the headline information (the things you really want to know) is displayed right at the top of the screen. This includes the price information (including and excluding VAT) and current stock levels so you don't waste your time ordering something they don't have. There's also a picture, although this is a little disappointing. The image can't be enlarged or rotated and there is just one picture. Most websites offer multiple views of products like computers, as it's helpful to see where all the various ports and sockets are located.

On the plus side, the product information provided is very good. An initial list of key features leads to a more detailed specification so that you can see exactly what you are getting for your money. It's a shame that there's no option to select and compare a number of different items, which is often helpful if you can't decide between a couple of models.

Once you've reached a decision, ordering is pretty easy. As a new customer, I had to set up a new account, but this was relatively straightforward and done in just a couple of minutes. You have to type in the usual contact details, confirm your delivery address and credit card details etc. The hardest part was actually creating my password, which took me three attempts. As with many websites, you need to type in your password twice and if the two don't match you have to do it again. Thankfully, Oyyy only asks you to retype your password and remembers everything else you have already entered - unlike some websites which make you start the process from scratch if you make an error. In fairness, the password creation issues were partly my fault as I choose passwords full of random numbers, symbols and lower and upper case letters. This makes them stronger, but harder to type correctly!

Although I didn't use this option, so can't confirm it, Oyyy appear happy to deliver to an address other than the credit card address - handy if you would like something delivered to your workplace for convenience. Many companies are reluctant to offer this due to the potential for fraud, but Oyyy seem to have no objections.

Once you have placed your order, you receive two emails - one confirming your initial order has been placed and another one a little later confirming your order has been accepted. Even though I placed my order on a Thursday night after 6pm, I still received the acceptance confirmation the same evening, which is pretty good.

Oyyy also offers a range of delivery options. Super Saver Delivery (within 5 working days) costs £2.99 (free if you spend over £100). Standard Delivery (within 4 working days) costs £5.99, Express Delivery (within 2 working days) or Next Working Day Delivery for £9.99 are also available. Being a cheapskate, I used the free Super Saver Delivery, but this was still pretty impressive. The machine was ordered on a Thursday evening and arrived the following Tuesday just four working days later.

Delivery was the only time I hit a problem and, in fairness, this was the courier's fault, not Oyyy's. On two occasions when delivery was attempted, I was out. On the second occasion, a card was pushed through my door advising me to ring or log onto the website to rearrange. I did this, arranging re-delivery for a date the following week when I was off work.

I was therefore somewhat horrified to come home from work the following day to find another card pushed through my door saying the parcel had been left "in a safe place" at the back of the house. This "safe place" turned out to be outside the back door in full view of anyone who cared to look. It was also out in the open, so had it rained, my brand spanking new £800 laptop would have been ruined. What sort of person would ever consider this "a safe place?"

Fortunately, the laptop was fine, but I emailed the courier company to let them know I wasn't happy and copied Oyyy customer service in on the email, purely as a courtesy. Oyyy's customer service appears just as efficient and responsive as the rest of their service. I had an almost instant email back saying that they considered this a very serious matter and would be taking it up with their couriers and letting me know the outcome. This was followed up with two phone calls the following day telling me that it was now being dealt with at senior management level.

Whilst I made it clear each time that I did not hold them responsible for the actions of the couriers, I was impressed with the speed and manner in which they responded to the issue and the fact that they treated it so seriously. I was already impressed with the service I had received, but this was the clearest demonstration of the importance to them of customer service.

As I said at the beginning of the review, I'm always slightly nervous placing an order with an online company I've never used before. Now that I've broken my Oyyy duck, I can confidently say that I will use them again and would recommend you take a look too.

Basic Information
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Oyyy
Oyyy.co.uk
Unit H4 Premier Way
Lowfields Business Park
Elland
West Yorkshire
HX5 9HF
http://www.oyyy.co.uk
Tel: 0870 608 5522
Email: shop@oyyy.co.uk

Summary: A shop I will definitely use again