Best stores for tech and home appliances revealed

Splashing out on the latest tech gadget or home appliance can be risky. You don’t want a slow laptop, a leaky washing machine or customer support that disappears in puffs of smoke rising from your new TV.

That's why we’ve surveyed thousands of shoppers to find out the best retailers to buy tech and appliances from. 

They told us about everything from staff who spend hours advising customers or offer private shopping experiences to orders that were damaged on delivery and impossible-to-contact customer care departments.

So what makes some retailers top of the table and others languish at the bottom? 

We reveal exactly what the best retailers do well and the worst do badly to arm you with all you need to know next time you’re shopping for tech and appliances.

Which are the best tech and home appliance shops?

TV and sound system specialist Richer Sounds and Euronics, a network of independent appliance stores, are the standout retailers this year. The former has smashed even its own stellar track record by achieving one of the highest customer scores recorded in a Which? survey.

At the other end of the spectrum are several supermarkets, B&M, Home Bargains, The Range and B&Q.

This table shows the top 10 highest-scoring retailers from our survey - use the dropdown to flip between our tech retailer results and home appliance store results. Links take you to retailers' websites.

• Find out more: best and worst shops based on what you're buying

Richer Sounds tops the tech table

If you haven’t shopped at Richer Sounds, why not? It’s so consistently one of the best shops in our surveys it’s a no-brainer if you’re in the market for audio-visual products such as TVs and sound systems. 

And this year, it has one of the highest customer scores we’ve ever awarded. 

It boasts five stars for almost every measure in our survey, from service to value. The only area where it slipped (to a still-decent four stars) was the amount of packaging used. 

Richer Sounds’ staff offer advice in person, over the phone or via video call seven days a week. They’ll even come to you with a free, no-obligation consultation at your home. 

One satisfied shopper summed it up by saying: ‘Quality products at keen prices. Very helpful staff who have high levels of knowledge and work with you to achieve the right solution. No pressure to purchase.'

 It’s no surprise that Richer Sounds is a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) - and it’s consistent too. This year it won the Which? Retailer of the Year Award for the fifth time in six years.

Second-placed Apple is also a good bet for tech. The fact shoppers rate the quality of its products will come as no surprise, but they are also impressed by its easy-to-use website and app, plus its delivery service. 

Meanwhile John Lewis does well for both tech and home appliances, third in the table for each. Shoppers particularly love the quality of the items it sells and its customer service. 

• Find out more: best and worst tech shops

Euronics is your best bet for home appliances

Euronics is ‘different’, according to its website - and scores of customers. 

Its network of more than 600 independent shops combines the personal service of local experts (many stores have been run by the same family for generations) with the reassurance of an established brand - Euronics is the largest electrical buying group in Europe. 

Customers singled out the personal service offered by knowledgeable staff, their eye for detail and competitive prices for particular praise. 

Many also mentioned the lack of pushy sales pitches in stores. Euronics has done so well we’ve named it a WRP.

Elsewhere, Marks Electrical was the second-highest-scoring appliance retailer - and is also a member of the wider Euronics network. Shoppers love the quality of the appliances it sells and give it top marks for delivery. 

One customer said: ‘It stocks and sell all the best brand products, at very reasonable prices. The website is intuitive and easy to navigate.’  

• Find out more: best and worst home appliance shops

How has the cost of living crisis affected shopping habits?

The cost of living crisis has inevitably impacted how shoppers buy home appliances and tech. 

More than six in 10 have noticed prices increasing when buying home appliances since February*. More than half of tech shoppers said the same. 

So what are people doing about this? It may sound obvious, but around a third are buying cheaper items. Comparing prices before buying is another popular choice. 

More concerningly, others are borrowing money from family or friends or using a credit card, payday loan or buy now, pay later scheme to make ends meet. 

But sometimes cutting costs can be a false economy. Online marketplaces might sometimes be cheaper but they also give you fewer rights. It’s also a time of year when tech and home appliances are often in the sales, making you rush into quicker decisions than you’d like. 

Our research shows time and again that, in many cases, the discounts are not as great as they sound: it’s worth doing your research and refusing to be rushed. Use comparison sites and price-matching schemes to get the best deal - and always be wary of brands you’ve never heard of. 

• Find out more: top tips for shopping on Black Friday

Which stores came bottom? 

The table reveals the retailers that received the lowest customer scores in our survey. Again, you can flip between results for tech vs appliance retailers using the dropdown.

The Range and Sainsbury’s are together at the bottom of the tech table, both scoring poorly for product quality and customer service. They did both do slightly better for value for money, picking up three stars. 

A dissatisfied shopper at Tesco, which came third from bottom, said: ‘The products are not of good quality. If you want a good picture, sound etc this is not the place. I only buy tech from Tesco if I need something cheap that I won't use often.’

Discount store B&M is at the bottom of the table for home appliances, with Home Bargains a close second. 

Dismally, B&M did not get more than two stars for anything, meaning shoppers rate it poorly for quality, range, customer service and even value for money – proving there is more to this than price alone. 

One unhappy B&M customer said: ‘Poorly designed appliance – no on/off switch; has to be plugged/unplugged – not easy to clean.’ 

• Find out more: how to get the best price when shopping online

*Based on an online survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted in August 2023. Results are weighted to be nationally representative.