Good prices and range of goods, sub-standard (but free!) delivery.
Written: Jan 11 '07 (Updated Jan 11 '07)
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From the other ratings it seems that people have had either a really good or really bad experience using this site, what with most of the ratings seeming to be either 5 stars or 1 star. Personally I have used Play.com on a number of occasions and been happy with the service, though I wouldn’t exactly say that they’re perfect.
Play sell a range of entertainment media, mainly DVDs, music CDs, and computer / console games. They have a very good range of these products and often I have found products listed there that Amazon don’t seem to stock. Also I have found that they are more likely to have items in stock than Amazon (sorry but I can’t help comparing the two in this review). Their prices are also often the best I’ve found online – for instance, the game Broken Sword 4 is listed at £34.99 on Amazon (ironically going up from £17.99 when I previously checked), HMV have it for a whopping £34.99 (full RRP), whereas Play.com were selling it for a mere £9.99. Guess which merchant I chose?
On the minus side, the delivery time is pretty slow. Though we had an email a couple of days later telling us that the game had been dispatched, we waited a further six days for it to actually arrive. To be fair the site information does state that delivery times may take up to 2 weeks. The packaging of the item when it came was okay, not particularly good but it could have been worse. (The main problem was not that packing method but the fact that the cardboard used was pretty thin and didn't seem to offer much protection to the goods.) At any rate the product was not damaged. Since postage and packaging are free (in the UK at least) I’m not complaining, but I must admit that if the game had been damaged because of the less than ideal packaging, I wouldn’t be best pleased. This experience of our most recent purchase from the site is pretty similar to past purchases, although I don’t remember the wait between ordering and delivery being quite so long before. Still, when you’re getting something at less than half the price competitors list if for, what’s the hurry? I looked through the FAQs and went through the purchasing process again, but could not find any option to pay for a faster delivery - so free but slow would seem to be the only available option.
We ordered using a credit card and had no problems whatsoever with the transaction. This really should be expected but considering the problems we’ve had with one or two online stores, it’s always something of a relief when nothing goes wrong. They accept Delta, Mastercard, Solo, Switch, Maestro, VISA, and VISA Electron cards.
There is also a feature called "PlayTrade", which allows other merchants to sell on the site. At the time of writing this review they did not allow individuals to sell. This is mainly to allow hard to find or collectible merchandise to be findable on the site. Play.com process the transaction and then send all the relevant information to the seller.
Fuller information on the product range:
DVD, Music, Games, Books, Electronics, PC, Gadgets, and Mobile. They seem to have a pretty good selection in each range.
The site layout is attractive and easy to navigate, while the search function usually works very well. Hey, maybe they could incorporate the same search functionality into Epinions?!? :-D The only problem I have with teh site is that they try to fit so much information and so many featured products on the site that it looks cluttered, though a decent layout scheme helps alleviate this a little. The help function is quite comprehensive.
Overall, if you are looking for a site to buy films, music or games from, I would recommend Play.com. They have a great range and often (not always) the best prices. However if good packaging and fast deliver are more important to you than low prices, you will be better off going elsewhere.
Other Online Services Reviews
Online Merchants:
Amazon
Sold Out Software
Other:
Lulu.com
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Games
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