Companies and Services To Avoid

[Aidan]

Pie and Bovril.

[Michael W]

There are only a couple I avoid through crap experiences:

Vodafone - terrible experience trying to cancel a contract within the cooling off period as they tried to charge me. Took many phone calls to resolve the matter as I was passed through several incompetent operators. 

Ryanair - the epitome of shite and all their staff are miserable (probably because they are treated badly). You feel that you're inconveniencing them by travelling with them. Stansted Airport can f**k off as well, bin of a place. 

[Tight minge]

AliExpress is just Chinese ebay, so you're not really buying from them.
However, I pre-ordered a phone from a seller on there and had nothing but problems, so theyre clearly all shit

Aliexpress is nothing like ebay, its the retail version of alibaba. For that alone its worth avoiding.

The closest you would get to Ebay would be Taobao, which is at amazing levels of shitiness.

Buying anything from Chinese e-commerce sites like aliexpress, alibaba, Taobao is a game of roulette. Sometimes you get nothing, sometimes something that remotely resembles the advert (always makes it difficult to get a refund then) and on the odd occasion you may actually get exactly as described.

[Homer Thompson]

 

Aliexpress is nothing like ebay, its the retail version of alibaba. For that alone its worth avoiding.

 

The closest you would get to Ebay would be Taobao, which is at amazing levels of shitiness.

 

Buying anything from Chinese e-commerce sites like aliexpress, alibaba, Taobao is a game of roulette. Sometimes you get nothing, sometimes something that remotely resembles the advert (always makes it difficult to get a refund then) and on the odd occasion you may actually get exactly as described.

Isn't it all sold by 3rd party sellers?

 

From Wikipedia

 

"AliExpress has drawn comparison to eBay, as sellers are independent and use the platform to offer products to buyers"

[DrewDon]

I've found Hermes to be very dependent on the couriers where you live. The guy I usually have just now is really good. I think I remember them being a bit of a nightmare to contact when things have gone wrong in the past, though.

[D.A.F.C]

23 minutes ago, DrewDon said:

I've found Hermes to be very dependent on the couriers where you live. The guy I usually have just now is really good. I think I remember them being a bit of a nightmare to contact when things have gone wrong in the past, though.

There is no contact, other than emailing them. The phone is just an automated service. 
DPD are the bois

check the reviews out

96% negative, that’s nuts 

Edited September 3, 2020 by D.A.F.C

[Aidan]

I've found Hermes to be very dependent on the couriers where you live. The guy I usually have just now is really good. I think I remember them being a bit of a nightmare to contact when things have gone wrong in the past, though.

They're pretty good where I live, all 3 drivers that I've had with them are happy to leave their mobile number to arrange re delivery and one of them has the number to get into my shed so he usually just phones and asks if it's sound to chuck my parcel in there. That being said, if I come home one day to find my bike, barbecue, tools and other garden stuff missing I may change my tune.

[MacDuffman]

Been using Amazon a bit more as almost every shop on eBay is Chinese now. b*****ds say their in UK but they're not. It only when you go to pay it all Chinese writing on your invoice. Managed to write a bad feedback about a company after they refused to cancel, 2 minutes after I got their receipt. They did cancel, refund me then contacted me every day for a week to write a good review [emoji3526][emoji3526][emoji3526]

[Tight minge]

Isn't it all sold by 3rd party sellers? 
From Wikipedia
 
"AliExpress has drawn comparison to eBay, as sellers are independent and use the platform to offer products to buyers"

Yes, but purely B2C. Not that it counts for anything but Aliexpress is pretty tightly regulated (for their own protection not the consumer), so by that it is nothing like Ebay.

‘drawn comparisons’ doesn’t equate true similarity. The only actual comparison is its a selling platform, like ebay, Amazon, Lazada, Taobao and even booking.com and hotels.com

If there was a direct equivalent to Ebay in China the world would be doomed!

[Scary Bear]

9 hours ago, Big Rider said:

Barclaycard. I have a credit card for which I can no longer view my account details online despite being able to do so for the  past 10 years previously. I have phoned them every month for the past 4 months to sort it out. The person I speak to can see that there is a problem however it’s still not been sorted out. I can’t be arsed waiting on the phone for nearly an hour before someone can deal with me again. The card has been paid off, cut up and they can go and f**k themselves.

Same. My Barclaycard login won’t work. I tried calling and couldn’t get to speak to a person. Sent an email. Got a reply that said I had to call them. They are terrible. Avoid. I just got a new credit card with a different company.

[Guest bernardblack]

I’ll agree with Amazon. There was an offer of “free Prime membership for 30 days”. I signed up to get free delivery on items I was buying. I cancelled about a week before the 30 days were up. Checked my bank account and the fakers had taken £7.99 out. Got in touch with them and they refused to refund it 

They took £79.99 out of my account after I had forgot to cancel the trial, yet still refunded me after a quick phone call.

Try again and be a bit more stern?

[Shandon Par]

11 hours ago, NewBornBairn said:

There's a football company in Dunfermline to avoid. Spends money they don't have, dodges taxes, screws creditors and pays 0p in the £

We admire your principled stance of avoiding us by residing in the third tier.

eta:

@Marshmallo

I know you’re busy fighting the good fight so just tagging you in case this bit of anti-Falkirk filth slips under your radar.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Shandön Par

[tongue_tied_danny]

There's a company in Dundee called ZippyD, that is similar to Deliveroo. 

I'd used them a few times without any problems, however one order didn't turn up but the card payment still went through. There's no customer service contact details on their website so I couldn't get in touch to complain. Four days later I had still received no acknowledgement from them and the payment was still showing on my online banking, so I phoned the bank to dispute the transaction and they refunded my money instantly. A day later a refund from ZippyD appeared on my account so I received two refunds.

But f**k them, I won't use them again. They should have contacted me to explain I'd get a refund in a few days instead of rubbering me.

[Homer Thompson]

9 hours ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

 

Yes, but purely B2C. Not that it counts for anything but Aliexpress is pretty tightly regulated (for their own protection not the consumer), so by that it is nothing like Ebay.

‘drawn comparisons’ doesn’t equate true similarity. The only actual comparison is its a selling platform, like ebay, Amazon, Lazada, Taobao and even booking.com and hotels.com

If there was a direct equivalent to Ebay in China the world would be doomed!
 

 

So, 3rd party sellers, selling to customers, most of who are shit? But nothing like ebay?

[hk blues]

12 hours ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

 

Aliexpress is nothing like ebay, its the retail version of alibaba. For that alone its worth avoiding.

The closest you would get to Ebay would be Taobao, which is at amazing levels of shitiness.

Buying anything from Chinese e-commerce sites like aliexpress, alibaba, Taobao is a game of roulette. Sometimes you get nothing, sometimes something that remotely resembles the advert (always makes it difficult to get a refund then) and on the odd occasion you may actually get exactly as described.

 

Related but different, I use Lazada here.  I have been using for 5 years with zero problems but if I'm bored I will search through some reviews for a laugh - it never fails.  The best ones are where somebody ordered a computer desk in pink but got blue , not great but surpassed by the next post where the buyer received  a pair of socks instead!  

[Venti]

Zavvi.

Fucking shambolic.

[Venti]

14 hours ago, Thereisalight.. said:

I’ll agree with Amazon. There was an offer of “free Prime membership for 30 days”. I signed up to get free delivery on items I was buying. I cancelled about a week before the 30 days were up. Checked my bank account and the fakers had taken £7.99 out. Got in touch with them and they refused to refund it 

Same thing happened to me. Signed up to just to watch Picard & the p***ks charged me.

[Thereisalight..]

3 hours ago, bernardblack said:

 

They took £79.99 out of my account after I had forgot to cancel the trial, yet still refunded me after a quick phone call.

Try again and be a bit more stern?

 

They said there was 2 email addresses registered  to my home address, because I could only tell them one they said it was a “security issue” and couldn’t be refunded 

[Cardinal Richelieu]

15 hours ago, smpar said:

Most large companies are a fucking nightmare to get a hold of with any kind of issue or query. Waiting in a queue for upwards of three quarters of an hour to be told you’re being transferred to another service or to phone a different number because your issue doesn’t directly relate to any of the 5 vague options they give you on the automated line.

Spark Energy were horrific to deal with in this respect, as well as ripping the arse out of me with no proper explanation, regardless of how many of their customer service advisers I spoke to.

Thankfully Spark have gone tits up, and not before time. Shocking company. Some years ago, they bumped my direct debit up from around £40 per month to £170 per month, then had the cheek to bombard me with calls / letters when I had the temerity to cancel the DD. 

Over the last 20 years or so, I've had a major falling out with every major mobile network provider, to the point I've gone full circle and gone back to O2 whom I told to f**k off a good 15 years ago (can't even remember why). 

[Derry Alli]

16 hours ago, D.A.F.C said:

JDSports/ScottsMenswear - the stores and products are fine but they share the same warehouse. Again check trustpilot, absolute shambles. 

Best add FootAsylum and Blacks to those two too. Again, same warehouse.