Reliable, cheap and efficient online shopping site. Able to deal with a couple of tricky orders.

I am writing this review mainly because of what I read on hellopeter (and elsewhere) about loot.co.za that heavily influenced my decision not to use them initially. I especially consult review sites when it comes to online shopping. And having seen review after review criticise loot - some calling them a "****" - I felt it necessary to convey my own (two) experiences once I did decide to take the dip (with much initial trepidation it must be said) seeing as my own experience was anything but.

I had a long book list I wanted to buy. Many of the items were out of stock elsewhere and many had to be imported anyway. Loot firstly was by far the cheapest. On 5 books, the saving compared to other online shopping sites and outlets was about R7/800. I held off ordering given the bad reviews and the fact they were so much cheaper made me suspicious. In the end, it proved too hard to go anywhere else. The books would take too long or were way too expensive. So I took a chance and ordered. From the start. loot was very professional. They stated the length of time they thought the books would take. Which was three and a bit weeks. Given the problems I knew existed in sourcing the books I wanted myself, I understood and accepted the arrival date. In the end though, they arrived a good few days sooner than the expected delivery date.

I then ordered an accessory for my Garmin GPS. It turned out to be the wrong part that was delivered (again, a couple of days before the specified delivery date). The spec online was not clear exactly if the item was for my model or not.

Apart from that. When I requested to return the item, within a day, it had been booked in for return and within a week and a half, a full refund was issued.

I cannot but sing the praises of loot.co.za I am sorry for others' experiences with them. But from my limited interaction with loot, they have been nothing but an exemplary outfit and professional. It is possible that past service issues have been ironed out.

Based on my own experiences, they were reliable, cheap, and able to source difficult-to-obtain items relatively quickly - certainly compared to their main rivals. And issued refunds quickly and efficiently. I would not hesitate to use them again. One of the better online shopping services by far.