DSGi makes 250 TechGuys redundant

Comments

• Before the redundancies the Techguys still had more than enough work, I am led to believe the loss of 250 staff has had a serious effect on performance, customers are now expected to wait between 7 and 10 days before an Engineer can visit, so after sales service has nose dived, not the sort of publicity DSGi need right now. I am also told that these same Engineers were responsible for the maintenance of DSGi's nationwide till system, I wonder if they will now loose trade as their till systems start to fail. Posted by Thomas Barry, UK
• I am not surprised about the loss by PC World as part of DSGI, but what is so wrong is that despite being just about the only chain of computer shops now available, they have managed to make themselves so unloved. Occasionally in my many dealings with them, they have been exemplary, but it is too easy to come away feeling actually short-changed (How much for a memory card~?) and or Customer serviced short changed through the rather abrupt and often untrained/informed staff. I know that they have to deal with every level of technical ability but I have often been served by staff who did not know the basics and could not convincingly explain the difference between computers. Such gems as 'that ones faster because the graphics cards got a higher number' and the like. It is their dominant position that produces this lazy attitude and I suspect we will see some new year humility from the DSGI boss banging on about how they were now going to focus on the customer... This will, if it occurs, be especially ironic as with the loss of staff posted here, and given that the ones most likely to leave are those with skills that DSGI needs and that think they can get jobs easily elsewhere, they are probably losing many of the staff that would support best a greater emphasis on customer service!
  I am writing this not because I want DSGI to fail , but that I want to have a friendly knowledgeable reasonably competitive store in my town. Not a hangar full of mostly poorly trained staff selling £1.99 USB cables (amongst many, many hugely overpriced items) for £30 to the less technical. I hope this causes a change in the stores, the staff, and especially the often woeful and sometimes criminal customer service standards because the government can hope for greater ICT skills for all as much as it wants, but PC World is where most of the new adherents go to invest in their future! Posted by AJB, UK
• Thomas Barry is correct in his comments - they do service their own till system. On Christmas eve, they have over a 1000 tills to repair.. and the backlog is increasing. DSGi is in serious collapse.
  Woolworths, MFI, Whitards.... ???? guess who's next ! Posted by Kevin McCook, UK
• This comapny is quickly following in the footsteps of Woolworths and MFI. Mr Barry and Mr McCook are both doing a fine job in sinking this company quicker!! Also a correction it is NOT 250 engineers being made redundant but these 250 are the only ones that are left!! They consist of non skilled van drivers, cheap and cheerfull contractors and the inept engineers who have nothing else to go to lol.
  Certainly go to their stores to see the products but Definately purchase them from the net as you'll get a better price and a better after sales service.. Posted by The Tech Guy, UK
• You may get some offers in PC World for products, but I urge all customers NOT TO BUY EXTENDED WARRANTIES or SERVICES FROM THE TECH GUYS. DSGi make large amounts of money on these services by charging a lot and removing all the engineers. We have promised share holders to save 50 million pounds in savings over this financial year. 15 million has been achieved by removing the majority of the tech guy field engineers. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.... Posted by DSGi Head Office, Hemel Hempstead (no name for obvious reasons), UK
• The New setup of the techguys simply will not work, too many customers and not enough field engineers. Tom Barry has totally lost the plot. The plan was to reduce the head count across the entire Techguys group around 35% thus saving the company nearly £30 Million in wages and overheads, however the real figures are closer to 75%. This was not expected and has had a big impact on the customers (more so those customers with large screen TV , LCD,Plasma). There simply aren't enough trained and experienced engineers to cope. In the long run the company will have to look at the new Hub setup and review it, if it doesnt then a lot more people will leave. Mr Barry, do the right thing and top yourself before the new year :) Posted by A Techguy, UK
• Out of the remaining 250 tech guy field engineers, over 100 of them are expected to leave before 6th January 2009. Under the terms of the new contracts, they have upto four weeks grace period to stay with the new setup or take the redundancy offered to them in December. Many expressed the grace period as a reason to earn another months wage before leaving.
  
  Our head office seem to be seeing through the economic downturn by offering close to ZERO after sells service while we still sell extended warranties to our customers, knowing full well we don't have any resource to offer the product we are selling.
  
  It going to end in tears
  
  Posted by PC World (Lincoln), UK
• We have had more customers back through the doors in the past month return Plasma and LCD tv than ever before. The are not getting repaired in the 28 days allowed under 1st year warranty. So we are taking massive hits on our bottom line. We are swimming in faulty product and the Techguys aren't getting to them to repair them because the aint enough engineers. When are the higher management going to get the message?? Tom Barry has screwed the Techguys good and proper and we are all paying the price for his hair brained plans. I had a customer on the 2nd of December returning a wireless router because they could not get an engineer to install it BEFORE the 5th of JANUARY!!! Well done Tom. Posted by PC World (Teesside), UK
• It's not all PC World's fault, due to hardware getting cheaper and cheaper. However, as the company's strong point is supposed to be service, there's some contradictions here. There's a big push from management at all levels to sell services as they make more profit. PC World is lucky to make £10 profit on a laptop sale without the extras.
  
  Us in-store Tech Guys work in what feels like and looks like a goldfish bowl. The prominent placing of the in-store PC Clinics provides some reassurance to customers, most of whom believe we're there to fix any problems they might have under 1st year warranty or PC Performance agreements. We aren't allowed to accept any repairs accept chargeable ones, so, day after day we apologise and ask our customers to go home again and phone up instead.
  
  The in-store Tech Guys suffer from a lot of stress. We're multitasking on several jobs at once, rescuing customers from their own self-destructive habits (trying to get something for nothing off the internet and instead getting viruses etc). It's complicated rescuing thousands of personal files scattered across a system with multiple user accounts. It needs a lot of concentration and mistakes can be made if we're interrupted all the time by people returning products they've bought in error or that they can't get to work.
  
  We used to have customer care assistants at the PC Clinic counter but now the technicians have to do everything. The turnover in sales staff is higher than it used to be when they got commision on sales. Now there's the 'One Team Bank' instead, which pays for xmas nights out etc. Posted by in-store tech guy, uk
• I'm seconding what PC World (Lincoln) has said. The company goes on about customer service but we don't really offer that good service. If a customer's shoved out of the door with all the services and extras we're pushed to sell, we get a pat on the back, even if the customer's unhappy due to all the pressure we piled on them. But if a customer leaves the store without buying every single thing we're expected to sell them, but they're happy, we get a ticking off. Posted by DF, UK
• By getting rid of the staff i can afford to make the stores bigger and stock grocerys. Then i can change the name to Tescos then finally world domination will be mine. Mwaa Ha Ha Ha! Posted by John Browett, Secret Moon Base
• TTG or Mastercare has been top-heavy for some time now. Over the years as retail just paid the bill, the layers of ineffective management just got thicker, and if you can remember the day of Richard Middleton then you’ll know that management was plain old lazy and accommodating too. So the bubble has been growing for some time, and Tom Barry, following on from his predecessor is just taking TTG back to what it is supposed to do – break fix. The added value stuff cannot be done right until the foundation is laid. However, I must say that laying-off just frontline staff because there is no work feels pointless when there is still some deadwood in HO, who appear to be part of the fittings and fixtures.
  
  For everybody who’s been affected by the downsize, the economics are obvious.
  
  1. Products are cheaper /people don’t want specialist (they’ll go to Tesco instead)
  2. Less people need repairs/coverplan - so less products to repair
  3. TTG unable to make a revenue, and so unable to keep a large workforce
  
  Most people prioritise on price. This is obvious in online price search engines, where people search for mainly cost difference, and then they may review the service.
  
  A lack of understanding of the profit value chain, has led to this bubble bursting – albeit very slowly over almost 3 years. That’s one hell of a job you have their Tom. Posted by An Interested Party, UK
• All my (few) visits to PCWORLD are the same - walk in, see the ridiculous prices, then walkout thinking "how do they stay in business?"
  
  Well in the early days, this was acceptable where consumers wanted to have a guiding hand to open their wallets for PC items - but now they have gotten more techsavvy themselves this has started to turn.
  
  With the USA's "Best Buy" empire's iminent arrival, I expect this to really turn the screws on PCWORLD's future - as they will not be able to complete, be the second option etc - also PCWORLD staff will all no-doubt wish to jump-ship and work for Best Buy.
  
  You would think that PCWORLD would put out an official economic update - to passify the staff that work there, and also to chill the thoughts on everyones' minds that they are due to go under. Burying your heads in the sand isn't going to ease your pain PCWORLD - the last few years of overpriced products and shoddy service has proven this.
  
  Incidentally, when you can purchase a PC over the net from a major company which offers a 7 day hardware turnaround (including collect and return shipment) - for less than PCWORLD, with the exact manufacturers warranty period - why does anyone bother ? - the sooner more people realise this, the sooner PCWORLD will lose this "impulse purchase" audience.
  
  Now, if they were taking bets at the bookies........ I think we all would put on a tenner! -- sorry to say, but we all have been thinking it for the last couple of years, lets be honest! Posted by PCW0RLD walk-in, walk-out-er, UK
• To All TechGuys,
  
  Notification of Extension of Trial Period
  
  We are now 3 weeks into our new operating model and we have made a great start in developing a business which is an asset to the group and of which we can be proud.
  
  As with most change, there have been some challenges, such as a backlog of work, colleague shortages, gaps in our management team and system issues and as a result an increase in pressure has been felt across the business. I realise that this is having an impact on your current working environment and I thank you for all the hard work, commitment and support you have put in over the last few weeks.
  
  We are making good progress in resolving these challenges and you will continue to see improvements on a daily basis. It is important, that you continue to provide us with your feedback and highlight the challenges you face.
  
  I am aware that for most of you, we are now nearing the end of your 4 week trial period and I do not believe that everyone has had a fair opportunity to fully experience what the business will be like to work in given these challenges. We want everybody to have a fair opportunity to make an informed decision and are therefore extending the trial period until 30th Jan in order to allow this to happen.
  
  Hub managers will be providing full briefings on this extension and as always please raise any questions you may have.
  
  I thank you, once again, for your continued support and we look forward to growing a strong business together.
  
  Warm Regards,
  
  Stephen Campbell
  
  HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! I AM DESPERATE SO I'M TALKING OUT OF MY BACKSIDE AGAIN!! Posted by PC World, Currys, Tech Guys and everyone at RSC, UK
• Well I am a manager at a PC World, and yes things are tough, it doesn't help with senior management making knee jerk reactions to staff training, customer service and poor execution of decisions being made. Let alone some managers being trained and promoted who should not have been. Yep every company is probably looking where to save money, but what really upsets me is that people want DSGi to fail? Why? Well I have a mortgage, kids, home, bills to pay etc. and if I hear another whiney customer saying "oh when Best Buy comes to town" or "why can't you chuck in a free printer, or give me £30 off!" Lets all wake up and smell the coffee, directors that have left in the past year or so have been like rats off a sinking ship and have left the company in a dire position. Posted by Gary, UK
• Reference Gary UK.
  
  I to am a Manager for DSGi (Currys Superstore) and like yourself am surprised and concerned to read so many people want the failure of DSGi. I understand the customer service must improve but hope our customers give us the chance to show what is and what can be achieved. Having spoke to many retail colleagues out with our group who have recently lost employement I for one would not wish that on any one. As a company we are turning and are getting back to basics where our customers come 1st. We need this to happen sooner than later I know but we are going in the right direction. Lets just ensure we can ride the immediate storm and not get into this situation again. Good luck for the future.
  
  Steve (Currys/ Scotland).
  
  Posted by Steve, Currys Scotland, Scotland
• As a former employee of 7 years (2000-2007), I can fully understand why customers want to see DSGi fail. How many times during that period was there a push for better customer service? Although there have been a few small improvements over the years, DSGi have really struggled to get this right, and I think customers have now lost patience. Posted by Dave, England
• The Techguys got left with less than 200 engineers and most of those are PC engineers not brown goods or flat panel engineers, but to correct the problem they gave the PC guys 1 days training on Plasma and 1 day on LCD. Now whats the quickest way to kill a person.. answer undertrain them, then make them think they can do the job.. just for the record it took me 12 months to learn how to fix plasma and lcd products in the field, getting between 4-6 jobs a day, that jumped to 9-11 jobs a day with over 100miles to do a day with no help available for large sets. result - of the remaining brown goods and flat panel engineers 60% are leaving so, less engineers = more work = less engineers = good buy dsgi as they will not be able to service the product. the christmas sales figures that are not out yet.. will show a large jump in flat panel sales, which will just be lies as this will include all the sets that are getting written off under the 21day and 28day repair rules and the stores don't make any money on these sales period.. Just for the record I for the techguy in one of the new hubs and speak from experiance. Posted by The Techguys, England
• I work in a PCWorld store (South West) , one of the ones that was recently "refurbushed" along with the implementation of a new selling "template" for staff, which has cost millions to implement, and since the company posted the recent loss of around £30 million this has all gone out the window, and managers have been told that the must sack 5 fte's and that the business 2 business part of PCWolrd may be scrapped. Posted by Irritated PCWorld Employee, UK
• 15 - 20 years ago DSGi used it's greed power and might to kill off small businesses and the high street wih large out of town stores with poor customer service. Now the power and size of internet shopping is killing Currys & PC World, why would people feel sorry for DSGi? Sure I feel for the people, families and workers of dsgi but certainly not the board of directors or the loss of the brand.
  
  What goes around comes around! Posted by ex pc world Birmigham sales, www.pcworld.co.uk
• Well it's kind of starnge to see all these comments about a company that many of us worked for in the past. Under Sir Stanley Kalms customer service was really important, he even turned the stats on there head looking at failure to proved asopposed to succes. It worked, it focused the mind of engineers, warehous/stores personel and customer service advisors.
  When I read comments of the kind dispalyed here, I feel for all those people who genuinly try to provide customer service, the backlogs of work outstanding have all been seen before and resolved by planning and then actioning.
  Dissapointingly I read that the team bonus seems to remain, clearly there is a personal incentive needed for all sales people, it worked before it will work again, It was always a pleasure to attend the millionnaires club dinner, you older employees will know about that, if there are any left.
  Sadly it seems that a few years ago they let go a lot of experienced sales and service staff and managers who had the know how to get out of the mess thay now appear to be in and brought on a lot of "Bright Young Things" with there degrees etc but sadly lacking in Retail skills. Time to return to Basics!
  Posted by One who Knows the agony you are going through, UK
• One day a new Chief Executive took over a major electrical retail company. His first job was to clear down the old types and bring in a new fresh talent (fresh talent is short hand for "University Degree people who haven't a clue how retail works"). Unfortunately his idea didn't work. Now times are tough and the recession is here, he's in a pickle with a head office full of University Degree people who haven't a clue how retail works. ooops - haven't we made a mess
  
  (this story has nothing to do with John Browett or DSGi)
  (although it's quite similar)
  (infact it's identical)
  
  Posted by Friend of person who is in a pickle, ooops
• 
  I AM A TECH GUY and I work as an outside PC engineer. When I came for my interview 8 years ago, I was told by the person interviewing me, that I was to apply for a CSR role, which stood for CUSTOMER SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE and my job was to keep the customer happy, my job was NOT to sell, my job was to make sure to keep the customer happy with our service and try and get a 1st time fix.
  8 years later, I feel ashamed to go into customer’s houses knowing they have had to wait up to 2 weeks to get an engineer out and that I have called to repair their plasma after only 1 day of workshop training to arrive at the customer’s house with NO parts or printer. "A printer?” I hear you ask, YES, a printer! I had a job the other day to call and fix a plasma and the part that was sent was a PRINTER, how does that fix a TV?
  As a PC engineer, I used to get up to 8 jobs a day maximum, which were local. Now that there are not enough engineers left, I get up to 13 jobs a day with over 100 miles travelling every day which is impossible to do and most of them are LCD and PLASMA TV’s and to be honest, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing on them. Customers are suffering due to the severe lack of time we, as engineers, have. We are constantly rushing in and out of jobs with no real time to spend with the customer. We have gone from CUSTOMER SUPPORT Representatives to part fitters, giving the wrong impression to customers. I am constantly hearing complaints from customers concerning previous engineers who have not communicated with them, basically because of a time issue.
  I used to pick my parts up around the corner from my house, which was 2 miles away, but now I have to travel over 20 miles every morning to collect my parts. So how is this saving money for the company?
  And what about the carbon footprint that everyone keeps talking about?
  As an outside engineer we get nothing and no thanks, just grief off customers and the store staff.
  The store staff promise the customer everything just to get the sale but they just can’t deliver. We then get grief off the customer because the store said “…ask the engineers they will do that”. But we can’t, so then we get grief off the store because they don’t want the customer taking things back for a refund because they were oversold something.
  I love my job and want to work for DSGi for a long time yet but they need to get their act together SOON. Please ………….
  Posted by Another FRUSTRATED Tech Guy, cheshire
• I too am a Tech Guy out in the field... the current experiences of "Another FRUSTRATED Tech Guy" echo my own (you have my sympathies mate :)) Many a true word spoken here..... not much to add except that I hope it all works out, but I fear the worst is yet to come.
  
  ...thanks T.B (not).
  
  BTW the only tech support you get for LCD and Plasma is phoning a workmate who has done more on TV's than you... got a Haynes manual anyone?? Posted by One More Frustrated Tech Guy in the North, UK
• I was a Techguy but took redundancy recently. The new heads of the Techguys really didnt have a clue about the service industry and saw this only as an excercise of cutting costs. What they seem to have failed to have understood that if the service side of the business is good, then people return to the store because they have faith in their faulty product being repaired almost instantly.
  I worked in the commercial side of the business in which peoples laptops were mostly repaired on a next day callout because it was used for work. The companys cost saving methods now involves these laptops (sold on a next day service contract) to now be sent away to a workshop with maybe a 10 day turnaround expected !
  This cost saving excercise may have reduced costs but at what price in the long run ?
  And to those engineers still working for the company, there are IT jobs out there, in fact the industry expects to increase by approx 2.5% even in the recession. Im happy now that I have left because I have a nice redundancy wedge, I start my new job next week (higher money than the new regime were offering too! ) ,ive just had the last 4 weeks off and best of all, I dont grief from customers that are unhappy with the poor service the Techguys now seem to stand for :-) Posted by a happy EX-Techguy, UK
• Watch out DSGi business and those involved (even in store) you are next! Posted by SSK, Ireland
• PC World Managers have been briefed of the PC World businesses closures which will affect the in-store business units. Posted by pcwbd, UK
• some of the brown goods engineers did want to stay,but the outside company used decided that of 10 years of doing the job with no complaints.and achieving targets .was not what the company needed and they where dememed not siutable.this asscessment had no techical aspect to it at all.also if you had been with the company for a long time and they offered 75% on the basic redundacy.and if you didnt take and in it.in 2years tim they decided to contract out the service you wount get the enhancement what choice wood you make. Posted by slim, uk
• It’s going to be a bumpy ride this Thursday John!!!
  
  http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article5488500.ece?Submitted=true
  
  The mess is slowly being revealed - partly thanks to bitter wallet Posted by John Bowlett, UK
• I can confirm that Tom Barry has been relieved of his position of Director of The Tech Guys. I think they should seriously think about also getting rid of the higher management within the The Tech Guys.
  
  Also John Thorp the CIO of Group IS will be leaving at the end of January too. Posted by Another Ex-Tech Guy, UK
• I too worked for Mastercare later the Tech Guys. Commercial Service was a dedicated team of engineers that took on everything they threw at us. Installing PCs all over Scotland. Wall mounting Flat Panel TV's, company till systems. Networks, Home cinema installations,
  We gave our all to the company. Our Reward was to be downgraded to a break-fix engineer , travel to a hub in our own time, instead of a local collection point, Cover evenings and weekends and take a pay cut as well.
  Tech Guys was going to be the place to work. Not sure who for? Cetainly not for me. Posted by Ex- Tech Guy, United Kingdom
• Don't cry for Tom Barry too much, he will either go back to Comet with a pat on the back and promotion for wrecking their rivals or he will join yet another company and mess that up too. The other directors and HR should follow Toms example and leave after such a cock up and be total ashamed of their actions throughout this whole process they are not fit for purpose as management. Posted by Ex Mastercare , UK
• I am one of those 200 techguys left in the field, repairing Plasma/LCd and now back to PC's (my first job) as a CSR. I have 13 jobs tomorrow and am supposed to be finished at 18.00 according to my route planner. I also cover Eclipse (DSGi till system ) and can do most of the hardware but how am I supposed to do this with no time and 5 HOURS TRAINING and no HP accredition. Also most of the 'new ' hub mangers are form outside the business and no real clue of what is going on. Tom Barry really has made a complete mess of the whole improvement to The Tech Guys and his side kick Steve Campbell -I do like working for the TTG but with no local workshops and no senior engineers for support the whole thing stinks. I did not take redunacy because I could not afford it. The hub -waste of time and money, booking time >10 days, TTG co2 footprint really poor, and moral at rock bottom again. DSGi wants service -Give us in the field local workshops and the knowledge and time to do our jobs with good training - you will be surprised in what can give back. Posted by Tech Guy -North -UK, UK
• I too am an ex Mastercare / techguy with over 20 service to what was a GOOD company untill this fiasco was rolled out...I found myself having to teach ex van drivers how to repair and install PC's in two weeks...I decided that this was not the type of job where my future lay...Now with a nice redundancy package safely in the bank ....Along with the company in the mess we all predicted and a new job, I feel that DSCi has got what it deserved taking on a failed executive from Comet...The only thing i feel sorry for is the staff that had to stay for various reasons..... Posted by Ex TechGuy North-UK, Uk
• I have spent a majority of my Carrer working with DSG (later +i). From the Technical Call Centers to eventaully the Field. I was Lucky enough to spend a long time working for Mastercare Commercial Services. We were put on quite a bit, working silly hours, evenings, and weekends (mainly volantry). We didn't really mind because the pay was good enough not to want to go anywhere else (including overtime ofcourse) and I felt respected by my manager and colleages.
  
  Then they stopped overtime, expected the same amount of work be done in less time, Stopped the interesting work (roll outs, networks, home multimedia and laptops) and gave us an ultimatum; work for £2000 less and travel 20 miles to pick up parts and be expected to repair TVs and probably anything else they can get out of us with little or no training or take a redundancy and run.
  
  Thanks to my vast experience earned while working for commercial I was easily able to find alternative work, and so was most all of the other guys in the same area. Net result is as has been stated: - Vast amounts of experienced people have left, DSGi have had to scrape the barrel and employ security, van drivers and contract people to carry out work. The customers are experiencing long delays on repairs (not forgetting businesses who could really do without these problems during the recession) and the poeple who do arrive can just scratch their head. As commercial were responsible for the Eclipse systems and as a result stores struggling with sales are forced to use the only remaining functionall till to process transactions and customers are getting annoyed with queing a leaving.
  
  DSGi has always had a top heavy problem. The MD's don;t understand the stresses and strains they cause to the front line personnel by introducing crackpot ideas. They appear to sit in a bubble in hemel with no real understandinig of the day to day running of the stores, field or workshops. One example is a recent £7m memory upgrade on their tills, everyone in commercial said it wouldn;t resolve the issues (which were down to bandwidth) but they went ahead with it anyway with no real result. For years we asked for an upgrade to our work laptops from 256mb as it would take a full 10minutes to start up (even with tweaking), eating into our home time... shows their priories and thoughtfulness..
  
  I don't wish for DSGi to go into administration, lots of poeple don't deserve to loose their jobs because of the poor planning of the overpaid people at the top; what they need is a shakeup, thought, consideration and listening to their customers (internal and external) before making any decisions..
  
  It's true best buy is on their way, maybe put back a little by the economy but if DSGi is in this state when they arrive the store's may just be bought and rebranded... Just as Tom Barry has probably planned all along.. Posted by Happy Ex-Tech (Midlands), UK
• I have worked for dsgi for 37 years,firstly as an apprentice from school (currys group service )then( mastercare).I was a brown goods engineer,My redunancy package was very good so i am not complaining but I feel sorry for the engineers that left with very little redunancy,you could say its there choice but who in there right mind would want to stay in want they were offering the hub etc,Good riddence to tom barry,he has wrecked a service organisation I dare say he will have something else lined up very quickly.Who in their right mind gets rid of all their experienced engineers in one hit and just before xmas(peak).I just hope tom barrys head is not the only head they chop no names( k.m) Posted by ex tech guy(south wales), u.k
• Good news to all Techguys staff ex and otherwise I see in the sun newpaper that Tom Barry and other senior managers have been sacked today. they have taking a good company and made into the worst. I have worked for the DSGi group for 28 years but got my marching orders last september and left in december, and I remeber when the company was a good company to work for in the days of Mastercare. So its only just that Tom lose his job the same as the rest of us, welcome to the dole Tom signed on yet? Posted by Ex Tech guy midlands, England
• Another Link for everyone..
  
  http://www.bitterwallet.com/tag/techguys
  
  Lets not forget about Jonathan Miller who made the announcements to a few engineers last september, this guy has only been with the company barely 6 weeks and when he was asked certain questions by engineers he didn't know anything!! The guy stood there trying to convince us ex engineers that there are quality jobs available!?! At that point most of decided it's time to get out! Jonathan Miller (Mr No personality!!) also convinced everyone that things were gonna get worse because he didn't have a clue about the engineers, the company and how things worked.. Everyone saw that this was going to happen apart from the upper management!! For the Tech Guys and DSGi to survive is to firstly get rid of the people running the current operations Steve Campbell, Jonathan Miller, Kevin McCook, Ed Slingsby and all those useless so called hub managers will be a very good start as everyone puts the blame on these guys aswell as Tom Barry!!
  Posted by A Happy Ex Tech Guy, UK
• I am also an ex techguys engineer with 11 years service and I have sat back and watched with interest the company fall apart this is why a descided to take the redundancy and reading the reports above I see Iam not alone, I feel sorry for the engineers left in the field and feel that it will not be long before they have joined us as I heard a rumour from the top that in february another cull will take place and numbers would depend on have sales went over the christmas period and those engineers who took the four week trail I wounder why your trial period has been extented until the end of january? Posted by Extech, england
• I need to make a correction to the headlines. In the declaration of consultation (when we were told we had to re-apply for our jobs) we were told that there was 600 jobs under consideration encompassing workshop and field (excluding laptop workshop). At last count the field was left with 150 engineers, 25 newly employed from other parts of the business (security gaurds, van drivers, etc) and 25 agency. As far as I know the acency staff are packing it in after being given a rediculous amount of work after a few days..
  
  The announcement that they are continuing the trial period for the benifit of allowing those in the field to get a better idea of the new role it poppycock. DSGi are just affriad that anyone on trial will just leave after 4 weeks and take the oppertunity to get their redundancy.
  
  Thank goodness I took mine redundacy, less work to do in my new job. Training to MCSE standards and pay rise as I go on. Pitty it took the current toff to force my hand.. Posted by Ex-Tech (East Midlands), UK
• hi, i am a techguys who stayed , spend the 3 months before dec applying for jobs every day, had 2 interviews only to find it was lower pay , work like a dog and now find out many people were leaving the company, so it was better to stay with items i know more about.
  
  I am the only brown goods eng in the hub and get about 20 phone calls a day from pc eng's and temps and new employed eng's ( who dont do tv's) . And am not getting pay any extra for my experience and now snr eng skills.
  
  recently i started a pc job then the next 3 eng(?) didnt nothing than more than make man made faults, then i went back as the 5th eng to calm down the customer and spend time repairing and keeping customer happy. what the other 3 eng's did i dont know.
  
  i know at least 2 eng who want to go at end of jan. yes the rest of us will do even more work then!! Posted by tech guy still, uk
• It will be interesting to see what the upper mamagement do when the next batch of engineers leave at the end of January after their extended trial. Rumour has it that they have not got a clue, so look out all of you that decided to stay as it is going to get tougher still Posted by techyguy gone, United Kingdom
• There are rumours that in London, the Techguys are so desperate they are taking back engineers even after paying them large redundancy packages !! Posted by a concerned EX-techguy, London, UK
• Bring Back Sir Stanley Calms!
  DSGi can't understand the meaning of 'good will' and 'people are our most valuable assets'. Mastercare was bad enough in the end, but what came next? I was a brown goods engineer with Thorn for 28 years and then 11 years with Mastercare until redundancy 5 years ago. I'm still suffering from the stress of my final years! You had to work 'their system' as it wasn't about customer service, only getting the figures right! Run by people with no idea of what goes on at ground level, in the instore repair shops, in customers' houses etc. Not to mention out on the roads.
  I used to love the job, but the last few years in Mastercare put paid to that. Moral was low, getting lower, the customer was always irate due to faulty goods and even worse service. A vicious circle. We where always making excuses instead of doing the job.
  The bottom line is it will get worse, many engineers like me will not go back into the industry, they've had enough. The industry has lost people with years of experience in things other than technical, relating to the industry and that can't be replaced.
  DSGi is not wholly to blame, don't forget the supermarkets. They have brought the prices down, but nothing else. They didn't put anything back into the service industry and DSG had to pick up the pieces but didn't have the management, or the balls to do it. Things could have been completely different now had they listened to the people on the ground . Surely, satisfied customers will return time after time, but one irate customer will spread the word even more so.
  At the end I was ashamed to tell people that I worked for Mastercare as they had such a bad name I just told them I worked for an insurance company! Posted by Ex Brown Goods engineer., England
• Well as a 30 year time served engineer who was let go by DSG back in 2004 the writing was always on the wall, during the boom no one wanted to fix anything (throw away world) and the decline has continued. As it happens they done me a favour but I do feel for some of my old friends and colleagues that are being affected now. The other funny thing is that now customers are thinking twice about going out and replacing a dodgy product and are seeking REAL repair engineers which are now like hens teeth, don't even count myself in that bracket anymore. - Signs of the times eh! - Alyway Tesco don't seem to worry about having engineers so why would DSG?? Posted by Lando Calrithian, Kildare
• Another former Mastercare (pre Tech Guys) engineer here, and a survivor of the 2004 "consultation". They also did me a favour at the time, and reading these comments it looks like things have gone completely down the tubes. I knew the writing was on the wall then as the non-repair threshold price was going up all the time. Once it got to £100, what's worth repairing then?
  Back then it was a pretty good job and overall not a bad company to work for, although a lot of it was to do with who you found yourself working with... but I wasn't sorry about getting out of that business either. I hope things pick up on the job front for you guys that are left and looking to get out! Posted by Darth Vader, Kildare
• In answer to Dave (England) 2000-2007, I was an employee for 15 years and during the days of the IRS engineers (Repair Shop Engineers) who worked instore like the PC world guys I believe DSG did have an edge. We always outdone the competition as everyone could price match but Currys had something which the customers liked, a face to look after them when things went wrong.
  
  Unfortunately around 2000 we were greated with GENESIS which started engineering cuts year after year waiting for the dreaded announcements arounf February/March and wondering who would go next, I doubt this year will be any different.
  
  GENESIS was hailed during the roll out as a new beginning for DSG, how wrong they, it was a beginning but the beginning of the END!! Posted by Jabba the Hutt, Ballyroney
• Hi everyone, it was never a suprise to me that the company just does not want a service organisation, They stopped providing quality repaires years ago just completeted jobs at any cost (FIGURES FIGURES FIGURES).
  The only people that cared was the engineers .
  If they had wanted to provide a quality service they would have asked us , not employ people like Tom barry who never had a clue, they now have people running the service with no technical knowledge.This cannot be done,you need people in positions so that engineers can do there job effectively.
  The company now have very few engineers who actually know what they are doing anyone can change a panel in a flat panel tv but you need to know what to do next if there is a problem and this takes years of experiance. I took the redundancy and say thank you to Tom barry i have been able to start my own company . i say thank you to all my fellow engineers that i have met over the years.(its was a pleasure). If any body from the company actually wants to save it feel free to contact me . i worked for dsg for 19 years and provided outstanding service to customers even when the management made it more difficult each day. you lost the engineers who actually knew and could do the job now you have non skilled workers and probably will never recover now.
  The company did care once but that was long ago if only the would tell the truth about what was happening (DISMANTALING THE COMPANY BIT BY BIT ) anyway cheers to everyone thanks kevin smith field service engineer chelmsford
  Posted by kevin smith, england
• Would that be Kevin Smith of the flat panel wall mounting course. I'm in the same boat as you. Did every think the company asked me to do, HP accre, Flat Panel, PC, Wall Mount, Wifi, Networking etc. Passed the Kate Black Tests, get offered a post in the new hub at less money than others who do less work, asked to be made a level 3 only to be told no, budget is used on ringfencing others, maybe later on. Well I was told that for 2 frigin years. No thanks, I'm have taken the money and left. I Left last friday and started a new job with better wages and less greif on the Monday, doing the same job but for one of the companys the work is getting outsouced to.
  
  All the engineers I know, were always customer focused, we always did what needed to be done to help the customer and fix the product. So much so I won the MVP award for customer service many moons ago. I fell so sorry for the guys who are left. but I can see all the work being outsouced and the techguys shut down as they have made a proper mess of it, they can never get the level of knowledge back again (well they can approx 10-15years down the line).
  
  
  Last one to leave please switch off the lights.
  
  Ed.
  
  
  Posted by Ed Reid, Scotland
• Ed's storey of life after Mastercare/Techguys is all too familiar. Thankfully most stories I have heard have been happy ones with less stress and better wages after the split with DSG. It only goes to show that you can't keep a good man down and most of the guys I have worked with were undervalued assets to the company.
  
  I spoke to a Currys manager recently who told me he had a stock room full of faulty tellies and no one to fix them, how long can that go on? IMHO DSGi will end up paying top dollar to get these fixed or else writing them off, I can't see their present strategy helping the bottom line this year!, time will tell.
  
  All the best to all those I have met and worked with in the past on various courses, meetings etc. etc. It was nice to read some familiar names on this thread.
  Posted by Jackson Eagleson, Ex - IRS Sup - Northern Ireland
• ......And Lo It Came To Pass....
  
  DSGi has just announced another round of 'cost saving' and 'streamlining' measures at PC World....These include restricting stores to sending out mail using Only Second Class Post, no personal phone calls (not too surprising) and colleagues having to get permission from management prior to calling a customers mobile phone due to the cost implications, and now if you are late for your shift you will be docked at least 15mins worth of salary as a punishment (1 - 15 mins late you lose 15 mns wage, 15 - 30 mins late lose 30 mins salary etc). although, as there is no overtime whatsoever if you have to work extra over your shift time (in the middle of dealing with a customer when you are due to leave etc) you will get no extra pay and this is described as 'bad time management'...nothing like a bit of Give & Take, yeah you Give & They Take...This is just the start...I have now been informed that as I work in the Business Centre (1 of 4 staff) I am going to have to apply for my own job (although given a new job title & description) as they are making all the current positions redundant and there will be 1 fewer of the new job...however the interestng thing about the new job (same as the old job) is that it is aimed at 'growing the business to business' sales of the company, how do they expect to do this with even less staff...even the Business Sales Manager role has been made redundant...My guess is that it won't be too long before the whole business to business role instore is removed all together....
  
  There are also dozens of assistant managers being made redundant alon with a fair number of Regional Field Based Managers....
  
  ....cost cutting or preparing to be sold off...you decide...
  Posted by DSGI Employee, UK
• hi ed it is the same kevin smith if you or other engineers want to catch up please feel free to email me on kevinniceguy@hotmail.co.uk Posted by kevin smith, essex england
• Message from Tom Barry to all TTG staff Dec 2007
  
  Dear Team
  
  Having now completed almost three months in our business and as we come to the close of the year, I thought that it was good timing to wish you a happy Christmas and share my initial thoughts and thinking on how we can, together, make the TechGuys and Group Service a business that we can all be proud of.
  
  Thank you for making me feel so welcome and being so open and honest with me. I have enjoyed spending time in many areas of our business, building my knowledge and getting a feel for things. I have already met many of you and hope that I will meet many more of you over the coming months as I continue to spend time out in our operation.
  
  From much of your feedback, it is clear that you recognise we need to embrace change and move forward with pace to put our colleagues and our customers at the heart of what we do. I will genuinely be seeking your continued support and valuable input as we strive to make us the best service operation for our customers.
  
  I believe that we have many great people within our business and within our service operations, people who can and want to make a difference. There are huge opportunities in front of us which we must work hard to take advantage of. You have my word that my team and I will continue to listen.
  
  We have started our strategic review of The TechGuys and Group Service to make sure that we are aligned to our internal customers’ vision of delivering great customer experiences in a cost-effective manner. Your continued feedback will be essential in developing our plan and you will be hearing more about our vision and goals during the early part of next year. Working together as a team to achieve these goals and plans will be critical to our success.
  
  I am excited about the opportunities we have and I believe 2008 will be our year for change. With your feedback and commitment I know that we can make some tremendous steps forward to achieving our vision.
  
  It just remains for me to say thank you for all of your efforts and achievements this year and I wish you and your families a restful Christmas and a rewarding 2008.
  
  Warmest regards
  
  Tom
  
  So how excited do you feel now Tom!!!!
  Posted by TTG Manager, England
• Hi Guys, Kevin,
  
  Glad to hear most of you are doing well, if not better, than when you were with TTG. I too had 16 years with DSGi and enjoyed all of it and learnt a lot from the time.
  
  like some of you I have had a chilled Xmas, after leaving on 12/12/08, and started a new role in January. Although it is sad to see a business we all enjoyed working in, going through such fundamental change, apparently to the detriment of our customers (still think of them as that!), there is a constant evolution in any business.
  
  I think Tom Barry came to the business not understanding the history and mindset of the engineers and miscalculated their response to the consultation process.
  
  Many people who are not from an engineering background perceive the repair of electronic equipment as a simple change of panels. As we know there is much, much more to this, including skills and knowledge that are gained only after many years in an apprenticship and time served on the job.
  
  Again, Tom Barry has done me a real and genuine service by giving me the push I needed to find my current role. More money (A recurring theme?), genuine autonomy over my department, and the ability to make a difference!
  
  I was lucky to have a great team working with me and thanks to you all.
  
  Keep in touch. Posted by John G - Ex AM, UK
• As someone who stayed behind I am so disappointed with how things have turned out. To me it was always obvious from the start these problems would occur, when I voiced my concerns the response from senior management was always that they had things in hand. The scary thing is that the people responsible are still employed, Mcook, Turner, Slingsby. The colleagues who I speak to are fearful for the future as we daily see a system that appears to be in meltdown with very little being done about it. I'm of the opinion that a good portion of senior management should have a background in field service so they can understand the impact their decisions have on the customers and staff members. Unfortunately we seem to have been infested with PC World management who know less about the company and it's operations then the people right at the bottom. I know it is common for us guys at the bottom to sit here blaming management and saying they don't understand, this is the same in every company but the figures speak for themselves. If the directors truly want to rescue the company (and I'm not convinced they do) then they need to understand that changes need to be made quickly. The company's most valuable asset (the people who have the ability and experience) will be leaving the company over the next 12 months if things carry on as they are. Posted by joe bloggs, uk
• Basically, Currys (aka: PC World, et al) are simply a bucket shop with lousy salesmen and even worse customer support. If people were not taken in by the prices on the High Street, perhaps they'd stop shopping there. Having interviewed a former employee of this group, I am aware of how stock is treated 'behind the scenes' and can assure you I'd NEVER buy from them no matter how desperate I was.
  
  Plasma and LCD TVs need to be handled VERY carefully and in a constant temperature environment. Not dropped and kicked around the store-rooms and then sold to the public as 'new'.
  
  I wouldn't trust PC World or any of their hideous spawn with anything more complex than an Etch-a-Sketch and even then I'd insist on supervision by an adult. If you do buy from these con-artists - always use a credit card which offers purchase protection and NEVER take their Whatever Happens policy as it is not worth the paper it is printed on.
  
  Now the so called tech guys who are useless non english speaking, cheap contractors (apparently) and even ex van drivers who can't fix anything are the cream of this company's customer service, even their own staff doesn't shop with them. Sums it up already!!
  
  Do yourselves a favour and use the INTERNET to get better deals, service and after sales support from better companies out there!!!
  
  Remember Woolworths and Rumbelows??
  
  SHARK!
  Posted by An Ex Customer, UK
• An addition to joe bloggs comments.
  
  Tom Barry's been sacked and Steve Campbell moved aside (promoted!!) for their achievements in completely screwing up the tech guys and company.
  
  Well Done!!
  
  mccock, slingsby bins, turner, miller time & moose farrow should be next to go. Then get rid of these temporary hubs with useless engineers and useles ex pc world managers who know nothing about customer service!
  
  Get rid of those above people to make everyone (so called engineers) a bit happier ( everyone left absolutely loathes these people!!) then take back the experienced customer focused real engineers back before it's too late!!
  
  Make the Customers King again to make them shop in their stores again!!
  
  I hope I'm wrong in saying that this company is more interested in taking our money and laugh when we walk out because they know 'I've screwed another customer!! I'm sure they get praised by the management too!!
  
  IGNORE THIS AT YOUR PERIL!! Posted by ex tech guy joe bloggs, UK
• I have been employed by the tech guys since the new hubs started, i quit last week
  i started in december , had basic training in flat panel tv`s - 1 day lcd and 1 day plasma. Then 1 day pc training. Luckily my trade has always been in tv and pc repairs so i had a fair knowledge before i started.
  I feel sorry for the ex van drivers and new engineers with limited knowledge in these areas as they are really struggling and the management do not care. All they are interested in is statistics and figures.
  The customers are just ‘punters’ (managers words) we can fob off. We have been instructed to never tell customers their rights as to ‘whatever happens’ or ‘coverplan’ even if we are still trying to fix the equipment 6 months later. If the customer is to thick to read the agreement then tough (manager again).
  I can`t work to those ethics and always treat customers as i would expect my elderly parents to be treated , and not ripped off by a firm who doesnt care less as long as the bonus targets are made. . And before anyone says i can`t do the job, my repair stats were between 60-80% since day 1 And i worked till 10pm some evenings
  
  I feel sorry for the guys left behind as the system is failing badly and more customers are getting aggressive (and rightly so). And there is more to come guys as soon you will be trying to repair all those returned store tv`s (some stores now have more faulty tvs than stock in warehouse) so expect the job volumes to increase.
  
  Tom barry has rightly been sacked, there is one more person who should own up to the fiasco called the techguys and fall on his sword as well. if any one has seen the childrens program , Big cook Little cook , the tech guys have their own version ‘lying mc cook’.
  
  Regards as always.
  Posted by another joe bloggs, UK
• Here's a story..
  
  Have you heard about the 2 so called engineers from Hertfordshire who travelled all the way Essex to fix a tv??
  
  Guess what the tv (oh sorry lcd) was returned to the store over 10 weeks ago!!!
  
  I wonder how many broken tv's (oh sorry lcd) are sitting their stores broken??
  
  Probably more than what they can sell.!!
  
  1) get the so called tech guys to fix them?
  
  or
  
  2) This company opens up secondhand shops..oh sorry they already do.!!!.lol
  
  What useless muppets... I'm sure Kermit and Miss Piggy can do a better job than these lot..
  
  Have a nice day Dixons!!! Posted by Happy Internet Shopper, UK
• As an ex tech guy employee I have always given an extreamly high level of service in the admin roles in service centres, Admin staff were given opportunities to apply for new roles, but as there always is with DSGI. We were asked to apply for vacancies with very limited or no information about whatthe role was going to be. How can you make a decission like a new job if you dont what it is, I was always very loyal to DSGI and would always buy from currys where possible as the choice and price was ok. I recently needed a new laptop but no way was I going to go to PCW, weve all heard about there servicce levels. Well to be honest I was totlly shocked with the TOTAL lack of service i received at the darlington store. I'd seen the laptop I wanted in Tesco but thought I wud luk in currys to compare price and aftercare, because laptop service is the only good piece about DSGI (yet they still talking about selling it???Crazy)) I poped into comet 1st not that I wud buy from there to get another proce comparison, there service was excellant, talked me through product offered incentives to buy, bargains. great these days, I went next door saw the laptop I wanted and compared it with another and looked around for help. I was stood there for 5 minutes poping up and down trying to get someone attention. It just did not happen, on top of that the price was £100 more exspensive. Shame on you currys, you used to be such a gud shop, yet another sale and loyal customer you have lost. Still cant see the new hub system working as I hear chages to that are already been looked into, 4 months down the line. I wish you all the luck in the world, your gona need it!!!! Posted by S Wright, UK
• come on you people, give us a break ! i am a techguy and i understand what you are saying........but we are working hard to try and sort things out. in time we will recover and we will be the best again, all companys are struggling at this moment in time, so they need your help not your sarcasim. PS why not employ the engineers who were made redundant as shop workers ?? Posted by neil grainger, nottinghamshire
• NEIL get your head out of the sand they will never recover without engineers, yes i said engineers those people who went to college to get city and guilds qualifications not the people you get off the street and put on a one day course, but hey try . or ask your customers oh you wont have many of them soon
  bye bye Posted by k.s, essex
• Neil, unfortunately we were told that DSGI would never take back any ex employee's who were made redundant, i did hear through the grapevine that only in January they took back redundant employees to help them out on a temporary basis.as they were already struggling to cope. Posted by jackie, darlington
• Well thetechguys making another changed terms and conditions, the techguys service is dead (RIP TTG). Things was bad enough for a one way trip to the hub to collect parts, now you have to make two trips there daily before and after work f***K that. I am out, now delivery guys who haven't a clue about repairs will start doing computer and tv repairs. They have also braught back slavery, working dawn till dusk never see your family. I was happy working with DSGi until these pricks take over and running the place like a supermarket..... Posted by shasam, scotland
• the first hub to go to "THE NEW WORLD" is expected on the 21st sept, yep van drivers had training on pc's and software fixs for flat panel or otherwise pick it up for workshop.
  I know of a few who are going too.
  money is nice but also want a life at the end of the day/ Posted by happy to leave, uk
• the first hub to go to "THE NEW WORLD" is expected on the 21st sept, yep van drivers had training on pc's and software fixs for flat panel or otherwise pick it up for workshop.
  I know of a few who are going too.
  money is nice but also want a life at the end of the day/ Posted by happy to leave, uk
• the first hub to go to "THE NEW WORLD" is expected on the 21st sept, yep van drivers had training on pc's and software fixs for flat panel or otherwise pick it up for workshop.
  I know of a few who are going too.
  money is nice but also want a life at the end of the day/ Posted by happy to leave, uk
• my 37 inch lcd tv went wrong recently.i couldn't believe it when tech guys sent a delivery lorry driver to repair it,he was gonna reset it using the remote control.
  when he found there was no picture he said he had to take it into the workshop.
  they phoned next day and said it was fixed but it would take them six days to get it the 11miles from there new hub at newark to my house in lincoln.
  when they do bring it back to me i don't expect it to be fixed as they've tried resetting it before and it didn't work.
  
  in conclusion all i can say is if using a lorry driver as a service engineer is how tech guys are going i think i will get my next electrical items from comets or argos anywhere but curry's Posted by victor meldrew, england
• As a long term "Tech Guy" I am more disillusioned and disappointed with this company every day. They are selling Tech Guy services to people and yet they can't get emails to people on daily basis. CNX is stop start at best. How can a "Tech Guy" plan his life or his working day without information on next days jobs? The New World is crap! Salesmen trying to run a service company on an ever shrinking shoe string. If customers had any sense they would shop at Comet or anywhere else. The service proposition is getting worse. Any of you reading this !! Would you have a delivery guy repairing anything belonging to you?
  No offence to delivery guys but even they must be laughing at us. I don't know why watchdog or something like that aren't picking up on this farce.
  The company will, like all other companies doing the dirt on their employees, blame the recession - BS.
  Those of us that have been around through all the incarnations know it is nearly the end. RIP Pcservicecall, mastercare, commercial services and TTG..
  
  Posted by Bob a job, UK
• well iv'e had it with the so called tech guy's if they want a war they can have one.
  
  twice in three weeks they've looked at my 37 inch lcd tv at there workshop in newark.
  and both times the've sent it back with no fault found.yet three of the service engineers have looked at this set in my house and all three of them have seen the fault.
  the first time they saw this fault was in march this was seen by a proper service engineer. the second and third times it was seen by lorry jockeys who couldn't finger fix the tv and so took it back to the workshop in newark.
  now there telling me that in there engineers opinion my set is no fault found.
  
  anyone know who i can write to high up the food chain before i contact bbc watchdog and my local small claims court.
  
  regards
  vm
  Posted by victor meldrew, england
• Yes, the new guys in charge are going to destroy the tech guys- all tv's that cannot be fixed in the home with finger fixes are going to 'the Flat Panel Centre' - thats all tv's from the UK, Ireland is exempt for now- interesting to see who gets better service -some stats - 8 jobs a day -roughly 10 engineers per hub and 2 jobs complete and 14 hubs -thats 840 units a day going to the FPCo E----------------for gods sake can somebody now wake up and smell the shit that is going to hit the wall ----------------they have gone too far this time----- van drivers deliver goods, the tech guys fix things in customers houses when possible....................or thats how it was ........................ Posted by A worried tech guy, Uk
• it seems most of the techguys are now really van drivers now as they will only pickup tv in between delivering white goods all day, got make up time somewhere so just pickup all tv's. how many of the really skilled people will stay after the 2 month trials. remember some of these techguys were only van drivers anyway some 10 months ago. Posted by another worried tech guy, uk
• 16/10/09 No dates on these posts, is this the present situation i,m reading about "The New World" ? Which H.O. prick thought that one up ?
  Even though i was chucked out in the December 2008 round of redundancies after 28 years of slogg with CGS and then DSGI i still keep a concerned eye on the bastards now car crashing whats left of a wrecked shell of a company for fear of them taking themselves and the whole group along with whats left of our pensions completely down the tubes. Posted by TV Engineer, UK
• 17/10/09 i completely agree with what the engineers are saying on here, if you are an employee of the DSGI for the last four years, you will no doubt know how incompetent the directors and the senior management are .
  A five year old child could run the company better, because they listen and have common sence ? what's that. If only they would listen or ask the employees, what there views or how some things should be done. They would not be in such a disastrous situation they are now, the group will go down like a sub unless they ask there own employees there views, instead of going over the same things time and time again its getting boring and very frustrating. Posted by DISTRIBUTION CDR, united kingdom
• All Dsgi have done is merge two separate divisions, the idea being that they can now train all their home delivery teams to fix in home improving service.
  
  I know this as a home delivery driver fixed my TV last week without taking it anywhere -what a great service
  
  Posted by james, uk
• Great Service I think NOT. This van driver was given a rushed 2 week course on lcd and plasma tv, there is a vast wide range from the last 5-6 years to remember, these lads were told never to take the back off, as they are not electrically trained enigneers.
  all he did perhaps, a well informed 10yrs could have done. these lads have no long term experience. as a trained engineer with a 3 -4yrs course and years of experience would have . if he wanted to be a engineer why didnt he do a proper C & G course and he would have never spend years lifting white goods all day. Posted by c & g certified engineer, uk
• looks like all the pc work is going the same way as lca and plasma, with them going to workshop if not fixed on the first visit - If you are still in the company GET OUT NOW as any ex pc engineers will become glorified collection drivers. Posted by Concerned, uk
• Why have the TECH GUYS, every time I have contacted them, return to factory settings is the only advice given. An automated recording would same time and money. They are the most unhelpful, people I have ever had dealings with. To keep a job give service, ring back when you say you will, stop reading from a flow chart. Posted by Dave D, UK
• 4/1/2010
  
  WoW. I worked for Mastercare for 19years in
  Field service
  
  Took voluntary redundancy in 2001
  Yes. the first job cuts.
  
  I saw the downward spiral starting
  and left the sinking ship.
  
  Overworked, underpaid and driven half mad by management "productivity figures"
  We all gave our best for customer service
  but it was an uphill battle against management 's brutal uncaring hand.
  
  It all went downhill when Stanley Kalms left.....
  
  Paul
  X Newton Aycliffe (now closed)
  Field Service
  
  Posted by Paul L, uk
• Yes it's true- another restucture just before Christmas 2009 with 90 day notices and job cuts again, now repair and delivery have been merged. Latest trick is only one home visit allowed for a PC repair (just like the TV's), then send it in to the "repair centre" which takes around 2 weeks. Some are being sent back to the customer with the fault still there. Most of the time the remaining tech guys are delivering fridges cookers and the like. It probably makes sense to some manager and his spreadsheet but what a waste of trained techs. Oh well, maybe there will be another round of cuts this year, or maybe Best Buy will take over?? Posted by Tech Guy (for now), uk
• 11/1/10
  Just before xmas ....... again !
  
  It shows the contempt they hold for their staff
  
  Merry Xmas ... BTW we are making job cuts again
  
  X E10
  Newton Aycliffe
  
  Paul L
  
  I wonder how many staff/ xstaff read this? Posted by Paul L, NE UK
• On a better note
  
  I'd like to say "hello and best wishes" to all the great people I meet
  during my years at Mastercare Stockton and later Newton Aycliffe
  
  Great staff but mostly CRAP management
  with one or two exceptions
  
  Regards
  Paul L
  ex E10
  N.Aycliffe
  
  p.s. I'm drawing my DRESS retirement fund soon
  before the idiots screw that as well
  
  
  
  
  
  Posted by Paul L, NE UK
• 29.01.2010
  
  Have just returned from hols and found this website...
  You Tech Guys all sound surprised that the Company is going from bad to worse,
  it has been going that way for ages. The people in charge circa the Tom Barry era were narrow minded, unexperienced, shallow, pathetic excuses for people given the name management. A monkey would do more good.
  
  It's a tragic after all we were good at what we did, and to be honest enjoyed it most of the time.
  
  The biggest laugh is that distribution are running the show..could this be the same distribtion that brought our service centres to our knees????? on several occassions.
  
  I do feel sorry for anyone working their that worked for this company when it was Mastercare...they thought it was bad then.
  
  I know its too late, but the way to have sorted this is to listen, understand and act in consultation with members of staff...unfortunately what happened was listen, ignore and act...the only consulation was about our jobs...which we lost.
  
  Good luck to you all Posted by 3CPO, South East (Chlemsford)