ComplaintsforPCs for People Minnesota, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I purchased a refurbished laptop PC. It is allegedly certified via ********** It arrived with the lid broken. It wasnt done in transit as the box had no damage whatsoever. And it was wrapped in heavy duty bubble wrap. I believe this to have happen prior to shipment. I called them and the solution they offered wasnt optimal. They told me to send it back in for repair. And the repair may take up to 2 weels. I waited approx 2 weeks to receive it. If you do the math well over a month and I needed the machine to complete an important project. I know how to fix PCs so I offered a compromise that I could fx it myself in exchange for a partial refund. The reply that I was received indicated that they dont "think" its possible. I never got a concrete answer. So I bit the bullet and replaced the entire piece not the just shell but the screen as well and i have 1 year warranty. I tried to move on but more and more things was wrong with this item. Battery guaranteed to be 100% was charging up to 30% and at times not at all. I replaced the battery myself. and the charger, So during this time I noticed, more of bad practice than a problem which was uneven loading of the **** I bought new **** more than i had in there, and installed it properly. I did update the Hardrive while I Was at it but thats on me. Now into this item way more than I should be however its working better than it was, It has a **** port so I can project it on my TV and what do you know? The **** does not work at all! Ive emailed them several times over, tried to reach management to only be stonewalled by employees, They will not come to phone either. I got a manager, ****, once. IF that was him, When I write him back, im stonewalled by ****** P who tells your warranty is voided because you fix your PC but claimed to be fwd to management. I Asked for paperwork on the warranty and they not provided it that either. They are Non Profit Org helping the Disabled wl Low Incoem which i am

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Never received laptop I paid $70for. sShipping label was printed but item notshipped. cannot get answers or a replacement shipped to me. Very disappointed with the service. I just want the laptop that I paid for.

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  PCs for People quote 3-8 business days for the order to be built and packaged. From there PCs for People uses standard shipping, which is quoted as 4-7 business days. Unfortunately, these shipping times are being elongated due to higher demand for shipping due to the holiday season. We do apologize for the computer arriving so late. Based on the tracking number, the computer was delivered today 12/5/2023. If you have any further questions or concerns please reach out to ************************************* for further assistance. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  They sent me 3 computers. 2 of which were broken. I received a return shipping label and was given specific instructions to put both computers in the same box. I put them in the box in a way that things would not jiggle around or get crushed. It took 4 days of the company receiving my item to tell me that there was an issue with my delivery. They said since bubble wrap was not used the broken computer was broken more. 2 $15 monitors and 1 already broken cpu that they were supposed to refund. They refused to give proof of the barcode and serial number on the broken computers monitors as well as on the already broken cpu. They rushed me off the phone and laughed at me when I asked for the person that they report to. I was told that was none of my business and I can do what I want with the pictures the supervisor is willing to provide me. ****** the supervisor stated this and said he will not provide me with proof or pictures of the serial numbers or the very visible barcode that was on the monitors. They are very sketchy and disrespectful, they do not care that you are low income and are very disrespectful. They know or at least think that they can treat us people of color and minorities a certain way probably because they have done it for centuries. If you purchase a bundle and the $5 mouse is broken they will not refund you at all because it was purchased as a bundle. Do not buy from them. Its a trap. Horrible people( ******, ****** if thats her real name) horrible company.

  Business response

  11/10/2023

  Hello ******, 
  I am sorry to hear that the computers did not boot correctly when delivered. PCs for People policy regarding refunds states that any client damage will nullify any ability to receive a refund. But I do not believe the damage to the monitors or computers can be classified as client damage. We will honor the refund for the two computers that are being returned to you via *** tracking 1ZE7W9520398310914. Please refuse the package when it arrives, refusing the package will have the package sent back to us at no charge to you. Once the computers are received we will issue a full refund for the two computers which will total $250. 

  
  In regards to the 3 computers, if you want to return the computer for a refund, please send the computer to *******************************************************************. We will honor the refund policy for that computer as well. But a return shipping label will not be provided, return shipping will be the responsibility of the customer. Once that computer is returned with all the original components we will issue a refund of $125. Please have the computer postmarked by 10/24/2023 to be eligible for a refund. 
  

  If you have any further questions or concerns please email ************************************** this email will be directed to our customer service management team and I will be happy to further assist.

  Customer response

  11/10/2023

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

   

  They are wrong about the products being client damage. If I receive items that do not work it is not client damage. I will however accept their offer and wait for my refunds. If I do not receive a refund I will come back to report them. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I initially placed a order for a laptop and hotspot in march 22 ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************** the picture that was available from what could be seen a fence, gravel, and the box but nothing else to indicate the location so i could look so they had to reship the computer as i did not receive it which was delivered on march 27 2023 i had to wait for them to file a claim and that process to clear before they would ship another meanwhile i was charged for hotspot even though i didnt have one or a computer i had to call and create tickets to get any responses i asked for my money back was told i couldnt have it even though i never received any thing and did nothing wrong so finally april 13 2023 i got a new pc and my autistic son hit the screen and broke it i called the customer service number to ask about warranty i explained what happened the lady said it was covered and would send me a label i sent the unit in and it was lost in shipping i was told it would be repaired and sent back so i did not wipe the unit i also had just purchased communication apps for my child on that unit and due to their careless and negligent behavior i yet again have to pay the cost i had a touch screen laptop 15 inches with a i8 processor they sent me a pc that has a i7 and not touch screen was told by ***** i lied to rep and never stated the unit was broke and i did i asked them to review calls with qa he forwarded me over to a person who was worse than him totally ignored my concerns and requests to resolve the issue i asked for my broken unit back and they can have trash they sent and he told me i was equivalent and nothing he would do or could i asked for his supervisor and he stopped responding as a whole so meanwhile im out of 100 bucks and cant go to school either nor can my kid verbally communicate because i dont have another 500 to repurchase software

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  Under the Affordable Connectivity Program, PCs for People offers laptops at set prices. Unfortunately due to our inventory being refurbished, we can not always guarantee the exact module of the computers. Under the **** there are set minimum requirements for the computers to perform, these specifications are listed on our website. Both computers that were provided to you meet these same requirements for our best computer categories, which were purchased on 3/22/2023. Because we can not guarantee the computer when offering a replacement, we can only guarantee that the minimum specifications listed will be met. Some computers will exceed these specifications or have features that others will not have. This is why we were unable to replace the original computer with another of the same module, as a courtesy previous management offered a refund of $30. If you would still like the $30 refund, please confirm by emailing ************************************** Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a full refund for the computer.

  Customer response

  07/22/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  They lost my pc and I was doing a warranty claim of which they stated I lied and never told rep it was broken i requested QA review the call and was ignored for weeks even if I damaged Pc they offer for me to pay a set amount which was never offered they were rude and unprofessional keep speaking of two pcs but I have one and I want what I paid for returned I wont settle for 30 dollars I went to long without what I paid for and the unit you sent after losing my touch screen unit wasnt touch screen and doesnt hold a charge the screen is very dark even after brightening it is not equivalent not even the operating system you are abusing a federally funded program and being careless with paid merchandise and expect me to eat the cost I had to withdraw from school and my child cant communicate  verbally due to program being on pc I paid for **** lost and when I asked for management you ignored me as well so I had to go to BBB for assistance **************************************************************************************************************************** like garbage hoping I would let it go Im out 100 bucks and I didnt have 30 days the first 30 days of hotspot use due to no pc being issued because your carried delivered somewhere I dont live and I have proof 
  
  

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  I am sorry to hear that you rejected our original response, unfortunately, we cannot change our position on the matter. PCs for People is still offering a $30 partial refund for the inconvenience caused by the original computer being lost in the mail and the replacement offered not meeting your expectations. A replacement touchscreen computer can not be offered since this is not a feature guaranteed for our ACP Best laptop packages. If you are still interested in the $30 refund please confirm by emailing **************************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called today to get a pc and hotspot because I was deemed ineligible because people for pc claimed I didn't have the right paperworks, I then emailed them the right paperworks. Then I called because my order was still not processed. Some older lady by the name of ***** answered the main phone on the site. She said I was a victim and weak and she cancelled my ordered, lied and said she didn't see my email. I told her you do because you just read the email to me and some of what I wrote in the email, she then said you can call back and tell but I will still delete every account you make. She deleted my order and deleted my entire account so I can't log back in.

  Business response

  05/24/2023

  The documentation that was submitted with the original order was not acceptable. We contact the customer via email for acceptable eligibility, since we never received better eligibility before the order expired the order had to be canceled. PCs for People has 6 days to approve an order, after the 6th day, we can no longer approve the order. The pending charge on their account has been released when the order was canceled. Now that we have received acceptable eligibility, the customer can now place an order online for the items. We would be able to approve that order with no further issues. 
  In regards to the call, I have personally listened to the call, and no such claims were made by the customer service representative. The customer service representative also did not cancel their order, I personally canceled the order when the customer service representative asked for assistance. I would also like to note that with our customer management system, we are not able to remove or delete accounts. The customer has a total of 4 accounts in our system and there might be some confusion on which email was used to create the account with the order attached to it. I have emailed the customer and confirmed the email, and reset their password so they can now log into their account and place a new order.
  
  

  Customer response

  05/24/2023

   I am rejecting this response because: I was never told anything about a 6 day removal and refund policy. I sent them the right documents before 6 days. The call wasn't recorded so how did this person hear the call. I also didn't hear anyone in the background when I was mistreated and they also have other complaints about them for the way they have treated others, this is a ongoing thing with them, to harrass and talk down to clients and mistreat them.
  
  

  Business response

  05/26/2023

  All calls placed to PCs for People are recorded, I have specifically received the recorded and listened to it multiple time and found the representative was not aggressive, ill-mannered, or unhelpful. At no point did the employee call you names or belittle you in anyway. Listening to the call, it appears that the representative was attempting to find your email address in our system which they were unable to. The representative in the call gave you all the correct information in regards to our eligibility requirements and how do to send in the proof of eligibility. Again, I will like to reiterate that at no point did our representative harass, talk down to, or mistreat you in anyway. 
  
  In regards to the 6 days for us to be able to approve orders, that information is not presented to clients because it is the policy our payment processor has. This is not a policy or rule that PCs for People makes, it is put upon ** by Stripe, our payment processor. 
  
  If you are still interested in getting a computer, you can still place a new order online at pcsrefurbished.com. The original order has already been canceled and the pending charge on your account has been released. 
  
  

  Customer response

  05/26/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I know what I heard and she was talking down and my account was pulled but this will be my last response, also you don't have permission to record and don't tell us that you do. I can *** if I want
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a computer on March 15, 2023, from this nonprofit using a federal program for those who meet poverty standards. On March 23, 2023, I called to confirm whether I would receive a shipping email because I was having unrelated issues with **** and wanted to ensure there wouldn't be an issue with this package. After still not seeing a shipping email by March 30, 2023, I called to follow up again. I was explicitly assured my order would ship by the end of the week (i.e., March 31) or, at the very latest, by Monday the 3rd or Tuesday the 4th. After getting busy and not looking to nag, I followed up for a 3rd time on Friday, April 7, 2023, and learned my order had still not shipped. Because it's Friday, the only resolution offered still required me to wait for 4 more days until this coming Monday, April 10, 2023. To be clear, the ONLY resolution offered saw only part of my order shipping 3.5 weeks after placing it. When I placed my order, all products claimed to be in stock yet now I'm told the nonprofit is waiting on some of the accessories - as in, they were not actually in stock as claimed. I had the company cancel my order because I really didn't know what to do. I need a computer, can't afford one elsewhere, but will not pay for a computer I still haven't received because I'm experiencing major medical issues leaving me currently impoverished. I need a real resolution.

  Business response

  04/12/2023

  PCs for People is a donation-based organization, and our inventory varies. Unfortunately, the office that was expected to fulfill the order for 3/15/2023 no longer had the accessories to be able to fulfill the order. The office was attempting to obtain the items needed. It does appear on 4/7/2023 the original order was canceled from the original office, and a new order from a different office was placed. The order was processed and shipped out that day. The order was expedited due to the deplorable delays in shipping.  Based on the tracking number ************, the computer order was delivered on 4/11/2023. PCs for People will not be able to offer the computer for free, the only resolution that we can offer was the expedited processing of the new order. If you have any further questions or concerns you can email ************************************* to be directed to a member of the customer service management team.

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Ordered a laptop and hotspot per the government ACP program. Received the hotspot, but the laptop was shipped to the wrong address by pcsrefurbished.com. have called, emailed and used the support contact several times without any resolution. They keep delaying and pushing responsibility to me to resolve it with ****

  Business response

  02/09/2023

  A warranty request for a replacement computer was submitted to our fulfillment department on 2/1/2023. As all of our items are donation based we can not always guarantee we will have an exact replacement available at the time of the request being submitted. I have contacted the fulfillment team and expedited the replacement process. The package is schedule to be shipped out today, 2/9/2023. The tracking number for the package is ************. If you have any further questions or concerns please email **************************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Pc's for people is a government acp free internet program but they force people to purchase a $100 hotspot before we can use the government free benefit. They said they don't offer a waiver for the hotspot. I would like to sign up but they are exploiting money from people that can't afford it. Solution: Give the hotspot.

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  PCs for People is a part of the Affordable connectivity program which offers a $30 subsidy. We provide different hotspots, currently we only have Franklin ** hotspots available which normally cost $90. After the *** subsidy covers the monthly $15 internet cost, the rest of the subsidy is applied to the cost of the hotspot. Making the total cost to the client $75, unfortunately there is not a way for us to increase the subsidy for the *** nor can we discount the hotspot charge any further. The $90 is the set cost of the hotspot by our providers. ******************* currently does not have an account nor have they made any purchases with PCs for People. For other low cost internet offers, you can go to https://www.everyoneon.org/find-offers.

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 2, 2022 I called PC's for people to inquire about purchasing internet. I was talking to a male who was knowledgeable. He was explaining the *** program to me with the devices then my phone disconnected. I didn't want him to think I hung up on him so I called back, but nobody knows who he was. They said there is 10 call center employees and only three are currently working. But they didnt' know how to figure out to find out who he was. I just didn't want him to think I hung up on him. I talked to ****** the manager. She refused to give her last name. However, this a government program and all government money is public record. **************** said she does know her employees names and she didn't know any guys who work there. I also would like to know if you offer waivers for the hotspot devices. Plausible solution:Waiver for hotspot since this is a government program I don't feel they should charge $75 for a hotspot. Thanks.

  Business response

  03/07/2022

  The *** is a government program, but PCs for People is not. The *** only covers $15 off the mobile hotspot and then $15 a month for the free service with PCs for People. Please visit https://www.fcc.gov/acp for more information about the ***. The *** does not offer additional discounts and/or waivers.

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a refurbished computer on August 4, 2021. It was shipped Fed Ex and according to the Fed Ex website it was delivered and whoever signed for it signed "VCOLLEGE". All packages for the college campus apartments are delivered to Campus Sevices warehouse. No one there had seen it. I filed a case with Fed Ex who investigated. They recommended that the sender of the package needed to file a claim as they needed more information from the business so they could be reimbursed. Then I could be refunded my $130 that I paid for the desktop computer. I sent an email to them informing them and have had no response. They do not seem to want to make an effort to get compensated nor to compensate me. I would like my money back. The package was either lost or stolen.

  Business response

  10/26/2021

  We only have 1 email from Erin. We don't know if a different email was used. Client needs to submit a claim with FedEx and has not sent us an update about it. On the right side of the picture you can see it's only 1 email we have from the client. Client must submit a claim for us to issue a refund or replacement and then send us proof.

  Customer response

  10/26/2021

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I sent another email informing them that FedEx requires them, not me, to submit a claim.  Because FedEx needs more detailed information about the product that I do not have, like a serial number.  I have called and talked to Fed Ex twice and they told me that the business I ordered the computer from needs to submit a claim, not me.  Have they even called FedEx to confirm this?  Probably not.
  
  

  Business response

  11/01/2021

  We will attempt to file a claim. Clients have been able to file claims with FedEx and we do not know why they are telling the client that they cannot file a claim. Once we reach out to FedEx, the PCs for People manager will reach out to the client for an update.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩