News

Curry’s PC World Criticised For Laptop ‘Set-Up’ Charge

Currys PC World Criticised

With Maplins seemingly on the brink of destruction, our high-street retail options for your technological goods are getting somewhat limited. One of the few retailers left is Currys PC World and even there it with some irony that the company is an amalgamation of two former retailers. Offering PC’s, components and parts to those who are perhaps a little less savvy on computers, Currys PC World has just fallen in for some heavy criticism.

The reason? Well, in a report via the BBC, the company has reportedly been charging customers (or at least attempting to) a £40 fee on top of laptop sales.

Setup Fee

Now, most people who have bought a laptop will know that the vast majority, particularly those that come from retailers, are ready to go out the box. Currys PC World, however, has been actively attempting to profit from the ignorance of their buyers. How? By attempting to charge a £40 ‘set-up’ fee which unfortunately it seems many have actually paid.

Following 108 complaints to consumer Watchdog Which? the matter has brought much criticism for the company. The report suggests that the ‘line’ taken by many of the staff was that the model the person wished for was the ‘only one in stock’ or some form of ‘display model’ and as such had to pay a ‘set-up’ fee to get it ready for them. Complaints about this practice began in 2015. Despite warnings, Currys PC World did not change this practice of unnecessary upselling.

What have they said?

In response, Currys PC World has said: “We are sorry to hear that some customers have been charged for a Knowhow Laptop Set-up service on their new machine when they did not request it. While setting up machines in advance enables customers who want the service to benefit from it straight away, it is not something everyone needs. We are urgently re-briefing our stores now to remind them that, in the small number of cases where only pre-set up models are available, customers should not be charged for the service when they buy their laptop.”

Which? has said that many of the complainants felt pressurized to agree to the fee, but following the more public condemnation, Currys PC World has promised to re-brief staff immediately.

What do you think? An honest mistake? A dirty sales tactic? In addition, did you fall foul of this? – Let us know in the comments!

 

Support eTeknix.com

By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow. And continue to bring you the latest news, reviews, and competitions. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest technology. Share your favourite articles, chat with the team and more. Also check out eTeknix YouTube, where you’ll find our latest video reviews, event coverage and features in 4K!

Check out our Latest Video

Mike Sanders

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 Possible Price Revealed

According to a new report, the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU will be very expensive. It…

5 hours ago

AMD Krackan Processor with 6 Zen 5 and Zen 5c Cores for Budget AI Laptops Leaked

A new AMD processor in the form of an engineering model has been leaked in…

6 hours ago

SK Hynix Begins Production of First 321-Layer NAND Chips

SK Hynix has claimed to be the first company to mass-produce 321-layer NAND memory chips.…

6 hours ago

Trust Gaming GXT 609 Zoxa 2.0 PC Speakers

SOUNDS GREAT – Full stereo sound (12W peak power) gives your setup a booming audio…

10 hours ago

PowerA Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch

Special Edition Yoshi design Ergonomic controller shape with Nintendo Switch button layout Detachable 10ft (3m)…

10 hours ago

Logitech G Saitek PRO Flight Rudder Pedals

Fluid Motion: These flight rudder pedals are smooth and accurate that enable precise control over…

10 hours ago