Plenty of choice at Play.com (Play.com)

Member Name: Drewster_Rooster

Product:	Play.com
Date:	05/11/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: ease of use, well set out, price, delivery, customer service

Disadvantages: none that I have encountered

Play.com is an online retailler primarily specialising in Multi media products such as DVDs, CD's, books and console games. They have recently expanded their range to now include concert tickets, gadgets and electronical goods and I have bought many an item from them over the years.

Comparable to Amazon I would rate Play pretty much up there with them, they have a huge selection of items to choose from and their prices are generally the same as Amazons, and similarly if you pre-order an item that is due to be released on a Monday you often will recieve your item on the Friday or Saturday before its release thanks to Play posting items out early.

Over the years I have only ever had a couple of orders go wrong, one time I ordered a specific book and I recieved a completely different title; Play responded quickly and a replacement was sent out immediately and I was given a full refund. Their customer services department was efficient and polite and I was very impressed with the outcome. Fortunately I have not experienced any problems for a couple of years so cant say if they are still as helpful now!

The site itself is easy to navigate with each section clearly defined, you are able to search for items by their name or by genre if you are looking for a general list. Play.com often have sales on their website, which if you are a regular visitor can become a bit tedious, items do tend to be perpetually in one sale after another and their prices can vary from sale to sale so do be careful and research the prices that they are offering as sometimes they have been lower only the month before.

That aside I regularly shop on there, I used it a lot more than Amazon at one point simply because P&P has always been free with Play. Until recently Amazon charged for orders under £15.00 but now they have lowered their threshold so the two sites are virtually the same. Its basically down to price now which dictates where I purchase my items from.

Delivery times vary as orders are despatched from Jersey, under normal circumstances (when there are no postal strikes) if I place an order on a Monday I usually have my item by Thursday or Friday, again similar time frames as Amazon.

Cash-back junkies will be pleased to note though that you can earn some cash back through Quidco (upto 6% depending on what you order) so this could make the difference as to where you shop. Personally I forget about this when ordering and then remember after the order has gone through - D'Oh!

Christmas gifts are now available on the site under their own section and Play do do a good range of novelty type gadgets which make great "secret santa" type gifts or stocking fillers. I have bought a number of items from their gadgets section and have always been pleased with my purchases.

All in all, theres nothing really in it between Play and Amazon, prices for the most part are the same although for brand new releases Amazon are normally a few pennies cheaper, it helps to use a comparison website if you want to find the absolute cheapest (I use www.find-dvd.co.uk for dvds)

Finally, similar to Amazon, Play also allow you to sell your unwanted items through their website and your listings appear as an alternative to the full price item Play offers. I havent personally used this facility so cant comment on how competitive the commision is that you get charged or how popular your sales may be, but it is worth considering if you are wanting to have a de-clutter.

For choice, variety, prices and customer service I award Play.com 5 Dooyoo stars and would definitely recommend it as a place to have a look. It is certainly comparable to Amazon, just dont get taken in by all the sales they have!

Summary: Amazons little brother...