Swell Reptiles Reviews 

2,139
TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

2.4

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 173 reviews, most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Many customers faced significant delivery delays, with orders not arriving on time or even disappearing, despite paying for expedited shipping. Several also received damaged or defrosted items, especially sensitive products, often due to poor packaging or transit issues. Reviewers frequently found customer service unresponsive and unhelpful, struggling to get replies or reach anyone by phone, which hindered resolving issues like missing orders or faulty products. Conversely, a small portion of people felt that orders arrived quickly and well-packaged, and some reviewers also found customer service to be helpful and knowledgeable in resolving their concerns.

What people talk about most

Order

Clients share ambiguous opinions on order experiences, with many expressing significant frustration regarding... See more

Product

People report ambiguous experiences with product quality and condition, with many customers expressing... See more

Delivery service

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of delivery service, with many expressing significant dissatisfaction... See more

Customer service

Consumers find customer service to be ambiguous, with many reviewers reporting negative experiences, citing... See more

Response time

Reviewers express widespread dissatisfaction with response times, frequently reporting long waits for replies... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Only giving it a two for the staff that handle the phone calls as I’m sure people get pretty aggy with them and I feel bad. I picked next day delivery as a matter of necessity, I was only going to be... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Bought a Viv arrived on the 22nd with a broken part, looked like damaged in transit. Trying to get hold of them is impossible. All their email addresses are either full or it comes up with a unknow... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Paid for a delivery of essential electronics for a vivarium for a rescue animal. I was told it would come next day 100% and that it would be here on time before I have to leave for my holiday. Any gue... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dismal customer service. Waited in for the two day delivery of frozen rats. Zero communication, tracking didn't work. Asked to cancel the order. Customer service handler lyndsay had my case. Zero eff... See more


Company details

  1. Pet shop
  2. Reptile Shop

Written by the company

Swell Reptiles is one of the UK's leading retailers of reptile supplies, live foods and vivariums. We stock a huge range of products for reptiles, invertebrates and other exotic pets and cater for everyone from the newcomer to reptiles to the avid expert.


Contact info

2.4

Poor

TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

2k reviews

5-star
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1-star

No recent history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 0% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 2 weeks

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2.4

All reviews

(2,139)

163 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Rubbish next day delivery, charge you but don’t give you the service

I needed a thermostat for my skinks as my one stopped working, I went online on Friday and swell said if I order in the next 31 minutes it would be delivered Saturday if I paid express delivery, so this is the option I went for, well the item was not despatched until 11.50am on Saturday so I was not getting it that day, phone lines closed for the weekend, waiting to see if I get it Monday, shocking considering I paid extra, I would have driven to a shop on Saturday had I known it was not coming, but once you are in £160 you have to follow through, such a shame as they used to be the best online firm

10 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Smallest large locust I seen

Bought 'large' locusts and they're tiny and Would not even say that these are medium sized,contacted costumer support for them to make out it’s my fault and the sizes are shown these were defo small not large as there was about 30-35 in the box where as large u normally get 10-12,I see this is an ongoing problem,I won’t be using this company any as don’t seam to care.

8 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Poor Communication and Postage

My original order was placed in December and dragged on for weeks with no proactive updates. I later found out one item was out of stock, yet instead of shipping the rest of the order, the entire thing was put on hold without my consent. Eventually I had no choice but to cancel.
I reordered on Monday and paid extra for next-day delivery. It is now Saturday and there has been no communication whatsoever and no sign of my order. Emails go unanswered, there is no weekend support, and customers are left completely in the dark.
Slow postage, no transparency, and a total lack of urgency or customer care. If you cannot meet advertised delivery times or manage stock properly, customers should be informed, not ignored. I will not be ordering again.

10 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ordered 2 start kits for my corn snake…

Ordered 2 start kits for my corn snake and ball python, payment was approved by bank 1st time was my mistake for not putting the wright billing address. Along waiting five days for my money to go back in the following Friday I tried to order the same starter kits but changed my billing adress to the right one this time, payment declined again I changed everything I was told to by staff the first time, but hey ho I wouldn't recommend ordering of them because there staff are quite rude and ignorant

5 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Good customer service

My order was processed very quickly and my order arrived safely today and was packaged well. I reached out and said thank you for the fast service and they were very helpful and took the time to read my message and reply. Would recommend 👌

9 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Leaving customers in the dark

I ordered a live food care kit for my locusts as I have a tree top frog I ordered it as a fast track delivery which I paid extra for it didn't turn up untill a week later ! Even the box it came in looked battered so I opened it and all the gel inside to hydrate the locusts is everywhere and there is 2 big cracks on the corners at the bottom ! 😡 I've tired to get a refund and it's literally impossible to get one I had to show proof and they said they will send an email which I still haven't received I've rang them and there is no answer so if anyone is looking at buying something to house live insects don't bother with this company so terrible and such poor quality the box to house the locusts is so flimsy

2 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I wish I'd read the reviews before…

I wish I'd read the reviews before ordering from this company. I ordered a light which has not arrived and the courier reports they haven't even received it! No communication from Swell reptiles regarding the delay and no apology. I'm chasing a delivery that appears to have disappeared. In future I will buy from elsewhere and I'll be seeking a refund from Swell.

4 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Paid extra for next day delivery as I…

Paid extra for next day delivery as I needed a heat mat quickly and couldn’t find the size anywhere else, but delivery arrived 4 days later, which I couldn’t wait as I needed to keep the terrarium warm. so had to drive 2 hours to a store that sold the same heat mat, the tracking information for this item was none existent, spoke to customer service the girl was quite rude and unhelpful. My package arrived late with a damaged box and some of the items were hanging out of the box which I took photos of. I really should have read the reviews before I purchased items from this company, I won’t be doing it again. They offered me a 10% voucher of next purchase which I declined, i asked for my next day delivery charge for postage to be refunded and they only offered me a partial refund on my postage. Even though delivery would have been free as the amount I spent. Not helpful at all

31 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Clearly we have different opinions on sizing

Bought 'large' locusts and they're genuinely tiny and now being wasted as my Bearded Dragon won't touch them. Would not even consider these medium sized, it is frustrating when you buy a specific type/size and get the complete opposite.

30 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Damaged Item and Confusing Customer Service

I've used Swell Reptiles quite a few times before and have always found the website easy to use with a good range of products. Unfortunately, my most recent experience has been really disappointing.

I received a vivarium with a damaged front door. I wasn’t asking for a full replacement or a refund — just a replacement door — but communication was extremely slow and inconsistent. It takes a long time for anyone to reply, and each email seems to be picked up by a different person, so nothing feels properly followed up.

I was offered different solutions at different times, including a discount code that didn’t work and then store credit that was less than the amount I had paid. Eventually, I was told a replacement would be sent, but after hearing nothing for 10 days, I was then informed it was actually out of stock. The whole process was confusing and tiring.

It’s frustrating because Swell Reptiles has a great website and, in the past, I’ve had good experiences. This time, though, the lack of clear communication and consistency really let them down.
This left me with an unusable vivarium, as the front door repeatedly fell out. I used the store credit offered because I was concerned it might not remain available, but it didn’t come close to covering the cost of a replacement.

Lastly, contacting them through the website proved pointless, as I never received any response, so had a send a direct email.

22 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Well worth the 5 stars!

Totally impressed by the speed of service from Swell. Even so close to Christmas my order arrived well within 48 hours, and so much cheaper than the same products on Amazon (prime)
Thank you Swell Reptiles!!

20 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Rude customer advisors. Avoid.

Keeps customers in the dark about shipping items. Didn’t have an item in stock and didn’t bother to tell me for weeks waited for me to contacted them, and then the person responding was VERY blunt and rude. If that’s how you treat paying customers will never shop here again. Awful. Avoid.

2 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Items not delivered

Items not delivered, response from customer service saying it would be investigated then no further response or action. Refund needed to be chased through card provider. Disgraceful way to do business.

2 November 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Nathan from Swell excellent - delivery companies below par

After Evri failed to deliver all of my items ordered, Nathan from Swell tried to rectify this by having the items posted out again with a different delivery company DX Express. Unfortunately, this delivery company’s attempt failed too so Nathan refunded me the items not received. The customer service received by Nathan was outstanding, unfortunately the delivery companies let you down. If I were to use Swell in the future as a customer I’d like the option of selecting my delivery company and whether or not my parcel could be collected from a local drop off point as I find other couriers to be more reliable in my area. Thank you.

28 November 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Is anyone there????

Had a problem with a light I ordered. After about a month managed to get in contact with them. They asked us to send it back which we did. Then nothing from them for a couple
Of weeks. Again, messaging and messaging and finally got an answer, they then sent the wrong replacement. Took ages to get a reply to that to send the wrong light back and now waiting for the proper replacement. Still waiting for an answer, I’ve also said I would rather have a refund. This was email, Facebook and contact service on the website.

10 December 2025
Unprompted review

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