The best and worst shops to buy tech and home appliances revealed – just in time for Christmas --[Reported by Umva mag]

THE top and worst places to buy tech and homeware have been revealed by Which?.  The consumer group surveyed almost 3,400 people who had bought household appliances and around 3,500 who had bought tech products in the previous six months. Which? has revealed the best and worst places to buy tech and home appliances The 28 retailers were rated based on the quality of their products, customer service, product range, after-sales service, packaging used, delivery and value for money. And one small retailer pipped big names including John Lewis and Argos to the top spot for the seventh year running. Richer Sounds was awarded a customer score of 89% and was the only retailer to get the full five stars for value for money. One customer said: “Their customer service is better than any other company.” It also scored five stars across several other categories including product quality, customer service during the buying process and delivery. As a result it has been named a Which? Recommended Provider. Hot on its heels was John Lewis, which was awarded a score of 85% for its tech. It was awarded five stars for product quality, customer service and delivery and was also named a Which? Recommended provider. One shopper said buying at John Lewis is “always a smooth process; often the best value for money.” John Lewis also beat competitors to be named the best home appliances store and received a score of 88 per cent. It excelled at product range, quality, delivery and after-sales service and returns. The department store also got impressive customer scores for both home appliances and tech purchases. A John Lewis spokesperson said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news that we’ve been recognised as the country’s leading home appliance retailer. “Customers know our Partners will go above and beyond to give the best advice. How to save money on tech and gadgets Tech and homeware gadgets can be expensive but there are ways you can cut costs when making a purchase. Shop around to find the best price and be wary of sales as sometimes the prices can be misleading. Shoppers should know that sometimes the sale price is the product’s normal price at different times of the year. If you know there is a sale coming up check the price of the device before the sale to make sure it’s a genuine bargain. Another way to save money on tech is to buy refurbished or second-hand products. A refurbished laptop has usually been professionally restored by a manufacturer or retailer so it is close to new. They often come with warranties too. Refurbished laptops and phones are sometimes hundreds of pounds cheaper than buying a brand new device. Always check that the device is still supported by vital security updates. Trade in second hand devices to get money off your next purchase. For example, Apple offers to take old devices and exchange them for store credit towards new purchases. If your item is damaged beyond repair then Apple with recycle it for you. “The return of Never Knowingly Undersold with competitor price matching means they can be confident they’re getting a really competitive deal.” AO and Euronics both received a customer score of 85% and were also named Which? Recommended providers for home appliances. One Euronics shopper described the store as “a well-established high street store selling goods at online prices, but with real people ready to answer everything face to face. Why would I go anywhere else?” Meanwhile, Lakeland earned a score of 82% and joined the Which? Recommended list. One Lakeland customer told Which?: “Customer service is top quality in store and on the phone – a real person answers within seconds.” At the other end of the spectrum was The Range, which came in last place for home appliances with a score of 66%. It was awarded just two stars for customer service and product range. One The Range customer said it had “poor customer service” as “no-one was available to ask questions”. Wilko and Homebase were not far behind, with both earning a score of just 67%. How did supermarkets score? Sainsbury’s got the lowest score in the tech category, scoring just two stars for after-sales service and returns. In total it was awarded a score of just 67%. Meanwhile, fellow supermarkets Asda and Tesco both ended up in the bottom five with scores of 70% and 72% respectively. Sainsbury’s and Tesco both received low scores compared to others for home appliances, partially because of their limited range and unremarkable customer service. They were awarded scores of 71% and 70% respectively. Harry Rose, Which? magazine editor, said: “With Black Friday and Christmas fast approaching, shoppers may be looking to get a new device or appliance – but we’ve found some retailers simply aren’t up to scratch when it comes t

THE top and worst places to buy tech and homeware have been revealed by Which?. 

The consumer group surveyed almost 3,400 people who had bought household appliances and around 3,500 who had bought tech products in the previous six months.

The 28 retailers were rated based on the quality of their products, customer service, product range, after-sales service, packaging used, delivery and value for money.

And one small retailer pipped big names including John Lewis and Argos to the top spot for the seventh year running.

Richer Sounds was awarded a customer score of 89% and was the only retailer to get the full five stars for value for money.

One customer said: “Their customer service is better than any other company.”

It also scored five stars across several other categories including product quality, customer service during the buying process and delivery.

As a result it has been named a Which? Recommended Provider.

Hot on its heels was John Lewis, which was awarded a score of 85% for its tech.

It was awarded five stars for product quality, customer service and delivery and was also named a Which? Recommended provider.

One shopper said buying at John Lewis is “always a smooth process; often the best value for money.”

John Lewis also beat competitors to be named the best home appliances store and received a score of 88 per cent.

It excelled at product range, quality, delivery and after-sales service and returns.

The department store also got impressive customer scores for both home appliances and tech purchases.

A John Lewis spokesperson said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news that we’ve been recognised as the country’s leading home appliance retailer.

“Customers know our Partners will go above and beyond to give the best advice.

How to save money on tech and gadgets

Tech and homeware gadgets can be expensive but there are ways you can cut costs when making a purchase.

Shop around to find the best price and be wary of sales as sometimes the prices can be misleading.

Shoppers should know that sometimes the sale price is the product’s normal price at different times of the year.

If you know there is a sale coming up check the price of the device before the sale to make sure it’s a genuine bargain.

Another way to save money on tech is to buy refurbished or second-hand products.

A refurbished laptop has usually been professionally restored by a manufacturer or retailer so it is close to new.

They often come with warranties too.

Refurbished laptops and phones are sometimes hundreds of pounds cheaper than buying a brand new device.

Always check that the device is still supported by vital security updates.

Trade in second hand devices to get money off your next purchase.

For example, Apple offers to take old devices and exchange them for store credit towards new purchases.

If your item is damaged beyond repair then Apple with recycle it for you.

“The return of Never Knowingly Undersold with competitor price matching means they can be confident they’re getting a really competitive deal.”

AO and Euronics both received a customer score of 85% and were also named Which? Recommended providers for home appliances.

One Euronics shopper described the store as “a well-established high street store selling goods at online prices, but with real people ready to answer everything face to face. Why would I go anywhere else?”

Meanwhile, Lakeland earned a score of 82% and joined the Which? Recommended list.

One Lakeland customer told Which?: “Customer service is top quality in store and on the phone – a real person answers within seconds.”

At the other end of the spectrum was The Range, which came in last place for home appliances with a score of 66%.

It was awarded just two stars for customer service and product range.

One The Range customer said it had “poor customer service” as “no-one was available to ask questions”.

Wilko and Homebase were not far behind, with both earning a score of just 67%.

How did supermarkets score?

Sainsbury’s got the lowest score in the tech category, scoring just two stars for after-sales service and returns.

In total it was awarded a score of just 67%.

Meanwhile, fellow supermarkets Asda and Tesco both ended up in the bottom five with scores of 70% and 72% respectively.

Sainsbury’s and Tesco both received low scores compared to others for home appliances, partially because of their limited range and unremarkable customer service.

They were awarded scores of 71% and 70% respectively.

Harry Rose, Which? magazine editor, said: “With Black Friday and Christmas fast approaching, shoppers may be looking to get a new device or appliance – but we’ve found some retailers simply aren’t up to scratch when it comes to quality or customer service.

“Our research shows that shoppers wanting help with big purchases could be best off sticking to retailers that excel with their customer care and technical expertise.”

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The following news has been carefully analyzed, curated, and compiled by Umva Mag from a diverse range of people, sources, and reputable platforms. Our editorial team strives to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information we provide. By combining insights from multiple perspectives, we aim to offer a well-rounded and comprehensive understanding of the events and stories that shape our world. Umva Mag values transparency, accountability, and journalistic integrity, ensuring that each piece of content is delivered with the utmost professionalism.

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