Purpose of this review is to describe my dealings with PCSpecialist customer service department, this is not the review of the actual computer, for which I'm still waiting ( 50 odd days). I just wanted to provide some feedback to anyone who thinks about buying new pc from PCS in these difficult times.
PCSpecialst probably was one of the best custom PC manufacturers in the country before Covid pandemic, sadly this is not the case anymore.
I have bought 3 machines from them in the past and they all work fine thus I have decided to purchase from them once again, the decision which I have come to regret.
I know that market is in really difficult spot now so before the purchase I gave PCS a call in order to discuss my concerns and components availability. After short conversation I have ordered new pc with graphics card that I was told was in good supply. Estimate build and delivery time I received was 16 to 19 working days which was quite promising. This was never kept. While I was waiting for my pc to be assembled I noticed that some of the pieces I have picked were now showing as out of stock on their website. I have contacted customer service to ask them about this and I was reassured that delays won't affect me if component I picked didn't show as out of stock at a time of placing the order. After waiting another week or so I have contacted them again and this time I was told that unfortunately GPU I have ordered is out of stock and my order is going to be delayed. I was also told they expect a delivery soon but nobody knows when and how many units will arrive. Great...
I have waited yet another 2 weeks but my order was still showing as '' pre production''. I have checked PCS own forum and I have found a post regarding assembly time and I noticed that people who ordered just few days before me, have already received their computers while I was still in the queue. I have contacted PCS via chat and I was told that they have some great news for me and that my pc will be built within next few days, which actually turned out to be 2 weeks, so much for the great news...
My pc have finally reached building and testing stage which took roughly 1 day. I thought that end of my misery was near but PCS decided to not let go of my pc that easily. It sat awaiting to be dispatched for 3 days. I have contacted them on Thursday and I was told that my pc would be dispatched the following day and I would get it on Monday or I can pay 20 quid extra for Saturday delivery. I agreed for Saturday delivery however my pc has still not been dispatched. I have spoken to one of their agents on late Friday afternoon and he said that the orders have already been collected and unfortunately my pc didn't make the cut, despite me paying extra for Saturday delivery. I was told there is a backlog of orders which has to be cleared before I receive my machine.
I have finally lost my patience and decided to rate my experience before I even had a chance to lay my hands on the computer. Honestly speaking I think even 1 star is too generous for what I have been through.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a spiteful person. I work in customer service industry myself. I fully understand online retailers woes ( Covid outbreak, staff shortages, driver shortages, global issues with GPUs supply and other) however I would expect a little bit of honesty and professionalism from the company of this calibre.
I can understand many things but lying to your customers I cannot. I was told 16 to 19 working days (about a month) while in reality I'm waiting almost 2 months and have to constantly chase for updates myself. Nobody EVER got in touch with me to let me know my order has been delayed. To make things worse, info I have received from various PCS agents more often than not, turned out to be false. All this despite spending almost 3 grand on a computer I really need. Not good enough.
Lying to your customers is UN-AC-CEPT-ABLE.
A good friend of mine who bought a pc from a different retailer in the middle of covid outbreak was told upfront he would have to wait 3 months for his pc but he was updated throughout the process and the delivery time he was initially given was kept to the day. That's why I don't buy this ''we don't know when, we don't how many'' excuse PCS seem to love so much.
If other businesses manage to do it, so should you. It's very clear that whatever business model PCS has, it ain't working anymore. Time to regroup and get your act together. You make millions selling computers yet you can't even provide acceptable levels of customer service. Stop feeding BS to your customers.
I'll update my review when, and if, I receive pc I have ordered.
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