Meaco

Update 08-​03-​2010
Just over a year after having bought the dehumidifier (and about 8 weeks out of guarantee), the heating element on it went, meaning it no longer worked. I rang the company and — to cut a long story short — they arranged for it to be picked up, repaired and delivered — at no cost to me. Absolutely brilliant.
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Meaco are a leading supplier of office and domestic air-​conditioning appliances, which also includes humidifiers and dehumidifiers, commercial fans, air purifiers, electric heating, central heating and towel heaters, as well as fixed and portable air-​conditioning equipment. Meaco are the only suppliers of certain brands of equipment in the UK.
Although it is possible to call at the showrooms (address above), they recommend you call first to ensure that the model you want is in stock, as the main warehouse is at a different location. That said, most customers buy via the internet.
If you place an order for most items before 2pm, they guarantee next-​day delivery, although they don’t deliver on Saturdays or Sundays, which is a bit of a pain. (Small items under £50 value are sent by Royal Mail and so can be delivered on Saturdays). This was certainly my experience: I called first to see if the item was in stock, and placed my order at 1.30pm, and it arrived safely as predicted.
A downer is that their delivery contractors can’t predict a morning or afternoon call, so you have to set a whole day aside, which is a bit of a pain.
The website is very easy to use, and helpfully informative, with lots of product information. I’ve found their telephone contact line one of the most helpful ever, and — oh joy! — it’s a freephone 0500 number and not an 0845 number! An extra star for that! If you prefer a land line, it’s (1 483) 566 688.
Overall, they do what they say on their website!