After the phenomenal success of our Rated People vs Check A Trade review blog, we’ve decided to launch our Builders’ Supplies & Tool Review Series. In this blog series, we’ll be breaking down some of the top building and tools suppliers in the UK (See latest: Tool Station , Juice by Jewsons and RoofingSuperstore) , and provide a look into their services and what they have to offer customers. We’ll be posting these on the first Wednesday of every month, so be sure to check back in at the same time every month to find out who we’re looking at next.
So, first up is the one and only Screwfix. They claim to be the UK’s number one trade catalogue but they would say that, wouldn’t they? What you really need is a completely impartial review, so let’s get down into the nitty-gritty and find out what they’re all about.
Screwfix opening times & website ease of use
We know it’s important to be able to get hold of builders’ materials companies at times when you need to speak to them and for builders, that isn’t always Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.
Screwfix seem to also realise that, and their opening hours are better than some of the other companies, opening at:
- 7am – 8pm Monday to Friday,
- 7am – 6pm on Saturday and
- 9am – 4pm Sunday.
What really sets them apart is that their UK-based contact centre, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Insurance at hard to beat rates
Starting at £59* per yearThe website is simple and straightforward. It might take a little bit of scrolling to find exactly what you want, but at least you’ll always find what you want in the category you’d expect it to appear.
There are 534 branches across the UK, which makes them one of the most convenient in terms of finding a store near you. Online orders are pretty easy and you can choose between delivery and click & collect. They also show useful customer ratings for their products.
Screwfix store front
Below are some of the premier features of Screwfix that set it apart from the crowd of other tool and equipment suppliers:
Screwfix discounts & promo codes
One of the benefits of being one of the premier tool suppliers with one of the largest range of products, is that discounts for Screwfix are often sought after, seeing as a large proportion of people are looking to make the maximum savings.
Fortunately, however, there are often discounts available for Screwfix purchases if you look around the web. Whether you’re looking for a special deal, or a promo code, you may find a cheaper deal if you look hard enough. Whilst this isn’t always a foolproof method of getting a saving, you can take advantage of one or several deals on any given day.
Screwfix discounts
An investigation into screwfix showed up a number of screwfix discounts and deals for free. These are often found on Screwfix’s website but these aren’t always visible from the home page. For example, a search for discounts showed up 40%-off select Tower Rails on vouchercodes.co.uk. This wasn’t obviously displayed on the Screwfix homepage as website real-estate was shared amongst other offers:
Screwfix discount screengrab from vouchercodes.co.uk
Screwfix free product deals
Screwfix often has deals where you receive a free product, as part of a limited time promotion. Often the free product is an item associated with the product that you’re buying. For example, a deal on the dealscove.com website currently has a deal for a free TRV radiator valve when you buy a radiator. Often the screwfix promo code is usually unnecessary to take advantage of the deal as this is often a code-free promotion on the website.
Free TRV deal on screwfix from dealcove.com
Save £££ on your insurance
Customers are always telling us how much they saved by switchingWebsites like hotukdeals.com have deals listed, with some kind of signal of reliability or popularity of the deal, so you know if the deal listed is factual or actually worthwhile.
Screwfix deal signals on hotukdeals.com
Screwfix promo and voucher codes
Screwfix promo codes are often sought after, however, the majority of these voucher code deals are visible in the form of discounts and free product deals. That said, there are a number of websites that can help you save with such codes. These include the discountcode.dailymail.co.uk, amongst the sites listed above.
Dailymail.discountcode for Screwfix
Screwfix delivery information
Next day delivery is free for overs over £50
One of the advantages of buying through screwfix isn’t just the range and the pricing, but the fact that when you buy through Screwfix, next day delivery is free if your order is over £50. This is especially important since products are often needed as soon as possible. If your order is less than £50 or the delivery is scheduled for a weekend, then your delivery is charged at £5. This is fairly standard however there are other companies like toolstation with a lower minimum order of £10. The tradeoff is that screwfix has a larger range, so you’re more likely to find what you’re looking at Screwfix. We recommend trying other sites if the product is available on both and seeing what would give you maximum savings.
If the next 24 hrs is just too late then Screwfix have a range of delivery options that give you flexibility and peace of mind if the product is needed urgently.
Screwfix delivery times
Another thing about Screwfix is that they’re one of the only specialised businesses selling tools that offer same day delivery as well. The tradeoff is that the order has to be made by phone and it is only within the m25.
screwfix same day delivery within the m25
Screwfix catalogue
Request a Screwfix catalogue
Apart from being known for having a useful website, and stores through the county, screwfix has an extremely useful catalogue that is regularly updated. This is well suited for Tradesmen since it easier to reference and flip through the catalogue than through the phone if you are eventually going to buy offline at a store. It also doesn’t damage your ability to make calls when you accidentally splash your cuppa on to it as well!
UK-based call centre
Caring and knowledgeable staff ready to assist youIf you want to have a catalogue delivered or want to access a catalogue online, you can request a catalogue throught the request a catalogue link from the website.
You can also access catalogues through the quickshop app, as seen below:
Screwfix Quickshop app
Screwfix has a multi-functional app – aptly named Screwfix Quickshop – which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play. The app has convenient functions which, judging from the high praise in the app reviews (4/5 isn’t anything to scoff at, especially when it comes to app reviews), suggests that the app saves time and is extremely useful to potential customers. Features of the app includes:
- Quick Check In: instead of carrying your membership card wherever you go, you can use the app as a quick form of identification. Most people have lost or misplaced membership cards, but you’re less likely to misplace your phone which can have a convenient digital copy of your ID.
- Building lists of items you want to buy: instead of writing numerous lists and misplacing them, having lists of the items and their respective codes on this app saves it all in one place
- Downloadable catalogues: Various issues of Screwfix’s catalogues are easily downloadable and can be referenced for lists and subsequent purchases
Screwfix Quickshop app
Screwfix Costs
The prices indicated in the catalogue are in correlation with the other big companies providing builders’ materials and supplies. Their current ad banner on their website shows a deal for a Dewalt 18v 3.0AH LI-ION brushless combi drill for £149.99, just to give you an idea of the typical prices you can expect.
Screwfix regularly has offers on its website
Customers are generally happy with the pricing for much of their products owing to the number of 5 star reviews on their products.
Product reviews on Screwfix
Reviews of Screwfix
The reviews are in on Screwfix and on review giants, Feefo, the consensus is pretty good! With a rating of 4.7/5 based off over 2,003 reviews across the last year, Screwfix must be doing something right to have such positivity orbiting its brand. While there are the odd couple of bad reviews on customer service, the body of response is overwhelmingly positive, with customers citing short queues, a wealth of products in stock and free coffee as just some of the pros to shopping there.
Reviews of Screwfix from Feefo, the review site
The general gist of the reviews is that the store is generally well stocked, has an extensive range and the customers are helpful as shown by the reviews below:
Screwfix history
Screwfix’s company history seems to be shrouded in an air of mystery, however a bit of research elsewhere turfs up that they were first set up in 1979 as Woodscrew Supply Company and are now part of the famous Kingfisher plc.
Conclusion of our Screwfix review
Screwfix’s score on Feefo definitely is something to shout about, and the fact that it offers the best service in terms of available contact centre hours and does have a great range of products, makes it one of the best choices out there. They could improve their online store by refining their categories a bit more, or employing a grid system, but other than that, the website is super efficient and a breeze to navigate. We’d definitely recommend Screwfix as the place to visit if you’re in the market for a new drill, or need to pick up some supplies for a job!
What do you make of Screwfix when you’re looking for tools or materials for your trade business? Share your opinions with us in the comments on Facebook and Twitter.
See other reviews:
2 Comments
I would like to say that this blog really convinced me, you give me best information! Thanks, very good post.
Keep Posting:)
Just tried to return an item I bought from Screwfix. Admittedly it was over the 30 day period, however, it was in top condition and these things don’t really go off, do they. I wasn’t looking for a refund, just an exchange, however, both the Lady at the till and the manager were unable to help. I suppose it is not their fault this is company policy, however, as a regular customer I would have expected more. I guess I will be giving the competition more business in future…