NCIX Outlet

They have good prices but customer service really sucks. They take ages (3, 4 days or more) to let you know your product is ready to pick up, when apparently the product is available in the store. I keep giving them second changes hoping they will get better, but now I gave up. It kinds of feels like begging them to give you your product. I rather pay more and get what I need right away.

My boyfriend picked out a computer from NCIX back in October, but didn’t have any way to pay the money without making a trip to the bank and with class in the morning, was worried he would miss out on the sale, which was the only thing putting the laptop in his price range.
So, seeing as I live only a few blocks away I told him I’d go down and pick it up. Double check the website in the morning, and walk into the Retail store later that afternoon. Pull up the link, the computer isn’t just sold old, it’s entirely unavailable. I double check with the sales associate who says yes. Even if they had the computer he couldn’t sell it to me, but they don’t have the computer. I’m slightly annoyed, because there was three in stock and for sale hours earlier. He was rather nice, but didn’t seem surprised. I asked specifically if he thought the outlet store would have it. He said no. There was no way, and offered to sell me a more expensive computer, with newer, but poorer specs to the one we wanted. I declined, and left disappointed.
It smelled like a sales tactic to me, so I decided to check out the outlet store before I headed home. Mildly deterred by the sign that seemed to imply this was a shipping location and not for retail, I headed in anyways, ready to apologize if I was intruding.
There’s one gentleman, doing his best to educate a pair of women on the best laptop to purchase for their needs. They seem pretty clueless and not inclined to buy, and the sales guy wasn’t very friendly, he was, though, informative. He didn’t seem like the sales type, unlike the last guy, but he knew his stuff. He tried to balance the both of us at the same time, which I think deterred the other customers. I, however, am very different from these women, and promptly hand him my phone asking if had this model. He was much more receptive to this type of customer, someone who knows what they want, what it’s supposed to be. I noticed he was much more friendly with me.
What do you know? They have the laptop I’m looking for. For 200.00 cheaper than the sale price online. A total of almost 1000.00 off the original price. He says he has two of that model. Rings me up, we make polite small-​talk and I’m on my way, a happy customer, extremely pleased with his service. Prompt, efficient, and easy.
TLDR: If you want slimy retail, go to the retail store, their website sucks and the employees there clearly place too much stock in an outdated (or improperly used) system. Go to the outlet store, and the guy is going to real with you. It’s still a tech store, though, and don’t walk in knowing nothing. Go to a big box store if you need your hand held on electronics.

I’ve had a very insulting experience the last few days.
I attempted to price match a 250GB Samsung EVO Series SSD for 89.99, from NewEgg.
NCIX had it on sale for 99.99. My friend attempted to pricematch it to 89.99 and was told 99.99 was as low as they could go, so I have his receipt for proof of this.
When I attempted this, NCIX declined the online PM and offered it for $ 120. It’s no longer on sale for 99.99 — but the current sale is 114.99. The reason for the offer was «Below Cost».
Really, you can’t let me have it for lower than $ 120 because it’s below cost, because you’ll sell it to everyone else for $ 114.99? When I tried to get a proper explaination of this from NCIX Customer Care, the girl was insisting that it was my fault and I was looking at a cache page.
The issue really (I found out after the call), is they double listed the item:
114.99 Samsung Evo Series 250GB:
144.98 Samsung EVO Series 250GB:
Each have different SKU numbers. She didn’t even bother to look at the active sales page, which clearly shows the $ 114.99 item. Instead, she told me it’s not selling for 114.99, and that the offer was from 144.98 to 120.
I was also given a counter-​offer for a GTX 980 for $ 679. I declined it. After thinking it over, I decided to go for it, so I place a new order with the same pricematch for a lower price. The new counter offer, for $ 699. Within a 7 hour period, they gave me 2 counter offers. Second one is $ 20 more, why is that?
That is just absolutely insulting. I have the emails indicating the offer numbers.
I just went ahead and ordered my stuff else where. I won’t be recommending NCIX for any decent level of customer care service. Because they just don’t seem to care at all. It’s just about every dollar they can milk out of customers.

NCIX has affordable prices and a rather wide selection of products, but the service is terrible. I wouldn’t even try returning anything unless you’re in the mood for a heated debate. I would opt for Memory Express or Newegg instead.

NCIX has disappointed time and time again.
The individual incidents were not that serious, but it’s the sheer frequency of them happening. I’ve gotten accustomed to feeling that «something will go wrong at NCIX», and that’s not a good feeling.
Strike One:
Way back when, they helped me build my first gaming computer. The parts selection was a relatively painless process and in relatively short time I got to take this affordable but powerful computer home.
Unfortunately, my computer kept rebooting for no reason. I brought the computer back to them to find that it was installed with defective RAM. They promptly installed a new RAM for me. I didn’t pay much mind because defective electronics isn’t uncommon.
Strike Two:
A few years later, I bought a VGA cable from them. Right out of the box, the green channel was completely absent. I tested with my other cables and found no problems. Got it replaced again thankfully free of charge.
Strike Three:
Ordered a keyboard online for an in-​stock order for a store pickup. The initial email told me they will send another e-​mail notifying me that it’s ready for pickup.
The item and the pickup store can’t be more than 1 hour apart, but I got no updates after 6 days. I called them to check the status and get this: mid-​conversation, I got connected randomly with another staff, neither of us had any idea what happened.
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I tried to trust you, NCIX, I really did. It’s really a shame with the wide selection you offer, but after these incidents I find it difficult to want to buy from you again.
While you were responsive to defective items and promptly helped me with them, things never went smoothly *the first time*. I have to make a call or a drive, after every single purchase. I think this is representative of a deeper management problem, what with glitchy websites, call system, the constant need to make a second trip, and all.

Customer service appears non existent here; I was in twice, never greeted, never acknowledged by any one, staff on the floor completely ignoring me… after two attempts. I think I’ll look for my computer products somewhere else.

Update: I just received a call from the supervisor as a follow-​up. It appears as though my package was lost and they have now shipped out a replacement. Looking forward to a final reaolution. I appreciate the followup and have adjusted my review accordingly.
Order placed December 31, 2014. Order was still showing a status of Order Processing as of Jan 6, 2015. I submitted a ticket for tracking that day. I still had not received a response 48h later so I submitted an update request. Still not receiving so much as an acknowledgement about 5 or 6 hours later I decided to call in to their customer service line and spoke to an agent. After explaining the situation the response I received made me want to reach through the phone and throttle him! «What do you want me to do about it?» Well let’s start with you acting with an ounce of professionalism? I asked him to let me know the status of my order why my ticket hasn’t been actioned and if you could do that with a more professional attitude that’d be great, thanks! His response was, with an air of pure arrogance, well if you respond to your own ticket it goes to the bottom of the pile. So next time make sure you don’t do that again. Also we do have a backlog and you will have to wait longer for your ticket to be actioned. It says that on the site.
(I still don’t see it on the site.) I advised him that the auto response email I received states I should receive a response within 2 days. So where is my product? «Well why don’t you just talk and let me know when you’re ready to listen?» was the agents response to me. My response to this statement was simple, you know I think I’d prefer to speak to your supervisor instead. With a little arguing I was able to be transferred. (He was trying to rush me off the line with the“callback” option.)
Within about 5 mins I was transferred to a supervisor and he was able to through no action of his own (supposedly) update the status to shipped and showing that the item shipped on Jan 2 but the funny thing is even the ups site also shows as not picked up yet but it shipped out on the 2^nd, right? Well tomorrow when the ups site still shows as not yet picked up I guess I’ll be on the phone with head office.

I called the Broadway store today to get a piece of information regarding their Wireless IP Cameras.
First off the guy answering the phone could not be less thrilled to chat with me, right from the «Hello» he sounded put out. Then cut me off and told me to call a «877» tech #.
Of course that gets me on hold for 20 mins only to have the person tell me I need to go into the store.
Total waste of time! Shop somewhere else, I am going to!

I’ve dealt with NCIX a number of times now and usually deal with Will Russell. The speed at which he responds and the company ships product is amazing. I will continue to support and deal with this online reseller. Great product selection and pricing as well.

Worse company I’ve ever dealt with. The order processing is confusing, website is glitchy and the advertised express shipping is BS. I’ve been waiting for 3 days and I’ve yet to get any shipping update for the product I ordered. Come on, I get better service from chinese no-​name sellers on ebay. I heard a lot of positive things about NCIX and figured I’d give it a shot. First and last time I ever buy from them.

Ok, NCIX is essentially like Newegg — and we are pretty lucky to have an outlet locally. Waiting for shipped products is a pain, as is dealing with returns for online purchases. An NCIX outlet solves those issues.
To get the most of NCIX, you really can’t expect to go in there and be hand held by staff. You should have some degree of knowledge about the computer parts you are after and be fully informed going in. Yes it’s extra work in comparison to going somewhere like Best Buy, but the savings (and QUALITY) will pay off. If you can’t put together all the parts yourself (it’s really pretty easy), don’t worry, NCIX will put it all together and install the OS for a small fee.
If you simply don’t have the time to learn all about computers, you are still better off coming to NCIX. The staff can put together a system that will meet your budget but they will be guided more by current discounts than actual quality (still miles ahead of any pre-​builts you’ll find elsewhere).
While I usually advise against extended warranties, NCIX express replacement policies and dead pixel protection type warranties (ie: for LCD monitors/​TVs) are potentially worth the price. It’s something you should definitely read up on and see if it makes sense for you.
I suppose the one negative is that the in store stock is pretty limited. Luckily, the parts they order are coming out of Richmond and just take a day or two.
NCIX is about as cheap as you are going to get for computer parts and electronics. The only way you are getting cheaper is if you go straight to the supplier warehouses out in Richmond like Tech Data, for instance. For most, it’s just not worth the hassle of pretending to be vendor to save a few bucks every few years, so NCIX is probably the best choice.
Take advantage of this store.

NCIX is a computer store that has great prices on computer components and electronic items. It’s my «go-​to» store for all items of the computer variety as they are usually the cheapest.
The Vancouver NCIX location moved a few blocks west from their original location on Broadway (by Burrard Street) a couple of months ago into a much roomier space (at Cypress). This new location has several free parking spaces in the back if you come by car. The expanded store is great if you’re coming off the street and want to see some of the common wares of a computer shop. With that said, the prices can be outstanding. I go here for all my high speed HDMI cable or ethernet cable, since it’s so much cheaper. For example, generic high speed HDMI cable that was gold-​shielded was $ 6 for a 10ft cable last week. 90% of their stock isn’t on display, but instead in the back. However, there are computers available throughout the store that you can access their website and see what stock they have in. NCIX used to have a «take-​a-​number» system, now with the extra space, there’s extra staff and support so you can just walk up to a staff member to get help.
Where NCIX really shines is their online store. Going to their website, you can see if NCIX has your items in stock and, if so, order them. Then all you have to do is simply walk or drive over and pick it up at their online pickup kiosk in the shop. Simple! If the item isn’t in, the website will give an estimate on order/​ship time and they will give you a call or email when the item is in. I have personally found 90%+ of the items I’ve wanted are in stock. It’s items like special processors or ram that it may have a small wait time. With that said, the most I’ve had to wait on a product is 5 business days, which I was more than willing to pay for as it was far cheaper at NCIX than anywhere else.
In addition to being able to get monitors, computer mice, all sorts of cables, and software, NCIX has a large selection of pre-​made computers and laptops, all with the possibility of upgrading components. If you want your computer or laptop to be fully customized, they can do that to. Using their online computer building tool or going into their store working it out with a staff member. As a result, you can get a computer that will fit almost any budget, and fulfill any task from simple work processing to an all out gaming machine.
You can get service on a ill-​working computer at NCIX as well. However, you don’t always get the most customer friendly service people. It’s really too bad, as usually the job they do it pretty decent or they will replace the part with a new one and it would still be cheaper, and probably better, than going to a big box store for repair.
Overall, this is a great computer shop to have in Vancouver and should definitely gone to first before going to a big box store.

TLDR; NCIX online inventory quantity one really means quantity zero. NCIX customer support doesn’t totally suck. I got the order cancelled relatively painlessly.
Needed a 512GB SSD in a hurry.
Future shop too pricey.
Newegg too slow.
I know I’ll try NCIX.
There online inventory tool showed one unit left in the broadway store.
I decided to order it to make sure i got it
after selecting in store pickup checkout page said wait for email before going into store
2 days go by and no email
i go to their website to get support
i use the request callback feature
i explain to helpdesk — and he sighs — really sighs — he has heard this before and he says the online tool has a disclaimer, and quantity REALLY means they don’t have any, and that I should call the store
I call the broadway store
I explain the story to receptionist — she doesn’t sigh — but she has heard it before and tells me with obvious practice that the online inventory checker has a disclaimer
she tells me she will have a sales person call me
90 minutes later i decide i have to call back — she apologizes no one called me and puts me through to sales guy
sales guy spends 15 minutes trying to find me unit, putting me on hold several times but to no avail no unit so he transferred me to helpdesk
helpdesk cancelled my order.
conclusion:
online inventory checker maybe may not actually be false advertising because of the fine print — but in practice it’s a big lie

There are three ways to buy a computer
1. Future Shop /​London Drugs
2. NCIX
3. Newegg
1. Big box stores have walk in inventory, if you want a laptop or boxed machine with no idea other then color shape etc go here, you can get good deals on special
2. NCIX — if you want to get custom parts LOCAL then this is one of the best stores, search online, order online, save the shipping and pickup here. This is not so much a retail store as a local PICKUP depot. They have some stuff in stock also.
2. Newegg — if you want the cheapest price use newegg online, Ncix will not match or beat

NCIX is a strange place, especially at this location.
Depending on the time of day, and the day that you go, your experience will vary.
I’ve bought things from here on numerous occasions. You have to take a number and wait your turn. This is where it gets haphazard. There is a lot of staff here (~10 or more?), but the problem is that they are all on computers taking phone orders or whatever, and there will be, seriously, ONE or TWO staff to help out the store patrons.
If there is a line of 5 peeps in front of you, get ready for a WAIT. It becomes intolerably slow. This has happened to me a couple of times. The only time I was able to get in and out quickly is to come on a weekday, during lunch hour.
You need to know what you want and don’t ask too much. Best to do your research, order online, come in and get out. They do have cheap prices tho.
Can’t really comment on customer service other than it being PAINFULLY SLOW at times. I don’t ask questions when I come. I just get what I want then I get out.

I was a computer nerd as a teen. For whatever reason, I ordered online pretty much all my nerdy parts and things from NCIX.
I needed another work computer so ordered online and picked up here (location now a Business Centre, new retail location opened couple blocks down).
In the past, I avoided their retail stores at all costs. Usually insanely busy with the phone constantly ringing, it was a major time waster. Staff weren’t that pleasant. However, this experience was drastically different.
Store wasn’t that busy and I was pleasantly greeted by Michelle who handles internet orders. Great to see a female hired in a male nerd world. I only had to wait a few minutes to get my order and was kindly offered a dolly to transport the goods to my car.
The only thing I wish they killed was Mr. Please-​Take-​A-​Number for service. They should be abolished world wide.

This place is a well oiled machine. I usually do internet orders and then pick them up in the store — they have a huge selection of inventory, but their website is easy to browse and search. If they have your item in stock, you can do same day pick up at their retail location. I love it! Just give the guy your order number, ID and credit card at the desk right when you walk in, and you’ll be out the door about 10 minutes later, item in hand.
If you need sales assistance or didn’t order online, pick a number from the long counter as soon as you get in. They’ll call your number when they have someone to help you, and the service is pretty good. These guys know their stuff. Prices are usually the cheapest you can get locally.
NCIX can be a little intimidating for newbies, but it’s totally worth it!

I love the fact that this is the kind of store that half the people I work with are afraid of. I love the fact that some are so used to the Apple and Dell style of online shopping experience, that they can’t fathom thought of browsing the NCIX site, let alone setting foot in one of the stores.
Contrary to that, I find theirs to be one of the best local websites of any kind of business. It’s large, dynamic, has inventory details, customer reviews, a product catalogue that will astound you, and the highly anticipated weekly Super Sale that goes online on Wednesday nights.
They also have weekend in-​store specials.
Set foot in a store, and you would believe that the website is related. There doesn’t appear to be much to look at, but that’s part of the point. There’s no need to have fancy product displays or sales staff when you can do all the research and pricing you need online before buying. Welcome to the 90s everyone!
I know that computer stores are notorious for shoddy service skills, but NCIX is trying. Some rough spots exist, but their staff is much more educated in the inner workings of tech devices than the big box store down the street, and expect yourself to learn a thing or two instead of being pressured into buying a $ 39 cable or $ 50 extended warranty like you would at you-​know-​where. That same cable is probably $ 6 at NCIX, by the way. Just take the time to know what you want, from the comfort of your home, before you head out.

NCIX? Don’t know what it means? Well it means nerds only, all others turn away.
I absolutely loathe this breeding ground of computer geekery but why am I always shopping here? It’s because I am one of those computer geeks.
This place is only for the geek at heart and I’m talking the true geeks out there, the ones that will put general hygiene and social skills aside just to nerd out on some new computer hardware — yes that is me!
The only reason why I come here is because I know what to expect, what to look for and what to do. If you do not know these things I would suggest going elsewhere and here is why:
Service is awful, don’t expect to walk in, grab something off the shelf and head to a cash register — nope, take a number and wait. Returns can be difficult, this is not like the big box retailers with «no questions asked», be expected to answer questions. Waiting can also be excessive and their storefront is not really built for off the street shoppers.
To summarize, they do everything that you shouldn’t do as a retail business.
Now if you haven’t been deterred here is the good news, great prices and a HUGE selection to perk the hardware enthusiast inside of you, this is why I always come back.

Bought a computer online and price-​matched almost all of the parts I bought so I saved around 200 $ total. Price-​matching is something really cool NCIX does. You find an online store that sells the part you want to buy but cheaper, NCIX will match it. I planned to build the computer myself but for 50 $ they built it and gave me a one year warranty. No worries, I picked up my computer and it kicks ass.
Every once in a while they have games on special so I have them place a copy on the side for me if I can’t make it on time before the game goes back to normal price. I’ve always had a good service there.
For those people that complain about the time it takes for service, take your head out of the sand and realize that this is not best buy. These guys give a personalized service to an incredible amount of people everyday. If you’re not willing to wait 20 minutes for service, don’t go. Go to Future Shop and buy your already built system and enjoy.
The biggest reason for waiting is all those «i think i know about computers» people that keep on chatting and asking useless questions. Computer stores are NOT computer schools. Geez! Do you go to the car dealership and ask about specific parts of your ignition system? No! Unless you know about it, don’t ask. It’s stupid and waste everybody’s time. So when you go to NCIX, tell them, «I’m a student and I need to do some computer graphics, what do you recommend» or «what kind of sound card system I need just for a gamer computer…» Stop acting so smart and get it over with.
These guys are doing a great job and they know what they are talking about. So take your number. Wait. Tell the guy what you want. Take your receipt. Wait for the back-​store people to bring the part to you and go home. And enjoy. And if you have time, tell some of those customer that they should do their homework before going there and asking stupid questions for 15 minutes, but that’s another issue.