Has play.com gone really downhill?

[Prophet Hero]

But this is a ****ing ?500 item and it's been packing for 7 1/2 hours now, I'm a bit pissed off because I'd planned my day around it arriving tomorrow, wednesday is a bad day for it to arrive. Let alone the fact that means from ordering to delivery it'd be a 72 hour process, which isn't good enough when you consider their main gaming competition has done the same process within 36 hours come tomorrow morning when I grab it at work!

Ah, the most expensive item I have bought was a DVD boxset (around ?80). If I had spent ?500 I'd be fretting and checking the order status every two minutes.

[Exception OE]

Never had a problem myself with them. I bought a TV for £625 from them and it arived the next day. I was actually shocked.

[Jebus]

If I had spent £500 I'd be fretting and checking the order status every two minutes.

Yeah but I'd never do that...<refresh>...honest.

Seriously though, as I say, planned for it to come tomorrow, wednesday is a bad day for it to come...

[Rick]

back in the day they were good.

I tend to order elsewhere now due to it allways taking an extra day over anywhere else i order.

No matter what i order, its allways 2-3 days usually 3 days. Everywhere else seems to be 1-2 days usually next day.

[Jebus]

Indeed and that is fundamentally the issue I'm talking about.

As I say :

Sunday lunchtime :

Shopto.net, I order a cable, its shipped lunchtime monday, arriving tuesday.

Play.com, I order &#163;500 item, its been packing for over 8 hours and is likely to arrive wednesday.

They used to be so fast and efficient but recently, they really are behind.

[Exception OE]

back in the day they were good.

I tend to order elsewhere now due to it allways taking an extra day over anywhere else i order.

No matter what i order, its allways 2-3 days usually 3 days. Everywhere else seems to be 1-2 days usually next day.

Thats because play.com are based in the channel islands to dodge VAT. It takes the extra day to get the stuff over to mainland UK by boat.

[prinnysquad]

I tend to use Gameplay for games (due to the release day delivery) and amazon marketplace for books. Play is my third port of call due to one reason: delivery speed. I haven't had much of a problem with them for any reason other than this.

Oh, and the time I preordered a game and they sent the wrong version out, contradicting the details on their own invoice. I had to pay for and organise the return, and wait an extra week while they processed the refund and took another 40 notes out of my account to send the correct version. Then they refunded the postage cost for the return. It just seemed like a really laborious, round-a-bout way of doing something that was their error, maximising my inconvenience.

[Jebus]

Oh, and the time I preordered a game and they sent the wrong version out, contradicting the details on their own invoice. I had to pay for and organise the return, and wait an extra week while they processed the refund and took another 40 notes out of my account to send the correct version. Then they refunded the postage cost for the return. It just seemed like a really laborious, round-a-bout way of doing something that was their error, maximising my inconvenience.

Same as my father in law's TV. I demanded they send the new one out quicker and they did. It was their mistake it had taken 4 weeks to pick up, their mistake making me have to pay &#163;30+ and set up delivery to them myself. I would agree, it was absolutely "maximising my inconvenience" as well.

For me, it was ALWAYS :

#1 play.com
#2 amazon.co.uk
etc...

Now it's

#1 shopto.net
#2 amazon.co.uk
#3 ntsc-uk trade forum

Basically play.com have gone from being my first port of call, to my last.

My first order with them was September 2001...it's a shame that the ONLY reason I went back to them on sunday was that it was a particularly irresistable offer!

[Kubrick]

I dunno about them going really downhill, but they are slower than they used to be, plus they sent me a "classics" version of the last game I ordered from them when there was no mention of it being such a thing on the site.

[MattyD]

I know from when I worked in warehouses that when the system says 'packing' or something similar, it just means the warehouse monkeys have pulled the order off the computer. The picking slip could sit in their intray for ages before it actually gets picked.

Other than that, I couldn't comment as I've never used play.

[MrKirov]

I agree that recently they have gone to utter crap.

Used them for nigh on 5 years, never an issue until the past 6 months. No end of items not turning up, complaining, "sent" orders going back to processing...

Infact the **** hit the fan with them earlier today when I had to ring. Ordered a Samsung DVD drive for a friend from them a month ago, it was a preorder for release on the 30th april.

FIRSTLY they take the money from my account on the 14th, and the item says sent. I figure, fair enough, if they've sent it I dont mind. THEN it goes back to processing, STILL with my money being taken. Ring them to get an answer of "yeah we usually take money early for electronics products as we dont know when they will ship"

WTF?!

Explain to him the rules OF HIS OWN COMPANY about not taking the money before the item is ready to be shipped. Also the fact ive ordered probably about 50 odd electronics items from them. He then tries to say it has been sent, and that the order date on the website has changed to an earlier date- NO IT HASNT.

Speak to a team leader/floorwalker/supervisor and he cant even answer whether its been sent, but has to find out tomorrow for some reason. Calls me back the next day (which was surprising) and tells me it HAS been sent. Here I am 12 days later, no item.

Ring em this morning, find that he says- its out of stock, sorry. I ordered it a month ago?!? Yeah, the supervisor cancelled your original order, and made a new one, thats how he knew it had been sent.

So not only have I not received the item, but also now find that the superior I spoke to didnt even bother doing his job properly, and I cant even get the item I ordered a month ago.

BOOM- order cancelled, refund, no more orders for play.

[ezee ryder]

Interesting hearing about all your guys experiences with Play.com. I been using them for ages now and must say their speed of delivery has got slower. Usually used to take 1-2 days, now it takes 3-4 days. I also remember once I ordered a Gran Turismo 4 from them and it was used, disc with fingerprints and the manual was bent and ripped. They don't really package their items with a great deal of care too, not really a great sight to see the box of the new item you ordered all crumpled up and stuff. I now only if the item is at a good price and I don't mind how long it will take to arrive. If I want something game related in a hurry I usually go to Gameplay as they deliver in 1-2 days (usually 1) with no hassle and non-gaming items I deal with Amazon.

[Concept]

Didn't someone else on here have massive problems with them and an LCD?

For some reason I've got it in my head it was Concept?

I wouldn't use them for big purchases for the very reason mentioned - you have no idea when your brand spanking new &#163;900 toy would be turning up.

Nah, Play were okay (compared to some of the other problems I had) when I bought my first HDTV from them and returned it due to a few dead pixels. I don't know what they're like now as I haven't used them in a while.

[booth83]

probably not the best idea reading this thread just 15 minutes after placing a ?400 order, anyone know if they are currently any good at resolving issues such as dead pixels etc, not too fussed about the delivery date though, i know it won't be tomorrow which is my only day off, organised somebody to stay in and sign for it for me although would prefer to spend the day unpacking and setting up rather than when i get home from work tired and weary

[MikeF]

I personally think they have gone downhill a little. It took them 10 days to get me my last order (a Kratos figure). I actually thought it had gotten lost so ordered a replacement from Gameplay