pc world-pc performance scam

Im sick of hearing how PC world or Dixons groups try and rip people off, its rubbish. I’ve worked for PC world for over 3 years now and I’m currently training as a store manager, I’ve read many threads on this site about how the PC performance products that PC World sell are rip offs when actually there in place to bypass the manufacturers warranty so YOU don’t have to deal with the issues the manufacturers give you if something goes wrong, WE DEAL WITH THAT EVERYDAY so YOU can walk in and pick up your machine when fixed, also it gives you free online back up, and on top of that it offers you data recovery, accidental damage cover and a software support line if you have problems with generic software like office or internet security which not all people are clued up on (like my dad for example who hasn’t got a clue and has PC performance so i don’t have to go and sort out his problems every 2 seconds); yeah, to a certain extent the teams are targeted on it but if a customer doesn’t want to take it then YOU as the customer have a choice to say yes or no (the sales guys don’t sell it cos there targeted on it, they sell it cos they know not everyone is clued up on PC's and may need assistance), its there to benefit the customer not to hinder them, the people who cant make that decision themselves are just as bad as the ROBOTS that PC world apparently employ, There not robots, they are human beings who are trying to do there jobs so the public can walk away with what they came into the store looking for!! the selling methods that the Customer Advisors use are in place to make sure the customer goes away with everything they need, not for them to return a day later because they didn’t walk away with the cable they need to connect there new laptop to there HD TV and then shout at the advisor because they didn’t tell them, Not all customer advisors can be trained in every product on the shop floor and if you are looking for a machine with a certain graphics card or certain speed of ram then there are specialists in store that can help you answer these questions, but you could do some research on the product before you choose to buy instead of telling everyone how poor the sales assistant was because they didn’t know what chipset a laptop had, i’ve walked into a number of computer stores and asked many different questions about certain parts and been shown a blank face, i once asked a Sony rep in a Sony store the refresh rate of an LCD TV and who looked at ME like i was stupid . Lol......hey, if you buy your laptops from Tesco or comet next time......see what reply you get when asking complex questions!!! i bet you it wont be to the high standard a PC World advisor will give you.

The customer advisors are there to help you but you can also help yourself, i’ve worked in many retail stores, from clothes to food retail and IT/electrical goods is the hardest cos your not just selling a piece of hardware, your also selling software and trying to match a customers needs. IF PC world Wasn’t around then where would the high street shopper go to buy a laptop?? TESCO, Carphone warehouse, Comet, Staples.....everyone one of those stores sells laptops as a secondary product....not as there primary!! And if you are buying a laptop from one of these store then you really need to consider what level of after sales you will receive. Im a qualified mac technician, Microsoft qualified and trained on most products on the shop floor and so are nearly all the guys i work with. I buy all my IT Kit from PC world, not cos i work there, but because i know what they will have in stock and its just down the road, where i don’t have to wait 2 days for delivery, people who buy from the net already know what spec machine there looking for and parts there need so why give the sales guys a hard time if you already know what you want?? to try and make them look stupid?? i could sit here and argue IT all night long but i don’t cos i understand that not everyone has the knowledge that i have when it comes to IT and some guys in store and fully trained on TV's, Networking or digital cameras, not everyone in store is super clued up on every in and out of a laptop or desktop, they have a very good understanding if told what you are using the machine for but who is gonna constantly know what chipset is in which machine without looking when asked? if there’s someone who can do that then i would be impressed, but I’m sure the customer advisors will try there hardest to seek that information for you.

In all my time with PC world i have not once pressure sold to any of my customers, and would never do so, most of my customers will come back and see me on a monthly basis with what they need and i sell to some very large companies (which have there very own specialist IT departments) through PC world business, the impression i get from a lot of these threads is that your sales assistants that have served you have tried to match what your looking for and may of just been mistaken in what you are asking, take some time with the guys to explain what you are after and they will explore all possibilities as you have come in and asked for assistance....don’t be angry when you get it!

The tech guys are constantly improving there services and the drop in service which run in our store is second to none, the guys work extremely hard to deliver on time and make sure all jobs are carried out perfectly,
i would rather trust my computer to the tech guys than the second rate odd job technician that my mothers uncles friend knows through a mate!! as everything you bring into the store is signed for, booked in and notes are taken during the jobs carried out, if you don’t like what has been done to the machine, we can look back and see what has gone on.

Yes....you can get the majority of software from the net these days, but if you want licensed software then YOU BUY IT, you don’t torrent it off some dodgy torrent site (look what happened to Piratebay) and many people don’t know how to do this even if they wanted to. And you may say what about open office and linux...fine if your happy with that....but open office isn’t exactly Microsoft office is it and linux isn’t the best for the new user.

All in all, Im happy with the service I offer to my customers and the staff that we have are also extremely hard working and also try there hardest to give customers a nice and pleasant experience, i can apologize on behalf of those who may of given some customers a bad experience, as this can be down to nothing more than incompetency and its the small minority that give PC world a bad rep, i guess you just don’t get people who have had a positive experience jumping on the net on forums writing how much of a joyous experience they've had, only the negative ones that have a issue to get off there chest. If you’ve had a bad experience then go into your local store and feed it back, as how can someone know there doing wrong unless there told?

Understand that the high street stores you hate so much are probably the only stores you can walk into a get the things you need so easily, it would be a sad day if PC world or Currys went bust as there would be nowhere which offer the level of service that they offer on the high street and then everyone would be complaining cos they would have to constantly be sending there items back in the post when they went wrong.

And lets face it, have ever tried speaking to amazon customer services......good luck on that! Lol.