| Product: |
PC World |
| Date: |
28/11/02 (299 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Good Service, Wide Range
Disadvantages: Stressful Job at times (but arent they all)
Having worked at PC World for a number of years, dealing in many of the departments there, I have quite a good knowledge of the day to day runnings of the store, particularu the service side of things.
If there's one thing that I have noticed with customers in general, they moan. Oh, how they moan. Working on a service desk daily means that you come into contact with many different individuals - ranging from the lovely to serve (and no, that doesn't mean that it's been easy to con them before you cynics jump in!) to the downright arrogant (and sometimes physical).
Granted, you have to take a lot of stick from customers, but it's your Job. Believe it or not, we are there to help you and we will do in the nest way that is physically possible by us and our policies. I've noticed that some opinions here mention that they have problems bring software back - it's a common problem that we face, and the customer gets dealt with according to the way in which we are allowed - via software copyright law. Due to copyright reasons, we cannot bring back software which is opened and not faulty. If it doesnt work on your PC but when we test it and it works on our systems (again, they are bog standard PCs nothing special which makes things work magically) then there isnt a lot we can do about it, save for an exchange, etc. 7 times out of 10 though, it is actually the customer's pc, and YES they MAY have copied it - because some have bragged to me that they have! Finally, its doesn't matter if woolworth's, or GAME or other retailers bring back software in x days, that's THEIR policies, not ours!
Sales advisors are SALES advisors. Oddly enough, they are there to help you purchase a PC, not to tell you the ins and outs of what instuction set the southbridge component uses or what revision BIOS the motherboard uses, they are there to offer you advice and help, and to ensure you are dealt with correctly. The technician
s are there for the more in deoth knowledge, and don't be afraid to ask them. If they can't help you immediately with your question, then they can always refer to documentation that is provided to them, or ring one of the staff specialist lines.
Also, if the sales advisor offers you extra items such as blank CDs, paper, cartridges, etc, then consider them! Many customers purchase a PC and are back in the store the next day buying the consumables they previously turned down.
"Extra Warranties" (as they commonly get coined as): They are worth considering! They seem pricey at the first look, but what they offer are useful. Accidental damage, theft protection, etc. Useful for when you are buying a laptop, etc. You break the screen on a laptop, and its generally ~£1000 to get repaired. The agreement covers it. A lot of customers also mention that "their mates can fix it". *cough* yes of course they can repair motherboards, CD/DVD drives, etc. Is your mate going to offer you a prompt service? Is he going to get you a replacement genuine part? I think not, unless you prove me otherwise. I have served many happy customers who has purchased PCs with service agreements and 3-4 years down a line a component has failed, and we are able to repair / replace it promptly.
Im not also saying here that we are angels too, we also have our fair share of issues, due to breakdown in communications, stock availability, and (dare i say it) customers. However, they are occassional, and the customer always has the benefit of the doubt in the end.
In general, PC World offers a good sound service to its customers. Not every employee there has to know the ins and outs of a PC, some people are there just to make a living y'know, so if they can't answer your query, they'll point you in the direction of someone who does. Remeber, people working on the service side of things are also human (yup, it's true) and they
are not out there to make your life a misery, so cooperate where you can, please. Remember, they may be your customers one day, so be gentle.
One final point - Managers ARE NOT gods! If an employee tells you something, and you don't like it, then don't go nagging more a manager. You may also notice that if you get hold of a manger he will usually repeat what has just be told to you. The ties that they wear do not emcompass an almighty power, it just tells the customer that they are a manager. Employees tell you things because that is their job. If we lied, we'd be in serious trouble, with the managers.
I hope that my opinions have helped some of you.
Summary:
|
Last comments:
 |
- 09/01/03 A nicely biased op....
I have worked there as well as having problems from customer side....
And before everyone says this is sour grapes, I would like to point out that i still use PC World occasionally for consumables as I do find some of them relatively cheap.
Most of the staff at my ex branch dont have a clue about PC's however they are good salespeople, I used to do the same, they basically con people into buying a computer by telling them that it will do everything they want it to do eg. Will run the latest games even though it only has an onboard graphics card. They then scare the customer into buying their Extended Warranty by quoting ridiculous prices if the computer develops a fault.
As for the technicians none I have spoken to before or since have actually told me anything I didn't already know. One engineer which had to come out to the PC which broke after 2mths had to get me to show him how to enter the BIOS screen!!!
Overal l a good opinion but am left wondering how much the top people at PC World have paid for this to be written
|
 |
- 03/12/02 To be called a 'shill for PC World' is a bit much, After all, i'm just a student, and I have better things to go on, than standing up for PC world, im just offering my opinion as an employee.
£1000 for a screen? Er, yes that's actually correct. If you were to ring up a manufacturer to purchase a replacement screen for your Laptop then yup it can cost anything from £500-£1500 depending on make/model, age etc. We dont charge that price, the manufacturers do. I do agree with what one person wrote, the "Compaq harddrive" or a "HP soundcard" - it is infuriating when you can see your solution sitting on the shelf 6 feet in front of you, but parts have to be ordered form our main suppliers. (Actually to be picky here, there is such thing as a HP Soundcard, some models featured a specific soundcard only for that PC, but im digressing...). Granted as you say, parts are generic, but what about branding? Parts are branded (physically, visually and electronically), be they from the same manufacturer, so we have to rightly supply the correct original part.
And finally, im quite happy to say that im not brainwashed. I just say things as they are. Just offering my opionions and experiences... |
 |
- 28/11/02 It was very useful, it was useful in informing me that PC World do in fact brainwash their employees during their training!
Yes of course we moan, and we are very right to do so, a pc is very often one of the most expensive things a person buys, so of course you want to know whats in it and how it work, and yes of course we are if we go home and the bloody thing doesnt work so we take it all the way back again, to be told 'no refund' ( which by law we are entitled to have for a broken product), it will be sent back to the manufacturers for God knows how long
And if a 'sales' advisor knows bog all about the product he is 'selling' me then I dont want to know, how do I know he is selling me exactly what I want. I dont, staff should know lots about the very expensive products they are trying to sell.
Oh and I had a friend who worked for PC World so I wont tell every one about the bonuses they used to offer for each extra warranty sold
:-) |
View all
8
comments
|
Deutschland 
España 
Italia 
France - 
