AO Business17 reviews
This score is based on 17 genuine reviews submitted via US-Reviews since 2023.
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The delivery guy stood in my tiny kitchen and we both stared at the old isolation box. I ordered the cooker and paid £100 for installation, thinking they'd just hook it up that same day. They arrived on time and were polite. They even used the switch by the fuse box to isolate the power, which felt responsible and made me relax a bit. Then came the curveball. After a quick check they said my vintage wiring didn't meet their strict standards and they refused to connect it. I got a full refund, which was fair, but still annoying — felt like a wasted trip. Not perfect, but at least they put safety first.
Finally working, but not smooth
It hit me when I ran the tap and the cycle started — that’s when I felt actually satisfied. Took about a month from order to a functioning dishwasher. First delivery failed because their van wouldn’t fit in our parking, second attempt was rescheduled for the weekend so they could park on the street, but they didn’t even try and offered to leave it for us to install. Not great. Eventually an installer came and did the job properly, and the machine runs fine (quiet enough, cleans well). Communication was clunky, customer service was low on common sense, and I’ve had smoother installs elsewhere. Still, it works now and that counts. Not perfect, but usable — just wish the middle part hadn’t been such a headache.
That delivery day from hell
Woke up the morning the delivery was due, emptied my fridge and moved stuff out — I’d been a bit iffy about their delivery and customer service before buying, and yeah, those doubts were spot on. The driver turned up saying I was in the wrong village, was straight-up rude, blamed me and left. So now food’s ruined, no fridge delivered, whole day wasted and I’ve got a migraine to top it off. Tried calling customer service and just got the runaround; feels like their social reels get more love than actual customers. If you’re thinking of ordering big stuff, double-check everything and maybe pick a different retailer. Learned my lesson — won’t be using them again.
Delivery chaos, then relief
inventory updates were inconsistent, multiple people gave different answers, and I spent too much time on hold. My advice: insist on a confirmation email with tracking and the rep's name, and call back if anything is vague. Skeptical at first, I ended up satisfied once it arrived. Not flawless, but they fixed it, so I'll give them another shot — cautiously.
Delivery letdown during move
Right in the middle of moving I had to rely on a next-day washer delivery because my old machine died and my back can't handle lugging a heavy replacement. The driver pulled up, looked at the building and decided not to bring it in — even though there's a lift that goes to the loading bay into the flat. After calling customer support I learned the drivers are independent contractors and AO says it can't tell them what to do. That felt like a cop-out. Worse, 'next day' at checkout turned out to mean a slot nearly two weeks out, only revealed at the stage. So what started as urgent turned into multiple calls, rescheduling, and no clean clothes for Christmas. A rep was polite on the phone, tried to help, but there was no control over schedule or delivery effort. I'll use a different company next time; unreliable delivery and weak contract management aren't worth the price.
Staircase surprise
Okay, quick rundown like I’m telling a friend — I was on the fence about ordering because my place is on the fourth floor with no elevator, and I kept imagining the delivery guys hauling a washer up those stairs. I put that info in when I ordered, but come Thursday they showed up and had no clue about the fourth floor and refused to carry it inside. Manager apologized and promised Friday. Friday same song — different day, same problem. Manager was polite again, offered another delivery and a £10 voucher, which honestly felt tiny for the hassle and two lost days waiting at home. On the plus side, they did respond and tried to make it right, people were courteous on the phone, and I appreciated that. Still — planning was hard because delivery windows are huge and unreliable. So yeah, doubts weren’t fully gone. I’d order again maybe, but only after triple-checking the delivery details and getting clearer promises.
Premium service, poor execution
the engineer shows up and says he can't remove the integrated freezer door, needs a special tool AO didn’t provide. I’d taken a day off for this, so yeah, I was annoyed and cancelled — couldn't leave the freezer in the middle of the dining room. Five minutes after he left we grabbed a tiny screwdriver and popped the door off ourselves. So that was surprising, and cheap to fix. Customer service did refund me and offered a voucher (which I declined), but the whole thing felt like they either can’t handle integrated units or won't bother. Mixed feelings: the refund was prompt, the on-site service was not.
Washed-out support
AO didn’t back me up. I bought a Samsung Series 8 washer and within a few weeks my laundry started smelling — despite following the manual and running clean cycles. I dug around online and found plenty of people reporting the same auto-dispenser stink, so it wasn’t just me. I contacted AO thinking they’d at least coordinate with Samsung or offer a solution. Nope — they pointed me straight to Samsung and wouldn’t take any ownership. Samsung now wants £144 for a call-out visit, nonrefundable whether they fix it or not. That felt like being charged twice for the same problem. I’m frustrated, honestly — especially since this popped up after only a couple months. If you’re buying this model, be ready to push hard for help and keep all your emails. My advice: document everything and demand escalation; don’t let them pass the buck. I’ve been a loyal AO customer, but after this I won’t be coming back.
Confusing refund process
I saw AO on a comparison site and a coworker had mentioned them, so I ordered a laptop. The order was confirmed, then a few days later the payment was back in our account with no reason given. We called. They suddenly wanted a bank statement from the account holder — something we were never asked for when placing the order. Because we didn't send that document straight away the order was refunded, they said. We tried again. Reordered the same laptop and, to avoid the problem, emailed the Order Review address with the bill payer's statement as they requested. That should have fixed it. It didn't. The review team kept referring to the original order. They acted as if the new order had already been refunded, even though it had a later date. Dates didn't match. Emails overlapped. The staff were polite enough on the phone but unhelpful in practice. Still waiting on a clear explanation or a proper refund. In the end we bought the laptop elsewhere (Very) because it was quicker. Slightly annoyed, mostly just tired of the back-and-forth. I did tell my coworker I ended up buying from a different store; don't think I'll recommend AO again.
New fridge almost ruined my week
delivery, hookup, haul away the old beast. I paid, got the confirmations, and daydreamed about a quieter fridge in the corner. Then an email drops: defrost your old freezer completely or they won’t take it, or they’ll charge extra. Wait, what? Imagine trying to empty two days’ worth of frozen dinners and ice cream with a delivery slot looming. I called, they said it's about avoiding water in the van. Fine, sensible, but nobody mentioned it before checkout. So instead of enjoying the new unit, I was juggling ruined food scenarios and logistics. Ended up cancelling and going with another seller whose recycling notes actually said “prefer defrosted, but we’ll seal and take it if not possible.” That felt like someone who’s used a freezer before. I never even got to feel the new fridge in my kitchen, but the whole process left a bad aftertaste — good idea, poor follow-through.
Not what I expected
they had me run a 2 hour 44 minute cycle and another 15 minute one while holding my phone up on video so someone could watch the drum "not" work. Like, really? That felt so inefficient and kind of humiliating, standing there with my phone propped on a cereal box watching a washing machine spin. Samsung agreed it was faulty but said they’d send an engineer rather than replace it outright. AO insisted the same — despite me saying I don't want anyone fixing this, I paid for a new, working machine, not repairs. With little kids this is a big disruption; we don’t have time to wait at home all day for a tech who might call in 48 hours to schedule. The washer itself would have been great (style, features looked right), but the whole post-sale process is what ruined it. Not perfect service, but the product line seems fine in theory. If you rely on quick, hassle-free replacements, maybe think twice — if you can deal with phone calls and waiting, it might still work out eventually.
Strange morning, sad outcome
I was boiling coffee when I read the CEO referring to something as "carpet bombing" and it just threw me off. I needed AO because our dryer died and with my bad back I really couldn't schlepp clothes to the laundromat, so I ordered a replacement and installation. Hearing that phrase from the head of a big company — while conflicts are unfolding and friends of mine are affected — felt really tone-deaf. I tried to raise it with customer support thinking they'd at least say sorry or explain, but instead my account got blocked and my follow-ups never went through. That felt petty and kind of upsetting, like they just shut the door on anyone who calls them out. To be fair, the delivery team was great — on time and friendly — so the install itself wasn't the problem. Still, the corporate reaction left me disappointed and a little wary. I wanted to trust a household name to be decent when called out, but this made me question whether they actually want customer feedback. Annoying, sad, and something I won't forget.
Not what I expected, but it worked out…kind of
Okay, so this is going to sound a bit messy because that’s exactly how it felt. I was nervous about ordering from this place from the get-go — mainly because my aunt is 76 and has dementia and I’d heard stories about delivery companies being either confused or careless. We needed a new cooker and fridge because the cooker’s gas flame was unreliable (she kept sticking her hand in to check if it was lit — I know, I know, scary) and the old fridge was basically a water cooler. Every visit I was scooping cups of water out of it. Long story short, safety and convenience were the reasons I even started looking. I wanted someone who’d actually turn up and do the job without me babysitting them all day.
The five-minute saga that turned my kitchen upside down
the delivery policy felt rigid and the timing info was messy. But the human on the other end of the phone listened, validated the mess, and took practical steps to reduce the fallout. Slightly skeptical going in, slightly satisfied walking out. Could be better, but at least it didn't end in ruined meds.
TV order got cancelled — and nobody told me
I ordered a TV for our small office, price-matched a deal and put it on the company card because we needed it the next day for a client presentation. I was uneasy about a few things before I hit confirm — using a corporate card, the price match, and the whole “next-day” promise — but the checkout looked normal and the payment went through, so I pushed ahead. That unease didn’t exactly go away after I ordered; it just sat there in the background. The next morning there was no tracking update, no dispatch email, no text — nothing. I called AO and was told the order had already been cancelled. Without any prior warning. Apparently I “failed a security check.” When I asked what that meant, the answers were vague. At one point someone mentioned a VPN, which makes zero sense since I ordered by phone, and then they couldn’t even confirm that was the issue. So my doubts before buying didn’t disappear — they were justified. What made it worse was that they’d already taken the payment. I had to wait for a refund before I could buy the TV elsewhere, and that tied up company funds at a bad time. It affected our cash flow for a couple of weeks, which is exactly the kind of hassle I was trying to avoid by choosing a next-day option. On the slightly positive side, once I pushed and escalated, the refund arrived sooner than the initial estimate — not because they explained anything useful, but because my bank processed it quickly. That was a small surprise, and helpful, but it doesn’t fix the communication problem. If you’re buying something urgent for work and you need certainty, this experience taught me to be cautious. The ordering promise and the reality didn’t match, and that uncertainty stayed with me through the whole process.
Not exactly a "business" delivery
to avoid the “this isn’t residential” nonsense. Turns out none of their engineers apparently can handle commercial meters. So why call it AO Business at all?
Customer service over the phone was pretty dismissive. I got a shrug and a rushed explanation that it’s “at the driver’s discretion” whether they take things upstairs, and then an email quoting terms and conditions that, if you’re honest, don’t actually appear anywhere obvious when you’re choosing delivery options. They told me there’s a screen after payment where you can leave delivery notes about stairs. I kept looking — and now I’ve gone through the process multiple times — there’s just nowhere to put that kind of info. Feels like they take your money and hope for the best. I’ve dealt with other companies who actually ask about access, call beforehand, or at least leave a clear option in checkout, so this was extra annoying. On the plus side, the engineer’s quick check meant there was no awkward halfway installation attempt, and at least someone seemed to care enough to look at the meter. But that small bit of competence doesn’t fix the bigger mess: misleading “business” service, no real way to leave delivery instructions, and customer service that wants to move on to the next call. I’m left rearranging shifts, calling around, and basically doing the job their delivery should have done. Not great.Trustworthy, Efficient, and Customer-focused
As a client of AO Business, I have had a great experience with the company. Their online platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it simple to find the products I need. The product descriptions are detailed and provide all the information I need to make informed purchasing decisions.
The delivery process is also seamless, with prompt and reliable shipping. I appreciate the option to track my order and receive updates on its status. In addition, the customer service team is knowledgeable and helpful, always quick to respond to my inquiries and resolve any issues I have had.
Overall, I am very satisfied with AO Business and would highly recommend them to others.
About AO Business
AO Business is a division of AO World plc, a company specializing in the sale of household appliances and consumer electronics online. Founded in 2000 by John Roberts, AO World plc, headquartered in the UK, has expanded its operations to offer services tailored to business customers through AO Business. This segment caters specifically to businesses, offering a wide range of appliances and electronics, along with bulk purchase options and business-specific services such as flexible delivery and installation services designed to meet the needs of companies of all sizes. AO Business aims to provide a seamless and efficient procurement process for appliances and electronics, supporting various sectors including property development, management, and the hospitality industry among others.
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Last update: October 2025
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