Nick, you can get wired modem routers, Maplin do them for about 30 quid.

Wanted wired router modem for Xbox etc. Bought router (no modem) at PC World by mistake (know nothing about computers!). Took it back, said I wanted wired box, not wireless, PC World muppet sent me to Maplin! He forgot to mention no one (even Maplin) sells wired only routers, but all wireless boxes have wired connections on the back (just turn off wireless). Maplin did tell me, Maplin £100 PC World £0 less cost of refund etc. Doh!

I was in their Glasgow store the other day, just on the offchance they might actually stock the various hardware pieces I was after.....

but of course they didn't. Not anywhere near.

There was one graphics card I might have bought, and some nice looking akasa modular psu cables, and a cleaner that didn't explain itself enough to warrant a buy. That was it.

Oh, they also had those Dell games machines, which I suppose are ok if you're into buying a prebuilt (I wouldn't say 'no' if I was given one) - I looked inside the window on an end-of-line model at the dual graphics cards.....& they weren't even connected to one another.

I have money to spend on this to some extent, and no shops to go to where I can physically look over the products I want to buy.

There's like umpteen amazing hw vendors for PC parts out there - why doesn't PC World bother with their products. Why are the products they do sell so over-priced.

Should be renamed outrageously priced 5 year extended warranty for the thick and/or gullible world. Not quite as catchy admittedly but would be cast iron under the Trades Descriptions Act.

hardly surprising when they charge £12 for a printer usb cable, canon mp210 printer amazon £41 , pc wolrd instore price £55

I am actually surprised PCW are still trading. £20 for a 1 metre Cat5 cable, £350 for an 8800gts, and £110 for a Tech guy to go and visit your home, and spend 15 minutes plugging a netgear router in!
Consistently giving wrong advice (selling cable routers to dsl customers and vica verca), over staffed with incompetent staff (who can't even stack a shelf), lower profits are simply an amazing feat!

RIP you POS PCW

I think its time for me to come clean. PCW and Currys are just a product showroom for my internet purchases.

Sorry!

they should take any product from their shop, and compare the prices in central Europe. Then they will see why their shops are empty.
try to find 3850 or 3870 or 8800 gt in pc world. its full of 7900 and 7300 at incredible prices. what do they expect?