Concerned about the number of PCs being sent back!

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chrcar59

Silver Level Poster
Hello PCS,

I have quickly scanned through this section of the forum to find numerous problems about the PCs.

If the computers are being put through rigorous testing then why are so many people having to return their system for repairs? Not to mention, there are probably a lot more who have remained quiet and have rectified faults themselves but still, this shouldn't have to happen.

I know people tend to write on here when there are faults which is probably a little biased, and I'm sure there are a lot of happy people out there.

Don't get me wrong, I have a set up in place and was planning on purchasing this on Sunday before I go away on holiday to the caribbean but I am now having doubts.

£1300 is a lot of money to me and if I receive my pc with faults, I don't have the time to be running about sending it back, making phone calls etc. I'm in the forces and have recently returned from Afghanistan so thought I would treat myself. I have been looking at this site for years but never plucked up the courage to buy.

One thing that really stood out to me was someone purchased a gtx 690 but unfortunately was out for stock so he rang up and asked if he could have two 680s instead to find out it would cost him £60 more even though at the time of purchase, the two 680s would have been £40 less! May i add this guy was spending £3000 and over £60 I believe he is considering a refund, surely PCS should fighht for his custom? I'm thinking, what if I come across something like this and the prices change.

I'm now debating whether to spend a little extra and go with a company where I won't get these faults. Which to me is frustrating because this forum is full of excellent help and advice.

Really need some reassurance, like I said, I'm in the forces and really have no time to be running around.

Please don't take this the wrong way, just displaying what I am feeling at this point about the company.
 
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keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
I think you need to look at the % of PCs that come back for faults rather than the actual number. I think in most cases faults take place during transit, browsing the forum from other retailers when I was looking for a PC I also found complains and faults but I consider how the retailer responsed to those. I had a few issues with my rig but those were quickly resolved and customer service as well as technical support were always helpful and fast in responding to any queries or issues I had. I also read the thread regarding the GTX 690 and I think that PCS considered the retail price of the GPU when the order was place which seems sensible to me.
 
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chrcar59

Silver Level Poster
It's so easy to blame the delivery guys, they can't defend themselves. However, I have seen people in the military bag handling section throwing bags around like rag dolls so I know this happens every where.

I agree with the % which is what I was trying to imply. It would be interesting if PCS displayed some of these stats to give us some confidence. Unless they already have and I have missed it?
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
hey mate, I was in the forces so get what ya mean,

But as a customer of pcs, I've had a few minor problems, mainly being two ssd failures, thanks OCZ not updating the firmware on their own drives before shipping them out. (pcs no longer stock ocz drives) Anyway, the first ssd was replaced the next day, the second took a little longer as the drive had to be returned to ocz as pcs no longer had any in stock. my point is that pcs tech support is actually really good. All tech fails at some point, this may be really random time, but its how the company deals with that situation that matters. Yeah you could go with another company, one that may not have many negative posts on their forums, however, they may not publish negative comments on their own forums, in effect just deleting them. I'm not going to tell you where to buy or who to avoid, but I certainly wouldn't worry about pcs customer service, it's top notch mate :)
 
Maestro

Maestro

Guest
Unfortunately, we don’t live in an perfect world and the nature of electrical components means that they have a failure rate. No matter how much testing is done, components will fail after 1 day or 1 month or 1 year, who knows when, but some will fail, due to an inherent fault. Then there are those components that might fail because of say, a rough transit. A cracked PCB or dislodged heat sink etc. Then there are failures due to human error / mistakes. We are human and they do happen, although these are generally easy to sort. They might be a loosely connected sata cable for example.

However, without the knowledge of how many pcs we sell, and how the faults breakdown, and how this figure would compare to Dell or HP or mesh for example then it is a mute question.

The fact we have a forum and are happy for customers to talk about any issue both good and bad, should be testament that we have nothing to hide. It also strange and surprising that you make no mention, especially if you have had a good look around the forums, of the literally hundreds of posts from people who are satisfied, which is all the more interesting given that it is generally customers who have had issues or a negative experience who are the most likely to take time out make posts. Maybe, you should also take a look here http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.pcspecialist.co.uk and checkout other reviews from other computer manufacturers. We wouldnt have been in business for over 8 years with yearly double digit growth, with one of the highest review scores in the uk for computer system integrators if all our pcs came back with faults.

You also have no idea, what our margins are and how much money we make on a pc. The particular episode you mention regarding the GTX 690 is not anything untoward. The customer orders a pc with a GTX 690 and paid a certain amount for that particular card at the point of ordering the pc. As you are probably aware it is currently almost impossible to get stock of this card. That is why they say pre-order. If the customer then chooses to change to a different card or two different cards, then its a simple case of putting the exact amount of money he pays for the original card to the cost of the new cards. If they are more expensive then there will be a charge, if they are cheaper then there will be refund.

Your question about changing prices is also mute. When you order your pc, you pay the stated amount. Prices may change subsequently, both up and down. We wouldn’t call you up and ask you for more money if they went up, but if they go down you can always cancel your order, if it hasn’t been delivered and go to the back of the queue and re-order.

Also, can you tell me this other company you are going to go to where you don’t get these faults. I don’t think you can, because every computer manufacturer on the planet gets system failures and faults. Only they generally don’t have a forum where you can discuss it.

P.S I was also in the forces, the navy, and it was a miracle when any of the high tech electronic equipment was actually working.

As an addition and final thought, please remember we don’t actually make the parts. All pc manufacturers and system integrators certainly in the uk, use pretty much the same stuff that comes out of the same factories, whether it be asus motherboards, or corsair psus etc. All well-known top brand stuff. That being said some companies do use utter tosh. Anyway the point is , we simply put it together, integrate it. I would imagine failure rates across the industry are pretty similar from dell to the smaller firms. The difference is how your order is handled when something does go wrong. I personally don’t think there is any system integrator in the country that has better after sales service. Having great after sales service is almost as important as the quality of the product you are buying, because no matter where it’s from, Apple, Samsung, Fujitsu, they all produce stuff that fails.
 
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chrcar59

Silver Level Poster
It seems you have taken my comments personally but then again, this conversation is over the net and not in person so I could be wrong. Like I mentioned, it's the fact he was spending £3000 and you would possibly lose his custom over £60. But as you mentioned, you are right, I do not know your profit margins.

The link you provided me has given me confidence.

I really appreciate the time you have taken to form a response and your passion for the company shows, maybe a little over the top with some comments, but being in the forces i see it differently. I agree totally about high tech gadgets within the military including the RAF aircraft with constant delays over faults haha.

I really think you need to advertise positive comments more on the site or at least make them stand out more so people can be confident.

I shall now go back to my set up and keep playing and hopefully should be purchasing on Sunday!

Thanks
 
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scottke

Member
I've had my pc from PCS since March and since then even in the hot weather we had (that didn't last long:() nothing has broken, failed or blown up with the heat and was extreamly happy with the PCS service GO PCS! :p
 
mantadog

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
Did you order your PC? If your still not convinced the i will add my story too.

I stalked PCS for about a year before deciding to buy, like yourself a little concerned about handing over large sums of cash to what looks like just some random company on the internet. That was 2 years ago, and i have been posting on the forum for a year since buying my PC. The only reason i bother to post here is becausei get the feeling that it's not just some random company on the internet who will hide behind the web address. I had a shocking experiance with Dell which took about 4 X longer to get me a working PC that my whole custom build from PCS. So it happens with the big boys too, however from what i read on the forums PCS handle complaints much better than most.

One other point i would like to make, if i go to a website that has glowing reviews plastered everywhere i get a little bit suspicious as to why they feel the need. The way PCS do it seems ideal, if you want to find out about them go on the forums, search online or go to the testamonials section. That way it's not rammed down your throat. Thats how i feel about it anyway.
 
J

Jamwllms

Bronze Level Poster
mantadog said:
One other point i would like to make, if i go to a website that has glowing reviews plastered everywhere i get a little bit suspicious as to why they feel the need. The way PCS do it seems ideal, if you want to find out about them go on the forums, search online or go to the testamonials section. That way it's not rammed down your throat. Thats how i feel about it anyway.
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I agree. It always seems a bit suspicious. And half the time I assume it's fabricated. At least with the forums you can tell they'rnu

Shining reviews plastered over websites remind me too much of those awful TV ads with people like Phil and Jane telling you how wonderful product XYZ is. I think there's a Colgate one airing right now with a similar effect. Noone believes it!
 
D

Diem

Silver Level Poster
mantadog said:
I stalked PCS for about a year before deciding to buy, like yourself a little concerned about handing over large sums of cash to what looks like just some random company on the internet.
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Oh good, not just me then. I feel much less bad now about dithering about making a decision!
mantadog said:
One other point i would like to make, if i go to a website that has glowing reviews plastered everywhere i get a little bit suspicious as to why they feel the need. The way PCS do it seems ideal, if you want to find out about them go on the forums, search online or go to the testamonials section. That way it's not rammed down your throat. Thats how i feel about it anyway.
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On similar lines, I'm suspicious of the overly 'blinged' websites (the ones which look the equivalent of the souped-up Fiesta with neon under-lighting) which are trying very had to be cool and trendy. The professional and clean look and feel of the PCS site keeps me here.
 
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