Brand Alley - www.brandalley.co.uk Review

BrandAlley.co.uk has special deals on branded goods each week. They send regular updates to registered users with this weeks products. During a short period you can order discounted brands, such a Victoria Beckham Jeans, French connection clothing, all at heavily discounted prices (dress at RRP £210 for £37, for example). The available sizes are a good mix, so you can find a good bargain, even if you are not a size 6. All well and good. Until it comes to actually ordering. I ordered a lovely candle which retails at £60 for £20 as a birthday present for my boyfriend. I ordered it 6 weeks before his birthday. Once I sent my order off, I received an e-mail saying that the estimate dispatch time is 3-4 weeks after I ordered, but take payment immediately! Still, that gave me enough time, so I didn't worry too much, but did find it very odd that an online retailer has such long lead times. I then received an e-mail a day after my boyfriends birthday telling me there is a further delay in my order. I used their online contact form and wrote to customer service. I had an automated response, but nothing afterwards, even though the automated response said they would be contacting me within 24h. I had written in my message that I am not interested in receiving the goods anymore. When I checked my account 3 weeks later, the order showed as cancelled, but I had received no notification of it. Shocking non-service. I will certainly never go back.