I made a fatal mistake of ordering a computer from MESH Computers January 30th 2009, before reading customer reviews. I've learned a harsh lesson, because MESH Computers are a cowboy company who abuse their customer's trust.

The second I clicked the order button, £980 was taken from my bank account. I heard nothing (except for an automated email) for three weeks so I emailed them for an update. I was told my order would arrive within a week. My computer arrived after six weeks of silence.

Contained in a flimsy old-looking box sealed with single cheap strips of sellotape, I unpacked a battered and broken computer. The metal casing was bent and warped, the power and reset switch was loose and a spare cd bay had caved in. It looked like it was assembled with industrial machinery with no delicacy. Booklets and documents were actually contained in a spare graphics card plastic wrapping.

I promptly sent it back to MESH and requested a refund. Credit to them, they speedily arranged a courier, but that's as much credit they deserve because a few days later, the machine arrived on my doorstep again. I phoned MESH and they tried to claim I was too late in sending my cancellation letter (which they'd previously acknowledged with a reply letter in which they stated a refund would be "considered").

A few days later the courier took the machine again. I heard nothing from MESH for weeks so instructed my bank to reclaim the money. Thankfully this had immediate effect and MESH coughed up.

So to recap, awful: delivery time, product, lying phone operator, after-sales service and an unwillingness to pay refunds.

AVOID.