John

Online retailing as it should be done!
The spare part needed for my Bosch washing machine door was easy to find on the website and at a great price, the accompanying video showing how to fit it was fantastically helpful (even for a diy moron like me!) and the part was despatched quickly via DPD.
One happy customer - thank you eSpares!

I've been a Sky TV customer for a long time but an imminent house move left me no option but to cancel my subscription: what an absolute terrible experience trying to cancel has been.
Sky have a Royston Vasey approach - you'll never leave. First you have to go through a tiresome online bot process (once you find the link, which is well hidden). Then you're told you can't leave until you have 'spoken to a human' who will call you back. They never do - clearly they'd prefer to ignore you and just keep taking your money for a service you're not using.
I eventually got through to a 'human' yesterday after 25 minutes on hold. 'How can I help you today?' he asked. 'I'd like to cancel please because I'm moving house.' He hung up on me. After another 20 minutes on hold, an agitated young Scot who insisted on using the phrases 'buddy' and 'mate' repeatedly ad nauseum, gave me permission to leave. Or at least I think he did, he spoke so quickly in a thick accent I struggled to comprehend what he was saying. Anyway, in 31days I'll be a former Sky customer. I had been thinking of rejoining once we're settled into our new home. Not any more. If you're thinking of signing up to Sky for the first time, go and spend the money on a bad tattoo or something. Even that will be easier to undo.

I really, really, really want to like Alpkit. I love the company's ethos and their products are, from my experience, very good, but all too often things go wrong.
An online order for a MyTi 660ml titanium pot and some Firepot dry meals took three weeks to sort because the meals were incorrectly listed as in stock, prompting a hasty trip to GoOutdoors for that weekend's supplies. The titanium pot is excellent though..
I picked up a Tau rear bike light from the Keswick store in June, and within a few weeks both rubber mounting straps have perished. I'm currently waiting for this to be resolved. The light itself is very good, but the attachment system is clearly not fit for purpose.
While in the Lakes, I wanted to buy a cycling jersey that had gone into the sale online - yet it was full price in the Keswick and Ambleside shops. I've purchased a jersey from Wiggle instead.
I ordered a Cloud Cover quilt last weekend for a bikepacking trip I'm heading out on tomorrow: the parcel arrived from Alpkit today but they've shipped a CloudBase inflatable sleeping mat instead...
So frustrating.
I love my SkyeHigh 500 sleeping bag, I wouldn't start a day hike without an Alpkit flask filled with coffee and will continue to persevere, despite the regular setbacks.
Perhaps they're short staffed due to Covid, maybe they haven't had time to train up their staff fully, could it be that they're getting too big? Who knows?
My advice is if you're buying online from Alpkit, don't leave it too late to the start of your holiday/trip to give them enough time to resolves the issues that seem to come with the territory.

Ordered an MSR tent with decent discount from the Go Outdoors website, delighted with the price but pleased I wasn't in a hurry. Contacted them after 10 days to ask where it was and was told it was 'in the system' somewhere. Asked for a refund but told it wasn't possible because my order was 'in the system.' I asked where 'in the system' it was only to be told, apologetically, that they didn't know. The suggestion was that the warehouse don't communicate with the rest of the organisation, other than despatch. Tent arrived 3 days later - exactly 10 working days after ordering, which is what the website says happens. A little stressful, and very poor experience - 13 days from ordering to delivery is simply not good enough in 2021. Tent is awesome though!
Coincidentally I ordered an item from AliExpress on the same day - it arrived from China two days before the Go Outdoors 'system' got its act together...

I've ordered a couple of things from LD recently (Osprey backpack and Scarpa shoes) and couldn't be happier. Super quick delivery every time, great prices, and simple and quick return/refund when I got the wrong shoes. Fantastic stock choice as well. Highly recommended. If only other online retailers were this good!

Great prices, quick delivery, highly recommended - can't believe I wasted all those years driving into town, queuing behind grannies buying cat litter in Pet At Home and paying through the nose for the privilege!