Who are we? What is PCMeisters? Why should you buy from us? What makes us different? How can you make sure I get a stable trouble-free computer? Why should I be aware of very cheap computers? What if something goes wrong? How much shipping costs? How long before I get my computer? What methods of payment can you accept? Who are we? What is PCMeisters? PCMeisters is a new computer store where we aim to provide a balance between quality and budget! We have noticed that you can either buy really well made high quality computers with similarly high price tags or very cheap systems that are poorly made and unstable or ridden with useless software. We like quality and we believe it does not have to cost a fortune! So that is nice and all but why should you buy from us? What makes us different? Well here comes our love for computers! We've been building them for years we've been using them for just as long and we enjoy a well made stable and hassle free computer! We think what we have been doing for us for years we can do for anyone of our customers How can you make sure I get a stable trouble-free computer?
  • We know what goes in our computers. We know the brands and the parts and we never pick them based on price alone. They have to be from reputable manufacturers backed by warranties and of high quality. Now if they have a good price so much the better which brings us to our second advantage!
  • We will not overcharge you! We are a business and we want to make a profit but we are not going to achieve that by charging huge amounts for simple things like some more memory or a different graphics card! We have no stock so we adjust our prices on regular basis to reflect the prices we get from our suppliers. That means that we can't offer you next day shipping but it also means you get great prices.
  • We stay informed about the trends like what is coming up, what is hot, what is good value. We love computers so we know as much as we can about them! Which in turn helps transfer that knowledge to you our customer, when you contact us for help on what to buy or what is going wrong with your computer. It also makes sure we can make stable and reliable computers.
  • Putting together a computer is not that hard of a job. Putting together a well made system that will not cause you hassle is much tougher! We don't believe that the premium one pays for a system has anything to do with assemblingf a computer. The premium is for all the work that has to be done before ordering the parts, to make sure everything will work together flawlessly, as well as all the work that has to be done just afterwards to ensure that the system is really trouble free!
  • To make sure you get a computer that works right out of the box we stress test it for at least 24 hours. If any fault is detected we fix it or replace the part that was causing it and test it for another 24 hours. This process is repeated until the computer is perfect!
  • The computer is yours for you to install anything you wish, not for us to load with useless stuff!So as a default we do not install an operating system on your computer. We don't want to make you pay for a license you might not need. If you ask from us to install an Operating System this is THE ONLY thing we will install. You will be given the option to have a security suite installed. This suite is comprised by a FREE Anti-Virus, a FREE Firewall and a FREE anti-spyware program. No demos, spyware, trial-ware or any other kind of software will be installed on your computer.
Why should I be aware of very cheap computers? Every part of your computer plays a role in its performance and functionality. There are legitimate reasons to choose more economic parts in some cases but here is what you need to know about low quality parts:
  • The Case: Poorly designed cases inhibit easy installation. In many cases you have to take a computer apart just to install extra memory because of the lay out of the case. Many cases do not include rubber mounts or feet which reduce the noise of your computer. Cheap cases are routinely not galvanised and so all the edges can be extremely sharp. A case is also responsible for air circulation. Bad air circulation heats up your computer, making it unstable, more noisy - because the fans have to work harder - and reduces its lifetime because heat damages its components.
  • The motherboard: The motherboard is the place that all your other parts connect to so it is vital for the stability of your computer and also is the part that most incompatibilities arise. It can cause stability problems and have a short lifespan, while the manufacturer might not provide frequent or quick updates to their software in order to address any incompatibilities between the motherboard and other hardware.
  • The Memory or RAM: Unbranded memory or memory from obscure manufacturers can be found for very cheap as well. However this is where all your programs are stored while you run them so unless memory is perfect it can crash your programs or even your whole computer resulting to hard reboots which further affect the stability of your system.
  • Finally there are the hard drives. Here the price differences are small and the manufacturers few but still cheaper less reliable choices exist. A hard drive fault endangers everything you have on your computer and retrieving what was lost in a hard drive crash can be very costly if at all possible!
What if something goes wrong? We have a generous warranty in place for your peace of mind. First if your computer is defective on arrival (unlikely given the thorough testing) you are entitled to a full refund - minus shipping costs - for the entire amount of your purchase. If you let us know within 15 days of receiving your computer that it has arrived faulty we will arrange to have it picked up return to us and either repair it and ship it back to you or refund you whichever you prefer. If for any other reason you are unhappy with your purchase we can exchange it for another computer or offer a refund minus a 15% restocking fee. On top of that we offer a 3 year parts and 1 year labour return to base warranty. During the first year we will also cover the shipping costs of picking up and redelivering your computer to you. We will however have to charge shipping during the first year if your computer turns out to not be faulty. To avoid such troubles please come in touch with us via email, letter or our LIVE CHAT feature. Our warranty does not apply to cosmetic defects or accidental damage. A flat fee of 45£ will be charged as labour work on a defective computer after the end of the warranty coverage (1 year on our free plan or 3 years on a purchased plan). How much shipping costs? Shipping is included in the price of the computer for mainland UK. We can also ship to most European countries for 25£ or 38€ on top of the price of the computer. How long before I get my computer? We aim to have your computer built and tested in less than 3 working days however our official line is that your order will ship 2 to 4 working days starting from the day after we receive cleared funds. This time frame is indicative though, asking for Linux installation or low availability items might extend that period by a few extra days. We will notify you as soon as possible if we are unable to meet our initial delivery estimate. What methods of payment do you accept? We currently accept Credit/Debit cards through Google Checkout, bank transfers and personal cheques. Please get in touch with us if you would like to pay with an alternative method of payment and we will try to accommodate your needs.