Re: Escorted from PCWorld...

["Paul Gordon" <paul_gordon@xxxxxxx>]

Astounded....

Stunned....

Amazed....

But not entirely surprised!!

The PCWorld chain, is, IMHO, by and large, TOTAL BOLLOCKS!

They never stock or sell half the bits that I, (as a person who always
builds my own PC's), need... They do not stock or sell Processors, - Except
for a very few of those total rip-off "upgrade" jobbies, my local
store does
not stock or sell coolers/heatsinks/fans.

Their prices for components (memory, disks etc.) are also a joke - only a
total mug (or someone caught short on a Sunday afternoon!) would buy
anything from PC World...

I try to avoid them as much as is humanly possible, (except when >I<
get
caught short on a Sunday afternoon!)

But then you do look a "dodgy character" ... :-)

Paul G


>

>
>
>As many of you will remember I have been trying to get myself a
replacement
>battery for my one year old Sony VAIO laptop but there are none
available
>(and it isn't covered under warranty even though the laptop was less
than a
>year old as Sony only give a three month warranty on batteries).
>
>Anyway ... I have one last attempt at getting a new battery and if that
>fails then I will buy a new laptop. To that end I've been round several
>computer stores and big electrical chains today checking out what is
>available and what deals at what prices.
>
>As always I have taken my "visual note taker" with me (my
digital camera)
>as
>that is a very easy way of noting down what stores have what models at
what
>prices and whether they have any special deals available (such as free
>spare
>batteries, printers or 12 months I/F credit etc).
>
>All of the stores have been very helpfull through the day except for
good
>old PC World. I spoke with an assistant this afternoon who asked me if
I
>needed any help. I explained that I was looking for a laptop, had no
>specific model or specification in mind but was just browsing for what
were
>the better deals. He asked why I had my camera with me and I explained
why.
>He commented that it was a very good idea and that he had never thought
of
>that. I took two pictures of laptops with their associated information
>cards
>when another PCWorld representative asked me what I was doing. I
explained
>again and he told me that photography in the store was not allowed
without
>prior arrangement with the manager and that if I required any
assistance
>then he would be happy to have someone go through the details of any
>machine
>that I was interested in. I explained that as I didn't know what I
wanted
>then I was in theory interested in quite a few of them and it was five
to
>six so they were about to close. Again he said that photography in the
>store
>was not allowed and then requested that if I did not turn off my camera
>then
>I would be asked to leave.
>
>I asked him for an explanation and he said that "As I'm sure you
are aware
>there are many reasons that we would not allow photography in this
store".
>"Name one" I replied. "Sir, we do not allow photography
in this store" came
>his reply. I noted a gentleman stood to my right at the digital cameras
>counter who was snapping away a few test shots and queried the
difference.
>"That man is looking at buying a digital camera" said our
PCWorld guy. "I'm
>looking at buying a laptop" I replied. "It's not the
same" he said and
>requested that I leave the store immediately and started to escort me
to
>the
>door. I asked him whether I could see the manager to arrange to go back
the
>next day and take some pictures. To that I was told that the manager
did
>not
>have the authority to grant that request and I would have to apply in
>writing to head office. When I asked what the head office address was
(as I
>was getting a bit miffed by now) I was told not to be difficult and
that I
>could be barred from the store permanently - something I'm sure that my
>missus would applaud given the fact that I probably spend about £3k a
year
>with them for consumables and all those other things that we suddenly
>"need"
>on a Sunday when everywhere else is closed. As I reached the door I was
>approached by the Deputy Manager who after a brief conversation with
the
>guy
>escorting me swiftly confirmed that what I was doing was against
company
>policy and asked "how would you feel if I came to your house and
took
>photos?". I refrained from being smart and showing him some that
I'd taken
>at home that morning but said that if anyone I'd allowed into my house
>wanted to take photos then I wouldn't mind at all. I mentioned the fact
>that
>it was OK for someone to take photos trying out a digital camera and
that
>it
>was fine for those pictures to be printed out to test out a printer and
I
>was told that as private property then the manager of PCWorld has the
right
>to make decisions as to what is or isn't acceptable behaviour in their
>stores and eject or exclude anyone who doesn't comply with those
>decisions...
>
>Anyway ... I was so impressed with this attitude that I felt the need
to
>publicly expose myself here as the desperate criminal that I am. No
other
>shop has felt that my using a digital camera as a visual note taker has
at
>all threatened them or their business and most have positively welcomed
my
>doing so!
>
>I could understand if they were concerned about security issues - maybe
>they
>felt that I was planning to rob the place - but the inability to give
me
>even this as a reason why I couldn't do what I was doing has just
really
>p'd
>me off ... even Jo (my missus) was astounded when she saw this PCWorld
guy
>walking me off the premesis!
>
>By the way ... one little final titbit from the store representative at
>Hedge End, apparently it is fine for me to write down the details on
the
>point of sale cards but taking a picture of them is not OK - go figure.
>
>Phil
>

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.