Pcworld.co.uk is the online version of the high street computer retailer, PC world. I have always used PC world for my computing demands, be it buying a new computer, computing accessories and games, as they are a name I can trust and have never had any problems with them.
Recently I have started to use online "Cash back" sites, which pay you to shop through them, i.e. to search for shops and products through their sites so that they can gain commission and pass a small percent onto you. So I decided to give pcworld.co.uk a try as I find the actual shop so useful …

I am also a member of quite a few Mystery Shopping sites and regularly receive assignments for which I need to print out paperwork and also scan receipts into the computer. Having just moved out of my mum's house and bought my own, I had no printer or scanner and decided to purchase an all-in-one (printer-scanner-copier) from pcworld.co.uk.
Wed 02/08/06 - There were plenty to choose from and after researching carefully, and obviously using ciao reviews on most of them, I decided which one I wanted and purchased it. A Lexmark X2350, which at a web based price of £34.99 and free delivery, I didn't think I could go wrong with. What appealed to me was that it claimed to be the smallest all-in-one available so wouldn't clutter my desktop. Great! So along with it I had to purchase a USB to connect it to the computer and an ink cartridge. Altogether my purchase came to about £58. I was so excited! Half an hour later I received an email confirming that my order was being processed which was extremely fast and meant that my order could possibly come earlier than the quoted 5-7 days standard delivery time band, which in turn meant I could continue with my mystery shopping habit as soon as possible. I was ecstatic!

Although my first experience at shopping online with them has been a total disaster, I was satisfied with the way they dealt with me. However, I am not happy that it took them so long to tell me that I would not be getting my order and I am not happy at the fact I had to ask for an upgrade rather than being offered one. But tomorrow I will (hopefully) have my all-in-one printer and that is all that matters.

I found this site to be easy to navigate around and thought the layout and design were efficient making products easy to locate.
At the top left of the web page are 5 tabs, which help to navigate around the site depending on what you are wanting to do.

Store Finder - This tab takes you to a map where you can input your town name or postcode and it will bring up details of the store, which is nearest to you. This is handy in case you don't want to wait for delivery and would rather go to the store and pick the item up personally, also it allows you the option to browse around the store freely and see the items up close to examine.

My Account - In order to make a purchase you have to register with the site. If you have already done this, this tab allows you to see all of your account details etc. If you have not already done this, under this tab is the option to do so. It shows any orders that are currently being processed and the status they are at, which is good for tracking your orders. Here you can also update any personal details or payment details.

How do I sign up to the website?

How do I purchase an item?

Confirmation of an order?

My overall opinion?

**** UPDATE ****

On Tuesday 08/08/06, my mother and I travelled the 20 miles from Blackpool to the store in Preston and were ignored from the moment we entered. We approached the Collect at Store Point where there seemed only to be one member of staff available to serve a queue of 6 people, all of who were getting agitated and asking for more staff to become available. One man actually left the store as he found it appalling. Nobody was offered an apology.
After waiting for 20 minutes we were seen by a man called Kevin, who, after I had explained that I had come to collect a printer, claimed there was nothing he could do, even though I offered to provide him with an order number, and told I would have to wait for Audrey the manager who I had asked for in the first place. He sent a call out for her and we were told to wait. Ten minutes later Audrey still hasn't appeared so I asked Kevin to put out another call for her.
A further 10 minutes later, she still hadn't appeared, nor had anyone to explain where she was or to apologise for our wait. Kevin had also wandered off and appeared holding my printer, which he had formally claimed he couldn't sort out for me.
I asked him what the hold up had been with Audrey as we were told we had to specifically wait for her and he answered sarcastically and down his nose at me that she was with another customer and did I expect her to just drop that customer for myself? I was furious at the way he spoke to me and with the tone he used and my mother asked him not to speak to me like that because we had waited long enough to be seen and that it was impossible for us to know she was held up with another customer and it would have been courteous for someone to have informed us. She also explained that I did not need the upset of being spoken to like that as I was expecting a baby any day.
At this point Kevin, looked at my mother with disgust, simply said "right" and stormed off to the security guard and refused to serve us.
The Security Guard then approached us and we were told his name was Andy. He told us that Kevin no longer wanted to serve us because of how my mother had apparently spoken to him and we would have to wait longer to be seen by someone else.
By this point it had gone 8 o clock and the store should have been shutting. We then explained the situation about the whole mess of the purchase and that we weren't happy with how Kevin had spoken to us and that he had lied to us in the first place by claiming there was nothing he could do forcing us to wait even longer.
I explained that the printer was mine and not my mothers and Kevin or anyone could deal with me, as all I wanted to do was get what was rightfully mine and go home. I was stressed enough with the situation and couldn't afford to upset myself, in my condition, anymore. With this Andy turned to my mother, and his exact words were, "If it's her printer why the hell are you getting involved?" As we both work in customer services ourselves, we know that this is no way to speak to a customer and if a manager had been around, or if we had our way, he would no longer have a job.
He then explained that as Kevin was not willing to serve us and no one else was available we would have to leave the store, which I refused because I had paid for my products and had gone through so much hassle to receive them that I didn't see why I should leave the store without them.
Andy, then threatened to manhandle me out of the store if I didn't leave of my own accord, which infuriated me and especially my mother even more as, I have already mentioned, I am heavily pregnant and due any day.
We asked for both Kevin and Andy's names and for their complaint policy. We were told Andy's name, refused Kevin's which I obtained from his badge anyway, and were only given a number a call. We then had to leave the store, empty handed and absolutely disgraced at the service of PC World.
Once in the car I attempted to phone the number we had been provided with and found that the number didn't even exist and that, for me was the last straw.
As a regular customer of PC world I am utterly disgraced at how I was treated at the Preston store and have never had any of these problems with the Blackpool store. Firstly, no apology was offered for having to keep us waiting in store. Secondly, the way we were spoken to by both members of staff was disgusting, there was no need for it and again no one apologised for it. Thirdly, I don't expect a security guard to take over as one particularly weak member of staff doesn't know how to handle himself through complaints, this should have been up to a manager, who I only hope would have handled the situation with 100% more understanding and knowledge.
As we were made to leave the store on the threat of being manhandled I now find myself with no products after a week of hassle, and with £60 less in my pocket as no body has explained to me, if I was unhappy, how I could get my money back.