Why are PB Tech so awful?

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#1187714 3-Dec-2014 09:53

I would blame the manager or supervisors for this attitude issue. Either they have employed the wrong people or the more senior people have created a situation where those reps that care and want to help are pushed down/back.

I've worked in places were the staff want to do better but their bosses actively get in the way... Usually to save money.
Ie put up barriers under the auspices of "saving money" which is a false economy as shown by bad press you can see above.

Maybe I'm strange but I will pay a premium for quality service in my local area.

A.

MackinNZ

450 posts

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#1187718 3-Dec-2014 10:00

Dulouz: I've purchased heaps from PB Tech and have never had an issue. They are not all bad.

Ditto here. I'm a regular at the Penrose branch and never had an issue. I've had cause to return stuff from time to time and make warranty claims. Never a problem.
I've bought stuff thru the website and still no issues. I just purchased some printer consumables on Monday via the web and it was delivered yesterday afternoon.

Not everything's bad.

MikeB4

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#1187719 3-Dec-2014 10:01

The last time I was in PB Tech Wellington my thoughts would be that it is not entirely the management fault, they staff they had on were not exactly ummm how should I put this, they were not top shelf by quite a long way.

ckc

321 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1187738 3-Dec-2014 10:22

Finally got my refund though. Deductive reasoning says that not everything's bad, but if it's slightly out of the ordinary then things go badly wrong.

russelo

328 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1187781 3-Dec-2014 10:58

Purchased from PBTech online on a Sunday night and the item arrived Monday morning. Very impressed.
On the other hand, I also had an experience with them where it took an item 3 weeks to arrive. It was an out of stock item and has to be shipped from another branch.
But most of the items I purchase online from them arrive in less than a week.

meesham

973 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1187837 3-Dec-2014 11:32

I've only ordered a couple of things from PB Tech, I made sure they were in stock at their head office where stuff ships from first though.

The choice in computer stores down here in Dunedin is a bit limited so I order almost everything online. My experiences are as follows:

Computer Lounge - I've probably spent over $10K with them over the years, they're usually good and dispatch reasonably quickly. They used to dispatch the same day as ordering if I did it in the morning, my last couple of orders have taken 2-3 days (the parts were in stock). They take customer service very seriously though, any complaints I've had (mostly due to a bad local courier) have been dealt with professionally and quickly.
Playtech - Are pretty quick to ship stuff and generally overnight packages down to Dunedin even though I don't pay for fast shipping, their range is a bit limited though and CL tend to be cheaper
Elive - Guarantee same day dispatch if you order before 3pm, I've had nothing but good experiences with them
Ascent - Spent around $6K with them, dispatch & delivery times can be a hit and miss as they do drop-shipments. The extra warranty they add on is nice though and the prices tend to be pretty good.
Paradigm PC - Quick to ship and was really good when I had to do a couple of warranty claims on some hard drives. I just wish he'd sort out his website, it's stuck in the 90s.
Mighty Ape - Not strictly a computer store but they sell lots of components, if I want something I know will arrive the next day I'll order from them (they tend to be more expensive).

ckc

321 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1187866 3-Dec-2014 11:49

meesham: I've only ordered a couple of things from PB Tech, I made sure they were in stock at their head office where stuff ships from first though.

The choice in computer stores down here in Dunedin is a bit limited so I order almost everything online. My experiences are as follows:

Computer Lounge - I've probably spent over $10K with them over the years, they're usually good and dispatch reasonably quickly. They used to dispatch the same day as ordering if I did it in the morning, my last couple of orders have taken 2-3 days (the parts were in stock). They take customer service very seriously though, any complaints I've had (mostly due to a bad local courier) have been dealt with professionally and quickly.
Playtech - Are pretty quick to ship stuff and generally overnight packages down to Dunedin even though I don't pay for fast shipping, their range is a bit limited though and CL tend to be cheaper
Elive - Guarantee same day dispatch if you order before 3pm, I've had nothing but good experiences with them
Ascent - Spent around $6K with them, dispatch & delivery times can be a hit and miss as they do drop-shipments. The extra warranty they add on is nice though and the prices tend to be pretty good.
Paradigm PC - Quick to ship and was really good when I had to do a couple of warranty claims on some hard drives. I just wish he'd sort out his website, it's stuck in the 90s.
Mighty Ape - Not strictly a computer store but they sell lots of components, if I want something I know will arrive the next day I'll order from them (they tend to be more expensive).

Don't like Cello then?

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zespri

416 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1187869 3-Dec-2014 11:51

meesham: I've only ordered a couple of things from PB Tech, I made sure they were in stock at their head office where stuff ships from first though.

The choice in computer stores down here in Dunedin is a bit limited so I order almost everything online. My experiences are as follows:

Computer Lounge - I've probably spent over $10K with them over the years, they're usually good and dispatch reasonably quickly. They used to dispatch the same day as ordering if I did it in the morning, my last couple of orders have taken 2-3 days (the parts were in stock). They take customer service very seriously though, any complaints I've had (mostly due to a bad local courier) have been dealt with professionally and quickly.
Playtech - Are pretty quick to ship stuff and generally overnight packages down to Dunedin even though I don't pay for fast shipping, their range is a bit limited though and CL tend to be cheaper
Elive - Guarantee same day dispatch if you order before 3pm, I've had nothing but good experiences with them
Ascent - Spent around $6K with them, dispatch & delivery times can be a hit and miss as they do drop-shipments. The extra warranty they add on is nice though and the prices tend to be pretty good.
Paradigm PC - Quick to ship and was really good when I had to do a couple of warranty claims on some hard drives. I just wish he'd sort out his website, it's stuck in the 90s.
Mighty Ape - Not strictly a computer store but they sell lots of components, if I want something I know will arrive the next day I'll order from them (they tend to be more expensive).

Good list. I'm in Auckland and I'm mostly using PBTech and Playtech, but also Computer Lounge and Mighty Ape on occasion. Playtech is handy to where I live, and (like PBTech) they are open both Sat and Sun the whole day. This is a big deal for me. I've purchased a few times from Computer Lounge (every time in person) and I can't complain - they are helpful, the only thing is that they are usually a bit more expensive than competitors. Also not convenient for weekend shopping.

Mighty Ape can rarely compete both in terms of price and selection for hardware. I do order from them when they happen to have something that I need on sale and they do match the price but somehow they are in the end of my HW suppliers list.

JonnyCam

643 posts

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#1187870 3-Dec-2014 11:54

KiwiNZ: The last time I was in PB Tech Wellington my thoughts would be that it is not entirely the management fault, they staff they had on were not exactly ummm how should I put this, they were not top shelf by quite a long way.

That's funny, as the couple of times I've been in there the guys behind the counter were very friendly, but I knew exactly what I wanted so didn't need any help as such.

meesham

973 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1187874 3-Dec-2014 12:00

ckc:
Don't like Cello then?

If I need something the same day I'll usually try Cello & GLI, but both of them don't tend to keep much stuff in stock and the stuff they do have tends to be quite a bit more expensive, I also find the staff a bit friendlier and more helpful at GLI. I understand that Dunedin's a small market but if I'm having to wait for a product I might as well pay less by ordering from up north.

qwertee

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#1187875 3-Dec-2014 12:04

I never had an issue with PB Tech.

I ordered a Samsung TAB 3 and it was delivered promptly.
Returned it after a week and ( change of mind) and money was paid in a few days.

I found the online chat very helpful so that they could check up on stock and answer queries about the product.

cheers

Glassboy

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#1187897 3-Dec-2014 12:52

On the whole, I've had a good experience ordering from them. I did however get a Draytek vdsl router modem that had a fault and even came with the previous RMA form. Returning it was no problem but getting the refund and spending it was a complete pain.

ckc

321 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1187907 3-Dec-2014 13:12

Glassboy: On the whole, I've had a good experience ordering from them. I did however get a Draytek vdsl router modem that had a fault and even came with the previous RMA form. Returning it was no problem but getting the refund and spending it was a complete pain.

A couple of times they've let slip to me that sometimes stuff doesn't get sent back to the manufacturer for testing, they just rebox it and put it back on the shelf. I had two Hitachi Touro 1TB drives that failed in the space of two months. I took the second back and asked about changing it for a different brand. The tech at Wellington said he couldn't do it because they couldn't resell it without the box.

The explanation for that from the manager was that if it gets sent back to the manufacturer for an RMA and there's no fault found, they get the original product back and it has to be resold. I am still suspicious, considering the number of times I've had to RMA stuff with them.

richms

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#1187908 3-Dec-2014 13:14

No box doesnt get them out of their consumer guarentees act obligations. Had a hell of a time with that when returning a cheap home theater in a box system to a large red retailer a while back.

Richard rich.ms

BlueShift

1692 posts

Uber Geek

#1187942 3-Dec-2014 13:53

KiwiNZ: The last time I was in PB Tech Wellington my thoughts would be that it is not entirely the management fault, they staff they had on were not exactly ummm how should I put this, they were not top shelf by quite a long way.

How is that not management's fault? They are the ones hiring 'not top shelf' staff, and/or paying rates that ensure they only get 'not top shelf' staff.

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