Anyone in the UK heard of Electro Hut?

[YarManYak]

Hi guys, I've been looking for a new i5 for some time and recently came across a new i5 4690k for £160 free delivery, 20 to 30 quid less then anywhere else I could find. However, its a website I have never heard of and although its only 20 to 30 off, maybe its a case of too good to be true, added to the fact that I can't find a single review anywhere on the internet for the site, but maybe its just started up. Has anyone had any experience buying products from The Electro Hut before? https://www.theelectrohut.com/default.aspx Maybe I'm being over the top but I always like to research where I'm buying from after some pretty poor experiences in the past.
Thanks in advance, YMY.

 

[sora]

Just tell people to do their research before they get on the site I guess.

 

[Dazie]

Hi Everyone,

I have been following this thread with interest since the New Year. I though you all might want to hear my views and experience...

Firstly, I would like to say that I don't think that Electrohut is a scam site or criminal site trying to steal anyone's money. However, they do appear to provide a very poor customer service, operate from overseas without making that clear, and quite likely operate on a business model where they "try" to source goods once they have been ordered.

I was hoping to buy a 55 inch Samsung TV from this website. But NOT any more.

I always do my research when buying from a unknown website. You must ignore the fact that a website comes up on web searches such as Google or Kelkoo as there is no way any of these can fully vet the millions of websites out there (no matter what they tell you). The warning signs were very low prices and ridiculous T+Cs, but it was this thread that really alerted me of course.

Other than the T+Cs, there is very little else on the website to be worried about - UK address, UK tel no, out of hours voice message with pleasant and clear English speaking lady.

Luckily they list the manufacturer part code for the TV and I noticed it was different to what I had seen elsewhere. I emailed Samsung and was surprised at the response:

"Dear Mr. XXX,

Thank you for your email. Your customer reference number is XXX.

I can confirm that the model you have specified is a model designed for use in Hungary.

If you were to use this television in the UK, you may experience issues with the applications and also tuning the channels on the television. The Hungarian model also does not have a HD channel tuner and therefore you would not receive FreeView HD.

The warranty is European and would therefore apply in the UK. If a fault was found on the television however, the television would be repaired to Hungarian specification.

I hope you have found this information helpful. If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind Regards,

XXX
Customer Service Representative
Samsung Electronics UK"

Note that I have put in the "XXX". I think the Samsung response is self-explanatory!

While I can afford to wait while they source the TV and I can fallback to the section 75 CCA and SOGA laws should things go very wrong, What I am not willing to accept is any sort of substandard product - in this case, one where major features won't work in my country!

I believe Pixmania also operates from overseas and uses "grey" imports - they are different as they are transparent about this and they are probably more careful in their choice of overseas supplier. In my opinion, this company is definitely trying to "appear" as a UK supplier with UK products. It's T+Cs are also unacceptable and probably contrary to more than one law - making them unenforceable - but that still means you will have loads of hassle as I am sure they either don't understand the UK laws (probably the case) or don't care.

Definitely a case of buyer beware. As I said, I don't think it is a scam site or criminal site trying to steal anyone's money but they are operating on a fine line. IF the TV had turned out to be a EU model similar to UK spec then I probably would have purchased it.

PS. One guy on here keeps making the point about paying VAT - as far as I know, no VAT or customs duties are payable as the seller is in the EU.

 

[Dazie]

A tip for obtaining receipts on any website...

You get a PayPal receipt if you use it, you also get an entry on your credit/debit card statement, and all good websites email you a formal confirmation. Electrohut clearly does not. What I always do is to leave the order confirmation page open until I receive a confirmation email which is normally within a few minutes.

If the email does not arrive I print the confirmation page to PDF or XPS so it is permanently saved.

 

[Frankestin]

I ordered an HTC phone from them thinking they are reputable because I was refereed to their site from Amazon so I did not hesitate to research them further. But now I have not been able to receive the other after 7 days as they promised. I am really worried whether the product will ever arrive. Can anyone advice me on what to do

 

[sora]

I ordered an HTC phone from them thinking they are reputable because I was refereed to their site from Amazon so I did not hesitate to research them further. But now I have not been able to receive the other after 7 days as they promised. I am really worried whether the product will ever arrive. Can anyone advice me on what to do

What was your payment method? Try and chargeback the payment.

 

[Moonstick2]

One guy on here keeps making the point about paying VAT - as far as I know, no VAT or customs duties are payable as the seller is in the EU.

VAT is always due somewhere along the line. That's why Pixmania and Amazon charge VAT and specify that it's included in the price on each product page e.g. imported or not. Unless TheElectroHut have come up with some ingenious way to avoid having to apply 20% VAT to their prices that neither of those online retailers could figure out.

operate from overseas without making that clear

Their contact address is Electroponents Ltd, which is a UK registered company.

 

[Stanley Parkes]

 

[baggies37]

dont believe it.
confirmed a return of item for refund.
checked my tracking today and they've refused delivery!!

CC5175383 10:26, 26/01/2015 Delivery attempted - refused by addressee London South West Depot

These people are unreal.
cost me £50 of my own money to return and they do this!!


email i received from them Wed:
Thank you for your recent request to return your order to us.

Please ensure the below instructions are followed carefully to ensure a smooth and swift process.

Firstly, your returns authorisation allows you to cancel an order that is either faulty or unwanted during the cooling off period of 14 days after delivery of your order.

You are sending a return of your order to us in pristine condition as received and the packaging and all items included with your order must be included and intact.

Please send your return to us, as per the below:

- Please use a secure, insured and reputable courier to handle the return of your item to us.

We cannot be held responsible during the period in which the item is in the couriers possession.

- Unless otherwise agreed with TheElectroHut, the return of your order is at your expense solely.

- Please continue to send the item to us, using a protection material. We'd recommend Bubble wrap and this will ensure the item is protected during transit.

- Please include a cover letter with your return, quoting your full name, order id and the reason for return.


The address for the return of your order:
Electroponents Ltd
60 Windsor Avenue
London
SW19 2RR

 

[L0gicity]

No, you're absolutely right to look into the company. I'm suspicious regarding nevets1, the only person in this thread giving a review saying that this is a working company. nevets1 made their account today, and this is their only post, and not many people would go out of their way, making an account just to say they've received a watch. Like it's possible, but highly unlikely.

I've "bought" a Wii U from them for £223 - not a good sum of money to go to waste when you're a student. As described before, my order is just "processing" and the money's gone out of my account. I tried to phone their office number, but it just rang endlessly for 2 minutes before hanging up. I've been suspicious from the start because it was about £40 cheaper than any other deal out there and for a much better price. Well, I've been taught to research my companies now...

I'm going to ask for a refund and then dispute with my bank on the 31st (15 days) if no money comes through, because I really don't want to go through this horrendous cr** right now!

----- Updated:

I've come to say that ElectroHut are indeed not a take-your-mony-and-run scam.

My Wii U arrived today after 10 days, shipped via UPS from Eollis Lab, France with no invoice whatosever. It's a EUA region Wii U (not UKV) with a non UK electric plug (not ideal without a converter), but it definitely arrived, and hopefully without VAT that I'll need to pay for.

Unfortunately I've bought another one from Amazon because reading this sent me into a panic (and I've cancelled my debit card, and the new one is now stuck somewhere in post - this is a lot of unnecessary faff), so I now have two Wii U's... - but it's good to know that the Amazon one is covered by guarantee.... I'm going to try to sell this one on Ebay (I'll lose a bit, but that's what I get for buying without researching).

You are a student with nearly £500 to burn. Cancelling your card wont do anything once you have clicked ok to buy. That's ur confirmation. I can only see this as reverse psychology from the initial person who bought the watch. You are in-fact also a company member n who will update on the same day as their initial post. Must have a poor delivery system to be delivered after 13:47. Any reputable company delivers pre-midday. Forgive me if you are genuine but there are too many posts for me to actually beliebe this companies worth. If you want to be a big company and have only just started up then fulfill your orders and dont hide behind T&C's. You will only be found out.

 

[sonzxgaming]

I ordered an AMD R9 290 off of there yesterday, i got the confirmation email straight away. I have only just found this thread and have realized that there is no option to cancel. I think i am ringing trading standards tomorrow though.

 

[Yemiboy]

Ive never heard of it, and wouldnt trust it personally.

http://www.scamadviser.com/is-theelectrohut.com-safe.html

I can confir that I bought a TV worth 750 for 625 and they delivered, I was shocked, I already report it to my credit card company and 3 weeks after I ordered, first got an email with tacking on the 22nd Jan 2015, order was placed on the 3rd jan 2015.
Delivery company is DACHSER , it seems the item came from EU cos the plug was the 2 pn eu/usa plug

 

[wonkysnot]

I have just completed this very painful transaction with electrohut, OMG so frustrating!!!
I can confirm they do source from abroad not in the UK and only once they have your money, they never answer the phone but if you submit a ticket on there website you will start to get answers.
Basically don't do anything until the full 10 working days are up, then start chasing. you should eventually get a tracking number and company name, again they gave me completely the wrong info but I used the number they gave me to work out the tracking information online and then phoned the local delivery company.
On 9th Jan 2015 I ordered the Samsung 55 inch 4k ultra curved, it has come from france to Dartford, then to my home town and was delivered today, so that is 15 working days, 3 weeks in total.
Have not seen the product yet but will post another comment once opened, the wife says it seems genuine.
I would never use them again though and I hope no one else does.

 

[hardcorr]

I finally received the TV I ordered. It's in good working order. The main issue I have with recommending this company to friends is it seems like a dodgy company, and their comms are shite. They did eventually reply to my message from the site. I'm just relieved it arrived!

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

<EMAIL REMOVED BY MODERATOR>

 

[Lebs]

dont believe it.
confirmed a return of item for refund.
checked my tracking today and they've refused delivery!!

CC5175383 10:26, 26/01/2015 Delivery attempted - refused by addressee London South West Depot

These people are unreal.
cost me £50 of my own money to return and they do this!!


email i received from them Wed:
Thank you for your recent request to return your order to us.

Please ensure the below instructions are followed carefully to ensure a smooth and swift process.

Firstly, your returns authorisation allows you to cancel an order that is either faulty or unwanted during the cooling off period of 14 days after delivery of your order.

You are sending a return of your order to us in pristine condition as received and the packaging and all items included with your order must be included and intact.

Please send your return to us, as per the below:

- Please use a secure, insured and reputable courier to handle the return of your item to us.

We cannot be held responsible during the period in which the item is in the couriers possession.

- Unless otherwise agreed with TheElectroHut, the return of your order is at your expense solely.

- Please continue to send the item to us, using a protection material. We'd recommend Bubble wrap and this will ensure the item is protected during transit.

- Please include a cover letter with your return, quoting your full name, order id and the reason for return.


The address for the return of your order:
Electroponents Ltd
60 Windsor Avenue
London
SW19 2RR

 

[Lebs]

What I meant to say above was what was the outcome because I'm thinking of visiting the address to request the money in cash. Also do people have any other email addresses that the company are using?

 

[Moonstick2]

Don't bother visiting it - there's nobody there from the company, it's just a mail forwarding service that any business can get for £100-£120 a year so it looks like they have a "prestigious" address.

As an aside, speaking as somebody familiar with London, it's not the nicest part, and is only just within the area for an SW19 code.

 

[dbiggers]

I've just stupidly ordered a 65" TV from this site (should've done my research first)

After not receiving my TV after the 10 day period I contacted them via email (as they do not answer their phones) with a response that follows:
Dear Sir,

You can expect your item this week. We are just waiting for UPS to send through your tracking information.

As soon as we have it you will receive a separate email with your tracking information on so that you can view your item in transit when on its way to you.

Your item will be shipped fully insured as it is one of our best tv's that we supply. I will put a note on the system to add some extras for you free of charge
Thank You,
Julie T
TheElectroHut.com
They now seem to be ignoring my emails and won't answer the phone.
I find it funny how my item was showing as in stock. Surely if UPS collected the item, they would instantly be given a tracking number. I seriously think this site is a scam and people need to contact Watch Dog to expose these criminals.

NOT HAPPY!!!!!

 

[usualsuspect79]

Hi guys I'm sorry but im going to have to come to the defence of the electrohut
I placed an order for an epson tw5200 full HD 3D projector @ £480.58 cheapest on the Google shopping search I didn't get a confirmation email which I did think was a bit suspect
Almost 2 weeks later I did check them out and came across your comments and did think I'm gonna get ripped off as I'd paid by debit card but the very next day I received an email from them saying they could not fulfill my order due to low stock and the amount of orders they had coming up to Christmas , they appoligised for this and would issue a full refund within 48hrs
AND THEY DID !!!

This is call an interest scam you idiot...

People setup companies and keep a rolling "stock" of other peoples money. If you can keep 100K of peoples money month in and out with 5% interest you can earn a decent living. You do that with 4-5 different companies (which it seems this scum is) then this of how much money you think hes making off you?

He will probably send a very small number of items out to get people to say they did get an item and take the hit on any profit or send you none VAT paid or none EU items which i also read others suggesting. Maybe even setting up fake accounts saying "i got my item" so people wanting to take a risk feel like they have a 'Chance' .

From reading around the internet.. seem you have <1% chance of getting an item or maybe your money back after hes got a month+ interest on it.

This same address has got several different companies setup selling anything from timeshares to kettles.

 

[usualsuspect79]

PS. One guy on here keeps making the point about paying VAT - as far as I know, no VAT or customs duties are payable as the seller is in the EU.

https://www.etsy.com/au/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/15745090/

not sure if this expands to phyical..

 

[beags]

I have just completed this very painful transaction with electrohut, OMG so frustrating!!!
I can confirm they do source from abroad not in the UK and only once they have your money, they never answer the phone but if you submit a ticket on there website you will start to get answers.
Basically don't do anything until the full 10 working days are up, then start chasing. you should eventually get a tracking number and company name, again they gave me completely the wrong info but I used the number they gave me to work out the tracking information online and then phoned the local delivery company.
On 9th Jan 2015 I ordered the Samsung 55 inch 4k ultra curved, it has come from france to Dartford, then to my home town and was delivered today, so that is 15 working days, 3 weeks in total.
Have not seen the product yet but will post another comment once opened, the wife says it seems genuine.
I would never use them again though and I hope no one else does.

 

[beags]

I have just made the same mistake. i.e. ordering a TV on 4th feb. Money gone from my account, and by 16th feb I don't even have any tracking/dispatch info etc. The phone number supplied isn't real and never gets answered, If you check them out on the company register websites, you will find that they don't list a phone number there either. they have moved premises constantly, changed all their directors, secretaries,etc constantly also. Although it looks as if the constant name and the owner of the vast majority of the shares is a Mr. Saleem Arif. Who also appears to be the director of a number of other companies registered to the same address in Dalton House Windsor Avenue, none of which I believe to be trading in any way at all, other than to be registered. I bet there isn't as much as a 3 pin plug belonging to Electro Hut or Electroponents Limited at the address.
Do I still hope to receive my TV? well they have taken the money for it so . . .
After doing some research I have become extremely concerned and at the same time annoyed with myself for being gullible.
If your high end TV is coming from France and is cheaper than in the UK, I would wonder. I am a frequent traveller to France and in my experience electronic goods are totally extortionate there. I am now in the same boat as yourself, paid my ticket to Saleem and left drifting without any contact, or as yet, the goods which I paid for.
Not an acceptable way to do business. Never again, and would strongly discourage anyone from even considering using this company. Any company who doesn't have a real phone number, or address, is just ever so slightly on the dodgey side if you ask me.

 

[carpgolf]

Hi guys, I've been looking for a new i5 for some time and recently came across a new i5 4690k for £160 free delivery, 20 to 30 quid less then anywhere else I could find. However, its a website I have never heard of and although its only 20 to 30 off, maybe its a case of too good to be true, added to the fact that I can't find a single review anywhere on the internet for the site, but maybe its just started up. Has anyone had any experience buying products from The Electro Hut before? https://www.theelectrohut.com/default.aspx Maybe I'm being over the top but I always like to research where I'm buying from after some pretty poor experiences in the past.
Thanks in advance, YMY.

 

[carpgolf]

DO NOT under any circumstances deal with THE ELECTRO HUT, they took my money, I waited the 10 working day, no TV, No replies to e-mails, raised numerous tickets which got no response and could not get through by phone. When you look deeps there are numerous reports like this.

 

[Stanley Parkes]

well i do laugh at all your comments. but the fact remains iam still sitting in front on my 75inch tv, that they sent me.on time and a great tv. . you lot got paranoid then canceled your order and then did not like the service. you got after . lol serves yous right. cant stop laughing.

 

[srrogers]

Ordered a smart tv without checking the company out. Delivery was quoted as 7/10 days which these days is rubbish, got email to say order was being processed but no delivery and no explanation after 10 days had passed, after one or two not very polite emails from me the tv arrived without notice after 21 days.
Was convinced this was a scam and even with the tv now delivered have no confidence in this site and will never order from them again.