Variete www.variete.co.uk

Do not go near this company, they have an impressive website but can not back it up, slow to deliver, no one knows what is happening, the staff put the phone down on you - all in all this must have been the worst online shopping experience I have ever had. STAY WELL AWAY FROM THEM !!!

I ordered an item on 18th December after Variete confirmed it would be received before Christmas. It wasn't even shipped by Christmas Eve, so I cancelled my order on 24th December. The cancellation was confirmed on 27th December, but on 29th December the item was shipped without my knowledge. I then chased for my refund only to discover that the item was left outside my property by the courier company on 31st December - a week after I cancelled my order! The item was not found outside my property and nobody had signed for it, however Variete are refusing to give me a refund. I am still arguing for a refund on the grounds that I cancelled the item within my legal 7-day cancellation window and before my order was shipped, therefore I do not consider myself responsible for its lost because, when cancelled before shipping, any continuation of the delivery process is, by law, considered unsolicited post. They should not have shipped a cancelled order in the first place. Very unprofessional company who have little knowledge of consumer law.

Ordered before noon to receive free next day delivery via Royal Mail, TNT, DHL or Fedex all of which are reputable couriers.

Didn't receive any tracking information until I asked. Then was told that the shipment had been collected by XDP. Who I have never heard of... Turns out that they are closed from the 25/12/12 until 2/01/13.

Now the tracking info states 3 parts of my bed are out for delivery and another part has been split at the depot.

I have no idea what that means, surprise surprise I have received nothing...

I'll be on the phone tomorrow to hopefully get my order delivered before Christmas '13

USELESS, AVOID.

I ordered a bedstead from this company on the 11 December, and emailed them to ask them if they could deliver on the 12 or 13 after 3.30pm or else anytime on the 14th. Got an email back to say time specific wasn't possible so they booked me in for the 14th. I sat at home all day, and called variete in the morning to be told that it would be delivered between 9am to 5pm. At 3pm still no sign so I decided to call and ask for the contact details of the company. Was given same, tracked it online to show that a delivery had been attempted, nobody was home and a card was left! I had been at home all day, no card was left and no phone call was made to me! The delivery company they use - Citylink are dreadful, the guy who would not put me through to a manager, advised me that a manager would eventually call me back to tell me the same thing.

So I then called variete back, spoke with a guy who advised me that there wasn't anything more he could do and that i'd now have to wait to the Monday to have it delivered. Said it was not good enough as I needed it asap and took the day off work for it, then spoke with his Manager. The Manager advised me she would call to see if it was possible to have them deliver it in the evening. It was 4.50pm and no call from the Manager still, bearing in mind it's a Friday evening and variete closes at 5pm, therefore I called again and she answered the phone, so I have my doubts if she really is the Manager. She advised me she couldn't get them to deliver it so I would have to wait to Monday. I advised her I needed it before then, and therefore if I went out and bought one would she refund me. She said she would make a decision to refund the carrier fee when it was returned however I could have a refund for the bedstead. I explained to her she was a manager and why is she not capable of making a decision to refund it in it's entirety as there was no logic behind her behaviour but she would not budge on it. She also said she could not contact the courier and have them return it, that I would have to refuse delivery. Therefore I was left in the dark as to whether or not she would actually refund it. I asked to speak to her Manager only to be told that she only works Tuesday to Thursday so would have to wait to then! Also told it was not possible to have her email address!

Afterwards I went online to discover that citylink offer a saturday delivery service which has to be booked through the company who sent the goods, I don't know why the Manager did not offer this as an alternative, maybe because she did not want to spend the extra money. Also noticed that their warehouse was nearby and I could pick it up anytime up to 9pm, again this was not pointed out to me. In the end I drove to the warehouse and picked up the goods myself.

I will never do business with variete.co.uk ever again, i have just moved home and have quite a lot of furniture to buy, however I most definitely will not be choosing this cowboy company and courier service again.

Delighted with our purchase. Well designed, well made, well finished...... Delivery was efficient and timely.

I ordered a TV unit and they sent me an email to inform me it is out of stock and with their promise to keep me informed I have waited for my goods to be delivered when available. And they did keep their promise. I received the TV stand on the exact day requested and it is of excellent quality. I really appreciate Variete for their efficiency and professionalism. Thoroughly recommended!

I have ordered from Varite three times already, twice to add pieces to my home and once as a gift for a cousin. Their service has been spotless, I've always received the orders when they were due and the products were in excellent condition, as advertised.

I once couldn't find a piece I needed for a drawer and called to report I didn't receive it and to have it sent to me. The staff was very helpful and patient and said they'd deliver it in the following days, no cost, only for me to finally find the missing piece somewhere around the opened box. Eh, I then called to cancel. Their customer service was great, the delivery is speedy and I'm happy with their products, so I highly recommend them.

I placed an order for a Verona mid sleeper bed. It took over 1 week to process the order (however they have my money for 1 week) . I have to chase the order, 7 days later as the order still shows processing on the on-line tracking. I ring to speak and someone is going to call me back....... This doesn't happen, I ring again and I am told the courier has been arranged.

Delivery day- I ring the courier to try and get a more accurate time as I have the school run to do. I am successful and it gets delivered BUT beware, on Varietes website it clearly states if the packaging is damaged and you don't sign for this if when you unpackaged it and find damage you could be liable. I remembered this and guess what....... The bloody bed did not even come in a box!!!!!! So I was not shocked when the bed was damaged.

Anyway to cut a very, very long story short. I took photos and emailed them to the customer service department that dont accept phone calls?! They have said its too much damage to send replacement parts and so need to collect the whole bed, can't give me an exact time someone can wait in all day tomorrow then once they have checked the damage they will look to re-arrange for another one to be sent?! This is clearly not acceptable.

They refuse to speak to you and I have called everyday from 9am - 5pm to chase them for the past 5 days. Today finally they will collect the bed tomorrow and hopefully refund on Wednesday!

The attitude is disgusting. I paid £300.00 and they cannot help me. I have now ordered from NEXT where I should have bought from in the first place. The quality of the furniture is awful. Steer Clear from this obismal company.

Bought an AV unit which was on lower price on their website. They mentioned it will be available after about 1 month. I accepted and they took payment. After 1 month waiting, they emailed that the item is not available and gave me alternative options which was more costly.

They should not sell items if they are not sure they will get it. Also in such circumstances good companies offer some discounts etc. for alternative products.

Many companies show things on website in cheapest price but when you go to buy they do not have it. This cheap practice shows them seeling things cheap, is not good for consumers

This company ripped me off.

I purchased a furniture set from their website. The accompanying photograph showed a coffee table, lamp table and sofa table. In the 'what's included' description, it clearly bullet-pointed the three items. When only two were delivered (late, of course) I rang up to see where the sofa table was. They said it wasn't included and wanted an additional £200.

In error or otherwise, it definitely was. They have now changed their website – adding a field to select an optional sofa table – but will not send me the goods I have paid for. This clearly contravenes the Sale of Goods Act 1979 because the goods were not as described.

And they will only accept returns if I pay for the large items of furniture to be sent to them. This is totally unacceptable, seeing as they haven’t sent me what I ordered and paid for. When you try and complain, you can never talk to anyone. When I emailed them asking why I should pay to return items due to their breach of contract, they have cut me off all together.

Citizens Advice has now referred Variete.co.uk to Trading Standards. DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY. It's everything you fear when you buy online from an unknown source.