Well two ways to look at this tbh:
Good Experience
I ordered a Washing Machine from Curry's online recently - got a call to ask if everything was OK (now thats good), had a fault with new machine but rang number, put through to people who make it via automated system - next day Engineer came out, replaced faulty seal and we were back in business.
This was a example of how to get it right via the online ordering - I even knew between 10am and 2pm as to when they were delivering the good.
Scan - recent order, tracking and I know where about the parcel is.
Old order - Video card died (badly - blew up) and they sent a new one, picked the old one up at the same time. This was after quite a few months as well.
Bad Expereince
I already mentioned Argos, not there fault but No tracking etc.
E-Buyer - Jump through Hoops if the item you get is broken
Dabs - Sending Back and Forth many items as they either were broke on arrival or died after a short while, many arguments on the phone having to explain to there tech guys the problem with the item and only
THEN for them to send me a new board.
Conclusion
If a company is running a service where the product you buy is online and is a Item (i.e. not a holiday etc), then a few simple things can make the difference between a great place to shop or something to steer clear of.
A Online status / Tracking feature - Its good to see at what stage the good are at.
A decent call centre - calling with problems on your new item or ideed Lost items in my case, should not involve fighting with the said company, sitting on a phone in some queue for XX hours just to get through. Anything such as E-Notes etc or emails should be a route to contacting them not something to fill in and forget about (E-Buyers E-Note system is a waste of time).
After Sales Support - Support is often the line that divides one company from another, I would Happily shop at scan even if there prices on a item were slightly Higher just on the fact its not a battle when you have a problem.
Now walking into a Shop, such as Dixons, Currys or PcWorld - there prices are def High (though some things are cheaper) but you can walk in, have a poke at the item, walk off home with it, if it does not work, is not quite what you thought it was and so on, head back to the shop, get a refund, changed etc.
Im obiously on some master computer - any orders placed online in my name is automated through the gird and they go off to the shelf marked "Broken" and sent it promptly. Dabs, every single thing in the history of time I have ordered arrived broken or died a bit later. Local PC Shop, motherboard I bought was faulty from day one. Washing Machine - Arrived with a hole in the seal. Argos - Lost my order as you saw. Case I bought from Scan arrived smashed to hell - and the list goes on and on.
I better stick to shops
