I have just spent the best part of an hour calling PC World as we have 2 laptops refusing to work. I speak to my account manager, all very nice, he gives me a reference no and a telephone and off I toddle. First call gets re-directed to PC World in Northolt (?), second goes to God knows where, third goes to the Tech Guys - thetechguys.com - belong to the same company as PC World ie. The DSG Group - (hey I’m talking to the right people). The tech, he knows absolutely nothing about any previous history regarding the laptops as there are no notes on the system. After about 25 - 30 minutes we realise I’ve been put through to the wrong department yet again, he is full of apologies and very nice (thank you Shane), he then gave me another number which I call, boy, do I wish I hadn’t.
The phone was picked up in seconds, I can’t for the life of me tell you what was said as it was blasted out in one huge rush, I replied with ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that! Is that PC World Business Tech Support?’ ‘Yes it is’ came the aggressive and impolite reply - I gave my ID number and said I had two issues this morning one with a laptop that had been repaired and was still not working, the other which had been repaired two weeks ago and now had a different issue. As for the one which was sent away for repair and came back, they replaced the hard drive and lost all the data on it - I’ve been trying for the best part of four days to get it up and running again but it’s just not happening. She very rudely interrupted me and started yelling ‘it’s not up to us to save your data that’s your job’ I replied with, very stupidly I know ‘hang on, I’m just trying to get my bloody laptop fixed’ when she screams out ‘don’t you swear at me’ I was stumped thinking what did I just say? I didn’t swear, did I? Oh, I get it she means bloody. ‘Excuse me’ says I ‘bloody isn’t swearing’, to which she replies with ‘yes it is, that’s your final warning, you say it again and I’ll terminate the call’ I seriously cannot believe what I’m hearing here. I’m stunned so I say ‘terminate this call at your own peril’ to which she comes back with ‘don’t you dare threaten me’ at this point I laugh, I’m starting to find this a bit, I don’t know the words to describe it, funny, weird, like an out of body experience. I just spent almost half an hour on the phone with Shane, a lovely man in the other tech department, why can’t I have him back? The laugh seems to set her off, like a greyhound chasing a rabbit, she starts yelling at me, shocked I drop the phone onto my desk and Paul and I stare it as a huge vat of pus spews out of it! Well, actually it was just her screeching, we could hear her quite clearly even from a distance, I rush out of the room to check the children are ok … maybe not, but Paul shocked by what he’s hearing spewing out of the receiver picks it up and tells her to calm down, ask for her name, her department and to speak to her supervisor. Her name is Rebecca (!), she is in team O at business support (!) in Nottingham and unfortunately there are no supervisors present and she refused point blank to give the telephone number for head office. Hmm, I’ve called my business support manager and I’m waiting for him to call back, I will update once I’ve spoken to him. At the moment I’m looking for a nice person to come and fix my laptops ….
If anybody would like to comment or tell other about any similar problems they’ve had let me know.
** Edit
I have just spoken to Robert ‘The Firefighter’ Evenson at PC World Customer Support (a very nice man) and he has offered me a replacement laptop which I can go and pick up at my nearest store. I’d like to thank Robert for his help in resolving this so quickly and also sincere thanks to David Attenborough (PC World affiliate manager) for pointing Robert in the direction of my blog and passing on my telephone number. They have also agreed to pay the costs of my PC repairs.
In good faith we will now remove our PPC ad which we refused to remove at David’s request as this was not an affiliate issue it was a customer issue.
‘Power to the People’ and thanks to everyone for their support.
I know how you feel.
Other half got a laptop in December, 2 weeks later it went kaputt! She lost half of her 8,000 word dissertation with it too.Marching on to PC world we went!
I hate their customer service. especially when you go into the store with the laptop, saying ‘I work for a computer marketing company and the laptop hard drive is not working when turning the laptop on’ - they then take the laptop and give it to one of their ‘tech guys’ fixing pc’s behind them, who come back to me and tell me exactly what i’ve told them.
Frustrating! Jules - you are not alone
That is horrendous treatment Jules.
I will certainly think twice about using PC World if that is the level of customer support.
so it’s you whose been hogging the PC World techi department these last couple of weeks - no wonder nobody’s got the time to hunt down some recovery disks for the sparkling brand new Touchsmart which has gone completely haywire, we’ve spoken to everyone - including the fellow who empties the bins (OK that’s a lie :)).
the ad’s a genius touch
I refuse to use PC world.
2 little things got to me and I never went back
1) being ignored instore and when I did get some one talk to me they hadent a clue.
2) using their ‘click and clooect’ service or whatever it is called, went to pick up the item, they hadn’t got it in stock even though I reserved it.
Now if I need something I go to the guy in town who is not affiliated with any particular brand or big store, who knows what he is talking about may cost a few quid more but is so much worth it.
I don’t understand why anybody buys computers from PC world, 99% are shockingly poor value for money, and nobody working there has a clue about computers. I know too many stories about PC world “Support” that I would never for 1 second consider buying from them.
Just imagine if consumers were generally knowledgeable about paid search. Now mix this & adopt into a scenario where a consumer and had adequate case for complaints about a particular retailer or service which wasn’t being resolved to their satisfaction. That person(s) maybe had a blog and wanted to get their message out there, which would be more effective than simply commenting on a consumer review site.
Now, just imagine that consumer, knowing about paid search and having some disposable cash, bidded on that retailers brand and pointing the traffic to their own blog. Interesting maybe?
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=PC+World
Anyone thought about Google-bombing it?
Hi
I have always shopped at PC World and have never had any problems with their stores or customer support. Their knowledge is excellent and the service the Tech Guys offers is great. I buy all my computers from them and am always satisfied.
I don’t understand why there is so much negativity
Poor Jules. Not surprised, mind you. Was just in PC World half an hour ago and I could hardly spot anybody over the age of 20. These companies just employ kids on minimum wage to exploit, kids who don’t know the first time about computers beyond how to use a chatroom… and then they exploit consumers with the kind of absymal service you received.
Many years ago, Dixons repaired a tv I bought from them, after waiting weeks for the return, I was told… it had been sold in the manager clearance specials.. So they gave me a new one
Oh and another, they once sold me IBM OS32 operating system, I went to by Windows 3.1, but luckily they knew what was what, and told me Windows would never catch on… true story
Just taken over the IT purchasing duties at work.
Trying to order equipment through our PCW business account. Customer services giving me the run around. This is when trying to give them money, what will they be like if something goes wrong?
I am recommending my company changes supplier.
I went into PC World Business on the Wednesday 20th August, i was treated very pollitly by the staff, after all i was willing to part with some money.
The Laptop arrived next day, immediatly it was shutting down continuasly, every time it had to be rebooted from the start. I rang PC World Business they had all finished for the day. The next morning i rang them up, iby this time i had recharged the Laptop and it was still creatimg problems.
I rang PC Worl Business and told them about the £800 laptop, to my astonicment they said “we carnt help you, its nothing to do with us” ” you need to take it up with the manufactere” “Its not our problem”.
I coulnt beleve that i had just spent £800 with a company who would wash their hands of me within 24 hours.
I rang up the manufacture who where IBM and i was put through to a call center in Rumainia, i spent 20 minutes trying to spell our company name, I spelt out “B A L” and the reply came back each time “B L A” each time i had to cut the operator short and repeat the name, this went on. The tipping point was that our company name ends in “N” but he consistently said “M”.
I rang 4 different operators within the Lenovos/IBM call center and each call was the same, the operators couldnt speak very good English.
I was thinking back when i was purchasing the Laptop how the PC World Business staff where telling me, thet they are hear to help and that its a local business and if i have a problem they are just up the road.
When i had spent my hard earned money, they simply are not interested, when you read their tearms and conditions they are trying tto get out of every thing, there is no guarantee or support.
When i went back into PCWorld Business and i spoke with them about the problem, who how they had changed, the reception was now very frosty and i was threttent that they have a good team of lawyers and that only 10 % of people get refunds.
I got trading standards involved and my soliciter, they are takeing back the goods.
PLEASE NOTE: THEY WILL THREATEN YOU WITH ALL THE TEARMS AND CONDITIONS. HOWEVER THEY STILL HAVE TO SELL GOODS WHICH ARE FIT FOR PURPOSE THAT IS THE LAW, I ALSO PAID FOR MY BUSINESS PRODUCTS WITH A PERSONAL VISA CARD, THIS ALSO GIVES ADDED PROTECTION.
I purchased my PC, monitor and printer 12 months ago from PC World Stretford in Manchester. As I was starting a new business I took out their Business PC Performance package, it seemed ideal, paid a monthly fee, stated it gave 12 month free health check and the essential part for my business was that if my computer needed repairing they would supply a loaned computer. I was fortunate to never having needed to contact them within the 12 months and I knew it was due it’s 12 months free health check. Spent almost an hour ringing various numbers and for some reason always ending up through to Warrington Store who told me they couldn’t book in the ‘Heath Check’. Eventually after speaking to the world and his wife got though to a call centre who booked it in at the store i purchased it from. Took it in on Monday 25th August for the next day check. I mentioned I tried to do a back up disc and it didn’t work, plus the card reader wasn’t working and could they check that. Had a phone call from the store it required 2 parts, I asked if the engineer could call at the store to do the repair, they contacted me later with a job number and said he would be calling out the next day, needless to say no engineer arrived, the store rang the call centre to find out why he hadn’t been and was told the operator made a mistake and it wasn’t booked in but was actually booked in for Friday 29th. Rang business support, last night, spent 40 minutes sorting this matter out and they agreed that the shop was misinformed, but could not come out until Friday, I asked for a loaned computer because mby now I have no confidence and also I have not had access for 3 days and a good chance losing potential work i need a loan, assured me I would get a phone call today 28th Aug, no call, just rang spoke to ‘Richard’ at customer service, told i was given wrong information!! (yet again) nobody would be ringing me today about the loaned computer, he didn’t know when because it depended when one was available!! (Exactly was sort of business service am I paying for?) kept passing the buck, not taking responsibility,saying I needed to contact the cover plan people, but it was the people at the ‘Customer NO Service call centre’ that was causing the problems. Told me to write in. What a useless, unprofessional company, I was also told that 1 of the parts that is required is not in stock and it needs ordering but they can’t do it until after the Engineer has been because it will confuse the system. This is a shambolic, appalling service, PC World do not deserve customers if this is the level of service they are promoting. If PC World think this is acceptable, and a good service, make your own judgement, my standards and expectations are obviously higher than theirs.