Maplin stores

[Goldie99]

Maplin have revised the returns policy since going into administration:

https://www.maplin.co.uk/customer-se...ns-and-refunds

Might help if you need to return anything. The telephone service seems to be abandoned, so return to store is probably the safest option, if needed.

[sortedradio]

Originally Posted by Hartley118

Oh dear me. My visit today to the Cambridge Maplin raised my blood pressure by at least 50%!

I'd bought a discounted security camera yesterday, but it turned out unsuitable - it wasn't wifi enabled like its similar predecessor. My fault- should have checked more carefully in the shop. I deliberately didn't open the package so that it would remain saleable. I asked to swap it for a more suitable model, which they had on the shelf, but was met with stonewall refusal. Manager blamed administrator PWC for policy of zero exchange.

Immediately knew I was on to a loser - absolutely no incentive to satisfy the customer's problem. Manager actually said they don't care because they'll be gone in a few weeks. Made me both angry and sad that a previously obliging retailer has sunk to this grim level.

The modest price discounting in no way compensates for the risk of buying from a business in administration.

Caveat emptor: customer service is discontinued. Sad that my final visit should have ended so badly.

Martin

Looking at the new terms and conditions it looks to me as though you should be able to return the item to the store. I would print of or otherwise show the updated terms and conditions to the store manager!

[Hartley118]

Looking at the new terms and conditions it looks to me as though you should be able to return the item to the store. I would print of or otherwise show the updated terms and conditions to the store manager!

Looks like there is more customer protection if the product has been bought online. From the Maplin website:

"All goods purchased from 10 March 2018 in store will be ‘sold as seen’ and returns can only be accepted within 30 days of purchase on the grounds that they are faulty* and with proof of purchase.

All non-faulty goods purchased from 10 March 2018 online can be returned within 30 days from receipt in a 'new' condition (unused and re-saleable), including all packaging, instructions and accessories along with the proof of purchase"

I guess that recent consumer law has focused more on online purchases than face-to-face. And PWC are operating strictly to the letter of the law: the stakeholders to which they're responsible don't include customers.

I've fallen into a loophole!

Martin

[Hartley118]

Originally Posted by Paul Stenning

It may be worth contacting your bank or card company assuming you paid by plastic, to see if you can get a chargeback. There are various rules for this depending on the type of card (check online rather than discussing here) but you may be lucky, especially if the lack of returns was not made clear to you when you purchased.

Worth a try I guess. Not sure I have the time for the call-centre-tedium!

Martin

[ThePillenwerfer]

You've always got more rights if you buy by mail order/on-line. You've then got the right to return goods within fourteen days for any or no reason whereas from a physical shop you only have the right to if it's faulty or not as described. Obviously a lot of retailers now accept change of mind returns as it's good for business but they don't have to.

[Oldcodger]

Meanwhile back on topic "where to get" --I remember getting a USB double socket extension for my motherboard some time ago .( the one I mentioned was a lot cheaper online than in shop). They are now down to £0.63, said to be USB1.1, but I've never had a warning on mine with USB 2 sticks. CODE LY53H.
Not available in any stores I've checked but delivered to store in a few days for NO DELIVERY CHARGE.
Another item I've got my eye on is a CORSAIR 4GB DDR3 MEMORY STICK now reduced to £27.99 and 8GB AT £52.49. I've been looking at 4GB sticks and cheapest I've spotted is circa £40.

[Paul Stenning]

I bought a 64GB SanDisk USB stick in Currys PC World today for £19.99, which is still £1 cheaper than the cheapest in the clearance prices on the Maplin website!

Maplin may have had something cheaper in-store, but Currys PC World is walking distance (city centre) whereas I'd have to drive out to Maplin.

[winston_1]

Originally Posted by sortedradio

Looking at the new terms and conditions it looks to me as though you should be able to return the item to the store. I would print of or otherwise show the updated terms and conditions to the store manager!

Your statuary rights allow you to return faulty goods to whoever you have a contract with (the administrator). They do not allow you to return goods because you bought the wrong thing.
However many retailers go beyond this and will exchange items because you bought the wrong thing but not administrators.

[ionburn]

Originally Posted by Jolly 7

Get some ferrite aerials complete with long and medium wave coils while you can. They were going cheap yesterday at £1.40/- a piece. Bought a couple myself.

Thank you Jolly!

I bought one myself (the last one locally). I am spending a little time with AM radio at the moment so came in well.

[Whaam68]

I popped into the Luton store yesterday thinking I’d bag some cheap Servisol but some blighter had beat me to it....unsurprisingly I wasn’t tempted by the cheapo multimeters still at £20-£40 and a lot of decent(ish) pricier stuff was only 20% off. What was ok was the knobs and switches which were 50% off so I bought a few 250v vintage looking mains panel switches for about £1.50 each and the hook up wire was also 50% off so I picked up a few packs of mid weight colours as they worked out at about £1.70 each. I also bought a velleman strobe kit for £3 god knows why....I felt sorry for it! Still a bizarre experience to the end....fairly clueless staff, lots of them, who spend most of their time talking loudly on walk-in talkies about “potential shoplifters” ....like watch the guy in aisle 2 in the brown hat he looked dodgy.....it’s always been like that in there....very strange.
Mike

[WaveyDipole]

I visited the Leicester store today and a similar story. Most things 20% off, some 30% and some 50%. Many of the most decent useful things seemed to have gone or maybe returned to supplier? I didn't find any SSD drives, or test gear such as Fluke DMMs and Peak meters - all that was left were a couple of cheap DMMs. I did see a couple of Maplin solder stations and a Hakko FX-888 at 20% off and plenty of lead free solder, but since I already own two Weller temperature controlled stations it was a pass. I did pick up a pack of 4 Eneloop AA batteries for my DMM for £8.99, usually around £12-14. I did wonder whether to pick up on of their large combo AA/AAA alkaline battery packs reduced from £19.99 to £13.99 but decided to give it a miss. I found a couple of quality BNC Y-pieces at 50% off (£2.69each) which I was looking for and found online yesterday anyway for about £3.50, so saved me the bother and almost a couple of quid. I also picked up a very nice sturdy Maplin wire stripper at 40% discount and a couple of ABS project boxes which I was after anyway. These seemed to be plenty of toy, gimmick and DJ stuff in which I have no interest. Strangely enough, there were plenty of walkie talkies at 30% off!

So overall, a mildly interesting visit with rather restrained spending.

[philthespark]

Originally Posted by Whaam68

I popped into the Luton store yesterday thinking I’d bag some cheap Servisol but some blighter had beat me to it....unsurprisingly I wasn’t tempted by the cheapo multimeters still at £20-£40 and a lot of decent(ish) pricier stuff was only 20% off. What was ok was the knobs and switches which were 50% off so I bought a few 250v vintage looking mains panel switches for about £1.50 each and the hook up wire was also 50% off so I picked up a few packs of mid weight colours as they worked out at about £1.70 each. I also bought a velleman strobe kit for £3 god knows why....I felt sorry for it! Still a bizarre experience to the end....fairly clueless staff, lots of them, who spend most of their time talking loudly on walk-in talkies about “potential shoplifters” ....like watch the guy in aisle 2 in the brown hat he looked dodgy.....it’s always been like that in there....very strange.
Mike

The shoplifter bit always makes me laugh, I used to shop in a store near me and always got followed by the store detective, initially he'd follow me around like a lost dog, then it got to me being at one end of an aisle and him being at the other. One day I'd spotted a couple of likely lads in the store and watched as they robbed the place blind, as an ex dog handler I found it hilarious that this jobsworth had been so focused on me he'd missed the real offenders, I took great pleasure in not only informing him of his error, but helpfully pointing out the offenders as they legged it down the road.

[Jolly 7]

Originally Posted by ionburn

Thank you Jolly!

I bought one myself (the last one locally). I am spending a little time with AM radio at the moment so came in well.

You are welcome. I too have been experimenting with AM radio building, loop antennas etc recently. Feel free to PM should you wish to share ideas.

[G6Tanuki]

Dropped by the Swindon (Greenbridge) branch this morning and cleared them out of the largest and smallest 'Hammond'-type extruded-aluminium equipment cases, which are my default enclosure for small/cheap projects.

2 large ones and 2 small ones: the large ones were originally listed at around £18 each but I got all four for around £22.

A lot of stuff was still only 20% marked-down - WiFi routers, gaming keyboards etc.

[Sean Williams]

Funny, I have been doing the same at the Stevenage branch, but with all the diecast boxes.

I will not be needing any for some time

[WaveyDipole]

Looks like components and project kits are up to 70% off on their website now.

[G8HQP Dave]

Looked at USB extension cables yesterday. £12.49 (? - from memory) so about £10 with discount. Got home and bought something similar off ebay for £1.49. When the discounts reach 80% they will be competitive.

[WaveyDipole]

Ditto in Leicester the other day. IEC cables were £10 at reduced price. They can be purchased for half that on eBay. I have been very selective in my purchases. I quite agree that most - if not all - of the ready-made cables are still at excessive prices.

[high_vacuum_house]

Looks like the end is neigh for the Rugby store.
Just come back from there to get some LED'S and some electrolytic capacitors.

Most of the components in drawers at the rear of the shop are being sold as complete lots now (as in one complete set of drawers) and cannot be sold individually. I asked how much and between £20 and £70 depending on contents. I had a look but I have no need for a load of odd frequency quartz crystals for a handful of LED'S so I left it.

Quite a few empty shelves now though a lot of stuff there is still considerably more expensive than you can get elsewhere.

Christopher Capener

[audiomagpie]

I went to the Rugby store yesterday. The only things I thought were a good buy were domestic LED lamps, in ses/es/bc fittings, that's all I came away with. Store was quite busy though...