Are all electrical retail store advisors this annoying?

[drunkenmaster]

I fail to see anything stupid in that post. He is trying to make a sale, he doesn't appreciate you are knowledgeable about computers. Put the two and two together......

Also, whilst I agree with you about insurance, I had to have my Apple laptop repaired the other day. My work paid for Applecare extension. The repair bill was just shy of £1000. It's made me think again!

I would also add that for every "knowledgable" person who walks through the doors not wanting insurance or to bring in the computer when they can't install something and therefore shunning the insurance/help, theres 100 people who are anti insurance, anti corporation, been told by their smart friends they don't need insurance because they know what to do, they'll fix any problems for them.

Then 2 years down the line, said friend is gone, or unwilling to help for free now, or busy, the computer won't work, they storm back into purple shirt world and complain it won't work and why's there no warranty, why won't they help and cry like idiots.

In other words, you refused a warranty, more people refuse them out of the blind belief things don't go wrong or they can get help elsewhere, then become irate and unhappy customers at a later date. He was right to push insurance, because most of the people he has refuse, will come in and complain about lack of insurance a year later.

As for norton internet security being awful, looks like Mr Knowledgeable is still on the "cool to hate Norton" bandwagon, when in reality they've been highly competitive with one of the smallest footprint lowest overhead virus packages around for a year or more now. Their beta for 360 does have a horrible interface but is very compact in terms of cpu/mem usage and is very unintrusive and just works very well.

 

[Richdog]

If you are as clever as you think you are then you'd not have been buying a laptop from them in the first place. Therefore its pretty clear you over-estimate your own ability and I suspect the salesmen could tell this from your tone of voice, and felt it prudent to laugh at you.

You buy from wherever you get the best deal at the time... if that happens to be a high-street electrical store, then so be it.

 

[james.miller]

norton has never and will never be a contender as long as you have to pay for it. G-data, bitdefender and mcaffee are all better than norton. even antivir and avast are better and they are free.

 

[Energize]

I agree, while Norton is not the virus that it was 10 years ago but it is not competitive when you consider than Nod-32 is superior in every way (detection rates, false positives, performance impact) along with many other AV's, and Comodo is widely regarded as the best firewall and is free.

 

[dirtydog]

If you are as clever as you think you are then you'd not have been buying a laptop from them in the first place.

What a ridiculous statement

While I don't agree with the OP's rant about that store, there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong or stupid about buying something from there. As others have pointed out, they don't only sell their own branded 'cheap' products, and the OP did not buy such a laptop. Other reasons are that sometimes that place DOES have very competitive pricing, and finally for some people, price isn't paramount but convenience is, ie. you can get the product today and it is easier to return it if you have a problem.

The sneering snobbery about that store and/or its staff is pathetic really.

 

[Richdog]

What a ridiculous statement

What do you expect, it's Fox.

 

[z0mbi3]

What a ridiculous statement

While I don't agree with the OP's rant about that store, there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong or stupid about buying something from there. As others have pointed out, they don't only sell their own branded 'cheap' products, and the OP did not buy such a laptop. Other reasons are that sometimes that place DOES have very competitive pricing, and finally for some people, price isn't paramount but convenience is, ie. you can get the product today and it is easier to return it if you have a problem.

The sneering snobbery about that store and/or its staff is pathetic really.

I don't know, the staff are renowned for being clueless. Snobbery aside in a supposed world of personal computers you might expect a sales assistant to have more technical knowledge than his interpretation of what you can read off the box.

I know in reality they aren't all clueless, but I would guess that the less savvy customers might believe the sales assistants are actually more technical than they let on.

Don't know where I'm going with that, but there are 2 cents in there somewhere.

 

[dirtydog]

I don't know, the staff are renowned for being clueless. Snobbery aside in a supposed world of personal computers you might expect a sales assistant to have more technical knowledge than his interpretation of what you can read off the box.

I know in reality they aren't all clueless, but I would guess that the less savvy customers might believe the sales assistants are actually more technical than they let on.

Don't know where I'm going with that, but there are 2 cents in there somewhere.

I wasn't commenting on the usefulness of the staff or otherwise. I was commenting on the notion that to buy something, anything, in that store makes one an idiot. That I consider ridiculous.

 

[36:)]

of a new laptop for them, and found myself in an arguement with a sales advisior who did not seem to know anything about computers or that people can actually fix their 'own' computers without it going back to a factory. , firstly he tried in vain to sell us Norton Internet Sercurity (a load of rubbish) then he tried selling insurance on the laptop. Normally when i tell them i don't want insurance they back off, but not this guy, he starts having a argument with me saying what happens if the laptop breaks down, i said that if that happened i would fix it, but he still could not understand that people can fix their own things. Now this is the line i found myself laughing about he said ( What happens if you find that you can't install a piece of software, you will have to bring it back here.) i'm sorry but if i have got a problem installing a piece of software then i don't take in back to a store i get in contact with the software makers. total rubbish, anybody else had a similar story?

Gah fixing other people's machines, there's a way to lose hours and hours of your life pulling your hair out for little to no appreciation.

 

[KaHn]

You know about computers and yet you bought one from a high street store?

KaHn

 

[dirtydog]

You know about computers and yet you bought one from a high street store?

KaHn

Pray tell what would be the difference if he'd bought the same model online?

 

[Gas Panic!]

Sales person in target-based retail environment shocker.

Seriously, though, they're just doing what they're getting paid to do. Unfortunately a lot of the blame lies much higher up than the people you end up talking to. I know for a fact that when I worked over in Canada on my gap year (think Best Buy but similar) it was completely warranty focused, and there's a tremendous amount of pressure on them to sell you add-ons. Just be thankful that you know a bit more than the "average Joe" so you're able to decline because you know other alternatives to Norton, Word etc.

 

[BananaDunka]

I'm hardcore with IT knowledge yet still buy netbooks/laptops/stuff from the highstreet retailers if ever someone asks me to recommend something or I spot a deal.

Just the other week my cousin wanted a basic laptop to surf and watch movies on so we nipped down to ******** and bought one for £300 sans OS, the assistant tried to sell him insurance and an OS but I put on my cape and openly objected against it and we were on our merry way.

That doesn't make me lesser a person!

Heck my Samsung NC10 developed a faulty left mousepad button 6 months after purchase and I simply took it back to Argos who swapped it for a working one and I only got it from there because the price was no different to anywhere else and I know it would be more convenient.

Sometimes convenience > everything else.

Sorry but some people have been living in the land of horses that are as tall as giraffes for too long.

 

[[TW]Fox]

What a ridiculous statement

It is if you read it out of context, but then that is your forte so I shouldnt expect anything else

There is nothing wrong with buying from them - I often do - for various bits and bobs for convenience purposes or in the rare situation that they have a particularly good deal on branded products.

However full systems and laptops in the price bracket the OP is discussing (Whilst he made no mention of price its safe to assume they didn't walk in for a £2500 top end Sony) are of poor quality, designed to meet the headline specs Mr Average wants (500GB!!!!! Lots of Ghz!!! Wireless!!!!!) and nothing more. Therefore people who are 'up' on IT wouldn't purchase such a machine from them anyway and wouldn't find themselves in the position of the OP.

I quite agree the snobbery and sneering that goes on is ridiculous - hence my post in the first place. The OP was yet another who thinks he is somehow 'above' those who work there and felt we needed yet another LOL AT TEH IDIOTZ THERE LOL thread to laugh over.

I was commenting on the notion that to buy something, anything, in that store makes one an idiot. That I consider ridiculous.

It is ridiculous, good job nobody actually said that, eh. I'd be quite a hypocrit if I did given I often buy keyboards, mice, media etc from them and at one point even a PSU.

 

[Grissle]

You should make a thread about it. Because he went home and spent hours talking about you to people.

Or perhaps he got on with his life, we can't be sure.

 

[KaHn]

Pray tell what would be the difference if he'd bought the same model online?

Normally price.

KaHn

 

[-Ad-]

On what planet does a laptop mainboard cost £500?

My housemate at uni was offered a new motherboard for his dell pc at £400+.

He salvaged what he could and bought another dell

 

[dirtydog]

Normally price.

KaHn

Perhaps the price in-store was competitive?

Perhaps it was more convenient for him to buy locally rather than mail order?

 

[dirtydog]

It is if you read it out of context, but then that is your forte so I shouldnt expect anything else

There is nothing wrong with buying from them - I often do - for various bits and bobs for convenience purposes or in the rare situation that they have a particularly good deal on branded products.

However full systems and laptops in the price bracket the OP is discussing (Whilst he made no mention of price its safe to assume they didn't walk in for a £2500 top end Sony) are of poor quality, designed to meet the headline specs Mr Average wants (500GB!!!!! Lots of Ghz!!! Wireless!!!!!) and nothing more. Therefore people who are 'up' on IT wouldn't purchase such a machine from them anyway and wouldn't find themselves in the position of the OP.

He bought an HP laptop, not one of the store's own brand. He said that.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Perhaps the price in-store was competitive?

Perhaps, but I'd be suprised if it was.