Currys/pc World Knowhow Experience

[Tuvok]

Just curious as to others experience of KnowHow.

Friends put their computer in for power supply replacement and were offered chance to have a backup done.

Came back with new power supply and user files (but no files/folders outwith user files) backed up, hard disk wiped and windows 10 reinstalled! Thus they've lost at least one important file.

They weren't expecting a wipe and reinstall.

Been told they do that automatically incase there's any other problems!

[Cloverjo]

I would never go to a big chain like that for computer repairs. I'd listen and look out for local people who have good reputations.

[Jackdaw33]

I wouldn't go to PC World for anything, full stop.

[douglas9401]

Shockingly bad outfit staffed by people with that most dangerous of things, a little knowledge, in my experience.

Attitude ripping out of them.

[Buenchico]

There have been countless threads on AB where people have said that they've lost important files after PC World have reinstalled Windows. It seems to be their 'catch all' approach to fixing computer problems. On several occasions people have described the symptoms they were experiencing before they took their computer to PC World and I've strongly suspected that, had they asked here first, I could have told them how to fix the problem for free in only a minute or two, without any need to reinstall Windows. I'd NEVER use PC World!

I also dislike their 'flat fee' way of working. For example (unless it's gone up since I last looked) they charge a standard fee of £50 (plus parts, where relevant) to fix any problem on a laptop. Given that most of the things they'll be doing (such as removing malware or resetting the TCP/IP stack) will take no more than 5 minutes at the very most (and often only a minute or two), that's at least£600 per hour for many tasks!

Although I answer plenty of questions here in 'Technology', I'm definitely not an 'expert' (and probably more of a 'bumbling amateur' really). What worries me about most of the 'experts' at PC World is that I seem to know vastly more than most of them do about how to do their job!

[Guilbert53]

I would ALWAYS backup all my personal files before giving a computer to someone to fix, even a local PC support person.

To be fair though I can fix all my computer problems myself as it is my "hobby"

[Tuvok]

The friends came to me after the event.

They've been back to ask points I'd raised and this is when they were told its normal practice to wipe and reinstall! For a power supply issue?

[Tuvok]

They did get KnowHow to backup - but they don't do the whole hard disk!

[fender62]

Buenchico as he says, should have asked here first, i have been repairing pc and laptops for err since the days of dos...laptops when they became on available etc, remeber one thing if it fails you can take out the hard drive and put it in a caddy and retrieve your files something like this..http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/All-in-1-USB-Dual-SATA-IDE-2-5-3-5-Hard-Disk-Drive-HDD-Dock-Station-Caddy-Case-/361637413110?epid=1050605649&hash=item54334500f6:g:M~kAAOSwIaFZG8FN

[Tuvok]

Its a desktop and if they'd asked me first I would have done it for them.