Saturn electrical shop

I am normally first to ascend the high horse when it comes to customer service, or lack of it.

BUT, Credit where credit is due, I went to buy a new TV last Saturday at the Saturn at OEZ and...They were fantastic.

Friendly, unopinionated, no pressure and not just after the commission. They were able to explain everything I needed to know about the tvs and werent even bothered when I went to have a coffee to think about it.

I bought the beastie, and from start to finish they were great, I sincerely hope this is a sign of things to come.

anti-rant over

Someone else posted something similar recently. You don't think companies here are actually starting to get the message that if your staff aren't helpful and don't seem like they want to take peoples money then they will spend it elsewhere, do you?

Nah, can't be. If it is then it is a worrying trend. I'll have to find something else to be grumpy about.

On an almost related note -- I swear more stores have been accepting Visa. Is this a trend or am I on crack?

Just wait until something goes wrong - their after-sales service is appalling. I've known people buy a TV there, take it home and find it didn't work. Took it back immediately in original packing with receipt, and were told it would have to be sent away for repair. Took 3 weeks...

Unless it's a special offer the prices at Saturn/MediaMart (it's the same company) are nothing special. Take your time there to persue the range, check the details and decide what you want, then buy elsewhere cheaper. Having said that some of their extra-special offers, if they are for something you want, are unbeatable...

YL6

YEap!! That's right. The post-sale service in Saturn SUCKS!!!
I bought a laptop there when I arrived here. It got broken after three or four months and they said they had no idea how to repair anything and they should send it to the factory. After more than 2 weeks got it back. Then, after another 4 months, laptop broke again. Same story, very rude personnel. The second time it took more than 3 weeks and when I got the laptop back, it was still not working. Sent it again. Got it back after another 2 weeks. This time it turned on, but guess what? They wiped my info from the damn thing. I complained and the guy there said that there were no records that a HDD had been changed or formated, so it was impossible that I lost any data. But still I had nothing!! I argued there for about half an hour and the guy gave some phone number for the company that repaired the laptop. Of course it made absolutely no sense to call because there was no way my data will come back. I will never buy any major device in Saturn again. It SUCKS!!

Saturn Hansa is a great shop if you want to buy something electronic and expensive. They have great displays where you can compare TVs and Stereos.

Finalise what you want, write it down and then buy it on the internet. I saved heaps that way!

Do I hear an echo?

YL6, added my posting before having read all other postings (including yours).

Saturn refunded me for a faulty DVD. Without a receipt!
Can this be called "good customer service"? They had no way to figure out if I had bought it from them.

But I guess they probably wouldn't have done it had it been a 50 inch plasma TV.

I found returns at MediaMarkt to be a bit of a pain in the arse to get a unit replaced/repaired - but they were very prompt in a cash refund.

Maybe you should have backed-up your data first?

One option that I used when sending a laptop back was to first remove the hard drive (or ask them to do it for you). Sometimes uninformed staff say that it is not possible, but they do it when I tell them I have done it before. They just simply make a note that they sent it for repair without the hard drive. (Obviously you should only do this if you are certain that it is not a hard disk problem

I must say, we have also had very bad experiences with Saturn and laptops!

The first, a Toshiba (I spit on you!) was broken after a short time with a faulty mains socket. Took 2 weeks to send back from repair. Then a while later the connection between the hard drive and motherboard went dodgy. Another 2 weeks lost. Then recently the motherboard went kaputt. Customer service was again appalling, wasting hours with uneducated staff who do not know their arse from their elbow. (Mind you, when we looked at their computer screen, it seems that 36 other Toshibas of that make had been returned to that store alone! Hmmm...

The second, a Samsung, had a problem with the fan and overheated. Sent it back - 2 weeks lost. Asked them to check other components (incl. motherboard) for overheating damage. Fan was replaced. Many months later, it stopped working again! Sent back and then found out that the motherboard was fucked! (I *did* ask them to check! This time I put pressure on them and told them that it was for my business and that I have lost a lot of time and managed to get a temporary laptop for the interim period (however, was told in no uncertain terms that if there was so much as a scratch on it, I would have to pay for it! Needless to say, I was a bit nervous to use it! LOL) I also persuaded them to give me a Gutschein as a gesture of goodwill. Now it seems that my laptop again has an overheating problem from time to time! GRR!!

I must say though, another time when I bought something and was not satisfied, when I returned it a few days after their allowed return period, they gave me my money back no questions asked and no problems!

I think that in future I shall buy direct from Dell or so with a reliable and quick repair service...

Is there a difference between the quality of components in laptops from high-street stores and those sold to companies direct from manufacturer?