fine until you have a problem... (PC World)

Member Name: dogleggedhat

Product:	PC World
Date:	22/01/09 (89 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you can get some good deals, and the floorstaff are friendly and knowledgable

Disadvantages: they are widening their product range too much + when you have a problem, expect to be fobbed off...

PC World, for those of you who don't know, is one of britains largest chains of computer stores. It first opened in 1991 in Croydon and there are now over 160 stores across the UK and ROI.

Whilst they're called 'PC World' they sell lots of other products including computer accessories and supplies (eg printers, data storage, software etc), laptops, TVs, cameras, sat nav, games consoles etc. And whilst it may be great for some people that they have such a wide range of products, for me it's one of the things that annoys me about the shop. I don't like when stores branch out and try to stock every different type of product imaginable, as I think it takes away from the whole reason you go into it in the first place-to look for a PC(or something connected to PCs). In fact, the PC world near to where I live actually has about 4 models of PC and about 15 Laptops, but there is much more selection of TVs and cameras etc, which I think is ridiculous.

So yes, that is my first problem with PC World-the fact that there is an ever-dwindling focus on PCs, and more focus on a race to sell every product known to mankind.

Another problem I have is that PC World have their own PC clinic, which are meant to offer advice and services to customers. I think that having this clinic is quite unfair, as it gives the impression that if you buy a computer from PC World and something goes wrong, then you can easily get it fixed. Unfortunately, in my experience this just isn't the case. I had a computer which appeared to die on me, so I took it to the PC clinic (as I bought it from PC world) in the hope of getting it fixed. Whilst the staff were very friendly and assured me they could sort the problem within a few days, this didn't happen. I left my mobile number so they could contact me to pick it up, but after a week I had heard nothing. I called them up to enquire and was fobbed off with a lot of pathetic excuses. I was meant to be without my computer for a few days, I was actually without it for 8 weeks. And even after all this time, I received no apology, so it was fair to say I was pretty miffed. they give the impression that because they have a clinic instore, that problems will be fixed quicker, but from my experience they didn't follow through with this at all.

another problem I have with the store, at least in the store where I live, is that when you are actually looking for a member of staff to ask a question, you can't find one for love nor money-I spent 15 minutes looking and waiting for a member of staff, and the store isn't even that big! Then, on the other hand, when you're just having a quiet browse, you get a member of staff coming over every 5 second to see if you need help with anything-very frustrating! That said, I did find the floor staff to be friendly and knowledgable, which is something I suppose.

This review has felt like more of a rant than a proper review, but to be honest, I was incredibly disappointed with the service they had to offer. I naively thought that because they were a very well known chain, that there service would be great. In my opinion, the service is pretty shoddy. You can get some good deals on their products, but if you ever have a problem with something you've brought from there, then you might find it a bit difficult to get sorted

Summary: I'm not really a fan