Warehouse express: lives up to the name (warehouseexpress.com)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	warehouseexpress.com
Date:	24/02/09 (209 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stock levels, prices, service

Disadvantages: None

Warehouseexpress.com was established in 1997 (an age for an internet company), with the aim of supplying amateur and professional photographers with an online, dedicated service. I've been buying things from them for five years now and, in my opinion, they succeed in their aim. They must be doing something right, as they've won "Best Online Retailer" award for seven successive years.

Warehouse express has since expanded their product portfolio to include astronomy and bird watching equipment, two more reasons for me to buy from them.

Website

The Warehouse Express website is extremely well laid out. There are offers at the centre of the screen (always worth checking out) and a list of product types down the left hand of the screen.

The excellent search facility means that you should be able to find what you want very easily. For new users to the site, the all important delivery, payment and contact details are available at the top of the page (this is excellent, too often on online shop websites, I find I have to search for ages to find out how much they're going to charge for delivery). There's even a phone number at the top of the page, rather than being hidden in the customer support pages (try finding Amazon's phone number, for example).

The basket and checkout sections are simple to use and, if you're a regular customer, you can simply log in to retrieve your details.

Prices

I've found that, for most of their products, they're very competitive. I always do a price comparison and Warehouse Express is always the cheapest or at most 1-2% more expensive than the rest. Having used them for so long, I don't mind paying slightly more for the peace of mind of dealing with a company I know and trust.

One area where they don't compare well on price is memory cards. You can get them much cheaper from online computer/electronic stores.

Stock

Warehouse Express' policy on stock is to always have some available if they can. This is not always possible, but I've found them to be among the first to get a new item. Being able to see the item's in stock before you order is important to me. Often in the past, I've ordered something only to receive an e-mail the next day stating that the item's on order. This does not happen with Warehouse Express (in my experience).

Delivery

All online companies are at the mercy of the delivery firms. Having said that, I've always received my orders within a couple of days. The items are always heavily packaged, and I've never received an item that's been damaged, although I have received boxes that have obviously taken a beating (I think some delivery drivers view the word 'fragile' as a challenge!).

Summary

I've been buying from Warehouse Express for over five years and must have spent in excess of £5000 with them (I should qualify for some sort of loyalty bonus!). In all the time I've been using them, I've not come across another retailer who can beat their service (and I have tried others). If you're looking for photography, astronomy, or binoculars/spotting scopes, give them a try.

Summary: Highly recommended