Too much competition, and really poor level of staffing recruitment on their behalf doesnt help.
Phantom Mark:
Well I won’t miss any of those shops, full of people who know nothing of the product they are trying to sell, disinterested attitudes and frankly uncompetitive pricing in today’s online market place, I once asked them if they would knock a couple of quid off a £600 tv after seeing the same tv opposite side of the road in Currys, I got an arrogant “buy it in Currys then” and have never been back since. Like already mentioned far better to research online in any case and use the stores to touch and feel the product when possible.
Couldn’t agree more.
All these types of so called shops are rip off merchants for gullible folk who know no better. Staff that read from a script selling overpriced junk, ‘PC rip off’ as a prime example, why people even set foot in there i cant fathom. Homebase really boil my ■■■■, quicker they fail the better aswel IMO. Good ridence to bad rubbish.
The other problem they have faced is the lack of first-time property buyers who have always made up a large part of their customer base, and I doubt they’ll be the last white goods retailer to fail.
Just had an ex colleague, who I used to work with at Comet e-mail me. He said they are ALL finished this Friday coming and do I know of any work? There are 20 more drivers gonna be chasing very little work in Exeter next week. It’s ■■■■■■■■…It really is. 
There is nothing better than going into a store and touching / viewing the real thing rather than looking at an often out of scale picture on a pc screen.
So long as you remember that when it comes to purchase that the Internet is often a cheaper option.
Maybe the doom and gloom merchants haven’t read what the Administrators are saying.
It’s all here in…
In my experience Comet has always had atrocious Customer Service, and probably the worst after sales in the industry, often blatantly ignoring Consumer Law to the point of distraction even with media such as BBC WM on their case.
I went in with a friend a few weeks ago as they were selling really cheap i-3 laptops. My friend wanted an i-5 which they weren’t very competetive on and they wouldn’t budge on price. I also started asking about laptops with SSD’s and they didn’t have a clue.
Upshot is we walked out of shop after waiting 15 mins for an expert who didnt arrive and went next door to Argos and got a perfect spec laptop with a load of freebies for £150 less!!
coreysboys:
In my experience Comet has always had atrocious Customer Service, and probably the worst after sales in the industry, often blatantly ignoring Consumer Law to the point of distraction even with media such as BBC WM on their case.I went in with a friend a few weeks ago as they were selling really cheap i-3 laptops. My friend wanted an i-5 which they weren’t very competetive on and they wouldn’t budge on price. I also started asking about laptops with SSD’s and they didn’t have a clue.
Upshot is we walked out of shop after waiting 15 mins for an expert who didnt arrive and went next door to Argos and got a perfect spec laptop with a load of freebies for £150 less!!
I agree, not bought anything in Comet for over 14 years although I did try, the first time was a microwave oven that blew the door off after a week. I was waiting 7 weeks for a replacement while they tried to get out of any warranty claim. The second time was when I took my neighbour to buy a washing machine, she wanted a brown one to match her kitchen, we bought a cosmetically damaged one and they promised to deliver it, when it arrived they had charged full price. That one went back eventually and she got one from Argos.
The time will come when there are very few places to go and see a product before you buy, let alone try and find out something about it beyond the sales brochure c & p nonsense appearing on a pc screen.
To be fair to staff at most retailers it’s pretty disheartening to spend time answering questions about a product knowing full well the sale will go to an online retailer, not sure what the pay system is like for retail staff at Comet now but it used to be based on sales per hour plus a fixed sum for the “add on” sales such as warranties.
Time was they had a van at virtually every store so there was a bit more control and it was easier to find out what part of the day something would arrive, warranties weren’t pay and reclaim, price beating was offered up to 14 days after purchase and they had a 14 day return option for items. Staff were long serving and well trained, Argos weren’t as big as they are now and the online retailers weren’t around either…then they got involved with some new group and things started to change in a big way, a lot of the really good managers had to re-apply for their jobs and were offered new conditions that were less attractive than before, once they went it was hard to fill the places with the right people.
So a firm can continue trading for cash and debit cards, but refuse to honour cash already paid for gift cards. 
I understand not being rubber-stamped by credit firms has something to do with this as well, so hey - let’s also jump on the “break the law free-for-all” bandwagon and rob the staff and customers before our investors and bankers eh? 
I thought that was THEFT pure and simple!?
Best not pick up any shifts there - they’ll find some way of “not paying” after the job is done with crooks like that running the show.
dieseldave:
Maybe the doom and gloom merchants haven’t read what the Administrators are saying.It’s all here in…
I never believe what i read in papers,the Telegraph is no exception there,looks like a press release to calm any shareholders fears over their investment and nothing more.
Can’t say i’ll miss Comet,i’ve never bought a thing from there based purely on what other people have experienced when visiting the stores.
I bet many similar retailers will be worrying as a fire sale will flood a precarious market with very cheap deals.
I reckon Argos will be gone this time next year; What an old fashioned way to shop;
Go into Argos, faff about finding what you want in a catelogue.
Fill in a pools coupon.
Queue to pay for it without seeing it, served by a grumpy tart more interested in chatting to her colleagues.
Queue again, while some wannabe baggage handler goes to fetch your purchase.
Winseer:
So a firm can continue trading for cash and debit cards, but refuse to honour cash already paid for gift cards.
I understand not being rubber-stamped by credit firms has something to do with this as well, so hey - let’s also jump on the “break the law free-for-all” bandwagon and rob the staff and customers before our investors and bankers eh?I thought that was THEFT pure and simple!?
Best not pick up any shifts there - they’ll find some way of “not paying” after the job is done with crooks like that running the show.
You’ll probably find there is some caveat in the small print of the gift card about the offer being withdrawn at any time.
People should read T&C’s a bit better.
You’ll also find that it falls down on being theft as there was no dishonesty involved when the card was issued. The company is in administration therefore the cardholder is a creditor - it is a civil matter not a criminal one (theft).
If you want a gift voucher / card, the best ones are those with a picture of the queen on them and underwritten by the Bank of England.
The extended warranties are going to be honoured as they are with another company?
How long will it be until the Bank of England decides that “Banknotes being worth money can be withdrawn at any time”.
Greece joined the Euro, their banks were told they can print greek issue banknotes, and yet Greece has go to begging bowl in hand to Germany for more money?
If I was Greece, I would have asked "If we don’t get to print our way out of problems, and spread the debt across the entire continent, then there’s no point us joining a currency that’s expensive for paying bills & debts in, but cheap when it comes to getting paid naff wages for ordinary workers.
Forget the 50 year retirements, and all that. Greece still isn’t raising any money, because it’s already thrown the baby out with the bathwater by laying off loads of ordinary workers whom they expected to pay the taxes of the rich as well. The whole thing is broken, and there’s no interest in really fixing it, because it would involve making some rich people poorer - and hell will freeze over first!
Comets vouchers are not about “cut one free out of the sun newspaper” and crap like that. They are things like £10 gift vouchers like any other store’s gift vouchers. They are supposed to be as good as cash. Dishonour them at one firm’s stores, and you can now look to the public to wise up and refuse to buy them at any other firm’s stores, because they’re afraid they too might soon become worthless…
I dunno about “Argos being next”. I’d say ANY store where you go into a premises to buy white goods is now in danger. The walk-in store of the future might actually be an online depot that’s open to the public to come and pick up pre-paid “Orders”. I can’t see the aspect of delivering white goods for free continuing much longer either.
I admit to visiting stores for information, then buying online. Comet was one…
Muckaway:
I bet many similar retailers will be worrying as a fire sale will flood a precarious market with very cheap deals.
I reckon Argos will be gone this time next year; What an old fashioned way to shop;
Go into Argos, faff about finding what you want in a catelogue.
Fill in a pools coupon.
Queue to pay for it without seeing it, served by a grumpy tart more interested in chatting to her colleagues.
Queue again, while some wannabe baggage handler goes to fetch your purchase.
But where Argos scores over Amazon is that if you decide you want a bookshelf at two o’ clock on a Sunday afternoon, you can have it in your house, assembled, and with books on it by three o’ clock. 
Generally though, the High Street was screwed years ago and the retail parks are next. It’s just more efficient to get stuff sent out from a warehouse in Milton Keynes. Distribution perfected.
Harry Monk:
Muckaway:
I bet many similar retailers will be worrying as a fire sale will flood a precarious market with very cheap deals.
I reckon Argos will be gone this time next year; What an old fashioned way to shop;
Go into Argos, faff about finding what you want in a catelogue.
Fill in a pools coupon.
Queue to pay for it without seeing it, served by a grumpy tart more interested in chatting to her colleagues.
Queue again, while some wannabe baggage handler goes to fetch your purchase.But where Argos scores over Amazon is that if you decide you want a bookshelf at two o’ clock on a Sunday afternoon, you can have it in your house, assembled, and with books on it by three o’ clock.
Generally though, the High Street was screwed years ago and the retail parks are next. It’s just more efficient to get stuff sent out from a warehouse in Milton Keynes. Distribution perfected.
I’m not sure i’d agree that Argos is an old fashioned way to shop as they have a full online store available, with either delivery or pick up at store as options.
Amazon are cute though they avoid paying UK tax, as they are a foreign company. The UK operations now just count as a ‘fullfillment’ (to many ‘l’ s!) centre.
Comets demise is pureley manufactured.
Other white goods retailers won’t really benefit, because the main reason people don’t buy stuff at Comets has already been mentioned;
No true curry’s sales went up by 16% when it was announced, with the share prices jumping also
I reckon Argos will be gone this time next year; What an old fashioned way to shop;
Go into Argos, faff about finding what you want in a catelogue.
Fill in a pools coupon.
Queue to pay for it without seeing it, served by a grumpy tart more interested in chatting to her colleagues.
Queue again, while some wannabe baggage handler goes to fetch your purchase.
Go to the Argos website.
Choose what you want and pay with CC
One hour later drive to shop in retail park (free parking) and collect it.
None of that waiting around for a delivery that arrives when you are sat on the loo, or gets damaged in transit. Good returns policy too.