Play.com - Games and Music

I ordered a Viao FE41Z from play last week. Screen showed in stock and 24 hour dispatch. I thought it was going to be as easy as ordering a cd/dvd. Next day I checked to see if my pc was on its way. The online information had not been updated so I called them. I was told the item was definately in stock but they had to fill in a form to do some "security checks." I was advised to expect delivery in one week. For some reason I pushed the agent to give me a firm idea of stock and said I thought the laptop was being discontinued. On hearing this she promptly changed her excuses and said her screen was now showing no availability and a mistake had been made. During this time the product screen on the website was updated to remove the buy icon and my order cancelled. I was so disappointed. Her whole attitude was "I don't care about your custom." Talk about rubbing it in. The only thing I can deduce from this is they only source stock when someone places an order. Hence, the "security checks" excuse. The 24 hour availability is a con. They don't have stock despite what the screen says. I found the same laptop 10 minutes later on the comet site for £1050 - £50 more than play. I reserved it online and 1 hour later went to the store to collect it. I was very happy. I'm relieved that I did not hang around one week accepting play's initial excuses as comet have now increased their price. I think play have got very big thanks to customers like me. I just feel my loyalty has been misguided. Beware, of play's cheap prices. Their customer services and after care reflect this.