Computers4Sure.com has the goods but can you find them?
Written: Aug 07 '01
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The Bottom Line
Carries a wide range of products for good to reasonable prices... however, the products are hard to find even through the search engine.
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I've made several purchases through Computers4Sure.com, my most recent was a TDK Mojo CD-MP3 player for my brother. Good prices, decent S&H costs, and excellent product selection and stock have kept Computers4Sure.com on my hit list when I purchase computer and electronic equipment.
Selection
Computers4Sure.com (and its sister site Solutions4Sure.com) carry most computer and electronic gear that the average consumer and office shopper would need as well as high end gear like workgroup printers and the such. While the site will contain the latest and greatest popular products, it is difficult to find low selling current high end gear... sometimes this gear will be released on the site several months after other online and brick & mortar (B&M) stores have such products in stock.
You will always know approximately how much stock of a product that Computers4Sure.com has. They always give an actual number for their stock which is fairly accurate. You will know if an item is out of stock!
Computers, notebooks, printers, video cards, gaming controllers, digital cameras, hard drives, etc... can be found on the site! The unfortunate trick is finding it...
Prices
Pricing is definitely competitive! Generally cheaper than the majority of B&M stores and sites like CDW.com, PCMall, Outpost.com, Staples.com, and a slew of other sites. Prices often beat Amazon.com and many times can beat buy.com. This is not to say that Computers4Sure.com offered the very best price on an item, but that it offered prices that most people wouldn't complain about overall!
Shipping and Handling
S&H is clearly denoted for each item sold on the product page. The S&H can be more expensive than other online stores most especially on small and lightweight items. Large and bulky items tended to compare favorably with other e-tailers (i.e. lower than others). Rush options are available for much (much) higher prices!
Although I have never received any damaged equipment from Computers4Sure.com, the packaging on items seemed somewhat thin and well as densely packed. One good whack on the package would have sent it back to the refund line! On the other hand, out of 25 orders, I have yet to receive a damaged package!
Delivery for ground shipments were within their stated timeframe and you are informed by e-mail of your order confirmation and when the products ship. However, there really isn't any other tracking information from Computers4Sure.com on preorders or backorders.
Customer Service
I really haven't had to deal with them since I haven't had any problems with the particular equipment that I had purchased. I haven't had to return any items for any reason. This also means that I can't really rate the customer service other than maybe... average?... due to lack of experience with it.
Where does Computers4Sure.com irk me?
Two major problems with the site... first is the lack of product information on a few products. You may find the link to the manufacturer or even user reviews, but the basic specifications may not be listed on the site. This may also be linked to multiple product ids for a handful of popular products as well... which only serve to increase the confusion of looking through the site.
The second is the poor and many times crappy search engine. Every single bleedin' item with the key word that you search for will show up! This can mean ten to hundreds to even thousands of entries to search through! This can make it rather time consuming to find the product. This isn't helped any by the awkward product and catagory interface on the site. If you click on the Printers catagory/tab, you will see a picture and mini-description with price of a handful of mostly popular printers... there are no further links to make it easier to search through the rest of the printers that Computers4Sure.com keeps in stock. You need to be fairly sure of what item you want to purchase at Computers4Sure.com, otherwise you'll spend too much time rummaging through the lists looking for it!
Overall
I still use the service for reasonable prices (and the additional discount I get through ebates.com - see my reviews on ebates.com!) and excellent selection. However, I usually am fairly sure of what I'm looking for and the price range I want to pay for it. If you are trying to browse the site, be careful! It can be difficult to find anything other than the most popular items and equipment without resorting to the murky search engine. Overall, I still shop fairly heavily on this site due to its good track record with my orders!
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
Reviews written: 399
Trusted by: 497 members
About Me: Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
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