Couple Whitebook/xotic Questions

Figured that I would shoot this out to you. I ordered an Alienware M17 around the 6th of November. After reading up on the forums today, it's seeming more and more likely that I won't see my rig till January. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to wait that long because my laptop is going out fast. The main reason I went with the M17 is that I qualified for the 12 months interest free ATA card. I can pretty much go to a bank to get a small loan to get around this as my credit rating is good enough. Timing was great on when my laptop decided to make its last stand.

I've been looking at xoticpc for this possible purchase. It appears though it will cost me a hundred more and will be out an OS. The benefits seem to be 3 year warranty and better customer service. Is there any other benefits to going with xotic? Is this the best place out there to match AW prices?

Anyone have any idea what build and delivery times look like from xotic? Are they as back-ordered as AW?

Thanks a bunch for the help. I'm just in a bind on where to go on this.

 

Xotic won't charge tax for the purchase.. AW does, I believe. And yes, the 3 year coverage is extremely nice especially considering that includes them paying for shipping if you make a claim. And, it's next business day shipping ta-boot! It is not backordered, and my purchase took approximately 9-10 business days from order to delivery. I did have to RMA my system, I blew out my BIOS on accident.. I sent the comp to them on a Tuesday, they received it on Wed, and I had a brand new rig sitting in front of me by that same Saturday. Not too shabby, eh? I was suprised they just replaced the whole dang thing. But, my experience has been superb. Xotic isn't the type of place that puts focus on Overclocking, and tweaking..instead they leave that up to you as the end-user. But, they have been there anytime I've had a question, or issue(which only one so far), and I'd never consider doing business elsewhere. That's my personal opinion.

Now, other folks around here are just as happy I'm sure. But, seeing as I've had an opportunity to RMA in the first month..I saw how that was handled so well, it exceeded my expectations. Therefore, they passed the true test of service after the sale. And back to what you mentioned, that 3 year coverage is a nice added bonus.

 

I'm in the same boat as you and went with Xotic even though it is costing me $217 more for the same rig! Reasons are many: 3-yr warrantee, no restocking fee if returned within 15-days, unlocked BIOS, plus you get a bonifide OCZ rig. I've dealt with OCZ in the past and their customer service is outstanding. A 3-yr warrantee from Alienware would have cost $300 more so it's a no brainer there. Also go visit the Alienware forum and read all the complaints about nickle-and-diming.

I've also gotten prompt e-mail responses from Xotic. Alienware estimated shipping on 12-15 and I am hoping Xotic can keep to their 3-7 day shipping policy.

 

I also purchase my system through Xotic and could not agree more with what the previous two posters have said. They have excellent customer service. I ask a lot of questions and to some I would probably be a bother, but they have been very good. You get the 3yr warranty included in the price and as e-wrecked said, you don't have to pay tax like you would with Alienware. And, like e-wrecked, I am very happy with my purchase and would not do business anywhere else.