My boyfriend wanted to buy his mother a computer so that we can all communicate via e-mail, computer, etc. His mother resides in Arizona and we in Illinois, so it seemed very economical in the long-run, since long distance has shot way up in recent years. Not so sure it's the rates of long distance rather than it being the taxes, surcharges, and monthly fees. At any rate, a computer would have been a nice gift regardless of what use it would have been put toward.

I suggested People PC because I've caught their advertisements several times on television. It seemed like a very reasonable deal. A PC, and a year of Internet access and customer support for a monthly cost of approximately $37. That monthly cost varies, however, depending on upgrades, etc. After 2 years, the computer is completely owned. Considering the average cost of Internet service is $21.95, it wasn't a bad idea to go that route to purchase the computer package.

My boyfriend phoned the 800 number and I sat listening to him. He was very clear about wanting to have the computer shipped to his mother and have the bill directed to us. As I sat listening, I heard him repeat our information over and over and over again. I was appalled! It took about 6 times for him to repeat every detail. And at first the sales representative stated that his mother's home address wasn't located on the map! I was getting aggravated and I wasn't even the one dealing with this dizzy rep.

Well, after countless times of repeating our home address, his mother's home address, his social security number, telephone numbers, and driver's license number, it seemed all was set. It seemed more of an interrogation than a sale.

A few days later, we receive a delivery. It's a portion of the computer! We told the UPS driver to redirect it to the correct address. He took the address and said it would be no problem. The following day, the computer monitor arrived via UPS. This time, it was a different UPS driver and she stated that the driver from the previous day shouldn't have said that our package could be directed to the correct address. As a resident, it would seem that no one would be able to pick up the redirected shipping charges. Instead, our packages would be shipped back to People PC.

My boyfriend and I were livid at this point. We contacted People PC and discussed the difficulty we were having. They told us what we could do was cancel out that order completely, start over again, but we would still be billed for the shipping of the PC. Incredible! We were going to get charged for a mistake that THEY had made! No way!

We contacted the finance company and explained our dilemma to them. They agreed that we shouldn't be responsible for the shipping costs if People PC misdirected the merchandise.

The finance company contact People PC on our behalf and disputed the charges, stating that we refused delivery. That was rectified, however, People PC insisted that we pay for shipping and a restock fee, which came to $150. Absolutely incredible.

Now it lied in our hands. My boyfriend contacted People PC once again. He explained the circumstances and wasn't getting anywhere. I had to get on the phone and ask the mundane; Me: "Who is your supervisor?" Rep: "I don't know." Me: "Who is the manager?" Rep: "I don't know." Me: "Do you know who the president of People PC is?" Rep: "No." Me: "What is the phone number of headquarters?" Rep: "I don't know." Me: "What about their address?" Finally! I got an address, but it was a P.O. Box and not a physical address and I got their e-mail address!

I sat down and wrote a detailed letter to headquarters about our bad experience with People PC. I requested that the matter be resolved within a reasonable period of time and have yet to hear a word back from them. That was 2 weeks ago. I am fed up to my eyeballs with People PC.

The irony with People PC is that we heard from the finance company several times. The finance company sent us a welcome letter, the billing statement, the adjusted bill, etc. We never heard one word on People PC's behalf. Not one. They've lost our business for sure, but I wonder how many others may have experienced the same ordeal.

If you were opting to purchase a computer from People PC, look elsewhere!

Recommended: No

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