PCLink Gave Me the Worst Shopping Experience I've Ever Had

I can't believe I'm actually spending my time writing this review after the days of time that PCLink has wasted me. If anything, I hope I save the readers' time by convincing them to reallt consider whether they want to shop with PCLink.

It all started late September when I receieved a laptop purchased from PCLinkShop. The delivery was prompt and the excitement at a new work machine very tangible.

5 days later, the machine stopped working. This is not PCLinks fault but their handling of the 2 months of frustration following the incident is 100% their fault and they need to take accountability.

I made sure that the laptop had a hardware issue which I did by contacting Asus and Windows support services. The message from them was clear - this was a hardware issue. I had noticed that PCLink offer a quick exchange or refund within 7-days and contacted them about the issue.

Gareth from PCLink told me that they could pick up the laptop and take it back to JHB, assess it, and take it from there. According to him the whole process would take 14 days (due to logistical issues thanks to COVID). He told me the process would be quicker if I took the machine in to their Cape Town warranty people. I happily agreed, anxious to get the assessment done before 7-days had passed. I went to Ensure Services where a lovely person by the name of Melissa handled the assessment of the machine to make sure it was a hardware problem. A few days later I was told by Melissa that Asus' credit note (the thing you need to take to the supplier as proof of factory defect) system had changed and that PCLink would have to collect the laptop and deal with the issue with their supplier.

And it is at this point that things got hairy, scary, downright infuriatingly frustrating.

I told Gareth at least 3 times that he would need to organize the laptop to be picked up from Ensure Services but he still managed to send a courier to my house which further delayed the already delayed process by several days.

Over the next 2 months. I'll say that again so that you don't think it was a mistake - over the next 2 MONTHS, that's 8 weeks or 56 days, ladies and gentlemen I was stuck without a work machine due to the complete incompetence of PCLink.

I was ALWAYS the first to message them on their online communication channel. I consider myself a pretty fair, reasonable guy. I understand things are weird during COVID but when I message them and they flat out refuse to reply for a few days after promising continuously over the phone that they are handling the situation, I start losing my sense of calm and patience.

It's tough for me to convey the frsutration without going into specific details... So I'll give several examples: 1) PCLink has disconnected their incoming line so you cannot phone them. This means you're at the mercy of them phoning you or sending a message over their extremely poorly run online communication channel.

2) I was told an honestly innumerable amount of time some weird excuse like "I messaged [some person's name] about your issue and [he/she] hasn't rep**** to me and I'm still waiting". This is fine. When this is the same excuse 3 days later, over 10 times, it's starts to lose it's distracting charm.

3) I was handed off between several different "customer support" people like Jaco, Gareth, and the self-victimizing Dwayne. They are all grossly *********** at dealing with problems and solving very basic issues like finding out why I haven;t received an update about my laptop in a week.

At one point, Dwayne gave me a contact number but simply refused to answer it. He blocked me from contacting him.

Eventually after I started becoming visibly annoyed in my messages, I was promised that "managers" were meeting to discuss my problem.

Let me remind you that I just wanted a refund for a faulty laptop that they had sold me.

At another point they sent me a message asking if I'm sure that the laptop has an issue because he (a non-technical person could not reproduce the issue). This after checking it myself (a computer person), contacting 2 support teams, and having a diagnostic test done by PCLink's own warranty provider!

The excuses simply never stopped and I had no way of phoning someone for answers. Eventually when someone did speak to me it would be, "[Name] is coming in tomorrow and [he/she] will have an answer. Promise!", followed a few DAYS later (after I followed up) with a "Oh, [Name] never came in but he/she will come in next week". They always managed to give me "answers" on a Friday afternoon right before they closed for the weekend.

At one point I was considering whether PCLink is jsut a shady **** that rips off people. I now know this is not the case, they're just grossly *********** at performing rudimentary, customer-related tasks in a half-decent timely manner.

A few days ago I was contacted by the manager of PCLink, George, who promised to have an answer for me "Tomorrow." Tomorrow came and went, so did the next day. I tried calling him (the 3rd person to give me their personal number. I now know that this sign of trust is not trustworthy at all as they simply don't answer calls from you!) and, yes, he did not answer.

A few days late, he phoned me back saying that he can do the refund "Right now" adding with audacity that he "understand my frustration". Well, guess what, several days went by before a sign of this starting to happen took shape with PayFast contacting me.

After over 2 months of constantly trying but failing miserably to get information, updates, reassurance, I received my refund. Relief.

I will never be purchasing anything from PCLink ever again and have convinced my friends and family (past customers of PCLink) to never buy from them again.

Gareth, Jaco, Dwayne, you all need better training and accountability. George, I requested from the 3 aforementioned people to talk to you about 5 weeks before you eventually made the time to grace me with your time.

This review has been long. Not sure if it conveyed how annoyed I was and still am every time I think of PCLink.

May this sentence summarise my sentiments: I will happily pay thousands of rands more to buy a laptop that is more expensive somewhere else.

PCLink, you cost me valuable time and money. You honestly make me sick.

Is there a zero star option on here?