After-Sales Service not up to Scratch

[Johnsos1]

*Edited - Some comments redacted as my initial emotion over-stated some of the issues*

After receiving a new laptop in September 2020 I messaged tech support last week with a detailed overview of a battery problem and failed to get a response. So called them today for a very frustrating call. Also took more than an hour to get through. Service hasn't been great IMO.

Agent began by asking me to get a screwdriver and undo the screws to the battery compartment to remove it, to then be told they can post a new one but the DPD driver will take the old one and swap with the new for me to install. But also they don't even have stock of any new batteries anyway which is surprising to me. Needless to say I haven't removed the screws. Again I am not qualified to do this.

If I want to send the unit back to them, there will be "long delays" and will cost me £35 for the delivery fees. This unit is only under warranty for parts as I didn't select the £5 warranty upgrade on order apparently.

So I have to dismantle the computer, with no experience, disconnect the battery, install the new battery and hope it all works fine. or, I send back to them and wait for god knows how long before it gets returned at my expense. I was expecting better service from PCS and would be happy to for them to offer to replace the battery and for them to pay the courier fee as this is a component failure, not something I have caused.

 

[NoddyPirate]

You most likely didn't upgrade your warranty to the silver warranty for an extra £5 when you ordered? - collection and return costs would then be covered for a year rather than just a month under the basic warranty...... So, it sounds like they aren't saying they won't fix it for free, just that they won't collect it for free because you didn't actually select that service?

PC World would give you the advantage of driving to a shop and dropping it off - assuming of course they have stock for replacement and staff to do it quickly. They certainly wouldn't allow you open the case and do it yourself which can save time and effort in some circumstances.....

Also, I'm glad to see the wait times on the phone have come down to an hour. Much better than a few weeks ago.....

 

[jamiephillips909]

Im guessing you didnt go for the silver warrenty that covers carriage costs some of us on here may have been able to troubleshoot the problem for you in the technical forum tho can understand your frustration

 

[jamiephillips909]

Would you be able to post the full specs from your order ?

 

[NoddyPirate]

Terms are here: Warranty and Returns

They say £36 for collection rather than £35 and also if you prefer to use your own return service they will refund £10 of the cost if they find the item to be defective.

 

[barlew]

I'm saddened to say that after the joy of receiving a new laptop in September 2020 it has failed today after the agent from PCS got me to reset it by holding the power button for more than 20 seconds. Before that, it worked although not unless plugged in, now it's broken completely and won't switch on. I messaged tech support last week with a detailed overview of the problem and failed to get a response. So called them today and had what I can only describe as one of the most frustrating calls I've had in a long time, also took more than an hour to get through, worse than Easyjet! Service is shocking frankly.

Agent said they don't have the operating manual for this PC! so started by asking me to get a screwdriver and undo the screws to the battery compartment to remove it, to then be told they can post a new one but the DPD driver will take the old one and swap with the new!! What the actual?? But also they don't even have stock of any new batteries anyway! Needless to say I haven't removed the screws. This guy is an absolute idiot.

If I want to send the unit back to them, there will be "long delays" and will cost me £35 for the delivery fees. This unit is only under warranty for parts. Again, WTAF?

So I have to dismantle this computer, with no experience, disconnect the battery, install the new battery and hope it all works fine. or, I send back to them and wait for god knows how long before it gets returned at my expense! I'm actually fuming at this service. I'm also sure there are laws to protect consumers for things like this, but in addition I wish I'd just gone to PC World, paid the extra for a better service and more reliable PC because for what it's worth, this hassle wasn't what I'd bargained for! Shocking.

Under the Sales of Goods Act 1979 the retailer must repair the item free of charge if the laptop becomes faulty within 6 months. Thats you covered. They can still insist you pay shipping though.

*edit* just recounted my dates. It would be you covered depending upon when you bought it?

 

[Resistance100]

so started by asking me to get a screwdriver and undo the screws to the battery compartment to remove it, to then be told they can post a new one but the DPD driver will take the old one and swap with the new!! What the actual??

that’s common practice. One of the benefits of PCS Custom hardware is that they have an open case policy and can switch out parts rather than the whole thing. Most cases will save plenty of time in getting the Pc or laptop up and running again.

As others have said it sounds like you went with the basic warrently rather than upgrade to silver for a fiver.

The long wait times on the phone suck but that’s the nature of the beast at the moment with COVID. By accounts an hour is quite quick compared to some people on here.


If you post your specs we can try and troubleshoot any issue for you

 

[jamiephillips909]

If you could post exactly what the issue with the laptop is and its specs we may be able to help also when you press the power button does the power button light up but nothing displays on screen or a case of power button does not light up at all ?

 

[ubuysa]

I'm saddened to say that after the joy of receiving a new laptop in September 2020 it has failed today after the agent from PCS got me to reset it by holding the power button for more than 20 seconds. Before that, it worked although not unless plugged in, now it's broken completely and won't switch on. I messaged tech support last week with a detailed overview of the problem and failed to get a response. So called them today and had what I can only describe as one of the most frustrating calls I've had in a long time, also took more than an hour to get through, worse than Easyjet! Service is shocking frankly.

Agent said they don't have the operating manual for this PC! so started by asking me to get a screwdriver and undo the screws to the battery compartment to remove it, to then be told they can post a new one but the DPD driver will take the old one and swap with the new!! What the actual?? But also they don't even have stock of any new batteries anyway! Needless to say I haven't removed the screws. This guy is an absolute idiot.

If I want to send the unit back to them, there will be "long delays" and will cost me £35 for the delivery fees. This unit is only under warranty for parts. Again, what the heck?

So I have to dismantle this computer, with no experience, disconnect the battery, install the new battery and hope it all works fine. or, I send back to them and wait for god knows how long before it gets returned at my expense! I'm actually fuming at this service. I'm also sure there are laws to protect consumers for things like this, but in addition I wish I'd just gone to PC World, paid the extra for a better service and more reliable PC because for what it's worth, this hassle wasn't what I'd bargained for! Shocking.

I understand your frustration and disappointment but it's an unfortunate fact that electronic stuff breaks, that's what warranties are for.

If you'd like to share your spec, so that we can all see what build we're looking at, and a description of the problems you're having, we might be able to help. There is a lot of experience on here.

If we can't help you'll find that, despite the current problems contacting PCS (for very good reasons), they will sort out your problem. That's one of the key reasons we all buy from PCS.

Had you bought it from somewhere like PC World you'd find yourself still struggling to convince them you even have a problem...

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Under the Sales of Goods Act 1979 the retailer must repair the item free of charge if the laptop becomes faulty within 6 months. Thats you covered. They can still insist you pay shipping though.

*edit* just recounted my dates. It would be you covered depending upon when you bought it?

Cover starts from delivery, not date of purchase.

Should also note, holding down the power button for more than 20 seconds will NOT have caused damage, and I'm not convinced they received it with an issue to start with, or if they did why they didnt RMA immediately (not running off anything but mains power is a pretty major issue).

Exchanging just the faulty battery for a new one is also standard....i'm sorry but the more I read this thread the more I get the feeling that the OP is a troll... Dismantle the laptop to remove the battery? Its just ridiculous.

 

[Bhuna50]

... Dismantle the laptop to remove the battery? Its just ridiculous.

Quite a few laptops from PCS come with integrated batteries so you do have to take the laptop apart to remove the battery.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Ive not seen one that requires anything more than a couple of screws and a panel, not dismantling the entire laptop.
Most of them have a lock switch and basically just slot in/out

 

[Martinr36]

Ive not seen one that requires anything more than a couple of screws and a panel, not dismantling the entire laptop.
Most of them have a lock switch and basically just slot in/out

My cosmos you have to take the back off the laptop to get to the battery, and from there i'm not sure what you have to do to remove it

 

[Johnsos1]

Hi. For info, I'm not a troll but a genuine customer of PCS. I had a complaint about the general service received from PCS in not only responding to my enquiry in the first place but ultimately how its been handled. The laptop is a Gemini Series 4GB RAM 64GB HDD so a pretty standard build I would say. Purchased on 26/08/2020 and dispatched 03/09/2020 so is within the 6 month warranty period.

My complaint is around the fact my initial enquiry via email was apparently ignored for 4 days before I rang up yesterday waiting over an hour to get through to eventually be told to get a screwdriver and remove the entire underside of the laptop to remove the battery. Whilst I'm not a stupid guy, I do have some knowledge of the process of how computers are built, and in my opinion, this should be done by a trained technician who is properly earthed to prevent static discharge from affecting other parts of the computer. As well as to ensure the battery is properly installed and the computer is competently put back together. I am neither trained or in my opinion competent to do this.

The fault is that the battery simply doesn't hold a charge anymore. Unless plugged in I cannot roam around the office for any more than about 15 minutes before it switches off. When I plug it back in the screen tells me the laptop wasn't shut down properly and I then have to restart. The battery level when plugged back in tells me the laptop still has charge and this can vary from 14% to 80%.

I accept that PCS will replace the faulty component, what I cannot accept is that this should be done at my expense, either employing somebody to do it or paying to have the laptop shipped back to PCS for a fault that isn't mine. I don't feel comfortable changing the battery myself although I'm sure I could, but then why should I?

As the laptop is within warranty I have a reasonable expectation that it should work for longer than the 4-5 months that it has done, and as it's effectively un-useable unless plugged into a socket, which is no use when working remotely from one meeting to the next, then I also have a reasonable expectation that if it cannot be fixed I'm entitled to a refund or a replacement. As PCS are offering the replacement battery, It's also reasonable to expect them to install it, would you not agree?

The service I've received has really tainted what was actually quite a pleasurable buying experience at the start. I am impressed with the quality of the laptop, and accept things often do go wrong, but the making of a company is how it conducts itself in its after sales market, and I'm afraid these standards are quite high given the initial interactions. My experience isn't unique from looking at some of the previous forum posts but I'm only interested in getting my laptop fixed and the problem resolved satisfactorily.

 

[NoddyPirate]

I may be missing something OP - they are not saying you should pay for it to be replaced - they are saying you only have to pay to have it sent back to them for repair? That is perfectly normal and something that unfortunately you could have avoided by upgrading your warranty at the start.

Or am I missing something?

Search through here for info in the massive spike in business and stress on their CS response time, particularly for emails. Your experience is normal and expected. I know that is of no use to you and I understand your frustration - but I think unfortunately nothing here is out of order that I can see.

They will send you the part and you can fix it yourself if you are comfortable to do so. If not you can send it back to them for £35 in accordance with the terms you agreed to when you purchased?

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Firstly, PCS would be well within their rights to ask you to prove this isnt damage you have caused...most other retailers would if you came back to them months later. From what you have said, PCS have taken your word for it and gone straight to resolving the problem. I dont think you get just how uncommon that is.

Secondly, they arent charging you for the part, and courier costs are only covered for a month unless you buy an upgraded warranty. Its pretty clear about that when you configure your build, and these forums try to hammer home the £5 upgrade for a years cover, repeatedly, just because of that alone.

4 Days for an email response is also to be expected, we are in the middle of (yet another) lockdown with a lot of staff at PCS working from home...this slows everything down. PCS are no different to any other company in that.

Thirdly, If you buy a custom machine theres an expectation that you have at least some basic knowledge, undoing a couple of screws and earthing yourself beforehand is very, very simple...even then, had you said you didnt feel comfortable doing it, I know full well they wouldnt force it and would tell you to send the machine in instead. Have you said to them that you arent capable of doing it? If you had, i'm certain they wouldnt then offer to replace via courier it would be an instant RMA. They offer the chance to switch it yourself to try and save you the several weeks wait that an RMA would have, not to wash their hands of dealing with it themselves.

Fourthly, out of the 1000's of machines constantly going out, there is bound to be the occational issue or a part that becomes faulty...thats just how tech works, I've not had any other retailer (such as PCWorld or similar) offer anything like the service PCS do, or be as willing to fix problems. Its normally the reverse and you are left having to prove you arent responsible yourself and end up in weeks of arguement with them.

 

[barlew]

"Firstly, PCS would be well within their rights to ask you to prove this isnt damage you have caused...most other retailers would if you came back to them months later. From what you have said, PCS have taken your word for it and gone straight to resolving the problem. I dont think you get just how uncommon that is."

Depending upon when the OP took receipt of the laptop this is incorrect. If a product becomes faulty within the first 6 months of ownership legally it is assumed the laptop was faulty upon delivery. In this instance legally the onus is on the retailer to prove otherwise not the customer.

 

[NoddyPirate]

Wear and tear items are normally exempt from that I thought Barlew? Batteries might be considered in that category perhaps?

In any case, I don’t think there is any claim by PCS that the OP’s laptop isn’t faulty. They seem happy that it is. The issue is with having to pay to have it sent back to them for them to fix it.....

Again, I might have missed something in my speed reading.....

 

[jamiephillips909]

Depending upon when the OP took receipt of the laptop this is incorrect. If a product becomes faulty within the first 6 months of ownership legally it is assumed the laptop was faulty upon delivery. In this instance legally the onus is on the retailer to prove otherwise not the customer.

Not when it comes to cost of transporting the product they have agreed its faulty from what I have read it clearly states on basic warrenty 1 month collect its been past that alotted time thats why silver warrenty is important also we have offered to trouble shoot it for him and talk him through it

 

[SpyderTracks]

Wear and tear items are normally exempt from that I thought Barlew? Batteries might be considered in that category perhaps?

In any case, I don’t think there is any claim by PCS that the OP’s laptop isn’t faulty. They seem happy that it is. The issue is with having to pay to have it sent back to them for them to fix it.....

Again, I might have missed something in my speed reading.....

Batteries have a 6 month warranty, they're not included in the normal warranty terms.

But yes, no question, this battery issue is covered under warranty.

But carriage costs are not included in that, they would be related to whatever warranty the OP purchased, in this case, the default 1 month.