XoticPC, Dead Pixel, and Sager

I bought a Sager NP9370 laptop from XoticPC. The experience is quite bittersweet. I give a 5 out of 10 rating for the experience.

The Good:
The process of ordering, processing, and delivery are pretty fast for a custom laptop. Especially I have to give a thumb up to Courtney from the processing department. She is fast in replying questions and is on on top of everything.

The Bad:
Based on my browsing XoticPC forum I found this thread "http://xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?14255-Did-You-Guys-Choose-a-Dead-Pixel-Warranty". It's a thread talking about buying the dead pixel warranty. The opening post specifically was asking about buying it for a Sager laptop. One of XoticPC employee posted giving assurance that by buying dead pixel policy they will check for a dead pixel even before shipping. "It's not a 100% guarantee as they can develop over time, which is part of the 30day policy, but when it ships you'll be assured no dead pixels. Part of that warranty is us practically getting out a magnifying glass and searching for them to be assured that there is zero at the time it ships."

So, I ordered the laptop with no dead pixel warranty/guarantee. My Laptop arrived with a dead pixel on the upper left middle area near center. I contacted Courtney and got forwarded to Tanner from the Service dept. Now, this is where it all went downhill. I expressed my disappointment on receiving the laptop with a dead pixel even after purchasing the no dead pixel warranty/guarantee. I asked why no one bothered to check for a dead pixel. It's pretty obvious if you do a QA test since it's near the middle area. Tanner replied that purchasing the no dead pixel warranty doesn't mean that they will do a check for it before shipping. He said it is considered an added service. He also asked where do I get the information that there will be a QA for dead pixel before shipping. I was thoroughly baffled by this. I asked him then is it not in XoticPC best interest and sager to actually do a check before shipping? That a check is actually considered an extra service? And I pointed the thread about the dead pixel policy from XoticPC forum.

Tanner did apologize but pointed out on that there is no information that it's being a QA process from the information page on the website.

The Ugly:
From my experience here it is clear that buyers should be beware that there will be no checking for dead pixel before shipment. It is still a good idea to buy for the policy since you'll never know if there is that annoying dead pixel(s) on the monitor. But don't expect any QA or check before shipment. I for one is confused why Sager and XoticPC don't want to apply a policy of checking for dead pixel before shipment. Isn't it in their best interest to send a good product to customers? If they feel that checking the monitor takes too long of a time, why not just check for the people who actually bought the no dead pixel warranty. Save a lot of hassle and headache.

I sent my laptop for RMA but still in the limbo about the repair. I asked a status update of it but been told by Tanner that I am not supposed to ask before at least 5 days after receiving. It's still on the third day so we shall see how it goes.

Update April 02' 2013:
Sager sent the laptop and it's on the way back. Tanner reviewed the situation again and confirmed there is indeed a QA process for the screen. It was a miscommunication when he told me otherwise. Although there is the disclaimer along with the additional testing that pixels can still develop or slip through the testing. All in all it makes a lot more sense and I can accept that. I am glad everything is cleared up.

Update April 04' 2013:
Received the laptop today. It seems everything is okay. I haven't tested it for any gaming & graphic editing.
Update: The graphic shakes when playing games. Sometimes it can shakes really bad. Not sure what's going on. Turning Off CrossFireX stops the shaking but it defeats the purpose of getting a dual 7970m.

 

ive read in the past that dead pixels can occur through heavy handed transport so could well have left the factory without any dead pixels.
not sure if its the same in america but its been the easter weekend so buisinesses have been closed on friday/monday so the last 4 days cant be counted towards buisiness working days.

also which screen did you go for. ive heard the high gammut screens 72/95% are more likely to suffer dead pixels than standard screens.

hope it gets sorted for you soon.

 

Ah, but my complaint is more when the guy argued that checking the screen for dead pixel before shipment is not included in the dead pixel policy. People should be aware of that I guess? They can argue on technical jargon on it's not a QA process or whatever. But still means the same thing. Regardless, I still suggest of buying the dead pixel policy just don't expect any thorough QA before shipment. Most business are open friday and monday in the states for easter weekend. I am not sure about Sager tho'

I went with the standard matted screen.

Thanks, I hope it'll get sorted soon too.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the miscommunication. Sager does tell us they will have 4 techs visually inspect the screen for any dead pixels and also run software specifically made to look for dead pixels. This is the information we pass along as its what Sager tells us they do. I understand the frustration being told two different things and we'll review this with Tanner to make sure we're all on the same page about what quality checks are done before the computer is shipped out.

 

sager dead pixel policy: Any units purchased with the “Zero Dead Pixel Insurance” option that are received with ANY dead pixels will be treated by Sager
as a DOA unit, and Sager will cover 3 day shipping both ways and replace the unit. (Continental USA only). This guarantee is only
for the first thirty (30) days of receipt of the unit, and not the entire year period of the general warranty.
I have a sager , I have asked sager 2 times to email me the EC update for my NP8150 , nothing
they also said that they would build my laptop and then thoroughly test it 4 days for stability, it arrived at my house on what would have been the 3rd day of testing at Sager. I am not saying they are a bad company , I just think that they are getting a little lazy. the shaking that you are seeing in your games is called micro-stuttering.Using two or more graphics cards simultaneously, such as in SLI (Nvidia) or CrossfireX (AMD), can potentially lead to onscreen micro stutters. it occurs at framerates near 30 frames per second
notebookcheck explains it when they describe there sli and crossfire cards

 

You may find the EC and latest BIOS for the NP8150 on the sticky thread here http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/556299-clevo-bios-older-models.html
You can also email our service dept to get the latest version.

 

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