Gaming PC return

JohnSnow1995

Bought a custom high end gaming PC for £1,800 from the company "AWD It".

The product is not faulty as such, but I'm unhappy with its performance and my general experience has not been good for several reasons. 

I wanted to return it the very next day but it was Christmas Eve and they were closed 24th - 27th. 

The PC has been back in its box in its original plastic, basically new. It has seen a couple hours of use on the day I first got it.

The company are now telling me that they charge a 30% usage fee to return it. 

I was under the impression that under my consumer rights I have a 14 day cooling off period from items bought online. Currys, Argos, John Lewis etc all honor this cooling off period for opened products bought online, as long as the item is returned in new condition and ready to be sold again. When you buy a computer online you don't have a chance to see it or try it out.

I WILL do my research, make the relevant calls and press the company on this further.

But I just wanted your initial reactions on their 30% usage fee. Does that sound right? They're a relatively small company and it sounds like they're trying to make an extra buck, hoping i go along with it. I'm going to dig in and do my research before calling them back, but any info would be helpful. 

soolin

To get some useful answers you may need to say how much 'testing' you did when you used the PC. Did you add your details and preferences at set up or install anything, how long did you use it before you decided it didn't match the spec you were hoping for?  Also was this an 'off the shelf' PC or did you customise it in any way as I notice their website talks about customising to your spec, quite a lot.

There are some real PC experts on here who might need to know what spec it has to see if there are any quick solutions to fix whatever doesn't suit your gaming style

JohnSnow1995

soolin said:

To get some useful answers you may need to say how much 'testing' you did when you used the PC. Did you add your details and preferences at set up or install anything, how long did you use it before you decided it didn't match the spec you were hoping for?  Also was this an 'off the shelf' PC or did you customise it in any way as I notice their website talks about customising to your spec, quite a lot.

There are some real PC experts on here who might need to know what spec it has to see if there are any quick solutions to fix whatever doesn't suit your gaming style

Thanks for your reply. The PC was a custom build. They have presets on their site, then you can make some adjustments like upgrade the wifi, the motherboard, etc. 90% of the PC was the standard build but I upgraded three components - one of which was their fault. They called me to say that the motherboard I chose wasn't available but I could go for 1 of 2 other options. 

I logged into Windows 11, downloaded a game (Forza Horizon 5), played it and that's about it. In total the PC has seen under 10 hours of "on" time. 4-5 hours left unattended while it was downloading the game. A couple hours playing. A couple hours tinkering with settings and troubleshooting errors. 

The PC has been factory reset and is back in its packaging. There's basically no trace of me on the PC, physically or on the software. Even the cables still have their cable ties on. 

I'm going to give them a ring back now. Because I'm not that computer literate and they had to explain things to me in detail, I think they are trying to take advantage. But we'll see. 

Sicard

Can you be more specific on your disappointment at its performance. Have you had a gaming machine before?
There are thrid party apps which can enhance the gaming experience as well as certain tweaks on the PC.

ssparks2003

JohnSnow1995 said:

It has seen a couple hours of use on the day I first got it.

You have the right to inspect the item, the same as you would in a shop. A couple of hours playing COD is more than you would get in a shop. You are returning them a used second hand computer that has now been set up, so yes they can reduce the amount they refund you to reflect this. Whether 30% is realistic I will not pass comment, but will ask you if you would pay full price for a used item.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

If the PC was built by picking options then it isn’t ‘custom’ for the purposes of cancellation.

If you asked for something they don’t offer as standard then it would be.

When you cancel a company can impose a reduction for excessive handing, typically if that handling goes above what you’d be able to do in a shop.

2 things to note, they can’t impose a reduction if they didn’t provide the correct required information by durable means regarding the right to cancel.

A flat fee isn’t a fair way of assessing diminished value as it would be specific to the condition of the goods. 

soolin

The site is entitled to deduct usage, basically anything over and above what you would reasonably be expected to be able to do in a shop. I am also not computer savvy, but that use seems way beyond what any shop would allow you to do, so I suspect your argument will now consist of the percentage to deduct. One way of looking at it would be to work out how much the PC has devalued , how much would a reasonable person expect to have discounted for a second hand PC.

As to whether or not it was customised and therefore exempt from a change of mind return it appears on re reading your original post that they will accept a return regardless, so I would be cautious in how you deal with them in case that opens up any additional argument about customisation. 

Once again though it might be cheaper to see if anyone PC savvy can suggest any tweaks to make it run as you are hoped, but for that you would need to give the specs and what you were hoping to achieve.

soolin

Their website does say up to 30% charged for a change of mind return so there may well be scope for some negotiation. However, beware of the packaging issue as you will need to find an extremely careful, and probably expensive courier to return safely as they do add a further deduction for damaged packing . 

It might be worth having a percentage in mind when talking to them so that you don’t agree to something that on reflection leaves you further out of pocket than if you have made adjustments /upgrades to the PC yourself. 

https://www.awd-it.co.uk/support-and-warranty.html

• Any items returned for refund may be subject to a usage fee of up to 30%.
• A restocking fee may also be applied if there is considerable wear and tear to the item or packaging. This can be up to 50%. If you do not agree, these items will be dispatched back to you at your own cost.

Bradden

Perhaps you could post some specs of your purchase and we could advise whether your expectations are resonable and help suggest a better purchase. e.g. What GPU does it have?

neilmcl

JohnSnow1995 said:

soolin said:

To get some useful answers you may need to say how much 'testing' you did when you used the PC. Did you add your details and preferences at set up or install anything, how long did you use it before you decided it didn't match the spec you were hoping for?  Also was this an 'off the shelf' PC or did you customise it in any way as I notice their website talks about customising to your spec, quite a lot.

There are some real PC experts on here who might need to know what spec it has to see if there are any quick solutions to fix whatever doesn't suit your gaming style

Thanks for your reply. The PC was a custom build. They have presets on their site, then you can make some adjustments like upgrade the wifi, the motherboard, etc. 90% of the PC was the standard build but I upgraded three components - one of which was their fault. They called me to say that the motherboard I chose wasn't available but I could go for 1 of 2 other options. 

I logged into Windows 11, downloaded a game (Forza Horizon 5), played it and that's about it. In total the PC has seen under 10 hours of "on" time. 4-5 hours left unattended while it was downloading the game. A couple hours playing. A couple hours tinkering with settings and troubleshooting errors. 

The PC has been factory reset and is back in its packaging. There's basically no trace of me on the PC, physically or on the software. Even the cables still have their cable ties on. 

I'm going to give them a ring back now. Because I'm not that computer literate and they had to explain things to me in detail, I think they are trying to take advantage. But we'll see. 

I'd argue that this usage has gone what is necessary to determine the nature and characteristics of the purchase and certainly beyond what you could do in a bricks and mortar shop, therefore the seller would be entitled to deduct an amount to take this into account.

JohnSnow1995

Bradden said:

Perhaps you could post some specs of your purchase and we could advise whether your expectations are resonable and help suggest a better purchase. e.g. What GPU does it have?

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