Chemist Direct Review

Chemist Direct recently got in touch with me to review their ordering service. I do a lot of online shopping, and although I had heard of them I have never used their service before. There are many advantages of buying from an online chemist so I was eager to try it out.


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Advantages of buying from an online chemist

Convenience

Firstly there is the convenience of ordering online from the comfort of your home or even on the go from your phone, 24 hours a day. You can put your feet up with a cup of tea and browse online and pay at a click of a button.

Door To Door Delivery

This can be particularly good if you are placing a big order and saves you carrying it far. This can also save time in travelling to the chemist and money if you need to drive there or get public transport.

Lack of Embarrassment 

We have all been there, when you need to buy an embarrassing medicine or lotion and you have to ask for it.  You can buy pile cream, laxatives, condoms or lotion to eradicate head lice lotion online without any face-to-face contact, which I feel can only be a good thing.

Saves Money

Allows you to bulk buy when you see special offers such as 2 for 1s and price reductions. If you are good at sticking to a shopping list this can prevent temptation at the till, such as the latest health and beauty product you just have to have or a treat for the kids.

Prevents The Third Degree

If you are feeling under the weather, sometimes the last thing you want is the third degree from the pharmacist assistant. Online chemists such as Chemist Direct have a checklist that allows you to answer some simple questions online to ensure you have the right medicine for the job.

Ordering From Chemist Direct




Ordering from the Chemist Direct website was clear and straight forward. There is a search box at the top of the page and all the departments are clearly marked on the left side menu. Special offers are highlighted in the centre of the page and change every few seconds.

Besides the obvious medicines Chemist Direct also sell a wide range of toiletries, make up and skin care products including brand names L'oreal, and Bare Minerals. They have a large selection of mother and baby products, as well as a selection of pet nutrition, for all you pet lovers.

Of course a big selection of the items they sell are medicines and health care products. If you buy a medicine you are taken through a number of questions to ensure you are buying the right product for the job, providing the role of the online pharmacy assistant. This is very reassuring.




I ordered a great selection of items for £50, many with price reductions. Free delivery is available on items over £40 and takes 5 working days. A couple of days later I had an email to say that a couple of the items were out of stock and they would send the parcel anyway and refund the difference.

Unfortunately the parcel didn't arrive when expected so I rang the customer services team. The lady on the phone was helpful and pleasant and informed me that there was a problem with the parcel, and it had become damaged in transit. It had been returned to the dispatch centre and would be resent.

As promised, a short while later the parcel arrived. Most items were in bubble wrap but one of the bottles was leaking and the lid on the shampoo was cracked. Maybe adding an extra layer of cushioning in the box would have helped.

I was really pleased with the selection I received. As you can see below I had a great haul for just under £50. Good buys were the cotton wool packs 3 for £2.89, a saving of 86 pence, L'oreal Shampoo half price at £2.79 and the Chlorhexidine mouth wash half price at £1.75.

Orders are free if you spend £40 or more at the moment but if you want to order less then delivery is from £3.49.




So the crunch is - would I order from Chemist Direct again?

It is convenient, great for buying in bulk and has some fantastic offers, some with up to 70% off.  I would have preferred to wait for my items to be in stock then had it all shipped at the same time, rather than had my items cancelled. I think they do need to look at how the items are packaged as my parcel was sent back due to damage and then had slight issues with the bottles. Except for the issues with delivery I would order again especially if I was stocking up or if I saw some bargains.


You can also have your NHS and private prescriptions delivered to your door too, which I think is an extremely valuable service.

Tell me what do you think of the service they offer? Would you order from Chemist Direct?

* I was gifted a voucher to try the service

19 comments

  1. I do like this idea but I also like the convenience of getting things there and then as far as medication is concerned - I'd definitely buy the toiletries etc from there though x

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  2. there are some fantastic products with great bargains to be had from here will check it out

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  3. I keep hearing good things about Chemist direct. I'll have to check them out.

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  4. Well in terms of saving your blushes it sure beats the drive-thru pharmacies that are popular here in Canada!

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  5. This is a fantastic service and thankfully avoids the third degree interrogation you get in many chemists! I'd definitely take advantage of the savings and discounts.

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    1. Yes that can be an issue with the interrogation. Some good discounts too.

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  6. I hadn't thought about the embarrassment issue, but you're so right. It's a good way to buy anything you don't want spotted in your trolley or basket.

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  7. Yes it is great if you are easily embarrassed. Ait also has some great discounts

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  8. There are so many bargains if you are willing to look for them and it is a god send at times to be able to order certain things online x

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    1. There are a lot of bargains here and yes it is useful to be able to order certain things online, I agree,

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  9. Such a good point about the lack of embarrassment! My local chemist is full of people I know so even entering it gets people talking about you!

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  10. The more options there are to buy on line the better. Great fro peple who live in a small community and don't want everyone knowing their business

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