Mesh buyer counters customer complaints

PC Peripherals speaks out as clients awaiting return of goods complain of "being treated with the utmost disrespect"

The new owner of beleaguered PC builder Mesh Computers has reassured angry customers that the firm will be up and running again within days.

Mesh was bought out of administration at the start of this month by distributor PC Peripherals, blaming the upturn in demand for tablet devices for its woes.

Mesh customers awaiting the return of repaired PCs have used internet forums to vent their fury over the radio silence they have received from the new owners since 1 June.

This has been compounded by notices on the Mesh website informing customers that it is still trading, but only contactable via email while it moves offices.

Repeated attempts made by Channelweb, and many of the forum's members, to contact the firm on this address have resulted in bounce-backs.

Additionally, users also claim that emails sent to the firm's new owner, Reza Jafari, have been left unanswered and the phone number listed on PC Peripherals website is a "dead line".

Rob Bell, member of Facebook group Mesh Computer Complaints, said he has grown so frustrated waiting for news on his PC, he might take legal action.

"I am considering reporting my PC stolen, as it is not with Mesh anymore and I've given no-one else permission to take it, and the people who have it won't tell me where it is," he said.

"The main problem for me is that I do not want it back broken, [as] it would be £3,500 of uselessness," he added.

Brigitt Vose, founder of the Facebook group, told Channelweb she was dismayed by the treatment the firm's customers were receiving.

"Customers who had their faulty computer in for repair are being treated with the utmost disrespect by the administrator and PC Peripherals," explained Vose.

Dino Yeganeh, sales and marketing executive at PC Peripherals, contacted Channelweb yesterday to assure customers that their repaired machines will be returned shortly.

"Basically, we have only just been given access to the machines by the administrators," he said. "We knew where they were, and we will now start carrying out repairs and returning them within the next 10 days."

He claimed that only 20 machines had been affected by the delay and that the Mesh phonelines will also be reinstated within the "next couple of days".

"The move to new premises is nearly completed, but it has taken a lot of time," he added.

Paul Davis, a principal at administrator MacIntyre Hudson, advised the firm's customers to be patient.

"PC Peripherals is relocating the business to new premises and, unfortunately, this inevitably means that some disruption will be caused to both telephone lines and emails," he said in a statement. "Mr. Jafari has advised that he will contact customers as soon as the business is back up and running."