Unfortunately my first (and definitely last!) experience with OcUK is a very unsatisfactory and frustrating tale.
I bought 2 sticks of 3200 DDR RAM from Overclockers.co.uk in January of 2006. I got the order very quickly and without any hitches. Very nice. Very happy.
Towards the end of May one of the sticks failed so I contacted OcUK who swiftly gave me an RMA number. I was bit dismayed to find that they wanted both sticks back, as this would leave me with no RAM for that PC. However, their view was that the transaction was for two sticks and that they wanted them both back. I could understand this, even if it meant not being able to use my main PC for a bit.
I sent the RAM back by Special Delivery on the Thursday, the tracking showed that it was delivered to OcUK the next day (Friday). I didn't hear anything from them so I contacted them the following Tuesday (after May BH).
I got an automated reply stating that the RAM was being returned to the manufacturers for replacement. I assumed from this that the RAM must have definitely been faulty, although OcUK never did confirm that. The email finished by saying that replacements would take 7-10 days to arrive.
After 10 days had passed no RAM had been sent to me so I contacted OcUK via their webnotes system. They sent me a reply saying that I may have to wait up to 28 days from date of testing (26th May according to this guy) for the suppliers to send them the replacements. They would then send them on to me.
"OK" I thought to myself, not quite the 7-10 days as originally stated, but 28 days was a reasonable period to have to wait I suppose. Besides, it was almost 28 days by now anyway!
Those 28 days duly passed, I waited a further 7 days before contacting OcUK again, to give them time to send on the replacements.
With FIVE WEEKS now having passed by, I again contacted OcUK via webnotes to find out what had happened to my RAM. I got a reply stating that they were still waiting for the manufacturers to send replacements and that as soon as they did that, they would send them on to me. They finished by asking me to be patient!
So, I wait a further two weeks (being a good patient customer as requested) until a total of SEVEN WEEKS had passed from the date that they received (and apparently tested) the RAM.
By now I'm quite fed up with the wait, but I remain extremely polite and courteous as I once again contact them by webnotes.
This time I get an answer saying that I might have to wait up to NINETY days for the manufacturers to send them replacements, before they can send them to me!
I just don't understand their approach to this. They're still advertising and selling the same RAM on their website, so it's not as if it's a discontinued line that they can't get hold of.
I'm so frustrated by this episode, they just don't seem to care about how long I'm having to wait. Their emails are courteous, yet robotic and seemingly disinterested. No apologies for the delay, nothing. If I never bothered to contact them, I would just never hear from them and be none the wiser as to what's happening
I have a ton of manufacturing and retail experience. One of the golden rules is that you *never* pass on problems with suppliers to your customers.
So, here I am, minus £99, with no RAM and an unusable PC sat on my desk which I am sure is gloating over my grey mood. I have no idea when I will get my RAM. I may have at least another 40 days to wait yet!
To summarise my opinion of OcUK from my one experience with them:
1.) They don't communicate at all well with their customers.
2.) They don't seem to be able to be truthful with their customers. First of all I was told 7-10 days, then 28 days and now "up to 90 days"!
3.) They come across as disinterested and uncaring about their customer needs and the chance of repeat custom.
All in all a bad experience. I could never recommend Overclockers.co.uk to anybody, which is a shame because their prices seem very competitive.
They could so easily fix this side of their business. Very sad indeed.
This review was modified by its author, busted404, on
7/11/06 4:05 PM.