@curryspcworlduk Currys Misleading Advertisements

[Avalanchen]

Currys Advertisements on products,

 

for instance the laptop deals on media channels such as online, newspapers, TV builds attraction to the potential consmer.

 

When you go to store to purchase the product offered for the price advertised you are informed about offers such as add-on software packs, antivirus and insurance.

 

The representatives drill you to purchase the offers umpteen times even after declining the offer.

Then you realise even if you opt out from these add-on offers there is still an £30 non-optional charge for what they tell you is a backup

that is already on the system

 

it took an unrealistic 6 hours to put it on and will take the same 6 hours to get it off.

 

Even Windows installs faster and a simple backbone backup of the new system which is probably the same on all similar products

is imposed on the customer.

 

So the customer actually ends up purchasing the product for £30 extra.

 

Is this right thing to do?

[labrat]

what non-optional charge???

 

there is an option to make your own disks off the computer anything else is an optional add on

[renegadeimp]

This is the first time ive ever heard of that non optional charge.

[silverfox1961]

Having pored over the currys website there is nothing to suggest this 'fee' is in operation. I suspect the sales person was telling porkies in the hope that the buyer buys an extra item.

[Stigman]

This £30 non-option is being pushed heavily.

 

My parents went to enquire about a new laptop from pcworld,

 

sales guy told them that this £30 was also non optional,

 

this is to allow the recovery sector to be placed on & uploaded to.

 

Also, the Mcafee Security which comes with my parents Broadband he said was rubbish

and would not sell them a laptop unless they also purchased Norton.

 

Fortunately, they walked out and did not buy anything.

 

Stigman thinks of Commission and if not then if the Store sells a certain percentage of upsells then everyone gets a bonus,

which is commission in just another name except Group employee based.

 

Stigman

[Avalanchen]

I tried posting the query on their social channels looking for explanations but instead of receiving any replies they deleted it straight away.

 

I think this is a well known practice and the company fails to show any consumer confidence once a product leaves the counter.

[Stigman]

I tried posting the query on their social channels looking for explanations but instead of receiving any replies they deleted it straight away.

 

Tweet from your own Twitter feed but put @currys & @pcworld at the start but also don't forget to write the Companies names and all over serious concerns by using the hashtag on key words.

 

Stigman

[topcat1802]

Recovery partition is already present on the computer so why do they need extra for something that's already there?

 

 

Any new computer should come in a sealed box! Inside the box there will be the computer and suitable recovery software - usually in the form of a CD/DVD, if there is not a recovery disc then the software is usually on the computer and the user should make a backup of this before anything else - this would usually need 1 or 2 DVDs (at a cost of £1 each) so that's a maximum of £2.

 

 

Antivirus software - in my experience of purchasing a new computer the manufacturer usually pre-installs one of the major antivirus programs (Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky), if you don't want to buy the licenses after 30 days there a plenty of 'free' antivirus products available.

 

 

Sounds like the sales person in the store saw 'older' people who know nothing about computers, so decided that he would try and sell lots of extras.

 

 

If I bought a computer from PC World then I would pay the shelf price and nothing more, they cannot force you to buy anything extra. If they tried to sell me anything extra I tend to point out to them I work with computers every day, its my job, and I know what I am doing!

[silverfox1961]

I have posted a query on their Facebook page with a link to this thread. Lets see what comes of it.

 

If it gets deleted, I shall go a little higher

[rebel11]

Hi Avalanchen

 

If you think their advertisements are misleading, collect the evidence, then lodge a complaint with ASA.

 

http://www.asa.org.uk/

 

If they are misleading consumers in anyway lodge a complaint with Trading Standards through CAB.

 

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

[porkyp1g]

For the record, it's no longer one or two DVDs on most computers. Some even take 10 now.

[labrat]

some sonys take 12....

[silverfox1961]

I have had no reply from Currys to the message I left although one FB user came back and said that it happened to him yesterday.

[Fairynothing]

Recovery partition is already present on the computer so why do they need extra for something that's already there?

 

 

Any new computer should come in a sealed box! Inside the box there will be the computer and suitable recovery software - usually in the form of a CD/DVD, if there is not a recovery disc then the software is usually on the computer and the user should make a backup of this before anything else - this would usually need 1 or 2 DVDs (at a cost of £1 each) so that's a maximum of £2.

 

Antivirus software - in my experience of purchasing a new computer the manufacturer usually pre-installs one of the major antivirus programs (Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky), if you don't want to buy the licenses after 30 days there a plenty of 'free' antivirus products available.

 

Sounds like the sales person in the store saw 'older' people who know nothing about computers, so decided that he would try and sell lots of extras.

 

If I bought a computer from PC World then I would pay the shelf price and nothing more, they cannot force you to buy anything extra. If they tried to sell me anything extra I tend to point out to them I work with computers every day, its my job, and I know what I am doing!

 

The company usually have a certain percentage of their laptops 'walk out working'.

 

As all windows 8 machines, with the exception of a couple of hp machines, now no longer have the option to create recovery dvds.

 

Most machines require a 32gb pen in order to make a backup.

The £30 charge means that the machine has been set up and recovery made.

 

For some folk, this is something that can be done with ease,

for others they wouldnt know where to start.

 

The length of time to create the recovery media varies from machine to machine.

While some folk think this is an absolute rip off,

other less tech savvie users find this gives them one less thing to worry about.

And yes the machine has a recovery partition,

 

however if this fails, be prepared to buy new recovery media from the manufacturer at a hefty price!!!

Software is not covered by your warranty.

 

Hope this clarifies

 

still no need for pushy sales colleagues tho.

..totally grinds my gears!!!

[silverfox1961]

I've actually received a reply.

 

Hi

 

I can confirm that any machine which has had store setup already performed before sale and refused by the customer should not have the charge added as per company policy.

 

Regards

Jay

 

haven't been able to work out what it means however.

[renegadeimp]

Basically theyre admitting they are levying the charge on the product, but only if it hasnt already had a backup made. if it has had one on it, but the customer says they dont want it, then they dont charge it. If the backup is there and the customer wants to keep it, then they pay an extra £30

[UKAnon]

A number of computers are pre-setup, hence the added £30 charge

- all the recovery media is made for you (which sometimes takes hours on end)

and stored on a 32GB memory stick, which normally retails at £20.

 

A lot of the time, PC World will also have non-setup machines available.

 

If they don't, you have the option of ordering one in or going to another local store.

[Yorky2008]

UKAnon,

 

Curry's are trying to levy a charge for something the customer did not ask for and may not even want. Most people are savvy enough these days to follow a load of on-screen instructions and produce their own back-ups!

 

In addition, £20 for a memory stick is a ripoff! You can purchase a 32 Gb for £6.99, more evidence of Curry's making a massive markup if they are charging hat much in-store. If they have non-setup machines avaliable then they should be giving the customer one, not trying to flog them additional services.

 

Looking at your previous posts I would say that you are Curry's affiliated....

[renegadeimp]

When i used to build and sell pc's/laptops, i never sold one without it having a separate partition purely for a full factory backup. I guess some companies havent heard of customer service and failsafe ideas to save them a fortune in support costs.