15th working day and still in pre-production

noxious

Member
Hi,
I've ordered a custom PC 15 working days ago and its been on pre production for about 13 days .
I was wondering whether it usually takes this long since the website says 10-12 working days and whether I should call them?

Thanks!
 

Stephen M

Author Level
Pre production is nearly always the longest phase, sometime it is because a part is on order from the supplier, I know they have only just received a new stock of 1TB 7200rpm laptop HDDs, although they should email you if it is awaiting parts. I would not be over worried about this, although it is still probably worth a call just to put your mind at rest. Once the build process has started you can expect to see your machine within a few days unless anything comes up at testing.
 

noxious

Member
Pre production is nearly always the longest phase, sometime it is because a part is on order from the supplier, I know they have only just received a new stock of 1TB 7200rpm laptop HDDs, although they should email you if it is awaiting parts. I would not be over worried about this, although it is still probably worth a call just to put your mind at rest. Once the build process has started you can expect to see your machine within a few days unless anything comes up at testing.

they haven't emailed me about awaiting parts or anything, in fact they emailed me about them taking 10-12 working days on average and how it takes long to get into the building/ testing process. The email was sent when the order was around 5 working days and thank you :)

I also called them right now and they just said that everything is in stock.
 
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ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
'On average' are the key words, you can be sure that PCS will build your PC as fast as they are able to, theirs is a volume business so it's not in their interest to drag their feet. :)
 

polycrac

Rising Star
I looked at PCS's reviews on trustpilot and, while they are overwhelmingly positive, the majority of the complaints were about the wait time. I'm guessing that as many get finished early as do late, but of course nobody complains when that happens! Even so, maybe PCS could do more to manage expectations around this aspect.
 

noxious

Member
'On average' are the key words, you can be sure that PCS will build your PC as fast as they are able to, theirs is a volume business so it's not in their interest to drag their feet. :)

Do you think if i change some components while its in pre-production, would it slow the whole process? Because I have made some changes, just to balance everything out.
 

weare one

Bronze Level Poster
Don't worry here's what happened to mine (thread link also) and YES the waiting is the worst part but I'm sure it wont be long now :yes:


03/07/18 pc ordered after much help from forum. A big thank you to all especially Oussebon.

11/07/18 email from PCS:- system is in processing

27/07/18 07.23am email from PCS:- system has been built and is awaiting testing and configuration.

27/07/18 10.51am email from PCS:- make sure monitor is connected to dedicated GPU and not M/B integrated graphics

27/07/18 10.51am email from PCS: system has been dispatched, with details of DPD tracking which was excellent.

01/08/18 08.46am email from DPD saying item will be delivered today between 12:06 - 13:06

01/08/18 12:38pm delivered.....I am sooooooo happy.


http://https://www.pcspecialist.co....ystem-and-ordering-review&p=419247#post419247
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
I looked at PCS's reviews on trustpilot and, while they are overwhelmingly positive, the majority of the complaints were about the wait time. I'm guessing that as many get finished early as do late, but of course nobody complains when that happens! Even so, maybe PCS could do more to manage expectations around this aspect.

We've discussed this before and whilst it's a good idea and would help manage customer's expectations better whilst waiting for delivery, collecting and reporting data at this level of granularity has a cost. That cost will be borne by us, the customers, in increased prices. Personally I don't want to be asked to pay a couple of pounds more for my build just so that I (and others) can know whether it's going to take 16 days or 18 days to arrive. It takes as long as it takes, and in the overall life of a PCS PC the waiting time is a tiny drop in the ocean and that tiny time is not worth an extra cost. Not to me anyway.

The waiting is a horrible time, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. If we want a custom built PC to the spec we have decided on then we simply have to wait for it to be built. That's the cost of getting exactly what you want. If you want it now then go to a high street shop and buy whatever they have - it won't be exactly what you want of course, but that's the cost of having it now.

Do you think if i change some components while its in pre-production, would it slow the whole process? Because I have made some changes, just to balance everything out.

I don't work for PCS so I don't know, but at some point during pre-production they are going to pick the components from stock ready to be assembled when it moves into build. If you change your order before the components are picked I doubt there will be any extra delay, but if you change after they have been picked then that might introduce a small delay because your order can't move into build until the component swap you've asked for is done.
 
Mine had taken 21 days before it got moved into the building stage. I emailed PCS who said they have a large amount of orders at the moment and are trying to work through them and that i was placed in a queue when ordering my device.

Funnily enough 2 days after i sent them emails to the customer support team i had an email saying that my device was in the building stage.

I did suggest to the person i spoke to that customers need to be more heavily informed with such information as i had not heard anything, i also suggest that maybe a queue based system could be shown on their website when placing the order since thats how they work just so we know our position in said queue

Even though after it entered the building stage 2 days later my device is awaiting dispatch so i am very happy with that
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
I did suggest to the person i spoke to that customers need to be more heavily informed with such information as i had not heard anything, i also suggest that maybe a queue based system could be shown on their website when placing the order since thats how they work just so we know our position in said queue.

This would be nice, but it might produce some unwanted results. Imagine for example, that you've been following your order down the queue from (say) 423, dropping steadily every day, and after a couple of weeks you're number 6. Great, you say, I should be in building tomorrow!!

Unfortunately PCS had a batch of flaky RAM chips and 8 of the PCs in Q&A have to go back into build to have this rectified. When you check all excited the next morning you find you're number 14. That's not going to be a good feeling, and it's likely to result in a flood of phone calls to PCS from everyone else in the queue to find out what's going on....

I don't work for PCS and I have no idea how they'd be able to report these queues or even whether my proposed scenario could happen, but I've learned in life to pay close attention to the law of unintended consequences. It has a big bite. :)
 

polycrac

Rising Star
Restaurants have similar issues, plates get dropped etc. Demand can vary enormously over time. Generally they tell you if there is a long wait expected for food because most people mind a lot less if they are told, than if they are left waiting, unaware. Maybe even a 'we're extra busy!' Sticker put over the usual website wait time quote, for when they are understaffed or oversubscribed, could help.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Restaurants have similar issues, plates get dropped etc. Demand can vary enormously over time. Generally they tell you if there is a long wait expected for food because most people mind a lot less if they are told, than if they are left waiting, unaware. Maybe even a 'we're extra busy!' Sticker put over the usual website wait time quote, for when they are understaffed or oversubscribed, could help.

I think the best course of action for people who think this kind of thing would be useful would be to contact PCS directly. If enough people ask for it I'd expect PCS to look at providing something. :)
 

Jax

Member
My current build is 13 days into pre production, i am hoping it moves along by end of play Friday. My first PC years ago through PCS took 15 days and my 2nd was less than a week but I paid extra for that and I understand delays can happen but I would like to be kept better informed by PCS if my order is going to take longer than the average wait time.
 
I'm into the end of the 14th working day in pre-production. I was very tempted to fast-track the production of my desktop, and have been ever since I've seen the discussions about how long people have waited, but when ordering it basically said that it would take about 1 week fast tracked or 2 weeks non-fast tracked, and was unsure if I was going to be taken for a ride with the fast-tracking option seeing as most of the time was fixed (such as delivery and build).

Since then I've been tempted to amend the order to include fast-track, but I'm not sure how much longer I have to wait, or even if amending the order in order to fast-track might actually delay it.

I need this PC for work, and I don't mind waiting, but I would really like to have some estimated time of how long that is going to be. If I was told that preproduction was going to, by default, take more than a week more, I'd definitely pay to reduce this time.

Edit: oh great, my profile name became my email address. Wonderful.
 
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ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
I'm into the end of the 14th working day in pre-production. I was very tempted to fast-track the production of my desktop, and have been ever since I've seen the discussions about how long people have waited, but when ordering it basically said that it would take about 1 week fast tracked or 2 weeks non-fast tracked, and was unsure if I was going to be taken for a ride with the fast-tracking option seeing as most of the time was fixed (such as delivery and build).

Since then I've been tempted to amend the order to include fast-track, but I'm not sure how much longer I have to wait, or even if amending the order in order to fast-track might actually delay it.

I need this PC for work, and I don't mind waiting, but I would really like to have some estimated time of how long that is going to be. If I was told that preproduction was going to, by default, take more than a week more, I'd definitely pay to reduce this time.

Edit: oh great, my profile name became my email address. Wonderful.

Hello and welcome to the fora! :)

14 days in pre-production is normal and nothing to worry about. All builds spend about 95% of their time in pre-production, when they move into build it's built, tested, and shipped in a couple of days. The estimates that PCS publish are based on historical data and they can't foretell the future. The Fast Track option is not a con, your PC will be built as a priority if you fast track it.

Waiting is horrible, we all know, we've all been there, but there is nothing at all unusual about the 14 days you've been waiting already. :)

BTW. I know a Duncan Wallace. If I said Yossarian would that mean anything to you?
 
Hello and welcome to the fora! :)

14 days in pre-production is normal and nothing to worry about. All builds spend about 95% of their time in pre-production, when they move into build it's built, tested, and shipped in a couple of days. The estimates that PCS publish are based on historical data and they can't foretell the future. The Fast Track option is not a con, your PC will be built as a priority if you fast track it.

Waiting is horrible, we all know, we've all been there, but there is nothing at all unusual about the 14 days you've been waiting already. :)

BTW. I know a Duncan Wallace. If I said Yossarian would that mean anything to you?


I was concerned it wasn't going to be until the end of the month before it was finished, but it's now moved to testing. Lack of ETA during pre-production can be disconcerting, particularly when one is unfamiliar with the company.

At least all I have to worry about now is whether or not I should have purchased an i7 8700K instead of i7 8700 :sweatdrop: (it actually wasn't presented as an option on the 'are you a cheapo' build selection).

Yossarian... don't... think so.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
I was concerned it wasn't going to be until the end of the month before it was finished, but it's now moved to testing. Lack of ETA during pre-production can be disconcerting, particularly when one is unfamiliar with the company.

This has been raised many times before and it's perfectly understandable. Offering reassurance is kinda what we're here for. :)

At least all I have to worry about now is whether or not I should have purchased an i7 8700K instead of i7 8700 :sweatdrop: (it actually wasn't presented as an option on the 'are you a cheapo' build selection).

That really depends on what you plan to use it for.

Yossarian... don't... think so.

You're a different Duncan Wallace then. :)
 
One last question, as it isn't clear in which thread it would be on-topic to actually post it... do you know if DPD deliver on Saturdays, and if so, how to tell them... not to? The delivery address is locked up tight at the weekend.
 

Rakk

The Awesome
Moderator
One last question, as it isn't clear in which thread it would be on-topic to actually post it... do you know if DPD deliver on Saturdays, and if so, how to tell them... not to? The delivery address is locked up tight at the weekend.

They do deliver on Saturdays but generally only if you pay for Saturday delivery - even if they do try to deliver they would normally leave a 'We tried to deliver it' type card so you could reorganise delivery.
 
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