Susan I read on one of your posts Packard Bell was no more

[welsh wizard]

Hi Susan
I read on one of you ansers in a post that Packard Bell was no more, NEC had killed them, is this right as I was in PB's web site yesterday and they didn't seem to list anything about closing down, just that it was now Packard Bell/NEC even listed new system for this year?
WW

[Susan]

I didn't see any new system for the year 2000, but they do list 1999.

Here's a news story from 11/10/99.
news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1435182.html?tag=st.ne.1002. (http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1435182.html?tag=st.ne.1002.)

It does state that it's just a stop of Packard Bell's in US, and they will continue to be sold in Europe. I'm not sure if that's still happening. ??

[Ed_S]

WW, I think that happened while you were offline.
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/002258.html

[welsh wizard]

Hi Susan just tried to get back into PB , can't get fix on UK outlet any more it's like it wasn,t there. browser states site found but can't download anything http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif they must be gone from that site now, Canada just gives a store front and nothing else, except telling you to check back for close out specials.
WW

[welsh wizard]

Thanks Ed_S , they are selling down under in places like Computer City and Noel Lemmeings, both overpriced electrical outlets so GHTC who buy now, because they are not being told that PB are no more, http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif
but if the bigger ones go its more work for us smaller guys http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif, still it don't put food on the tables of those who just did what they were told to and biult PB's for a living and prob got ignored when they put any ideas forward.
WW

[Axel]

PB did so poorly in profits and market share that NEC - the parent company, closed down PB and stopped the brand completely. They fired their production workers and are winding down their support services until they roll them into NEC main-line. Most of the PB executives were fired as well.

Most of us do not mourn it's passing as the brand was the bottom of the barrel when it came to consistant quality of product.

You'd think they were a department of the government the way they always took the "low bidder" for their components.

Capitalism does have it's advantage when it comes to weeding out poor quality.

[Susan]

NEC didn't own Packard Bell for very long either. What? About 3½ years at the most?

I remember thinking how great it was for PB when NEC did acquire them and hoped that NEC would improve the PB lineup, customer service, and quality. Didn't happen, though.

[Romulus2]

Unfortunately, Packard Bell are still going strong in the UK - and the lack of technical support continues unabated. See this thread at Romulus 2: www.romulus2.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000005.html (http://www.romulus2.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000005.html) .

I go into Dixon's (Britain's biggest high street computer retailer) quite often and there is always a large range of PB's finest for sale. I just feel sorry for those who buy them. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif

[welsh wizard]

Rom2 you say that Dixons are handling PB now, when I lived in UK, if Dixons was handling it, they were closing out, back in the early 80's they started selling Atari 800XL's for a give away price of 60 pounds with disk drive, then every one found out Jack Tramel had but Atari out and was killing the 8 bits off, for the ST range, in fact every thing I ever bought at Dixon's was end of line, man they even bought Curry's out.
So if Dixons is handling PB then expect PB UK to close shortly.
Nec will want their name out there on computer systems I expect.
WW

[Romulus2]

WW,

Dixons has come a long way since those days (unfortunately! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif ). They now own PC World (the UK chain), Currys and FreeServe (the biggest ISP in the UK). They are mega-big!

The average PC buyer in the UK has not heard of PB's troubles in the USA and they still buy them by the ton.

[scotter]

Ok so my buddy has a packard smells computer with a intel 440LX mobo in it I spent all day trying to upgrade the chip in it and the last bios update will only let ya add a p2-333 which is like for get finding one of them but there web site said you could use a celly in it well 2 celly's latter and still a black screen at boot ? I finaly thought about it got the newest bios from intel for that board and recovery flashed the bios with it now it's not a packard smells no more it's a Intel even says so when ya start it and I have a celly 400mhz running in a board packard smells say will only run a 333 http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[Bleep]

I love those PB machines. Not one tech shop will work on them here (only have 2) so I make a good piece of change keeping them going. {sometimes}. They really are a pain in the PoPO.
Bleep

[Vincent22]

A true PB story
Several years ago when PB was tops in PC sales I had the misfortune of puchasing one on Friday the 13th. The store where I purchased it gave me the toll free support number and, as you may know, I had numerous occasions to use it. (the machine was loaded with a WIN95 BETA for Gods sake) The toll free number connected me with the answering machine of a female Psychotherapist in Houston Texas and the message on her machine stated her profession, her hours, and emergency number, and that "this is not the Packard Bell help line". After numerous attempts I finally got through to PB on a real number. It wasn't as helpful as the therapist, but the techs got a great laugh out of the story http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[Axel]

Bad Karma Vincent - who did you make angry at you in a former life? -

Next you'll consider buying stock in a win-modem company or something - DON'T DO IT - STAY BACK!! - IT's NOT SAFE!!!

hehehe -

I won't be mourning PB's passing - in my opinion, they victimized the poor with their cheaply made equipment and poor support standards. How many people did that turn away from computers and advanced learning opportunities? - We'll never know.