Should I Be Worrying? Eclipse Computers

[jeffel]

I once missed my birthday* whilst waiting in the line to be served - and you may find that the item you went in to purchase is discontinued by the time you get to the front of the queue LOL

LOL !

yeah lol !

[bnorth99]

thanks for the advice wombar and jeffell

the warranty if for 1 year but after 1 month (premier30) its return to base at teh victims expense. I reported the graphics problem after 18 days and asked for it to be fixed under the warranty on day 29 so I should be covered.
of course Eclipse try to delay matters (asking me to contact the monitor maker !) and now say I'm out of time !!

but since they also say on RTB it will take up to 28 days to fix (cos they have to get a new part off the maker !!!) I may well buy a new DVD - as you suggest - and get a friend to help fix it.
this will invalidate the warranty and the worry is of course if something else falls off next !!

yes I should have checked what a terrible reputation Eclipse (of coventry distinct from sussex one have) .
I think the reason they are in business is that PC Advisor are always saying what wonderful products they have - for some reason !!??

[wombar]

PC Advisor basically don't want to lose what is probably a long term advertiser, unfortunately that's the way it works in business. I saw their advert in Micro Mart years ago and made the mistake of ordering from them, NEVER again I tell you (and everyone else who will listen quite frankly)

If it were me, I'd just write the warranty off because it's going to have to be something pretty big to warrant the expense of posting a PC with all the relevant packaging to protect it. If you do ever need to send it back, make sure it's REALLY well packed or you could be looking at a claim it wasn't packaged properly and therefore the warranty if void

Sending your PC back to Eclipse for what would probably end up being 5-6 weeks by the time they've got their act together, is probably more hassle than its worth IMO. Of course it really depends how PI**ED you are at them. You should be able to take them to small claims court if they won't collect at their expense (Sale of Goods Act etc), but that depends whether you want the hassle. At the moment fixing the problem would cost no more than £20 in parts and a beer for a mates time if you don't want to DIY.

Writing a letter to their MD (or possiby get the name of the manager) would probably yield better customer service, but I wouldn't bother sending a letter addressed to their "customer service" department because you'll just be dealing with the people you have already been dealing with.

My opinion (for what its worth), take the PC and maintain it yourself, and make sure you tell other people about your experience dealing with them.

thanks for the advice wombar and jeffell

the warranty if for 1 year but after 1 month (premier30) its return to base at teh victims expense. I reported the graphics problem after 18 days and asked for it to be fixed under the warranty on day 29 so I should be covered.
of course Eclipse try to delay matters (asking me to contact the monitor maker !) and now say I'm out of time !!

but since they also say on RTB it will take up to 28 days to fix (cos they have to get a new part off the maker !!!) I may well buy a new DVD - as you suggest - and get a friend to help fix it.
this will invalidate the warranty and the worry is of course if something else falls off next !!

yes I should have checked what a terrible reputation Eclipse (of coventry distinct from sussex one have) .
I think the reason they are in business is that PC Advisor are always saying what wonderful products they have - for some reason !!??

[javalord]

I think the reason they are in business is that PC Advisor are always saying what wonderful products they have - for some reason !!??

Nah, its because they're cheap, some people rather waste time their than go somewhere else.

[bnorth99]

thanks wombar anmd javalord,
I think you're absolutely right - I will just get a new DVD drive ( any advice there ? I spose it doen't matter that much) and get a friend help me replace it !
at least it was a cheapish PC but £600 is still not peanuts !

and you're right re trade magazine recommendations - and the rest are no better
Computer "advice you can trust" Buyer are touting Eclipse this month despite the web full of complaints about them !
computerbuyer.co.uk/registration/index.php?p=e&i=46e680444e7ddd2a

[wombar]

TBH, there's not a massive amount of difference between DVD drives these days, they're pretty much as fast as they're going to get and very similar spec. I suspect that you'll have an IDE DVD ROM which means something like this:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

will do the job nicely. It might be worth getting your mate to open the case to check as there's a possibility it could be a SATA connection in which case you'd probably want something like this:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Either way, you're going to be better off in the long run maintaining the PC yourself, because at least you're in control of your own destiny that way. I have been building my own PCs for 15 years and whilst it can be a PITA sometimes, when something does go wrong I can usually get it fixed in 24 hours at most.

I learnt a very valuable lesson with Eclipse and I'm sure you have as well. Don't try to save £20 here and there because in the long run it's just not worth it. I buy from Novatech, Scan and my local PC shop when I need something generic or in a hurry. These shops offer top quality components, a top class service and most importantly, they are well respected by the enthusiast community which means they can't afford to treat people like dirt or they'll lose business very quickly.

[bnorth99]

more unhappy eclipse computers (of coventry) victims come to light


"Do not be tempted to use this company - they are cheap but their after sales service stinks"
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=16173

and
"When the system arrived initially, after a five week delay, it didn't work, wouldn't even switch on."
reviewcentre.com/reviews55635.html

photos here !!!

"Note all 6 of the plastic supports for the front of the case are snapped "
photos.offline.org.uk/showgallery.php?galleryid=34

and
"Thought id just write this to imform people about this company and what a crap experiance i have had of them."
deadmen.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-10831.html

[javalord]

thanks wombar anmd javalord,
I think you're absolutely right - I will just get a new DVD drive ( any advice there ? I spose it doen't matter that much) and get a friend help me replace it !
at least it was a cheapish PC but £600 is still not peanuts !

and you're right re trade magazine recommendations - and the rest are no better
Computer "advice you can trust" Buyer are touting Eclipse this month despite the web full of complaints about them !
computerbuyer.co.uk/registration/index.php?p=e&i=46e680444e7ddd2a

Seriously, its not that hard to replace by yourself even if your not 'inside a computer' literate. There's a power cable, an IDE/SATA cable and possibly a audio cable. Making sure you put them in the right way (follow the notches) and undoing a few screws on the side of the case that hold the drive, there really isnt much to do!

As for magazines, I gave up reading on them years ago for the very same reason - clearly biased towards advertisers rather than honest feedback.

[bnorth99]

thanks, javalord, for the tips. I think I will replace the DVD after ordering a new one from the link wombar provided.
It probably is easy but I do have a friend to help - pathetic isn't it ? I'll pay attention so I can do it myself next time !
re mags maybe "which computing" is better ? they don't take advertising - in fact I think Which is not for profit. I get the ordinary which mag but not the computing one - drawback is of course its relatively pricey !

[bnorth99]

by the way I checked the spec of my PC and the DVD drive is a
NEC 18x Dual Layer DVD Writer

so would that be the same as a IDE DVD ROM ???
many thanks again ..

[streetster]

DVD ROM = reading only
NEC 18x Dual Layer DVD Writer = reading/writing/probably re-writing = better than DVD-ROM

[covbloke]

any advice on trading standards/ sale of good act/ stuck DVD trays would be much appreciated (seen tips on web for dealing with DVD trays jammed in - but not out)

Sure. The drive is faulty. If you are in the UK and had it less than six month then the itme is assumed faulty and should be replaced or refunded. Unless the SHOP CAN PROVE it was not faulty at time of sale. i.e. to they would have to prove you broke it, e.g. signs that it was dropped or misused. Obviously a drive tray is expected to eject for at least a year without breaking.

If it has been more than six months the onus is on YOU to prove it was faulty at time of sale.

So be quick!

[switchmode]

You would'nt beleive that a company could get so much bad feedback. I would personally love to run a component suppliers and give great service and customer suport. It must be hard work to make it so bad

[shaffaaf27]

I have used them once before, last year and they dispatched the order same day, and got to me the next day.

Delighted by that one experience, never used again though, as i put it to a one off.

[AndrewJ]

We do need to remember not matter what company, we will mainly here negative comments over positive since those who get good service, don't have problems and don't feel the need to share with everyone.

[neologan]

i notice they have pretty good prices on some stuff, they insinuate they have stock, then you order and then they email you to say they don't have any, that you can either wait or choose something else.

I cancelled my order and received a refund a few days later. I did this instead of waiting because of all the negative feedback on the net, don't trust them.