too many red flags
I saw their site in a search result while trying to find a particular motherboard, but it had spelling mistakes, claimed free delivery on 'oders' over $99 (yes dollars despite being UK based) and when I clicked on their 'returns' info and other links at bottom of the page it returned 404 errors.
When I went to buy the item, there was only the option for £8 delivery, so not free at all!
I emailed them, and to their credit - unlike lots of companies I've dealt with recently - they replied quite soon after. They explained that they've been trading for over 20 years, but their site was being updated. They were also a little passive aggressive with saying that I can shop elsewhere if there's too many red flags for me - but I actually laughed and appreciated that to a degree. Why? Because it felt human and I also can be a bit like that too. So I was tempted to give them a chance.
A few days later I went back and the site had those errors corrected, although the missing 404 pages were still absent, and I went to buy the item as it also showed they had maybe listened to little old me.
However, they only had the option to pay via bank transfer, and apparently you have no protection paying that way. So it was another hard pass, and such a shame because it seems to be the only site that might have the item I'm after - and they could've had their 1st review on here be a positive one instead.
If you want to risk buying from them with no protection, that's up to you. But they seem to be making buying from them as unappealing as possible.
Reply from IT Direct
Good morning Nathan!
Thank you for your review, which I would like to add 1 star is somewhat harsh considering you haven't actually bought anything from us. Had you done so you would have seen that our pricing and also our service is as good, if not better, than some of the largest IT suppliers in the UK.
As per our prompt email response to you we did state that the odd typo can occasionally occur, as we rely on third parties for stock information, product specifications and even design themes, therefore these things are out of our control, however if we are aware of them we will amend as soon as possible. The broken links you mention are still work in progress and will no doubt be updated very shortly as well, so we did listen to you! 😊
To correct you, we did not state we have been trading for over 20 years however have been in the industry for over 20 years and have traded for over a decade, with many satisfied, repeat customers from all across the UK. We pride ourselves on building longstanding working relationships with all of our customers, therefore our service level is key to our success.
As you will know all customers are well within their own rights to buy from any supplier they wish to.
We have always taken payments by bank transfer and you would have seen that on our site as we don't offer any other method. As a supplier to businesses and the public sector our customers are more than happy to transact this way. As a consumer you are still protected under the Consumer Rights Act, which practically replaced the Sale of Goods Act.
We offer free delivery at our own discretion on a per order basis, as it is obviously not viable on low value orders where offering free delivery results in making a loss, we hope you can understand this.
Our customers to-date do find it appealing dealing with us as we offer good advice, a great selection of products, very competitive pricing if not the best in the UK and most importantly a very high level of service.
Once again thank you for your comments and we hope you have a lovely weekend.
IT Direct