Digital Storm 9170 review

I purchased the setup below for Digital Storm on 7/3/2012 for $2,500($120 for 2nd day air shipping)

Chassis Model: Digital Storm x17 Laptop (Model: 9170)
Display: 17.3 Inch (16:9) (Resolution: 1920 x 1080) (Glossy Surface) LED-Backlit Display
Processor: Intel Core i7 3610QM (2.3 GHz Turbo Mode to 3.3Ghz) (Quad Core) (6MB Cache)
Thermal Compound: Premium IC Diamond CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise)
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
Primary Hard Drive: Intel 240GB SSD (520 Series) (SATA 6Gb/s)
Secondary Hard Drive: 750GB Hybrid 7200RPM with 8GB SSD (SATA 3Gb/s)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player (Blu-Ray 6x) & DVD/CD Writer
Wireless Card: Intel Ultimate-N 6300 Wireless LAN Module
Video Card(s): AMD Radeon HD 7970M 2GB
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

Less than 48 hours into having the laptop, I received the blue screen of death when attempting to run a game (Battlefield 3) to see the the GPU (Radeon 7970M) could do. After numerous restarts, a failed clean install and remote assistance from Digital Storm, the laptop would no longer boot and no solutions could be found requiring that I ship the notebook back. I should mention that I was starting to get pretty loud clicking sounds from the hard drive bay that weren't present initially. After having spent $2,400 on a system they claim was stress tested, I had no interest in having a brand new system that already needed repairs sent back and requested a refund. The system was placed back in it's original packaging and shipped back in the same cond. it was received (mind you I didn't have a functioning laptop for more than 48 hrs). Shame on me for not taking pictures of the notebook before shipping (lesson learned) because now the trackpad needs to be replaced as well as the keyboard for $114. Their techs did confirm that the hard drive was defective. So in Summary, I paid $125 for DS to ship me a stress tested laptop with a defective hard drive, I had to pay $48 to ship it back and $114 for returning the product in the condition it was received(apparently with a trackpad and keyboard that needed replacing). Having worked in a customer service environment, I understand that resources and time went into the production of the laptop, but when you've had a customer try to work through the problem with no success after assistance completely frustrated with non functioning product they paid $2400, you don't stick it to them to try and recover costs. I worked directly with Alex their customer service manager through the entire process and for a company that prides itself on it's customer service, I was left very unsatisfied. I would like to mention as a "concession" Alex offered to try and remove the cosmetic issues with the track pad and keyboard himself with no guarantees on how long this would take. Seeing as how I've been without a functioning laptop & my $2,500 for the last month, I asked that keep the money they haven't earned and refund my purchase as opposed to having the laptop and my money indefinitely. Of course I'm reaching out the BBB for assistance and consumers should be aware of these business practices. I thought I had done my homework after reading numerous positive reviews, but I still got burned.

 

That sounds terrible.

You should have held onto the resellers we talk about here.

They are usually the most reputable and the best in their area.
.. but you basically paid for the failure of your machine (if you think about it)

So unprofessional indeed. Best of luck to you!

 

that sounds shocking and im sorry to hear youve had so many problems only to have it rubbed back in your face.
firstly what part of the world are you from? this is important as why should you have to pay for rma/courier of a defective product.surely this is covered by your warranty even if you are asking for a refund or is the reseller in another country.
secondly i would request photo proof from them of the defective keyboard and trackpad just in case they are trying to pull a fast one on you.(of course this wont be much proof as they could take a picture of other parts that werent actually yours.

how much money are you going to be out of pocket of the full total price and how did you pay for it. credit/debit/paypal/google walllet

i would defo get onto the BBB for advice and make sure you keep any correspondence from them.

good luck

 

@MrDJ
I'm in the US as is the reseller. Regarding the photos, as you mentioned in your post, I don't have much faith in the pictures sent and nevertheless I couldn't even see what damages requiring the replacment of both the track pad and keyboard(mind you one of the first things I did was plug in the external Logitech mouse I had purchased). Then for their CS manager to state that he may be able to remove the "cosmetic" damages , as a concession, added insult to injury. In total I'm out $287 for giving them my business and I paid with a credit card. I'm hoping the BBB can provide some guidance and I appreciate the communities input.

 

what does your warranty cover exactly. as you are in the same country i cant see how they charge you $48 courier charges to return it. i sent my alienware (before dell) back 4 years ago to a different country for a refund and i didnt get charged.
also $114 for the keyboard. they have to prove you broke it or used a hammer to press the keys. any idea what fault there is with the keyboard.

ive never heard of this company before but i am across the water in the uk. this defo sounds like a name and shame situation.

 

you should sue them... this is just pathetic

 

This is sad. DS is one of the best names in custom desktops. I did, however, notice that their laptops were simply rebadged Sagers, and that they offered the least options out of all the resellers.

It sounds to me like they are hitting you with the "wash & wax" package on a defective unit.

When you do get your cash back, I'd hit up Mythlogic. They do actually build and stress test their machines, and you will find their service to be second to none. You will pay a few extra bucks, but their service level farr outweighs the price difference.

 

This is sad. DS is one of the best names in custom desktops. I did, however, notice that their laptops were simply rebadged Sagers, and that they offered the least options out of all the resellers.

It sounds to me like they are hitting you with the "wash & wax" package on a defective unit.

When you do get your cash back, I'd hit up Mythlogic. They do actually build and stress test their machines, and you will find their service to be second to none. You will pay a few extra bucks, but their service level farr outweighs the price difference.