Recommendations on this board for Resellers

As a long time Clevo fan I was looking for a custom Clevo build to replace the horrible 3 year mistake of a FS Turion laptop I had to buy in a hurry when my 5 year old Clevo catastrophically died and melted the power port and the power adapter plug. My FS was slowly dying and I needed to replace it. It wasn't urgent but was a definite need.

So I searched for custom laptop builders and I came across Kobalt Computers (don't all groan at once I will be balanced about this). I did my research, I found excellent posts of happy and satisfied users. I found the deal was very good and also, extremely important to me, the warranty was EU wide as standard collect and return.

I did find one off story about a guy in Sweden who had been waiting two months for his laptop. However he got it in the end so I put it down to pressure. I phoned to order. Message on the phone line that they had had problems with the phones since Christmas and it would be fixed on Wednesday. Credible.

So I ordered. This is a Laptop for work so I only want to buy one every 5 years and I want a Good spec. So I paid £2,700 for my Laptop. I had already queried sales who told me that due to the Sandy Bridge chipset issues and pre orders it would take "at least" 3 weeks to get my order done. This was reasonable so I was not worried.

After 3 days I had to push for an order number.

After a month I queried the build. I was told that there had been issues with SSD's (great but I didn't order one) and the holidays had disrupted work.

After 6 weeks I queried again. Staff off sick. Order moved to build. Due to ship on Friday.

After 7 weeks I tried to phone. " Message on the phone line that they had had problems with the phones since Christmas and it would be fixed on Wednesday." Not credible.

I mailed. Problem with SSD's Order moved to burn in. Delivery on Friday. Not credible. Can't phone the phone has been out since Christmas, fixed on "Wednesday".

After 8 weeks I pushed again. I received a mixture of messages. Problem with SSD's, staff off sick, chassis delayed (come again, it's in burn in), sorry chassis not delayed, it's in burn in....

I deliberated and cancelled my order. Insisted on immediate refund of money. Was told that it could not be refunded in less than 5 days due to multiple players in the financial chain.

It is now more than 30 days since I asked for the refund. Still no money. I paid by debit card so I'm entirely exposed. My work colleagues are constantly laughing about this because, as they say, it's ridiculous. Yes it is. My POS FS laptop finally met it's maker 2.5 months ago. I'm without a decent laptop (I do not count an 8 year old HP work laptop as decent) and have had to put a clone PC under my desk at work to be able to function but it becomes a nightmare every time I go to a meeting and it takes 7 seconds between pressing the mouse and PowerPoint showing the next slide.

I was prepared to like Kobalt and Love my new Laptop. Instead I'm £2,700 out of pocket (more because I made the delivery international as I can't keep running to the UK for non existent deliveries I'm promised), have no Laptop, am ridiculed at work and am increasingly frustrated. Today I mailed Kobalt and told them get the money to my account or I go through the small claims court to get it back (I know it only costs £25 and I'll win).

I looked again today for stories on Kobalt. Since April this year there has been a constant stream of complaints that Kobalt has not delivered, cancelled orders, long refunds etc. Had these reports been visible when I ordered I would have gone elsewhere.

I have been quite tolerant. I have been given significant run around, been lied to and am still without a Laptop more than 3 months after ordering one. Also I can't order another one from someone else as I'm not made of money.

So without causing a fuss or sniping or ranting or anything else, can I ask that you are somewhat circumspect in your commendation of the company? It is clearly having issues. It is clearly handling it's users very poorly indeed. My wife is convinced that the company is going under and that I will lose my money simply because I can't phone them.

When you are selling goods a reputation is something which is almost without price. Kobalt seems determined to lose that reputation and that is not a good thing.

 

you wouldnt be the first one here to have problems with them. however they do have a rep who posts on the forums his name is pman. i have read forums where other people have had the exact same issue. if i do remember correctly, pman was able to help them. i would recommend that u buy your next clevo from xotic, malibal, myth, or lpc as i havent heard or read anything bad about them yet. and i know justin@xotic is always willing to help when it comes to international orders.

 

Seriously, how hard is it to take the order, get the money, build the laptop, put it in a box, and ship it? I've built all my desktops in under 3 hrs. Yes, notebooks add a layer of complexity but not 2 months worth.

I too just recently ordered a notebook from MALIBAL. Ordered on July 7 and then today July 11 I've got a UPS tracking number showing an estimated delivery for July 14.

That is ONE week from me pressing the submit button to getting a custom built high-spec notebook delivered to my front door.

OP: I feel for you bro and hope you get all your money back. Pain and suffering should be included too but...

 

@NeilT
Have you tried post your problem in kobalt forum ?

Their forums seems quite active

 

Hi,

No need as I've been working direct with support so the forum would only delay things. It's the comparison between what is said and the actions taken which is the problem, not a lack of a response, for which the forum could help.

To be honest I was well aware that the sandy bridge chipset issue was going to make a delay on chassis' and I was expecting to wait 4 to 6 weeks before getting it.

It was not the delay which put me off. It was the way the delay was handled. It became clear early on that I was not being told the truth. The phone line is simply an example of that.

I only posted here because this was one of the main places where I got the recommendation from. I could see a resaonable history of satisfied customers and also that they are a known company with a history of delivering. I always do my homework when I buy significant things from companies who are unknown to me.

In this case the homework was not rewarded because the situation has changed. For that I just wanted to post which drove me to register and put a post up.

I don't want to get into a slanging match, I will get this resolved one way or another, it's just my experience I want up there to balance other posts.

 

Yes I've seen pman's posts. Blunt is how I would put them. Then again I've been in the situation of trying to deal with difficult/agitated customers. It is not the easiest job in the world and I'm not perfect at it so I try not to throw sticks.

 

personally if i was you i would post a complaint on bbb.org. however there isnt an account for them but you can request that they make one if you file a complaint. i hate to be the one who has to offer this kind of advice as no one should have to wait and deal with customer service for 2 months. hope your problems get resolved and you are able to get your money back.

 

You are not alone with your issues with Kobalt.

I'm in exactly the same situation. Ordered my laptop over 3 months ago, have been told time and time again that this was delayed, that was delayed etc. Initially I was very understanding as these initial problems seemed to be genuine hardware issues (relating to the sandy bridge i7 chip I wanted). But after these seemingly genuine problems were sorted nothing happened. I contacted them via the online order tracking, and via the forum to no avail (don't even bother trying to phone). Even worse is their habit of 'tidying up threads' on their forum to remove any negative comments, some users seem to have been banned for saying too many negative things. Some of the moderators have also been down right rude to their paying customers, who are only asking for some information at the end of the day and are tired of being stone-walled.

Now like you I have requested a refund... and am waiting. Seriously anybody out there never consider this company they are with out a doubt the worst I've ever dealt with. Hindsight is always 20-20 but even though I'm not a fan I wish I'd just purchased an Alienware computer at least Dell communicate with you!

If I don't get my refund from Kobalt, I think I'll make it my life's work to spread the word far and wide about what a good company they are. However, given their current performance I don't see them being around long anyway (which will make getting my money back difficult).

 

i dont normally reply to these sorts of posts as they are normally nothing to do with me as i dont work for kobalt.
on the other hand i am the only moderator on their forum and i dont think ive ever communicated with you personally StonesInHisPockets so i would just like to clear that up.

when someone spams a forum with certain verbal abuse then they will be banned from any forum be it nbr, kobalt or anywhere.

 

You're joking, right?

Sure, it's not difficult to do it when you're just building by yourself. But hold your horses!

All of a sudden you have responsibilities of maintaining a site, taking thousands of order a week, making sure all the moving parts are communicating with each other and working together properly without a hitch, co-ordinating money orders with various banks, setting up shipping labels to different parts of the country and even internationally, communicating with customers who like to change their order at the last minute and ask you tech questions because they want to be really sure of a purchase they are dropping two grand on, and you also have to be aware of tech in a rapidly changing and evolving field, reviewing various merchandise to bolster your website and business, communicating with advertisers to make sure that you have a good reputation and market exposure, researching old parts with the manufacturer because a few of your old, loyal customers need to replace the components, you have to argue prices with the suppliers so that you can remain competitive....

and that's only on the business side of things....at home...

The wife's angry with you because you're not spending enough time with her and the new baby....you're researching brand name diapers so that your kid can get rid of that rash, you're worrying about bills and wondering how you're going to pay the mortgage this month because you live in a good neighborhood with little crime and excellent schools, your best friend is going through a divorce and you're trying to help him figure things out while simultaneously trying not to freak out about your own marriage, you need to go to the grocery store and buy things for the July 4th cook off and your sanctimonious in-laws are stopping by to talk to your wife and whisper in her ear to leave you...

Oh, and you forgot to update the order on this one fellow's computer and he's giving you grief publicly on a forum board, thereby damaging your reputation.

Life's not so simple now, is it?

Mr. Mysterious

 

MrDJ,

You're completely right we've never crossed paths on the Kobalt forums, though I don't use this username there.

Everything I've said though is 100% true. The people at Kobalt (and those on the periphery) seem to respond with lightening speed to any criticism levelled at them, but never respond to genuine requests for refunds or information on order status.

As an example of a rude/abrupt comment from Kobalt personnel:

Website issue

I agree that Kobalter is probably wrong, but doesn't this strike people as a little abrupt?

When a member (Tylerd94) complained about the not receiving any information about his order... then mysteriously the thread got 'tidied up'

I must point out that I'm not ranomly slagging off Kobalt, I'm annoyed as they're sitting on several grand of my cash.

Also wondering if you've got your money back yet NeilT?

 

if you had seen the other posts previous to the one youve posted above then you would understand why a lot were deleted and to be honest rightly so. i deleted 9 posts one after another before the above and then th pm's started.

as far as i know the other thread was tidied up as the customer already had a ongoing ticket/querie so these posts were moved as individual orders wont be discussed on an open forum.

as an outsider and customer like yourself i totally understand what you are going through as i had a lot worse from alienware.
the guys at kobalt are as annoyed as their customers with all the problems theve had since the move into new premises. then sandy bridge recall,ssd problems and 6970 failures has just topped it off. they are still very very busy and all it needs is one delivery from abroad with stock to be delayed and sadly the backlog builds up.

 

any update on getting your money back stonesinhispockets?

 

Afraid not, apparently the email for a refund is sat in a queue. They don't answer phones... so at the moment just waiting. I'll keep people posted on the outcome, and how long it takes to resolve.

 

even with the company going through changes like a new building and the hardware issues, which all resellers and others had to deal with, 2 months is still unacceptable. sorry to hear.