overclockers.co.uk - bit of a shambles (still). Any better vendors,please?

Hi all,

OK, not going to run off on a rant, as it was my own fault for using
these guys again (had problems with them before). I'd read the 'news'
sections on their site and they claimed to have improved things. Well,
this mail is to let you know that they haven't. If you still want to use
them, go ahead; I'm just here to share some of my recent experiences.

1. Ordered a mobo and processor last week. Paid £10.00 for overnight
delivery. Goods didn't turn up overnight. To cut a long story short, I
had to go and pick the goods up at my own expense at the weekend from
the Amtrak local office.

Now, you can't blame overclockers for Amtrak, but when I emailed
overclockers for a refund on my postage costs I got an automated reply
from saying they were 'closed for the
weekend and I should resend my mail next week...' Huh, you have to
resend the email as they aren't in over the weekend? Can't they pick up
email like everyone else? Needless to say, I haven't had any luck in
getting my postage costs back. I'll leave it as a lost cause (can't be
bothered with even more hassle with these guys...)

2. Also had an order with them for some Geil RAM. It didn't turn up. The
RAM has been listed 'in stock' for the past TWO MONTHS, and has been
heavily promoted by them both on their web site AND by their staff on
their forums. It is STILL listed as 'in-stock' now on their website.
Guess what, after hanging on the phone in their queing system for an
age, I finally get to speak to a 'sales person' - who tells me the RAM
isn't in stock but will be 'any day'. Yeah, right. I pointed out that it
has been listed as 'in stock' on the site for two months - and still is
- but he didn't seem to care. I was very suprised at him being very
suprised when I cancelled my order there and then.

I've sent emails to their 'order', 'management' and 'director' emails
listed on their website. The 'news' section tells you all mails will be
anwsered within 4 hours. Guess what, no reply...

Anyway, guess I'll give up on these guys. Should have known better,
really, as the Nazi's who run their Forums immediately ban anyone who
has anything bad to say about overclockers or their service. Remember
that the next time you are reading there for 'impartial' advice - it
isn't impartial in any way, shape or form.

3. Anyone have any views on overclock.co.uk (i.e. not
overclockers.co.uk)? From what I can see from doing a search on this
newsgroup, the feedback for them seems very positive indeed. Is this
still the case? If so, I'll switch to them. Any other good vendors you
would also recommended appreciated.

Thanks,

Nomadd.

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 11:55:40 +0100, Nomadd wrote:

Hi all,

OK, not going to run off on a rant, as it was my own fault for using
these guys again (had problems with them before). I'd read the 'news'
sections on their site and they claimed to have improved things. Well,
this mail is to let you know that they haven't. If you still want to use
them, go ahead; I'm just here to share some of my recent experiences.

1. Ordered a mobo and processor last week. Paid £10.00 for overnight
delivery. Goods didn't turn up overnight. To cut a long story short, I
had to go and pick the goods up at my own expense at the weekend from
the Amtrak local office.

Was it a case of amtrak went to deliver and you were not in at the
time or did they fail to turn up? If you wern't in to pick it up its
proably not their fault in terms of getting your money back.

snip

Well, to give a bit more detail...

I phoned the Amtrak number on the overclockers order page, just after I
got the 'confirmation of order' email from overclockers. They told me
that my card had been picked up from overclockers, and was on it's way
overnight to their local office where I live. They said it would be
delivered the following day - especially as that was the service I had
paid for. So, I took them at their word, and waited in all day the
following day; parcel did NOT turn up.

Phoned, and phoned, and phoned, and phoned, and (er, you get the
picture) the local office. No reply. So, I decided to phone back the
overclockers pick-up Amtrak number. They basically told me there was
nothing they could do, as Amtrak isn't really a company, but a 'set of
franchises', each one operating in their own way. They said that they
had kept up their part of the bargin, by getting the card from their
overclockers Amtrak depot, to the local Amtrak depot near me, so I'd
just have to keep phoning the local depot. They did however confirm that
the card had arrived at the local AMtrak office near me at 4:36 am on
the day of due delivery, so there was no reason that the card shouldn't
have arrived with me on the day they stated it would; and they also
confirmed that that was the service I had been charged for...

Eventually - two days later - someone at my Amtrak local office picks up
the phone. Says sorry for not delivering my package, but 'the van broke
down' and 'the driver is new to all this, only just started this week'.
Brilliant way to run a delivery company: no vans and inexperienced
drivers! ...Doesn't stop them from taking your money though. I asked for
a refund (just as I had also asked the Amtrak office at the overclockers
end) but was given the same story: You'll have to take that up with
overclockers...

I've now sent 4 emails to overclockers. Not had a single reply (expect
the automated one I mentioned - telling me to send them the email again
during office hours!) The last three emails I sent were today, during
office hours.

Will definately NEVER use them again.

Nomad.


Bagpuss wrote:
On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 11:55:40 +0100, Nomadd wrote:


Hi all,

OK, not going to run off on a rant, as it was my own fault for using
these guys again (had problems with them before). I'd read the 'news'
sections on their site and they claimed to have improved things. Well,
this mail is to let you know that they haven't. If you still want to use
them, go ahead; I'm just here to share some of my recent experiences.

1. Ordered a mobo and processor last week. Paid £10.00 for overnight
delivery. Goods didn't turn up overnight. To cut a long story short, I
had to go and pick the goods up at my own expense at the weekend from
the Amtrak local office.


Was it a case of amtrak went to deliver and you were not in at the
time or did they fail to turn up? If you wern't in to pick it up its
proably not their fault in terms of getting your money back.

snip

I had a familiar story with overcockers.co.uk - paid for next day service -
between 4 - 7 pm as i recall .

The next day came and went - no bits , rang them up and asked about the next
day service I had paid for - oh it's not next day from when you order it,
it's next day from when we post it. I am afraid this is not mine or most
peoples interpretation of next day delivery.
They can if, they wish, keep you waiting for weeks and weeks for your gear
and then point out that buried somewhere in their terms and conditions is
this interpretation of next day service.
They are actually meeting the delivery terms to which we agree to (but I for
one rarely read in detail) by ordering with them.
Paying the extra for the late afternoon delivery and it not arriving really
pi**ed me off.

....yes. And what they don't point out is that the reason your money is
being wasted on 'next day' delivery isn't because of the delivery
company, but overclockers.co.uk very dishonest business practices of
constantly listing goods as 'in stock' on their website when they
clearly are not. A right royal rip-off.

Ps. Still not received a single reply to any of the 4-5 emails I sent to
them at 3 different email addresses. Definately a company to avoid.

Nomadd



aj wrote:
I had a familiar story with overcockers.co.uk - paid for next day service -
between 4 - 7 pm as i recall .

The next day came and went - no bits , rang them up and asked about the next
day service I had paid for - oh it's not next day from when you order it,
it's next day from when we post it. I am afraid this is not mine or most
peoples interpretation of next day delivery.
They can if, they wish, keep you waiting for weeks and weeks for your gear
and then point out that buried somewhere in their terms and conditions is
this interpretation of next day service.
They are actually meeting the delivery terms to which we agree to (but I for
one rarely read in detail) by ordering with them.
Paying the extra for the late afternoon delivery and it not arriving really
pi**ed me off.

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 16:39:49 +0100, "aj" wrote:

I had a familiar story with overcockers.co.uk - paid for next day service -
between 4 - 7 pm as i recall .

The next day came and went - no bits , rang them up and asked about the next
day service I had paid for - oh it's not next day from when you order it,
it's next day from when we post it. I am afraid this is not mine or most
peoples interpretation of next day delivery.

Pretty much all suplliers do that. Its same say dispatch that you are
looking for with next day delivery.

"Nomadd" wrote in message
...
drivers! ...Doesn't stop them from taking your money though. I asked for
a refund (just as I had also asked the Amtrak office at the overclockers
end) but was given the same story: You'll have to take that up with
overclockers...

Well, that's not out of hand. Overclockers are the customer to Amtrak, not
you, so it would be they who need to process a claim... which is normally
only 50% or something anyway.

I've now sent 4 emails to overclockers. Not had a single reply (expect
the automated one I mentioned - telling me to send them the email again
during office hours!) The last three emails I sent were today, during
office hours.

Um... isn't that one of the main ideas behind the who 'email' concept?
That you can contact people without them being immediately present to
receive the message...

PabloCreep:

It might be an idea to actually read the thread before jumping in... But
to answer your rather arrogantly put points:
- I do accept that overclockers should be chased for the mailing
rebate. But therein lies the problem: they don't reposnd to any requests
to do so. And when I did send a mail, they asked me to SEND IT AGAIN AS
THEY WEREN'T IN AT THE WEEKEND. That's just a plain dumb response.
- As regards the 'email concept', yes, you've hit the nail right on the
head: 'without them being immediately present to receive the message'.
Again, go back and actually read what I posted BEFORE jumping in, just
so you understand that overclockers doesn't see email working that way
(i.e. read my response to your first point directly above...)

Still, if you think listing products as 'in stock' when they are not;
taking customers 'next day delivery money' under false pretences; not
being able to respond to an email (and another, and another, and
another, and another); and having customers hang on the end of a
telephone queing system (which doesn't even tell you where you are in
the queue, and switches over to music once you've been waiting over 3-4
minutes) then please carry on using overclockers.co.uk. I will not, and
a quick flick through deja shows that these problems with
overclockers.co.uk have been going on for over two years now, which
you'd think was more than enough time for them to fix up their act?

And go and try and discuss this sort of feedback on their 'forums'. The
Nazi admins will shut your account down instantly, even though you've
spent a fortune with the company as a customer. Not exactly the way to
show your pride in your company and it's policies, is it? Compare that
attitude with those companies that have an 'open' policy to discussion
on their forums, as well as newsgroups such as this one. Nope, I haven't
seen a single reply from an overclockers.co.uk member of staff on here -
they be too scared; best for them to stick to their closed forums where
they can immediately bury bad news.

Ps. Finally got one email reply to the several I sent out over the last
few days, and it completely contradictes what I was told be the the
telephone sales staff. Oh, and if you go and look on their page for Geil
RAM, you'll still see EVERY single product listed as 'in stock', when
none of it actually is... Er, and that's just one product line. Try
repeating that concept across all of their products, then you'll
understand why there are so many unhappy customers.

Nomadd

PabloCreep wrote:
"Nomadd" wrote in message
...

drivers! ...Doesn't stop them from taking your money though. I asked for
a refund (just as I had also asked the Amtrak office at the overclockers
end) but was given the same story: You'll have to take that up with
overclockers...


Well, that's not out of hand. Overclockers are the customer to Amtrak, not
you, so it would be they who need to process a claim... which is normally
only 50% or something anyway.


I've now sent 4 emails to overclockers. Not had a single reply (expect
the automated one I mentioned - telling me to send them the email again
during office hours!) The last three emails I sent were today, during
office hours.


Um... isn't that one of the main ideas behind the who 'email' concept?
That you can contact people without them being immediately present to
receive the message...

"Nomadd" wrote in message
...
Anyway, guess I'll give up on these guys. Should have known better,
really, as the Nazi's who run their Forums immediately ban anyone who
has anything bad to say about overclockers or their service.

Is that not becuase it says that the forums are not for shop matters, they
are a hardware/overclocking community and not a shop support forum?

Well, you could be right, but doesn't that sound very, very fishy to
you? The 'support' page on their site just lists email addresses, and
you don't get any replies from them... And the phone doesn't help you
out either, as you just end up stuck in their (poor) queing system -
only to finally have them contradict information they've given you
elsewhere...

I just had a quick look at what is offered on their 'forums', and
besides the 'hardware/overclocking' sections you suggest below, they
also have 'Sofwtare', 'General Discussion', 'Life' and 'OCUK Matters',
amongst others, so I do think support should be provided in at least one
of these. It's just that each time someone has a complaint, it's thread
is deleted/closed/edited immediately by the overclockers admins (very
naughty); they usually give the response of 'phone the shop if you want
help', and that's where your problems begin..!

Nomadd

Michael Rodgers wrote:
"Nomadd" wrote in message
...

Anyway, guess I'll give up on these guys. Should have known better,
really, as the Nazi's who run their Forums immediately ban anyone who
has anything bad to say about overclockers or their service.


Is that not becuase it says that the forums are not for shop matters, they
are a hardware/overclocking community and not a shop support forum?