Move over Eurocom! (Canadians? Meet ProStar... ProStar? Canadians...)

http://www.pro-star.com/

So in the wake of Eurocoms delays, I decided to check out ProStar to see what they are all about, and they seem a bit more professional with their business overall, in my opinion anyway.

Canadian Priority shipping may also be big advantage depending on how high your provincial taxes are, and the price of the system you are buying:

$290 as a flat rate on a M860TU for example, beats:

m860tu(13%,Ontario)+shipping+m860tu

 

Nice info.

I will point people towards Pro-Star if they are in Canada and want a Clevo.

 

So, what? It just shows you how much tax you'll have to pay/charges you in advance?

You're still paying the tax (it's kinda illegal not to) and it's always going to be the same (so long as you don't switch provences).

 

On a US$2300 system for example:

Pro-Star: $2300+$290= $2590

Xotic PC, RJTech (for example): $2300(13%)+$100 (UPS Express [no brokerage fees], could be higher)+$2300 = $2699

Eurocom: $2300(13%)+$36 (Ontario/Quebec 1-5days)+$2300 = $2635 (US Dollars)

The above is assuming Eurocum matches Prostar's better pricing on the Operating system, Wifi, & Bluetooth, which is above the market price at Eurocom.

Prostar is still the better deal by $45(w/shipping insurance included in FedEX priority 1-3 day international shipping) and assuming Eurocom matches the original pricing. Furthermore,
with a flat fee, rather than paying PST, GST on your doorstep along with some other random fees the delivery guy always seems to come up with

I understand Eurocom does 5% of students and such, but I sent an email out to Pro-Star, maybe they'll match it, or even adjust the difference in the flat fee. Either way, added competition is good for us Canadian Consumers

 

how about aet solutions? :s
http://aetsolutions.ca/
http://aetsolutions.ca/store/index.php?cPath=261&osCsid=33b984cc97c76fba77a97e26683a5afa

plus ive heard a lot of ppl have been able to price match with aet so thats always an option

 

Cool, but, how long have they been around the block?

 

not quite sure but they r only resellers of avg and sager so they seem ok i suppose plus they offer their own warranty so u dont ship it out all the time better than nothing i suppose ill look into it some more and get back to ya

 

I recommend contacting the Prostar reseller Lynnbay, to see if they run the same program FOR Canadians. Their prices are lower than the Prostar site, and a free year of Accidental Damage comes with the basic warranty.

I got mine through them, and they gave me a great deal on shipping, though I am in the US.

 

Unless I've missed something, the exchange rate is no longer par, its closer to an additional 5 to 6%. Using your figures:

Prostar = US$2590 x C$1.05/US$ = C$2720
Eurocom = C$2699

Bye bye savings, welcome to foreign currency exchange 101 boys and girls.

 

Also, if you pay with Visa (as I did), there is an additional currency conversion fee of 2.5% on top of the actual conversion rate.

Since the dollar is approximately 95.5 cents now, that's 4.5% (exchange rate) + 2.5% (credit card currency conversion fee) = 7.0% on top of Prostars rate.

 

I am wondering who he spoke to about shipping. If he is in Ontario the Shipping from Eurocom is $36.00.

100.00?????

Ramdom Fees???

Someone is confused!

 

(That should be be US$2699)

Actually, you are completely wrong. I was using Eurocoms US dollars for the two systems I configured.

Prostar = US$2590 x C$1.05/US$ = C$2720
Eurocom = US$2699 x C1.05/US$ = C$2 833.95

Now, if you want to use Eurocom's CAD the base price is $145.00 more.

So, for that same laptop, it would be:
Eurocom = US$2699+145CAD(base price) = $2844

ProStar still has a $124.00 $CAD advantage w/insurance.

Yeah, Welcome son...

http://web.eurocom.com/EC/ec_model_config1(1,196,0) - Check it out yourself

 

Sorry, about that, I was using Shipping from other US resellers in that instance.

Now Eurocom's $36 shipping is 1-5 Business:

On a $2300 system again (this, assuming Eurocum matches Prostar's better pricing on the Operating system, Wifi, & Bluetooth, which is severely overpriced at Eurocom):

$USD
Pro-Star: $2300+$290= $2590

Eurocom: $2300(13%)+$36 (Ontario/Quebec)+$2300 = $2635

Prostar is still the better deal by $45(w/shipping insurance) and assuming Eurocom matches the original pricing.

I will edit my post to reflect this.

 

$36 for 1-5 Days, isn't bad at all.

But Prostar features FedEx International Priority in the flat fee.

w/Insurance on that delivery, at the very most 3 days shipping, and $45.00 saved.

ProStar is the better buy.

 

I've made my deal with john and i got my system for 2457$ CAD shipped at my door with taxes included.

If I do the exact same configuration at Prostar and take the 300$ Canadian Shipping deal (300 because its a 570tu) i got those prices :
Grand Total: $2,783.00
Cash Total: $2,720.93

Sure I did some deals with eurocom but they matches their USD price in CAD (as far as i know)(when i ordered, the usd/cad difference was about parr(like 0.98/0.97)


BTW : I live in Québec, Canada

 

ARom, thanks for the info! i'm in the same boat as you: trying to find the best deals for Canadians because Eurocom hasn't replied to my questions/is behind.

For me, it still comes down to finding a Canadian reseller for warranty/return issues. Eurocom still is the best choice for me, so hopefully they can get their act together soon.

Frank88: I look forward to hearing about your Eurocom model!

 

You want me to do a review over the eurocom package of the M570TU is it right ? Or you want a full review with benchmarks and everything ?

 

taxes, fx and lack of competition really hurts Canadian consumers. Are there other choices besides Eurocomm?

 

Hmm, and how would it work if you had to send it in for warranty repair?

The extra time in transit, plus the extra shipping costs that you have to pay both ways would sure eat that $45 savings up in a big hurry wouldn't it? Not to mention the extra paperwork to make sure you weren't charged taxes on the way back in to Canada, plus brokerage.

 

oh i'm sorry, I thought it was for a m860tu! my bad! but regardless, a review of your dealings with Eurocom (specifically their service, the product when it arrived, any defects from their production, and any problems with Eurocom, etc.) would be appreciated! Don't worry about benchmarks and all that technical stuff. A full review isn't necessary; an informal reply would be enough.

merci beaucoup!

 

The only reason you want to buy from Prostar is that they give a you flat rate for the shipping and all. I compared the price from XoticPC and ProStar and they are basically the same (only few differences, eg ArcticSilver 5 or 3 year labor warranty).

The $290 includes:

-FedEx Priority Shipping w/insurance
-Custom brokerage Fee
-Taxes and duty(HST, GST and PST)

Xotic PC's UPS Express costs $110 and includes brokerage fees. So we are down to $180 (290-110) for taxes and duty. Because there is no duty on laptops coming from the US, that's $180 they pay for the taxes. What I don't get here is that taxes are different in each province. For example, Alberta doesn't have PST so for a $2500 laptop, that's only $125 of GST (5%) while in Quebec, we have around 13% of taxes, so that's $325 to pay. In conclusion, it worth it if you have more taxes to pay. Also, take in consideration that you will still have to ship the laptop back to the US, which cost more than inside Canada. Its around $15 more to ship to the US (instead of Canada) and takes 4-5 days instead of 1-2 days.

BTW, Ive written a guide about Importing stuff to Canada. Just don't know where to post it.

 

Eurocom will only charge 5% taxes to items being shipped to Quebec. I don't know how they manage to do that, but i'm definitely having my laptop shipped to my parents in Montreal. It'll save a ton of $$$ !!

 

When you buy stuff from another province, you are only charge federal taxes (GST or TPS in french) because the store/reseller isnt subject to other provinces' taxes and because there is no customs or control between provinces. Keep in mind that there is no obstacle between provinces so going from one to another is easy. But when you are receiving from the US, items goes straight to your province so they can apply the PST (TVQ in french).

 

^^^
thanks! it all makes sense now, lol!

 

What about Nova Scotia? I'm going to University there, and they have HST (never heard of it)... if it's what I think it is (some large east coast tax) then the flat fee may be better for me overall. Also, if you guys haven't noticed, I have a bit of a grudge against Eurocom, I don't like their website, their jacked up pricing (until you do the infamous price match!) , and I don't like that they are always delayed with something, and never responding to my annoying emails

 

The Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is the equivalent of the GST+PST. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonized_Sales_Tax

I didn't received my laptop yet but a friend told me they only charge GST on imported product. On my old UPS bills, I was charged GST and PST. So I'm pretty confident I will be charged both taxes.

The only difference between Sager and ProStar is that instead of paying the taxes at the door, you prepaid it at checkout, which is, after all, simpler.

 

Don't forget 2-3 days overnight shipping with insurance from Prostar, vs 1-5 day ground without insurance on the product being shipped from Eurocom.

 

so im from montreal, and simply which one is easier to deal with? pro-star or eurocom?

i am somehow leaning toward eurocom for their leasing 24/21 month payment.
i made up a 2474$ spec M860TU from eurocom and that is without even asking for 5% student discount and price-match stuff. I just don't know how much tax and shipping will cost me.

 

You always will have to pay your GST+PST exept if you don't declare your imported product or you get it shipped from another province.

Both are easy to deal with since you pay all the stuff at checkout. The only difference is shipping method like ARom mentionned and for repairs, you would have to ship the laptop to the US or Canada.

 

Guys, if you purchase through ebay you don't pay any sales taxes. Not sure about customs though (seriously considering an HP from the U.S since certain models are not offered in Canada).

Argh, I may defect from the Clevo fanboy's and join the HP Dv5t club

Strange, everybody, and their mother!, is re-selling Dv5t's internationally on ebay, but there are no Clevo's... that could be a decent way to avoid taxes and make some extra cash shipping internationally to desperate customers. No? ...

 

Personally, I don't recommand purchasing items over $50 or maybe $100 on eBay because its not that safe and you don't know if the product if reliable. I only had problem with one item once and I was lucky that the seller was nice enough to respond to my emails and refund me.

The person that sells you the item can of course declare the item of lower value so you don't pay the taxes and all but you can have problems if you make an insurance claim as for example, you want to make a claim for a $1000 item but the item is declared as $20.

I just posed my guide: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=290458

 

No, this seller looks pretty legit: http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-DV5T-DV5-2-5...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1308&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Besides, I'll do a wire transfer between my bank and his, that way I have some protection if the product is not shipped, tracked, and received

741 sales in the last 12 months, 3 neutral, 0 negative, under warranty from HP...

 

Yeah, the seller seems clean but what I don't like about PowerSellers is that you are treated like a number so contacting the seller is a bit harder. Also, he lives in the USA and by looking at his number of transactions, I think all is processed automatically so you cannot escape the taxes at custom. In addition, because the laptop is only available in the USA, the warranty would be only valid there so you would have to ship the laptop back to HP USA instead of HP Canada. You should ask if the seller accepts to declare the item as a $20 value to be sure.

 

Yeah nevermind about the HP, I"m going to give ProStar, Eurocom, & others a call tommorow.

 

If you can wait a bit, you should go for Eurocom for a hassle-free shipping. But I never heard anything about the quality of CS and all.

 

Currently, i'm experiencing pretty bad CS from Eurocom: i've emailed them twice and haven't received a response. Any responses i've received in the past were pretty much one liners. I'm pretty sure they're a good and reputable company who are just behind right now, but it's not really helping me feel at ease for purchasing from them.

There are a few NBR members (Mausimo, link1313, JagerQ) who have ordered from Eurocom, so i'm hoping to hear from them once they get their machines. There's a thread:

Eurocom M860TU Update!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=287877&page=3

 

Forgive me for being so old-fashioned, but have you tried the old-school way - by telephone?

 

Unfortunately my classes start Sept.3, I'm not sure Eurocom will a new order shipped by then ...

 

Shyster1, that's my next step; i'm hoping some of my questions are answered in some reviews before I start calling them. Eurocom models should be arriving at their buyers pretty soon, so I hope to hear some feedback.

 

Hmm, AET seems to have pretty good prices in terms of what I'm looking for, but I'm wondering if they can be trusted. I take it that since they're a Sager reseller, once the system is actually in my hands I no longer have to deal with them for warranty, etc, but what I'm worried is the period before then. Well, I've emailed them for a quote anyways. Would work wonderfully considering I'm in Ontario and would only be charged 5% GST (since they're located in Quebec). Eurocom's prices seem pretty high imo; what I'm looking for is a system with a 9800m gt, 320gb 5400 rpm hdd (or 200gb 7200 rpm if the former is unavailable), a P9500, 1080p monitor and 4 gb 1066 mhz ddr3 ram for about $2500 (and 5% tax ). Was able to get this config from eurocom but with a 9800m gts, except I'd be paying 13% tax =/.

 

whats AET? i though this was about prostar. im just wondering because if its only 5% GST, i live in ontario too, it would be very cheap. i got quoted from eurocom 2030$ for a 570Tu bur before taxes and shipping (would be about 2380$ total)

also, ellissar, i got your specs (excpet 2GB RAM and 160GB 7200RPM HD) for only 2,030 CAD befor taxes and shipping. i would upgrade the ram later.

 

wow, good find on AET... I didn't know there was a Sager Reseller in Montreal!

http://www.aetsolutions.ca/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/lang,en/

....website looks a little sketchy though. Looks like they are a computer service company that also happens to sell a few laptops. They are definitely cheaper, but I don't think they specialize in laptops, which would worry me.

 

i wish there was a reseller in toronto or close to it

 

There is, but they're extremely expensive. Check the Clevo reseller guide.

 

what really... i skimmed through it but i will look again...

 

The store listed in the Toronto area is:

Blackthorne Power PC's
http://blackthorne.ca/btshop/index.html

They do not sell the 8660. They do offer the following Sager laptops:

* Clevo M570RU-U = Nemisis Elite
* Clevo M670SRU = Momentum Platinum
* Clevo M665SRU = Momentum
* Clevo M665SR = Base-X
* Clevo M72SR = Momentum Lite

 

yea but i dont want to put a second morgage my house

 

I wont be able to update you for awhile livesoft eurocom kind of failed me. I was told my laptop would be shipped last week but apparently i was #80 and they only had #75 laptops. It will be shipping out to me first week of September but I likely won't see it until I come home for Thanksgiving (don't care about worrying about a configuring a new laptop once im at school).

Im not cancelling the deal I got so Eurocom can lose money on it for all I care

 

They do sell it, it's just not on the website. In fact he (its a small company) sells the M860 as the Sager NP8660. Email them, the guy should get back to you with pricing info. Quote the price from Xotic with currency conversion and tax. He won't match it, but he'll come close. I'm pretty sure it's still cheaper to order from the US, but if you don't want to them its an option.

 

^^
interesting... i'm gonna contact him for sure!