Trundling along North Street I'd almost given up looking for Maplin's and headed to P.C. World when…read morea man asked me for directions. I couldn't help him and said in passing that I was looking for Maplin's, he promptly gave me directions and I was soon in this Aladdin's Cave of electrical components. Being slightly out of the city centre this electronics shop is vast compared to my other experiences of Maplin's. You can get loads of little bits from transistors, to hard drives and a cacophony of wires to larger goods such as disco lights. Everything is here to enable you to vamp up any gadget you may have lurking in the house. Despite the size the layout is well devised, staff are able to find things quickly and can offer what seems to be knowledgeable advice on what you need, although I am no expert.

This place is my mecca. Maplin to me is like a shoe shop to the wife! I have spent many hours just…read morewandering around here playing with gadgets and boys toys, the disco lights area is a favourite but I do get funny looks when I'm doing my Saturday Night Fever routine. If you need anything electronic you will find it here, from a tiny resistor to a great big speaker they will have it! The only thing that stops this place from being 5 star is they can be pricey on componenets compared with Farnells and CPC but if you need it today and need any advice this lot will sort you out :)

This is a huge Currys store located in Leeds city centre, it is a short walk away from Trinity…read moreLeeds, and The Town Hall at The Basilica. The store is surprisingly large for a city centre location, it's over two floors, but with escalators going up only if you're heading down you'll need to use the stairs or find the elevator. The store stocks a wide range of electronics from computers to printers, TV's to smart speakers, as well as accessories including ink, and laptop carrying cases. There is a small Apple section, although I much prefer John Lewis at the Victoria Quarter or the Apple Store inside Trinity for Apple products, as the selection is limited. Although they had the advertising in-store for the iPhone 15, the only model out to demo was the iPhone 14, they also seemed to only have the older MacBook Pro's compared to the latest generation - what's the deal with that? The location is great for those who are in the city centre but the problem with this is that the store doesn't have parking, and for a store that specialises in large electronic items from printers to laptops and TVs, that isn't practical, there is Q-Park St Johns Centre which is located a five-minute walk away, but again depending on what you're buying, this could be hard to carry around a busy city centre on foot. 4* - It's a huge store, which is rare for a city centre, being located closer to parking and ensuring they stock a range of the latest tech would be big improvements, otherwise they risk becoming more of an outlet.

Leeds Currys at Headrow, I went in to ask for tech advice, the member of staff I spoke to was very…read morerude and unfriendly, its like I asked him for a pint of blood, was not bothered at all, and spoke with attitiude, no respect for customers at all, in future I will take my custom elsewhere

Yesterday I sold 2 mobile phones and was told the money would be in my bank by 12.00 the next day…read more The CeX site also states the same. On arriving home, I checked the receipt of goods ticket with both amounts totalling £0.00. I can only assume that the store have decided that I don't deserve the money for the items I sold. Should have sold on eBay. EDIT: further to the response from Cex. Both phones were immediately priced with the HTC U11 being labelled at £82.00 and put straight on the shelf for sale. I was told I would receive £46.50 for both phones. £5.00 was deducted per phone to add a charging lead. As I haven't received a penny for the phones, technically I still own them. I'll let any reader of this review draw their own conclusions re the ramifications of such actions.

The staff at this Leeds branch today were absolutely fantastic! long story short, they cleared up…read morethe right mess another Cex store, in Derby, had made. They went beyond what they had to to help me and I couldn't be more grateful

TradeMeIn is one of the few, independent stores which buy and sell games, mobile phones and tech…read moreitems, it's most similar rivals include CeX and Game, both of which have stores nearby, for me this store is much more modern and vibrant than other trade-in retailers with a blue theme, it just felt clean and modern inside which you generally don't get with CeX. The location is in Leeds centre, although being in St John's it is a little isolated and doesn't get the footfall which the main city centre and the likes of The Trinity does. The quotes here for trading in items seems rather generous, although for my phone I had been quoted higher from both Mazuma Mobile and Music Magpie, the quote I was given was much higher than any mobile phone networks recycle scheme and their nearest competitors, Game and CEX. The store was a little small, so the selection could have been better. There was a large selection of more older games and DVD's compared too new-ones. I don't like their website, it makes it rather difficult to set up an order and the database just doesn't work online, for example, if you searched for an iPhone it would come up starting with 3GS first, with around 20+ pages, and if you search the iPhone name and model exactly, it doesn't come up so this filtering system just isn't working and needs work, to improve the customer experience before coming into the store. With trade-in prices on average better than its closest rivals, yet not the best overall and a good store feel which is how a trade-in store should be, of course, it can improve based on making sure it is easier to get a quote, and perhaps the size of the store and location to a certain extent, it still is a slightly above average store in general and anything less than a three-star rating would surely be an insult for a store which I see high potential in to be upgraded in the future.

PC Consumables has got the right idea - key student location - ideal for all those panicky moments…read morewhen your laptop goes down, or you need an extra USB stick and so on. Although the staff are friendly enough you certainly get the sense that perhaps the keeness lies in selling you a few bits rather than necessarily going out of their way to be helpful. That said it's so conveniently situated it is great to quickly nip into and fill up on basics, like my ever dwindling printer ink supply, and for that I'm grateful. If anything their prices seem to challenge that of the larger supply stores although I still haven't found anyone to challenge Wilko's for my Canon ink cartridges! A handy place to go if you're running out of time and live within the vicinity, but nothing ultra special either.

PC Consumables is located on Headingley Lane, just in Hyde Park, an ideal location for any student…read morewho's computer has had a meltdown. They sell every computer staple you really need, including blank CDs, USBs, printer ink etc etc, and the man behind the counter fixes computers. A few years back, my laptop broke, and I desperately needed it fixing, without sending it away. PC Consumables was close to my halls, so I decided to go there, instead of taking it into town, so I could just pick it up on the way home from uni. When I went to pick it up, I was fed a load of jargon, and if I'm honest, I was not sure about whether I trusted him. But he said it was fixed- at the steep and crippling price of £100. Needless to say, I was devastated when it still kept on turning off unprompted, and he appeared to have done nothing. Angrily, I went back and, having had my own theories about what was actually wrong with it, I told him. He said he'd have a look. Sure enough, I was right (to a certain extent), and he fixed the computer "for free". He said there would be no charge. At the time, I couldn't have thanked him enough, as it was working perfectly again, but on reflection, I'd been well and truely 'done'.. and I am still bitter.. Having got over this minor mishap, years on, I still use PC Consumables when I'm passing. It's good residential location and (other than for the fixing) cheap prices makes it a very handy little place if you desperately are in need of ink or a USB stick.

I went in to this niche little electronics shop in Headingley with a friend who had just moved into…read morea new flat - he was looking for some kind of funky speaker system to pimp out his living room, and although we left without actually buying anything, I felt I had to give this place a review. The guys working here are very friendly, and you get the impression that they treat every customer differently, and with great care - they try to pander to your every custom-made need, whether you want a simple speaker set, or a full multi-room entertainment system installed. You can tell they have a real passion for making people enjoy home entertainment, but as they stock specialist products and offer such a fine taylor-made service, the prices may put you off. I plan to return here when I have more money than sense. One day...

I've been buying my audio goodies from this shop for 35 years…read more The first sytem they built for me lasted 25 years! I then made the erorr of buying stuff from somewhere else which lasted only a rubbish 5 years! So I returned to Audio Projects 5 years ago, and guess what, tho technology's changed, you still get the best advice, the most helpful, personal customer service, and the most amazing, durable, quality products (and Bill is still there too!). They are probably a bit more expensive in the short term, but will work out cheaper in the longer term because they LAST. And they are the best your ears will ever hear. It's very rare these days to still have around shops like this - small independents which care - about their customers, their service and their products. Use em and treasure em people, or you could lose em...

I had 2 laptops which required an expert to get them operating properly again. The owner dropped…read moreeverything he was doing and sorted both laptops out straight away in half an hour. Very impressed with the service and knowledge of this guy. I highly recommend this place and wouldn't think twice of using them again.

On a whim I decided to nip by here to see if they had camera memory cards, as it's all too often…read morethat I take a whole bunch of photos and then have to go back and delete choice ones to continue snapping. I wasn't sure if they would have my size but went in and had a mini mooch before one of their staff members asked me if I needed any help. I told him about my scenario and sadly they didn't have the memory cards of my size, but that he could order one in if necessary. I asked him how much they'd be, as I'd forgotten how much the original one was, and he was pretty honest to say that it was fairly expensive to get one in. I said I'd have a think and get back to him, as it was only on the off-chance that I popped in. As I was leaving I noticed under the counter their hoards of mobile phones, including what I believe to be an iPhone 3GS, so I'll have to have a think on that one too since I've been lusting after one for far too long now!

Man this shop is pokey!…read more Big Deal sell a good deal of stuff for such a small space, that is for sure. Their goods range mostly in music items and electrical goods, most especially amplifiers and guitars although there are a number of other items on sale here too. As a lot of the items have been part exchanged/are second hand it means they offer reasonably competetive prices on their goods. The main issue with this, though, is that when searching for musical items money isn't (and shouldn't be) the main factor. I'm not saying one should go crazy, but it doesn't matter how cheap their Takemine might be, that doesn't mean it is a better deal than a full price elsewhere. I'll elaborate. Unfortunately therein lies the problems with musical instruments - line up seven of exactly the same guitar from the same factory from the same day, and one will be miles above the others for sound quality. One will sing and you'll notice it compared to the others. There just aren't two guitars the same - you can test this yourself by annoying the salesmen in any guitar shop in Leeds and ask to play as many of the same brand and issue as they have! (In buying a guitar recently I did just this to weedle out the best one!) What I'm getting at is that Big Deal have a lot of great offers and some very nice prices, but be sure to test the item first and make sure it sings as well as it should. Unless you've naught the patience for all that, in which case, go enjoy a bargain!

Smiling, helpful, knowledgeable staff in a shop that is tiny and jam packed with so much electrical…read morestuff that is all looked like a black haze to me. If you need anything electrical from cables to speakers, turntables to laptops, guitars and lights they are likely to have it for a good price although this value seems to have decreased (i.e. prices have risen) since el crunchio. You get a three month guarantee with most items and part-exchanges are welcome. Many of my friends have happily purchased second-hand laptops from here (after a mass laptop theft) and all are happy with their purchases. Enjoy a tight-squeezed browse or just ask what you are after and the men will be glad to help.

Smann Wholesalers is a wholesaler of electrical equipment and hardware. They sell all kinds of…read moreelectrical fixtures and fittings for lights and sockets as well as all the tools and hardware you'd expect from a regular D.I.Y. shop. It's a great place for local businesses to come for some good deals and the personal service of an independent shop. They also sell to individual non-commercial customers so if you're keen when it comes to D.I.Y. (and have more of an idea what you're doing than I would!) you can find the stuff you need to install electrical equipment while saving loads of dosh by not having to pay an electrician to come and install lit for you. Great!