NCIX Retail Stores in Ontario Closed for Good

[ionbasa]

No wonder Ivan (Crazy Russian) is making so many cameos is LTT videos. Wonder if he works with LTT now?

[luckydog32]

10 hours ago, themctipers said:

what

no

NO

 

 

NO

 

thats my only place of buying tech stuff as i cant order online

Why can't you order online? 

[Trik'Stari]

Not surprising. Their web layout (last time I looked) was utter garbage, so how would anyone expect them to be able to keep the doors open on a physical store?

[Matu20]

9 hours ago, themctipers said:

ive gotten around them a couple of times.

here where I am, you don't get any money until you get your own job... 

 

i think that im doing a good enough job on keeping my money no problem for me except for spending it, which is a pro or a con. 

Where are you from btw? For me personally, even if I intend to keep money, cash is always the last option for me, I hate having cash

[Teddy07]

10 hours ago, themctipers said:

because i dont have a card because im under 18 because anyone under 18 cannot manage their funds at all and will go into 100k+ debt

wtf

Yes, credit card sucks. I am 30 and never had a credit card. I am glad that they are not common here in Germany because I buy my stuff and it will instantly be deducted from my bank account the following day instead of a big bill after 30 days.

 

 

[themctipers]

3 hours ago, luckydog32 said:

Why can't you order online? 

no credit or debit card, under 18,

3 hours ago, Matu20 said:

Where are you from btw? For me personally, even if I intend to keep money, cash is always the last option for me, I hate having cash

Canada, cash is my only way of paying for stuff

3 hours ago, Teddy07 said:

wtf

Yes, credit card sucks. I am 30 and never had a credit card. I am glad that they are not common here in Germany because I buy my stuff and it will instantly be deducted from my bank account the following day instead of a big bill after 30 days.

 

 

not even a debit card, which actually does make sense because the 'think about the children' people will have to realize that I'll be spending my OWN money and not fucking myself over in the future

[slavikcc]

Wow!  I guess this thread made into a spirited discussion regarding the viability of brick and mortar shops and big box stores and the state of NCIX overall.  Even Amazon Canada is effectively gained significant traction in the computer retail market, though I can't say about Tiger Direct nor Canada Computers on how well they're doing.  This means that retail is hugely cutthroat than ever before, no thanks to disruptive technologies and companies struggling to adapt to the ever changing landscape.

There's been a lot of rumours and anecdotes about even the state of NCIX themselves in BC, going by the posts on the Vancouver Reddit page. 

I have to wonder what @LinusTech and @Slick (didn't Luke used to work for them before?) have to say about all of this.

[TetraSky]

14 hours ago, themctipers said:

because i dont have a card because im under 18 because anyone under 18 cannot manage their funds at all and will go into 100k+ debt

You could just get a prepaid credit card, it's your own fund on those, so no risk of going in debt.

You can also use Electronic Bill Payment with your bank to pay your NCIX purchases online, in the same way you'd pay an electricity bill or cellphone bill.

There are many ways to buy stuff online even if you're not 18 and don't have an actual credit card.

[themctipers]

1 hour ago, TetraSky said:

You could just get a prepaid credit card, it's your own fund on those, so no risk of going in debt.

You can also use Electronic Bill Payment with your bank to pay your NCIX purchases online, in the same way you'd pay an electricity bill or cellphone bill.

There are many ways to buy stuff online even if you're not 18 and don't have an actual credit card.

no bank account, need passport/BOTH parents for that. Passport is expired (it's been like 7 years since I last went out the country.. Has to be.) and my dad is about 170KM away. 

 

prepaid isn't a thing here, well I can't find it at Walmart or Staples or Home Depot or Canadian Tire, all you can get is gift cards which $120 for $100? No!

[IrshaadH]

I kind of saw this coming.  The ottawa store was always empty.  Everyone just shops at Canada computers here, and their inventory is always better as a result.

[S w a t s o n]

3 hours ago, themctipers said:

no bank account, need passport/BOTH parents for that. Passport is expired (it's been like 7 years since I last went out the country.. Has to be.) and my dad is about 170KM away. 

 

prepaid isn't a thing here, well I can't find it at Walmart or Staples or Home Depot or Canadian Tire, all you can get is gift cards which $120 for $100? No!

When I opened my first account I only needed my mother's approval, no passport either. This was with TD Canada Trust.  As far as prepaids cards, in the GTA i have no problem finding  up to $200 prepaid visa/mastercards or the variable loaded ones (AMEX) that can go up to 500 I think.

 

My little sister just opened her account last year, same situation as my first account. You should be able to open one.

[themctipers]

35 minutes ago, Swatson said:

When I opened my first account I only needed my mother's approval, no passport either. This was with TD Canada Trust.  As far as prepaids cards, in the GTA i have no problem finding  up to $200 prepaid visa/mastercards or the variable loaded ones (AMEX) that can go up to 500 I think.

 

My little sister just opened her account last year, same situation as my first account. You should be able to open one.

my mother isn't around, nobody in family banks with TD, tell me where to buy one please

[S w a t s o n]

1 hour ago, themctipers said:

my mother isn't around, nobody in family banks with TD, tell me where to buy one please

Wait you're under 18 but no access to either parent? Either way my assumption would be that other major banks follow the same guidelines. All the stores you mentioned sell the prepaid credit cards, also try Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, Best Buy, any larger chain store that sell gift cards will sell prepaid credit cards.

[TetraSky]

8 hours ago, themctipers said:

prepaid isn't a thing here, well I can't find it at Walmart or Staples or Home Depot or Canadian Tire, all you can get is gift cards which $120 for $100? No!

No I mean, I'm not talking about those gift card, I mean the reloadable cards you can get at nearly any bank, even without a bank account with them.

Heck you can get one from Canada Post

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/products/details.page?article=visa_and_phone_prepa

Though it's not ideal, since there's a lot of fees on that one. Best would be with your local bank if they offer it.

With mine, I only pay a $7 fee each year and have unlimited transaction, both locally and online, with it, it's only available in both Ontario and Quebec though. Needs you to be 16 of age and provide the number of 1 ID, since no credit check is done, anyone can have it, you don't need to enter a social security number either.

 

Since you mention passport, I'm assuming you're a newly arrived citizen, because otherwise you're obligated to at least have the provincial health insurance card, which serve as identity proof.

[themctipers]

1 hour ago, TetraSky said:

No I mean, I'm not talking about those gift card, I mean the reloadable cards you can get at nearly any bank, even without a bank account with them.

Heck you can get one from Canada Post

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/products/details.page?article=visa_and_phone_prepa

Though it's not ideal, since there's a lot of fees on that one. Best would be with your local bank if they offer it.

With mine, I only pay a $7 fee each year and have unlimited transaction, both locally and online, with it, it's only available in both Ontario and Quebec though. Needs you to be 16 of age and provide the number of 1 ID, since no credit check is done, anyone can have it, you don't need to enter a social security number either.

 

Since you mention passport, I'm assuming you're a newly arrived citizen, because otherwise you're obligated to at least have the provincial health insurance card, which serve as identity proof.

Interesting ..

you mean OHIP?

[S w a t s o n]

47 minutes ago, themctipers said:

Interesting ..

you mean OHIP?

Health cards (ohip) are not technically allowed to be used as government ID by the way, most places do take it still but I'm not sure about a financial company as they tend to be more strict. Worth a try though.

[MadyTehWolfie]

On 7/28/2017 at 5:21 PM, dizmo said:

Not too surprising. There's very few thing you actually need to look at in store when it comes to computer parts. It's not like clothes where you need to try it on, or even a camera, where you want to see how it feels in hand. Most components are hands off, and the few that you could want to touch (keyboards, mice) don't make sense to hold a retail space for.

 

I think eventually there will be a point where owners of retail property have to offer their parcels for greatly reduced rates. That's when we'll see a stabilization of the retail sector.

 

I don't see the BC operation going anywhere.

Canada isn't too bad, most companies just don't tackle it properly.

Monitors, I can't stand one faulty pixels or defects on gaming monitors that cost 400+ usd. An returning them to Amazon is a pain once you get to the 5th monitor return due to defects.

[Qub3d]

14 hours ago, slavikcc said:

I have to wonder what @LinusTech and @Slick (didn't Luke used to work for them before?) have to say about all of this.

I wouldn't hold your breath on a response here, because this sort of thing is something you can't just comment on in a public forum. I may be wrong, but I know that LMG and NCIX have a good relationship. I doubt Luke or Linus would say anything if it meant straining their relations.

 

No offense intended to either of the guys, I totally respect and understand the position they are in here.

[GoodBytes]

34 minutes ago, MadyTehWolfie said:

Monitors, I can't stand one faulty pixels or defects on gaming monitors that cost 400+ usd. An returning them to Amazon is a pain once you get to the 5th monitor return due to defects.

I just buy Dell Ultrasharp series directly from Dell. I won't say you have any guaranty of 0 dead pixels, but they tend to do a good job. And it reduces the number the of times a monitor needs to be moved and stored in warehouses which might not have the correct best conditions for monitors, which can cause panel defects. Also Dell UltraSharp series monitors (and select others) have the best warranty against dead/bright/stuck pixels.

 

To me, 1 dead pixel, even if it is a 24inch 4K monitor, is a faulty panel. If the manufacture doesn't like it, it is their job to push the panel manufacture they deal with to push innovation to avoid those, by not accepting faulty panels.

[dizmo]

58 minutes ago, MadyTehWolfie said:

Monitors, I can't stand one faulty pixels or defects on gaming monitors that cost 400+ usd. An returning them to Amazon is a pain once you get to the 5th monitor return due to defects.

True, but that alone doesn't make it worthwhile to maintain a retail location.

[AshleyAshes]

3 hours ago, Swatson said:

Health cards (ohip) are not technically allowed to be used as government ID by the way, most places do take it still but I'm not sure about a financial company as they tend to be more strict. Worth a try though.

Technically speaking you can use an OHIP card as photo ID.  What is illegal is recording one's OHIP number for anything outside of healthcare services.  Since requesting an OHIP card can expose the potential that that the number could be recorded and the large fines that come with it, a lot companies forbid use of an OHIP card as photo ID.

[TetraSky]

7 hours ago, AshleyAshes said:

Technically speaking you can use an OHIP card as photo ID.  What is illegal is recording one's OHIP number for anything outside of healthcare services.  Since requesting an OHIP card can expose the potential that that the number could be recorded and the large fines that come with it, a lot companies forbid use of an OHIP card as photo ID.

Wow, goes to show how things are different across provinces. In Quebec our health card is the primary photo ID(as it is obligatory, everyone should have one), used as identification for nearly everything, like opening a bank account, if you need to prove you're 18+ to buy lottery/alcohol, etc...

Heck I even had to take a picture of mine (and blurred the numbers of course) to prove my identity to f'king facebook because they thought I lied on my name somehow.

I guess it's because we've realized that not everyone has a passport(or need one) or a drivers license so we just made it in a universal photo ID for everything.

You do often need a "secondary ID" such as a birth certificate, for things like signing up to certain things though.

[slavikcc]

9 hours ago, Qub3d said:

I wouldn't hold your breath on a response here, because this sort of thing is something you can't just comment on in a public forum. I may be wrong, but I know that LMG and NCIX have a good relationship. I doubt Luke or Linus would say anything if it meant straining their relations.

 

No offense intended to either of the guys, I totally respect and understand the position they are in here.

Oh yeah, that's understandable.  The news actually made an appearance on last Friday's WAN Show Document here:

Nevertheless, the news totally sucks as I personally prefer NCIX over many computer shops and been a customer with them since early 2005.  And as mentioned before, my customer support experience over the Ottawa shop was great during the horrific AIO leakage of April 2017.

[GoodBytes]

39 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Wow, goes to show how things are different across provinces. In Quebec our health card is the primary photo ID(as it is obligatory, everyone should have one), used as identification for nearly everything, like opening a bank account, if you need to prove you're 18+ to buy lottery/alcohol, etc...

Heck I even had to take a picture of mine (and blurred the numbers of course) to prove my identity to f'king facebook because they thought I lied on my name somehow.

I guess it's because we've realized that not everyone has a passport(or need one) or a drivers license so we just made it in a universal photo ID for everything.

You do often need a "secondary ID" such as a birth certificate, for things like signing up to certain things though.

Well, technically speaking, the heath card of Quebec is not a valid identification card, but as it has your name, picture, and issued by the government, many considers it.

[MysticLTT]

I use retail for case purchases and those mid-build trips.  A lot of times when I visit parents for a couple days, I would drive to CC to buy some parts for their builds, no time for shipping.