Customer Service is KEY!

I wanted a new computer, something a bit on the higher end of the spectrum.

My old desktop just gave up the ghost (though I’m seeing about having it repaired…I think it’s just the power source) and my old reliable laptop (Lenovo Y430) was having a hard time coping up with the jobs I keep subjecting it to.

After some research I set my heart on a Dell XPS 8300 Desktop I found on the Villman website which was Php 59,990.00 SRP. Seeing as there’s a nearby Villman outlet where I live I decided to check it out there thinking I’d be lugging a new desktop when I go home after.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Villman Shenanigans

The Makati Cinema Square branch apparently didn’t carry the Dell model I was looking for. According to the sales guy these things had to be pre-ordered and it will take 3-5 days before it arrived (assuming stock was available). I asked about the ordering process and he said that I had to make a down payment first after which they would call their different branches and see if they had the model I want in stock.

This was absurd because, assuming that the stock was not available, I’m now locked in (I had to buy something from the store) because of my down payment. The cashier however told the sales guy to give the other branches a call and make an inquiry if the Dell XPS 8300 was available (so a down payment was not a requirement after all).

After several calls, it was determined that there was only one stock left and it was in their SM Annex branch, a good 30-45 minutes away from where I live. I was thinking that I’d just head on over there and buy it from that branch when the sales guy said that I can opt to pay it here and pick the desktop up there.

That was a major turn off and I decided I’ll just get my desktop from somewhere else.

A byte from the (Star) Apple

I proceeded to their next door (well, almost) competitor Star Apple hoping that they’d carry the Dell XPS 8300 or something equivalent. The sales lady informed me however that they don’t carry Dell and that if I wanted an i7 level CPU I’m going to have to wait until Monday because that’s when their new stock will be arriving.

At this point, I was beginning to think I was going to have to head on out to Greenhills or Quezon City to get my mean machine. Fortunately I remembered that there’s a PC Express right across the street from Makati Cinema Square.

PC Express

I asked the sales guy and I was again informed that they do not carry the Dell XPS 8300.

He asked about the model’s specs and its price however. I gave him my spec sheet and he said that he can probably give me a cheaper deal with the same (or better) specifications. With that he proceeded to check their inventory, put together an inventory of the parts needed, and whipped out a cost estimate in less than 10 minutes.

The sales guy gave me a package with double the specs of the Dell XPS 8300 but about Php 8,000.00 cheaper. I happily paid the cashier and took home the machine. The whole process took about an hour and I was very satisfied with their service.

Epilogue

I don’t know enough about computer parts and services these days (I’ve been out of circulation for far too long) but in my mind most stores are just about equal in terms of price and availability of stocks.

The thing that will really make a difference? Customer service.

It did with me.