Product collected from Plymouth branch fine. The male employee was very abrupt and generally grumpy though. Poor customer service.
Company replied
While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more
To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
With over 40 years of experience, Force 4 Chandlery has built a reputation for offering products hand-picked by sailing enthusiasts for sailing enthusiasts. Our focus is on quality, reliability, and value, ensuring you can equip your boat with confidence. From essential safety gear to specialist equipment, we provide the expertise and selection that sailors trust. Everything on the website can either be found or ordered in our shops in Poole, Cardiff, Plymouth, Chichester, Lymington, Bursledon, Southampton and the Hamble, plus an enormous amount of other chandlery that we all need for our boats!
Force4 Chandlery, Waterside House, Brunel Way, GL10 3SX, STONEHOUSE, United Kingdom
No recent history of asking for reviews
This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative
Replied to 93% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 2 weeks
How this company uses Trustpilot
See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.
Sent a fulty product that didn't work from the day it was delivered. Went through the return process via email and have had no response in 7 days. I have also rang customer services multiple times (during working hours) no answer. Left a message with phone No. And order No. and no call back.
Customer services seems to be non existent.

Reply from Force4
Exceptional after sales customer service. My product failed 3 years after purchase due to a faulty part and was replaced without quibble directly from the manufacturer. Communication with Force4 was excellent, resulting in a speedy resolution.

Reply from Force4
Updated
Two recent orders, both with problems. First one was C Tug dinghy wheels with incorrect hardware, weeks later, still no hardware - this was initially caused by the manufacturer packing error but Force 4 haven't yet been able to provide fittings. Second order, a key for a Temo electric outboard, and wrong type sent.
Plymouth store has been good but will no longer order online from Force 4 as service isn't reliable.
UPDATE: Still zero reply to Emails regarding the a) failure to provide all the components of the C Tug dinghy wheels (A996418, now waiting over 3 weeks....) and b), supplying different Temo piece to the description.
BUT I did get a reply to this Trustpilot complaint - pleasantries, that do not address F4's failure to meet their obligations under the contract that they entered into, eg to supply goods complete / as described, which they still haven't done. So now one star.

Reply from Force4
Prompt and efficient delivery. One item had got damaged in transit and they replaced it immediately with no fuss. Very good service.

Reply from Force4
Force 4's delivery options seem completely out of touch with modern customer expectations.
Their cheapest service (£3.95 via Royal Mail) can take well over a week to arrive. While some parts of the website refer to First Class post, elsewhere they suggest a 4-5 day delivery timeframe, which is confusing.
The main issue isn't Royal Mail, it's Force 4's dispatch times. They state that orders can take 3-5 working days to leave the warehouse, and in my experience it took around a week just for a small item to be dispatched. Waiting that long for an item to be put in a padded envelope is difficult to justify.
The next delivery option costs £5.95 but appears to offer no meaningful improvement in delivery speed. To get a genuinely fast service, customers must pay £9.95 for next-day signed-for delivery, a service that many retailers no longer consider necessary.
Overall, Force 4's delivery service feels slow, outdated and poor value for money.

Reply from Force4
Mistakes with order very swiftly sorted. Thank You Kiara

Reply from Force4
we had exalent service when we found we had a broken product sent, and it was instanly replaced.
Good Customer service .

Reply from Force4
I have used Force 4 for many years and have always had outstanding service. Goods arrive promptly and well packaged and whenever I have phoned for advice about a product they have been knowledgeable and most helpful. I recently took delivery of a large order and exceptionally one of the products had leaked. I emailed over the weekend outside normal office hours and they picked up my message and despatched a full replacement order without delay and without any quibbles. This is the hallmark of a truly excellent company and I am delighted to endorse them.
Well done Force 4!

Reply from Force4
The staff at Stonehouse went out of their way to be helpful.
Notably Kira Cath and Tom dealt with my sailing suit return with patience and professionalism.Thank you,
Really poor service, no response from sales after emailing them to chase up a order, sad thing was it was a map card i ordered ( sd card ) it would have fitted in a envelope and could have been posted royal mail 1st class and received it the next day . its now been well over a week and still not arrived, really disappointed with this company, just spent over 2k with them. i will not be using them again .

Reply from Force4
After placing and receiving my order although all out ward packaging was fine and intact. One of the products £49.00 worth of 3M Heavy cutting polish had the cap broken and someone at Force 4 Chandlery thought that’s ok I’ll put some cello tape over it. Then place it in the box in a bag. Not what I would expect for an order of £275. I see other people seem to be having this issue.
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS REVIEW THAT FORCE 4 HAS PROMPTLY RESPONDED AND RESOLVED MY CONCERN TO MY SATISFACTION. A BIG THANK YOU!

Reply from Force4
Force 4 came to the rescue, when a specialist LED failed in our galley, on the eve of catching a Biscay weather window. Not only did the Force 4 website show that the scarce LED was in stock (plus a couple of extras to refill the spares box); But their service was super fast and effective. I watched my FedEx app with delight, as the critical (to crew morale) package made its overnight journey. Calamity was averted, by Force 4’s depth of stock and speedy turn around. I think of Force 4 as the RNLI of the chandlery world!

Reply from Force4
item arrived as ordered and on time. When i requested the invoice months later they got it to me within the hour. Excellent customer service, thank you Liz especially!

Reply from Force4
I've been a Force 4 customer for years and have never been disappointed. Knowledgeable service in store and over the phone, and all the products I could possibly need for my boat available at the click of a button on their easy to use website. Highly recommend to all those who like to be out on the water!

Reply from Force4
Product collected from Plymouth branch fine. The male employee was very abrupt and generally grumpy though. Poor customer service.

Reply from Force4
I have been a Force 4 customer for over 20 years using Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea stores and Stonehouse warehouse.
I ordered my antifoul for the ‘26 season and it arrived quickly.
All was OK until I opened the carton it was packed in.
Whilst the box was in perfect condition the can of paint looked as though it had been used as the ball in a 6 Nations game. The damage meant that resealing the tin was almost impossible which is not acceptable for a premium product from a reputable supplier.
The biggest complaint is the total lack of response from Force 4 to reasonably worded emails.
I used to believe that Force 4 believed in customer service.
Postscript - Force 4 has given a standard response to this review which amplifies the lack of customer support / they say that I should have advised them at an email address in their response.
I had tried to contact them through the very same email address but I was ignored - so my Trustpilot review is vindicated

Reply from Force4
I used to be a regular customer of this company, but no more.
I purchased supposedly "new" auto lifejackets only to discover later that they were 19 months old at the time of purchase.
On their first service they had to have the auto capsule replaced. This is not what I call "new", and for such an important safety item is just not good enough.

Reply from Force4
Absolutely appalled at the lack of customer service. Ordered an outboard motor cover. I was told it would be with me by the beginning of December. No response to my email requests for an update and no action taken when I rang and called for an update. Was promised a return call that day but heard nothing back.
So no Engine cover and no communication from Force 4.

Reply from Force4
First I want to point out that I was dealing with the main distribution center in Stonehouse and not one of their chandlers. I ordered a PLB and made a mistake on my order, consequently I received the wrong one, which was totally my fault. To complicate matters I applied one of the optional decals to the front of the PLB before I realized it was the wrong one. They are almost identical to look at. I phoned Force 4 and got through on my second attempt. I explained my problem and the lady asked me to send an e mail with all the details. I was happy with that as it starts a paper trail. This was 1630 on Tuesday. I received an email back at 1635 on Wednesday asking for a photo and confirmation I had not registered it. They emailed me back at 0945 on Thursday to confirm that they would exchange it. I posted it back at 1200 on Thursday and they received it at 1030 on Friday. They then rang me to get my credit card details as the replacement I wanted was more expensive. It arrived at my house at 1040 Saturday. I was very pleased with the speed this was dealt with and the communication, for what was a stupid mistake of my own making. I think all the bad reviews of Force 4 must be down to individual members of staff at different locations as I had a positive experience for which I thank them.

Reply from Force4
What an abseloute load of unusable rubbish your rubbish bag holder is. Go get one out of your stores and try it.....totally unusable. Who ever designed that never tried it out. Very disappointed in something that is not fit for purpose.
I will not be sending it back because we smashed it to bits in anger at its useless in our motorhome. It does not hold a bag let alone anything in it. Stop selling them as they are a complete ripp off.
Peter Waller.

Reply from Force4
Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.
We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.
Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.
Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.
Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.
Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.