Yesterday we bought a laptop -an HP Pavilion model - from Tesco. It's mainly for Abby so it was about how much she liked the look & feel of it. It seemed like a reasonable deal although I knew it was an older model. However, it was factory sealed and the label simply said something about "Last chance" or somesuch. Indeed, everything in the package was sealed with HP security seals. All happy so far.
We got it home & opened it.
It was dusty, slightly scratched and had a big patch of dirty old glue on the outside of the case. So by now I'm realising that this may actually be a reconditioned model. I'm annoyed it didn't say so, but it's all sealed up by HP so one has to assume the job's done properly, right?
I opened the battery -yes, also HP sealed - which included a leaflet explaining how it needed to be charged before use. All pretty standard. Batteries are shipped usually shipped uncharged. So I put it in and prepared to plug it in when I thought, 'Just a minute, let's check this.' and hit the power button. On comes the machine powered by the supposedly un-charged battery. It goes to the sign-in page where I'm presented with a profile for Tesco Staff which it transpires is locked with a password! Yes, it was ex-display. Second hand, basically.
By now I'm pretty pissed off, especially when I realise dit meant I was going to have to return to Silverburn on a Bank Holiday. Adding to the 20-minute each way drive it took 40+ minutes to get into the place, find a space and get out afterwards. What really annoyed me, though was the attitude of the saleswoman who actually tried to blame me for it. Apparently I should have realised that it was an ex-display model because it had a 10% discount. There was nothing on teh machine we bought, on the machines beside it or in the signage for the shelving to indicate that these were ex-display.
Now, I don't buy ex-display. you never know what's been done to them. This is doubly true in the case of laptops where they've been picked up, prodded, shaken and played with by Joe Bloggs & his entire family. Not only that, but the battery has been charged and run through who-knows-how-many cycles during its time on the shelf. More than most items ex-display laptops are second-hand goods and a feeble 10% discount is not enough to make me want one. When asked if I still wanted the machine I said only if they were prepared to offer a more substantial discount on it. I got the bog-standard reply about discounts not being under the control of anyone in the store and told all they could offer me was to remove the password.
So we still don't have a laptop and won't be shopping in Tescos again. Asda customer service is so much better.
We got it home & opened it.
It was dusty, slightly scratched and had a big patch of dirty old glue on the outside of the case. So by now I'm realising that this may actually be a reconditioned model. I'm annoyed it didn't say so, but it's all sealed up by HP so one has to assume the job's done properly, right?
I opened the battery -yes, also HP sealed - which included a leaflet explaining how it needed to be charged before use. All pretty standard. Batteries are shipped usually shipped uncharged. So I put it in and prepared to plug it in when I thought, 'Just a minute, let's check this.' and hit the power button. On comes the machine powered by the supposedly un-charged battery. It goes to the sign-in page where I'm presented with a profile for Tesco Staff which it transpires is locked with a password! Yes, it was ex-display. Second hand, basically.
By now I'm pretty pissed off, especially when I realise dit meant I was going to have to return to Silverburn on a Bank Holiday. Adding to the 20-minute each way drive it took 40+ minutes to get into the place, find a space and get out afterwards. What really annoyed me, though was the attitude of the saleswoman who actually tried to blame me for it. Apparently I should have realised that it was an ex-display model because it had a 10% discount. There was nothing on teh machine we bought, on the machines beside it or in the signage for the shelving to indicate that these were ex-display.
Now, I don't buy ex-display. you never know what's been done to them. This is doubly true in the case of laptops where they've been picked up, prodded, shaken and played with by Joe Bloggs & his entire family. Not only that, but the battery has been charged and run through who-knows-how-many cycles during its time on the shelf. More than most items ex-display laptops are second-hand goods and a feeble 10% discount is not enough to make me want one. When asked if I still wanted the machine I said only if they were prepared to offer a more substantial discount on it. I got the bog-standard reply about discounts not being under the control of anyone in the store and told all they could offer me was to remove the password.
So we still don't have a laptop and won't be shopping in Tescos again. Asda customer service is so much better.
