You get what you pay for with laptops direct.

I was on laptops direct website in the process of purchasing a laptop, but had a problem with the promotional code I was using. So I called laptop direct and a sales person answered.
I explained the problem I was facing when adding the promotional code, I was getting the following message (Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a0006').

He was asking me something, I could not understand as his voice was not clear, I think it was so early at 10.15 that he was mumbling and hasn’t woken up properly.
So I assumed he was asking a different question and so I was giving him an answer based on his question.
He asked me twice, and I still didn’t understand properly and I gave him an answer on what I thought he was asking. Then the third time, he said “I'm not going to ask this question again, what error you are seeing”. At that point I was really annoyed at his response and put the phone down.

If this sales person really wanted to do his job properly, he wouldn’t talk to me like that and he would have listened to my problem at the beginning of this call (which I told him what was the error I’m getting) and instead of asking me to tell him what error I’m getting he would have replicated the same error I’m getting by testing it online.
I'm an application developer and been programming for 10 years, when our customers face problems, we ask for the problem and try to replicate what the customer is doing to bring back the problem on our screen.
The sales man, clearly didn’t want to be at work and in turn has lost out on me as a customer.
I have been purchasing laptops from laptops direct for myself and for my business and have been informing friends and colleagues of this website.
This is the second time this happened to me, and on both occasions the service response could have been handled with a little bit of respect and professionalism (after all you are trading in the UK).
I’m so unhappy of your services and will never recommend laptops direct again. I know I’m one of 100's of potential customers to you, but the more this continues, the sooner you will be out of business.

I googled laptops direct through Google, and boy I found so many bad complains, some of which are:

http://strugglers.net/~andy/blog/2008/08/27/dont-shop-with-laptops-direct-unless-you-enjoy-marketing-email-and-a-hard-sell/

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=229570

http://www.ciao.co.uk/www_laptopsdirect_co_uk__Review_5580360

I hope one day, laptops direct can employ staff that can provide the level of service customers deserve in the UK, we are not in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Arabia that we should accept this type of service. Thank god we have proper ‘UK’ companies that provide the same products as laptops direct but with a service that has respect and professionalism that any customer should expect in the UK.

I have an acer aspire 5610, no problems w hardware or vista home premium, but when I installed my windows anytime upgrade i lost all ability to use windows. The display now claims that "this copy of windows is not genuine" . I went online and windows cannnt verify it either. Funny how my windows was genuine and working fine until I loaded the upgrade. I have not up or downloaded any thing else to my computer. I took it back to best buy and dianostics came back all OK. It has ONLY 2 functions now. 1.open in safe mode, but I cannot access most files, play media...or save anything. 2.access the internet, but it automatically shuts down after 45 minutes. After 3 calls to acer, 3 calls to microsoft, and lots of online research, the best answer I recieved was when someone at microsoft admitted they had a deal w/ acer to let them provide the "anytime upgrade" disk along with thier laptops, but under the condition that acer would provide any tech support regarding that particular cd. The only info I have found for acer is : 1394 Ebhardt Dr. USA, (no state was listed) and "Frances, 254-298-4483" I can't get frances on the phone, but there is a vm, it may be a start. Class action sounds appropriate. I will be taking all of this to my local BBB, and speaking to a lawyer this week.

I think the attached letter to Acer explains in detail of my concerns, disappointment and frustration in dealing with a despicable company which really should be held to account for its shambolic customer service..surely the worst.

letter is as follows:

Sarita Banyard
Esplex Ltd
Unit M Eagle Road
Langage Business Park
Plympton
Plymouth
PL7 5JY

Dear Ms. Banyard

Without Prejudice

I am compelled to write to an official complain concerning my statutory rights over a laptop that I had purchased through PC World in 2004 for the sum of £800.00.

You certainly may be wondering as to the date of purchase and to the length of time this matter has dragged on…this has been a frustrating time for me, and farcical in your response to my query, bordering on negligence.

Briefly, I had purchased a laptop from PC world which was faulty from the outset. After many, many months of telephone calls, speaking to various staff members from the Technical Department and having my laptop couriered to and fro on 2 occasions, Acer admitted that the laptop was indeed faulty from the factory line… this after examination of the product itself. In the meantime I had also lost two days of lost wages due to the incompetence of City Link, your couriers not turning up on the days to pick up the laptop.

After I had threatened legal action, Acer agreed to replace my laptop for a new one, this in accordance with signing an agreement with Acer that I would not pursue an action and that I would waver the days lost out of work claim. I signed and returned the agreement and waited and waited and waited.

This item never arrived and I was forced to chase Acer once again, starting from scratch and forwarding a copy of the agreement letter etc., Acer, it appears, did not have much information regarding my case (more to the point they were making it difficult for me). . I managed to get a hold of Angela Foster & Melanie Knight who seemed at first kind enough to go through my details with me as it appeared that most of my details and calls records mysteriously disappeared.

To compound matters, and without my knowledge, the company couriered a 2nd hand model with lesser specs and from my guesstimate, a 3 year old model which must value at £200. I immediately emailed Angela for an explanation, only to be fobbed off with excuse after excuse and blank silences and what seemed like "cut and paste" responses from the company warranty which made neither sense nor relevance to my case whatsoever.

I feel comprehensively let down by the company, in the knowledge that for the £800, I have a 2nd hand item to show for it, an item which I cannot use even for its lower specs.

Under the sales good act Acer are duty bound by duty of care to provide and if, necessary, to replace the item for a like for like laptop and not 2nd hand item as you have done. This is merely accepting that after nearly two years of constant, and persistence resistance, you are merely stating to me that the £800 I had paid for my laptop was worth no more than £200. Furthermore, I can log many, many months of telephone calls and duplicitous actions of most of your staff concerning my case.

You reneged on the signed agreement and as a result, this after consulting the Office of Fair Trading and the Trading Standards, I will give you 7 days to either replace this 2nd item for a new laptop or return my original laptop (the 2nd item you have sent is a ramshackle item built of other parts)…failing these requests I will seek a county court judgement in which I shall enforce through the court that you pay for all legal costs and additional costs such as lost days from work.

Yours sincerely

Dipak