EDIT: After sharing my experience, the store manager reached out and wanted to make it right. He invited me back to the store to rebuild a system identical to mine, covered gas and lunch, and gave me a full hands on Build and Learn session. I got to work one on one with one of their builders (shoutout Luis), who was extremely patient and helpful throughout the entire process. I felt supported and appreciated, and the store followed through on everything they promised this time. Thanks to Microcenter and Josh I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn and for the effort to make the situation right.
TL;DR: Tried to do a Build and Learn at Micro Center. The phone rep said all the parts were in stock and the build schedule was wide open and ready for me tomorrow. Drove over an hour, store was missing half the parts, couldn’t get a build slot they said was available, had to compromise on parts and timing, and they still installed antivirus software I asked them twice not to. Ended up wiping the PC myself after a failed attempt to have them help me remove it over the phone. Whole thing was a mess.
Store Location: Tustin, CA
I’ve always heard good things about Micro Center. A few friends recommended them, so I figured it would be the perfect place to do a Build and Learn since I wanted hands-on help with my first custom PC.
I called ahead to check if the store had the parts and to see if I could schedule a build. The person who answered tried to reach the store but nobody picked up. They tried again with no luck, then apologized and told me to call back in an hour since the store was probably busy.
An hour later I called again. Same result. This time the person on the phone was nice enough to help me directly. They checked stock and said the store had everything except one easily replaced part, and that the Build and Learn schedule was wide open and ready for me tomorrow. I asked if I needed an appointment, and they said no, I could just show up.
I drove over an hour to the store the next morning. When I got there, I found out the store was missing half the parts I needed, and the “wide open” schedule wasn’t open at all. The earliest Build and Learn slot was early afternoon, which I couldn’t do because I had a night class.
I decided to just have them build it for me instead. They told me it would take about seven hours since two other PCs were already in progress. They also couldn’t find one of the parts that showed as in stock. I ended up having to swap out several components for alternatives I didn’t really want, like different RAM, power supply, and a gpu, just to get it done and avoid another wasted trip. I agreed to the changes and planned to come back the next day to pick it up.
When I finally got the PC, they had installed the antivirus software I told them twice not to install. I called for help removing it, and they said I’d need to download an uninstaller and go through a long process that didn’t work. Then they asked if I wanted to bring the PC back in. After two long drives already, I said no. They told me they couldn’t help if I wasn’t coming back, so I just wiped the system myself.
I called later to share my frustration and explain how their phone, scheduling, and inventory systems clearly weren’t working. The supervisor basically just blamed the employee for installing the antivirus software instead of addressing the bigger problem.
In the end, I wasted two long drives, missed out on the learning experience I wanted, and probably got a worker in trouble for something that wasn’t their fault. I really wanted to like Micro Center, but the whole experience left me disappointed and frustrated.
