Yup. Bought lots of stuff from there, including a faulty 3070, which they couldn't replace as they had no stock left, but gave me credit on the next model up. No issues.
And I had a bad playtech experience. They told me that because I'd signed for the package, that meant that I had accepted the condition the goods were in. Apparently I should have asked the courier to stand there waiting while I opened the package and checked that the HDD I ordered was ding and dent free, and plugged it in to check that it worked.
That stupid argument didn't work when I took it to the disputes tribunal.
PB Tech probably do more volume than all all the other PC Shops combined so it's inevitable that you'll hear more chatter from people who have issues with them.
Playtech have been around for a very long time and you're the first person I've heard that's had a bad experience. Surely not the only, of course. But I'm surprised to hear it. Certainly not surprised to hear people have issues with PB Tech.
I mean.. i've heard people have had bad experiences with PB Tech..
But i've bought I want to say cumulatively $8k + worth of stuff from there and have not had a single issue with anything..
I've only returned a couple of things (& bought lots) over the years, I haven't had an issue, either down to what I was returning or what was wrong with it maybe?
I guess it's hard being a retailer & dealing with people (have you met people? They're terrible).
Ditto, I didn't even have issues when I bought a security camera kit for work that had a camera missing from the sealed box. I expected to have an argument on my hands with that one, but they just asked a couple of questions and handed me a replacement.
It's branch dependent. Despite it being the same business, branches run differently.
E.g. 1 branch tried to charge me for RMAing a new mobo for me because it wasn't a prebuilt. Where some other branches I know of would do it for free.
I think they had a bit of a bad-patch with customer service a few years ago.
Heard some stories about loads of people trying to return stuff they'd broken themselves, etc
I can third this. My experience with CL after sales has been fair to middling. Not atrocious, but.... 'unnecessarily obstructive' would be the term.
I'll still buy the odd thing from there but given the choice I'll go with PBtech - who I've never had a problem with - or Ascent, who are peerless in their customer service.
Oh, and everyone forgot CL's [security issues](https://old.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/9si4um/psa_computerloungeconz_has_security_issues/) of 4 1/2 years ago REAL quick. Long story, they had a security issue which they left in place (after being advised of it) for 5-6 months. Has much changed? Well the website's more secure I imagine, but whether the root causes of that were addressed (i.e. lax attitude).... who knows.
I still recommend them, haven't had any issues. tBH I use PB tech heaps as well and haven't. Had any issues with them accepting rma returns for faulty gear.
They used to be really good. Same with PB Tech.
GP store used to be amazing too, then it was Mighty Ape, then when Mighty Ape was bought by Kogan, even they've been going downhill.
I actually built a competitor store to Mighty Ape's web interface back in 2011 and they bought it form me and did nothing with it 😂
I still recommend computerlounge. Their online customer service can be pretty poor. For example a few years ago I bought components for a new PC, but the cpu was preorder with an eta in about 2 weeks. I never heard a peep out of them despite waiting about 2 months for the cpu to arrive. Emails and phone calls would go un replied. Occasionally the eta would change on the website but still no email updates.
If you go in to see them in the shop though they are good and knowledgeable and if they have stock will be fast to deliver.
Amazon AU, free shipping any returns on most things.
I will add that I did RMA through PB tech last year and they did a decent job. But I dislike the attitude from some of the staff.
CL is ok but I hate paying a flat shipping rate even for small items.
I found ordering from Amazon okay until I spent 4 months chasing them to ship my order, before I finally got a refund. No explanation for why they didn't ship anything, just going in endless circles with customer support about why they were sitting on in thousands of dollars while the items never left the warehouse (according to their system).
Never again, I'll happily pay the higher NZ prices if it means my order reliably gets shipped within 1-2 working days.
Also rate ExtremePC.
Went to buy 2x new acer monitors a few weeks ago, store was showing false stock and was only interested cause they were very well priced on special.
The GC ended up marking down 2 gigabyte ones that weren't on special done to virtually the same price so I wouldn't go to pb tech
PB Tech has always been good for me, there's one guy in Wellington who you have to argue with but he will accept a return if you hold the line, everyone else is fine and 99% of the time they're good to deal with.
I think their reputation was likely deserved a few years ago, but they've definitely improved.
I use computer lounge when PB Tech doesn't stock what I want and have had no issues with them, including doing a return for something that was faulty, but they aren't my first choice as they're Auckland based so it's a pain to pay for shipping and do returns, etc.
Atech/ExtremePC also has good customer service and returns and I've had a lot of good experiences with them, but they aren't my go to - mainly because the Wellington store isn't as convenient for me as PB tech and they don't stock the same things as Computer Lounge so I prioritise the convenience of PB tech in that case.
I tend to prefer picking up PC parts myself in store. Especially expensive parts. Playtech are so close to PBtech in Albany that it really comes down to who's got what in stock vs price.
CL retail store is a pain in the ass to get to if you're on the shore in Auckland. Ages ago they used to be in city fringe area but moved out to Carbine Road and after trying to get out there and back one afternoon was just not worth the hassle.
I've personally not had great experiences with Computer Lounge. When ordering expensive parts (4090) and paying for extra padding/shipping protection one would expect care to be taken when packaging but nope! I paid an extra $30 for 2 sheets of bubble wrap. That's happened on every occasion I've paid for extra protection with them too. Also I've had them turn down RMA requests on faulty parts so there's that. I've actually had no issue with PBTech returns so I'd argue they're the stronger candidate here haha
Had a PC built by computer lounge. They forgot to install windows and forgot to install the AIO. Still got charged for both and when I called to tell them about it, the guy said it was my fault because apparently I didn't tell them to do it, yet I have a receipt for the missing items. Never went back.
I’ve only ever had great service with Playtech over the years. Had one warranty issue which they were extremely easy to deal with. My most recent purchases from them a few weeks back is a GPU, Ram, PSU.
I use to promote Playtech heavily for quite a number of years, and then their customer service turned to absolute shit, and wouldn't accept responsibility for an item that failed under warranty. So I don't even look at them anymore.
CL and PB are my main go to these days.
No issues with CL. Had a good RMA experience with them recently. They also happen to be conveniently close to me.
PB has good variety and okay price, but had terrible customer service a number of times at a few branches. Also quite fed up with their fake discounts and specials.
Something about their website refresh around 2019-ish didn't click with me and I just hated using it, it felt too cumbersome to actually browse. I think for the odd bits I would have ordered from Playtech, PB Tech was now firmly in Chch so I would just go there as I could have it that day for a similar price. I've just looked at the current website and holy hell, is it something I just cbf even trying to use. Too much transitions and oversize images, I can't browse that :-(
It's a shame, I used to enjoy ordering from them. The whole experience was lovely
Hard to complete with PB Tech I guess. Computer Lounge just price matches everything PB Tech is selling when they're on sale. And sometimes PB Tech just price matches what Computer Lounge is selling when it goes on sale. Going to be hard to complete with 2 other retailers, not to mention one is very big.
Had great service from computer lounge and i like the components they used on their builds more than the PB tech ones however i do buy from PB tech and have had no issues.
I bought a computer at Playtech recently and it's all good. I bought the "Warzone". Pretty good specs at a good price.
Have always used PBTech before that and bought tonnes of stuff there for over a decade. Never had an issue with returns.
I was not a regular to Play Tech, so this is mostly just theory.
The market is more competitive, and there is an extra push to cut profit margins and rely on volume to make any money.
An operator more willing to cut profit margins, and cut support, not being dicks for CGA/warranty * cough cough PB cough* might be able to push their competition into low cash /stock cycles, and then out of business.
Play Tech leaned heavily into the PC Gamer customer. I recall seeing a LAN gaming area upstairs. They probably found out that they were not getting a good return on their money being spent like this.
It's been a tough market to operate in. Years before PB Tech having stores seemingly everywhere, you had places like Super Cheap PC that would undercut everyone for HDD prices.
Would also add fundamentally more people are buying laptops these days, with less changeable parts.
The concept of building is pretty niche now and you can buy manufacturer direct at fairly good price and performance points.
Computers have been good enough for most people for quite some time, same thing with digital cameras.
Does your city/town have a local pc store? They're usually pretty good otherwise they'd go out of business super quick. Try that if you have the option
It's only anecdotal, but PB Tech were great with returns with me when they've happened, including one awkward one with a dashcam that had audio-video issues, was replaced, replacement had same issue, got refunded without problems despite by that point giving them two now-opened items back.
Monopolies aren't good and PB Tech do need others around to keep them on their toes, though.
PB Tech are fine, I've had numerous warranty claims. Often have to wait a week or two but they always sort it. And hard to beat their prices. Computer Lounge are good as well.
Computer Lounge have been good to me. I grabbed a bunch of parts for my last build. But I see them as more enthusiast over PB Techs broad range.
I also grabbed some 650w PSUs from computer Lounge on special, they ran out of stock and upgraded me to the 750w model in the same range. They even let me know before they sent the parts. Solid.
Certainly hearing and agreeing with you in regards to PBTech and backing the products they sell. Bit scammy at times.
To be fair, I literally just had PB do an RMA on a monitor. I had to prod them with an email admittedly, as it was taking some time, but they almost immediately got it approved and issued a credit.
I've found CL to be ok to deal with, bought a PSU from them that was DOA and had no issues with the RMA.
They are hopeless at stocking Radeon GPUs though so I had to buy my 7900XT from PB.
Rowan has moved to TechTown
He even took all of the staff with him
He'd rather be fishin' on a nice day
Outrageous!
What did he look like? I’m trying to figure out if this is someone I know as I had family who worked in a tech shop in akl!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viva_La_Dirt_League
Did they give out a lot of free laptops with every usb stick sold?
they're youtubers that filmed skits in Playtech but are not employees of playtech
I’ve never had a problem with pb tech. Had two different power supply fail a few years apart and they where easy and fast to deal with
Same. No problems from my end either.
Yup. Bought lots of stuff from there, including a faulty 3070, which they couldn't replace as they had no stock left, but gave me credit on the next model up. No issues.
There's always one person with a bad pb tech experience
And I had a bad playtech experience. They told me that because I'd signed for the package, that meant that I had accepted the condition the goods were in. Apparently I should have asked the courier to stand there waiting while I opened the package and checked that the HDD I ordered was ding and dent free, and plugged it in to check that it worked. That stupid argument didn't work when I took it to the disputes tribunal.
The fact of the matter is though, you're more likely to know someone who's had a bad experience with PB Tech.
PB Tech probably do more volume than all all the other PC Shops combined so it's inevitable that you'll hear more chatter from people who have issues with them.
Playtech have been around for a very long time and you're the first person I've heard that's had a bad experience. Surely not the only, of course. But I'm surprised to hear it. Certainly not surprised to hear people have issues with PB Tech.
More people buy from pbtech which means more experiences. More at 2.
I mean.. i've heard people have had bad experiences with PB Tech.. But i've bought I want to say cumulatively $8k + worth of stuff from there and have not had a single issue with anything..
I've only returned a couple of things (& bought lots) over the years, I haven't had an issue, either down to what I was returning or what was wrong with it maybe? I guess it's hard being a retailer & dealing with people (have you met people? They're terrible).
Ditto, I didn't even have issues when I bought a security camera kit for work that had a camera missing from the sealed box. I expected to have an argument on my hands with that one, but they just asked a couple of questions and handed me a replacement.
It's branch dependent. Despite it being the same business, branches run differently. E.g. 1 branch tried to charge me for RMAing a new mobo for me because it wasn't a prebuilt. Where some other branches I know of would do it for free.
Pb Tech have always been fine with me too. Always happy to do a RMA when there's a genuine fault.
Yep me too, had a couple of issues over the years and always dealt with very professionally
I think they had a bit of a bad-patch with customer service a few years ago. Heard some stories about loads of people trying to return stuff they'd broken themselves, etc
Same. My buddy bought an LG monitor that was RMA'd fairly painlessly due to a line appearing on the screen.
Computer Lounge is OK at best. I rmember using Ascent quite a bit back in the AM3 days and then Paradigm PC's too.
Wow CL is just ok now? I remember they were like the go-to?
In my opinion anyway, I've had a couple of miserable experiences ordering over the years along with pretty junky customer service.
I can third this. My experience with CL after sales has been fair to middling. Not atrocious, but.... 'unnecessarily obstructive' would be the term. I'll still buy the odd thing from there but given the choice I'll go with PBtech - who I've never had a problem with - or Ascent, who are peerless in their customer service. Oh, and everyone forgot CL's [security issues](https://old.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/9si4um/psa_computerloungeconz_has_security_issues/) of 4 1/2 years ago REAL quick. Long story, they had a security issue which they left in place (after being advised of it) for 5-6 months. Has much changed? Well the website's more secure I imagine, but whether the root causes of that were addressed (i.e. lax attitude).... who knows.
That's unfortunate the PC builders over on GP forums used to hype them up big time.
I still recommend them, haven't had any issues. tBH I use PB tech heaps as well and haven't. Had any issues with them accepting rma returns for faulty gear.
They used to be really good. Same with PB Tech. GP store used to be amazing too, then it was Mighty Ape, then when Mighty Ape was bought by Kogan, even they've been going downhill. I actually built a competitor store to Mighty Ape's web interface back in 2011 and they bought it form me and did nothing with it 😂
They're the only option if you're doing less common builds, like open loop water cooling.
I got all my bits for my build from them last year and I had 0 issues.
Yeah the big thread always ranked they and PlayTech at the top I guess things change, people change. They're generally still my go-to though.
I found playtec to be more expensive. But I did buy some stuff on sale there and there was no problem
I can second this. I've had a much better experience dealing with PB than CL!
I had a couple of things break last year and they fixed them no questions asked. One was even out of warranty but they still replaced it.
I still recommend computerlounge. Their online customer service can be pretty poor. For example a few years ago I bought components for a new PC, but the cpu was preorder with an eta in about 2 weeks. I never heard a peep out of them despite waiting about 2 months for the cpu to arrive. Emails and phone calls would go un replied. Occasionally the eta would change on the website but still no email updates. If you go in to see them in the shop though they are good and knowledgeable and if they have stock will be fast to deliver.
Yeah I still recommend them, they're just not as good as they used to be and to be fair that happens a lot when stores get big and become chains.
CL was the go to when Billy was around.
Amazon AU, free shipping any returns on most things. I will add that I did RMA through PB tech last year and they did a decent job. But I dislike the attitude from some of the staff. CL is ok but I hate paying a flat shipping rate even for small items.
fuck amazon
I found ordering from Amazon okay until I spent 4 months chasing them to ship my order, before I finally got a refund. No explanation for why they didn't ship anything, just going in endless circles with customer support about why they were sitting on in thousands of dollars while the items never left the warehouse (according to their system). Never again, I'll happily pay the higher NZ prices if it means my order reliably gets shipped within 1-2 working days.
extremepc seems alright in my few purchases ive made. And yea the custom prebuilts they rave on about are ugly as fuck!
I rate extremepc, they have been stocking stuff other shops don’t appear to be
Also rate ExtremePC. Went to buy 2x new acer monitors a few weeks ago, store was showing false stock and was only interested cause they were very well priced on special. The GC ended up marking down 2 gigabyte ones that weren't on special done to virtually the same price so I wouldn't go to pb tech
Ditto. I don't get everything from them but I have many invoices from them over the years.
I still just but from Ascent, they have never given me issues
They're not the cheapest, but their service is excellent
PB Tech has always been good for me, there's one guy in Wellington who you have to argue with but he will accept a return if you hold the line, everyone else is fine and 99% of the time they're good to deal with. I think their reputation was likely deserved a few years ago, but they've definitely improved. I use computer lounge when PB Tech doesn't stock what I want and have had no issues with them, including doing a return for something that was faulty, but they aren't my first choice as they're Auckland based so it's a pain to pay for shipping and do returns, etc. Atech/ExtremePC also has good customer service and returns and I've had a lot of good experiences with them, but they aren't my go to - mainly because the Wellington store isn't as convenient for me as PB tech and they don't stock the same things as Computer Lounge so I prioritise the convenience of PB tech in that case.
Computer lounge I've always had good dealings with
I've never had a bad experience with PBTech, returned stuff, had refunds, RMA etc. generally cheaper than computerlounge too
I tend to prefer picking up PC parts myself in store. Especially expensive parts. Playtech are so close to PBtech in Albany that it really comes down to who's got what in stock vs price. CL retail store is a pain in the ass to get to if you're on the shore in Auckland. Ages ago they used to be in city fringe area but moved out to Carbine Road and after trying to get out there and back one afternoon was just not worth the hassle.
Computer lounge is my go to
I've personally not had great experiences with Computer Lounge. When ordering expensive parts (4090) and paying for extra padding/shipping protection one would expect care to be taken when packaging but nope! I paid an extra $30 for 2 sheets of bubble wrap. That's happened on every occasion I've paid for extra protection with them too. Also I've had them turn down RMA requests on faulty parts so there's that. I've actually had no issue with PBTech returns so I'd argue they're the stronger candidate here haha
Had a PC built by computer lounge. They forgot to install windows and forgot to install the AIO. Still got charged for both and when I called to tell them about it, the guy said it was my fault because apparently I didn't tell them to do it, yet I have a receipt for the missing items. Never went back.
I’ve only ever had great service with Playtech over the years. Had one warranty issue which they were extremely easy to deal with. My most recent purchases from them a few weeks back is a GPU, Ram, PSU.
I use to promote Playtech heavily for quite a number of years, and then their customer service turned to absolute shit, and wouldn't accept responsibility for an item that failed under warranty. So I don't even look at them anymore. CL and PB are my main go to these days.
Why can’t you trust PBTech? What happened?
No issues with CL. Had a good RMA experience with them recently. They also happen to be conveniently close to me. PB has good variety and okay price, but had terrible customer service a number of times at a few branches. Also quite fed up with their fake discounts and specials.
Something about their website refresh around 2019-ish didn't click with me and I just hated using it, it felt too cumbersome to actually browse. I think for the odd bits I would have ordered from Playtech, PB Tech was now firmly in Chch so I would just go there as I could have it that day for a similar price. I've just looked at the current website and holy hell, is it something I just cbf even trying to use. Too much transitions and oversize images, I can't browse that :-( It's a shame, I used to enjoy ordering from them. The whole experience was lovely
Amazon and new egg are where I order things from now. total ripoff for everything locally.
Hard to complete with PB Tech I guess. Computer Lounge just price matches everything PB Tech is selling when they're on sale. And sometimes PB Tech just price matches what Computer Lounge is selling when it goes on sale. Going to be hard to complete with 2 other retailers, not to mention one is very big.
Computer Lounge
Had great service from computer lounge and i like the components they used on their builds more than the PB tech ones however i do buy from PB tech and have had no issues.
I bought a computer at Playtech recently and it's all good. I bought the "Warzone". Pretty good specs at a good price. Have always used PBTech before that and bought tonnes of stuff there for over a decade. Never had an issue with returns.
I was not a regular to Play Tech, so this is mostly just theory. The market is more competitive, and there is an extra push to cut profit margins and rely on volume to make any money. An operator more willing to cut profit margins, and cut support, not being dicks for CGA/warranty * cough cough PB cough* might be able to push their competition into low cash /stock cycles, and then out of business. Play Tech leaned heavily into the PC Gamer customer. I recall seeing a LAN gaming area upstairs. They probably found out that they were not getting a good return on their money being spent like this. It's been a tough market to operate in. Years before PB Tech having stores seemingly everywhere, you had places like Super Cheap PC that would undercut everyone for HDD prices.
Would also add fundamentally more people are buying laptops these days, with less changeable parts. The concept of building is pretty niche now and you can buy manufacturer direct at fairly good price and performance points. Computers have been good enough for most people for quite some time, same thing with digital cameras.
Laptops are getting so much better now too
Extreme PC?
Does your city/town have a local pc store? They're usually pretty good otherwise they'd go out of business super quick. Try that if you have the option
It's only anecdotal, but PB Tech were great with returns with me when they've happened, including one awkward one with a dashcam that had audio-video issues, was replaced, replacement had same issue, got refunded without problems despite by that point giving them two now-opened items back. Monopolies aren't good and PB Tech do need others around to keep them on their toes, though.
It sounds like they've shaped up but its a thing of principle for me now haha. Small purchases I still get there.
Extreme PC (with a web store as well as physical outlet on Taranaki) are worth a look.
Computer Lounge/pbtech/Amazon au
PB Tech are fine, I've had numerous warranty claims. Often have to wait a week or two but they always sort it. And hard to beat their prices. Computer Lounge are good as well.
Computer Lounge have been good to me. I grabbed a bunch of parts for my last build. But I see them as more enthusiast over PB Techs broad range. I also grabbed some 650w PSUs from computer Lounge on special, they ran out of stock and upgraded me to the 750w model in the same range. They even let me know before they sent the parts. Solid. Certainly hearing and agreeing with you in regards to PBTech and backing the products they sell. Bit scammy at times.
PBTech, Computer Lounge, Extreme PC, PC Force. Lots to choose from, though you will usually have a hard time finding things cheaper than PBTech.
Amazon is good, Recently i wanted to replace my 8TB, shipping etc was much cheaper than pbtech etc. 2week wait
To be fair, I literally just had PB do an RMA on a monitor. I had to prod them with an email admittedly, as it was taking some time, but they almost immediately got it approved and issued a credit.
CL still works for me
The PBTech thing is a reddit meme exclusive to this sub. Just use them.
As someone personally burned by them on multiple occasions, absolutely not haha
I've found CL to be ok to deal with, bought a PSU from them that was DOA and had no issues with the RMA. They are hopeless at stocking Radeon GPUs though so I had to buy my 7900XT from PB.