PC World taking forever to sort things out

[ang S]

I bought a family pc in 2005 from pc world and took out a pc performance agreement. It is a packard bell desktop 1307.

 

5 weeks ago it crashed (went to a blue screen saying it was missing files to boot up) - sorry I am not very technical. This whats happened since

 

1 week spent on and off phone to helpline, trying various things, eventually restoring factory settings (twice) only for it to work for a few hours then fail again. Eventually they arranged an engineer visit.

 

Engineer turned up, didnt even look at pc as when I told him what had been happening he said oh thats the hard drive and we aint got any of them in stock so I will have to come back when we do. So I wasted a precious day off work for nothing. As I couldnt get another day off we arranged that I would drop the machine into the nearest currys store (as pc world is absolutely miles away) and it could be repaired there,

 

1 week later - I phone currys and they tell me the engineer has been out and its ready. I go to collect it (20 mile round trip) to find that they havnt reloaded any of the software. Currys tell me they will do it and to come back tomorrow. I do this but its still not done and currys tell me they dont have time and to take it with the recovery disks provided and do it myself and use the helpline if I get stuck.

 

That night I try but cant get passed a black screen with C> on it, speak to the helpline and they say its not been Tattoed???? they try for over an hour to help but finally think the hard drive hasnt been install properly and rebook an engineer to the store for the following week and I end up taking pc back.

 

Another week and I am told its ready so go and pick it up. They tell me that they have fitted a new hard drive (thought that is what they had done preiously??) I insist that they connect it up to a monitor so I can see that windows has been reloaded which it appears it has. I notice that this point that they have scratchd and dented the case. They tell me they will get a replacement casing on order and let me know but I can take machine. Get machine home and connect it all up, keyboard doesnt work (try another keyboard - usb one this time borrowed off my neighbour - this doesnt work either). Speak to helpline and they get me to check various things and discover loads of drivers are missing including audio, ethernet, usb etc etc. The try to do get me to reinstall the discs but without a keyboard working we cant so they arrange for it to go to store the next day and an engineer will call.

 

Next day I drop the pc off at the store by 9am (my car now knows the way to the store on autopilot) and eventually chase them at 4.30pm and told no-one has been yet but they will ring me when he has. SUprise suprise its gets to 5.55pm and no call, try to call store - as they close at 6pm but no one answers. I ring techguys who tell me that an engineer has been out but that he has ordered a new motherboard and recovery discs (old ones they supplied apparently wrong) but that they are both out of stock at the moment, so when they are in stock they will send the engineer out to store with them and fit!!!

 

I am totally frustrated now, have 2 children who are miserable as sin without our pc!!! struggling for homework etc, Helpline say they have no record of all the calls in the first week ?????? so the date they are counting the 6 weeks from is when we arranged an engineer visit, so still got another 2 weeks to go according to them.

 

Also if they have to replace my pc what do they give me, I expect I will just get the new base unit is this correct as I still have a screen etc. Also how do I find out what spec my old pc was, and then any help comparing that to what I should expect to get now would be very much appreciated.

[andydd]

This is totally unacceptable, I personally would of ranted and raved in the store untill things were sorted but this may not be everyones cup of tea.

 

I would also write some letters to PC World and some senior staff (hopefully someone here can provide addresses), you should point out the whole saga, how disappointed you are in PC World) and all the extra cost you have incurred due to their incompetence !

 

Whoops..Just read your PC is now 4-5 years old, I'm suprised it is covered by any sort of warranty. Did yoyu take out any extra cover for it ?

 

Andy

[ang S]

yes I am still covered by the pc performance agreement through coverplan. I know its an old pc but has until now been fine for us, so I can accept that it may take longer to get parts but its the way in which I have been totally messed about that makes me so cross.

 

So yes if anyone has anyone seniors email address I would love to let them know what I think of their customer service!!!

[postggj]

WELL PC WORLD IS PART OF THE DIXONS STORE GROUP

ILL CHECK OUT THIS WARRINTY SO WHILE YOU ARE WAITING A BIT OF RELIEF ENTERTAINMENT WITH DIXONS STORE GROUP

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-consumer-issues/226694-i-pod-touch-not.html

[Renzokuken]

This is totally unacceptable, I personally would of ranted and raved in the store untill things were sorted but this may not be everyones cup of tea.

 

Trust me mate, if you'd have done that in my store, I'd have kicked you out on your backside, staff aren't there to be ranted and raved at, infact it has nothing but a negative impact because they won't want to help you.

 

Under the terms of your PcPerformance agreement they have 28 days within which to supply you with a working PC of equivalent or better specification. If as you've said you contacted them and the repair has gone over 28 days I'd suggest you go into the store with a copy of your telephone bill assuming it's itemised you should be able to prove when you contacted Mastercare. Have them ring Mastercare and get them to ask that they issue replacement vouchers asap, you should recieve a letter within 10 days with your claim number on so the store can print and use your vouchers. Should they refuse ask the branch to escalate it via the branch action line to the "save our customers" scheme.

 

The save our customers scheme is a small team of people who can order other departments or branches to break company rules without disiplinary or monetary conciquence.

 

Once this is sorted, make a copy of your telephone bills, and total up your fuel costs traveling to and from the shop, and claim them back from head office.

[postggj]

Thats Well Said But In Reality

 

Mind You

 

Each Store Is Different

 

Even Though Hemel Is Pulling The Strings

 

Lets See If Your Recomendation Produces Results

 

My Own Opinion Is I Doubt It But We Will See

[andydd]

Trust me mate, if you'd have done that in my store, I'd have kicked you out on your backside, staff aren't there to be ranted and raved at, infact it has nothing but a negative impact because they won't want to help you.

 

Under the terms of your PcPerformance agreement they have 28 days within which to supply you with a working PC of equivalent or better specification. If as you've said you contacted them and the repair has gone over 28 days I'd suggest you go into the store with a copy of your telephone bill assuming it's itemised you should be able to prove when you contacted Mastercare. Have them ring Mastercare and get them to ask that they issue replacement vouchers asap, you should recieve a letter within 10 days with your claim number on so the store can print and use your vouchers. Should they refuse ask the branch to escalate it via the branch action line to the "save our customers" scheme.

 

The save our customers scheme is a small team of people who can order other departments or branches to break company rules without disiplinary or monetary conciquence.

 

Once this is sorted, make a copy of your telephone bills, and total up your fuel costs traveling to and from the shop, and claim them back from head office.

 

Customers are not there to be physically assaulted either.

 

Andy

[ang S]

Just to give you an update - there isnt one, no world from them at all. still waiting for parts apparently, now only 6 days til I can claim a replacement pc, whats the betting it will suddenly ne ready in 5 days time!!!

[Richard1973]

any further news?

[ang S]

Sorry forgot all about logging back in and letting you know how I got on, how rude of me.

 

Eventually I got a call off them to go and pick it up cos it was repaired but I got them to try it in the store and clearly there were still lots of problems with missing drivers etc. So they called the pc performance people and after about an hour in the store with them on the phone they agreed to a write off. It then took another ten days or so and I got letter in the post with a voucher code. The good news is however that they offered me £420 which I thought was fair. As it was by then only a week or so before christmas I decided to wait til the sales and see what I could get. I went to a pc world between christmas and new year and got a new pc packard bell ixtreme 5620 with a screen etc with only putting about £20 to the voucher so was very happy with that.

 

So finally a good outcome but to be honest if I had had the choice of where to buy from again this time I would have avoided the PC world/currys/dixons group.

 

Hope this helps someone else