Which? reveals the best and worst tech and home appliance stores
Which?’s latest survey reveals the best and worst tech and home retailers and finds that stores with quality products and excellent customer service generally fare better than supermarkets and high street discounters.
Which? surveyed almost 3,400 people who had bought household appliances and around 3,500 who had bought tech products in the previous six months. Shoppers were asked about their overall experience as well as the quality of products, customer service, range of products available, after-sales service, the amount of packaging used, delivery and value for money.
Richer Sounds topped the tech table for the seventh year running with a customer score of 89 per cent. Richer Sounds has consistently landed the top spot in Which?’s tech category and is 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”. Richer Sounds scored five stars across several categories including value for money, product quality, customer service during the buying process and delivery. It is no surprise that Richer Sounds has been named a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP).
John Lewis followed in second place for their tech with a score of 85 per cent. John Lewis received five stars for product quality, customer service and delivery. John Lewis is also a Which? Recommended Provider. One shopper said “always a smooth process; often the best value for money.”
John Lewis also led the table for the best home appliance store and received a score of 88 per cent and excelled at product range, quality, delivery and after-sales service and returns. John Lewis got impressive customer scores for both home appliance and tech purchases.
AO (85% customer score), Euronics (85%) and Lakeland (82%) were also named WRPs for home appliances. With high scores in multiple categories, one Lakeland customer told Which?: “Customer service is top quality in store and on the phone – a real person answers within seconds.” While one Euronics shopper described their experience 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?”
At the other end of the spectrum, The Range finished at the bottom of the table (66%) for home appliances, scoring just two stars for customer service and product range, with Wilko and Homebase just above it both scoring 67 per cent. One The Range customer commented on the “poor customer service” and said “no-one was available to ask questions”.
Sainsbury’s got the lowest score in the tech category (67%), scoring two stars for after-sales service and returns, and fellow supermarkets Asda (70%) and Tesco (72%) join it in the bottom five. Sainsbury’s and Tesco also had low scores compared to others for home appliances (71% and 70%), partly down to their limited range and unremarkable customer service during buying – perhaps to be expected given that this is not their specialist product area.
For tech, Asda/George and The Range were not far behind – each receiving a 70 per cent customer score. Both received two stars for the amount of packaging used and value for money.
With the sales season almost in full swing and Christmas fast approaching, it can be tempting to look for a bargain on a new piece of tech or a new appliance. However, Which? is warning that shoppers should take some time to research what they want to buy and not feel pressured – and opt for a retailer that performed strongly in its latest annual survey.
Harry Rose, Editor of Which? magazine, 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.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The best home appliance stores
Results based on a July 2024 online survey of 5,244 experiences from 3,377 members of the Which? Connect panel and general public. Customer scores are based on satisfaction with the brand and likelihood to recommend. Sample size in brackets. A dash (-) means sample size was too small to give a star rating. Delivery rating incorporates time, place, speed and communication about delivery.
The best tech stores
Results based on a July 2024 online survey of 5,614 experiences from 3,527 members of the Which? Connect panel and the general public. Customer scores are based on satisfaction with the brand and likelihood to recommend. Sample size in brackets. A dash (-) means sample size was too small to give a star rating. Delivery rating incorporates time, place, speed and communication about delivery.
Being awarded a WRP means that not only did a company perform outstandingly in Which?’s survey, but also passed Which?’s stringent behind-the-scenes checks on its terms and conditions and returns policies.
About Which?
Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.
The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.