Rip Off PC World in Ireland

nialler

Anyways, had to do an emergency job on a client's 17" Macbook Pro Unibody on Paddy's Day, promptly out to PC world in Carrickmines for 8.45am only to realise it didn't open till 12, back home then back out. Did a quick check on the UK price £68 for a 500gb 2.5" SATA about €72), doors open at 12, I go in, same drive €140, 360gb €127. I called the manager over and asked him to justify the price and showed him the model on my iphone with the UK price and all he could say to me was "That's the price we charge down here" so I said to him I could be in Newry in 45-50 mins and save myself a bundle and he just turned red and couldn't justify it.

Never ever again will I go there, managed to get a pocket drive in Harvey Normans that I ripped apart and pulled the drive out of, cheaper option by far.

N

dmcg90

These are the people that told me they charged a flat rate fee of €300 to fix a laptop. Got it repaired for €70 :mad:

Sad Professor

I hate PC World. When they aren't ripping you off, they are being rude and ignorant to you.

I only go there when it's an emergency and I expect to be ripped off a little. I don't mind things being more than the sterling price for the convenience of being able to get it immediately. But when they are so much more, it's hard to justify.

Having said that, they do occasionally have good deals on certain hard drives.

akadesign

nialler wrote: »

Anyways, had to do an emergency job on a client's 17" Macbook Pro Unibody on Paddy's Day, promptly out to PC world in Carrickmines for 8.45am only to realise it didn't open till 12, back home then back out. Did a quick check on the UK price £68 for a 500gb 2.5" SATA about €72), doors open at 12, I go in, same drive €140, 360gb €127. I called the manager over and asked him to justify the price and showed him the model on my iphone with the UK price and all he could say to me was "That's the price we charge down here" so I said to him I could be in Newry in 45-50 mins and save myself a bundle and he just turned red and couldn't justify it.

Never ever again will I go there, managed to get a pocket drive in Harvey Normans that I ripped apart and pulled the drive out of, cheaper option by far.

N

Know you feel, had to buy an emergency drive there one weekend. Funny you mention it but the 2.5" drives where dearer than the drives with enclosures, how do they justify that when its literally the same drive and you get an enclosure, usb stuff etc.

Currys had some deals on recently to combat the Paddy Tax, and I seem to remember reading somewhere that Currys, Dixons and PC World are all part of the same group.

banquo

Sad Professor wrote: »

I hate PC World. When they aren't ripping you off, they are being rude and ignorant to you.

Funny. I've been there about a dozen times and that summarises exactly how I feel every time.

projectmayhem

nialler wrote: »

"That's the price we charge down here" so I said to him I could be in Newry in 45-50 mins and save myself a bundle and he just turned red and couldn't justify it.

Crap manager. The reason is that the operation costs in the republic are higher then the UK... but there is also a serious amount of margin being made on smaller items like hard drives etc. He should have just discounted for you.

dmcg90 wrote: »

These are the people that told me they charged a flat rate fee of €300 to fix a laptop. Got it repaired for €70 :mad:

They do a flat charge for any damage at that cost. Sometimes it's worth it on newer machines where a repair could cost more (rare though), but they also are not a repairs store. Most jobs done by them are software stuff, like recoveries, backups and so on. Most of them are in-warranty stuff where a customer is being serviced by that rather then paying anyway.

(I am a former employee and have an inside track... though I'd never defend them. I am a FORMER employee )

whiterebel

akadesign wrote: »

Know you feel, had to buy an emergency drive there one weekend. Funny you mention it but the 2.5" drives where dearer than the drives with enclosures, how do they justify that when its literally the same drive and you get an enclosure, usb stuff etc.

Currys had some deals on recently to combat the Paddy Tax, and I seem to remember reading somewhere that Currys, Dixons and PC World are all part of the same group.

Yes, DSG group. All bloody rip-off merchants......

nialler

projectmayhem wrote: »

Crap manager. The reason is that the operation costs in the republic are higher then the UK... but there is also a serious amount of margin being made on smaller items like hard drives etc. He should have just discounted for you.



They do a flat charge for any damage at that cost. Sometimes it's worth it on newer machines where a repair could cost more (rare though), but they also are not a repairs store. Most jobs done by them are software stuff, like recoveries, backups and so on. Most of them are in-warranty stuff where a customer is being serviced by that rather then paying anyway.

(I am a former employee and have an inside track... though I'd never defend them. I am a FORMER employee )

Mayhem, they say operating costs south of the border are on average 15% more, topping out at no more than 20%, still does not justify double the cost of that particular item, like sadprof I have no problem paying a slightly higher margin for the convenience but that was really taking the proverbial P.

I could have got it from my supplier (unfortunately he was on the beach with his kiddies enjoying his day off) for slightly more than the UK price, not much more, but emergencies are emergencies and luckily I have the knowledge of how to get out of a situation like that, most poor buggers wouldn't, would stump up the €140 and on top of that the cost of somebody to fit it and recover.

Oh and gotta love time machine it's an absolute lifesaver.

N

Cabaal

I thought everyone knew PC World is a ripp off, I'd only go there if I really really really really really had to

should this be in the ripp-off Ireland forum?

Type 17

I've just bought a Linksys ADSL modem (WAG120N) from Elara.ie - I ordered it, and waited two days for the SMS to say it was ready for collection. It cost €56.87, inc VAT.

I'd had one in my hand at PC World a few days before, but put it back and walked out after confirming the price was correct with the manager - they sell it for €99.00 :eek: :mad:

The manager said that there was no way that they could match online prices, I told him it might be nice to try getting remotely close. I challenged him to do better, but he said the prices were set and there was nothing he could do.

On a related note, I did a lot of temping work in my student days around Hertfordshire, and the DSG* HQ on Maylands Avenue in Hemel Hempstead had the most depressed, low-morale staff of them all...

*Dixons Store Group, who own Dixons, Currys & PC World

DublinWriter

nialler wrote: »

so I said to him I could be in Newry in 45-50 mins and save myself a bundle and he just turned red and couldn't justify it.

There isn't a PC World in Newry.

Stainless_Steel

DublinWriter wrote: »

There isn't a PC World in Newry.

And you'd be breaking speed limits to get to Newry from Carrickmines in that time !

seamus

There's very little competition in Ireland for bricks-and-mortar PC shops and to a certain extent even with consumer electronics shops.

PC World market themselves as a PC specialist consumer store, and for the majority of the population who wouldn't know where to start buying a computer online (or wouldn't be happy doing it), the number of shops selling computers is relatively low, and what's more there are very few shops marketing themselves as "we know computers". PC world do, so if someone is out looking for help buying or upgrading their computer, they'll choose PC world over DID or Power City purely because they think that PC World will be able to advise them better and give a better deal.

So they get away with being overpriced.

ratsam

I agree about them generally being a rip off but I would advise to keep your eye on them for mistakes in pricing.
Its seems a regular thing.... a few years back I got the top of the range Powerbook G4 for the price of the top end iBook... I had being pricing around for the standard model and ended up getting the top end version for less...!!!!!
A friend got a TV off them where they had priced a 50 inch sammy the same as a 42 inch. Funny thing is they where beside one another on the display...!

Rats

nialler

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

And you'd be breaking speed limits to get to Newry from Carrickmines in that time !

Not true steel, I've made eastlink to roundabout on A1 in 45 mins without breaking speed limit had cruise control on and it wasn't at 4am either, just after lunch time. The nearest PC world that I know of is in Sprucefield about 40 mins past newry but I was trying to make a point.

And dublinwriter, stop being pedantic, I didn't specifically mention PC world IN Newry I just said I could be IN Newry in 45-50 mins.

Homer

banquo wrote: »

Funny. I've been there about a dozen times and that summarises exactly how I feel every time.

Jesus you'd have to ask why you kept going back again and again and again??

projectmayhem

nialler wrote: »

Mayhem, they say operating costs south of the border are on average 15% more, topping out at no more than 20%, still does not justify double the cost of that particular item, like sadprof I have no problem paying a slightly higher margin for the convenience but that was really taking the proverbial P.

I did also say the margin on smaller items like that are huge, and there is room to discount them usually.

goat2

dmcg90 wrote: »

These are the people that told me they charged a flat rate fee of €300 to fix a laptop. Got it repaired for €70 :mad:

yet another one of those over rated shops that will be closing its doors if it does not come to its senses, and realize the cash is not in abundance anymore, we all count every cent now, and make it go further
if they want to survive, they will have to come down to realistic prices.
i have browsed their shops, thought they were too expensive for my purse, and that was in the good times

Stainless_Steel

goat2 wrote: »

yet another one of those over rated shops that will be closing its doors if it does not come to its senses, and realize the cash is not in abundance anymore, we all count every cent now, and make it go further
if they want to survive, they will have to come down to realistic prices.
i have browsed their shops, thought they were too expensive for my purse, and that was in the good times

I dont agree.

The majority of average PC consumers have very limited knowledge. They just want to walk into a shop and be told what they need. It would be daunting for them to spec what they need themselves and source it online.

I know this from working in PC World for 6 months. Sure the odd customer would know their stuff, but like the OP, these were techy people that needed something quickly.

PC World will always have a place in the consumer market. Of course I agree that they are a rip-off and a sham to deal with. But believe me, tech savy consumers are a minority.

nothappy101

I was talking to Enda from PC world in Limerick, what an ignorant individual! dont deal with him he is ignorant and he does not care if PC world rips off clueless old people. The problem was when my Dad 70 years old and clueless when it comes to computers had purchased a Microsoft Office Home/Student 2010 product key, it was never used but the 21 days to return it were up, at 120.00 euro its a steal lol, you get a plastic scratch card and Office Home/Student trial, between insurance and purchasing of a PC with software he spent almost 2000.00 euros, anyways he had trouble with Office 2010 in that it would not open, so he reinstalled office 2007 thinking that he could get a refund, well to my amazement I rang Enda and told him the difficulties my father had and that he was now happy with my Office 2007 and could he get a refund or in store receipt, Enda in short said that my Dad would not be getting a refund or in store receipt for Microsoft Office 2010 because it was installed on his PC by PC World even if I had not used it. PC world dont give a **** about there customers, there policy is tough luck!!!!!. Enda From PC World Limerick talks over you and is very sharp and short, this guy should be held accountable along with the person that sold the overly priced software and PC, am not saying my father is a child but surely PC world should have a little understanding when it comes to older people.

SmithG

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

I dont agree.

The majority of average PC consumers have very limited knowledge. They just want to walk into a shop and be told what they need. It would be daunting for them to spec what they need themselves and source it online.

I know this from working in PC World for 6 months. Sure the odd customer would know their stuff, but like the OP, these were techy people that needed something quickly.

PC World will always have a place in the consumer market. Of course I agree that they are a rip-off and a sham to deal with. But believe me, tech savy consumers are a minority.

Agree with this. Most people don't have a clue and just want someone to sort it all for them but sometimes this means they get taken advantage of. Alot of tech shops are guility of this as they are chasing sales figures

nothappy101

Older people should go with either their son or daughter or with someone whom knows what there getting, when purchasing Microsoft Office 2010 Home/Student product key understand that it only works on one PC and that there is no refund after 21 days, always remember PC World dont care how clueless you are and will talk you into purchasing non essential items or software, even that you have spent thousands at there store or are a loyal customer, I mean just because you have bought the best Windows Desktop PC at their store will not give you special privileges or rights when it comes to issues. PC World totally scammed an OAP, Enda in Limerick should be sacked. PC World shame on you.

fatherted1969

Ah don't be giving out about them, they're a great bunch of lads. I bought a laptop for my daughter about 4 years ago. A month after i bought it, it had trouble starting up so i bought it back and they had a look at it. They said they'd give me another one in replacement for it. About 6 months later they rang me and said Ted we have your laptop here ready for collection.

A quick think by myself and i said I'll collect ignorance tomorrow. I strolled in through the doors the next day up go the counter and said i'm here to collect a laptop for my brother (i figured if they realised their error i'd be able to back out and save face) anyway yer man was all apologies saying the lad that took it in logged it in incorrectly and had left a couple of weeks before. I said no bother i'd say it yo my brother and headed back out the door.

When i got home i realised they never repaired it at all. Quick think again and then i remembered that i had the original receipt for it so straight back to shop next day and produced receipt and complained to manager that they had it for ages and never repaired it. Manager said very sorry and explained that they would repair it as it was over the 28 day return policy and they fixed it for me so lads dont be giving out,

They're a great bunch of lads :-)

the_syco

fatherted1969 wrote: »

They're a great bunch of lads :-)

I've reread your post twice. Did they give you two laptops, or did they take 6 months to repair the laptop?

fatherted1969

the_syco wrote: »

I've reread your post twice. Did they give you two laptops, or did they take 6 months to repair the laptop?

Two for price of one :-)

theteal

the_syco wrote: »

I've reread your post twice. Did they give you two laptops, or did they take 6 months to repair the laptop?

both, I think, result. Either way, smell of corpses off this thread

BoB_BoT

nothappy101 wrote: »

The problem was when my Dad 70 years old and clueless when it comes to computers had purchased a Microsoft Office Home/Student 2010 product key, it was never used but the 21 days to return it were up,

anyways he had trouble with Office 2010 in that it would not open, so he reinstalled office 2007 thinking that he could get a refund,

You also mentioned that PCWorld said the license was installed on his pc, was the PC setup for him by PCWorld or did he input the license key himself?

As theteal said, "smell of corpses" off this thread.

Sad Professor

3 year old thread bumped for a rant that has nothing to do with Macs.

Locked.