THE UK’s best and worst DIY shops has been revealed, and the winner has beaten well-known names like B&Q, B&M and The Range.
Consumer watchdog Which? has unveiled its rankings based on thousands of shoppers’ views on price, product range and customer service.
Home improvement retailer Screwfix nailed the competition, coming out top in a poll of 2,097 DIY enthusiasts, with an overall customer score of 83%.
The store bagged a full five stars for customer service during the buying process, as well as four stars for product range and availability, quality of products and value for money.
It also got five stars for ease of using its website and app and shoppers rated it highly if something went wrong.
One customer told Which?: “Screwfix is my favourite store all round- fantastic customer service, great range of products, excellent prices and speedy delivery on click and collect. I love shopping there!”
Close behind the top of the toolbox was Brewers (82%), known for its wallpaper and decorating supplies, and Johnstone’s Decorating Centre (80%), which offers paint and technical advice.
The top three were also named Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs), which signals that a product or service is highly rates and endorsed by the organisation.
Toolstation also scored 80%, coming joint third, but missed out on the coveted WRP title due to a lacklustre returns policy.
Meanwhile, big names like Wickes (70%) and B&Q (64%) struggled to keep up.
B&Q failed to score above three stars in any category, while Wickes only shone in returns and after-sales service, scoring a single five-star rating.
At the bottom of the pile was Home Bargains (55%), which was called out or its poor product quality and a hit-or-miss stock selection.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”I transformed my bedroom with just 3 strips of wallpaper – I’m obsessed with the result, now everyone wants to try it” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6368996644112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]
One shopper moaned: “Products not of high quality – cheap purchase – had to throw away after use.”
Other retailers at the bottom include Homebase (57%), which collapsed into administration in November, as well as B&M (59%) and The Range (60%) which all failed to impress across multiple categories.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D108060%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “While the retailers synonymous with DIY only got middling scores, specialist shops came out top showing that customers want simple and fuss-free places to shop.
“Our findings go to show that, if retailers can deliver great value, quality products and first-class customer service, customers will keep coming back.”
