So very true

It's way better to have an actual shop well-stocked with products to go into and have a good browse; makes life so much easier too if there turn out to be incompatibility issues and the like, because you don't have to go through the problems of repacking it and sorting out postage costs and refund of postage issues, and waiting to see if the return is going to be handled correctly.

(especially in these days of post office closures, regardless of whether they are well used or not)

I know they do online ordering too, which probably most system builders have to rely on cause there just aren't enough shops of that kind near where they live.

But the majority of parts suppliers online provide limited info of their hardware, and often further enquiries yield no further results because all you get is a call center service where they read off to you - exactly what's already listed on their webpage.
Often also I'll take a product number and go to the vendor site in the hope of a more detailed description.....only to find it isn't even listed there at all, or the limited info is exactly the same.

When it comes to those kinds of stores, I really get the impression they're just like that TV show Black Books - they don't want anyone to buy their products.
There's no way they can't be aware that their call center staff haven't got access to required info.

good

I first discovered Yoyotech when I was at law school they had their old smaller shop on Store St, and I've always thought they were really quite good. Hurrah. Nowt wrong at all with reasonable prices, knowledgeable staff, proper geeky stock - a gem amidst the shale of identikit rip-off merchants and crims on Tottenham Court Road.

Obviously they have never had to deal with their customer service

Congrats on the award, its lucky the people deciding have never had to purchase anything from you that required RMA or sending back.

Poor after sales service all round.