Computer Fair Rip OFF

the only problem that i had with fairs is the extortionate entrance fees.

i usually didnt bother to go unless i knew for sure i wanted to buy something specific.

i dont know if its still the case tho, i havent been to one for yrs.
 
I'd never ever buy a machine from a computer fair, i normally only find them useful for blank cds/dvds and all the other PC odd's and sod's, plus i build ALL my own systems.
 
Trading standards intend to have words regarding failure to respond in writing which is an offence under some section or other.

As for the company that i cant name here i will should any body wish to email me.

What i find incredulous is that they trade from full high street retail premises, so it’s not like they only trade at fairs.

Myself and friends are planning a leaflet drop outside the fair along with walking around in doors wearing T-Shirts “ ** ******** ****** *** tried to rip me off” maybe the 4 of us stood at the stall every Saturday till evryone gets the message. :p

Power to the people! :D
 
To be honest, the last computer fair I attended seemed to be populated by ****** selling the profits from their burglary business.
 
I once bought some CDs from a PC fair. They had some hideous purple paint job on. That was the least of the problems. The pain actually covered over reputable brand names like Verbatim and TDK. However, these were factory rejects that someone had brought at a cheap price, covered the logos and flogged them at PC fairs.

Buyers beware.
 
I've been to bowlers afew times over the past couple of years, but I only go if I need something specific. Apart from the rip off entry fee it's not that bad. I wouldn't buy any PC hardware from there though, or if I did I would make sure its tested first in front of me, like a dell monitor I got from there once. As long as you are abit cautious you should be fine. Good on getting your refund though and I'm sure you won't get caught out like that in future :)
 
I stopped going about 3 years ago, like as already been said you can get the same or better prices online, it used to cost me and the GF £6 to get in (i could hardly leave her outside lol)

Fairs just seem to be where pirates stock up on blank media and cheap ink!
 
MeatLoaf said:
Havent been the trentham one for ages, the last one i went to was at fenton manor
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Fenton manor is/was the best, at Trentham, you have to go in one of those outdoor tent things, freezing your sack off. Although, I guess the added ventilation is welcome, as it seems most of the people who went to trentham fair didn't know how to wash.
 
pumaz said:
Fairs just seem to be where pirates stock up on blank media and cheap ink!
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Gone are the days when blokes came with their own trolleys to take 1000's of disks and cases out. I can remember Trading Standards monitoring disk sellers to see who was buying all the blanks and then following them home. You can go to a fair and the stores are still full of disks. There used to be one main seller who always had netting over the disks and I haven't seen them for at least two years. It just shows what broadband has done to the pirate industry.

killer_uk said:
Fenton manor is/was the best, at Trentham, you have to go in one of those outdoor tent things, freezing your sack off. Although, I guess the added ventilation is welcome, as it seems most of the people who went to trentham fair didn't know how to wash.
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Trentham was originally in the big ballroom and it was the second largest in the country next to Bowlers. Fenton Manor was quite poor and very often they would divide the hall in half. The worst ones were at the Britannia Stadium and the one in Tunstall.
 
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dmpoole said:
For a tub of 100 disks the price difference between a fair and OCUK is about a £1.

I'm quite surprised how disk sales have gone down.
Five years ago if you didn't get to the fairs within the first hour all disks and boxes would be gone and there would be blokes with trolleys buying in their 1000's.
Last sunday for the first time ever I went to the fair one hour before closing and all the stalls were still full of disks. Just shows what broadband has done.
Mind you, good tip -
One hour before closing they start chucking stuff at you and knock loads off.
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If your been serious which I doubt you are ;) then you really are going to the wrong places :cool: bit of research would no doubt go a long way ;)
 
Agh, computer fairs, never again. There's one in Tottenham Court Road I used to go to - I made the mistake of buying a CD-RW drive there which didn't write, it could only read. And my gf generously bought me a 5.1 speaker system [made by that well-known brand Canyon] which was abysmal. OK maybe I should have been wary against the Canyon system but as a result I always buy my hardware first hand now. Even if I can't afford it when I want it, I wait till I can. I just don't trust anyone at those fairs.

To think my dad is actually getting parts from these fairs and building whole computers for other people out of them :confused: I'd be surprised if any of them lasts a month.
 
Havent been to one for years. However they were very useful for good bargains; Boston Acoustics/Altec Lansing/Yamaha speakers, a nice Dell 19" flat trinitron monitor and other good stuff back in the day.
 
divaboy said:
If your been serious which I doubt you are ;) then you really are going to the wrong places :cool: bit of research would no doubt go a long way ;)
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I am being very serious.
Five years ago people turned up with hand trucks at Trentham and Fenton Manor and left with 1000's upon 1000's of disks and if you weren't there in the first hour the disks would be sold out. Now the tables are still full at 3 pm.
I used to go to Bowlers bi-monthly and again five years ago the disks would dry out within an hour, now theres plenty and stores try to outprice each other.
I can remember one day at Trentham around 1998 all stores sold out within minutes (one store owner estimated 100,000 disks) and so me and my mate drove to Wolverhampton Racecourse where they had sold out too. Luckily Millenium Computers (OCUK) had a delivery half way through the week and I put a deposit down for some.

I'll be very surprised if you can't turn up at any fair at 2:55pm and find some stall or other full of blanks.
 
I went to a computer show years ago. I bought a heatsink and fan from the overclockers stand - it was the first time I'd heard of this lil company, but was drawn by the stylish heatsinks on display at the time! :p

But yeah, computer fairs, these days id tend to give them a miss unless im after something very desperately, or cant wait for the 3 day mail time. Usually they are pretty boring. I wish they would have a joint computer fair and memorabillia show - that would be so much more interesting.
 
Surely you don't need to put your card in the terminal and enter a PIN to receive a refund? It sucks but at that point I'd have become suspicious...
 
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