News PC World: guilty of selling old computers as new

Where in the World, Or when in the World, eh?

This from elReg:

PC World's parent company was left red-faced and considering its legal options this week after it was found guilty of mis-selling computer equipment. A Yorkshire court heard how buyers were fooled into thinking that they were getting new computer equipment while they were - in fact - not only getting secondhand kit, and in one case a laptop with a long history of trouble.

The five day-long case, which concluded this week, was brought under the 1968 Trade Descriptions Act. The court heard that on 3 April, 2002 a customer bought a Toshiba 1800-814 laptop from a Yorkshire branch of PC World while another customer bought an Apple 700 CDRW on 31 December the following year from the same out-of-town outlet. Both believed that the equipment was "ex display" or "otherwise new".

DSG Retail Ltd, which owns PC World, as well as Dixons, Currys, and The Link, explained that the two cases were "honest mistakes" caused by its computer system and individual error. However this brought no favour from the court.

More here

Just another reason not to buy from PCWorld - Not only do the staff have no clue about technology, they also seem to have no clue as to legalities of misrepresenting goods!

 

I generally avoid PC World like the plague, they normally have little sense or knowledge.

 

I used to work there years and years ago...

I actually did know something about PCs, and how to avoid selling people the extended warranty.

However, I was escorted off the premises on my last day for helping people spec up PCs and then telling them half-a-dozen decent manufacturers that they could buy from online for considerably cheaper.

The Store Manager was less than pleased with me...

 

Screw him, you did the right thing! hehe im always doing it where I work!

 

I could never work at a place like PC World or Comp USA and similar, they are so overpriced its rediculous. I would just be like "Yeah here is what you do, go outside, get in your car, drive home, go to www.newegg.com, and never come here again"

Unfortunatly, there will always be dirty companies out there, and also unfortunate is the ignorance of its customers not to be at least semi educated about thier purchases. "well I didnt know", when you go drop a grand on a place for a computer, I think some research on what your getting and from whom is just required knowledge and not trusting others to do it for you.

 

They do have a good deal on the Hiper type r 480w at the moment though

 

He he he, I love going to PC world. I walk usually walk up to the old bearded novice bemused at the choice of CD media and direct them to their local / online independant retailer. I even intervened when a numpty sales 'assistant' was about to sell DDR to a guy that had a SDRAM mobo. Gotta love the training those assistants get.

 

i applied there once... never got a call back and then someone i no who probably doesnt no a thing about computers gets a job there...

the only thing i would go into pc world for is to see what they might have and what they have thats new..

 

My first post here, I have been a fan of this site for some time but find I must remark on the above statement.

I am an employee of PC World as I have been been since begining my degree in Computer Technology 3 years ago.

I am 21 and have been into computers since I dismantled my first one (much to mothers annoyance) at the age of 14, I keep myself constantly up to date with current and upcomming technologies. I'm not a square, im not going to whinge and say I'm offended at the above statement. Just please don't generalise.

The majority of customers who come into work cannot simply go and log onto an online retailer and buy a PC because they dont have one, or the one they do have is decrepid. Therefore they need to speak to some one, many of them are not interested in learning or researching what is best for them, they just want a computer that they get of the box so they can enjoy prOn/ebay/or copying CD's. Personally I will advise them on what they need not what im supposed to sell them.

Warranties are there take them or leave them, £5 a month for a service that will sort out whatever problem you have, not just hardware repair...and dispose of those lovely £1 a min helplines, take them or leave them.

It really dont bother me.

See what an online retailer will do when you cant seem to fit that driver disk in the printer. Its laughable but its true.

I feel sorry for these customers and the clodds who sold them the products, but we aint all like that

/rant



EDIT:

 

Best example I can give is a friend of mine who got a job there as assistant manager. No big deal i hear you all shout.

Her previous work experience was as a barmaid!!!!

Edit, i also stupidly bought an advent laptop from them and i got the extended warrenty, good job to, in 4 years ive had 2 new cdrw/dvd combo drives, a new keyboard, a new tft and the connector between the tft and mobo replaced 3 or 4 times.

 

I applied twice to work at PC world while I was studying for my computing degree and both times I heard nothing.....

To be perfectly honest I think in most cases they don’t want people who know about computers because it harms there business.


I needed a USB card with a specific chipset for my PC to stop my ADSL modem playing up, he simple said sorry but we don’t have any MAC cards??

Oh well

 

Yet another reason for people to build / pay somone to build a computer from scratch.

 

I'm afraid that a shoddy company with *generally* overpriced goods and staff with *generally* little or next to no knowledge of the products they sell deserve the generalisation. You know your spuds from your onions but IMHO *most* of PC world is C R A P ...Where in the world indeed...

 

yes you usually pay more for better service/knowledge compared to an online shop.
not what i found the few times i have been to pc world

 

Quite, however I have only the experience of the store I work in. Which seems rather different than the rest....also has the lowest staff turn around time in the whole company too aparently, hmm interesting eh.

On our staff we have 5 people who are completeing computer degree related courses and an ex IT consultant whos taking a break after working some serious stuff, MOD and the like.

Dont get me wrong I aint defending the company theres some seriously laughable corporate b/s that fly's my way. Just making it known that we aint all clodds

'Eh mates whats all this er giawots ere and them sony varios there'

Such a barrel of laughs......

 

I worked for Time Computers for like 2 months.

I quit becuase of the crap they give u. When a New product comes out they give a little description of it and a script to say to the customer to sell it. The script and descriptions are so crap, they dont even make sence.

And they force u to sell the warrentys. I mean they are the biggest con going, warrentys is where they make the money as a few pence is made on the actually pc's. They would love it if u just sold warrentys than pc's.

They even did extended warrentys on keyboards and mice. Like wtf.

Like Times Gold warrenty for I think it was around £400 ment they offer remote access to fix you problem. Theres no way I would have a Time **** remote desktop into my pc and snoop around pretending to fix it and then say your hard disk is ****ed buy a new one from us at 60% Mark UP

Get This. A Special Offer was this PC with a free Haupage 250 PVR Tv card. The ATI graphics card that was in the PC does not work with this TV card and is a know compatibility problem by ATI. They sold 30 or so of these machines with the TV card and everyone complained it dont work and it will never work haha Thats Time For You.

Sorry its off subject but TIme and PC World are the same to me. Stupid Crap shops that anyone who buys from them deserve what they get.

My mum bought a PC from PC world. My dad didnt try to stop her as its less hassle. Pc World are for women who want something pretty and doesnt matter whats inside as long as it looks nice in the living room.

 

Well I wouldn't say $*it about CompUSA or any other PC store since they're just working. The difference is that once advance user goes to PC store he has (hopefully) enaugh knowledge to notice errors, mistakes, lies and other things that are found everywhere. If you would go to most restaurants kitchen and looked at the way your "product" is cooked you would most likely refuse to east it. Thats why I do not shop in CompUSA nor most other PC stores. At the end It all depends on the customers. If people woud not shop at CompUSA there wouldn't be such store. When I came from Lithuania (ha ha there actually is such country) to US 2 years ago I noticed how uneducated people were here about PC's. If every PC buyer would research on computers at least for 2 hours I think many cheap manufacturers and retailers would dissapear. But then if people would be more technologically educated, many tech workers would lose their jobs.

What do you think?

 

happend to me like about 7months ago ,

erm excuse me mr pcworld assistant, could u tell me the core/memory speed of this ati 9800 pro ............... ERM YES CERTAINLY SIR .....................20 mins later ......YES SIR ITS x8 ..... u sure.......OF COURSE I AM I HAVE WORKED HERE FOR OVER A YEAR...........ok thanks for your time (walking off) ...oh btw thats the agp rate ................

 

Well there u go, her experience as a barmaid was needed. She got a laptop and warrenty out of u.

Women can make a man do anything lol did she promise u a free one lol if u know what i mean

 

Sounds like a modded mp3 server