The cables were pretty expensive to be honest – pretty much double what we could have got them for online – but they were available there and then and we didn’t have to pay any postage, plus if there was a problem there wouldn’t be any faff in returning them to the store.

On attempting to connect the cables to the monitors, I found to my horror that the only connection the monitors had (22 inch Dell widescreens) were VGA! What the hell? 1-month-old monitors don’t have anything better than VGA?! Fair enough no HDMI, but no DVI either?!

A couple of days later Nicola went to take the cables back to CTWorld to return them, but despite the fact that she had the original receipt and was returning them mere days after buying, CTWorld refused to give her a full refund and instead offered 85% of the price because there was nothing wrong with them. Now, I accept that there was nothing wrong with the cables and that it was my fault for not checking the monitors first and just assuming they’d have DVI connections, but the vast majority of shops on the high street will take back goods bought in error and issue a full refund – even if just for a credit note – simply because they value that customer’s custom and want to demonstrate good will. All CTWorld did was point out that there was no legal requirement for them to take them back.

Later that night after calming down a little, Nicola sent the store an email highlighting her disappointment with them. They never replied.

Ormskirk is a small town, and while that means there aren’t many places to buy IT equipment it also means that there aren’t that many customers for the shops that do exist.

Last year alone I spent around £3,000 on IT equipment and although most of that was spent online (I’d be happy to return to stores if they can start competing a little more on price) it would have been great for me to have a friendly, reliable and convenient local source for my IT needs for when I want something there and then. CTWorld unfortunately won’t be that store, and I’d urge anyone who walks into that store to consider what they would do if, for whatever reason, they needed to return their item for a refund. There’s plenty to be said about supporting local independents, but when it means paying over the odds for sub-standard after-sales service, I think next time I need something in a hurry I’ll drive down to PC World in Aintree.