I asked, "Do you have any RAID controller cards in stock?", the guy replies, "Hmm, what do they do?"
My ribs are still hurting :)
My ribs are still hurting :)
I just phoned PC World :)
Miscellaneous Forums/General Discussion/I just phoned PC World :) Why? did somebody punch you in the side?
Tell him they are what the Luftwaffe used in the Blitz, and when he doesn't understand that tell him Blitz is a programming language...
EDIT: There's another way of looking at this you realise?
Who's the bigger fool, the person who is willing to work for PC World to feed the kids, or the person who is willing to shop at PC World...
EDIT: There's another way of looking at this you realise?
Who's the bigger fool, the person who is willing to work for PC World to feed the kids, or the person who is willing to shop at PC World...
I've bought stuff from PC World - not much, admittedly - so I must be a fool. :) It's a shop. It sells computer stuff. If I need computer stuff (especially in a hurry), I sometimes shop there. I don't see the problem; or is this an "I'm a superior geek" thing?
Becky: If someone doesn't know what a straw is, should they be working at Mcdonalds? :P
hey, apparently you don't even need to be able to read to work at mcdonald's in the US. Admittedly, this is for Mexican immigrants, but it's funny out of context :P
At least he admitted he didn't know what they are. What I hate is going into an electronics store, asking an employee a question, and having them tell me a bald-faced lie.
At least he admitted he didn't know what they are. What I hate is going into an electronics store, asking an employee a question, and having them tell me a bald-faced lie.
I lie to customers all the time. It's how I survive my humdrum job. I try to make the lies more and more rediculous each time. I also have compatitions with other members of staff to see who can get away with the most rediculous lie. As for that PCworld employee, he probably couldn't be bothered going to check. To be fair on pc world employees, most of them are retailers. Just ask to speak to a technician who works there. Most of them will know way more than you do about pcs as they repair them all day long every day.
Try talk to the right people.
A child can teach you things you don't know.
Try talk to the right people.
A child can teach you things you don't know.
Also to be fair (har har) a RAID control is not exactly "home use" is it? It's more for businesses.
not any more... most motherboards come with a raid controller nowadays. (most decent motherboards that is)...
Doesn't RAID kill insects?
well... that too.
Becky: If someone doesn't know what a straw is, should they be working at Mcdonalds?
I dont know what a McDonalds burger is, it certainly doesnt fit my definition of a burger.
To be fair, a RAID controller is not the same thing to home computing as what a straw is to chemical processing and selling it to children with a clown is.
I lie to customers all the time. It's how I survive my humdrum job. I try to make the lies more and more rediculous each time. I also have compatitions with other members of staff to see who can get away with the most rediculous lie.
On the one hand, I hate you. On the other hand, that's hilarious.
I hope you're not a doctor, Oddball. :/
How many of you have a local independent PC retailer?
I always find mine to be the best place for techy info.
The thing I hate about PC World is, as soon as you wish to purchase a unit, they try to sell you all sorts of fangled breakdown/repair covers and extended warranties.
I always find mine to be the best place for techy info.
The thing I hate about PC World is, as soon as you wish to purchase a unit, they try to sell you all sorts of fangled breakdown/repair covers and extended warranties.
At last I get a chance to tell my story:
I once went into a computer shop and watched the assistant holding the mouse upside down in his palm, pressing the ball with the forefinger of his other hand, looking at the screen for some reaction.
I said "They work the other way up." and he gave me a look to kill, as if: what could a member of the public know.
This was some years ago mind you.
Funny, I never did actually shop there.
I once went into a computer shop and watched the assistant holding the mouse upside down in his palm, pressing the ball with the forefinger of his other hand, looking at the screen for some reaction.
I said "They work the other way up." and he gave me a look to kill, as if: what could a member of the public know.
This was some years ago mind you.
Funny, I never did actually shop there.
I dunno jb, I went to one of my local techy shops to get a new processor and the guy was walking around with it in his hands outside of the box. I asked him to take ESD precautions with anything he's going to sell me, I even appologised for being a bit anal about it but I didn't want that processor - I wanted a fresh one handled properly.
I then dissapeared outback and came back with "another" (yeah right) processor and the wrist strap part of an Earthing lead strapped around his foot.
So I asked the guy if he understood ESD and the harm he'd just done to the processor, and he said "yeah of course I do, if you like i'll plug this in and check it still works"...
/sigh - not an asterisking clue...
I then dissapeared outback and came back with "another" (yeah right) processor and the wrist strap part of an Earthing lead strapped around his foot.
So I asked the guy if he understood ESD and the harm he'd just done to the processor, and he said "yeah of course I do, if you like i'll plug this in and check it still works"...
/sigh - not an asterisking clue...
One of the worst practices which goes on in a certain PC store is the re-selling of returned goods at full price.
A couple of times I have bought boxed and branded Harddrives and the like only to find missing brackets, components, and screw fixings. Very annoying.
A couple of times I have bought boxed and branded Harddrives and the like only to find missing brackets, components, and screw fixings. Very annoying.
Tell them RAID controller cards are flavored chips you enter into your harddrive when it's not working to manually take control of it. And they're made by the same guys who made RAID Brand Insect Repellent.
Radio Shack is by far the worst electronics store ever.
Radio Shack is by far the worst electronics store ever.
Radio Shack is by far the worst electronics store ever.
Well, it depends what you're after. Assuming you don't have a Fry's in your area, they're the best place to get little fiddly things like an 1/8"-1/4" plug adapter. For anything else, yeah they suck.
Also to be fair (har har) a RAID control is not exactly "home use" is it? It's more for businesses.
um, go call PC World Business then. and is it Inmac? Not sure, theres another one that is basically PC World, rebranded :/
I have to cell them. Often. Theres no improvement.
I got sold a reconditioned Maxtor SATA the other day (I just noticed it on the label as I was fitting it) when I had thought I bought a "new" one. I was supicious when I saw it wasn't in a sealed anti-static bag. I made a fuss and got it replaced. This wasn't from PC world. I never buy from shops, always used to be from wholesalers (got an account) except now though stuff like ebuyer is just as cheap.
LMAO
Just done it again.
"Smart Array 6402/128 pci-x"
"What does it do?"
Musta been the wrong department....
Just done it again.
"Smart Array 6402/128 pci-x"
"What does it do?"
Musta been the wrong department....
Yeah, what does it do? :P
Okay.
Its the HP Smart Array 6402, 128mb Battery Backed DDR cache, dual channel raid storage controler that can run at u320 SCSI Speeds- thats 320MBps. raid 0,1,5,10 and ADG supported. It Handles up to 28 devices.
Anything else?
Its the HP Smart Array 6402, 128mb Battery Backed DDR cache, dual channel raid storage controler that can run at u320 SCSI Speeds- thats 320MBps. raid 0,1,5,10 and ADG supported. It Handles up to 28 devices.
Anything else?
PC world are actually part of the Dixon Group. Dixons and other retails stores. In other words, all they seem to be bothered about are selling their stuff with extended warranties to unsuspecting members of the public. Its surprising how many people fall for the extended warranty scam.
They also sell second hand stuff as 'new' but they manage to get away with it by saying that they are simply 'recycling'.
They also sell second hand stuff as 'new' but they manage to get away with it by saying that they are simply 'recycling'.
I know theyre linked to Dixons. theres another supplier i deal with though, not Dixons, not Currys... mmmmmm...curryy.... *drool*
There was a case not long ago where a guy bought a CDRW drive from a Dixons store, and upon getting it home found that it had a CDR disc inside which contained child pornography...
So not only are Dixons re-selling returned goods, they're not doing any kind of checking on them either...
btw the original owner was arrested
So not only are Dixons re-selling returned goods, they're not doing any kind of checking on them either...
btw the original owner was arrested
The above story is true. It was in the papers here about a year or two ago... Scary stuff....
all they seem to be bothered about are selling their stuff with extended warranties to unsuspecting members of the public. Its surprising how many people fall for the extended warranty scam
A few years ago I was in Dixons (just browsing) and saw a salesperson clinching a deal with a couple of joe publics for a PC. Then the sales pitch started...
"Of course you will want the extended warranty with that."
"Why's that ?"
"Oh... these things are really expensive to fix when they break down. It will cost you about £120 call out charge. And then a replacement hard drive is about £200... My mate just had a fault on his PC and it cost £600 to get it fixed. We get customers in all the time who wish they had taken the extended warranty... etc. etc."
I wanted to go over to them and say "This guy is basically admitting that he is selling you a lemon. Leave now and go to a shop that sells quality items."
... then I realised that I would have to camp out in Dixons with a new life mission and I decided that life is too short !
They once tried to sell me an extended warranty on a £64 hoover that was a very reasonable £48 for an additional 2 years. I basically told them that I would rather take the risk and buy one brand new if it broke down a day outside of standard warranty. It still works (8 years later) even though it has been kicked downstairs at least a dozen times.
Grrr! My hackles are up now
I bought a Geforce 6600 from PC World, got it home, broke the seal and there was a Geforce 5500 in the box and no software, no nowt.
Apparently the original 6600 had been returned, no one had checked and they put it back on the shelf as new.
The reason there was a 5500 in the box, was that the previous purchaser had diddled em :)
I always make sure that they open the box before my eyes and before I leave the shop, just to make sure I dont have one of their re-heats :)
CHeers
Garion
Apparently the original 6600 had been returned, no one had checked and they put it back on the shelf as new.
The reason there was a 5500 in the box, was that the previous purchaser had diddled em :)
I always make sure that they open the box before my eyes and before I leave the shop, just to make sure I dont have one of their re-heats :)
CHeers
Garion
I occasionally indulge in the mildly amusing sport of Dixons sales staff baiting (much to the annoyance of my wife). This entails feigning interest in a particular product and goading the sales person into spewing the biggest load of BS you possibly can.
far too much time on your hands :)
To be fair to PC World, they aren't there to be clever, they are there to sell. So long as the joeys know just enough to get a sale, they remain in a job.
It's harsh and it isn't exactly ethically correct but you can't be too hard on a retailer for making money. What we should be far more concerned with are hapless idiots who will beam with delight after parting with more than a month's wages for a piece of hardware that will display Outlook Express and Solitare for the rest of its existence.
To be fair to PC World, they aren't there to be clever, they are there to sell. So long as the joeys know just enough to get a sale, they remain in a job.
It's harsh and it isn't exactly ethically correct but you can't be too hard on a retailer for making money. What we should be far more concerned with are hapless idiots who will beam with delight after parting with more than a month's wages for a piece of hardware that will display Outlook Express and Solitare for the rest of its existence.
at least the salesman was honest :)
really, if you'd told him what it did, he would probably be able to tell you if they had it or not :)
salesmen are salesmen, not engineers for a reason :)
really, if you'd told him what it did, he would probably be able to tell you if they had it or not :)
salesmen are salesmen, not engineers for a reason :)
Never buy the exended warranty poo
[edit] I note that childish words are not filtered. willy.
[edit] I note that childish words are not filtered. willy.
Excuse me!? How DARE you use such offensive language!
I must now sue you to compensate for my mental anguish.
(just joking, kids).
I must now sue you to compensate for my mental anguish.
(just joking, kids).
Never buy the exended warranty poo
I ALWAYS buy the extended warranty at Best Buy. I've used it more times than I remember. Even several times on the same (type of) item. For instance, I'm typing this post on the third monitor I brought home (having used the warranty twice). Extended warranty is great for systems that will be used in harsh environments (e.g. laptops used in police cars, computers in factories which might encounter a lot of dust and/or vibrations), but I would never buy it for a home computer...
After all the price-point for these warranties is set so the manufacturer/seller *makes* money on it. Statistically it will cost you more than you can expect to get back in return.
After all the price-point for these warranties is set so the manufacturer/seller *makes* money on it. Statistically it will cost you more than you can expect to get back in return.
Statistically, I'm ahead. I only take the warranties on the most expensive items, or ones that I statistically have trouble with (such as monitors).
>Extended warranty is great for systems that will be used
>in harsh environments (e.g. laptops used in police cars,
>computers in factories which might encounter a lot of dust
>and/or vibrations), but I would never buy it for a home
>computer...
Not true... On items such as notebooks, the failure rate is very high compared to other PC's, so an extended warranty/insurance could make sense depending on the nation and the coverage.
>After all the price-point for these warranties is set so
>the manufacturer/seller *makes* money on it. Statistically
>it will cost you more than you can expect to get back in
>return.
And what kind of insurance is not designed that way?
It is important to judge the warranty on the product, the price and the coverage of the warranty. Clearly there is no reason to buy a 2 year warranty extension for $100 on a $25 electric toothbrush.
Buyer beware applies in this situation as well.
Andy
>in harsh environments (e.g. laptops used in police cars,
>computers in factories which might encounter a lot of dust
>and/or vibrations), but I would never buy it for a home
>computer...
Not true... On items such as notebooks, the failure rate is very high compared to other PC's, so an extended warranty/insurance could make sense depending on the nation and the coverage.
>After all the price-point for these warranties is set so
>the manufacturer/seller *makes* money on it. Statistically
>it will cost you more than you can expect to get back in
>return.
And what kind of insurance is not designed that way?
It is important to judge the warranty on the product, the price and the coverage of the warranty. Clearly there is no reason to buy a 2 year warranty extension for $100 on a $25 electric toothbrush.
Buyer beware applies in this situation as well.
Andy
Other than warranties getting shoved down your throat you also get harrased into buying 'essential' anti-virus software. Which, coming from PC World tends to be Norton AV.
Then there's the classic, "Oh, you need a firewall too" line.
But, my ultimate pet hate is when you are thinking of buying an expensive item they'll attempt to sway you with, "For today only, we are reducing the price by £50. It's so we can get rid of the current line to make way for new stuff coming in."
Then there's the classic, "Oh, you need a firewall too" line.
But, my ultimate pet hate is when you are thinking of buying an expensive item they'll attempt to sway you with, "For today only, we are reducing the price by £50. It's so we can get rid of the current line to make way for new stuff coming in."