GeorgeHillier
Prolific Poster
I thought I'd make an FAQ to answer some very common questions and issues people seem to be having in hopes of clearing it up. If anyone notices anything wrong/could be improved on then please let me know 
Section 1 - Choosing your spec
Section 2 - Waiting for your PC to be build/arrive
Some points to remember about waiting times:
Section 3 - Contacting PCS
Section 4 - Returns and refunds
Section 5 - Other information
Section 1 - Choosing your spec
- We cannot give advice on self builds or other companies machines as it's against the forum rules.
- It's always a good idea to post your spec on the forums before ordering, just to check it's the best value for money. Remember to include your budget, intended use and the full spec. Also mention if you need peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
- For a gaming desktop without peripherals you would be looking at a minimum of around £600, but around £800 is much better and will last longer. For a gaming laptop this rises to around £700-800 for an entry level machine, so don't ask what you can get for £300 when used for something intense like editing or gaming.
- If you live in the UK then remember to get silver warranty, it only costs £5 and means you get all collections paid for the first year, instead of first month!
- Once you've made a build you can save it as a quote, this will be kept for 5 days and will guarantee the price it originally showed, meaning it will stop any price increases effecting you.
- Graphics cards fluctate but are normally Zotac or Palit for NVIDIA cards and Powercolor for AMD cards. (Please note this is not a guarantee and they are subject to change without notice).
Section 2 - Waiting for your PC to be build/arrive
Some points to remember about waiting times:
- The pre-production stage of ordering is the longest, this is the time it spends in the queue waiting to be build. After this building, testing and quality control typically only take 2-3 days.
- The time estimated for builds are just estimates based on dispatch times in the last 5 days, this doesn't include orders that used fast track. You can view this from here once logged in: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/orders/ (you must be logged in for this to work)
- As the T&C's state PCS have 30 working days to complete your order, so if you don't use fast track keep in mind that it could be up to 30 days, although very few orders do take that long.
- PCS do not keep large stock of components, this is because component prices are always changing, most of the time making it cheaper, meaning that by only keeping small quantities of stock PCS can get the best deals on said components which makes it cheaper when you go to buy a machine.
- Following on from the previous point, just because there was stock of a component when you ordered doesn't mean it will be in stock for your build, since stock isn't assigned to your build until it actually goes into the building stage, this is once again to lower prices.
Section 3 - Contacting PCS
- I cannot stress enough that the PCS forum is not an official channel of support, if you need an official response the best way to get it is by calling PCS up yourself. You can also email them, but they can take over two days to respond if it's busy. If it's urgent or need a proper discussion then call them whenever possible. The full list of contact details is here: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/contact-us/
- All complaints should be processed through the proper complaint procedure if you want an official response. Going onto the forums won't get you anywhere and the forum members can't do much to help you unless it's a simple problem.
- Whenever speaking to a member of staff remember to stay calm and be polite. You won't get very far at any company by yelling at a member of staff and just ruins their day. I know most people don't need to be told this, but there are a few people that will do this.
- If you want to know how busy PCS are then moosEh tries to keep this thread up to date. - https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?44744-PC-Specialist-Status-Updates
Section 4 - Returns and refunds
- The silver warranty doesn't apply outside of the UK, so no need to buy it if that's the case.
- Any returns from other countries are not covered by PCS, so if any problems arise you will have to pay for shipping, regardless of the reason or how long it's been.
- Once your order arrives you have 14 days to return the product if you're not satisfied with it, but the goods must be in a resaleable condition, however any software cannot be refunded, such as Windows licences, Microsoft office licenses etc.
- As soon as you notice a fault don't hesitate to contact PCS about it and submit an RMA if applicable; however, always call them first to check there really is a problem as it could be an easy fix such as installing a driver.
- This information can be found here under section 6: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/terms/
Section 5 - Other information
- PCS also offer an upgrade service, meaning if you want to change anything in your build later on then you can, although some laptops have very limited options as some parts are soldered in.
- If you want to open up your machine for any reason PCS do allow this and won't effect the warranty as long as you don't break anything!
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