Extreme Pie www.extremepie.com Review

Overall Rating

A magnificent range of clothing and accessories for skateboarding and surfing enthusiasts

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Extreme Pie - Trying to find clothes for a thirteen year old son is never easy. Sometimes it can seem a thankless task as teenagers seem to become more fussy about clothing as they grow, and of course only want designer gear on their backs before they step out of the door.

Extremepie.com is a website selling clothes as well as accessories, all associated with skateboarding, snowboarding and surf wear. I have been using the site for the past year or so, for present buying, but mainly for clothes for my son. The company are linked with the Extreme Sports Channel and not only do they sell the well known brands, the company also introduce lesser known designers to the consumer. The company has been in existence since 1995, and is fast becoming one of the most used web sites for clothing in our house.

The main page to the site is set out on a grey and white background, and to me, looks slightly dull, but to a teenager it is perfectly acceptable, as dull colours seem to be the hues that they prefer.

The left hand side of the page is devoted to department links, whereby items can be searched on the site. However, there is also a search function at the top of the page if a more advanced search is required.

The right hand side of the home page has pictures of various designer clothing and accessories featured on the site, as well as bargains available. It is also possible to order a brochure from the site, but I have found that if ordering via the brochure, items are often out of stock or sold out. The website has the most up to date information, and it is purely for that reason that I log in on a weekly basis.

Located on the home page, the Staff Recommendation section gives details of products recommended by the employees of Extreme Pie. The choices are updated each week, and each item is accompanied by a picture and the price of the product.

FOOTWEAR
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The footwear section lists a magnificent selection of skateboarding and surf shoes, the listing being in descending price order. Each item is pictured and by clicking on the link, details of the shoe will be given, including sizes available, price and details of the material used in the manufacture. The women's footwear section is very small, but the men's more than makes up for it. I have bought many pairs of shoes from Extreme Pie, including Vans and Etnies, and have always been impressed with their quality. It is worth mentioning that Etnies do tend to come up quite small, therefore it is advisable to order a size larger.

SPORTS
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Extreme Pie offers various items for board fanatics on the site. Skateboarders can take their pick from a choice of wheels to smarten up their boards, but the majority of the skateboarding section is devoted to boards, of which there is an impressive range.

As well as skateboards, the site also offers body boards, surfboards and snowboards, together with protective clothing and safety items, such as knee pads and goggles. Boards come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but it is worth mentioning that although a lot of them are very expensive, Extreme Pie do cater for the beginner, and offer the option of much cheaper boards for each sport, ideal for beginners.

CLOTHES
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There is not much in the way of designer skateboarding and surfing clothes that Extreme Pie do not sell. Hooded tops, which seem to be a vital piece of clothing for any skateboarder, can be found in abundance on the site, as can t-shirts with the brand names emblazoned across their fronts. "Hoodies" can range in price from £80, down to about £40, although they do occasionally have these in the bargain section. As in most sections on the site, the ladies sections are not as extensive as the mens, but there is a reasonable choice for us females. The t-shirts vary in price, with prices ranging from £40 down to £15, which is no different to buying them in a specialist snow and surf store. The trouser or "pants" section has a varied range of bottoms, ranging from tracksuit-type jogging bottoms to cargo trousers. Depending on the designer, prices range from £70 to £20, with Billabong being the most expensive.

BARGAINS AND SUPER BARGAINS
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We have picked up some fantastic bargains at Extreme Pie over the past year, and I always peruse this section of the site before any other. Expect to see at least £20 deducted from the recommended retail price of each hooded top in the section, and with brands such as Vans, Fox, Animal, Duffs and Etnies, the bargain section is ideal for those who refuse to pay full price for designer gear. The super bargains section can be a little misleading as the offers contained therein do not seem to be much different to the bargain section, but sometimes there are terrific savings to be made. Unfortunately, items disappear from both sections very quickly, so I do tend to check these at least once a week, if we are looking for something in particular.

ACCESSORIES
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As well as clothes, Extreme Pie specialise in the little "extras" that form an important part of the skateboarding attire. An impressive array of beanie-style hats are available to purchase, in a variety of colours, as well as a small selection of baseball caps. Expect to pay around £20 for a Beanie, although some are priced in the region of £10.

Bags are available for purchase from the site, both for males and females. The male selection tends to be of the rucksack type, and there is a reasonable choice of handbags for women.

The site also has a nice selection of designer watches from names such as Animal and Vans. We have purchased a watch from the site, and although most cost in the region of £40-£50, the quality and workmanship was wonderful, and it is still going strong, even after being dropped on the floor. Most of the watches featured are extremely hard wearing and all seem to be large and chunky in design.

Also in the accessories is a large display of surfing posters, featuring pictures of crashing waves and stunning scenery. These retail at about £14, but if it is a cheaper gift you are looking for, then continue browsing as there are some bargains to be had in the jewellery section. Chunky chain necklaces can be purchased for £18.99 as well as an impressive range of belts, wallets and purses.

KIDS
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The kids section is relatively small, but has a range of t-shirts and trousers, as well as skate shoes. Do not be fooled into thinking that items will be cheaper here; items such as Animal Hoodys will still cost in the region of £40-60.

ORDERING
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Before any order can be made on the website, it is necessary to set up an account. This is a simple procedure, whereby details of name, address and telephone number have to be inserted, together with a password. On subsequent visits to the site, it is possible to track any orders as well as being able to view previous orders on the site.

Orders can be placed via the website, by telephone, fax or post. Extreme Pie accept all major credit and debit cards, including Splash Plastic, Solo and Switch. After selecting the items for purchase, simply click on the checkout button, which will transport you to a secure area, which uses SSL, in which credit card details have to be inserted. A confirmation email is sent immediately after the order has been made to the email address specified when registering with Extreme Pie.

DELIVERY
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Extreme Pie promise to send all orders out within one day of the order being placed, provided that the item is in stock. Orders are sent out via Royal Mail and Parcel Force, and will normally take between three to five working days. The longest we have had to wait for an order is five days, and over a period of a year, in which we normally order from the site at least once a month, I think this is satisfactory. Delivery charges vary, but providing your item weighs less than 30kg, you can expect to pay £2.95 for the standard delivery. If an order is urgent, it is possible to have it delivered within forty eight hours, provided that the order is placed before mid-day. If this option is chosen, the delivery charge does increase to £4.95. A next day delivery option is also available, again provided that the item is ordered before mid-day, and the delivery charge for this option is £5.95. Unfortunately, if you live in some parts of Scotland or Ireland, it is only possible to have deliveries via the standard option, but full details are available on the site.

It is also possible to order from Extreme Pie if you live abroad, but no definite charges are given. Instead, Extreme Pie advise customers to contact them using the link on the site before ordering.

RETURNS
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Returning goods is a simple procedure, and one that I have only had to undertake on one occasion, as a pair of skate shoes were the wrong size. It is important to call Extreme Pie or contact them via email, to obtain a returns code before sending the item(s) back. Provided that the item is returned to Extreme Pie within fourteen days of the date on the invoice, all monies will be refunded to the consumer, or an alternative order may be placed. Although the consumer has to cover the charge of the returns postage, Extreme Pie will charge no additional postage if a replacement is ordered, but if the item is faulty, all postage will be refunded.

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Although the clothing items on the site are expensive, this is no fault of the site itself. Skateboarding and surfboarding wear are notoriously expensive, much more so than other sporting brands such as Adidas and Nike. I expect to pay in the region of £50-60 for a pair of skate shoes or £50 for a hooded top, unless I can bag some in the bargain section of the site.

As well as a huge selection of clothing and accessories, Extreme Pie also have a selection of sporting videos and DVDs, as well as books, all pertaining to skating, surfing or other sports. Prices in the DVD section tend to be in the region of £20, and I would imagine that these could be purchased more cheaply elsewhere.
Extreme Pie are always pleased to listen to comments from consumers. If a brand of preference is not listed on the site, the company encourage customers to write to them to suggest items for inclusion.

Extreme Pie run regular competitions on the site, on a monthly and a weekly basis. These are normally for items of designer clothing, but sometimes cameras and snowboards are up for grabs. The competitions can be entered by providing a name and email address, and can be entered by anyone, not only customers who have an account.

The customer service is excellent, and any query that I have had regarding delivery has always been answered within a couple of hours of mailing. The site is quick to load, and I can guarantee that we will purchase something each time we visit. The range of designer gear is extensive, with products being updated on a regular basis, and I would recommend the site unreservedly to hardened extreme sports fanatics, or those who prefer a slower pace of life and would rather just buy the clothing!