Just installled the yelp app specifically so I could leave a good review. The man in Maplin…read moreyesterday nr Newcastle town centre was so helpful and knowledgeable. I had a fairly complicated problem with projector/speaker connections and he didnt try to sell me the most expensive solution and worked out what i had been figuring out for days in a couple of minutes. Very impressed with the approach to customer service! Highly recommended chain of shops! Have had good experiences in London shops too. Will be returning frequently!

Maplins is the exception to the rule of high street chain electronic goods shops. The people that…read morework there actually have a clue what's going on. They have massive stock and an even bigger stock of components that I would have usually ordered from the internet, in this case, a laser diode, and they could give me the advice that I needed without anyone having to water things down too much. The staff are also very friendly, and its a pleasant shop to just stroll around and do some window shopping!

Reliable local service. They offer a great repair service with valuable advice and software…read moreadditions for the crashed computer and the clueless nerds (blushing) who happen to limp in their with the great white box. Reliable and trustworthy staff who know exactly what they are doing with software and hardware and the thingymajig chip and what-have-you (unlike some!). Great location at the Oval in Bedlington Station so very easy to get to and the service time is just short enough for you to be able to hook back up for your Youtube fix.

Not just another computer shop, they do fantastic printed t-shirts and other printing services too…read more Excellent reliable service from a friendly team.

They repaired my iPhone 14 broken screen quickly and professionally. The staff members are kind and…read morehelpful. I had a great experience, and it was not the first time. I believe Phone Essence is one of the best phone repair shops in Newcastle.

I purchased a PlayStation and controller from Geekys.co.uk a little over a year ago. Within six…read moremonths, the controller developed faults and was sent back for repair under warranty. Unfortunately, the same issue occurred again shortly after the initial repair. Rather than properly repairing or replacing the controller, Geekys sent a visibly used and damaged unit -- with misaligned casing, a faded serial sticker, and clear signs of water damage. I contacted them immediately and asked for a replacement and a pre-paid return label. It took 17 days and multiple follow-ups just to get the return label -- which then failed at the Post Office due to an invalid barcode. It was delivered and signed for over 11 days ago, yet I've received no replacement, no communication, and no updates since -- despite multiple follow-up emails and proof of delivery. This ongoing issue has left my 9-year-old son without a working controller and me with no support or resolution. I cannot recommend Geekys based on my experience. They've failed to honour their warranty, offered poor communication, and sent out substandard products. Buyers beware.

Great shop great staff always happy and helpfully would recommend for everything from fixing a…read morecomputer to mobile phones as well as selling them

Love Wilko's!! My personal 'go to' place for any home essentials at a bargain price!…read more There's always an offer to be had on cleaning products which understandably no one likes to pay a hefty price for, and there is a pretty sizeable interior decoration section upstairs with all the basics you might need to decorate your bathroom, living room, kitchen, bedroom or garden! Yes it's cheap but actually a lot of it is pretty decent quality too. If your home is in need of a refurb without breaking the bank balance then Wilko's is your store! If you're a sucker for pick n mix at the cinema I'd recommend getting yourself here as they sell Candy King sweets at much cheaper prices. Sometimes a flashback to childhood is just medicine! The only downsides to Wilko's are that the staff always seem irritated if you ask them anything and you will normally have to queue for a fair bit at the tills even when it's quiet.

Hands down I am a huge Wilkinsons fan! After four years of depriving myself from Wilko goodies, I…read moream happy to say that Wilkinsons is still the cheap, reliable place I remember it to be. This is the type of store great for bargain hunters wanting to add some flourish and essentials to their house. This store is huge so I haven't explored it much beyond the pet and stationery sections (the most important bits!) YET, but I can say that these departments are well stocked with a wide selection. As you enter, there's escalators going upstairs to the home department and a cafe, to the right are back-to-school deals and food with 5 till points beyond that. Deeper into the store on the right is the stationery section (which has a good range off DIY and card making goodies) and the pet section is further in with another entrance/exit at the back of the store. The pet aisle is quite big with a good range of own brand treats and branded treats that don't come with the supermarket price tags. The only reason why I'm giving a four-star rating is that there are definitely not enough staff on the tills so the queue was quite long. Also I noticed a lot of dust around and on products... a few more staff members wouldn't go amiss.

Hackers Computers is based in an industrial estate in south shields. and has been open for quite a…read morewhile. The unit is medium in size and is quite well stocked up on components as well as part build and fully built desktops as well as laptops. They also have a website where many people order from then collect in store to save on the postage. The staff are quite technically adept and will answer most questions without any problems. Prices in the unit are about average and can be cheaper if u order online from their website. This is probably one of the better computer outlets located in South Shields.

This branch of WHSmith is the most reviewed branch in Newcastle city centre of WHSmith with an…read moreimpressive 12 reviews on Yelp, including those merged across from Qype. It is probably the largest store I saw on my recent trip to the Tyne and Wear Region of WHSmith, which included branches in Newcastle Central Railway Station, Durham and the Gateshead Metrocentre. This branch was my favourite out of the ones mentioned mainly down to the size, it had a good product range for items such as lever arch folders, drinks and snacks etc. The drink selection was good however I found the 2 for £2.50 promotion to be a tad expensive, considering Superdrug nearby runs a promotion to have 2 for £2, which works out £1.80 with my Unidays Discount however sadly the range they have is much poorer than the WHSmith branch, when comparing the branch nearby to this one. There also is a huge staircase in the store, with the upper floor having some more WHSmith floor space as I recall and a post office. The staff member working seemed friendly enough, although I did have to take longer checking out my items as for some reason the self-service tills wouldn't recognise the 2 for £2.50 offer on my drinks, meaning it would take longer as I had to go to the manned checkout, then I had to go through the slightly longer process of finding my card after being told they don't accept Apple Pay by an employee, only to go on to find out they did accept it and the member of staff who served me didn't know about it. This is a large, decent branch of WHSmith, staff training on payment methods, machines recognising offers and pricing needs to be worked off at paramount importance, but until then this is still a decent store and a nice branch of the chain to warrant a three-star rating.

WHSmith is one of those shops that makes you feel really depressed as soon as you walk through the…read moredoors. This store in particular is very grotty and every visit to it so far has left me feeling deflated. The blue fluorescent lighting makes the shop horrible and dingy and the staff look like they are working in a prison. The store is far too big for what it is (a newsagent) and they never seem to have enough stock to justify the space. Especially upstairs. All that is up there is the post office and stationery, with a huge empty gap in the middle. I only really come here to buy snacks on the go as they have a good selection of confectionery, including American chocolates. I would have left a 1 star review but the confectionery lifts it up to 2. But as a whole, WHSmith works better in the travel industry, like in train stations and airports because their main high street stores are always eerily quiet and depressing, with the only noises being your footsteps and the occasional beeping of the self checkout.

I love this Sainsburys. I can literally find everything. It lives so near my home so I love taking…read moredaily trips just to collect bits and bobs (have to say it's an addiction!) I love the home where Isle. It supplies you with lovely, pinboards, Doorstops, then it has bed pillows, towels, wine glasses. Saw these beautiful dip dyed glasses that where blue-I was good and only picked up one :). If the kids are at school I sometimes take a trip to the upstairs where there's a cafe. There lovely cakes, food, tea, coffee, it's wonderful and I always have a pleasant experience there. The groceries are lovely. They have home brands and proper brands. I love the sainsburys finest, it is posh yet affordable and lovely. My husband seems to love Sainsburys basics- the cover is boring I guess, but they are so cheap and delicious! Example; pack of choc chip cookies- 40p! Kids got homework...no nightmares anymore! My eldest daughter (11) has started high and she has to do a lot of craft work, so I can just stop buy and get paints and card. Also my two kids (5&7) loved it when I come back with an art project like a wooden dinosaur set ( they sell them for only £2, my kids loved it!) ive bought storage boxes, candles, my house is slowly getting better day by day...

This new(ish) Sainsbury's Local should not be relied on. It is just a bit small, which means that…read moreit never seems to have whatever you go in looking for. Unless you just want a bottle of wine of loaf of bread and you are not fussed as to the details. The fruit is veg is especially limited, and the meat range is not much better. It's a handy location, in a city where the only other city centre supermarket type shop is Marks and Spencer's. But they've not really made the most of it.