Spode - Reviews and experiences

the bowls themselves might be okay, but their handling of pre-Christmas orders was careless and disappointing. I ordered a dozen with the tree pattern mid-December because the site said orders placed by Dec 17 would get there before the holidays. By Dec 22 the status still showed "processing", so I called. An automated message repeated the deadline info (helpful, not) but gave no actual dispatch update — I wanted to know whether they'd shipped. I finally reached a rep who couldn't give a delivery date and said she'd look into it and call back. Five hours later no call, so I rang again and was told the office was closed for the holidays until Jan 5 and that customers had received no heads-up. No tracking, no email, nothing. That broken promise and the holiday blackout felt like they didn't value customers much. If you absolutely need holiday timing to be reliable, maybe avoid ordering over that busy window. A quick email or a site notice would've solved most of this — small ask, big difference. I hope they sort their communication out next year.

take screenshots and don't assume they'll honour it.

quick, tracked, and everything arrived without a scratch. I started using the plates the week after Christmas and the patterns are lovely, real care in the finish. Then, of course, I managed to smash one plate (classic holiday move) and that's where things fell apart. The website and support told me I couldn't buy a single replacement, only a full set or random extras, so I ended up awkwardly short for four. Customer service was polite but unhelpful. Still, the product itself is great and delivery really impressed me overall.

the gold trim was already scratched and misaligned, and the snake motif on the teapot and lid don't match up at all, like two different prints trying to be friends. Asked for a replacement and got the same problem — clearly not hand-painted, just sloppy printers. If you want the look, ask for detailed photos first; learn from my mistake and save yourself time.