• silicon.com
• Technology
• Hardware

By Felicity Ussher, 8 October 1999 00:30

NEWS A Which? Magazine survey on PC reliability rates small-timer Dan Technology above corporate giants such as Apple, Dell and Gateway. Although the London-based firm's annual turnover is quite small - only around £40m - a survey of 4,000 Which? readers claimed it was the most reliable PC manufacturer. In particular, they praised Dan's helpline, technical support and quality of repairs. Lowest on the list was Time: only 26 per cent of their customers surveyed said they would recommend the brand to a friend, as compared to 74 per cent of Dan customers. Apple, Dell and Gateway took second, fourth and third places respectively - all rated over 60 per cent customer satisfaction. Andrew McIlwraith, managing editor of Which? Magazine, said the survey showed there was a strong correlation between low prices and unreliable service. He told Silicon.com: "Some of the cheaper brands, such as Time and Tiny, in fact did much worse than some of the more expensive ones. So going for a bargain basement computer may be a false economy." Dan Technology's sales and marketing director, John Shepherd, said Dan didn't compete on price. "We spend our money on quality control, support infrastructure and quality components - things which cheap retailers don't bother with," he said. Time put out a statement saying it is not fair to compare retailers such as Time and Tiny with direct suppliers like Dan, as retail customers tend to be first-time buyers with higher expectations and more need for support. Which? will be doing all it can to educate consumers to understand their computing needs before they make their purchase.