B&Q and Homebase voted worst online retailers

The survey, by consumer group Which?, found that homebase.co.uk and bandq.com/diy.com were marked down on pricing and products, with both scoring two stars out of five.

Overall, both had the lowest customer scores of all 78 sites, with Homebase scoring 52% and B&Q 50%.

Beauty brand LizEarle.com was voted the best online retailer (94%), followed by ChainReactionCycles.com (93%).

In joint third place was Johnlewis.com, cycles etailer wiggle.co.uk and photography specialist 7DayShop.com.

The survey found that delays, overpackaging and inconvenient time slots irked customers the most.

Which? magazine editor Martyn Hocking said: “With Christmas around the corner, many of us will be turning to online shopping to avoid the crowds and bag a few bargains.

“However, our independent research shows that inconvenient deliveries from some online shops might make you wish you’d hit the high street instead, so do check the small print before you click ‘buy’.”