Where in the world... DSG Retail Ltd (PC World)

Member Name: Epiphany

Product:	PC World
Date:	10/10/05 (4630 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Convenient

Disadvantages: The staff, the cost and the service

The way I see it, there are only three reasons that you would visit PC World.

1. You don’t know any better
2. You have found a great bargain
3. You’re desperate

Don’t agree? Well, let me explain…

1. You don’t know any better

In 1998 I started my IT degree. At the time I had an innate ability to work with computers, but I lacked the knowledge about where to shop and what things should cost.

PC World is owned by DSG Retail Limited who also trade as Partmaster, Mastercare, The Link, Currys and Dixons. I guess you don’t need me to point out that this means that DSG Retail Limited run three of the largest electrical/computer chains in the UK. If you have found yourself checking prices between these stores in the past, you’ll have found it futile 99% of the time. PC World, Currys and Dixons tend to charge the same price for stock. There are exceptions I’m sure, like the occasional stock sale or mis-priced item, but as a rule of thumb the prices will be the same.

DSG Retail Limited bombard you with advertisements in newspapers and television and you would be forgiven for thinking that they were the only supplier of PC’s and PC related equipment in the country. It was largely because of their advertising and the proximity of the store to my University that lead me to visit my local PC World (Plymouth) to buy an external 56K voice/fax modem. It cost me the princely sum of £100, which I accepted as the cost of technology and went on my merry way. Later it was pointed out that the product I bought was HUGELY overpriced, and I learnt my lesson.

Having access to the Internet with my new modem, and getting more into my course and online shopping, I was able to start comparing prices with companies such as Dabs, Crucial and E-buyer. What’s more, I was able to check out the PC Index website for price comparisons and guides. This enabled me to shop more intelligently and ensure that I didn’t fall into the PC World trap again.

2. You’ve found a bargain

Things have improved with PC World somewhat. You can find good bargains in store and online if you shop carefully.

Last Christmas, I decided to upgrade my PC and found just what I wanted at a very reasonable price in the same PC World branch I visited all those years ago. (It’s still my local branch because of where I moved to when I finished University, but PC World stores can now be found in most major towns and cities in the UK. The local one to my parental home is in Truro.)

My parents and I both bought the same machine, but unfortunately the hard drive died in mine after a month. I took it back to the store to be fixed, but it was decided that I would have to have a replacement machine. I waited several weeks, constantly being told the stock was due in, driving back and forth between the store and my home. In the end I got sick of waiting, the PC was actually sold out and unavailable anywhere in the UK and there were no other equivalent machines to replace it with, so I got my money back.

The service I got during this time was hopeless. I was given inaccurate information when I phoned the store and the majority of the staff were disinterested and some blatantly rude. At that point in time, I vowed never to shop at PC World again.

3. You’re desperate

Never say never though. You can guarantee that the one time that your modem gets burnt out because of a power surge or something else happens it will be a Sunday and you have something important to do online. You’re independently owned PC parts suppliers are all closed which leaves you with…. Yes, you’ve guessed it PC World, Dixons and Currys. The majority of these stores are open on Sundays, adding to their convenience.

Fortunately this has yet to happen to me, but there may be a time where PC World represents the quick-and-easy-value-for-money option, but they are pretty rare and pretty special circumstances.

In summary: I have found PC World to be overpriced, poorly made, poorly staffed and have had very unsatisfactory experiences with them. I found the telephone support to be lacking and the in store staff largely unsympathetic and at times rude. Of course, this may not be the case in other stores in the country, and other products may work well throughout their lifetime (which will hopefully be the case with my parents PC). However, given the number of reports of complaints, I feel my opinion is probably in the majority.

Thank you for reading.

Summary: They suck (technical computing term).