Thats because the majority of staff in PC World and Currys etc are "salespeople" they are not proper technicians and you should'nt regard them as such. I will buy stuff from PC world but thats only because I work in I.T. and installing hardware etc doesnt phase me. If you don't know what your doing find yourself a local small computer shop and use them instead.

I normally find that if you take stuff back and can explain what you've done and why it doesnt work, and be assertive like Grinch, you'll find them pretty reasonable and you'll get your money back.

If its not working take it back, you shouldnt be expected to f*ck about with firmware upgrades on a product you've just bought and fails to work the first time you try to use it.

Did you get this sorted?

I think I'd rather eat my own nuts than deal with PC World for anything other than consumables... Which, conveniently enough, seems to be what some routers are considered, we never had a Belkin last for more than 4 months...

I took it back and they gave me a replacement. The net works fine on both computers but I can't share files between them. Someone is giving me a hand now to set it up. But the amount of work you have to put in to get these things running is disgraceful. The instructions make it out to be plug and play, but its nothing like that. If I didn't get a hand with it I would have no clue how to do it, and I considered myself quite technically minded :lol:
I actually went on Linksys' website where you can have an online chat with an adviser who talks you through it when it doesn't work. So its good that they have that, but you shouldn't really need to in the first place.

If a basic router setup has as many problems as I've quickly read in this thread, there is something wrong.

Even the most complex beasts I've setup, you plug it in, and you get SOME functionality. The rest is down to personal configuration.

I'd put money on it that you can't do file sharing because of Windows XP, not the router. If it is the router, it may have some sort of grouping system (ala the Linksys ones) which denies file sharing between groups. Again, configuration, and if not clearly stated in the instructions, the manufacturers deserve to be shot! Twice (just for good measure!)

At the end of the day, you're an end user, a consumer. If you can't get it to work without outside help, it should go back, and you should either get your money back OR the shop (whoever it is) should provide you with something that actually obeys the Trade Descriptions Act (A router that doesn't route, isn't legal to sell!)

Sorry for the ranting post, but I work in IT, and I've worked in Retail, I know both sides of the coin so to speak, and to have sales staff argue with a customer over ANYTHING (as many stories in this thread) is about the worst service they can offer. If it's a manager then fair play, they're thinking of targets etc, but I've not met a sales person yet that thinks their paid enough to argue the toss over something they personally don't have to pay for.

The rule of retail I was taught (by my store manager - it wasn't the companies idea at all) was that you NEVER win an argument with a customer. Period.

If, after someone gives you a hand setting it up, you're still having problems, either take it back & demand a refund, or drop me a message. One thing I used to do to avoid returns is visit the customers house to set it up for them ;) (but no, I would never apply for any job at PC World).