Q: What is The Price-Guide UK?

A: The Price-Guide UK is the UK's top-rated price comparison site, offering in excess of 1,562,000 price comparisons from over 550 retailers, a set of statistics far superior to those of its competitors (ever wondered why nearly all other price guides fail to reveal these statistics?). It is unbeatable in terms of user-friendliness and sheer product depth. It compares prices across a broad range of commodities, including computer equipment; consumer electronics; home appliances; DVD movies, etc. One of its best features is the quality of search results. Other price guides tend to 'dump' search results regardless of product descriptions, but The Price-Guide UK re-writes product descriptions to match existing descriptions, in a specific format. This enables users to access information rapidly, without having to second guess search results. Click here for further information about our unique product matching technology.
The Price-Guide UK is a privately held corporation and is not owned by, or related to, any vendor or manufacturer. [TOP ]

Q: Does The Price-Guide UK charge vendors to be listed in its database?

A: No. The Price-Guide UK believes consumers should have access to unbiased reporting on products and prices. If a price guide restricts its product listings to those prepared to pay for its services, then it clearly isn't reflecting the best products at the lowest prices. Be aware! We only know one other price comparison site that will also display prices of non-paying suppliers. All other price comparison sites will only display the products of paying suppliers and, therefore, are heavily biased towards its paying customers, even though they tell you different. [TOP ]

Q: How do vendors get listed in The Price-Guide UK?

A: The Price-Guide UK screens vendors on three basic criteria. The vendor must be capable of:

1. Receiving customer orders via the phone or a web site.
2. Mailing goods to the entire UK mainland.
3. Honouring the prices listed in The Price-Guide UK.[ TOP ]

Q: Does The Price-Guide UK sell any products?

A: No. The Price-Guide UK's only concern is the supply of accurate information. Its function is to link the public with retailers and is not in any way involved in the shopping process. Users will find contact information for vendors listed next to pricing information in The Price-Guide UK. [ TOP ]

Q: How often is the information in The Price-Guide UK's database updated?

A: The Price-Guide UK is updated at least once daily. It obtains pricing information primarily from vendors' web sites, but also from magazine advertisements and catalogues. Some vendors e-mail or fax prices daily, while others have no contact with us at all. [ TOP ]

Q: How can The Price-Guide UK offer this service FREE of charge?

A: Through the sale of advertising. If you are interested in exploring advertising opportunities in The Price-Guide UK, please click here . [ TOP ]

Q: Why is it that a computer from Dell occasionally appears at a lower price in The Price-Guide UK than on Dell's actual web site?

A: The Price-Guide UK's prices do not always include monitors, which makes it easier to compare vendors' systems. It will be stated whether a monitor is included in the price, or not. Dell, Micron and Gateway tend to quote PC prices with monitors in their ads (as well as on their web sites), thus explaining the higher prices. [ TOP ]

Q: When I look at a price listing I occasionally find post-dated prices. What is the explanation for this?

A: The reflected date relates to the source of the price and since most magazines are dated monthly in advance, this in unavoidable. Therefore, when prices from magazines are entered, the issue date is the deciding factor. [ TOP ]

Q: What should I do if a vendor refuses to honour prices listed in The Price-Guide UK?

A: Let us know sending an e-mail to administrator@priceguideuk.com. If a vendor consistently refuses to honour published prices, they will be removed from The Price-Guide UK. [ TOP ]

Q: How can I search for specific products instead of going through the entire list?

A: At the top of each product search page i.e. the page with different categories in a list format, users will find a search box which allows the selection of categories e.g. CPUs. If the search criteria is left blank, a list of all available CPUs will appear. This might be useful for those wishing to browse the entire category, but what about those who know what they're looking for? In this case, simply specify a search string in the 'search criteria' box e.g. enter 'pentium IV' and a list of all Pentium IV CPUs will be displayed. On the other hand, if a user enters the number '800', a list of all CPUs with a run speed of 800Mhz will appear. You can also specify a maximum price to limit the search results. Shoppers may also use the 'Quick search' facility (located at the top of every page) if uncertain as to which category to access, but as the name suggests - it's a quick search only and results can be vast. [TOP]

Q: What is the difference between retail boxed, white boxed and OEM?

A: Retail boxed: These products are professionally packaged to attract the attention of potential customers. Retail boxes are found on the shelves of high street shops and other retail outlets. Advantage: The packaging is attractive and tends to include all drivers, cables and manuals. Disadvantage: The production of retail boxes is more expensive than white boxes, thus raising costs.

White boxed: These products are packaged in plain white boxes which usually include extras (manuals, cables, etc.), but are a few pounds cheaper. Therefore, if there is no real need for colourful retail packaging, this is a sure way of saving money.

OEM: This usually takes the form of software (occasionally hardware) which accompanies computer systems or other hardware. Although manufacturers discourage this practice, some vendors will nevertheless provide OEM products at greatly reduced prices. The disadvantage is that the product is presented in its bare form (without packaging, cables, etc.), thus making it harder to resell.

Wherever possible, The Price-Guide UK states whether a product is retail / white / OEM boxed, subject to this information being provided by the vendor. [ TOP ]

Q: Why do you state 'Call for full spec' within the 'computer systems' category. Why not simply provide the specs?

A: The purpose of The Price-Guide UK is to provide price comparisons between similarly defined products, but unbranded computer systems complicate the issue due to varying specifications. For example, some systems have 52 speed CD drives installed, while others offer DVD drives, 56K modems or network cards. Therefore, for comparative purposes, we provide only the basic system spec and any additional information will need to be acquired from the vendor. [ TOP ]

Q: I Occasionally get a database error message when I search for a price. Does this mean your site is faulty?

A: No. When the database is updated, it becomes unavailable for approx. 5 seconds and users will encounter an error message on these rare occasions. Users will need to wait for a few seconds, then press the 'back' button of their browsers and try again. This is unavoidable if the latest prices are to be made available to the public. [ TOP ]

Q: What do the little symbols on the results page mean?

A quick overview:

Left column:

thumb up:
This is a registered supplier with a direct link to its web site. These companies are vetted for competency and actively assist The Price-Guide UK with price updates and consequently have consistently up-to-date prices.

red sad face:
These suppliers refuse to cooperate with The Price-Guide UK in terms of price updates and might be considered unreliable. They remain in the database due to The Price-Guide UK's policy of providing across-the-board information, but can't be recommended at any level.

Middle column:

'S' symbol:
If a mouse is hovered over the 'S' symbol, a supplier's stock availability (and occasionally delivery times) will be displayed.

Right column:

info symbol:
Click here and a second window appears, providing more information about products, live stock availability and live prices. [ TOP ]

Q: What are 'Price Alerts' and how do they work?

A: This facility enables shoppers to earmark products for purchase at a later date, once they have dropped to a certain price. To activate, simply click on the blue product description banner (which appears at the head of every individual product) and complete the 'Set Price Alert' form. Shoppers are required to supply a name (or handle), an e-mail address and maximum price, then click on 'Set price alert'. The Price-Guide UK will forward an e-mail once the reserve price has been reached. A price alert cannot be set within a quick search. [ TOP ]

Q: How can I tell if a retailer is reliable?

A: As a rule, we only award 'Thumb up symbols' to our preferred retailers i.e. those we have vetted for competency and reliability. If further assurance is required, simply click on 'Supplier Info' (further along the product listing) and read the comments from other users. [ TOP ]

Q: Why do some retailers have a direct link to their site, while others don't?

A: As a rule, only those suppliers identified with a 'Thumb up symbol' i.e. our preferred suppliers or retailers, have a direct link through to their sites. Shoppers should note that this does not necessarily imply that the other suppliers are unreliable, but rather they have either not met with the strict qualification criteria, or have not been specifically contacted. [ TOP ]

Q: How can I link directly to a specific product page, thus avoid entering a site through its home page?

A: Instead of clicking on 'Direct Link', sinply click on the pale blue information symbol, where this is displayed (not available in the case of non-preferred suppliers). Generally speaking, if a supplier has a 'Thumb up symbol', then it will also have an information symbol. You can also click on the text link called 'Direct product link'.[ TOP ]