Pamela Goold

I dropped my former carrier when the premium went through the roof. The broker handling that policy found me another of comparable coverage at a substantially better price with a different insurer. But communications with the broker were slow and increasingly opaque. I lost confidence and tried again, this time dealing directly with the insurer. No communication problem there - their representative provided a torrent of information but at a rate considerably higher than the broker's for what seemed to be the same policy. So I looked for another broker and came up, in short order, with Tessa Alliance. Their agent, Craig Parker, provided the information I felt I needed, clearly explained. He answered my questions in full without overwhelming me with detail I didn't need and options that didn't apply ... plus his quote was a significant improvement over the others. So he got the deal. We'll see how Tessa performs if they ever have to support me in a claim, but they've served me well in the first crucial stage. On that basis, I heartily recommend them.

Update: Sephora responded to this review with a full refund, including shipping. Sephora, if you're still monitoring, how do I get the product I ordered (see order # below) without risking the same fumble? 1. I received the wrong product. 2. The product, a tube of Vichy sun cream, arrived without its product box and taped shut in a makeshift way suggesting that it had been opened. 3. There is no contact phone number on the web site. 4. The chat bot instructed me to email photos and documents to a care-at adress, promising a replacement product. 5. I jumped through all the hoops, provided all the requested documentation. 6. No response from care-at. 7. I sent a follow-up email. 8. No response. 9. I phoned a contact number I found on line. No one picks up the phone. Sephora, if you're monitoring this site, RE order Ref FN72417277A, please supply the product ordered.

On time. Done right.

On time. Pleasant delivery person who followed instructions. Parcel arrived in good condition.

On time delivery. Pleasant delivery person followed instructions. Well done, Yodel!

Good preliminary communications. Prompt scheduling. Job successfully completed by an expert. No-surprises invoicing.

The installer was obliging. He overran the estimated install time by an hour - not a major issue for me, but useful to know if you're on a tight schedule. My objection is to the malfunctioning display with which I was left and the so-far abysmal support I've received from SMS. After installation, only electricity data displayed in real time - not gas. Several days later, cumulative data for gas showed up, but still no real-time usage. (It's the real-time data you need to manage energy consumption with any precision.) I phoned SMS support who promised a call-back that never came. Approx 10 days later, I phoned again and again have been promised a call-back. The call-back, I was told, will come (if it comes at all) from a booking agent. This despite my repeated requests for access to someone with technical expertise. It turns out that the 'support' line SMS provides is actually a booking number and is the only number available to the public.

The price was fair, the installer obliging and nice to have around, the boiler is up and running well. WPJ came to me recommended by a friend, and I second the recommendation

Easy, helpful, good instructions and tips

I have updated this review. Please see below:

HonorBuy is NOT to be trusted. Last year, when I bought my Xiaomi MI 5, they were selling the phone with a non-original ROM. Their web site marketing did not reveal that they had swapped out the manufacturer's original firmware. The substitute ROM is multilingual, making the phone marketable in a variety of European countries. But, since the phone's native ROM supports English, the substitution is of no advantage to an English speaker; and it imposes serious drawbacks HonorBuy's advertising did not disclose.

The HonorBuy substitute ROM cannot be updated with the manufacturer's revisions. This means it does not get the benefit of security fixes and feature upgrades released by the manufacturer or provided in new versions of the Android operating system. I discovered other defects which may or may not be attributable to the non-original ROM but could not be corrected because the phone's non-original ROM does not permit a factory reset.

Although HonorBuy's web site marketing promised a one year warranty and excellent customer support, neither promise was honored. The company claimed that the manufacturer's ROM could be reinstated but their email instructions were clueless. They refused to take back the phone either for reinstatement of the original ROM or refund. They justified their refusal on the grounds that I had owned the phone for more than 7 days, in disregard of the one year warranty. HonorBuy is Hong Kong based, so beyond the reach of the usual consumer protections.

Two morals: (1) HonorBuy is neither trustworthy nor capable of competent customer service; and (2) think twice before buying any phone of Chinese manufacturer unless it is on official release in your home country or you are certain that it comes with the original ROM installed.

Update 19/6/17: Honorbuy responded to my posting with an offer to reflash my phone to the official Global ROM. I took them up on the offer and they have done as they promised. The matter was handled promptly with Honorbuy paying the shipping costs both ways.The phone returned yesterday and immediately updated itself 'over the air' to the current ROM version. The unofficial ROM installed on the phone as sold could not have achieved this. I am now pleased with the phone and with Honorbuy's response to my posting. I only wish it had not taken a year for my objection to be satisfied.

I settled on Petshopbowl, initially, on the basis of price. I have learned that they also provide prompt and highly personalised service. Lucy responds immediately to emails - any problem, she sets it straight. Once she even caught my own mistake.