Let's clear something up about Fruugo

I have read some god awful reviews about Fruugo and find some unfair. I am not doubting some are justified but the bulk of them seem to stem from a misunderstanding about what Fruugo is and what the great advantages (in my personal experience of them) are. I ordered a family-sized tent through Fruugo in early Feb 2020 from Cape Town, South Africa. I wasn't aware it would be coming from UK and was at first really annoyed by this as the item incurred customs duties coming into SA. I travel often to UK and could have bought it over there which would have been far cheaper with the charges (even though the original retail price on Fruugo was the most competitive for my particular item). I didn't do due dilligence on the online retailer and also became worried by all the negativity online. I phoned them on their customer care line and got answered within seconds by a customer service rep called Nicole. She assured me that I could get a refund for my customs charges if I sent a scanned copy of the receipt, a copy of the original custom charge invoice and a picture of the paid duties once the package arrived. I did so, and within 2 days, had received a full refund for the charges. I get that some people complain that the item takes a lot longer than normal online retailers (usually located within the country that you order from). But - as long as there is stock (Fruugo also seem to be an online reseller. My item came from the largest online outdoor equipment company directly rather than from Fruugo) - then the main reason for delays I presume are delays going through customs. Fruugo could make it a lot clearer what they are doing and specifically where they are located which could clear up a lot of the backlash they have. I think they are being slightly disingenuous about the way their online site is set up too (I bought my item from a .co.za site -which is SA's country suffix online). They said the info is there when you click to buy but I didn't see it either. But - if you have the time to wait for the item to arrive (trying to guarantee availability and stock might be a good idea), then it is a great site to buy especially for those outside the UK. You basically get to save quite a bit of money because import duties are avoided. All in all, I was extremely happy with Fruugo and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.