I got a new computer. I really needed it, mine, bless it’s little cotton socks was starting the slow decline to …… actually it was just slow. It had got to the stage where I had to turn it on (hey big boy, wanna have some fun…) before I went to the shower so it would be alive and kicking by the time I got back. I can’t complain however, we’ve been together just over 6 years and managed fine bar a few little hiccups.

I’ve been looking for ages, but being the indecisive eejit that I am, I never committed to anything, always holding off in case something better came along, which it never did.

Last week I saw that a large retailer of all things technological was having an after Christmas sale which had a PC with the spec I wanted at a fairly decent price. I know at this point you’re (Lee) screaming, why a PC and not a laptop, well that’s a whole other kettle of fish for a different day.

So the Fathership and I headed out on my day off last Tuesday to go and visit said large retailer of all things technological with the intention of purchasing the PC. I’m the brains to operate the machine, the Fathership is the bankroll, it is after all what I use to do his bookwork on, the blogging in between is our little secret ;)

So we walk in and this gentleman comes over and asks what we’re interested in and I point to the PC. He asked me what I’m going to use it for and I felt like telling him it was none of his business, but I said bookwork, surfing the web etc and he then says let me call someone else over. So this wee lad, which is a Northern Irish saying for someone who can’t manage to pull their pants all the way up, comes over and again asks me what I’m going to use it for, to which I repeated my previous answer. He then tells me that I don’t need a computer of that spec and that something less will do. I was getting right royally pissed off at this stage, even more so when he says and you need to get a recovery disc created, it’s usually £60 but we’ll do it for £45, but you’ll have to leave the PC with us and collect it tomorrow. He then continues on about how with Windows 10 it’s changed and it has to be done by specialists etc. I’m thinking I’m pretty sure I know how to do it, but he’s making me doubt myself.

So I asked him, as calmly as I could manage at this point if I could do what was required myself and he informed me that with the introduction of Windows 10 everything was different now and software was needed to extract the information. So I a little less calmly told him that this was something that they should perhaps say on their website as it might have stopped me driving the 25 miles just to find out about this extra cost.

Why was I annoyed, mainly because I had finally made a decision about something and this little dork was trying to talk me out of it. He again mentioned a PC of a lesser spec and said it would do and I said but you don’t have any, they cost the same as this one which is better spec.  I then informed him that he had succeeded in putting me off and that I would have to think about it as I marched off, well as much as my alien leg would allow.

On the way out we were stopped by the original guy who had spoken to us and he asked if we were any further on and I informed him that no we were not, his assistant had only served to put me off my purchase. I mentioned the recovery disc and said I was fairly sure I could manage it myself to which he replied in an extremely arrogant tone well if you think you’re smart enough to do it there is no problem is there, and then to add insult to injury tried to sell me the fecking care plan as well. You have to believe me when I say I am not big on violence, but I wanted to head butt his smug face right at that very second. Instead I left loudly proclaiming that if I was a mystery shopper I would fail this store for losing sales.

I was raging and anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not the best at speaking out in those situations, so that lets you know how bad it must have been.

Fast forward to Sunday and an alternative PC I had been looking at, cheaper and less spec disappeared from the other website I was watching and after assistance from my friends and further negotiation with the Fathership we decided to go and get the damn PC after all. This time however we went to a different store. We walked up to the counter and ordered it, the girl asked if we would like extended warranty to be on the safe side to which we replied no. She went to collect the PC and the Fathership told me to ask her about the recovery disc just out of curiosity. She came back and we paid and as we’re leaving I happened to mention about the recovery disc, no problem she says, when you set up the PC it will give you the option, just put in a memory stick and create one yourself.

We left, I looked at the Fathership and the Fathership looked at me and we both just shrugged our shoulders. He knows nothing about PC’s, but he even he realised that the difference between the two shops was like night and day. Clearly the first one was only concerned about his commission.

Now however a new kind of stress begins as I try to back everything up and swap over. I can’t wait to be able to have more than 3 pages open with music playing in the background, I just can’t be arsed with this middle bit.

With me luck!