Thorntons by post - yum! (thorntons.co.uk)

Member Name: jo1976

Product:	thorntons.co.uk
Date:	08/12/08 (215 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely chocolates, great customer service

Disadvantages: P&P charges are very expensive

Most of us are familiar with the Thorntons name as there seems to be a branch in most towns and concessions within some branches of Birthdays nationwide. I registered with Thorntons Online a couple of years ago when I heard rumours that they sent out free samples of new ranges to people on their mailing list. That turned out to be just an urban myth, unfortunately, as all I've ever had through the post from Thorntons has been the odd leaflet tempting me with gorgeous (and often expensive) sounding chocolates and the occasional discount code - usually for free p&p after spending an extortionate amount on chocolates!

Eventually, I succumbed to temptation and actually placed an order online just before last Christmas. Thorntons had a couple of their chocolation collections on offer at half-price and it just seemed too much of a bargain to resist. (The same range is on offer this year too. The Christmas Collection at £7.78 and the Mint Collection at £6.80.) I had tried my local Thorntons shop and they were out of stock so I turned to the internet and placed an order. At the time, I'd been sent a discount code offering me free delivery if I spent over £25 in one order. That clinched it, as delivery is usually a hefty £4.95, regardless of the size of order. If you need the order quickly, you'll be stung with £6.95 for named or next day delivery!

I very quickly managed to reach the £25 needed and purchased several of the boxes on offer as Christmas presents for friends and family, as well as some of the cute Christmas range for the kids. (These include novelty items like Advent calenders, Chocolate santas, even tree decorations!) Some people might think that Thorntons chocolate is wasted on children but I think it's worth shelling out more for quality chocolate once in a while.

The chocolates ordered arrived within a couple of days, even though I'd only used the standard delivery service. When the big box arrived, though, two of the chocolate boxes had been damaged during transit. All that had happened was that the seals had split on one side of the box. If they had been for me, I would probably have been too busy scoffing to really notice but, as these were bought as gifts for other people, I felt reluctant to give them just in case it looked like they'd been tampered with or opened! I gave the customer services telephone number a call and explained that the seals on two of the boxes had split open and that I was giving them as presents. The helpful customer services advisor wasn't at all defensive or unpleasant. She just apologised for the damage and asked whether all the other items in my order were okay. She then offered to replace the damaged boxes and told me that these would be sent by courier using the next day delivery service. True to her word, two replacement boxes arrived within 24 hours. I had offered to return the two boxes that had been damaged but I was told to keep them by way of apology! Of course, as they were unsealed we were obliged to scoff both boxes within a matter of days and neither of the boxes lasted until Christmas! I have to say that I felt very pleased with the customer service that I received and would certainly recommend Thorntons in that respect.

Likewise, in terms of product quality, I have yet to try any Thorntons products that I haven't enjoyed. My personal favourites are the Dessert Gallery. (Just in case anybody who knows me is reading this and at a loss as to what to get me for Christmas!)

As far as the site itself goes, naviagation and ease of use is excellent. It has a reliable search bar, which is handy if you already have an item in mind. Otherwise, there are options to browse by either price, person, occasion or product. Alternatively, you can just browse the whole site, but that's probably not the most economical approach if you're on a budget and have a sweet tooth!

Unfortunately, I haven't placed an order at Thorntons Online this year. Whilst the chocolates themselves are quite expensive, compared to the standard Christmas fare of Roses and Quality Street, this in itself doesn't put me off. I am dissuaded by the high p&p charges though. Paying the best part of a fiver for delivery seems a bit steep to me, particularly when I have a local Thorntons branch in town. The latest discount code, sent by Thorntons this week, only gives me free p&p if I spend over £40 in one order! Much as I love chocolate, I won't be spending that much. (If you are, the code is X8ET and is valid until 31/12/08.) Me, I'll be shopping instore until they rethink their delivery charges!

Summary: Lovely chocs - the free boxes tasted even better!