My e-shopping Oscars.

Byline: FIONA WEBSTER

SHOPPING on the net really has to get its act together, grow up and get real.

The time has long gone when we were talking about a few nerdy dweebs in their attics playing at shopping like another arcade game.Today millions of people are seeking billions of pounds worth of products and services in the real world. A few sites are excellent and the best 'e-tailers' deserve to become web millionaires. But too many are slapdash, amateur affairs that just don't deliver on price, service or quality and are infuriating to use.

With that in mind, after a year of testing, here are my Email Net Shopping Heroes And Stinkers awards:

CUSTOMER SERVICE

WHAT'S the point of offering an email address and helpline for queries if customers have to wait a week for a response?

Some stores, like EToys at www.etoys.com, send a confirming email and progress report on your order - one told me when the baby clothes I wanted had left the warehouse. And Flowers Direct at www.flowersdirect.co.uk sends you an immediate email if you report a problem.

But many firms leave you in the dark. I know people who have waited almost two weeks for a CD from CD Now and heard nothing. Even Amazon let me down, when a book didn't arrive. No email advising me.

The Consumers' Association is so concerned that it has withdrawn its Web Trader logo from some sites.

HERO: Flowers Direct.

STINKER: CD Now.

ORDERING

TOO MANY companies have chaotic ordering systems which make it difficult for customers to navigate their website. Some sites, such as www.waitrose.com and www.waterstones.co.uk, get you to fill in a tedious questionnaire.

Others take you through lengthy procedures then say you can't order online, or some glitch means you have to start again.

This has happened to me at www.bol.com. Lastminute.com seems one of the worst for crashing.

Many customers think they have to order again, only to find out later they've double booked.

The Tesco site also crashed on me and it was only when I rang the helpline that I discovered I wouldn't have to fill my trolley all over again, I could pick up where I had left off.

But at 101cd (www.101cd.com) you are updated on your order, while at www.jungle.com you can reorder with ease.

HERO: 101cd.

STINKER: Waterstones.

DELIVERY

WHY can one company get something to you the next day and another take two weeks? An email road test earlier this year found a huge disparity, with heffers.co.uk the worst. They've got a long way to catch up on Amazon.co.uk.

Argos' furniture delivery is good - I have used it twice and on both occasions they were bang on time.

HERO: Amazon.

STINKER: Heffers.

QUALITY

SOME of the best quality goods I have had came from Waitrose, though ordering can be slow. Similarly, the Pure Wine Company at www.purewine.co.uk, although not cheap - a mixed case cost me [pounds sterling]85, delivery [pounds sterling]4.95 - delivered on time and was excellent quality.

Flower delivery sites rely on trust - you rarely see what you send.

Interflora, for example, at www.interflora.co.uk can be hit and miss on quality, even though they charge almost [pounds sterling]5 for delivery.

HERO: Waitrose.

STINKER: Interflora.

PRICE

COMPANIES benefit hugely from not being in the High Street - no rates or high rent. Is this saving being passed on to the customer? Not always.

Some of the toy sites were even more expensive than traditional shops.

Interior Internet at www.interiorinternet.com is a great showcase for designer talent but you're paying high prices without being able to try out the goods.

The Argos site offers good, competitive prices and regular sales for no-frills furniture.

HERO: Argos.

STINKER: Interior Internet.

SPECIALIST SITES

YOU CAN find the most obscure ingredients at sites like The Fresh Food Company at www.freshfood.co.uk. I also like Organics Direct at www.organicsdirect.com.

The most disappointing specialist sites are the big furniture stores. Ikea, at www.ikea.com, has very little on its site to persuade you to buy its goods, which are excellent.

HERO: Fresh Food Company.

STINKER: Ikea.

THE WINNER IS...

BEST of all is the Fresh Food Company for its extensive range and great products.