House of Fraser has always had a fairly up-market image, perhaps a little dowdy and old fashioned. But the website certainly isn’t. It’s fresh and appealing. Their Coffee Makers section is heavy on the Nespresso side but offers a reasonable selection of most popular brands. There is a Coffee Maker buyers guide as well.
Finding the website
You can visit the House of Fraser home page at www.houseoffraser.co.uk.
Finding the section on coffee makers
Once you have reached the House of Fraser home page click on the ‘electricals’ tab located at the top of the page. This brings up ‘products’, ‘highlights’ and ‘Features’ headings. Go to ‘highlights’ and click on ‘Coffee Makers’. On the left hand side is a menu to narrow your selection where you can choose by brand or by price.
The selection available
House of Fraser offers a reasonable selection of the popular brands at a fairly wide range of prices. Their Nespresso items and Bean to Cup items are among the most expensive. Brands include Bosch, Cuisinart, Delonghi, Gaggia, Kitchen Aid, Krups, Magimix and Russell Hobbs.
Information provided on the site
The ‘Coffee Maker’ opening page is divided into Nespresso, Accessories, Other Coffee makers, Espresso and Bean to Cup sections. Click on the ‘View All’ tab to bring up all of the items under the section heading. On the left hand side is a menu allowing you to search by brand or price and a list of the sections with the number of items in each – Nespresso (15) for instance. Once into the selection page you can narrow by brand or price.
Each item is named with its model number and price. The illustrations are clear on a white background. Click on the image to get more information. This brings up an item page. On the left hand side is a brief description of it with a list of features. Below is a quantity option, telesales code, price and ‘add to bag’ tab.
Below that are three tabs, ‘Details’, ‘Delivery Charges’ and ‘Returns’
Click on ‘Details’ for care instructions, guarantee, material, colour and dimensions. “Delivery Charges’ tells you the standard rate and rates for other options such as ‘next day’.
It’s nice to know that you can return goods within a 28-day period. But they must be unused and in the original packaging with delivery note or proof of purchase.
Although the existing image is clear enough there is an option to view it in more detail by using the plus or minus icons provided.
Also offered is a ‘Related Items’. Clicking on this allows you to compare the item featured with similar items at different prices. A ‘More From This Brand’ tab brings up electricals from the same brand but not necessarily coffee makers.
The ‘Other Coffee Machine’ selection includes filter coffee makers and capsule systems.
As well as coffee makers there is a selection of accessories that includes grinders, an essential part of the coffee making art for some people.
Buying from the website
Once you’ve decided on an item, click on ‘Add To Bag’. This brings down a window at the right upper corner offering the options to ‘Sign In’ or ‘Register’. There are also options to ‘View Bag’, ‘Go To View Bag/Checkout’ and ‘Help’. When you click on ‘Go To View Bag/Checkout’ you are given a list of what’s in your bag and the price before delivery charges. You can click the ‘x’ button to remove an item. There is also a list of credit cards accepted for payment. Continue by clicking ‘Checkout’ to make your purchase.
The ‘Help’ link brings you to a very useful page that answers FAQS regarding placing orders, payment, delivery, products and returns. There’s a ‘Customer Service’ menu as well.
Finally
This is a well set out site as you’d expect from House of Fraser with lots of options to help you decide what coffee maker you really want. Breaking down the selection into basic types is helpful and means you don’t have to sift through a range of filter machines to find a Bean to Cup one. If you’re still not sure though, click on the ‘Buyer’s Guide’ link. This page outlines the capacity and pump pressure you’ll need, types of coffee machines from cafetiers to espresso models and what they provide. It also tells you the coffee grind you’ll need for each type of machine and provides a glossary of coffee maker terms. It also offers advice on preparation of the machine before use and cleaning.