Axminster

Good place when you are spending £££s on tools

If you are going to buy woodworking machinery, you are either going to be buying cheap rubbish and regretting it, or you will be shelling out a fair bit of cash. If it's the latter, you really want somewhere that will give good advice and after-sales service.

I have had both these things, lots of times, from Axminster.

I have bought several machines and numerous tools, attachments, jigs etc. The staff are always helpful, showing how to use the thing, set it up etc.

I once bought a bandsaw, but had problems setting it up and found the blade blunted quickly. A phone call to the shop resulted in some detailed instructions and a replacement blade in the post, free of charge.

You will always be able to buy cheaper stuff at Screwfix, B&Q etc, but I'm pretty certain you won't be as satisfied as you would have been buying from Axminster.

Crucial

I only ever buy memory from here now

I must have bought an awful lot of memory over the years. And, over time, the company I've come to trust, and now use solely, is Crucial.

I find their website exceptionally easy to use, with the ability to get recommended RAM based on computer model or motherboard manufacturer. Their prices seem pretty comparable, and I don't think I've ever had a problem with memory purchased from them.

I also now own a couple of their SSDs, and they have worked faultlessly too.

Finally, I can't comment on Crucial's customer service as I've never had cause to try it!

Quidco.com

£1600 in six years

I joined in 2006 and, at the time of writing (Oct 2012) I have earned just under £1600. That's £1600 of free money basically. OK, I sometimes buy a slightly more expensive insurance policy, say, if the cashback makes it wind up cheaper, so I suppose not all of that £1600 is truly additional income, but even so, the bulk of it is.

What of Quidco themselves? I've had very few problems really. Some purchase fail to track, but the claims process is quite slick (more so than it was when I first joined) and the claim is almost always accepted. I note down every time I make a purchase though, as it's difficult to pick up every failed purchase otherwise.

My only gripe was one company who failed to track a purchase and then did not accept claims - I felt a bit hard-done by there.

But overall, I don't begrudge them taking £5 each year, as without them I would be receiving nothing. I recommend them to people all the time.

Hotels.com

The first, and really the only site I use now

I've tried multiple hotel websites, and still sometimes try other sites, but this one is the one I always end up using.

It is the simplest, and I find either has the best information, or at least presents it in the most user-friendly way. If you are picky about your hotels, or have something specific in mind, you are much more likely to find what you want here than elsewhere.

The one time I had a problem with a hotel, hotels.com were pretty helpful too. I had booked two nights, but on arrival the hotel was a big disappointment. I called the hotels.com helpline, they called the hotel and the 2nd night was cancelled, enabling me to book another place nearby the next morning; I was happy with this result.

Finally, if you still aren't convinced, you can sometimes get good cashback via a site like quidco.

Pennineoutdoor

Good service, useful stuff

This small company sells really useful little bits for making/repairing outdoor clothing, rucksacks etc.

Since you can buy things in small quantities, the prices are much better than most other sources, which are really wholesalers.

The order I placed arrived as advertised within a few days.

I've bookmarked them and I'm sure will use them again in the future.

Simply Electronics Ltd.

Avoid this scam company

The prices they advertise are certainly cheap. But, once you order, they take your money and never deliver anything. They are full of excuses and promises, but that's all you'll get from them. Try to cancel, and guess what, it takes months to get your money back. Only a complaint to Visa will work. Don't waste your time with them!

Totospizzaofkinsale Chris found this review useful

MyTrendyPhone

No Problems

Item arrived promptly and as advertised.