Misco

Misco
Industry Computer hardware
Headquarters Wellingborough
Website http://www.misco.co.uk/

Misco is an IT reseller, part of Systemax Inc.[1] The company operates in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden.[2] Sales are targeted at business, education, public sector and consumer markets, with sales being made online, via telephone and mail order catalogue.

History

Misco was founded in New Jersey, USA, and ran a business of mail order sale of computer supplies and accessories. Gillette invested in Misco in 1983, taking a 40% stake, as part of a program to acquire high-growth low-risk businesses.[3] Misco established its first European subsidiary in Italy, followed by UK and West Germany in late 1985.

In November 1987, Gillette sold the company to the British company Electrocomponents plc for the sum of £11,000,000. The effects of the early 1990s recession led Electrocomponents to sell Misco at a loss in early 1993. The buyer, Global Computer Supplies, was controlled by Systemax Inc and HCS (Global) Ltd at the time.

In 2002, Global, now known as Systemax, began a program of restructuring. This would see its newly acquired Simply Computers business merge with Misco's UK operation in Wellingborough by 2005.[4] Also, logistics were established in a purpose-built warehouse in Greenock, Scotland. The brick-and-mortar outlets founded by Simply were gradually closed down, a symptom of consumer trends moving away from the High Street and to online.

Misco expanded its business from 2005 onwards, winning customer satisfaction awards from PriceGrabber, a performance award from Hitwise and achieving ISIS and IDIS accreditations.[5]

In 2009, Misco announced plans for hiring remote sales agents on a work-from-home basis.[6]

Users of the misco.co.uk website have several complaints about the customer service of the company. One user asked to have their user account removed. Misco's customer service team untruthfully replied after 4 weeks to say they removed the account. After another 4 weeks of asking (weekly) why the account has not been removed, Misco did not respond to the customer. There are many stories like this.[7]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Systemax Worldwide Partners
  2. ↑ Systemax Worldwide Partners
  3. ↑ Gordon McKibben (1998). Cutting Edge: Gillette's Journey to Global Leadership. Harvard Business Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-87584-725-2.
  4. ↑ Simply Computers suffers big redundancies
  5. ↑ Misco accreditation awards
  6. ↑ Misco GM Sandy Price interviewed by Hexus.tv
  7. ↑ [unknown surname], Than. "LIARS". Trust Pilot. Retrieved 22 December 2014.