Scaremongering at Dixons/PC World!

AndyPix

^^ The thing is though - is that people without the knowledge ie the general public, have no idea that they are being lied to ..


So they dont have the oppertunity to make a proper decision about wethewr they "like" pc world or not.
Your coffee analogy doesnt really work because people base theiur coffee buying decisions on which coffee they prefer.


However, people are always being hammered in the media with scare stories about hacking and viruses and throw themselves on the "expertise" of the professional they are dealing with in the store that is supposed to specialise in these things.


So , if they hear from a PC world employee "dont use a free one" then they naturally presume that this will be inferiour and they need to take a paid for solution.


It's just not right


Yes some strong words have been used, but it is basically fraud on the part of PC world - and again , they are using peoples lack of knowledge as a tool to rip them off.


If this were a one off then maybe feelings wouldnt be boiling, but it is again and again and again from these shysters - one con after another


Remember the recent one whereby they say they only have laptops left that have been "pre set up" and want to charge an extra £50 quid for it ?


They got their wrists slapped for that one too ..


And yes, people ARE vulnerable because they dont understand computers.
They are vulnerabe to being tricked into buying something they dont need because they dont have the knowledge to understand that they dont need it - and are relying on the "experts" that they have put thier trust into ..


A better analogy would be an old dear going into a car garage, and the mechanic saying ..
"oh dear - these brake pads are worn down by 3mm - your braking wont be as good now - you should buy a full new set of brake pads off me and pay me to fit them ..
Oh, and you dont want those Brembo ones, no no no, you want these inferior ones that i make a bigger mark up off"


Would you think that is ok ?

AndyPix

motorguy wrote: »

You absolutely CANNOT guarantee that - nor can DELL thats why they are marked as REFURB.

Do you really think if Dell could get away with asking full price for them they'd be marking them up as REFURB? Of course not. They are legally obliged to give their true status.




Ah right - you're "outraged" for other people then?

Your brain must explode when you walk down a high street - all those businesses making money off people. Oh the Humanity!

You really dont get it do you ?


YOU might be savvy enough not to fall for their lies - but average Joe is not
And yes, it is outrageous behaviour on their part ..


I dont know what all that cobblers about the high street that you are spouting is for - i dont know any other companies that get away with operating like this


£80 HDMI lead anyone ?? You'll get a better picture i swear

spadoosh

Motorguy puts forward a pretty good argument.

I pay more for my monthly phone bill because i dont use all the data anbd minutes etc, the phone provider could easily sort that out for me yet arent usually forthcoming. My fault.

Similar with gas and electric.

Insurance renewal is a common topic of discussion. Ive paid far too much for my insurance because i couldnt be bothered looking around. My fault

My parents spent about 15 years with sky paying the not offer prices yet others take advantage of offer prices basically being subsidised by my parents. Of course thats my parents fault.

Ive paid more for stuff that was more predominantly displayed than cheaper like for like products. Eg a 100g whole nut bar for £1 v a 200g whole nut bar for £1.50. Again my fault.

These are all tactics used by sellers to increase their returns. They all couldve been more honest yet its rare theyll get the same criticism.

Dont even get me started on the captive retailers, the likes of food outlets at theme parks, whsmiths at the airport etc.

In the ideal world retaillers would be there for our best interests as consumers, for the most part though theyll have quite a few stakeholders that also have different best interests.

Stoke

AndyPix wrote: »

^^ The thing is though - is that people without the knowledge ie the general public, have no idea that they are being lied to ......................

rest of your post

Would you think that is ok ?

No, it's not. I've said it's not right and it's not fair but you are living in a fantasy world if you think anything will change. Your analogy about a 'dodgy' mechanic is probably better than mine, and 'dodgy mechanics' still exist. It's immoral, but it's the world we live in.

You can still get clued up fairly quickly in both computers and cars, if you're willing too. Most people aren't.

AndyPix

I dont expect it to change - But i am allowed to be disgusted by it wether Motorguy agrees or not.


Their is no defence to this behaviour - and unlike all the examples in Spadoosh's post , these idiots are actually lying to customers to gain sales

motorguy

AndyPix wrote: »

^^ The thing is though - is that people without the knowledge ie the general public, have no idea that they are being lied to ..


So they dont have the oppertunity to make a proper decision about wethewr they "like" pc world or not.
Your coffee analogy doesnt really work because people base theiur coffee buying decisions on which coffee they prefer.


However, people are always being hammered in the media with scare stories about hacking and viruses and throw themselves on the "expertise" of the professional they are dealing with in the store that is supposed to specialise in these things.


So , if they hear from a PC world employee "dont use a free one" then they naturally presume that this will be inferiour and they need to take a paid for solution.


It's just not right


Yes some strong words have been used, but it is basically fraud on the part of PC world - and again , they are using peoples lack of knowledge as a tool to rip them off.


If this were a one off then maybe feelings wouldnt be boiling, but it is again and again and again from these shysters - one con after another


Remember the recent one whereby they say they only have laptops left that have been "pre set up" and want to charge an extra £50 quid for it ?


They got their wrists slapped for that one too ..


And yes, people ARE vulnerable because they dont understand computers.
They are vulnerabe to being tricked into buying something they dont need because they dont have the knowledge to understand that they dont need it - and are relying on the "experts" that they have put thier trust into ..


A better analogy would be an old dear going into a car garage, and the mechanic saying ..
"oh dear - these brake pads are worn down by 3mm - your braking wont be as good now - you should buy a full new set of brake pads off me and pay me to fit them ..
Oh, and you dont want those Brembo ones, no no no, you want these inferior ones that i make a bigger mark up off"


Would you think that is ok ?

You're getting outraged on the behalf of people who could simply price check on the internet or google it themselves - its not difficult.

Theres really no excuse these days for not doing your own research when making a significant purchase. Frankly your "bless their little cotton socks they simply just dont understand computers therefore i must get outraged and protect them from themselves" is frankly a nonsense and certainly not worth getting outraged or disgusted about.

motorguy

AndyPix wrote: »

A better analogy would be an old dear going into a car garage, and the mechanic saying ..
"oh dear - these brake pads are worn down by 3mm - your braking wont be as good now - you should buy a full new set of brake pads off me and pay me to fit them ..
Oh, and you dont want those Brembo ones, no no no, you want these inferior ones that i make a bigger mark up off"


Would you think that is ok ?

Your analogy is daft. Why would someone in an average car pay say £100 for Brembo pads when their car doesnt need them and the £50 ones will do just fine - and who cares if the mechanic is making £20 on the cheaper ones but only £10 on the more expensive ones? He would still be saving me £50 by not fitting the Brembos.

Brembo pads - on 95% of cars - are a more expensive upgrade performance parts. Why on earth would someone want them on a car that didnt need them?

I would also say that on those 95% of cars your typical driver wont get any benefit.

Unless of course the old dear is driving a performance car? :rotfl:

motorguy

AndyPix wrote: »

I dont expect it to change - But i am allowed to be disgusted by it wether Motorguy agrees or not.


Their is no defence to this behaviour - and unlike all the examples in Spadoosh's post , these idiots are actually lying to customers to gain sales

Theres no defence in offering accidental damage insurance or Internet Security upgrades? By a retailer? Looking to make money?

You do know how retail works dont you?

And i'm merely pointing out the complete overreaction with the disgusted, offended type comments - on someone elses behalf of course, because you never actually shop there and are far too technically savvy. But you're offended for other people.

Dont want to pay the prices or listen to the pitch? Dont shop there, simples.

motorguy

AndyPix wrote: »

I dont know what all that cobblers about the high street that you are spouting is for - i dont know any other companies that get away with operating like this

£80 HDMI lead anyone ?? You'll get a better picture i swear

They all do. All retailers do it. Car dealers, SKY, mobile phone companies, retail companies on the high street - they'll all upsell you stuff you dont need. Pair of shoes? Need some of our polish sir?

And if they're not, its because they've a huge margin built in to the price already.

IT retail has waifer thin margins. Of course they're going to try to recover those margins if they car.

£80 HDMI lead sir? No thanks. There we go. I wasnt outraged or offended. When i bought the 4K TV they tried to sell me 2 of them at that sort of price. Not one !!!! did i give. TV was as cheap as i could get anyway. I can suffer their two mins pitch

motorguy

spadoosh wrote: »

Motorguy puts forward a pretty good argument.

I pay more for my monthly phone bill because i dont use all the data anbd minutes etc, the phone provider could easily sort that out for me yet arent usually forthcoming. My fault.

Similar with gas and electric.

Insurance renewal is a common topic of discussion. Ive paid far too much for my insurance because i couldnt be bothered looking around. My fault

My parents spent about 15 years with sky paying the not offer prices yet others take advantage of offer prices basically being subsidised by my parents. Of course thats my parents fault.

Ive paid more for stuff that was more predominantly displayed than cheaper like for like products. Eg a 100g whole nut bar for £1 v a 200g whole nut bar for £1.50. Again my fault.

These are all tactics used by sellers to increase their returns. They all couldve been more honest yet its rare theyll get the same criticism.

Dont even get me started on the captive retailers, the likes of food outlets at theme parks, whsmiths at the airport etc.

In the ideal world retaillers would be there for our best interests as consumers, for the most part though theyll have quite a few stakeholders that also have different best interests.

+1

And it happens most often in businesses with waifer thin margins.

Retailers arent there to make sure we get the best deal. They arent there to be the cheapest. They are not a charity.