Western Computer Reviews 209

First visit to Leamington Spa store - informed new MacBook Pro battery could be anywhere between £140 and £200 plus repair fee of £85 to 'open it up'. Received quote of £213 which I approved to go ahead with. Then received new quote stating new battery and 'top case' would be £502. Other parts were required also pushing the cost up. Why is there not a list of Macbook models that, if they need a new battery, you can see will need a new top case? Going into the shop this afternoon to eyeball them and find out why the top case price has jumped from £200 to £500. Not happy and wouldn't have bothered spending £85 if I had the right info. AVOID...

My iPad Pro was failing to charge, so I took it to my local store (Cheltenham). They said it was a serious fault and would cost £670 to repair/replace! I politely declined, and instead booked a repair online with Apple direct. I now have a replacement iPad. Total cost was £96.44 - and that included an express courier in both directions. I had assumed that an authorised Apple agent would offer the same service deal as Apple, but that is clearly not the case.

I feel let down by the store. They directed me to buy a new MacBook from their store on the basis that they could retrieve the data from my old MacBook. They subsequently told me that they could not retrieve the data from my old Macbook; they had not given me any indication that this would be a possibility prior to purchasing the new computer.

Once the error was made they were unwilling to acknowledge their error, unwilling to refund for the new MacBook (it had never left the store) and unwilling to discuss in any way.

Had they informed me better I would have taken a different route.

I would think twice before using this store again.

Many thanks for the excellent customer service received at Western Computer, Cheltenham. Great Staff, well worth the 45 mins I travel to get here passing 3 PC Worlds along the way!!! Enormous thanks to Ryan, Paul & Matt. A lovely experience, all of my Apple business will be done in this shop without question.

I left my iPad Pro on the Monday , with the leamington spa store , had developed a fault , was kept informed of progress by email and was told on the Wednesday repair was finished and ready for collection , went in on the Thursday and was given a brand new iPad Pro . The whole process was very straightforward and painless and the staff were very friendly . So from my experience , I was very happy.

Oxford store.
Had a pre-arranged appointment to change iPhone6 battery.

Turned up and they couldn't do it today. No phone call to let me know before I made the journey into town. I could have left the phone and collect another day but this isn't convenient at all.

I won't be going back. Poor customer service.

Very nice store and excellent service from staff. I’ve sent in on Thursday 19 December for a repair but they couldn’t repair so they give me a replacement iPad pro as it was under warranty, on Monday 23 December.

Excellent service at Preston store from Matt .we purchased a tablet and what a patient and polite young man.My husband and I Are senior citizens and was having difficulty in understanding The technology he explained it all to us with a great deal of knowledge.
Also the Tablet was the best price Do not hesitate to go and visit this store

Good service at Preston store. Took in a 2018 Macbook pro for the keyboard recall. Turned around under warranty within 3 days. Staff helpful and pleasant. Would recommend.

NB CLICK ON 'MORE' BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY

Western Computer Oxford: looking after my 80 year old father:

1. Didn't tell him that under UK consumer law his iMac would be eligible for free repairs in the case of a manufacturer fault. Spoke to the manager "we are under no obligation to point out consumer rights it's up to the consumer to know and to ask us."

2. Charged him £80 for a technical assessment.

3. Charged him a further £160 for a replacement hard drive, which did not fix the fault. Hence technical assessment was incorrect and disk drive replacement was unnecessary.

4. Broke the computer microphone in the process.

Remember my father is 80 and not computer literate. I feel like you have taken advantage of him.

Frankly I think you should be ashamed of this whole sorry episode.

Please get in touch and let me know how you propose to remedy... not just the cash cost but the considerable inconvenience this has caused.

UK (EUROPEAN) CONSUMER LAW

Worth a quick read on-line: essentially in Europe EVERYONE has the right to return faulty goods within a 2 year period for a free repair or replacement. But you have to take it back to the place you purchased and claim your rights. If you don't then you will be told it's 'out of warranty'. I think it's just crazy that retailers (like Western) feel that they can knowingly charge for repairs that would otherwise be free and think that's OK. I think that's amoral and dishonest. Whatever their weaselly legal loop-hole might be.

______________________________

FURTHER UPDATES

Western did fix the microphone today and confirmed that it had been covered by screen sealant in the original 'repair'. So at least we have it back. But no apology, no compensation or costs waived. And of course we won't be going back.

AND BY THE WAY

I've subsequently read other Western Computer reviews that claim actual Apple stores are cheaper and do not charge for diagnostic tests. So perhaps have a think and ask about costs before choosing where to go.

They charge a lot more for repairs than Apple. Go to Apple and you'll be reward with better service and much lower prices

Very impressed with Matt the assistant manager who dealt with my purchase of iPhone XR. Did everything he possibly could and explained everything as we went along answered all my questions and was very patient. Just what I needed.

Terrible service and attitude. Promised incorrectly about products and didn't deliver. If you don't believe me see the other reviews on Yelp and Google - do yourself a favour and go to an actual Apple store.

I recently had a problem with my 5 year iPad which would not update. Rather than go all the way to the apple genus bar in Manchester I used western computers in Preston. I was so impressed with the quality and service of this company. They went to the trouble of updating the said iPad within thirty minutes or so and wouldn’t take payment. I’m not easily impressed and don’t often review service providers as it should be common practice but this company went beyond the normal level of service. Recommended!!!!!!

I had problems with phone upgrade and received very patient and lengthy support trying to work out what was wrong. The full time assistant, Charlie, ensured I didn't leave the shop until the entire upgrade was complete and functioning.

I had an issue with a malware on my computer, and they managed to fix it quickly and works great now!!! Excellent service Thank you!

Absolutely delighted with the help I received in the oxford store last Friday sept 13th...the assistant was South African and really helped me I was so pleased and would recommend anyone to go there.

Utterly superb. Wonderful shopping experience and fantastic staff.

Had a problem with seven year old ipad, recommended by Apple Customer Services to visit store. Basically, it's too old, store assistant Charlie was very knowledgeable, explained my options and how to possibly resolve issues.... when purchasing my next Apple item it will definitely be from this store.

I visited the store in Cheltenham and the staff were friendly and efficient. A big thank you to Adam in particular who couldn't have done more to help me. I have had issues with my Mac, iPad and Apple ID for a long time. Adam managed to diagnose the problem and sort it within one visit. All of this was done for no charge!
Thank you Adam and Cheltenham Team.