Will never ever cross path with Zempire ever again.
I wanted to support Zempire as a growing camping brand in the UK, founded in NZ, but this turned into one of the most disappointing customer service experiences I have ever had.
I ordered a Zempire Aerospeed 4 Air Tent for £386.50, paying extra for DPD Next Day Delivery because I needed it for a pre-booked camping trip. The tent did not arrive the next day.
When I contacted customer support, I was repeatedly told that the parcel had been collected by DPD and that the lack of tracking was due to a scanning issue. However, after contacting DPD directly, I was told they had no record of the parcel entering their network. As my trip was approaching, I lost confidence that the tent would arrive and had no choice but to make an emergency journey to buy another tent so that my holiday would not be ruined.
Several days later, the tent unexpectedly arrived with virtually no meaningful tracking updates beforehand.
The late delivery was frustrating, but what disappointed me most was how the complaint was handled.
My complaint was escalated to the COO, and the correspondence progressed at roughly one substantive reply per day. For a complaint involving a failed next day delivery and an imminent camping trip, this prolonged the entire process.
Throughout the complaint, I felt the focus was on defending the company’s position rather than understanding the impact on the customer. Every proposal I made to reach a mutually acceptable resolution was rejected. The company’s position also changed during the dispute. At one stage I was told my chargeback would be accepted once the tent was returned. Later, I was informed that the chargeback would instead be disputed.
I was also told that returning the tent should be treated as a “change of mind” return, despite the fact that I was returning it because the paid next day delivery service failed and I had already been forced to purchase an alternative tent for my trip.
Eventually, the company agreed to collect the tent and provide a refund. While I appreciate that they ultimately arranged the collection, I do not believe the final outcome reflected the disruption, inconvenience and time I spent dealing with a problem that I did not create.
This experience was never about trying to get something for nothing. It was about accountability. I paid for a premium delivery service that was not provided. I spent days chasing conflicting information, had to purchase another tent to save my holiday, and invested a considerable amount of time trying to resolve the issue. In the end, it felt like the inconvenience rested almost entirely with me while the company simply refunded the purchase and moved on.
I cannot comment on the quality of the tent itself because I never had the opportunity to use it. My review relates solely to my purchasing experience and the way my complaint was handled.
Following this experience, I have submitted a report to Citizens Advice for assessment and will allow my credit card provider to determine the outcome of the chargeback dispute based on the full documentary evidence.








