PC Universe

Full review
My first encounter with PC Universe can recently when I was looking to purchase new computer mice for our lab computers. Having implemented a new system in the offices, it was time to also upgrade the mice to have wireless capabilities. Quickly browsing around the internet, I came across PCUniverse.com, and began looking around at what they had to offer. The site itself quickly registered in my mind as having nothing more than the basic necessities to see a product and how it might perform. On the main page they have many links that are designed to aid you in finding a specific computer component on the site, but it doesn't have everything listed, which included what I was looking to purchase. At the top of the page is a search engine that takes you to more products, and I used the opportunity to type in "mice", and was rewarded with 91 possibilities that didn't really seem to have any discernable order. There were sortable links to view it by price ascension or dissention, but everything else was listed by popularity according to text at the top. This actually wasn't very helpful to me at all, because my research was intended to be broad, and I wanted to find out what options were available to me in both the technological abilities of the mice as well as cost, but from this screen I was only going to see pictures and links to the products. In addition, the quick summary that they provided for each product was very "choppy" in that it was just a snippet of the product page, and at times didn’t even have complete sentences.

In order to actually find out what a products capabilities are on the site, you have to find the product, and make it all the way to the product page. This isn't the end of the world, but it does take some extra effort to get places on the site, and my advice is that you need to know where you are going. There were some shortcuts provided for those who are more computer savvy, as they provide a filter on the left side of the page to sort out what is being offered by manufacturer, category (for something like mice it gives Input Devices, Networking, CE Options, Systems, and Output Devices), and finally a range of prices that each of the devices will fit into. I think that for a first time user of the site, it could take a little while to get the hang of the nuances, but a return/repeat user would probably know exactly where to look for the filters, and with each purchase be able to click right through the different options, and be presented with the exact product specifications that they are looking for on the site. Bonus points for them, is that at the top of each of these pages, they have a 1-800 number (1-800-728-6483) that you can call if you have questions about a purchase. In addition to that, one of the best features to the site, is that when you are looking at a list of products, they tell you if it is In Stock, Low Stock, or Out of Stock. This is very helpful if you need a product right away, and saves the hassle of back-ordering something that you might not see for weeks or even months. In my online experience I have stopped even considering doing something on back-order, and always insist on purchasing items that are in stock.

After working through some of the possible selections, I decided that the Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2000 was something that would fit our needs, and proceeded to add 10 of them to the readily available cart. On that very same product page, it gives you the shipping options and costs that include Ground (which is standard), Second Day, Overnight, Priority, and Saturday. You can choose your shipping option from that page, but be aware that it only applies if you are purchasing 1 of the items. When I selected 10 it gave one price, but when I went to the shopping cart it had adjusted for the added products. A cool feature that they have when you are viewing the shopping cart, is that they show the exact total of available units. For mine it was 244 left in stock, so I knew that I was going to be able to have my purchase quite soon, and it served to put my mind at ease about suffering a back-order. When everything is selected as you want, you go through a billing information page, a shipping information page, and then a payment page where you can use nearly all major credit cards and even PayPal to make your purchase. You then get one more page to review your order, and then a confirmation page that the purchase has been completed. When you are done making the purchase, a confirmation e-mail is sent to the address that you provided, and you have it for your own records. My invoice gave a shipping estimate as well as a delivery estimate for the products, and I was pleased that it appeared I would be getting my shipment relatively quick.

After having placed the order on a Thursday, I received the package on the following Wednesday. This was very quick in my opinion for the standard shipping that I had selected, and was quite pleased with the fast turn-around time that PC Universe had given me. Everything showed up in perfect condition, and all ten of the Optical Mice were lined up neatly in an elongated box. For the brief frustrations I had with navigation and page load time when I first got on the site, the ease with which I made the purchase, and the speedy delivery of my purchase made me a repeat customer. The shipping was reasonable for the purchase I made, which cost an additional $15.65 for a $200+ original check out price. The package was shipped the day after I completed my transaction, and made it to my desk with absolutely zero problems. I have found myself very happy with the PC Universe Company, and I think that when it comes to computer components such as keyboards, mice, or toner this is a great store to purchase from. I haven't bought anything as high end as a monitor or computer from their site, but I think I would feel comfortable if that day does come. For great computer parts at very reasonable and often times discounted prices, I think that PC Universe is one of those sites specifically geared to help our your home or office purchases of said components. I recommend them as a source of vast products, and think they will be at the forefront of my mind when I am buying my next computer gadget online.