Extele www.extele.net

Ordered phone 15th August for 1-2 day delivery, waited 3 days, no phone received, no explanatory email, no curtsey phone call, After repeatedly trying to contact them, finally got through to a Lady who was not concerned at all about the level of service but simply said she'll organise delivery for the next day and abruptly put the phone down. Surprise surprise, no phone the next day. I rang using autodial every two minutes for four hours without a reply, and of course they do not answer my emails. I asked Shopsafe to intervene on my behalf, guess what? They wouldn't talk to shopsafe either and we understand that they will be removed from the Shopsafe site and if they are not, what more could a company do to get removed from such a site? Do not use this company if you require a phone. I will keep you informed of any developments, I don't give up easily.

On the second time of use, I'm happy to say that my buying experience was infinitely better than before (you may wish see my other review of Extele, also on this site).

This time, there were no problems at all. As a result, my review is very similar to the first, except with some positive outcomes, making the overall Extele shopping experience very satisfying.

***Short Intro to the Business***

Extele.com state they are among the UK's largest suppliers of SIM-free handsets to the retail sector. They also state they are an Authorised Dealer, furthering that they are fully backed by leading manufacturers, and officially appointed / authorised dealers for all major brands. They appear to have 4 years experience in the telecommunications market.

***Product Range and Competitiveness***

Extensive SIM-free product range.

*Very* competitive. Offer among lowest prices available in internet for UK buyers...

Similarly to before, my personal choice was to buy a low-cost SIM-free handset.

The item was a Nokia 7210, priced at £119 on a special offer (a *very* competitive retail price at the time of writing, 13/02/04)...

***Site Design***

Professional site design.

i.e., professional appearance, colour scheme, layout, structure, and good use of web technology.

***Customer Service***

I didn't need the help of Extele's customer services this time round, so I can't really comment on this one.

***Delivery***

Extele state that most orders are generally processed/delivered anywhere to the UK mainland within 1-2 working days of payment.

It seems that goods are delivered via Royal Mail, which may help to keep costs low.

Some may not like this however.

In any case, I received my goods *very* promptly, a few days after payment. I also signed for delivery, which seems to imply that the Royal Mail's Special Delivery system is used.

***Bottom-Line***

I'd say that Extele are a good business. Others appear to have had good experiences with them (according to the firm's Testimonials page)...

The first time I ordered with them, although prices were competitive, the goods didn't arrive. This time, goods were very competitively priced, and delivery was super-fast.

I was happy with the experience, and will most probably use the site again.

Extele.com feel they are UK's largest supplier of SIM-free handsets to retail sector. They state that they have 4 years of experience in the telecoms market.

Extele stock an extensive SIM-free product range, and offer very competitive prices. Indeed, they offer among the lowest prices available on internet.

Unfortunately, I received very poor support with my order. Details are as follows:

Order made.

Extele conduct rapid transaction of funds from credit card account.

Order does not arrive for around 20-25 days.

Multiple phone calls made, but engaged line / office closed message.

E-mail sent to enquire about lack of delivery. No reply.

'Harsher' e-mail sent to inform that would be reversing fund transaction via credit card company.

Some time later, money refunded. Speculate that this was attributable to intervention of credit card company - not goodwill of retailer.

***Bottom-Line***

Extele are apparently a good business. Others appear to have had good experiences with them (according to the firm's Testimonials page)...

However, I have not. I have made another (small) order, so we'll see what happens this time...

Note: Reason why the "Would you recommend this to a friend?" option has been set to "yes" is due to curiosity about site. (In other words, I'd like to know about others' experiences with Extele...)