Chrissie

I was worried this course might be boring, but far from it! Our course leader, Lawrence, was very engaging and kept the information flowing at a good pace, making sure we were all following everything and involved. I learnt several things which I didn’t know, especially the “street light rule“. Overall, this was a very positive experience which I thoroughly recommend.

I booked two tours for when we are in Barbados. I found the description of each tour was really useful as it gives an idea of the level of fitness required, the time taken at each stop and what you are likely to find. It was also good to be able to ask for a hotel pick up at the same time.
Obviously, at this stage I have no idea how the tours will compare to the description! Watch this space

The Garden Centre has an excellent choice of all types of plants as well as garden furniture, tools, gifts et cetera. I have found their staff to be very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. And there is the added bonus of other shopping areas, e.g. Pavers under the same roof.
However, unless you are actually able to pick up what you want and drive it away on the day, their ordering and delivery leave a lot to be desired. You cannot order online or over the phone. You cannot arrange delivery over the phone. So multiple visits may be required. And when they deliver, their standard practice is to only phone you when they are actually on their way. In this day and age it is ridiculous not to be able to even specify morning or afternoon. They need to get their act together and get in line with the 21st century.

It is a pity you cannot give zero stars. Like everybody else I fell for the attractive photos of the clothes and the backstory on their website. Ordered a jacket and dress.
Jacket is poor quality but similar to photo and fits apart from the sleeves which are about 3 inches too long.
The dress is nothing like the one I thought I was buying. It is made from some sort of lightweight jersey, with extremely poor, highly visible machine stitching. It is too short and instead of three-quarter length sleeves, the sleeves come over my knuckles.
After a lengthy haggle, I accepted a 10% refund, but this horrible, mumsy, useless dress will have to go to a charity shop.
Neither item has any labels inside - no sizing, no fabric description and no washing instructions.
DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE.

I bought a Dashcam Pro. It was physically easy to fit the front camera but the rear camera did not suit the window in my car, and could only be fitted with it filming upside down. A pity it doesn't swivel on its mount. It was a bit fiddly tucking all the wires away, but I guess this is true for all dash cams.
I initially tried charging the device using the USB cable, which clearly didn't work. So all the programming had to be done once it was plugged into the cigarette lighter in the car with the engine running.
That said, it now starts up automatically filming as soon as my engine is started. I have not tried to download any films as I only intend to do that in case of an accident. It is good to know that the SD card will automatically overwrite older footage, so I can leave it in there without worrying until I need a piece of film.

Update 9th August: it transpired that the camera was only recording video, not audio. After an exchange of emails with the company, including me sending them some faulty recordings, they sent me a new camera which arrived very quickly. This works perfectly.

I would like to applaud the customer service.

Having tried to get hold of local plumbers without success, I was very relieved when I got hold of this company who answered quickly and agreed to send somebody out today. There is basically no such thing as a non-urgent leak! A very pleasant man turned up on time, and fixed the problem (which was in a very difficult constricted space). All things considered, I thought the price charged was fair.

Chat was answered quickly and Dayaan Lakay was efficient and helpful. thank you.

I ordered dipping resin, wire and a wool block. The parcel arrived in under 48 hours, with each part well-wrapped in recyclable packaging. Everything was as I wanted and the products are good quality.

Getting my Indian visa was made really easy, and it came through very quickly.

I wish I could give zero stars, but as the minimum is 1 star, let’s assume this is because the staff I spoke to and chatted to were unfailingly polite and trying to be helpful.

My purchase of a washing machine from Appliances Direct was easy to do online and I was offered a choice of delivery dates to suit. I also paid for the installation of the new machine and the removal of the old one.

But the actual delivery process was absolutely appalling. It started reasonably well on the original delivery date with clear text messages from the ArrowXL drivers, but unfortunately the lorry broke down and my new machine was returned to the depot. Thereafter I entered a never-ending circle of hell.

Four subsequent deliveries were requested from ArrowXL, agreed to, but never materialised on the day. I had to chase people from pillar to post to get any information, and was repeatedly assured by both Appliances Direct and ArrowXL that my order was being dealt with and all was going to be fine. The Arrow customer service helpline did not seem capable of speaking directly to their transport people, and the question of removal of the old machine became a matter which bounced me between the retailer and Arrow.

During two and a half weeks I had to plan for these non-existent deliveries, messing about my family, friends and work colleagues, changing health appointments and relying on my neighbours’ kindness to get washing done.

The machine was finally delivered after the fifth scheduled delivery failed and I had a meltdown on the phone, (it takes a lot to make me cry in public but I just got to the end of my tether.). This eventual delivery and removal were done by ArrowXL using two separate teams in lorries clearly set up at the last minute.

Unfortunately, when you buy from a retailer it is not always clear which delivery company they will be using. I would suggest that Appliances Direct check how ArrowXL treat their customers.

I found it really helpful to be able to see a profile of potential borrowers, giving the distance they lived from me, and also what kind of dog they were looking for. Some people want a sporty dog to go jogging with, others want something that will tolerate small children. I was delighted to find someone who wanted a quiet, friendly, elderly dog to take on medium length walks on an occasional basis. The arrangement suits us both fine and my dog is not having to be left at home for long periods when I need to go somewhere. The membership fee ensures peace of mind too. Overall a brilliant concept and a great organisation.

Website was easy to use and instructions were clear.

My dog LOVES this food. He is only little and so a 500g tub does him three days. He prefers the poultry flavours. He is always full of energy and his coat is in good shape. The food arrives frozen and has to be defrosted thoroughly - I allow 2-3 days in the fridge. When I am getting low I know that I can order a new box and it will come within a couple of days, which is very reassuring. I have to say the food can pong a bit (!) but it is sealed in its box and doesn’t affect the fridge. I would thoroughly recommend the food.

The usual great service - great product and a quick delivery. My dog loves this food and it keeps him much healthier than his previous diet of dried food. He is a small dog and so the option of having small tubs means the food doesn’t go off.

Parking space was exactly as described and easy to find. Great service. Saved me a fortune in station parking fees!

I find the Clara-Olivia website easy to use, with a good search and filter facility.
They have a wide choice of good quality products and most of it is "in stock" which is a refreshing change from other sites. Everything I have bought from them has been exactly as described and has arrived within a quick time, even though I live overseas.
I pay by Paypal and this works really well.
I would thoroughly recommend this company to everyone.