OT: PC World are useless - was Re: [Gllug] OT: microdirect.co.uk reliable?

[Ian Norton]

On Wed, Jan 12, 2005 at 10:30:24PM +0000, Christopher Hunter wrote:
> On Wednesday 12 Jan 2005 17:55, Alistair Mann wrote: 
> Neither are any good - Maplin are an overpriced joke, and don't get me started 
> on PC World!  ANY other computer shop (with the possible exception of the one 
> in Mortimer Street) would be better.

\begin{rant}

I have a rather fun PC world story, specifically, PC World in Norwich.

my fiance' urgently wanted a new laptop for uni (tired of crap battery and lack of
cd drive) so. we trundled off to pc world (she really urgently needed a new
machine as 99% of her uni communications are through email and submissions are
mostly electronic). so, with the suspicion of being ripped off we went to pc
world.

we had seen a toshiba A50 and A100 online , wanted to have a play in the shop to see
what they were like,

they didnt have the A100 yet, (it was far too new for pc world and due to be a
full 400 pounds more than from toshiba). so we had a look at an A50. 

nice screen, seemed fast, had all the right bits, little sign next to it
reported 3hr battery, the display model had no battery...

after waiting to attract sales driod for a while we encountered the most
idiotic asshole ever....

me:
	can you put a battery in this so we can tell how heavy it is please? we are
	thinking of buying it.

idiot:
	sorry sir, i cant do that, they keep getting stolen.

me: 
	i won't steal it, we want to make sure it is comfortable to carry and
	doesnt weigh a ton, you must have the battery that came with it out the
	back.

idiot:
	im afraid these do not have batteries, they are display models.


my fiance and I had a little talk, we both decided that this was staffed by the
worst kind of idiot ever and that we would get a better deal elsewhere, but we
really urgently needed the laptop, we would have to get ripped off and not fail
the course due to laptop crashing/overheating/etc when doing a presentation.
so, we decided to buy a bare bones A50 (or was it A60) and buy extra ram and
hard disk space for it on-line.

me:
	we would like to buy one of these ones please.

idiot:
	ok sir, ill just go to see if we have it in stock.

10 mins pases

idiot:
	the computer says we have 5 in stock. lets come and take your details.

10 mins more..

idiot:
	ill just go and get your machine from the stock room.

15 mins passes.
idiot returns..

idiot:
	im afraid we don't have any in stock of that particular model.

me:
	but your computer just said 5, it says so there on the screen 
	(idiot left sales terminal logged in)

idiot:
	ah yes, those ones are reserved for business customers im afraid,

me:
	right.. well, we urgently need a machine, do you have another toshiba that
	is the same sort of price and has the same battery power?

idiot:
	<tap tap tap>
	yes, we have another A50, it has less RAM though and only a cdrw not a
	combo cdwriter/dvd

me:
	well, ok, how much is that?

idiot:
	<tap>
	(50 pounds more than the one with more ram, bigger drive and dvd/cdr)

me:
	how come it's more expensive, it is identical to the other one but has less, you are asking 
	us to pay 50 pounds more for about 100 pounds less of stuff. 

idiot:
	its just they wat it is.

me:
	how about you sell it to us for the same price as the one we wanted first?

idiot:
	i cant do that, 

me:
	why not.

idiot:
	why should I?

me:
	<stunned by rudeness for a second>


we decided that we really needed a machine asap (for reasons I wont go into),
so, we gave in, 

me:
	ok, can we have one of those ones then, 

idiot:
	ok, how would you like to pay?

me:
	can you physically check to the stock room first?

idiot:
	but we have several in stock

me:
	humor us.

idiot goes off to check,

5 mins passes..

idiot:
	yes, we have one, and its not reserved.

me:
	ok, fine, (feeling like im about to explode) 

we go off and pay, sign the card slip..

idiot returns..

idiot:
	im afraid there is a small problem..

me:
	really? what is it now?

idiot:
	this machine has been returned, its a second,

me:
	and you didnt realise this when you just checked?

idiot:
	<blank look>

me:
	ok, what is wrong with it? why was it returned and can we have a discount?

idiot:
	er, i dont know, we dont do discounts.

me:
	i want my money back right now.

till droid:
	<runs off switch refund transaction>

resigned to failure in the face of idiocy, purchased newer toshiba A100 via
quick grovelling call to work and got it 100 quid cheaper than 
advertised with next day delivery,

moral of story:-

Never buy anything from pc world, no matter how urgently needed, or any shop
hight street PC shop for that matter.. 

The only thing pc world (all the stored I have been in anyway) are good for is 
selling you over priced crap that they will try to tell you isnt broken or that
you used it wrong when you return it.

\end{rant}

Ian
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