Which PC Stores do you visit?

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief July 13, 2010 · 2 min read

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I regularly visit a number of computer stores whenever I go to the malls just to see if there’s something new I can write about or maybe just to get the latest price list of stuff I’ve had my eyes on. I don’t have one specific store I visit since it mostly depends on availability and price.

I wonder what considerations people take into account when picking a PC Store when shopping for computers.

Is it the location? Do you pick the ones nearest your place because it’s more convenient?
Is it the price list? Are you a bargain-hunter so you pick the store that offers the cheapest price, even if it’s just a couple hundred pesos?
Is it the store inventory? Do you prefer stores that carry the most inventory so it’s just a one-stop shop when buying several items at the same time?
Is it the store brand? Do you pick stores that you really trust or do you tend to stick to one store as much as possible? (suki mentality)
Is it the customer service? Do you like their after-sales service and how they handle clients?

Do share some of your thoughts on what makes a “preferred” PC Store. Let me know which stores you regularly visit when you buy computers, accessories or related stuff.

(P.S. The topic crossed my mind when I remembered some experiences with a store called DreamChum many years ago.)

Disclosure: Rising Sun Computers is an advertiser on this blog.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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104 Comments

ben · 14 years ago

PC gilmore worst warranty, my experience to this shop is worst, 4month ago i buy a brand new desktop to them (pc gilmore) after that 4months blackout so i return it for warranty, after 2weeks waiting they txt me, and then i check the parts that supposed to be replace by a new one but it did not, they gave me a second hand parts that last just an hour to use, and now I’m going again their wait another weeks ,, what a worst service,, DONT BUY to PC GILMORE you will be sorry…..

aLtherX · 14 years ago

I probably suggest to you guys to go to EasyPC. Ang lupet ng service doon. GRABEEE!!! Sobra babait ng tao at super mura ng prices..

Check this link..

http://www.tipidpc.com/useritems.php?username=EasyPC

Frizalor · 15 years ago

if you are from fairview,novaliches, choose to stroll,inquire,canvass & buy stuff @ SM-fairview. pchub & pcdomain, or @ SM-North/Trinoma but if youre place are more access to Cubao go direct to Gilmore place a lot to choose from there, lastly is the Greenhills Area.. more from me if youre a buy&sell i.t. parts person try to use tipidpc.com and sulit.com also try olx.com.ph ayosdito go yugatech more power to us

jjitsu85 · 15 years ago

Note: It’s not in my intention to promote the company Im about to mention or have they paid me any amount to do so. On the other hand i bought this belkin n+ from octagon march 2010… one day while I was waiting for my replacement NEW linksys router I checked my defective belkin router this was around feb this year… I went to octagon told them about it VIOLA please choose the router of your liking which amounts to 6,500 or less… I took the dlink dir 655… with one month left on the warranty no further sht from them since there was no belkin available i took the dir 655… wow… We should petition PC Express with DTI.

jjitsu85 · 15 years ago

4 things i bought from pcx 4 things defective while the other 2 things were not of much value lets talk about the msi motherboard worth 6.8k I think… its defective after 6 days since I run quite a number of businesses I wouldn’t really have time for this so I went back after two weeks they said they will have it replaced by manufacturer and will take at least 1 month which I don’t have time for… so I upgraded to an asus p5dlx worth 9k?? but I had to pay some fee for the msi and what the F was that all about… then I bought this linksys wrt610n v2 after 2 days connection got intermittent and the speed was slow as hell I disconnected it and connected on the model directly everything was fast I returned it and they said everything was fine same shit happened I returned it after 5 days same story on the 15th day the adapter just sparked I returned it and they said warranty is void… also with the management on the background saying stuff like “void na yan ano bang malay namin kung ginawa yan ng sadya” if they knew who they spoke to oh man…. anyways my only solution is to contact linksys US and Linksys Philippines they were surprised with PCX’s warranty issues and charging their clients for returning DEFECTIVE items oh my you will burn in hell for these greedy greedy terms and conditions. Back to the story I chatted with online support they told me to give the reference number or rather print it and VIOLA linksys storms the ass of PCX… up yours you greedy SOB’s I discourage anyone from purchasing anything with this store… they are bad people with even worse management. The router cost 7,650 btw and from now on I will talk directly to linksys about warranty not to them.. pieces of sht!

djkit · 15 years ago

i bought a linksys wrt120n at your store ASIANIC COMPUTER STORE in sm center laspinas- after 2 weeks of use the unit / router is always disconnected – intermitent connection either hardwired or wireless, it will disconnect thrice in one day sometimes more than 3 times, when i bypassed it, it did’nt not disconnect me an had a stable connection when bypassed. now when i reconnect the router, it’s doing the same thing again and again, so i return the unit for diagnosis before friday shipment date to warehouse, then i called after a week and they said 2 to 3 weeks more, whoever is responsible or liable for this issue, as a customer will you pls expedite this, or maybe replaced it immediately because i need the router and i’m loosing money out of it…pls. i need immediate feedback…thanks- PLS. DO NOT SELL DEFECTIVE UNITS.

Bert · 16 years ago

I would go for customer service. I’m really pissed off with those sales person na buntot nang buntot (hindi naman ako mukhang magnanakaw) pero pag tinatanong mo na regarding the product, biglang nasa-sound of silence.

sweetlamb · 16 years ago

for me store brand and customer service, those two factors are very important in buying gadgets!
i always recommend ACCENT Micro to my friends and relatives because of their good quality service and although the pricing is not that lower compared to other Pc stores, you can always count on them. The staff knows how to deal with customers in effective manner. they’re friendly and knows everything about their product.

Rollie San Gabriel · 16 years ago

PC Gilmore, I always go to Gilmore, sometimes at MOA if I only have to buy one item.

vance · 16 years ago

PC Hub in Gilmore, tipidpc member gets different price hehe..

RaGe Einzeln · 16 years ago

reliability, customer service and price

never had a problem with PC parts purchased in PCXpress

with prices, I always go to Gilmore

eRvN · 16 years ago

Location first then price second, if difference lang is few hundred petot then i usually settle for the store nearest and most convenient for me, para less effort and pagod. Pero usually nagreresearch muna ako sa net bago bumili sa mga shops.

Jeps · 16 years ago

ako bumibili sa thinkPC sa gilmore. meron din sila online service kapag tinatamad ako deliver na lang sa bahay ang item na gusto ko. ang dali pa kausap ng mga tao dito.

Eason · 16 years ago

We just bough a new PC. Here is the thing I learned,

Malls = Comfortable + always have stock

Gilmore = Cheap FOR CASH ONLY + uncomfortable

Cash = GOOD + SUPER SERVICE
Credit Card = Good Service,

Credit Card + Installment = Slow and un-prioritized service

In short, nothing beats cash. unfortunately we bought via installment and I landed in gigahertz asus store. Its 4k+ compare to cash price. But at least its all branded and I got all the brands I want.

John Ray Cabrera · 16 years ago

primary concern would be the price of course. least concern is customer service. notice that the two are at each end of the spectrum. the cheaper the price, the worst the customer service would become.

Van · 16 years ago

Even if the prices are a little higher, I try to buy from stores that have a working and updated website.

A store with a working and updated website with all their products shows that they care for their customers.

It saves a lot of time to just check the prices at the store’s website instead of visiting or calling.

Surprisingly, only a few PC stores have updated websites. These are Villman, Asianic, PCX and maybe Complink. Puwede na rin isama dito ang PCHub at PCCorner.

Joshua · 16 years ago

First I check the merchants then online then Malls round them up then pick the cheapest

^_^ · 16 years ago

Ako lagi sa Gilmore, di bale na ang malayo basta makakamura. Doon halos lahat makikita mo, mas maraming pagpipilian. Hindi katulad sa ibang mall, limited and choices..

drealmarlon · 16 years ago

For laptop -PC CORNER GILMORE
For PC-OPEN PINOY ORTIGAS,SAN JUAN
Doon lang me po sa mura.

dulfo · 16 years ago

Everytime I’m in MegaMall which is during weekends most of the time, I never fail to take a look at the displays of all the computer stores in the area. But for lowest prices and new products, I spend more time checking out the products at Gigahertz and Octagon stores respectively.

Herce · 16 years ago

I spend most of my money abroad, via the net and by plane, since the prices and distributor monopoly system here for tech is so bad.

Sometimes one has to buy some things locally when time becomes an issue. When that happens I usually use PC Bodega and pay the delivery fee. I like PC Bodega because:

1) They have a great website
2) They are flexible. They will take orders and get stock of the order fast. Unlike most stores that will just say “no stock”.
3) They know the products. Sounds simple but not all stores train well (Villman incompetence is a great example). So when you order they know what you are ordering.

The store that I stopped doing business with all together is Villman. They are the worst managed store. Their employees don’t know the products. You give them a product and they ask “what is that”. Their employees will be watching a movie in the store and will ignore you until you yell at them. They are inflexible. They charge more than anyone else.

Don’t ever buy from Villman!

Jhunv · 16 years ago

CyberZone ako diday lang muna sa lahat ng availlable stores doon. Make it a point na updated ako sa internet information about previous, latest and upcoming sort of bago mag punta sa mall. I bought my Compaq 2 years ago sa ASIANIC (Cyber ZOne – SM Mega Mall), ASUS 1201N this year sa CompuLINK, Gilmore (don’t remember the store) pina assemble ko ang Home PC (most of the parts from me) branded PSU, Casing (Gigabyte Aluminum) at service costs almost 12T. Kung mabait kausap at accomodating (magaling mag sales talk) normally I buy there na.

paolo g. · 16 years ago

I’ll go with the location and price list… gilmore and the one in greenhills are my spots for pc hunting.

Arvee · 16 years ago

Location and Customer Service. I don’t bug for price anymore since halos lahat ngayon, magkakapresyo na. If I go to Gilmore, I may save up to P300 for a new rig, pero yung pang-taxi pa. I go with PC Madness, PC Gilmore or PCX since kalat-kalat yung branches nila sa QC.

Pero masarap talagang hobby mangolekta ng price list eh! I don’t know why…

Ton · 16 years ago

Prime consideration is reliability of the warranty, price point and availability. PCX usually does the job for me, not so much for the price but for the reliability and stock.

Boo · 16 years ago

Location, inventory, prices.

Sa akin naman, I can pretty much go anywhere as long as I’ve given them a call na regarding the availability of the item I want.

Asianic has a good website na updated almost allthe time and they’re close to where I live.

One rule lang that I share with all my friends: never get anything from Octagon or from Compex. Those two are the worst computer stores ever.

Boo · 16 years ago

Location, inventory, prices.

Sa akin naman, I can pretty much go anywhere as long as I’ve given them a call na regarding the availability of the item I want.

Asianic has a good website na updated almost allthe time and they’re close to where I live.

One rule lang that I share with all my friends: never get anything from Octagon or from Comprx. Those two are the worst computer stores ever.

manaka_junpei · 16 years ago

Location : pagdating sa lugar, ang tanging malapit lang sa amin ay Pavillion Mall sa Laguna, 2 Computer Stores lang ang napuntahan ko, una yung Asianic at yung 2nd ay PC Express(doon kasi nag-work ang Brother -In-Law ko)
Price List : laging update ang PC Express, maganda ang pricelist nila, huwag lang sanang ang mga products eh depektib pala
Store Inventory : hirap i-decide pagdating sa inventory, let people decide
store brand : brand matters, naninibago lang ako sa pinoy made na motherboard na Emaxxtech na nabili ko sa PC Madness dahil recommended nang ka-prex nang tatay ko
customer service : maganda sana ang serbisyo nang PC Express pero ang tech support, naku, iba na ang usapan, maganda din ang customer service nang PC Madness

squishy · 16 years ago

I download pricelists from PC Express and Villman, and if I would be really buying the item, I call up PC Options to ask if they have it in stock.

Based from my experience, I also have praises for Villman’s customer service.

For window-shopping purposes only, I check out SM Cyberzone.

Cartman · 16 years ago

I go to SM Cyberzone and GH.

Jazon · 16 years ago

I buy from Rising Sun and I refer all my friends to buy there, even though it’s quite far from my place in Laguna. So for me it’s price, store brand and customer service – all of which RSun offers.

jelly24 · 16 years ago

location, price list, inventory, brand, customer service? PCHub!

jovicmcat · 16 years ago

1. price
2. inventory
3. location

really dont care about after sales support coz there is none here in the phil. and about the product knowledge of the sales people, also not that important. i usually do research on the item i intend to buy.

eonzerimar · 16 years ago

Customer Service (support/warranty)
location
price

here in tarlac there are two major players. One specializes in the service while the other his price! But since the penetration of other computer stores here (thanks to SM Tarlac), we now have a wide variety of choice!

Jojo · 16 years ago

Priority for me is STORE INVENTORY. Not just if they have a lot of stuff… but if they have stuff that the others don’t carry. I notice that the shops here carry the same items that are “in” for that time. For example, if HP is pushing some new printer, everyone has it.

Second is location. Why bother go far if there is one in the store nearby.

Price… not too important, but within reason.

Customer Service… if it is for an item I really really want, I dont care if their sales people are rude and arrogant. But in general I do find myself going back to the same store if the people are nice and accomodating. I used to go to this one Villman shop just because the people were nice and knew me… even if their prices were a little more expensive than the other guy.

Edgar · 16 years ago

Micro Valley at G-Mall, here in Davao City. They have a good sales staff, helpful and courteous. At my age, I don’t have allowances for snooty sales personnel. Prices for these things don’t usually vary that much, and a few hundred pesos difference could never make up for my blood pressure going north.

Ryan Ang · 16 years ago

yes Dreamchum.. oo nga wala na sila e.. I used to buy stuff from them. Two stores in Gilmore, one in Manila.

Naaliw ako dun sa may-ari nila (huge guy) talagang tumatambay sa tindahan sa Gilmore, eventhough their tactics are a little bit unscrupulous, the stuff I bought there are still working as of now.

For me I check prices. PC Gilmore/PC Express carry the same prices for all the branches so it is more convenient to shop. As a more knowledgeable shopper, kailangan bibilhin lang ang kailangan. Kapag napunta kasi ng Gilmore, lahat gustong bilhin :P

jdGONEMAD · 16 years ago

Master, you might want to make a review of this product from CDR King: http://www.cdrking.com/index.php?mod=products&type=view&sid=2023&main=36

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 16 years ago

@jdGONEMAD – wala akong paglalagyan pre.

dongkidoodles · 16 years ago

I just check the prices of mallstores although I usually get regular online pricelists from a certain local website.

I don’t usually depend on the sales assistant regarding features of a product. I do my own research via the net.

Unless there are promos from a particular mall store, Quiapo is my preferred location when buying camera and Greenhills for computer and other gadgets… and I live in Pampanga.

Price is what I consider then

10g · 16 years ago

Una yung lokasyon, mas malapit mas madaling puntahan..Sunod yung imbentaryo kasi yun ang agad na makakahatak ng iyong atensyon. Tapos yung presyo at serbisyo magkapantay dahil walang dahilan para gumastos ako sa isang bagay na walang kasiguruhan ang serbisyo pero dapat tama lamang ang presyo. Yung pangalan ng tindahan, hindi naman masyado kasi dun ako tumitingin sa pangalan ng produkto mismo, lalo na yung matatag na sa industriya…kahalintulad na din ng matibay na produkto. (Isang panSariling Opinion po lamang)

mindyQ · 16 years ago

I go to Villman ever since I bought my 1st PC. tiwala kasi ako sa kanila. kahit medyo mahal ng konti minsan alam ko na matino silang retailer.

Teknisyan · 16 years ago

No particular store.. I usually check their online store first, then check the price, so that I can see if the price is within my budget then that’s the time I go to the store. I usually go to greenhills, then Gilmore.

http://www.teknisyan.net/

Andre · 16 years ago

Used to go Gilmore for the cheapest stuff but now its just convenient to get stuff at PC Express since theyre everywhere and have lots of stock.

hihey · 16 years ago

i usually go to pchub at gilmore because of:
1. Price
2. Custumer and after sales service
3. Location, can easily go to nearby store for stock problems
i usually check the availability of the iteo before going there

deuts · 16 years ago

Amen to Erwin! The sales guys should at least know about what they are selling. It’s good to discuss the pros and cons of one item to another with the sale person. It just feels comforting when the sales guy knows his stuff!

chrysanSID · 16 years ago

the location is the most important thing for me. then the price list especially if you are on a budget or you only have a specific amount to use to buy for a new notebook. the store brand for me is very important for me din then last yung customer service.

Ervin · 16 years ago

Top of my list would be customer service. This includes that the people ACTUALLY do know their products. I don’t want to hear an answer such as, “Sir wait lang po itatanong ko lang.” That’s annoying for customers.

Dodge · 16 years ago

Location is definitely important. I go to V-Mall instead of Gilmore because I can walk it.

Second most important is customer service. I think we save more when there’s better aftersales service VS getting something 100 php less off the counter.

Brand for me is related to customer service. I have well-known PC stores that I don’t go to because I don’t like their service.

Inventory isn’t enough for me to not want to buy from a store. Really it’s location then customer support.

Junntrekker · 16 years ago

I’m always considering the Price List and the Store Inventory. With regards to After Sales it doesn’t matter for me because they will always refer you to the service center or they will send that defective product back to their supplier (at least in my experience). :)