Warranties with PC World

[delrich]

For all the uninitiated with the finer workings of PC WORLD warranties ,are you aware that their ACER range of laptops are NOT covered at all be the ACER company.After spending a complete morning (on)870/0845 numbers)being "batted" between Acer and PC World, I finally was told that Acer sell laptops to them cheap with no warranty and that they (PC world) will cover them.On ACER warranties it says" 180 days of software support, but according to PC World they tried to BULLS$$T me into paying for software approx £50.00 from ACER, for a 4 month old laptop, saying they cover only telephone software support. Only after sticking my ground and asking to speak to management did they suddenly find the rules had just been amended and that they would supply this discs at no costs...(accident??? I doubt) Suggest when buying from PC CHECK WHOS COVERING THE PRODUCT>

[hc4361]

Don't bother with warranties.
The Sale of Goods Act 1979 offers the best protection and ALWAYS pay with a credit card if the value is £100 or more as the Consumer Credit Act makes the card company jointly liable so if the seller goes bust you can sue the c/c company.

[Davethedog]

I never buy off PC World unless its peripherals. They charge top dollar with lowest customer service.

[New Judge]

hc is spot on.

Goods have to be of merchantable quality, fit for the purpose for which they were supplied and last a "reasonable" amount of time. The retailer, not the manufacturer is responsible for making good under the Sale of Goods Act.

Furthermore (although you should not need anything further) there is also an EU Directive covering this issue and it is along much the same lines, making the final seller responsible to repair, replace, or provide a full or partial refund (the choice resting with the customer) if goods fail. I think the minimum period of cover (i.e. the "reasonable" time the goods should last) under that Directive is two years, though it is suggested that some goods may be expected to last for up to six years.

If they try to fob you off contact your local authority's trading standards department.

[gingejbee]

Agree with Dave. Avoid PC world and sister companies. Period.

[theprof]

gingejbee is absolutely right. I could create a line of hundreds of my students over the past few years that have had serious warranty issues with PC World and associated companies.

The reason they can apparently undercut competitors is that they tell the manufacturers the intended retail price of the laptop etc. prior to build and supply. This effectively means that the build quality of the product is compromised compared to other retailers who sell the same product as designed by the original manufacturer, with inevitable results. Put simply, build to a price and something has to go, which generally includes safety components such as thermistors, fusible resistors and other more complex devices. Reliability becomes seriously compromised when these safety components are removed.

If you want to maintain your sanity, buy elsewhere.

[vodkancoke]

I must be one of the few with no problems. I always buy my laptops from them and recently bought an Acer laptop just for work through PC World and took out their £8.99 a month cover. So far I have had a new keyboard and a new screen with no problems at all. (my own fault because I dropped it!)

[hc4361]

theprof, PCWorld sells computers made by the leading companies of the world, including Apple.

I really cannot see any multinational company jeopardising its reputation by supplying substandard products to one company that demands cheaper products. After all, one bad experience of a brand and Mr Buyer would never go back to it. He may buy a different brand from PCWorld though.

[hc4361]

vodkancoke, my household insurance covers my computers for accidental damage, I don't need to pay £100 a year extra to cover it.
If the keyboard was faulty I would expect a repair under the Sale of Goods Act.

[vodkancoke]

It wasn't faulty...I dropped it when it was open on the corner of a bookcase and it damaged the screen and the keyboard....yes I'm an idiot! I don't have household insurance because I rent my flat from my Dad so he covers it and I didn't want to affect his premium. I know how clumsy I can be so it suits me and I take it out for every computer I buy from them as security.
Personally I have always had great customer service from them which makes me go back to them. If they had awful customer service, believe me, I wouldn't bother with them. I have only ever used the one branch though so I can't say how other branches treat their customers.

[grffindoor2011]

Aaaah pc world warranties. One of my success stories from 2001. Long story, they refused to repair and came up with some balony it wasn't covered. I wrote to chief exec and got £200 worth of stuff (walking around the store picking up items to that value whilst the manager was cringing..LOVED IT) and they repaired it.

These days I repair pc's myself.