PC World cheaper????

[407370]

Surely this cant be right:

Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000:

Novatech - £28.75 http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?MS-VX3000

PC World £19.56 http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/651058

CHEERS

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee227/407370/5.gif

[Jonny2Bad]

yeah it is i got me and jr 1 for £19.99 from comet last week cheap as you like.

[407370]

PC World cheaper than Novatech, I cant hate PC World quite as much now.

CHEERS
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[Jonny2Bad]

Lol yeah u can its only 1 product

[Nox]

Look up loss leaders.

Basically a thing sold at cost, or cheaper designed to entice you into the store to pick one up, with a hope you'll buy something else as you're passing through.

On top of that, i'll even defend PC World! They are actually a lot lot better than they used to be - it used to be rrp only, but now they have started bringing themselves inline, or atleast a lot closer price wise to internet resellers, but... sometimes they need to clear shelf space for new products. There are bargain to be had in there, occasionally... usually something you dont need - i got a belkin UPS from there the other week, £20 or £25, can't remember exactly!

Nox

[407370]

AAHHHH OK then.

CHEERS
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee227/407370/3-6.gif

[system7]

Yep, bargains 4 me too at PCW! :p

Logitech X-240 speakers, ex-display, £15. 8-)

[NeilX90]

My encounters with them have been quite poor but I guess the experience varies from store to store. My pet gripe is the apparent utter lack of training of staff - people who can't tell you what components are in the systems they sell or what they would be suitable for, as one example - and the utter lack of interest most of them seem to show.

Having been handed a switch instead of a wireless router, told a 6600GT wouldn't work with Vista and I'd have to buy an 8800GT that happened to be sitting there (hmmm...) and watched a small boy reduced to tears by rude staff, they can keep their bargains. The poor lad was clutching a copy of some game and wanted to know if it would work on a PC his mother was picking out for him.... probably 8 years old at most. Would they let him install it to see ? No. Did they tell him they didn't like people trying to hack their machines and install viruses ? Yes. I left in disgust.

Bah.

Rant over !

[TankJon]

As much as I hate PC World, I will go there when they start the 75% off everything "help! were going under" sale ...I heard DSGi share prices dropped by 90% before xmas. Back up now but like for like sales down 15%. I deal with DSGi (specifically PC World Business) at work and to be honest they are a bunch of goons!!

That is cheap though...

[Willzo101]

what is with your changing signatures? :S

[Soup Dragon]

what is with your changing signatures? :S


its magic:razz:

[Nox]

I'll say their lack of staff knowledge is comparative. Compared to my mum, they are very knowledgable about computers (but not about gardening i'd bet) compared to people that have been in the corporate industry for 10+ years, and love tech with a passion, they won't be, in general.

Bit sad about reducing a boy to tears though :( thats sort of off. They ignore me when I go in there, don't think i've ever been approached by a member of staff. :D

Nox

[system7]

Curry's Digital is doing OK as it goes. Small stores packed with lots of shiny things. They get plenty of business in the High Street. I'd imagine High Def TV is a big part of the turnover.

It's a bit like Tottenham Court Road HI-Fi stores in the 70s, if you remember them. Shops jam packed full of stuff.

[NeilX90]

Nox - your point about knowledge being comparitive is very fair (much kinder than I would have been !) and I suppose the repair & upgrade service serves a public who wouldn't dare open their machines. I just wonder how many people have been mis-sold items by either ignorance or design.

However, I bet there are many members of this forum, well under working age who individually know more than an entire store of PCW staff !

Steve - yeah, I kinda like Curry's Digital too as they have a Duty-Free one at pretty much every airport in the UK. As I err tend to be passing those shops on a regular basis, I know have a nice collection of shiny tat like digital photo frames to show for it :D

[system7]

This is all quite thought-provoking.

Since buying is a mixture of perceived value and desire, and a rational side saying warranty and service matters too, I guess every company fights hard to get the balance right and stay profitable.

Certainly our own favourite computer supplier Nova has a clear niche and identity, and must balance that against any attempt to be all things to all people.

I don't quite know what I'm saying here, but there's no room for complacency and continual improvement is the thing.

[sniperdude]

ahhhhh DSG like me DSG ha

our fridge died was under the coverplan fridge total cost was about
£250 they sent me vouchers for over £500 :confused:

new fridge cost £300inc coverplan was only the same fridge that died
with a different door lol so we went and bought some goodies with the change
:D

[Baggpuss]

PC world are cheaper for the odd item, but i would never buy major things from them, but for odd little bits which i want there and then its somewhere i would consider. That or maplin

[jonbanjo]

Last time I used PC World was for a TV card I wanted the same day. The price on their website was competitive but the in store price turned out to be about £15 more, say £65 vs £80.

I've stuck with online buying from there on, except for the odd small item I can get locally. Apart from anything else, it's a 40+ mile round trip for me to get into Norwich to find stores like this. I don't mind it once a week to get to play music with friends but I'm afraid for PC stuff, it's just hassle and expense.

[Nox]

However, I bet there are many members of this forum, well under working age who individually know more than an entire store of PCW staff !



Almost guaranteed. People who do something 'as a job' cannot compete against someone who does something 'as a passion' it's when you combine the two you get something quite scary come out the other side :D

Nox

[407370]

Just to say I went to the PC World in Crawley this morning and the price tag said £39.99 on the webcam. Asked staff to check and when he did turned out the price on the website had been applied but they did not tell the store staff.

I have to agree with most of the sentiment here. PCW tech staff are not great. I am a 20 year IT veteran and I had to intervene once when a so called TECH was ripping off a young girl. I heard him telling her she needed the new QUADCORE to run MS Office 2007. He was about 21 years old and probably trying to impress his boss with "MAXIMISING SALES OPPORTUNITY"

Another sig:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee227/407370/3-7.gif

CHEERS

[PMM]

PC World are up the creek - esp the Stoke on Trent Store

* New design interior.... Yes very nice but you can no longer grab just as an example.. a monitor or printer and take it to checkout.

* Xmas and they had naff all staff

Net result = 1 chap taking 20mins to find out where they had put the stock. this was after 10 mins faffing around getting the attention of a staff member and for him to find somebody to deal with me.

Its lucky I am person with patience & the fact they were the only place at the time I could get the Vodaphone version of the Dell Mini 9 without a vodaphone contract.

[Ritesh]

Hi all, they have old stock that they got when Microsoft hardware had a deal going, our price is the new price and they are due to go up again next month.

saying that i have managed to get a better price from an alternative supplier so we can beat PC worlds price...if you check the site now it should look more appealing :)

[GIBBO]

PC World are up the creek - esp the Stoke on Trent Store

* New design interior.... Yes very nice but you can no longer grab just as an example.. a monitor or printer and take it to checkout.

* Xmas and they had naff all staff

Net result = 1 chap taking 20mins to find out where they had put the stock. this was after 10 mins faffing around getting the attention of a staff member and for him to find somebody to deal with me.

Its lucky I am person with patience & the fact they were the only place at the time I could get the Vodaphone version of the Dell Mini 9 without a vodaphone contract.


HI there

PC World have a very good deal in this case, yes it looks very much like a loss leader as it looks like there is only about £1 profit a unit in it, this is the kind of reason why their share prices falls regular.

In regards to PC World Stoke-on-Trent well it was on the news about a week ago stating how Stoke-on-Trent/Potteries has been hit hardest by the recession so if PC World stores start closing down that will probably be one of the first to go.

[mrbungle]

Was looking to buy my mrs a 22" Monitor over the christmas period and didn't mind paying a little more if I could pick it up the same day.

The staff knowledge was dire, things priced up wrong, having to wait ages for people to get back to you and a general "im on 6 quid a hour so I don't give a toss" attitude.

Unless im desperate don't buy anything off them, ever.

[407370]

Hi all, they have old stock that they got when Microsoft hardware had a deal going, our price is the new price and they are due to go up again next month.

saying that i have managed to get a better price from an alternative supplier so we can beat PC worlds price...if you check the site now it should look more appealing :)

Hey this is a good idea. What about a "Tell us its too expensive" thread on the forum.
Post the item from Novatech and the cheaper alternative like I did. If you can match / beat the cheaper price for the person who posted the question then I would take the time to do the research.

CHEERS

I HAVE LOADS OF SIGS!
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee227/407370/13.gif

[Baggpuss]

Hey this is a good idea. What about a "Tell us its too expensive" thread on the forum.
Post the item from Novatech and the cheaper alternative like I did. If you can match / beat the cheaper price for the person who posted the question then I would take the time to do the research.

CHEERS

I HAVE LOADS OF SIGS!
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee227/407370/13.gif

Im loving that idea, would save me having to go other places

[GeordieNo1]

I bought my printer there, best price around at the time ;)

To be fair, Gibbo has mentioned here numerous times that he would see what he could do regarding prices. It`s always worth dropping him a PM if you find something cheaper elsewhere .... percentage of profit with a spend of zero is always gonna be zero ;)

[frdjns74]

Yip I have done the same thing although it was my wife that was being ripped off she was sent in to pcw to get quote for new graphics card and was told it would be better to upgrade entire thing as she couldn't upgrade our 2 year old top of the range pc card as it was outdated!!! I went in and went to same guy and got new card without any problems Stinks because she was a girl they thought they could scam her!http://www.hostingflix.com/stats/cf05968255451bdefe3c5bc64d550517.jpg

[Mr. Orange]

However, I bet there are many members of this forum, well under working age who individually know more than an entire store of PCW staff !


Reference to me perhaps?

also, i noticed in the Reading PC World, They have a HP Media Vault MV5 series on display, but there wasn't a price, or even a box... :l, also today when we went to return a Belkin N+ Modem Router, they didn't even check if everything was in the box. the guy also said that he'd call me dad within 3 working days, but on the way home i realised... How the **** are they going to call him, when they don't even have his phone number... LOL

[Sally-Novatech-Technician]

I will never forget the day I went into my local PCW (Can't say which one, but local to me) and asked an assistant for a replacement DVDRW drive for a Sony Vaio Laptop, he looked at me, rather blank faced and asked "What's a laptop ?". needless to say, I walked right out the store there and then chuckling to myself, I did however, resist the temptation to stand there and try to explain what a laptop is, I think it would probably have fallen on deaf ears and confused the little fellow even more than he already was.

[Fozza]

Funnish thing I've seen in there was some bloke standing by the laptops stop one of the young chaps and just said Can you help me. The young chap face looks panic stricken he then spent 5 mins running round the store trying to find someone. When the other person turns up and says you want some help the customer turns round and said yea I want one of these. Nearly pmsl surely the young chap could pick up a box from underneath and say there you go but he didnt even try and help the bloke.