Over at [H] Consumer (an offshoot site of HardOCP [ http://www.hardocp.com/ ]) some dilligent editors have published a pretty complete roundup of the kinds of service and information you should expect if you head into your average electronics store looking to buy a computer. And since many many people wind up actually going to an electronics store for computer purchasing and rely on the sales and technical staff in the store for accurate information and buying advice, this review is all that much more important.
The editors hit four different stores, Best Buy, CompUSA, Fry’s Electronics, and Circuit City. Of the three stores, most of them provided pleasant customer experiences, but none of them were completely on the ball when it came to information-many sales reps in some of these stores couldn’t tell the difference between a Sempron and Athlon processor, and to be perfectly honest, if you can’t tell the difference and don’t know where to tell the customer to find that information out, you shouldn’t be selling someone a computer. (just my opinion!) Additionally, some of the folks were lacking in that necessary knack that people who work in technology oh so often need (and many of us have!), which is the ability to translate technical information into information that everyone can use; but it’s better to get technical information than no information at all, so the editors make an excellent point that if you’re feeling like you’re not getting the help you need and the information you need, seek out one of the store’s technicians-they usually have the technical training to ive you the answers you need.
Regardless, the article is an excellent look at the kind of average service you’ll get if you were to actually blindly go looking for help in an electronics store, and walk in armed only with the knowledge of what you’d like to do with a new computer, expecting the staff to be able to discern what features and type of system you’ll need to get it done. The moral of the story? Do your homework! Buying a new computer is definitely not a haphazard purchase, and just as if you were buying anything expensive or important, you should definitely do your homework, ask more technically inclined friends that you trust, and look around the web for excellent deals, rebates and coupons, and other people who can give you serious buying advice.