Non PCS area of the forum
- Thread starter Tony1044
- Start date
ubuysa
The BSOD Doctor
Where is the benefit for PCS in them paying to host a forum that enables people not to buy their computers? I doubt people will buy from PCS primarily because of the good support on here, I think it's more a case that the good support on here is the icing on the cake for people who are already considering PCS.
Of course, if you're suggesting that users of the non-PCS forum should pay for access then that's a different matter.
Of course, if you're suggesting that users of the non-PCS forum should pay for access then that's a different matter.
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Oussebon
Multiverse Poster
Pay who though? (I get that's tongue in cheek..)
I'm happy giving people advice on possible ways to maximise value for their £ as this benefits the consumer at least as much as PCS. Certainly PCS get the kudos of a helpful and active community and if a system recommended here performs well for a given function all credit often goes to PCS.
The better balanced and better performing a system the longer until people may feel the need to upgrade which saves them money. Also, preventing people from buying hardware they won't get any benefit from at very high prices (e.g. i7 6900k for gaming, GTX 1080 for a 1080p 60hz screen etc) is only a good thing for consumers in general, since part of why components are prices so high is that people will buy them at that price, including people who buy them because they think they're 'the best' rather than because they know whether or not those components are the best for them. Granted it's just a drop in the ocean and it's not something I get on my high horse about often, not least because I'd be delusional if I felt advice given here (or even the sum total of the advice on all tech websites across the internet) made any difference to the price tag Nvidia puts on a 1080. But that doesn't mean it's not worth trying...
That may be true in many, even the great majority of cases, but you do also see plenty of topics posted by people considering self builds or PCs from other companies with no idea that this forum relates to a shop and isn't an open forum. They then usually get presented with a PCS spec, which they may buy. Occasionally people with dead hardware from their Brand X PC post up, do get a bit of troubleshooting, and decide to look at PCS products.
Also the advice on the forums does seem to generate some customer retention. If you buy a PC from a web shop and the process is fine, the PC works well etc, you might buy from them again but you might just as well shop elsewhere. Whereas people who get a lot of advice on the forums often speak about how they'll definitely be back for their next purchase, recommend to friends, etc. And people can get engaged enough through the process to post reviews, effectively detailed testimonials, and also making them re-engage with the community.
There does seem to be a degree of flexibility with the rule, at least in terms of supporting people when their non-PCS hardware has gone wrong. E.g. this person with an Acer: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?53017-Motherboard-issues-(
And advice about PCS peripherals, monitors, accessories and upgrades (e.g. a new GPU) people can get from another store all seems to be acceptable on the forums.
But I think PCS might stop short of having a section dedicated to telling people what the best (least worst) off-the-shelf PC they should spend their money on would be. Moreover, discussion would inevitably turn to the question of what's better value, and while PCS may be better value in many cases they probably don't want detailed discussions of instances where it turns out they're not best value discussed on their own website.
Edit: Well that turned out to be longer than I meant it to be.
That wouldn't make any sense. There are already plenty of open forums with people willing to help. PCS forum should be for those looking to purchase from PCS or require support with their PCS PC. Of course there are cases where we are willing to be a little bit flexible, but not outright recommending a PC from another vendor. That wouldn't make any sense. I doubt many people would go with PCS because of the service on this forum when (theoretically) we've just given them another option that saves them £50 or whatever elsewhere.
On the note of tech support for non-PCS systems I did ask the question in the past of the admins and was told that although giving advice on non-PCS systems is not encouraged (i.e. not allowed in terms of purchase advise) giving tech support to any end users isn't a problem. The rules around this may have changed since I asked that question (it was a while ago and I cant recall if it was via PM or in a thread) but (in my opinion at least) there's no harm in giving tech support to anyone at all (purchase advise is different).
After all, someone exhibiting a certain issue with a *insert brand here* (other brands are available) laptop might be facing the same difficulties as a PCS customer browsing the forums.
After all, someone exhibiting a certain issue with a *insert brand here* (other brands are available) laptop might be facing the same difficulties as a PCS customer browsing the forums.