The Store Next Door
PC service from the big guys is in free fall, but our exclusive report says customers who buy locally are happy. Here's how to find a great independent dealer--and steer clear of the fly-by-night operators.Laurianne Mclaughlin
Laurianne McLaughlin is a freelance writer based in Massachusetts.
Service with a smile may be closer than you think, says Stephen Wilkinson of Lee, New Hampshire. He buys PCs from a local store called Digital Connections, owned by Steve Endsley, just 20 minutes from his office. When the graphics card in one of Wilkinson's PCs gave out one morning, Digital Connections sent out a tech to replace it within an hour. "You just don't get that kind of service from a big company," says Wilkinson, a physician with a local practice.
Sure, Wilkinson is generalizing. However, we heard similar sentiments from many devotees of mom-and-pop retailers in our latest PC Reliability and Service survey, based on reports from over 27,000 PC World subscribers.
If you're thinking about buying a new computer, this may be an ideal time to shop locally. According to our survey, customer support from the big PC companies is worse than ever. Disgruntled readers say they now wait longer on hold than in the past, and once they get through, their problems more frequently go unresolved. In contrast, customers of local retailers tended to have a better experience: Their calls were picked up promptly, and problems were handled more efficiently. Of course, local stores are not for everyone. Locally built PCs may be less reliable than the well-known national brands in our survey. In addition, you're less likely to get the rock-bottom prices and software goodies that the big brands provide.
Nevertheless, according to local-store fans, those trade-offs are amply repaid by the sterling customer service they receive.
Service Wizards
When it comes to picking up support calls, local stores earn top marks. Among survey respondents who bought their home PC locally, almost 80 percent waited on hold no longer than 5 minutes. Less than 46 percent of owners of big-company home machines could say the same thing. Techies at local stores are more likely to know their stuff, too. (See our survey report for in-depth information.)
At first glance, getting great service from local stores seems illogical. How can a little store beat a big PC company that employs a small army to please customers? Certainly, the face-to-face factor matters. Most of us prefer to deal with someone we know rather than with a faceless phone rep. But there's more to it.
Store owner Steve Endsley points to technician turnover. Whereas the big companies often use temporary workers who are here today, gone tomorrow, Endsley has six employees--four who work full-time on service--and rarely experiences turnover at his 13-year-old shop.
Endsley's phone lines are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days per week (five days in the summer). If no one can handle your call, a message service will page a tech--even after-hours or on weekends.
Customers within a 3-hour drive of Digital Connections qualify for on-site service; obviously, people who are nearby, like Wilkinson, get the fastest response. In contrast, although many big companies such as Dell tout next-day on-site service, getting that service can be a different story (see November's Consumer Watch).
Another store owner takes care not to make promises he can't keep. Shawn Haskins, owner of Computer Brokers in Greeley, Colorado, says he tries to avoid having too few techs for too many customers. Most of his customers are located nearby, and he requires them to bring their PCs to the store for service. That way, techs can work on more PCs at once. But people who really want on-site service can buy it for an extra $50 per year.
Going Local: The Downsides
According to our survey findings, lots of local stores give customers that warm and fuzzy feeling--but not all of them do: PC World editors helped television newsmagazine Dateline NBC investigate complaints about a mom-and-pop-size retailer based in New York. Some customers had reported so-called bait-and-switch tactics: They were drawn to the store initially by compelling PC ads, but they got talked into purchasing more-expensive PCs when the advertised systems weren't available. After examining the systems built by this outfit, the PC World Test Center concluded that the builder was selling shoddily constructed PCs composed of inferior parts and that their performance fell far short of what the advertised systems would have provided.
That's an extreme case, but our survey did find that local-store PCs are less likely to be problem-free: Over 39 percent of local stores' home PC customers encountered at least one faulty component that needed replacing, compared to an average of 29 percent among the big brands.
For PC novices and first-time buyers especially, a series of parts failures can be a nasty surprise. Jean Crossman of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, a real estate office assistant, bought her first home PC locally, based on a neighbor's advice. The three-year-old PC had a lot of parts fail, including the graphics card, the sound card, the floppy drive, and memory. "We thought if we had problems, it would be easier with a local store," Crossman says. But in hindsight she realizes she didn't know enough about the different manufacturers to judge the parts list before she bought.
Why are locally built computers sometimes less reliable? The answer has to do with where local stores buy their parts. To thwart potential reliability hassles, local store shoppers should insist on parts built by reputable manufacturers.
The quality of some parts is the same no matter where you buy, according to Roger Kay, IDC's director of client computing. In other words, a Seagate hard drive you buy from Joe's PCs is as good as the Seagate hard drive you get from Dell.
You face more-complex issues regarding other parts. "With memory and power supplies, you have some smaller manufacturers [whose] quality might not be as good," says Kay. You're more likely to run into gray-market parts. Such parts--typically bought by the PC store from another reseller or online--could be fine. But on the other hand they could be dishonestly labeled or cosmetically damaged generics. Ask stores whether they buy memory and power supplies directly from the manufacturer. If not, that could be a red flag.
Everything from software drivers to the soldering used on motherboards can affect whether PC parts play nicely together, Kay says. Your best strategy: Choose a name-brand motherboard that the local store recommends as its best, and then research it online. Try a keyword search at Tom's Hardware Guide for the company's name. Go to " PC Component Shopping: Resources Galore" for more links and for research advice.
Then there's the matter of price. Almost uniformly, buyers and store owners concur that a local-store PC will cost at least $100 more than a comparably configured Dell or Gateway PC--though that's not always true (see our comparison chart).
What's Right for You
At the end of the day, you must take into account your comfort level, your friends' recommendations, and any past experiences you've had with national PC manufacturers in determining whether you should choose a local retailer.
For buyers like Stephen Wilkinson, the PC shopping process comes down to this: Chances are that you'll have a computer glitch, sooner or later. "When the problems pop up, you have got to decide who you want to deal with," he says.
Remember, local stores live and die by word-of-mouth recommendations, so be sure you ask around. It's the best way to separate the stars from the bad guys.
PC Buying Tips: Find the Right Local Store
Thinking of going the local route? Word-of-mouth advice is a good place to start. Then follow these ten tips to help you home in on the best store.
Do visit recommended stores in person--just to chat. Ask to meet the owner, and trust your gut feelings about how responsive you think the store will be.
Do follow Contributing Editor Steve Bass's 5/15 rule, if you can: Choose a store that has been in business for at least five years and is located no more than 15 miles from your home or office.
Do check with the local Better Business Bureau to see how many complaints--if any--have been filed against each store.
Do pursue multiple options. Compare prices, warranties, and support hours.
Do show the sales staff that you've done your homework on parts makers. If the store doesn't stock the brand you want, ask whether staff can hunt the item down.
Don't choose a store that pressures you to buy "today" because of a massive sale or one that pushes "closeout" items.
Don't purchase from a store where the sales representatives try to talk over your head using technical jargon.
Don't buy from a store where the salespeople make you feel like you're not worth their time. If the store wants to sell only to people who buy ten machines at once, give someone else your business.
Don't be impressed by "paper" technicians. Industry certification should not sell you on a store's tech support staff. Instead, ask how long techs have served customers; the more years, the better.
Don't hesitate to ask for customer references in your community.
Buying a PC: Go Local and Pay More? Maybe (chart)
| PC Company | Differences in configuration | Street price2 (11/2/01) |
| Central Computer Systems (http://www.centralcomputers.com) (San Francisco) | 19-inch Sony G400 Trinitron monitor, 32MB ATI Xpert 2000 graphics card, Microsoft Office XP | $1814 |
| Computer Brokers (http://www.cbrokers.com) (Greeley, Colorado) | 19-inch Sony G420S Trinitron monitor, 32MB ATI Radeon graphics card | $1579 |
| Digital Connections (http://www.dcinh.com) (Dover, New Hampshire) | 19-inch Sony G400 Trinitron monitor, 32MB ATI Rage Fury graphics card | $1955 |
| Friendly Mobile Computers (http://www.friendlymobilecomputers.com) (Las Vegas) | 19-inch CTX Trinitron monitor, 16MB Kaser S305 graphics card | $1819 |
| Intrex (http://www.intrex.com) (Raleigh, North Carolina) | 19-inch AOC 9Glrs monitor, 32MB Shuttle GeForce2 MX200 graphics card | $1299 |
| Average of Local Retailers | See individual descriptions above | $1693 |
| Dell (http://www.dell.com) | Not applicable | $1469 |
Survey Results: Readers Rate Work PCs (chart)
| | Reliability measures | | Service measures |   ; |
| Merchant | Percentage of PCs with at least one component failure | Percentage of users who report high satisfaction with reliability | Percentage of users who waited on hold 5 minutes or less | Percentage of users who report high satisfaction with service |
| Local retailers (average) | 29.7 | 59.8 | 73.6 | 50 |
| Largest national brands (average)1 | 20.1 | 63.8 | 51.6 | 42.6 |
PC Component Shopping: Resources Galore
The Web is a great place to hunt down buying advice on PC parts. Here's where to start.
Time for a new PC? If you're thinking about picking and choosing your own components, let specialized Web sites help you with your research.
Check out PCWorld.com's Reviews for our evaluations of the latest hardware and links to the most up-to-date prices. There are dozens of other independent hardware review sites as well, and many are enhanced with discussion forums and consumer reviews.
Whether you're planning to build a new computer yourself or have a local retailer put it together, the resources here will point you toward the most reputable manufacturers and help you refine your hardware selection.
Be forewarned: The geek factor can be pretty high at a lot of these sites--especially if you hover in forums.
At PCWorld.com
You'll find reviews of the latest hard drives, CD-RW drives, graphics boards, and more. You can check out our charts, complete with product rankings and highlights of the pros and cons. You'll also find our benchmark results and detailed capsule reviews.
CD-RW Drives, Along With CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, and DVD Rewriteable
PC Hardware Sites
AnandTechFind terrific advice on a host of PC components, including motherboards, CPUs and chip sets, graphics boards, and storage. Each review has a handy chart summarizing the pros and cons. Many reviews come with very useful explanations of what the specs mean. Scroll through topic-specific postings at the AnandTech Community until you find the area you want.
FiringSquadA haven for geeks and gamers alike, FiringSquad includes reviews of graphics cards, sound cards, and motherboards, along with mice and joysticks. The site's message boards are also useful.
HardOCPThe latest CPUs, memory, motherboards, and video cards go through rigorous testing. Here you'll find reviews galore and even bug reports. Get recommendations and problems tackled at the Hard Forum.
Hardware CentralCheck out the reviews on CPUs, motherboards, networking hardware, gaming hardware, sound cards, graphics cards, monitors, peripherals, and computer cases. At the same address, click Tutorials to access helpful explanations of tech terms and acronyms.
Hardware OneThe site is heavy on motherboard reviews and analysis, but you'll also find reviews of graphics cards and sound cards. You're bound to find something of interest at Jawbreaker Chat, Hardware One's discussion forums.
NeoseekerYou'll find "Pro Reviews" by experts on motherboards, storage devices, graphics, monitors, input devices, audio, and multimedia hardware. Neoseeker conveniently links each product review to its corresponding discussion thread. You can also browse through Neoseeker's postings of user reviews.
PC MechanicGet the lowdown on motherboards and CPUs, memory, graphics cards, other expansion cards, PC cases, floppy drives, and hard drives. You can jump into the action in the site's PC-Media Tech Forums, which cover overclocking and PC assembly, graphics and gaming, and a bunch of peripherals including modems, mice, and keyboards. PC Mechanic also provides a useful guide called Build Your Own, which provides step-by-step instructions on assembling your own PC (as well as your own server and home network).
SysOpt.comFind reviews of motherboards and chip sets, graphics boards, networking equipment, storage, audio, operating systems, and memory. At SysOpt Forums you can jump into dialogs about motherboards, CPUs and overclocking, storage, graphics cards, and monitors. You can also tap into the searchable pool of user reviews.
Tom's Hardware GuideBookmark this site. You get a series of in-depth guides that cover motherboards, CPUs, graphics, audio, storage, and monitors (including a great primer on CRT displays). You can access tons of newsletters, archives of reviews, and columns by experts. And be sure to hang out in the enormous community.
More specific research areas
3D Sound SurgeIf sound is your thing and you want thorough reviews, check out this site's evaluations of sound cards and computer speakers. The 3D Sound Surge Forums focus mainly on sound cards, speakers, home theater, consoles, and music (MIDI hardware and software, for instance).
Motherboards.orgOddly enough, this site's not just about motherboards. You'll also find some reviews of graphics cards, sound cards, and monitors. Its discussion area, aptly named Mother Board, is reachable via its home page (by clicking Forums) and includes specific hardware recommendations.
Sharky ExtremeAimed at gamers, this site focuses on new graphics cards and sound cards. You'll find plenty of other subject areas, including motherboard and CPU reviews. Don't miss out on the lively discussions at SharkyForums.com.
StorageReview.comYou'll find reviews of hard drives, DVD-ROM drives, CD-RW drives, and other storage products, as well as discussions on storage-related issues. At the same address, click Reference to find a very interesting history lesson about hard drives and other useful background information. The site's forum area (reached by clicking the Discussion tab) offers just one general category for computers, however. You can search the forum using keywords, but the discussions aren't organized by topic.
Related Links
PC Deals: You Better Shop Around
PC Reliability and Service: Service Takes a Dive
How It Works
Hard drives, graphics boards, monitors, CPUs, DVD, CD-R, CD-RW... If you're interested in hearing about the various technologies at work behind the scenes, check out How It Works. Tackling a host of different products (along with services and industry protocols), each How It Works package is a detailed tech primer that explains how specific pieces of hardware function, demystifies acronyms, and provides a lot of background information on the topic. You also get the skinny on shopping gotchas along with plenty of buying advice.