|
Vince Visits a Computer Fair... When my PCs reach the tender age of 2, I usually start cannibalising their components for my other PCs or pass them onto family members. Usually when it's the latter, there's always an element of upgrading required, this I tend to do by purchasing PC peripherals over the Internet, although recently I chose to visit one of the numerous computer fairs and visited, http://www.computerfairs.co.uk for a list of the nearest events. Over the past 13 years I've bought, built and extended my own PCs with varying amounts of success and quality of service, as regular readers of my column will know. I've tended to stay away from computer fairs as from my own experience, they tried to fob me off with expensive old components, bad advice and I didn't like having to pay an entrance fee! But I thought I'd see if things had changed.... To pass an old Intel Celeron 400MHz PC onto the kids involved purchasing a hard-drive with less than 10Gb. This maximum requirement is needed as the BIOS were old and couldn't accept disks larger than 10Gb, also I didn't want to spend too much money on a PC that was |
|
|
|
basically going to be a word-processor, so I visited the nearest fair to me
in lovely Slough. It was easy to find although packed and sweaty. But I did
manage to buy a 10Gb Maxtor hard disk for £30. I don't know about you, but
having to pay a £2.50 entrance fee really winds me up; especially when the
prices aren't any cheaper than you'd pay over the Internet. However, when I
placed the hard drive in my PC and turned it on, I immediately heard that
sound we all get to know when your hard disk is knackered. It's sounds like
something being wound up and then stopped, wound up and then stopped,
repetitively. So I was not a happy bunny, although the company did say
they'd give me a refund or replace it at the next fair and I wouldn't have
to pay another £2.50 entrance fee. Well, that's what they said, but that's
not what happened... I visited Bracknell two weeks later and was forced to pay the £2.50 entrance fee and told I |
would receive a refund once they'd checked I hadn't gone shopping again! So
when the company couldn't replace my hard disk and instead provided me with
a refund, I would've lost my £2.50 entrance fee because I'd have to shop
for a replacement. I walked out and demanded my entrance fee back. Now I'll
order a replacement over the 'net and never return to a computer fair again.
Computer fairs got £7.50 entrance fees off me because I went with my wife
and dad and I got nothing! Ever felt like you've been ripped off? If you want to be ripped off by being charged an entrance fee, struggle through loads of other sweaty customers, receive dud goods and waste good time and money returning to get your cash back, then go to a computer fair. Otherwise visit http://www.dabs.com or http://www.watford.co.uk and you'll get a much better deal and service. Cya next month |
|
