good prices poor customer service

My experience with Novatech has been a very poor one overall. In general their prices are very good for the majority of products and a good delivery as well. But when it comes to ripping you off Novatech are the masters. If you are not computer savy they will rip you off as much as possible. Their salesman work on commission so they will usually try to sell you more expensive products that you just do not need. Also their technicians are really sly. I had some new components fitted last year where they felt it was ok to not send me old ones back which back then was worth allot of money! To be fair I contacted them and they sent all the components back with next day delivery BUT and this is a big but, I opened the old.computer the other day to check that it was all working and that (so I could sell it on to a friend) and it turns out the 'technician' that fitted it kept the processor for himself and made it looked like the CPU had not been touched by screwing the CPU fan back on, more of a conman if you ask me. I have all the receipts to prove the work and that of the old CPU but because it's been a year it will be hard to prove. So to conclude buy their products just do your own research on them and do not listen to their salesmen and fit the products yourself or someone other than novatech!

Ultra low price with well selected hardwares

Novatech's self-made laptops have high end hardware but ultra low price, I did recommend it to many of my friends who's looking for a cheap and high-performance gaming laptop, they all valued it good

Novatech Computers - worst computer buying experience in 30 years by Open University academic

Ordered high spec computer NT 146, dual monitors and Window8 pro. Machine arrived on time but after few days of use errors on start up got BSOD errors. Technicians identified error (through remote session) so asked for return of machine but then said there was not a problem but eventually said there could be a problem with the hard drive. Anyway, Novatech agreed to send brand new machine; it arrived as promised but in a poor state, 2 front panels were bent, the front fan was hanging out and as I lifted the machine out of the box all the front panels fell out. The packaging again was poor so no surprise the machine had been damaged in transit (Ebay buyers would rank packaging as very poor!). I was offered £50 compensation if I kept the damaged machine and accepted replacement front panels. This doesn't even cover the time wasted calling Novatech never mind the costs incurred due to loss of work through not having a working PC. I personally would not recommend this company.

Portsmouth to Aberdeen in less than a day?! Oh yes!

I ordered a Gigabyte 7950 Graphics card for my upcoming computer build, as this site had not just the cheapest price, but also the offer of two free games. I ordered just yesterday evening (as with the rest of the components from other companies).

Whilst the other items haven't even despatched yet, this GPU has gone from their Portsmouth depot to Aberdeen in under a day, and the P&P paid I definitely did not expect this! Great service! Surprisingly fast too! (Rivals Amazon on a good day, I'm outwith Amazon's guaranteed next day delivery service area...)

Customer services were great as well as I made a mistake on the order and so did not add the free games into the deal by accident (I hadn't noticed and was a bit tired whilst ordering). 5 minute chat with one of the helpdesk aides and they're going to sort it out for me. Cannot fault the company at all, will definitely be using them in the future for my computing needs!

Amazing

Had my PC 3 years and it still plays everything out now, it has been left turned on since I bought it...3 years ago!!! Amazing.

Used them several times never had a problem!

They know more than those idiots at PC World/Comet but don't rely on them. Know exactly what you want BEFORE you step foot in the shop and this shop will be a lifesaver. Competitive online prices and delivery. Cardiff store has arranged stock to be transferred for me many times and it's always arrived in-store on time. Recommended IF you know what you want, don't expect them to know every little detail about your product, they're not rocket scientists. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

Prompt Service and helpful support

I contacted Novatech support to ask several questions ('does x part come with y' ect.). They answered my questions well. When I ordered the item, at 2pm I received the dispatched email within two hours and I had the products three days later. I have never used novatech before, but was recommended by the Haynes Build your Own Computer book. If I ever need any electronics parts again I would certainly go to Novatech

Don't order your stuff during holiday seasons.

Paid about £7 or so for next day delivery with this company, it came to about 4 o clock and I used their live support (which was prompt, I'll give them an extra star for that). Was told that it wouldn't be coming until Saturday, I then inquired, why did I pay £7.50 for a two day delivery? I specifically paid for next day delivery, expecting it to come next day. My client now has to wait an extra day for his machine to be built completely due to the shambles.

Now, I hope you're sitting down, I inquired which courier service is handling the package so I could track it, the reply I got "I don't believe Royal Mail does tracking", I almost died, I felt like a piano had fell on my head, I mean, who honestly uses royal mail during December? It's nonsense, I paid £7.50 for delivery, I expected DPD or TNT or maybe FedEx, heck, I wouldn't even have minded if it was Yodel! But royal mail?! WOW. Is all I have to say.

They lost a star, because I openly/passively said "This is what I get for using a not well known company", to which that tugged a few strings and I received a very rude reply "Excuse me, we are well known, we have been in business for many years serving clients who are extremely happy with our service, that is completely wrong"...Upz...did I hit a nerve? Sorry Novatech, but you're not like Amazon or Ebay, I only found you on the backend of a Google search. I always like giving unknown companies a chance, well, you blew it.

To stop it from being two stars, they did refund the postage and packaging since I didn't receive it next day, however, why in hell are you using royal mail during December is beyond me, for that, you lost another star.

Will I use this company in the future? Change courier services and I might.

Great company and local

I live two miles away and I can usually collect on my way to and from work, plenty of parking in the Reading store and usually no other customers than me whenever I go. Staff are friendly and seem knowledgeable enough (but I never need sales assistance anyway as I buy parts).

Have bought all parts for my new computer from there and collected when it was ready. They are usually a couple of quid more expensive than Amazon or Dabs but the fact I dont pay postage and can get the item the same day by collecting is a trade-off I am willing to make. Can even get quidco cashback so that makes up a little bit.

Any issues I just go back in there and they test the component there and then, had a DOA Ram and they replaced it on the spot with a new one.

Have been recommending this to my local friends and colleagues.

Product not as described caused me problems

Very disappointed to be sent a Radeon HD 6850 that was not as described - the specs listed 2x DVI, HDMI and Display Port connections. I was sent an XFX card with 1x DVI, VGA and HDMI, no Display Port.

I specifically wanted 2x DVI for my build. However, I am stuck with this as the PC needed to be up and running and I didn't want to incur the cost and hassle of a return plus having to find another card. My dual monitor setup will now have to run at a lower resolution with a DVI/VGA converter as a result and I am not happy about it.

HORRIBLE WEBSITE, COMPANY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Customer Service: Rang up 4 times on separate occasions and each time had a different employee on the other and but ALWAYS they were very rude, blunt and uninformative of any information I was asking

Pricing, the prices I found were ridiculous, I went to other sources and found higher specification parts with a cheaper price tag

Smoothness, I thought to my self, I may as well give the order a go so I ordered some components for a friend, they took 3 WEEKS to get here, it said 43 in stock, get an email 2 DAYS later saying it is not in stock and they said they would issue a refund, I accepted the refund but it never showed up, lone behold 2 Weeks, 4 Days later the components arrived, but not only very late, they were faulty!

VERY UPSET WITH SERVICE AND WOULD NOT GO NEAR THIS WEBSITE

Worst IT company to deal with........ EVER !

Where do I start. The experience which I have had with them I would tell everyone to stay away. They mess up orders, have very bad communication within their company and never deliver anything. And then lie to you, blame parcel force and then offer you a 2% discount for their CRAP customer service.

You are better to use Dabs, Ebuyer, Pixmania, Amazon, Ballicom, Micom etc etc.

I will never be using their services ever again.

Oliver Miller found this review useful

Brilliant

Great customer services. Sorted out parcelforce's incompetance to deliver a parcel without losing it. quick + good service.

They do what they say

Over the many years I have used this company I have always received top class service with goods very quickly dispatched and always in top class order. Would have 5 stars but the returns policy needs to be in line with legal requirements although this was sorted out quickly in my case. I will continue to happily use this company as the service is so good.

If item is faulty then expect to pay more.

I have used Novatech twice. The first time was fine - item arrived and worked. I then bought a Sandisk SSD from them and paid extra for priority delivery as the item was required as recording media for a film shoot. In total I paid £85.97 which I felt was a reasonable price. However when the item arrived today, Friday 18th May, it turned out to be faulty. I contacted their technical department to confirm that the item was faulty and after following their suggestions to confirm I was doing nothing wrong, I was informed that they would be able to replace the item by courier today as I had explained that it was needed urgently. I was then put through to someone to process the replacement and was told that the earliest it could be delivered would be the following morning and I would have to pay again for the item and this time it would be more than before (£103) as I would have to pay for Saturday delivery. The original item price would then be refunded after the item had been tested about a week later, leaving me out of pocket for both amounts. I asked to speak to a manager about the matter and was put on hold for several minutes and then the same man came back on the phone and reiterated the same option - basically no option.

Very good and very cheap ( in a nice way)

I have used them twice, once for a new computer and once for a replacement PSU.
Both times they were very well priced and and the goods were very quickly and efficiently supplied and worked well.
I have had no experience of them when things go wrong with an order of course but that in itself is something of a recomendation.

USELESS

Completely messed up the order.
Rubbish support taken over 2 weeks to have replacemtn NIC fitted.

Great range of products and excellent process.

Can't fault delivery times either.

Still haven't collected my computer after 4 weeks

They said they would collect and repair 4 weeks ago and still nothing. Invoice number 4890421

Good PC and quick delivery

I recently bought a new Laptop from them as the old one finally gave up on me (after 5 years though). I bought the new one and it was delivered about 5 days later after being built. I was happy with the product, but have knocked a star off of the service as their customer service dept could do with improving a little. They are slow to respond and do need a little nudge in the right direction to get the problem sorted. But yes, all is sorted now and the Laptop is fantastic.

Always a good service

every time I have ordered from novatech my goods have been delivered promptly and without issue. The one time I had to return somehting they did so without quibble.

reliable

Good products at reasonable prices. Very good on site support.

Great as long as things go right - but when they go wrong - oh dear...

I shopped with Novatech since they started. I'm just a private buyer, so nothing that might change their share prices one way or another. Their prices were (are) competitive but I'd never had to return anything before.

My recent experience trying to buy a HD enclosure certainly changed my view. They sent the wrong unit. Not a calamity - everyone makes mistakes, and I judge a business on how efficiently it deals with its mistakes. I was happy to keep the unit they sent - an HD enclosure is a HD enclosure, though I'd have preferred it to match the earlier unit I'd bought. But it failed within a few minutes of start up - didn't take long to establish it was the external power supply.

The ensuing correspondence to arrange a replacement had me wondering if anyone was actually reading my emails - the same stock replies resulted whatever I said. Not to worry - return was arranged, though I had to post the unit, as their collection service proved difficult to arrange given the queue every time I phoned customer support. They promised to refund part of the postage (part? whatever happened to the distance selling regulations?).

And the replacement came quickly enough to be sure. Despite emails and an enclosed letter requesting they supply the unit I'd ordered (which their website confirmed they had ample stocks of) the replacement was of the SAME WRONG UNIT!!!! This time adding insult to injury with a package missing leads and software.

Like many folks with PCs, I have a drawer full of bits and pieces, so the unit was soon in operation - I was by now kind of desperate to have the spare HD I'd picked up in the Xmas sales actually in operation.

The postage refund? Of whole or part, no sign - I'm not even surprised any more.

They're fired - of course. If only because there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Pity - they used to be one of the best around.

Ike Khan found this review useful

Great mail order company

Have used before - will use again.

Excellent service, fast delivery

I must admit that I felt tentative ordering from this company... Even though there were some sparkling reviews about this company, there were also some damning accounts as well! To test the waters, I ordered a relatively small amount of goods for my new computer build, and waited to see what happened.

Unfortunately, my order contained an item that was not in stock and so the delivery of my other items was to be delayed until all the items were in stock and ready for dispatch. Thankfully, Novatech's customer service were easy to get hold of using the free live chat service and were friendly and helpful, and they suspended my order for me while I chose a replacement item (that was in stock), and promptly processed my order when I had finished my selection. Furthermore, when I tracked my parcel, I discovered that my parcel had been scheduled for 24-hour express delivery, even though I did not have to pay for postage (P&P is free over £50)! I received the parcel a few hours ago and am chuffed to bits!

In summary, I placed an order, then changed my order and recieved the package before midday the next day. Considering how they have competitive prices, free postage and excellent customer service, I am thoroughly pleased with Novatech and I hope other people have a good experience with them too.

BE WARNED

Will not go into details, but my experience with Novatech has been:
-Mis-sold on two, and prehaps now discovering three occasions.
-As Tim states below smug and deceitful staff in the job to make a sale, DO NOT trust there 'advise' on PC technicalities.
-As Vic states below there 'technical support engineers', do not have the slightest inkling on how to fix a PC, have sent faulty products back to them 3 times now. Returned in the exact same condition after being with them for over a week, stating they found no errors (Windows 7 Event Viewer clearly shows the amount of critical errors a PC has suffered).
-Even dealing with Customer Service Director has not got my PC any closer to being fixed.
It seems that the cheaper price and good choice I was enticed by, is the exact trap Novatech need to take your money, then feed you to the dogs.

Usually the best price and best selection

Generally the first place I start for PC parts. prices tend to be the best and the customer service is for the best part exceptional. The only really bad experience I had was when they picked the wrong processor and instead of just going back and picking the right one I had to go round the back to the returns department (the guy had literally just handed me the goods)

Why

Just got my laptop back from Novatech, and initially I thought that they didn't do anything to it (including fix the problems which it was sent off to get fixed), but now it seems to have issues with simple tasks such as opening Firefox (takes 30 seconds+), playing music (skips repeatedly), and running without randomly crashing.

Awesome support

My new laptop had randomly been freezing.
I've run memtest86 and discovered some errors in one segment of the memory.
Called the tech support, expecting that I will have to send the whole thing back, told them about my problem and they offered to send me a new RAM without asking to send the faulty one back.
You got to love when the tech support treats you like you someone with a brain.
For the moment I cannot say a bad word about Novatech.
Keep it up guys

Great supply of products but woeful customer service

I have been to this place twice, and didn't learn my lesson the first time. The employees are a bit smug, if you ask a simple question they look down on you, but then send you away with a computer that hasnt got all the right components to put together. After asking the smug salesman if I had enough sata power connections, he laughed at me 'of course it has, we wouldn't send you home without everything you need'. Get home, find out there isn't enough sata power connections. The excitement of building a computer was short lived, thanks novatech.
I feel you really have to know you stuff to buy from here, then again, how are you supposed to know that things are missing from the kit.
Also, if your from Southampton, don't tell them this, it didn't help me when I was trying to get help. In summary, love the products, hate the pretentious employees.

Excellent!

Always have a great rapport with the team in the Reading showroom as they have an interest in the technology they sell. I usually build my own performance computers, but decided after years of taking the trip down to Novatech Portsmouth that I would pop in to the newish Reading store and make some enquiries about their high-end rigs.

Got a cracking deal on an i& rig so I added a 2nd GTX570 for SLI graphics and a Noctua CPU cooler with dual-scythe fans. The team were very helpful and even fitted my new CPU cooler and did a great job of improving on the cable management so the base unit could accommodate the 2nd GPU.

Great company, with a great team of enthusiastic staff and usually the best prices on the Internet.

Technology at a fair price

My experiences with Novatech have been mostly good and I've been recommending them to all of my friends, family and colleagues for years.

Faulty Desktops

Bought a new Delta quad core desktop through Novatech's website. It was marketed as a family computer and cost £430. It never worked - had two faults. It got returned and replaced. The second delta quad core did not work. Customer care helpful but don't expect help at weekends. Sending out two defective desktops is not impressive. They gave me a full refund but I had several weeks of hassle and have had to reorder using a different company. I would not recommend anyone buying a Novatech Delta Quad Core dektop.

Exceeded Expectations

I've been a Novatech customer for many years, and I have always been satisfied with the quality of service that I have received. Recently I returned a mobo bundle that I had bought last year, it had developed an intermittent fault, which I thought was memory related. Although the diagnostics that they ran did not show up the problem, they listened, believed what I told them, and on the strength of that alone agreed to replace the RAM. In doing so they genuinely exceeded my expectations, as well as fixing the problem !

Mr Headley found this review useful

Fast and efficient service

Great price, quick delivery and quality product - would recommend

Mr Headley found this review useful

Novatech...Fantastic first class company

I purchased a new computer from Novatech in February and the speed in which it arrived was fantastic and I was thoroughly thrilled with my purchase. Unfortunately I started to experience problems with the hard drive a few weeks ago so I contacted Novatech. They arranged to have the computer picked up the next day by courier and my repaired computer, complete with new hard drive was back within a few days. I have never come across another company which gives such prompt after sales service. I wish all companies conducted themselves in this manner. I will definitely use Novatech for future purchases. Their staff are also extremely knowledgeable and polite.

Mr Headley found this review useful

Always a pleasure to deal with...

They not always be the cheapest on products, but their customer support is always good. I've had several issues with products I've purchased from them in the past but have always been dealt with promptly and to a more than satisfactory level.

Mr Headley found this review useful

i5-2500k, H50, GTX460 OC x2 and a new case. Stoked!

Yo - rad happy with my new stuff. Competitively priced, fast delivery and good customer support for when I got bored at work and wanted to ask where it was!

Slippery lot!

A Intel Core i7 920 "D0 Stepping" 2.66Ghz story.

It was a while after I had built the machine I decided to overclock it a little bit. Checking with Cpuid a utility program, I found that it was not the chip I ordered - Intel Core i7 920 "D0 Stepping" 2.66Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail, but got the CO version, which is the less sought after. Now if they did not have these in stock at the time it would be so easy to palm you of with the other and hope for the best.

I rang Novatech and they said that they would replace it. I asked them if they could deliver and pick the other one up at the same time, as I need my computer almost 24/7. Not possible they said. We need to check it out first, then if ok we will send the new one, you know, the one I should have had in the first place!

Then it was put to me that I could go to Reading or Portsmouth and change it over. Oh yeah! Few hours driving, time , petrol and no kind of compensation!

In the end I settled for the 5 day wait, and the stripping down of my machine, without a any kind of compensation. I had spent £1200 on computer parts. Well, they shot themselves in the foot, no more goodies, or should I say baddies from Novatech?

Now if they had remedied the situation, by delivering the cpu, whilst picking the other one up at the same time, then I would have taken it on the chin a bit better. But no, these online stores have got you by the balls!

Now my turn to squeeze their balls a bit.

Generally good, sometime need a bit of a kick up their bums!

Over the last 5 plus years, I have bought quite a lot of stuff off these guys. Like any company, problems occasionally happen, and generally they are good at sorting things out.

Sometimes things do go wrong, but my experience has been that, when you point out the error of their ways (ie with a boot up their bum!) they DO sort things out!

Example: I bought a small external USB drive from them. After several months, the connector on the rear of the drive went dodgy. After returning it, and a chat to the tech guy who found the (intermittant, but easy to reproduce problem once you knew how) he agreed I needed a replacement.

Now, this is where things went wrong: they told me that the drive would have to go back to the manufacturer. I said NO, Sale of Goods act means YOU deal with the issue.

After bouncing around a couple of people, they understood what I was complaining about, and had a call back from a VERY helpful person: they didn't have an identical unit in stock, but we compromised on a very suitable alternative, which I got the next day.

I'll keep buying from them, if only because they DO sort out problems when they occur (which is more than SOME places do...)

Mr Headley found this review useful