Comments on negative posts/threads [long post warning]

Deklore

Bright Spark
I have noticed that there has been an increase on people posting negative experiences with PCS lately and would like to "balance the books" so to speak. But i have a few disclaimers before i start -

1. I am NOT employed by PCS in any way whatsoever.
2. I FULLY understand that people who post on here have legitimate complaints/issues with their hardware and am in no way whatsoever dismissing their issues. They have a right to get things sorted.
3. I have my own opinions formed by my own experiences and anyone who knows me would say that i am not agreeable just for the sake of it.

I have bought 2 (maybe 3 - cant remember) computers from PCS in the past (although current one is self built) and have had nothing but a positive experience with PCS. On the one occasion i did have a faulty GPU they sent out a replacement immediately and my issue was resolved. When the missus' pc is up for renewal then i will definately be coming to pcs to get it. In my experience PCS pcs are a cut above everyone else, using the best components without being overpriced or full of bloatware.

The reason for this post is that i feel there may be an unbalanced view of PCS for new visitors to this forum due to people experiencing problems and posting on here. Although i absolutely do not dismiss those problems that people are having, i feel there are far more people who have positive experiences that DONT register/post and stay silent.
In addition, the community on this forum is the friendliest and most helpful i have come across in any forum (and i have been on a few). One thing to note is that i assume that the people who continue to post on these forums have had past positive experiences with PCS and that is one of the reasons they continue to post here.

If you are reading this and have/are still having an ongoing problem with PCS, then i truely hope you get it corrected in a timely fasion, but consider this. With PCS being a business and whose sole purpose is to make profit (like any other business), would they have grown and continually be busy with orders if they were putting out a shoddy product? I admit things may slip through the net now and again, but i would expect some problems for a company to be producing bespoke hardware to not be absolutely perfect every time. I am not trying to make excuses for PCS, just trying to put things into perspective. I understand this may be difficult if you are the one who is affected - but i was and i had my issue resolved.

Finally, i have no idea how this post will come across. I am trying to be as reasonable as possible and not come across as a PCS fanboy. I just think if every single happy customer posted on here, then the forum would be MUCH busier than it is and there would be a more balanced impression of PCS.
 

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
+1 to that.

I post here because I had a good experience. Obviously at some point things will go wrong for some people, that is unavoidable. On the whole I think the way PCS deal with things is good, they will never be perfect but it is much better than I have personally experienced elsewhere, although I have yet to experience PCS tech support as i'm fairly comfortable inside a computer myself.

The complaints make it look much much worse than I'm sure it is in reality. I stalked PCS for over a year before committing to buy, because I had never heard of them before, but for me the complaints on the forum made it seem more trustworthy. I have witnessed with my own eyes negative reviews being pulled down from shopping channels sites, fake glowing reviews of obviously dubious products. PCS giving people an opportunity to post 100% honest reviews on their own forum says they are incredibly stupid or they realise people will see through to the truth.

Lets all be honest, sometimes when you read a complaint it's more like a hate filled rant of a toddler who isn't getting what they want. No naming names, but in the last past I have seen people spouting fury at PCS only for it to be revealed the problem was down to the user. I have also seen people trying to blackmail PCS into a full refund because they had a change of heart. I can look past a few peoples negative reviews to see the real quality, maybe im wrong but I have seen nothing about the way PCS go about business that is sloppy...
 

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
Actually I came here BECAUSE of issues I had with my PC - that weren't really PCS' fault (other than the dodgy fan which they replaced immediately).

However, it was the help I got from the rest of the forum members that encouraged me to stay.

I would probably buy another desktop from PCS or just build one myself. I'm less inclined to purchase a laptop after seeing some of those 'flex' videos - but there's no doubting their value for money. Also I'm waiting to hear back from a friend of mine on how their laptop purchase went :)

It was actually myself that recommended PCS to him - maybe I'll live to regret that... maybe I won't ;)
 

Stephen M

Author Level
I totally agree with Deklore, PCS was a great find for me and I am happy with their service and the help given by the PCS community. Of course there will be mistakes - the person who makes no mistakes does nothing - but I think they deal well with all situations and I will certianly be coming back for my next machine, as soon as i have saved up.
 

SmokeDarKnight

Author Level
I totally agree.

Personally i tend to find that a lot of the complaints are customers who do not fully understand/appreciate the workings of a PC. Driver updates seem to cause them problems, setting up the GPU for optimum performance can be a rough experience. I feel that some customers want there PC to work off the bat and just work with 0 maintenance required on their behalf.

Quite a few times i have seen someone go off on one and community members calm them down and solve the problem and then other times they just shut out our help and and just were to complain. Some people complain just because they like to, they may think they will get money off, they may think they can scare the company, whatever there motive.

I will defiantly be buying from PCS again. They have supported me with small questions about my equipment even past its warranty period. I feel that if i did order a rig that was not up to scratch i truthfully believe that they would see my good in the end. They just need a chance to sort out it out and they will.

I hope they keep up the great work.
 

Xavien

Enthusiast
I just posted my experience with my last order mainly because i got no joy out of emailing them about the sloppy workmanship. There is nothing to understand\appreciate about
not fitting the laptop bay cover properly so the hard drive falls out!

As one of the posters says, yes people do make mistakes but how come in this case that pcspecialists wont admit to it!
 

DeadEyeDuk

Superhero Level Poster
Quick, I think there is a thread over there you haven't posted this in!

In all seriousness, the reason that those that frequent this fine forum always take what people report with a pinch of salt, is that time and again, when both sides are heard, more often than not everything works out and all are happy.

To your issue, without even seeing the warehouse, there is no way a laptop is going to get through all the stages and then through packing with a bay hanging off. Just because you do not believe it happened in transit, it doesn't mean it didn't.

Can PCS make mistakes? Yup, and without fail they have either come on here, and personally corresponded with the customer to resolve the issue (which the customer has reported here).

Even just though these forums, PCS have shown they do care and are committed to CS. What always tickles me is when people come on, who invariably run their own business and apparently all are like the Mother Teresa of CS and never have any problems.

No CS is perfect, but I have yet to see anyone moan on here with a reasonable complaint that didn't get sorted (be it technically sorted or through CS).

/Monday rant over

:)
 

Grimezy

Prolific Poster
Agree with all of this, I always forget to post positive comments/reviews on websites even though I tell myself I really should do to help anxious buyers like myself.

I did post a review on Trusted Pilot for PCS as I got a free USB stick and I think it's safe to say the large majority of people on there are happy as well:

http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.pcspecialist.co.uk
 

Xavien

Enthusiast
Quick, I think there is a thread over there you haven't posted this in!

In all seriousness, the reason that those that frequent this fine forum always take what people report with a pinch of salt, is that time and again, when both sides are heard, more often than not everything works out and all are happy.

To your issue, without even seeing the warehouse, there is no way a laptop is going to get through all the stages and then through packing with a bay hanging off. Just because you do not believe it happened in transit, it doesn't mean it didn't.

Can PCS make mistakes? Yup, and without fail they have either come on here, and personally corresponded with the customer to resolve the issue (which the customer has reported here).

Even just though these forums, PCS have shown they do care and are committed to CS. What always tickles me is when people come on, who invariably run their own business and apparently all are like the Mother Teresa of CS and never have any problems.

No CS is perfect, but I have yet to see anyone moan on here with a reasonable complaint that didn't get sorted (be it technically sorted or through CS).

/Monday rant over

:)

I didnt realize that posting in two threads meant that i had posted in every thread on the forums, what a childish response!

As i said before the bay was "Screwed Down" It is impossible for it to shake loose, even with removing the screws i had a tough job removing the bay cover.
Just because you you do not believe it happened in the warehouse doesnt mean it didnt! To say that theres no way it could happen because of the stages
is ridiculous, for a start the same person who tested it also Quality Assured it, so thats two stages out of the loop. As i said in my post they did get back to
my email but it was unsatisfactory!

As i said in my post if you bothered to read it properly i take responsibility for any problems my customers have, Pcspecialists have yet to do so. Obviously there is no
point in posting genuine complaints about poor service here because it just brings out the fanboys like yourself!

I think your signature has said it all, you havent yet said anything useful. At least we agree on something :)
 
Last edited:

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Quick, I think there is a thread over there you haven't posted this in!

In all seriousness, the reason that those that frequent this fine forum always take what people report with a pinch of salt, is that time and again, when both sides are heard, more often than not everything works out and all are happy.

To your issue, without even seeing the warehouse, there is no way a laptop is going to get through all the stages and then through packing with a bay hanging off. Just because you do not believe it happened in transit, it doesn't mean it didn't.

Can PCS make mistakes? Yup, and without fail they have either come on here, and personally corresponded with the customer to resolve the issue (which the customer has reported here).

Even just though these forums, PCS have shown they do care and are committed to CS. What always tickles me is when people come on, who invariably run their own business and apparently all are like the Mother Teresa of CS and never have any problems.

No CS is perfect, but I have yet to see anyone moan on here with a reasonable complaint that didn't get sorted (be it technically sorted or through CS).

/Monday rant over

:)

+1 there are a few recent complaints in the forum but that is not a true reflection on how good PCS are in terms of customer service since I am confident many satisfied customers don't post over here. While it is disappointing to receive a damaged laptop try to see and wait how PCS respond to your query and concerns. I would try to email/phone.
 

Xavien

Enthusiast
+1 there are a few recent complaints in the forum but that is not a true reflection on how good PCS are in terms of customer service since I am confident many satisfied customers don't post over here. While it is disappointing to receive a damaged laptop try to see and wait how PCS respond to your query and concerns. I would try to email/phone.

I already did and they denied any responsibility saying that it happened in Transit. Which in certain circumstances that can be true, but when the bay is screwed down and even with the screws removed
it is very difficult to remove, its extremely unlikely this can happen. Especially when the box turns up in a perfect state without so much as a crease in the packaging. Im not even angry at the fact that it
wasnt quality assured properly, what does rub me up the wrong way is 100% denial that it could have happened in the warehouse, its a principle thing.

Obviously DeadEyeDuk thinks im being unreasonable, however if this was the case i could have had them take it back and remake the system. Since i was able to put it back
together and get the hard drive working and i have a 3 year warranty i didnt see this as necessary.
 
Last edited:

keynes

Multiverse Poster
I already did and they denied any responsibility saying that it happened in Transit. Which in certain circumstances that can be true, but when the bay is screwed down and even with the screws removed
it is very difficult to remove, its extremely unlikely this can happen. Especially when the box turns up in a perfect state without so much as a crease in the packaging. Im not even angry at the fact that it
wasnt quality assured properly, what does rub me up the wrong way is 100% denial that it could have happened in the warehouse, its a principle thing.

If you are not satisfied with their response I would try to take it further and speak with management. Every time I have dealt with them I always got a positive response and they have never disappoint, while these may sound like I am a fan boy I just consider myself a satisfied customer. Try giving them a call to get the issue sorted.
 

Xavien

Enthusiast
If you are not satisfied with their response I would try to take it further and speak with management. Every time I have dealt with them I always got a positive response and they have never disappoint, while these may sound like I am a fan boy I just consider myself a satisfied customer. Try giving them a call to get the issue sorted.

Thank you :) Dont worry i dont consider you a fan boy because you are being objective :) DeadEyeDuk was being passive aggressive and although i hate the term fan boy it is very succinct.
I will try their customer service again and hope that i get better results. Thank you for your help.
 

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
Obviously it is possible the screws weren't done up properly in the warehouse, nobody here can say it is an absolute impossibility. Mistakes happen, do PCS make mistakes, sure they do. Do they put them right, as far as I know yes they do.

I think what rubs DeadEye up the wrong way is we see this all the time. Well kind of... Anyone who has been on this forum for a few months will have see the complaints penned by a seemingly spoilt child that refuses to believe mistakes happen. The proper channel to make a complaint is not via email but via the telephone, email can get (for want of a better phrase) lost in translation.

I would honestly be very surprised if PCS sent out the laptop like that, it seems so obvious to miss it. I can see how it could happen in transit without damaging the box, all it needs to do is fall from a height square onto the side and that will leave no mark at all on the packaging but will subject the contents to a great force.

Also what you have to remember is that most of us only post here because we think PCS is better than anything else currently available. I wouldn't post here for over 3 years if I didn't think so, same with everyone else. I wouldn't go as far as calling anyone who posts here regularly a fan boy. You had a bad experience, which nobody here would wish on you but hopefully a phone call to talk to a human will sort it out once and for all.
 

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
I've been on the forums for over 3 years now and the vast majority of complaints have been from issues caused in transit or from software problems,like people who install their own operating system then have problems with drivers etc,neither of which can be put down to the fault of PCS.
Having said that mistakes are made on rare occasions,but in my experience PCS will sort this out after a quick phone call.
To be honest though I wouldn't have thought something like a screw coming loose and is easily fixed (whether caused in transit or not) would warrant all that much of a complaint at all.
 

Xavien

Enthusiast
I've been on the forums for over 3 years now and the vast majority of complaints have been from issues caused in transit or from software problems,like people who install their own operating system then have problems with drivers etc,neither of which can be put down to the fault of PCS.
Having said that mistakes are made on rare occasions,but in my experience PCS will sort this out after a quick phone call.
To be honest though I wouldn't have thought something like a screw coming loose and is easily fixed (whether caused in transit or not) would warrant all that much of a complaint at all.

It was a little more than that though, the screws were done up very tight, but two of the lugs were not in place. Because of that the hard drive came loose and was rattling around in the machine.
I had to unscrew the back refit the hard drive and bay cover. Then windows wouldnt recognize the hard drive so i had to format it and get windows to find it so it showed up on explorer. Im pretty
sure the HD rattling around for 300 miles hasnt really done it a lot of good :)

With regards to Mantadog ive had a fair amount of bad luck with my PCS orders so far and i certainly wouldnt call people here fan boys its just DeadEye's response was less than nice, emphasised by his "Rant".
Every one else has been very constructive. Hes probably having a bad day, we all get them! Ive recommended PCS to many people including friends and associates so its not like i hate them or anything and
even though i havent had one smooth transaction yet, i will agree thats the luck of the draw sometimes.
 

Lex1970

Silver Level Poster
I have been very happy with my PC from PC Specialist, The wait did feel like a long time but I think I received my PC within the timescale they mentioned, and to be honest for me, I don't mind waiting if it means that the Computer has been tested and is fit for purpose.

I can say that the Forum is very useful in aiding you to decide on the specifications that best suit your requirements and would not hesitate in ordering from PC Specialist in the future.
 
Top