Valuebasket.com

[shyvas]

Someone that I know has ordered a very expensive camera from this site. I have checked up customer reviews and am a bit surprised by the ratings as they are either 1 star or 5 star.

Apparently they are UK based but don't have a phone contact number which is very unusual.

Furthermore the person doesn't even know whether the charger will have the correct plug.

Has anyone purchased on valuebasket.com ?

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/ValueBasket

 

[SummerRain]

I never have bought from there.

I think the thing with reviews is to take a look at what they're saying. The bad reviews could just say things like "slow delivery" or "I had to phone up to cancel, which was annoying" or "packaging was battered and I wanted to give it as a gift" - and that sort of thing I usually figure I can live with if the item is what I really want, and if most the reviews are good I the person is probably just being petty.

But in this case the bad reviews are all saying the website is a con, the items never arrived, and they don't refund your money. Nearly every bad review says "Do not use this website, it is a con". I'd therefore think that all the positive reviews are probably fake. Plus, not having a phone number isn't a good sign either (although having one doesn't mean it's genuine).

I hope I'm wrong (for the person you knows sake), but I definitely wouldn't buy from them.

 

[shyvas]

It is strange as she hardly ever uses the internet ( doesn't hardly ever send e mails) and she just asked me what I thought of the site.
I am aware of the above and agree with the reviews and the phone number as it is not normal not to give out a CS phone number.
I did check the site out and it is based in China. They have put an UK address somewhere on the site and she assumed that it was a UK firm.
As she has already completed a debit card transaction for over €400, I don't have the heart to tell her.

This is another reason why I only order from well known sellers like amazon, QVC, M&S, iherb. At least you know that your money is not going down the drain.

 

[SummerRain]

Oh no At least if it was a credit card she might have had insurance if it turns out badly. I guess there's not much she can do now (although I don't know, there might be).

I buy from lots of not-big companies, but I either know the shop they come from or I get reviews from friends, although once or twice I've relied on strong online reviews and that worked out okay too. Still I've done my fair share of guillible things where I've lost money - just none of them online. Once I gave money to two french children pretending to be deaf and collecting money for charity in Paris - no idea why I thought that was a normal thing to happen - if it had happened in the UK I would have been all "why are children collecting for charity outside tourist attractions? this is not normal and must be a con" but I was on holiday and clearly got a bit excited and left my senses in the UK....

 

[shyvas]

Oh no At least if it was a credit card she might have had insurance if it turns out badly. I guess there's not much she can do now (although I don't know, there might be).

I buy from lots of not-big companies, but I either know the shop they come from or I get reviews from friends, although once or twice I've relied on strong online reviews and that worked out okay too. Still I've done my fair share of guillible things where I've lost money - just none of them online. Once I gave money to two french children pretending to be deaf and collecting money for charity in Paris - no idea why I thought that was a normal thing to happen - if it had happened in the UK I would have been all "why are children collecting for charity outside tourist attractions? this is not normal and must be a con" but I was on holiday and clearly got a bit excited and left my senses in the UK....

The bank is under no obligation to give a refund if the transaction has been completed by the cardholder.

I have never ever been conned as I also only buy from well known firms and have always received a full
refund it the parcel hasn't been delivered.

 

[SummerRain]

The bank is under no obligation to give a refund if the transaction has been completed by the cardholder.

That's not true for a credit card (although it is true for your friend who paid by debit card). Section 75 means that for credit cards the credit card company protects your purchases over £100:

Some typical examples…

• You order a vase from an overseas store that never arrives.
• You buy flight tickets direct from an airline that goes bust.
• You buy a radio from a shop, you take it home and it's faulty.

In all of these, your card lender is jointly liable for a refund.

Some credit cards also offer purchase protection - so that they'll pay for goods bought on a credit card and stolen within a certain amount of time (about three months), but not all.

 

[Pirate]

Whenever I'm buying something expensive I would rather pay a bit more and get it from a brick and mortar store. That way you get it immediately (no worry about shipping) and if something goes wrong you have someone to shout at haha. Looking at that site its not that cheap and the prices are BS. I got this:
http://www.valuebasket.com/en_GB/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1-8-II-Lens/mainproduct/view/10220-AA-NA for £99 full price in Jessops before it went under - this website says it was £134 reduced to £89, when really its only a saving of £10. If I do go online its either from a known site or I use credit card/paypal and google the company extensively first. my sister once ordered a ferret cage from some random website in the isle of wight as it was half the price of others. she had to file a paypal dispute in the end as they took her money then never delivered or answered the phone.

I did find a phone number though on this page: http://www.valuebasket.com/en_GB/contact its (+44) 0203 384 0338 whether they answer or not is a different story.

when I worked for Sony we'd get people moaning about websites such as the above (like it was our fault), not that one specifically that I remember. theres a lot of iffy sites out there.

 

[ledboots]

I would be worried about a scam site having her debit card number--accesses right into her bank account.

 

[shyvas]

That's not true for a credit card (although it is true for your friend who paid by debit card). Section 75 means that for credit cards the credit card company protects your purchases over £100:

.

Don't forget that you are quoting UK banking legislation which is not the same as French legislation. The above does not apply to neither credit or debit cards. When the Italian airline (can't remember the name) went bust last year, all the French passengers were left stranded and had to pay their own fare to get back. The bank is not liable for any transactions made by the cardholder. If the internet site is fraudulent or if a carrier goes bust, the cardholer pays.

Whenever I'm buying something expensive I would rather pay a bit more and get it from a brick and mortar store. That way you get it immediately (no worry about shipping) and if something goes wrong you have someone to shout at haha. Looking at that site its not that cheap and the prices are BS. I got this:
http://www.valuebasket.com/en_GB/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1-8-II-Lens/mainproduct/view/10220-AA-NA for £99 full price in Jessops before it went under - this website says it was £134 reduced to £89, when really its only a saving of £10. If I do go online its either from a known site or I use credit card/paypal and google the company extensively first. my sister once ordered a ferret cage from some random website in the isle of wight as it was half the price of others. she had to file a paypal dispute in the end as they took her money then never delivered or answered the phone.

I did find a phone number though on this page: http://www.valuebasket.com/en_GB/contact its (+44) 0203 384 0338 whether they answer or not is a different story.

when I worked for Sony we'd get people moaning about websites such as the above (like it was our fault), not that one specifically that I remember. theres a lot of iffy sites out there.

I agree and don't think it's worth the risk and worry for a few €£ when purchasing an item. I only ever use well known sites. However, I did encounter a problem with Macy's and they still owe me €130. The bank did give me a refund but Macy's never gave me a refund for the amount in question.

I would be worried about a scam site having her debit card number--accesses right into her bank account.

You're right and that is also my concern as the company is based in China.

Anyway the update is that she checked her order on-line and apparently the parcel is now in Amsterdam !

When I told her that the company was based in China she was gobsmacked as she thought that it was a UK based one. If she does receive it I wonder what the chances are of the camera being a copy ?

 

[SummerRain]

Since we're in the UK forum I assumed we were talking about the UK.

 

[shyvas]

I left my heart in the UK.

 

[shyvas]

The parcel was saftely delivered this monring. I hope that the camera isn't a fake !