Argos stores are a dying breed on the UK high-street now, which I have noticed even before the…read morepandemic started, a brand which was once in almost every town of the country, associated with the famous catalogue, in a digital era, gone are the day's, one would walk into an Argos store and browse the huge catalogue, writing down the product number on a tiny paper, now people will most likely order the item ahead online, to pick-up or pay in store. Many Argos concessions are now located inside Sainsbury's stores too, meaning the need for this store is even less. This location isn't too bad, located in the Manchester Arndale, it is located on the Upper Level, close to the inside steps to the Food Court, it is one of the largest Argos stores I've seen and often has most items in-stock, or avaliable to order online within a day or two. I do prefer to pay for the items online, as it can take a while for them to find your item in the warehouse. While the service is average, it can be a little slow even at the checkout. Most items are competitively priced for a high-street store, in some cases they price-match with Amazon, but they are rarely cheaper. 3* - This store is OK, but I can't see it lasting much longer with the company moving towards Argos stores, it wouldn't surprise me if they added a concession in the Sainsbury's at Regent Road, with pick-up points in the conviniance stores around the city.

Argos....oh Argos how we love you. We love the fact that we can go into the shop....open your…read morelittle catalogue and find anything and everythingwe could possibly need. We love the fact the fact that when we have found what we want we type in a little number and it tells it if you have it...which you normally do. We are estactic about the fact we get given a little ticket and then we can park our little bums and just wait for our number to be called. The glee on our faces when you bring our treasure from the never ending hidden storeroom. Argos we love you!

I'm having a total shopping on the internet backlash myself, especially for big purchases. Richer…read moreSounds love this. This is their goal, their mission. They are blinded by anything other than getting shoppers back into stores with experts to help guide their choices. Looking at the physical object that you will be parting with your hard earned cash for; comparing it side by side rather than just comparing two teensy images. The staff are really what make this place- they are all obviously so passionate about the products themselves that they would never dream of trying to rip off the customer. They are excited to get more people using high quality electronics and it shows. Specialising in hi-fi, home cinema and flat screen TVs, Richer Sounds should be your go-to store. Find out the latest technological developments, which competitors the team deem to have the edge - even get something custom made to your requirements. I guarantee you won't be able to calm them down if you go in and ask about this. Like the staff in the electronics store in The Forty Year Old Virgin but much more trustworthy..

Someone suggested I try here when my TV broke recently. I had a look on their website which gave…read moreme a good indication of the range they hold and the prices. Like Sophie C, I was apprehensive about parting with my cash without seeing the physical object I wanted to buy. I was also getting slightly confused between all the new telly talk (having never had to buy a telly before since I was lucky enough to receive a hand me down from my brother about 10 years ago!). The store was easy to find, just a couple of minutes off the M60 motorway. There is no on street parking, but there is a small off street car park just round the corner. The staff were very helpful, answering all my silly questions and helping me select the best set to meet my requirements. I only wanted a small telly and the selection available was far more extensive than some of the other major electrical retailers, and mainly focused on your better known/better quality manufacturers. One of the key benefits of Richer Sounds is the five year guarantee they offer for 10 per cent of the purchase price which is much better value than its main competitors. I would certainly recommend Richer Sounds to others, and will be visiting here again should I need any other AV equipment.

My father makes me laugh. Whenever he talks about Maplin, he says, 'You don't want to talk to the…read moreguys on the floor. You want to talk to the ones they keep in the back, they're the experts.' I have to say, whenever I've gone into Maplin when one of the men in my life has been in there, I've always stood by for a good twenty minutes while they engage the assistants in a very technical conversation. Last time I experienced this I was sceptical as I listened, thinking, those questions are way too specific for a sales assistant. How wrong I was. Out came incomprehensible jargon about wattage and cables and warmth and flange. Some of that may have been made up. Oh mercy me. This guy was only a blooming expert. So it's safe to say that Maplin employ people who know what they're talking about. Similarly, ages ago my father was buying some kind of cable that would... do something with the computer and the TV. Again, the guy spoke another language, one my dear dad perfectly understood. The one beef I do have with Maplin is that things seem a tad unnecessarily expensive in there, when it comes to things like adapters for European plug sockets and the like. But as well as a range of intricate electrical goods, fusers, gender changers (gender changers?), they do sell fun stuff, such as electronic gifts for kids and computer table accessories. It's a great little standby that exists in our very own delightful Regent Retail Park, and is a great place to pop in if that essential cable, scart lead or something else electronic isn't available in your average supermarket. The staff are particularly helpful, as I've demonstrated, and the shop is laid out simply and cleanly, making it easy to navigate. As for those experts in the back, well, I do wonder why they keep them there. Perhaps there's a fine line between flash sales assistant and fully-fledged nerd in the world of Maplin (see also, Apple Stores)...

Review for CeX Arndale Manchester - A Wasted 24 Hours and a Damaged Device…read more I regret to say that my recent experience with CeX Arndale Manchester was not only deeply disappointing but also a telling symbol of why this company may not exist in the next 20 years. I handed in a pristine device, expecting a straightforward evaluation, only to have 24 hours of my time wasted, only to be told that my phone was "not sellable." More disturbingly, the device was returned to me with two fresh marks/scratches that were not there before. The damage was done, quite visibly, and the person who returned it to me a female staff member seemed unaware or indifferent to the fact that the device had clearly been mishandled during their assessment process. This kind of carelessness is not just unacceptableit i s corrosive to any customer-facing business. The irony here is tragic: the very company that prides itself on being a marketplace for used electronics seems to be accelerating its own obsolescence by treating both customers and their devices with such disregard. If this is how CeX treats the people it relies on to sustain its inventory, it's no wonder many consumers are moving toward decentralized tech trade-ins and platforms that operate with transparency, speed, and respect. In an age of intelligent automation, blockchain-based transactions, and next-gen peer-to-peer resale models, CeX's archaic and inconsistent service model epitomized by the careless behaviour I witnessed today is writing its own demise. It's no longer just about product margins; it's about trust, precision, and a future-ready approach. On all of these, CeX failed. This experience has left me unhappy and disillusioned, and unless there's a radical shift in professionalism and process, this may well be my last dealing with CeX.

No phone line to speak of and the whole company continuously selling broken or counterfeit goods…read more Breech of UK consumer laws and consumers rights in that there are no advertised direcr communication methods and All std rate company phone lines now direct you to their website form which you will not receive a reply from in a reasonable time espaicially if you require a return/refund. It also says use social media handles for "urgent enquiries". This is a shambles and the social media handles are inactive and also rely on you being 14 and having access to these trash sites. Sold ps1 time crisis in such bad condition it wouldn't boot, sold a dualshock 3 and what came was decidedly not a dualshock. Had to spend bus fare and leave early turning up unannounced to get it sorted, costing me time and money when I tried for hours to sort it remotely, like you know, the way I purchased! There is another number to ring and that is actually a premium rate number, bet they have that active though further breeching UK law. Reported to trading standards this morning.

I've been a Richer Sounds customer for over twenty-five years, usually at the Kingston upon Thames…read morebranch. This time I was in Manchester and thought I'd drop in and see what the latest equipment is. Things have changed, the freezer with ice-lollies has gone but a tea pot was clearly on display if anyone fancied a brew. Julian Richer the company founder gave away the company to the staff several years ago and the staff proudly wear long service badges. Unlike some large internet retailers Richer Sounds pay UK taxes as well.

I'm having a total shopping on the internet, especially for big purchases. Richer Sounds love this…read more The staff are really what make this place- they are all obviously so passionate about the products themselves that they would never dream of trying to rip off the customer. They are excited to get more people using high quality electronics and it shows. Specialising in hi-fi, home cinema and flat screen TVs, Richer Sounds should be your go-to store. Find out the latest technological developments, which competitors the team deem to have the edge - even get something custom made to your requirements.

I like this Currys PC World location, located on the upper level of the Manchester Arndale, while…read moreit may not be as large as the typical Currys PC World warehouse-style stores, which you typically see in retail parks and standalone stores, it still is a rather good location. They have done well to pack a lot into a store of its' size without making it feel too cramped, they have a nice selection of electronics including TV's, computers and miscellaneous tech. Since the closure of all Carphone Warehouse stores, they have added a small Carphone Warehouse kiosk, from the same parent company into the store. The staff seem friendly enough and able to answer most questions I had for them. I do really like how the store is in the city centre, but with it being a mall location, there are limitations, for example, the product range isn't as large as other stores (It would have made more sense to move into the nearby Clas Ohlson unit which is larger), and parking can be an issue, you don't want to have to carry around a big heavy electronic item around a shopping centre into their overpriced parking, or other car parks nearby. Pretty good Currys PC World store, I do think it would be nice if they had a better selection of more premium and higher-end laptops and similar. 4*

I have ordered a Nest Mini (twice on separate occasions). Due to some problems, both orders were…read morecancelled. However, I still have not received a refund (this was a month ago). I am not from the UK, but have managed to call a few times and I always receive the same answer "tomorrow or the day after". There is no email where one can contact them and the webchat does not cover this situation (I have tried this too). The bank won't return the money unless Currys PC World gives me some proof of the cancelled order, but they cannot be contacted in any way (or I receive the previously mentioned answer).

Surely, one day, the combined power of ebay and massive chain stores offering cheaper prices will…read moreput shops like Central Radio will go out of business. Until that day, I'm quite happy that places that exist. You can go in and browse massive flat screen televisions and stereo systems without feeling the pressure from pushy sales assistants and bargain deals staring you in the face. In fact, the chap in Central Radio didn't even offer to help me in my search for some headphones. Was he being rude or just letting me have a look myself and consider my options? I'm going to quite happily go for the latter, if I needed help I would have asked. There isn't the most stock ever in Central Radio. They only really had one pair of headphones at around £10, everything seemed like a much more serious investment at around £30. Central Radio is definitely the shop to visit if you want to spend some time really investigating and discussing your technology options.