In the last 8 months I have spent over £800 on the BrandAlley website, and that is not including the orders that for some reason or another had to be cancelled or refunded(which accounts for another £350-plus), so all in all, since March over £1100 has left my personal bank account to go to BrandAlley's account.

I only bring this up to give you the background on the fact that I am a loyal customer, I represent repeat business and up until recently I felt like they treated me well. But now I certainly feel otherwise. And have expressed this to BrandAlley via email(and for the record they still haven't replied, I feel like they cannot be bothered with hearing my complaints, I will outline these complaints momentarily, and you will see that they are valid and should be addressed rather than brushed under the rug).

I placed an order on 21/09/15, it stated the order may take up to one month to reach me (poor time frame but with a flash sale website these things should be taken into account, so I was prepared for the wait).

They sent the first half of the order to me relatively quickly - I was excited, but when I opened the package, the item was a different colour (!) than the one displayed on the website, so I sent it back for a refund. This was frustrating but I let it slide as BrandAlley had been pretty decent with me up until now (for the most part).

Then, I was left to wait for the second part of my order to arrive. A month passed, and... nothing. So I got in touch with them. They explained that not only had they missed the deadline to send me the item, they hadn't even received it from their supplier (as if that is a reason that I should just accept as a customer - is it my fault they are in business with a supplier that takes over a month to deliver a small but rather expensive item? An item, I might add that was to be given as a special gift for someone dear to me? And when this didnt arrive in time I had to go out of pocket and settle for something less than 'perfect', in my opinion).

Naturally I was unhappy, and frustrated. I went back and forth with Brandalley exchanging emails. I was mad/upset/frustrated because they were quick to take my money, and held my money for about 5-6 weeks, yet completely messed up my order - they sent the wrong item, and then failed to deliver the second.

As a repeat customer I felt this wasn't good enough. I requested a refund which they granted and I expressed a feeling that given the fact I had basically in some small way helped their cash flow by them holding my money(and me getting literally NOTHING) in return, AND the fact that I was a repeat customer AND the fact that this whole shopping experience caused me to go out of pocket because they couldnt stick to their end of the deal AND taking into account the hassle/frustration this brought to my life, I felt I was due some kind of compensation.

They weren't as forthcoming as I would have expected (they had easily offered me £20 vouchers in the past for situations that were nowhere near as bad/poor as this one), and they finally settled on compensating me with a £10 voucher.

SO, lets do the math, in the last 8 months over £1100 goes from my account to Brand Alleys account, we make a deal(meaning the online transaction meaning I pay for something, they send it in an allotted time frame), they break the deal(failing miserably to send the right item, or send an item at all), and then, after me taking the time to send multiple emails explaining my situation, explaining that I am a return customer(which they should already be well aware of), explaining that because of this I had to go out of pocket and take time out of my life to cover-up their shortcomings and then express a feeling that I should receive some compensation - they hit me with a £10 voucher(Ask yourself - after waiting over 5 or 6 weeks and paying for something that never got there and been stressed trying to find a replacement gift and having to physically go out and get the gift because time is of the essence - would £10 suffice? Would that make things better? I didnt think so).

If anything that £10 voucher was a HUGE slap in the face and as such has totally changed the way I think of and view Brandalley.

When I replied via email that I felt this way, I was told they were 'sorry' but they weren't going to increase the voucher value.

So now I'm left thinking 'Man, you're fine to take my money right away, a lot more money that you're giving me, I keep my end of the deal and you totally break yours, and as a customer, after all that, I am worth £10 to you?' It's highly insulting to say the least and I would not wish for anyone else to feel this way.

Hence why I am writing this, be aware.

Oh and I have not had a reply to my last email from a week ago, the one where I expressed the feeling that the £10 voucher was an insult. I guess they have washed their hands of that issue.

Poor, poor, poor customer service and customer care.

On another note, I have had great dealings with Bestsecret.com and secretsales.com.

For reference, the Duty Manager's name is Chris; he's the one who stated that the £10 voucher was a gesture of goodwill. Saying "I understand where you're coming from, however a gesture of goodwill is exactly that... I will not be increasing the amount"

I do not think he should feel he's in a position to be stubborn with a customer that he has completely disappointed, but like I said, I must not mean anything to him or his company.

So please, consumers be aware, these people will not treat you well. They will take your money right away, but when something goes wrong for you, they will disrespect you and treat you like nothing. Their word is final.

And, in a world with so many consumer choices, it does not have to be like that. The customer chooses, not the companies.

Stay away from BrandAlley. You don't need to go through what I went through.

Thanks for listening,

A disgruntled former BrandAlley customer.