RESEARCH IS A MUST

Just received by beautiful new rug ordered online. Saved over £250 compared with other online retailers with my research. Free delivery too - well chuffed!

Online, I put an item in basket wandered off by some other distraction and completely forgot about it. Next day the company in question contacted me with an offer of a 20 pc discount if I completed the purchase. Interesting.

*lemongrove, of course ther will always be times when everything online is the only solution. But I am not buying a new upright freezer until I can finger the good. I will survive with my elderly damaged and inefficient chest freezer until then.

I used to place very big orders with M&S. 20 or 30 garments, all in 2 sizes (because fit can vary). I would take them into the changing room, try them all on and then return all the ones I didn't want.

I usually bought 1 or 2 pieces. But it saved the palaver of trying to post the unwanted clothes back. No longer possible unfortunately.

25Avalon

The Buyer’s Creed “The right goods at the right price at the right time” is mine. I always research but remember the lowest price doesn’t always turn out to be the cheapest at the end of the day. Buyer beware and all that. I love a good bargain.

Me too?

Not always possible though Monica.Before Christmas our fridge freezer broke down, it was old enough not to be worth repairing so found a firm locally who asked for photos of the existing ff to be forwarded to them ( with ff doors open)
As they are built in ones, they needed the pics and measurements.They came the next day, took the old ones out and fitted the new ones.Marvellous service.

I’ll second Avalo on not believing reviews. I have been offered goods for free in return for great reviews. I always turned such offers down.
The people who do this for a living churn through a lot per day and often give themselves away by the formulaic reviews they produce. It is fun trying to spot the genuine positive reviews.

Judy54 look carefully at the reviews as they are not always genuine, not even on Trustpilot apparently.

Of course I research prices before buying anything. I thought everyone did that.

I guess it’s each to their own MOnica I knew exactly what I wanted after a couple of months of research, playing a couple of companies for price.
Really pleased yours turned out well too.

We have just had our kitchen refitted and we fingered every item we bought from units to grey, not white, goods. By doing this, as mentioned above I got a much better fridge freezer than if I had just done it online. I found one with features, the utility of which passed me down while searching through endless online sites. But seen in a store, able to open doors and drawers actualy get the physical feel of which I preferred has made all the difference in the world.

It was the same with the units, visiting the showroom, which we did several times, enabled us to see endless minutae in the different models and fitments that again would have been missed online.

Yes I definitely research not only prices but the company too, especially if it is one that I have not used before. If they do not give an address or phone number and can only be contacted by email through their website I don't use them. Generally I try to stick to well known sites/retailers but sometimes see something on a different website. It is easy to google a Company and see what reviews they get. Can't be to careful when parting with your money.

The Buyer’s Creed “The right goods at the right price at the right time” is mine. I always research but remember the lowest price doesn’t always turn out to be the cheapest at the end of the day. Buyer beware and all that. I love a good bargain.

BerylsGranny yes, I do loads of research, it can take me days off and on. Our total kitchen refurbishment was chosen, ordered and fitted without a foot outside apart from the flooring which I got a sample of. That included all white goods, oven etc, similarly new blinds. I have never, touch wood, had to return anything, but I’ve never been a browser at the real shops, in, buy or not and out.

Yes , the same as Yorklady. I look on Which also. Family take the micky out of me for doing research but it pays off!

Peasblossom I’m with you on mourning the end of in person shopping. I just bought a gold chain to wear with a pretty pendant I was given at Christmas, but it was very very fine and doesn’t look right. I’m now decided on waiting till I can go in a shop and try one it on with various sizes. Too hard otherwise!

Not only do I do the research on the item I want, but on the Company selling it. There are some really dreadful reviews regarding delivery on some online stores.

I like it even better when I find whatever I want cheaper than it is on Amazon.

I’m a hands-on person. I’ll be really sad when shops disappear and everything goes online.

I’m sitting now in a fleece I would never have bought if I could have tried it on (or even felt it).

And like Monica, there are things you can’t know from online. Hands on research told me there were a number of vacuum cleaners that were useless to me because I couldn’t get the dust container off and on, with my hands the way they are.

Depends what it is. An expensive item? Yes. Smaller items? no.

Having said that, I do a lot of my shopping on ebay and that lists items by price, so research isn't really necessary.

With many items, I delay until I can finger the goods. I need a new upright freezer, but I will not buy that until I have been able to look at a range of them, open and shut the doors, look at the arrangement of drawers/shelves and so on.

I have just had the kitchen refitted and went and did this for the fridge freezer for there and bought one that had features I might not have noticed if I was shopping online, but which I am absolutely delighted with.