Performance PCs

[Baleful]

I own a small business and we no further service clients often. We also have made mistakes and would listen to a rational customer and apologize if need be. If you receive less than acceptable customer support from a company you should pursue it with the supervisor or in this case owner.

Baleful, go ask Gary at Sidewinders if he would refuse to do business with a pain in the A customer (not saying iceredwing would fall into this category or not as that is not my place). This is the US and A. Here businesses have a right to refuse to serve unless the customer is a black female lesbian in a wheelchair with dyslexia and a mild crack addition.

Refusing to do business with someone because they are a pain in the ass, just be a pain in the ass is one thing. But dealing with a customer that is pissed off because YOU screwed up, in the manner above is ridiculous.

I completely understand and support the right to deny service "at will", companies should be free to run how they see fit. It doesn't matter one bit that this is coming from Hank, because I would call Gary out on the same thing if this ever came from him.

Having a "Black ball" list for "shady" customers is one thing, but to put someone on the "deny service" list because YOU pissed them off is entirely different.

[[XC] Fifty]

I was just looking again at ordering some things. They do have everything i need but the shipping to CA is crazy. I have ordered a lot in the past from the and the cheapest shipping is $13.67 for ground that takes about 5 to 7 days. 3 day is $22, 2nd day $29, and overnight $57. Ouch. So today I was looking at ordering a few new items. Total $$ is around $35 for the last parts to get my new build done. But wait 5 to 7 days or double the cost just to have them sooner.....

On bigger orders I will keep going back but on my smaller orders I am shopping someplace else. Just not worth the over priced shipping costs.

[kinghong1970]

no customer is a bad customer, so long as they buy...

if you dont like a specific vendor, then you're holding the card, make your decision...
but some smart vendors, will "make" you come to them by offering their variety...

aaaah, love capitalism...

[DeathWalking]

Having a "Black ball" list for "shady" customers is one thing, but to put someone on the "deny service" list because YOU pissed them off is entirely different.

Meh, I can understand it. If I piss someone off, I avoid them!

[iceredwing]

don't get me wrong, I do understand that customers can be a pain in the ass. But I try to conduct myself as calm as possible despite when companies screw up, nothing gets accomplished if I try to be a smart ass about it.

My initial e-mail was simply to sales@performance-pcs.com, I just happen to get a response from James by doing so. My initial e-mail simply contained the question of why I was charged for 6 lb in shipping when the actual weight of the entire shipment was actually 2 lb.

His initial response was candid, he stated that the weight posted in the site is not the actual weight of each product (which set of flags in my head). Rather the weight that the system had was based on weight of the product + the estimate weight of the shipping material + set weight (no idea what he means by this) to cover price on shipping material. In the end of that explanation, he stated that they don't overcharge on shipping in an attempt to profit.

What I got from his explanation was simply that they made the checkout increase the weight on each product so that it would not only cover the weight of the product, the weight of the shipping material, but to also cover costs of shipping material. The problem with that is they cannot prevent the system from overcharging hence why 16 ft of tubing had it weighed in at 6 lb. Since the primary unit used to measure shipping is weight, the higher they make that weight the higher we are charged for shipping. Had they simply stated somewhere that a handling fee to cover material was x-mount, I would have honestly been more fine with the scenario since it would be a fixed price. In this case it is not, the fact they refunded me the difference in shipping expense was proof that my assumption was right.

Here are some screenshots of my claim. I cannot provide you my initial request about information regarding the costs since it was through the website, and the response goes to my e-mail. But hopefully my only response shows that I really wasn't attacking them or angry at them when I brought up this issue.



Sending that e-mail back to James garnered a quick response regarding a refund on the difference. Once he sent me the e-mail regarding the refund on the difference. I get an e-mail exactly 1 minute after that stated this



Which in turn I receive a call roughly 1 hour after that e-mail, as stated in my earlier post, from a lady apologizing on my voicemail (didn't pick up cause i was on the road). Explaining the mistake regarding that bad customer / waste of time e-mail.

And here is a screenshot of the receipt minutes after I receive the "bad customer" e-mail



please be aware that i did order 2 more things outside of 16 ft of tubing, 1 mesh fan cover & a cheap plastic t-line, I omit it
because it has no bearing on the weight (well at best in real weight.1 lb, unsure how it affected the ''set weight'').

And here is a screenshot of my UPS tracking to verify the weight difference.



Now I know some might argue my response on the e-mail to james, regarding UPS informing the huge weight difference has a large bearing on price difference, might be invalid because the UPS customer support and I are not aware of the dimensions of the box. For the record the dimensions of the box only make a real factor on the price if the girth of the box reaches a certain size. In which case each additional inch of this certain size is factored into the weight itself, which they call weighted size. I am simply reiterrating what I was told, not making any assertions as to how UPS conducts their business. In other words, as long as the box the company used was under a particular girth the price wouldn't have been affected much at all (somewhere along the line of a few cents).

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

so hes saying that shipping charge includes the box, the penuts, the label printout the packing slip cost, small things that add up. also probably contains the cost of the labor to pack the order as well.

[DarthBeavis]

What was the bad customer explaination? I am not saying you did anything wrong I just want to know what that was about. Please email them again and speak with Hank.

[Baleful]

so hes saying that shipping charge includes the box, the penuts, the label printout the packing slip cost, small things that add up. also probably contains the cost of the labor to pack the order as well.

LMAO, that's total BS and you know it. Just because you're sponsored by P-PC's doesn't mean you need to take up for them. The response this guy received, regardless of who it came from, is completely unacceptable.

[iceredwing]

My guess is that was what he was alluding to. That doesn't mean it is alright, considering that if the system is based that way, each item's shipping weight factors in material / labor / shipping cost.

In hindsight that seems alright, until you make large quantity orders, then the concept of the "set weight" becomes particularly bad since 1 order normally means 1 box, 1 set of shipping material, & 1 attempt for packaging it up to ship out.

Not 16 boxes, 16 sets of shipping material, & 16 attempts for packaging it up and shipping it out.

We can argue the validity of their method all day, but the fact is they informed me that they did overcharge me on shipping and I would be refunded. Which means that their system is flawed.

Again if they stated in the receipt that shipping was $8.XX and handling was $6.XX, I wouldn't have been complaining. But they didn't , they told me prior to order that it was the weight of the entire package as a whole (i was fully aware 16 ft of tubing didn't weight 5.8 lb, but i couldn't argue since i couldn't estimate the weight of the box & material they used to ship it with). So there shouldn't be an argument that this is an okay practice. I was paying for something I was not aware of.

If I knew I'd pay 6.00 dollars for handling fees I wouldn't have made that order, it had nothing to do with the total, i just hate fees that I don't agree on. I could have spent that handling fee on more watercooling material!

[NaeKuh]

Dude this thread is funny...

Icered.. if i were you, id email hank and let him know.

I think i have a good relationship with hank like the other vendors. Hank is probably number 3 on my list right below john and alex.

Hank will try to make things right. The problem is getting a hold of Hank. He has other employee's so he cant answer all the questions but he tries.

When the consumer you have a problem with someone thats not the owner, you talk to the owner. The owner will try to make things right most of the time.

When the owner screws you, you just avoid the company.

So far icered you just had a bad experience with a worker. As i said talk to hank directly, and i promise you he will make it right.

[iceredwing]

D.B. , the lady who called left a voicemail stating that the bad customer response made by James was a clerical error. He meant to send that to someone else (my guess someone within the company) and it involved a different customer.

The reason why I believe it is a lie is my customer number & order number was in that e-mail with the comments. You don't see it on the screenshot because i cut it out.

We could make the assumption it was an accident, but he was dealing with me 1 minute before he sent that e-mail out so unless he was dealing with 2 customers at once, I'm pretty sure it was in reference to me heh

[Waterlogged]

iceredwing, while you were in the right to call them on it, the "tone" in which you did it would set off more than a few vendors. What followed was...inexplainable and just plain wrong behavior. Talk to Hank to get it sorted.

D.B. , the lady who called left a voicemail stating that the bad customer response made by James was a clerical error. He meant to send that to someone else (my guess someone within the company) and it involved a different customer.

The reason why I believe it is a lie is my customer number & order number was in that e-mail with the comments. You don't see it on the screenshot because i cut it out.

We could make the assumption it was an accident, but he was dealing with me 1 minute before he sent that e-mail out so unless he was dealing with 2 customers at once, I'm pretty sure it was in reference to me heh

I've got cash purchases for Bawls on my account @ FCPU from when I walked in to pick my stuff up and they forget to close my login.

[Baleful]

I think i have a good relationship with hank like the other vendors. Hank is probably number 3 on my list right below john and alex.

And exactly what the hell does that have to do with anything that is being discussed here?

You think Hank doesn't know about this? Stop kidding yourself, don't be so naive.

It seems pretty simple to me. They got caught trying to charge more for shipping and "handling" without letting the customer know. When the customer caught them on it, they got pissed and put them on the "black" list. Hank owns P-PC's, I'm pretty sure he would be the one to give the "OK" to putting people on the "black" list.

[iceredwing]

Naekuh, initially I wasn't going to do much about it. It might sound like I am piping angry for the hoopla, but i'm not. I'm just sharing a story lol.

I actually told this to Gary from sidewinder in full, just because I am shocked by how childish support was. I didn't provoke any form of hostility, as you can see, and I got it none the less.

I make 2 orders with this company and twice I have issues with them. The compression fittings order, I also have that in my e-mail history, so I can easily prove that I was just as candid then as I was here in regards to the error. But there is no point to it since that was 4 months ago.

Plus if there was a 'tone' that I set on that e-mail, I wasn't aware of it. I was fairly straight to the point with my e-mail, I didn't sugar coat it because I am the one being overcharged... why do I need to be the one to try and be overly careful not to hurt someone's feelings? I didn't call him a dumba$$ or anything while informing him that I was obviously overcharged. It might appear like I'm being a smart ass, but remember he responded earlier trying to validate the charges with the companies over estimation on weight without acknowledging the fact that despite his explanation of how they do things... the system in fact did overcharge. He only acknowledged it when I said I contacted UPS to check the price of actual shipping & the price they charged me for shipping

As far as talking to Hank is concerned, I don't know how to reach him. When I call I normally receive normal customer support. When I call sidewinder computers or petra's techshop, you reach Gary or Quoc respectively.

[DeathWalking]

And exactly what the hell does that have to do with anything that is being discussed here?

You think Hank doesn't know about this? Stop kidding yourself, don't be so naive.

It seems pretty simple to me. They got caught trying to charge more for shipping and "handling" without letting the customer know. When the customer caught them on it, they got pissed and put them on the "black" list. Hank owns P-PC's, I'm pretty sure he would be the one to give the "OK" to putting people on the "black" list.

Don't assume everything is a conspiracy theory. The man is not out to get you, personally.

[NaeKuh]

Email his support with the word Hank please reply.

Dont state your concern in the email to support until hank replies.

Once he replies tell him the problem.

Its also nice to use a name reference of someone Hank knows well.
You can use me, he knows me as naekuh, but when you do talk to him please be civil.

You can bash the other punk, but approach hank professionally.

Remember he's the owner.


Gary (SW comps.) is awesome too... so is linus (NCIX hes not owner tho, but he helps out as much as possible)... I should note the other 2 favorate vendors on our forum.

Oh... but lately ive been bugging the crap out of dean and koolance.

[iceredwing]

Yeah, customer relations is really important. Gary took the time to talk to me about it because he asked me about what happened.

Next thing I knew I made a $7.00 order from sidewinder into a $40.00 order.... lol

[Baleful]

Don't assume everything is a conspiracy theory. The man is not out to get you, personally.

Lol, never said he was. I don't really do the whole conspiracy theory deal. I just know the things I've seen with my own two eyes don't reflect the same "marry" "happy" attitude as some of you. I've seen some inside dealings with P-PC's that are pretty shady to say the least, but if you've had good dealings with P-PC's, more power to you.

If you like shopping at P-PC's, shop there, it's a free country.

I just think it's funny how some people were pretty quick to come in here and, 1. Try and discredit ice, 2. Just sweep this under the rug like it's "normal" practice, or "just an accident".

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

LMAO, that's total BS and you know it. Just because you're sponsored by P-PC's doesn't mean you need to take up for them. The response this guy received, regardless of who it came from, is completely unacceptable.

I'm not sponsored by p-pcs in any way... lol

how is it BS that the shipping charge covers more than just the UPS cost? clearly there is more involved in shipping a package than that.

[iceredwing]

because they initially claimed that it was just shipping that I was paying for

then they stated the system is meant to cover shipping & material costs

then they stated that they don't overcharge in an attempt to make profit from shipment

to which we conclude with a refund and admittance to overcharging.

Mind you that the overcharging isn't a clerical error, that is an error on the system that they implement into the checkout system.

You might be okay being overcharged 3-6 dollars on shipping. But I particularly have an issue with companies who try to make a profit on shipping. If this is a consistent outcome on larger orders, then in 10 orders they are making a decent amount of profit on a service (shipping) that they don't even do.

Also, the concept of charging us a fee on the labor / shipping material in itself is stupid. You factor that in when you price your merchandise. We already pay for the employee labor and etc when they mark up the price. Why do you think newegg is cheaper than best buys? they have less expenses to factor in and the product prices reflect that.

[DarthBeavis]

I pointed Hank to this thread.

[Baleful]

I'm not sponsored by p-pcs in any way... lol

My apologies Ian. I didn't mean an on-going sponsorship, but I thought one of your past builds was sponsored by them, my mistake .

[ChaosMinionX]

I placed an order last wed and it got here on this past saturday

[Vinas]

I have had quite the opposite experience when it comes to this company.

Same here... Swore to never to business with them again. But to each their own, maybe the company is getting better? Still though I'd recommend Petras or any other tech site before performance pcs.

Edit: For the record, my order was fine. Then a week later I got a request for money via paypal. No explanation or anything so I did what anyone would do and ignored it thinking they got the wrong person or something.... Finally after the second request I contacted them via e-mail and they replied something like "we told you the last time you gave us the wrong address that there would be a $10 fee from UPS". There were two things wrong with this, 1. my address was correct since it was overnighted fine, and 2. I had never ordered from performance PCs before. So I was worried about the quality of their operation. Accusing the customer isn't good and what's more is their communication is sub par in my book.

So I kindly let the gentleman know that I was a first and last time buyer from PPCs. =\

[Movieman]

Reading thru this and some of it surprises me.
On every order I've had with them they've treated me fine and on the two times I asked for a small part to be shipped that day if possible they have done so.
I can see where their method of calculating weight to cover materials could run into issues as the gentleman with the tubing ran into.
The question then becomes is this a flaw in the system or a deliberate attempt to "make" money on the shipping?
Based on my dealings with them I have to think it's a flaw.
I want to add that I'm not ascoiated with them, just have found them to be a excellent place to deal with.
I buy essentially from PPC's and Newegg for 95% of what I need.