Best places for buying electrical appliances Best shops for buying electrical appliances

British consumers spend billions of pounds every year on electrical gadgets - from mobile phones and laptops to washing machines, TVs and fridges. So which are the best shops to spend your money in? 

We've surveyed thousands of consumers to find out your favourite electrical and gadget shops, and reveal our chart of 30 electrical retailers in the table below. As well as overall an overall Which? Customer Scor for each shop, we also reveal ratings for factors such as pricing, product range and customer service.

Our results table includes big high street chains such as Argos, Comet and Currys, alongside supermarkets Asda and Tesco and shops perhaps lesser-known for electrical products.  

Which? members can  log in now to discover which are the best and worst. If you're not already a member, discover the benefits of getting full access for one month for £1.

Electrical and mobile phone shops reviewed
ShopProduct rangeProduct qualityServiceStore environmentPricingAfter-sales and returnsCustomer Score
Apple StoreSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
ArgosSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
AsdaSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
B&QSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
BHSSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Carphone WarehouseSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Currys and PC World1Subscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
DebenhamsSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
EE (formerly Orange
and T-Mobile)		Subscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
HalfordsSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
HomebaseSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
House of FraserSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
IkeaSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Independent
department stores		Subscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Independent
electrical shops		Subscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
John LewisSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
LakelandSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
MaplinSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
MorrisonsSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
O2Subscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Phones 4 USubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Richer SoundsSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Robert DyasSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Sainsbury'sSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Sony CentreSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
TescoSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
The RangeSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
ThreeSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
VodafoneSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
WilkinsonSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content

Using the table
Sample sizes: Apple Store 105, Argos 105, Asda 106, B&Q 105, BHS 95, Carphone Warehouse 108, Currys and PC World1 315, Debenhams 99, EE (formerly Orange and T-Mobile) 105, Halfords 102, Homebase 102, House of Fraser 96, Ikea 101, Independent department stores 104, Independent electrical shops 106, John Lewis 106, Lakeland 103, Maplin 105, Morrisons 103, O2 106, Phones 4 U 104, Richer Sounds 105, Robert Dyas 106, Sainsbury's 104, Sony Centre 105, Tesco 106, The Range 102, Three 105, Vodafone 105, Wilkinson 101
Customer score: This is based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the store to a friend

How Which? rates electrical appliance shops

The electrical appliances category was part of the Which? shops survey, the biggest one of its kind in the UK.

For the survey, Which? surveyed 11,784 members of the general public online between February and March 2013 about the shops they had visited in the past six months. Shoppers were asked how satisfied they were with shops they'd bought electrical appliances from and how likely they were to recommend those shops. These factors make up the Which? customer score.

Our survey respondents also rated shops selling electricals for 14 factors covering price, service, store environment, product quality, product range and after sales. These are shown as star ratings in our table and are made up of the factors below:

  • Customer service – staff knowledge about products, staff helpfulness and staff availability
  • Store environment – ease of finding products, tidiness of store, store environment and queuing time
  • Price – price, sales and special offers
  • Product quality – product quality, how long products last
  • Product range – range of products and products being in stock
  • After sales and returns

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