Time Computers have just deleted our entire hard drive while the PC was in for repairs.
After repeated crashes the PC had not been working for several months. TIME completely failed to repair the PC thie first 3 (three) times we sent it in, and finally "repaired" it by putting in a basic upgrade - without informing us.
When we contacted them to ask where our 3 years' worth of work, personal information etc. was, they told us that it was "standard procedure" to ditch the hard drive and that it was OUR fault for not backing up everything beforehand. Exactly how we were supposed to do this given that the PC had not been working for months, they did not bother to explain. Our entire purpose in getting it repaired was to access our data, which they have now deleted.
I won't even go into the details of the vast time and expense spent on helplines, being told to do the same things over and over again "just in case it works this time".
3 times back to time factory,last time came back still same problems.unable to play dvds without screen freezing up computer cost over £2,000.lots of problems with games.i have spent over £200 on phone calls,firstly they keep you waiting for 10mins,then they have to consult with a colleague another 5mins ,they refuse to ring back.the info is usually wrong,so its back on the phone,more cash.all in all this has to be the worst company ever with no regard for its customers.then again the company is run by asians who just want to make a fast buck.i have sent numerous complaints with no reply.its about time the office of fair trading became involved as this company has been on tv numerous times about its shoddy image.i myself will never buy from this company again.i will also be consulting solicitors as ive come to the end of my tether. totally pissed off.
I know this is long but its worth reading... i've had my time computer for nearly a year now. we were stuck with an awfully slow pentim 1 computer, so we all decided it was 'time' for a new one. when reading the paper, i came across a time computers ad, selling a very high spec pc for what seemed a good price. we ordered it, everything was fine, the paperwork was accepted etc etc. the problems started on the day of delivery. we were told the machine would be here by 1 o clock at the latest. it was now 1.30 so we rang up. they had delivered it to the wrong house. oops. it would be with us by the end of the day. at about 4pm it arrived all 4 or 5 boxes. i assumed the £50 we were speding on the delivery man would go to good use and he would set it up for us. oh no. have fun, he said and off he went. knowing a lot about computers i set it all up correctly and turned it on. "thank you for buying a time computer with microsoft windows xp blah blah...please type your name" all fine and dandy until i clicked finish. the thing restarted. uumm, what have i done here? never mind i'll just wait till it boots up again...ah. problem. "the system has not been installed properly. please run setup again." searching frantically for a windows xp setup disc i saw in the manual that time are legally not allowed to supply windows xp discs with machines. "what the..." i thought. but i had been supplied with a 'reload disc'. phew, just pop it in, reboot and.....oh no. "this reload is not suitable for this pc" ????ok dont' panic. a quick call to the tekky support line will sort it. having got reload version 7.1, i was informed i needed version 8. 'ok how long will that take?' "it'll be with you within a week." ok, i can just about handle this, i thought. guess how long it took to arrive? 2 months. and guess what? it was the same disc that came with the computer. grrrr. rang them up again. "you need version 8" yes i know!! after writing a strongly worded letter to the head office, i recieved the correct version a couple of days after. Insert disc. Press some buttons. HOORAY! We are in to windows. I installed all my programs and started browsing the internet. But suddenly, the computer restarted itself. Panic. Oh, i must have somehow hit the reset button. Thats OK. But it did it again. Twice. In a day. Rang them up. "Run the reload again", I was told. "Dont install anything." OK did that, it reset itslef with nothing on it. Rang up the line. "OK we will collect it for repair". YAY. It took about a week and a half to get it back, and the peice of paper enclosed in the bok told me it was faulty electricals in the hard drive. So it will be working, good. I turned it on, and straight away it reset. "Oh for..." i thought. I installed everything anyway, thinking, I can't be bothered to send it back again. Since then, it has reset so much, and it is being collected tommorow. Fingers crossed......
Our Time PC has been a reasonable buy for 3yrs+ though now crashes more often. Never used after sales so haven't experienced the horrors reported. Thinking of upgrading it - with memory and better CD-RW for starters. Where can I find manuals or advice on how to work on it?
I am in agreement with a lot of the comments made against time yes the support is sh**e the driver cd they supply on my machine was completely different to the hardware which was installed.No way to recover xp unless you purchase their recovery discs unlike hp where you can have a clean install from the hard drive without purchasing the recovery discs and yes i ask the salest*ss*r if you could recover from the hard drive he said "yes" but to be fair its a belter of a machine and apart from having to buy my own copy of xp there's no way i could've built my own pc to the spec they did for the price,still time smells more than a babies nappy at 4 o'clock in the morning.
customer service does not exist. Nothing but a bunch of second rate component pushers. Customer support is a joke as you are expected to remedy the errors of there fitters.
I have only ONE thing to say THANKS to Time about....thanks for making me LEARN to BUILD my OWN pc with the working pieces of the TIME one I bought in 1998.....the SECOND one, the first had to go back as it BLUESCREENED from day one. The second froze screen periodically, but I eventually rebuilt it myself, learning a LOT along the way. I'll be using a combination of DELL and my own knowledge next time.....THANKS a lot....
I have bought five or six Time computers for myslef and my work, including two laptops and I have never had any problems with them apart from the battery for my older laptop stopped working which is a common occurance with any laptop of that age. If you know someone who can repair your computer if it goes wrong then I would suggest buying from Time, but don't get their support. Their computers are top-spec and very reliable and their prices are very low. Yes their support isn't worth mentioning but maybe thats how they manage their prices. I have read the other reviews on this page and I agree that if you know nothing about computers and don't know anyone who does then Time may not be for you, but after all the reliable pcs I have bought I would always recommend them with praise. I build pcs myself now and I know enough about computers to know that the ones I bought from Time were all top quality, unlike some of the other desktops I have seen for much higher prices.
The computer works fairly well, though there is a problem with the graphics driver which is not addressed on their support website (don't even think about the premium rate tech support number) and which is made worse by installing new drivers.
My problem is with their sales people. Rude and pushy, they lie about the support packages to make you buy the most expensive one.
After ordering over the net, they phoned me up and told me that I had to but a support package too (between £200 and £500, according to their lying sales rep). When I asked to cancel the order, they refused point blank.
I then looked at their website, and found that the cheapest support package was actually £50, not £200 and when I insisted on the cheapest one (only way of getting a reload CD) they accepted - but then charged me £100 for it!
Some time ago I sent my still under warrantee PC back to TIME for repairs. Weeks later, even though I have CoverGold extended warrantee, I agreed by phone, to pay for an upgrade. My Credit Card was debited and payment made within a day or two.
Many weeks and numerous phone calls later, Mr Chris Swain, TIME Customer relations 01282 770044 x7113 said they had eventually traced my PC, as being lost! ??
TIME, via Mr Chris Swain eventually agreed to build, a comparable machine, but with only one Hard Disk, as they did not make the twin HD machines any longer. I reluctantly agreed to this. By this time, I had withdrawn from my final year, degree course, ICT, with the Open University, because I had no PC on which to work.
Six weeks after sending my PC to TIME, Road and Sea delivered a box, with what I hoped, would be my New PC. However, on inspection! I recognised this, NOW !, Scuffed, Bashed, and Battered PC, as the one I had originally sent to TIME for repair!?? With the exception that Now, I had no keyboard or mouse, which You (TIME) had requested.
I called TIME, again, and again. I was put on hold. Hung up on, by Mohsin ?, told by Idris? I had changed my OS,( the reason I bought the PC in the first place, FREE UPGRADE TO XP.!) TIME had changed its CoverGold, conditions for Upgrade from ME to XP support. I was no longer supported by them TIME on this number,? I should now phone this, PRIMIUM RATE number for help!
After much stalling by TIME and its representatives, it was agreed, TIME made a mistake. I should Not have been sent That machine !!Just forget all about it, use it as a door stop, bin it!, give it away!, well send you a brand new 2.2GHz super doper machine
Foolishly, I agreed with Chris Swain, and let it lie. Again!.
While trying to set-up and start (with spare parts) this, now, totally reworked, and abused PC, my phone was knocked out, as a direct result of switching on this revamped and faulty PC. BT charged me £43+Vat for reconnection. In a fit of rage I tossed the PC into a skip.
Another week went by as I waited for a Working PC from TIME. I called again. Ken? agreed I had been hard done by and TIME was in the wrong! it would be sorted out before he quit work at 14:30. Not long after this, Chris Swain phoned me! Have you still got that computer? No ! My answer, you said it was rubbish, its scrapped more talk . Ill phone you back he said!
At 17:10 Wednesday Feb 12th 2003. Jason Stot 01282 770044 x 7218, the most distasteful and thoroughly contemptuous man I have ever had the displeasure of talking to, made the following comment, call me back on 01282 770044 x 7218, on Friday, Im on holiday tomorrow (Thursday 13thFeb03) with the working PC we sent you. Ill then arrange for it to be picked up. When I get it back and see it is working, we will decide what to replace it with.
When I asked about breach of contract he replied, (again contemptuously) you should read the small print. I asked, what happens if I cannot get the PC from the skip? I have already paid for an upgrade. I have been sent a bundle of rubbish, junk! which has rendered my phone line un-serviceable, cost me a Year in study time and now, I have no PC at all. Plus a bill!. His reply without a working PC back here, you are getting nothing!
This is reprehensible! How? A supposedly, reputable! Company, like, TIME, can get away with this is despicable. No! its Fraudulent Practice, and is beyond me.
The Company, TIME and its representatives, are dishonest, and a disgrace to the computer industry.
I have no alternative now, but to involve the media .
Since sending this email to Time I have been contacted by Jason Stot Thursday 13th 2003 at 10:55 who then adds insult to injury by telling me a further charge will be made if I do not sent him a working PC. I charge TIME with failure to comply with any/all fair and reasonable trading requirements, Under breach of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994.
Thanks to my solicitor and the help of BBC FairPlay Northern Ireland, I was finally able to get my laptop. Since receiving it, I have found it to be an excellent piece of Hardware: Pity about the 4 months delay! I would not recommend Time Computers for their lack of customer service but if you have 4 to 6 months to spare it's a really good deal in terms of quality and price. Hoping that the laptop won't EVER break down on me, so I don't also suffer their Technical Support ...Merry Christmas and wishes that large companies such as Time will improve someday and serve the customers as they intended to!
Yes... Another discontent customer! I ordered and paid in full for a time Traveller Portable PC last July in Blanchardstown, Ireland. A couple of weeks later: the company in Ireland went down which left no store open in the Republic for queries. I have since phoned over 20 times to their UK Customer Service Centre (What Customer Service??) and have been promised time after time (ahah!) that I would be delivered the computer. To this date, I have had to contact a solicitor who is now in touch with Time Computers. I have also contacted BBC FairPlay and Watchdog UK. I'll keep you posted... Now I need your advise: does anyone know what happens to the one year guarranty in such a case? I would like to sell the PC as soon as I receive it (if I ever!)as I don't want to go through their sieve again in case it breaks down...any offers?
my one and a half year old time pc,s fan broke so i phoned to have it collected and repaired.6 days later my computer was back with a working fan but the motherfuckers had totally wiped my hard disk,they say i should have been told they would do this when i phoned to send the computer back, of course i wasnt told this! they have erased all my software all my written documents everything id saved, i dont make back ups on disk because whats the point of having 10s of gigabytes of storage space if you cant use it!yes im going to get legal advice and sue the shit out of them, quite why its nessessary to wipe a hard disk to fix a broken fan is beyond me, any legal advice would be appreciated. NEVER EVER buy a time pc, if it breaks which it will you have to send it back and their policy is to wipe your hard disk of all your saved info because they say legally they cant have a copy of say tomb raider on there property(this is what a time customer support person told me) these people are insane
I live in Bristol but when I mentioned I wanted a new up-to-date computer a friend of mine in Manchester persuaded me to wait until after Christmas when he could help me to buy a good system - he knows a thing or two about computers. So, on 12 January I had to take my niece, who had stayed with me over Christmas and New Year, back to Preston and decided to spend the night in Manchester. I met my friend in the afternoon and we went on a computer hunt. Eventually he advised me that the system we were being offered by Tiny was a good system and seemed reasonable value for money so I decided to go ahead with this purchase.
Not having the money on me in hard cash I took a couple of days to think about it and rang the store the following Tuesday to confirm the order and give them my card number for payment. They gave me a delivery date of Friday 25 January but this wasn't really convenient because I was off on holiday on 27th and wouldn't have time to unpack the machine. We therefore agreed to defer delivery to Monday 4 February after my return and I agreed to pay the extra cost of evening delivery (i.e. between 5.00p.m. and 8.00p.m.).
On the following day, Wednesday 16th, I received a confirmation order with delivery details for 4 February. I also checked with my bank and the money had already been taken from my account. I was not, at that point, upset about the money and was looking forward both to my holiday and to receiving the computer immediately on my return.
I arrived back home on Sunday 3 February and went off to work on the Monday having made absolutely certain there would be someone at the house from 5.00p.m. onwards until I got home ready for the anticipated delivery. By 7.45p.m. on the Monday I was anxious and by 8.30p.m. I was angry. Eventually by 8.45p.m. I telephoned the store and it was only then I was told of the take-over by Time. In spite of making a statement to the Press on 30 January (which I had not seen as I was out of the country) which said quite clearly: "A spokesman said Time will complete all outstanding deliveries of Tiny computers and take over the company's customer support and warranty contracts." it now appears this information was incorrect.
In fact, Time have cancelled all outstanding Tiny deliveries and are forcing customers to accept re-quotes. If pressed they reluctantly give a customer service number which they say you have to contact if you want your money back but they warn it could take as much as 10-15 days before you get a cheque back. The people in store (still Tiny staff at the moment I believe) also appear to be trained to attempt to put the focus on the customer and infer that if a revised quote is not accepted then the customer has cancelled the order!!! I am sure this is neither technically nor legally correct!!
Anyway, the revised quotes they have sent me so far (3 at the moment) are not satisfactory. However they work it I appear to have to pay more for an inferior system (downgraded speakers, downgraded monitor, downgraded service and warranty - I had paid for on site maintenance for 3 years and Time now only offer '3 year collect and return" warranty meaning I could be without my machine for ages if it goes wrong) but try to sweeten the pill by telling me I am getting several hundred pounds worth of stuff for free (stuff I would never use like a box to convert my TV into an internet/e-mail system and lots of games and children's software that simply doesn't interest me one jot). So after 3 attempts at a re-quote we are still nowhere near an acceptable system. They say they have upgraded me from a 1.4 processor to a 1.7 but I don't need a 1.7. I did try to get a further re-quote based on a slower 1.333 or 1.4 processor but am told they now only do a 1.7 processor as their slowest even though in the latest edition of Time's PC Buyer catalogue 1.333 and 1.4 processors feature quite clearly.
I am now at the point of asking for my money back and am getting more and more frustrated by the day.
What experiences has anyone else had since the take-over?
NEVER EVER buy a Time Computer, they have to be the worst on the market and although it sounds attractive with all the extras thrown in etc, the frustration caused by the constant crashing, lack of help, and general apathy is NOT worth it. Get a Dell, theyre the best by far
Do not buy from this company. Not all their pcs are s#*t but if you get a duff one Time leave you with no other option but to take legal action against them in order to have your consumer rights recognised. They failed to supply me with goods of a satisfactory quality to which i am entitled. They ignored me and my advocate for 9 months and only took the computer back when the finance company (First National Tricity Finance) contacted them on my behalf. It took over 3 months for them to collect the machine and have heard nothing since then. The finance company is threatening me with legal action because Time have not cancelled the agreement. Its been 21 months since I ordered the PC. I have seen many other cases just like mine and each time it is only once legal action has been started that Time recognise the customers rights. Don't buy from Time, it's not worth the hassle, stress, sleepless nights etc..
My first computer from Time was fine,no problem,but my 2nd one!nothing but problems after 18 months,and the support may just aswell not be there,as they do not listen to you.never again. Time can get st****ed.
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