rose

I bought a stir fry pan which, after only a few months, started sticking badly.
They claimed, from seeing the bottom of the pan, that it must have been used on a high heat, which they say their pans are not designed for. I've actually always had it on 4, but stir frying requires a high temperature - that's the cooking method, and if you buy a stir fry pan, it seems reasonable to expect that you can use it to... stir fry. It's obviously not fit for purpose.
The contempt. What an absurd excuse. Whatever next? A waterproof jacket that isn't designed to get too wet? A ball that isn't designed to be kicked/hit/bounced too hard? A suitcase that isn't designed to be packed too full?
My previous stir fry pan lasted 5+ years, so it's obviously possible to produce something that isn't complete rubbish for a similar price.
I'll never buy anything from this brand again.

Not great. I wasn't sure of the sizes, so I ordered two and sent one back. Not only did I pay for delivery, but I had to pay for the return, so it was quite costly. The second time I wore the item (linen blend trousers) I noticed that they looked threadbare! On top of that, they send A LOT of emails.

The "rewards" are absolutely pitiful. I recognise some of the surveys from other sites, and where you get a couple of pounds from them with Valued Opinions it's more like 25-50p max! My guess is they're keeping the difference for themselves.
The length of the survey is rarely as stated... there're supposedly "quick" 25p surveys that are actually very long.
Also, it continues to happen that you complete a long survey and even seemingly get to the end only to suddenly "screen out"... and therefore get nothing for your time.
On the plus side, there was no problem to cash out, and I didn't need to go through the kind of verification that others mention.

I'm looking forward to my margaritas at Christmas. There was no problem with the delivery... tracked, 4 days... and the packaging was good. I hope they bring some new cocktails out soon.

I'm giving them 3 stars because they were only partly to blame for this, the other culprit being Royal Mail.
I placed an order and was "upgraded" to next-day delivery, which I see now is the norm.
I was at home waiting for it when it was suddenly marked as "delivered" and an image of another property was uploaded as proof.
I contacted Royal Mail who said that it was the sender who would have to get in touch with them. I later tried again and got someone else who told me they would look into it, but I never heard back from them.
I asked My Protein repeatedly to check with Royal Mail as to where they had delivered the item, but they never acknowledged this. Instead, they were very quick to send out a replacement via another courier. The address on the label was incomplete, but I did get it.
More than a week later the original order turned up. I don't know if it was Royal Mail or a neighbour who brought it round, as by the time I got to the door, they were already gone.
Because I'm honest, I told My Protein what had happened, and they responded by saying that I could either return the item or pay for it.
I opted to return it, only to find that I myself would have to pay for the postage, which didn't seem right.
In the end, I was able to get a code from them to cover this, but it was a really long, drawn-out process. I must have sent them so many messages in total.

They ask...
"ADVERTISING: Marketing
(Required)
Please paste links to any places you advertise your services (websites, noticeboards etc.) or links to sites you commonly find transcription clients/projects. This helps us determine your level of experience as a contractor."
Maybe I'm a little bit cynical, but is there any chance at all that they would like to know about these things so that THEY THEMSELVES can then advertise THEIR services on those websites, noticeboards, etc. and take those transcription clients/projects that they want to know about away from you?
...

I requested two vouchers with my gift card, but one contained an error code (RDMx3) meaning that I couldn't decrypt it, and the other one didn't come through at all. I contacted Every Wish about it, and after 3 or 4 days the voucher I was missing came through without any explanation. It's supposed to be 1 hour. I had to chase them again for the other one, and they eventually sent it in a different format that didn't require decrypting. There was again no explanation as to what the problem was. In fact, they said to contact the retailer directly if I had any questions. I found that surprising, that they would sell these gift cards but then tell you that redeeming them was essentially nothing to do with them. Also, by the time I got the vouchers, the time to use them had been and gone, and they were no longer useful to me, so...
Response to their reply: I don't need to contact you, thank you. I eventually received the vouchers as per the above and this is my feedback on the experience.

Years ago FatFace used to do some fantastic chunky knitwear. I still have it in my wardrobe... it's lasted. But now everything is very thin (cheap). The prices have also increased, and the website just looks like the Next website.... gone is all that individuality and differentiation. To have a very light cardigan delivered I paid £4.95 (too much), and if I'd wanted to return it (luckily, I didn't), I would have had to pay for that too. I guess this is just the way of the (retail/business) world now, but it feels a bit sad.

I think Sports Direct serves a purpose, but the prices seem to have increased, and it's not the bargain it used to be. £4.99 for delivery is also expensive. I was happy with the trainers that I ordered, but it can happen that you need to return clothes and shoes... that they don't fit well and so on... and to have to pay £4.99 again to do that doesn't seem right to me.

I got a trial bralette and hipster set.
I actually thought the bralette was quite nice, but the hipster doesn't appeal to me at all... it's 100% synthetic and a clingy, sweaty fabric that doesn't wash well.
I hadn't understood that you only get a bralette every 3 months... it's just the hipster the other 2 months... so it doesn't seem like very good value.
I also feel like it's not really an item that lends itself to a subscription, and I don't really like the name.
I wasn't clear when the reflection period was due to end, but I got a reminder the night before and there was no difficulty to cancel, so I don't have any negativity towards the company... I think it's just a matter of personal taste.

Like other reviewers recently, I also received a notification about a recalled dehumidifier that presented a fire risk. I seem to have been luckier than them because I ultimately landed up with a replacement (the same model) in a few days.
The reason for the 3-star review is that the communication wasn't very good. The instructions they sent didn't work, and I had to contact them directly. I then corresponded with two people who repeatedly provided conflicting information. There was the option to wait until mid-October for another (unknown) unit or to accept a part refund, but then, with no explanation, a replacement was suddenly on its way to me. There was also differing information about how the item needed to be packaged, and when I asked for the delivery date to be changed because they'd just assumed I could spend the next working day at home, they said they'd changed it, but they hadn't, and I had to do it through DPD on the day.
So the process could surely be simplified/improved, but I'm happy with the result.

I'm surprised about the negative reviews. I got exactly what I ordered and it was all in good condition. Delivery was free and the next day. There was an estimated delivery time the night before and it was possible to track it right to the door. The delivery guy was nice and friendly, jolly even. I do think the website could be improved though and it would be great if they did more fresh food, especially deli counter type food.

I perhaps rather foolishly bought quite a lot of products during a free trial. I haven't had a chance to try all of them yet but my initial thoughts are that they're perhaps not particularly suitable for my skin which is maybe a bit sensitive/reactive.
My skin was quite crepey at first and I also got some spots which is very unusual for me. It has settled down now though and I do quite like the consistency of the products and the feel of them on the skin when they're applied but I can't say I see any particular improvements to my skin or anything.
The product reviews are obviously very good. The trial results they refer to though only involve about 50 women which doesn't seem very significant and they have some dodgy before and after pictures which are just not at all comparable... bad lighting v. good lighting, long shot v. close shot, blurred v. in focus, etc.
The idea of paying a membership fee just to get a discounted price doesn't really work for me. I think there's a kind of psychology to it. I would like to be able to pay for a membership and just get whatever I want for it. That's of course never going to happen but in the absence of that I would prefer the cost to be added onto the products rather than to have this additional payment.
The cost of the discounted products is about what I would normally pay. I have no idea if they're worth the non-member prices but I know I would never consider paying those amounts anyway.
I quite liked the emails at first but there are a lot of them although you can of course just unsubscribe. I also liked the packaging but the delivery was 1 week which is a bit slow.
All in all, I intend to use up the products I bought and just see how I feel then, as I don't have a strong feeling either way.

Every day there're a handful of jobs paying cents (less than a dollar). Why would I waste my time doing anything for such a trivial amount? Oh, not to worry, because my "rank" isn't high enough anyway to benefit from these fantastic opportunities.
There's nothing to see here. Keep going.

I've only done one mystery shop with them... they don't have many assignments... but I haven't experienced any of these issues other people have.
The form to complete is pretty long but you have access to it in advance so you can decide for yourself if it's worth it to you. For me personally, I was happy to have a free meal and just to do something new really.
My report was marked the next day and I received a score although there was no explanation as to what it meant. More importantly, my account was immediately updated to show the payment due to me and I did indeed receive it on the date stated, so I can't fault the company.

You can be a member, a pay as you go member (annual membership + 30% off non-member prices) or a non-member.
As a member there're 12 different memberships to choose from including one that's very similar to the pay as you go member (monthly membership + 1 free activity a month + 30% off non-member prices).
I wonder if there could possibly be any way to simplify this.
I'm personally only interested in the gym at my closest centre and that's almost double the price I'm paying now at The Gym which is just metres away. Now, I don't particularly like that gym. It wouldn't take much to get me to switch. But to pay double for something not even comparable... no.
I went to see the gym and it was absolutely dead... there were only 3 people in it. The guy showing me around floundered when I told him how much I was paying. How could he possibly sell it to me?
I went to another Better gym nearby during COVID which closed down. I can only assume this one isn't far behind.

Amazon is Amazon and I think it serves a purpose but I find I trust it less and less. There seems to be an issue with items sold by private sellers but dispatched by Amazon like they're not running any particular checks on them or anything.
I purchased an item which should have had a hygiene security seal. Not only did it not but it was stained and even contained a few crumbs. When it was replaced that too was unsealed.
I bought another fairly expensive item which was totally misdescribed to the point that the seller had stated it had an attractive function that it simply did not have. There was a sticker on the appliance advising me to bypass Amazon and contact the seller directly but when I did I was merely thanked for my "suggestion" and a small amendment was made to the product description which in no way clarified things. I returned the item and got a full refund... Amazon returns are very good... but I left a negative review and the seller is now trying to bribe me with offers of compensation to delete my review.
I'm now finding countless items with thousands of reviews from other countries for completely different items. It's so misleading. It looks like an item has a rating of about 4.5 stars based on thousands of reviews when it's simply not true... it either has no reviews or just a few. I reported the issue a few times but nothing happens and it's just so widespread that there's no point continuing to do it really.

I hadn't had a Sainsbury's delivery in years. The lack of bags or similar is a massive palaver for me because of the type of building I live in. I thought I would give it another go anyway.
I found ordering a bit difficult as the website isn't very user friendly in my view. It's not easy to filter products or to see what products are new or to add favourites or anything like that. The search results are really poor to the point that it generates thousands of irrelevant results. But the worst aspect is how when you scroll up the top part of the screen collapses leaving you a tiny space through which to view the products.
They're also obviously offloading produce no-one would ever pick for themselves... for example, onions the size of garlic... and ensuring that they themselves avoid waste while passing it on to the customer... hence why virtually all my fresh food including all my meat and fish expired in 3 days (thanks).
On the plus side, the driver was friendly, my shopping arrived on time and the one substitution I got was fine.

The wines were dreadful. I got all white and they were very sharp with a bitter aftertaste. I don't drink stuff like that. It was just wasted.
There is a kind of disclaimer on the bottles to say that the taste might not match the original. It does make sense that rebottling would cause that vinegary taste, due to oxidisation.
I think it's a fantastic idea. More and more I find myself just wanting A glass of wine in the evening and I dislike, having opened a bottle, feeling that I either have to finish it or waste it. The mini bottles you get in the supermarkets are pretty poor and there's only a small range so it's really limited, what you can do. But I'm not going to drink rubbish and someone who will just drink anything won't pay for this... it's not cheap.
I was doubly put off by how difficult it was to cancel. It says you can cancel through your account at any time and it looks like you can... as you click through, they try to tempt you with offers... but ultimately, it comes up that you have to call them. The online help leads to the same message. In the end, I found an email address and did it that way, sharing my displeasure with them.
They responded that perhaps the bottles were damaged (no) or perhaps the source bottles were corked but that would obviously be a lot of corked bottles and too much of a coincidence.
I suggest they look into more effective ways of rebottling without spoiling the wines if it's even possible and using better wines anyway. I would like to see some more familiar names as well as some smaller family-run wineries and perhaps there should be one more expensive wine in each set where you'd hesitate to buy a bottle in case you didn't really like it.

I've ordered from Wickes a couple of times now.
Their deliveries are very efficient. The first time I got a call the night before and the second time a delivery slot in the morning. They're clear that they deliver to the doorstep which is fine when stated in advance. I also got a call to ask for feedback on the delivery.
The delivery fee is very reasonable and was the reason I went with Wickes rather than B&Q which charged a massive delivery fee. I think Wickes might be more friendly towards everyday consumers (non-tradesmen) like me.