Who is your reseller and why!

Going over a lot of these forums lately made me realize there are a lot of loyals to certain companies and a lot of bashing of others. My intent is not to do this with this thread so please do not bash any other reseller and try not to make negative comparisons.

An example would be; Instead of saying, "Company A offered me this while company B didn't...I can't believe company B doesn't or Company B is a bad company because of that." A simple, "I like company A because it offered me this" will do.

The goal of this thread is to share your experience in dealing with your reseller. Please refrain in making differences between two specific companies, just tell us why the one you chose is the one for you. I think this will give a fair shake for the resellers out there and provide valuable information on to the consumer about these companies if they had a hard time choosing between them. AKA, the "what do you guys think of company x threads".

So please do not put, "I went with company X because company Y sucks!".

My experience:

I recently purchased (on order) a BlackHawk XR5 from PCMicroworks for a few different reasons:

1. Good personal experience with my account manager (not sales rep). The idea that I have a single person to go to is very appealing instead of talking to a different employee ever time. The fact I have an extention to call just simplifies everything. It makes dealings in the future go a lot smoother for both the company and myself. It also builds a relationship with the company in a way. This was a key factor for me when purchasing as well.

2. The price was reduced because I gave them a limit of what I could spend and what I wanted. After working at length with them they satisfied my price requirement. This showed a willingness to work with and satisfy their customers. I was kind of impressed with this.

3. This company is a bit larger than other resellers in the fact that they are around 30 employees strong were some resellers are only a few say 5-10. I like that it is "bigger" because it shows they are trying to become bigger players in the high end market and not simply reselling from a reseller so to speak so we know they are trying to achieve (self-imposed?) higher standards.

4. Although the model is shares similarities to other companies, PCMW are trying to sell a brand name (like Alienware for example) that includes not only the product you are purchasing but the experience and service as a whole from the company. This whole idea is represented in their brand name. Basically, instead of buying a NP9261 from any reseller, I am purchasing a brand name from one company.

5. The warranty, while a bit spendy for their best warranty, is absolutley fabulous in my opinion. The ability for upgrades and future product purchases at reduced rates and so on is a great thing to have when purchasing a notebook. Plus, their warranties are done in house which means they do not send it off to anyone else for repairs. This was another big factor in my decision.

I think that this model of laptop (D901C, NP9261 and so on) would scream despite where it is purchased from. So if we eliminate the product from the equation, that just leaves us and the company we are purchasing from. I think that any reseller out there provides a good level of service to its customers so there really isn't a best company to purchase from or a better one so to speak. But personally, we all have a horse we are betting on and PCMW is mine for my laptop.

So those are the reasons I went with PCMWs when purchasing my new laptop. I hope I can have a good standing relationship ship with PCMWs in the future.

 

NVM, got it from the left menu and didn't saw in wich categorie we were

 

I don't know yet... i'll probably go with RJtech or xotic... the one with the best deal... but rjtech is cheaper... i,ll probably take the one who can ship it the soonest (i don't mind paying 50-100$ more if i can get my laptop 4-5days sooner!) anyway i have to wait mid december like everyone else

Xotic is more "friendly": fast anwser, active on this forum, they use brand named item.

RJtech is bigger, and they usualy have a better price...

But i love Justin he email me 5-6 time a day!

 

I choose XOTICPC for several reasons.

1. They put information out in fourms other than their own.
2. Their pricing was a little better than most. But not enough to base a decision on alone.
3. They were knowledgeable about their product line.
4. They answered my question in email before I bought anything.
5. I needed some special treatment and they were willing to work with me on everything.
6. No other company I talked was willing to do this the way I needed it.

Your experience may differ from mine but I would buy from them again. I felt like they were being honest with me and were willing to the little extra I needed at the time.

 

Xotic.. Its the personal service that counts...

Price is not always the key...... Its the service...

Joe

 

There is no way I could have said it better than jikeel.

Which is why I have ordered a Black-Hawk XR5 from PcMicroWorks.

 

This is the first time I have gone with a reseller. Previously I have been a Dell boy, through and through. So my answer is two-fold:

1. The reason I jumped ship from Dell is that they haven't even announced plans for the 8800 in any laptop. I have owned my 9100 for over three years and was ready for a huge jump in performance, but they are not providing anything right now. Not even rumors. That and the fact that the XPS line for notebooks has been watered down. When the first XPS came out, it was the top of the line gaming notebook from Dell. Now you can get XPS's with 8400's. Which is a step backwards in extreme performance.

2. The reason I went with PC MicroWorks is because they were the first reseller to allow me to configure a system with the SLI dual 8800's. After a little digging on the I/net, I found them to be a reputable company with great ratings and reviews. After I called them and placed my order, I felt very well taken care of and felt that I got a good deal.

I am hoping that this will be a positive experience, but won't know until I actually get the computer in Mid-Feb.

 

wow pcmicro does have some nice configs and they offer a free upgrade on the 5791 version of their model.. wow.. nice

i used xotic. they handled everything great for me i have 0 complaints about them. i do have issues and complaints about clevo/sager though so not sure anyway if i would buy another honestly.

 

I was about to go with powernotebooks when I decided to visit xotic pc to do some price comparisons.

Don't get me wrong, powernotebooks is a very good reseller and I did buy a laptop from them about 2.5 years back. Very pleased with them back then.

However, what made me go with xotic pc this time about was their free ground shipping offer over the past shopping weekend. Second, the fact that they had a

3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Tech Support (Extra 2 Year Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

whereas powernotebooks only had a standard one year warranty or a upgraded 3 year warranty made me go in xotic pc's favor. That, and I wanted to try someone new. xotic pc got good marks, so I wasn't afraid buying from them. In fact, when I realized that the 2.0GHz processor only came with a 2MB L2 cache, I called to change the processor to the 2.2GHz with a 4MB L2 cache, and it was no problem. So far my experience has been great. Took two days for the factory to build and test my computer (if they actually test it), and it has been on its way to Texas since 3am this morning.

But as we've learned, the purchacing experience continues after the laptop is recieved. We'll see how things work out if my new laptop decides to crash on me.

 

My reseller was www.p4laptops.com.au which resells ITC notebooks (the biggest clevo re-brander in Australia) www.itchannel.com.au

I bought from p4laptops as they were they had the best deal at the time. In Australia it is slightly different if the reseller is reselling ITC notebooks as the notebook is send directly from the factory to the customer and all the reseller does is pass on the customers details and payment etc... to ITC. I even called ITC for an ETA on the build and they were happy to deal directly with me.

Either way I was happy with the service from both companies.

Steve

 

Personally i will go with Xoticpc. Eventhought rjtech is located in California. I saved some money on tax. Anyways my computer will be here next week.

 

I went with xotic pc
1. customer service
2. price
3.tech support

i am very happy with them , they get 5 stars in my book. BUT i also dont think i would have bought a sager if i knew that i was going to need 3 motherboards in 3 months i dont know if i will ever but another clevo. im not very happy. i am happy with the lappy just not the cost and time to "upgrade it" its B.S.

 

Don't want to rub salt in the wound but...if you had gone with PCMicro you would have gotten a free upgrade to 8800GTX's. You would not have had to pay to upgrade your system later on. Just something to think about.

 

HAHA i changed my mind... with the deal i did with eurocom... even rjtech is over! and im not scared one bit... GO! GO! Canadian law!

mmm now i need a bag... earphone... mouse... gamepad...

 

Did you have a good experience with Eurocom? Haven't seen anyone post anything on this thread with them just yet. Let us know!

 

I'm looking at buying a laptop from Eurocom and their customer service is excellent so far. I actually get a reply when I e-mail them, and its quick.

 

I preorder my laptop there... i just have to wait

a sexy m571ru

 

Tell us about your experience! (unless you bought online ofcourse and didn't talk to anyone ) Trying to get some impressions of companies for new buyers to think about

You're gonna love that laptop for sure!

 

Cool, I'm pretty sure I'm going to order one from them . . . just need to bite the bullet. Their prices are way lower than anyone else.

 

I had some doubts about PCMW earlier but people here on the forum made me change my mind.

I got a price that no one else could match

They've answered all my 15 mail within 6 or 8 hours. I'm really impressed with their service.

 

I went with PowerNotebooks for my 5760. I have nothing but positive things to save about them. Even though I decided to return my notebook they didn't give me any problems or question why. I'd definitely purchase from them again.

 

To get this excellent price i had to send some email and make some comparaison... rjtech/xotic... when i send them the other price they told me i can have access to a "student rebate -10%"

Just read the sticky: "Pricing: Cheaper than Average (website should not be taken seriously)"

and if you order there... just take 1x1gig ram... you will save like 110$

But i never called them, ill call them if something go wrong

 

I'm surprised no one else wants to tell us how their experience was with their resellers :0 j/k. Just wanted to bump this because I want it to live a little longer and hope that some people get some good use out of our experiences. Thanks for the contributions so far!

 

I went with PC Microworks, because it seems they really had the most for the money, and they were first atleast in the US to take pre-orders for the 8800m GTXs. I got my order in for just under $4.5k, and now, on any site, it goes over $5k for same config, with best 3 year warranty, some close to $6k!

I dealt with them over the phone, and I am very pleased with the service they gave me. I had emailed them, asking questions about my possible order, and they told me to call them that day, and get an extra $100 off the already free upgrade to 8800m's. So I did, but on the invoice they sent me, the discount was not there. I called, and they took off $200 for the complication.

Their warranty in theory, is the best I have seen. Also the future upgrade costs at wholesale sounds great. They also include at least 2 cases, one hard case with lock, and a soft nylon bag. They might even throw in another case, I am not sure.

I only have to deal with one person over the phone, ans that is Thomas, who I recommend. He has been very helpful, and also alowed a bit of flex on the total price, giving me extra discounts to compensate for some inital mistakes made to my order. These mistakes were very simple and were fixed as soon as I brought them up.

I wont know for sure till I get the machine, but so far, I am very pleased with PC Microworks.

 

I went with PC MicroWorks primarily because of the reviews off the webiste here, so lets hope they pull through on what they advertise. I haven't had a chance to speak to them yet as I live outside of the USA currently.

Had one error on their behalf where thay sent me an email saying the build would go ahead once I had paid them which I already had!!! Got it sorted out soon though, but lost some sleep in the process. Managed to hold onto the discount they offered with the free upgrade, hence why I continued with them, so a plus in my books as I had paid cash straight away.

I think value for money, including the awesome warranty they offer (I bought the 3 year diamond plus coverage), I am really looking forward to the package they offered, which was very comprehensive, and better priced than the competitors in terms of what you bought for the same config or mostly better options thru PC MicroWorks which is what I found , and the fafct they were taking orders for the SLI 8800M GTX's. My order I got for just over US$4.8k which seems reasonable (See specs in sig) and I am a big player/modder of Oblivion, so I am expecting blistering performance!!

It was based on the PC MicroWorks customer service which swayed my decision more than anything. Hopefully I get to speak to them over the phone, asthey assisted me in the bank transfer and also international telephone line, albeit at my prompt - I just waned to say thanks for the asistance etc...

It is the overall package which impresed me the most - value for money on the 3 year diamond protection plan and wholesale update program is fantastic, plus all the extras they have put in as wellin the warranty (- notebook cooler, no dead pixel gaurantee, cyberlink premium DVD authroing software etc, included)more so in fact than their counterparts, which equates into value for money as a customer rather than tangible benefits which when paying these prices, are far more important,.

Hopefully they include the Aegia Physix processor and/or a Creative X-fi option to round off their package, providing the full experience/coverage for an enhtusiast gamer like myself for future releases.

If this order goes well, which I am sure it will, I will seriously consider my next desktop (Nexium) purchase off them as well.

I want quality, and they have offered me what I am looking for, nothing less.

 

Dude. Why would anyone EVER buy a prebuilt desktop. It will cost you atleast 150% what it would cost to build it yourself. Off topic, but I feel very stongly about this. I am just waiting for the day when there are set sizes for notbook cases, like ATX for desktop, and we can build it from motherboard up. Mmmm, that'll be the day

 

Some people can't do it on their own.

 

My first desktop and notebook were Dell's, this was before they went overseas with thier tech support, halfway through my warrenty they switched and I got tired of trying to get anything done.

My next few notebooks came from discountlaptops.com, I primarily picked them becase of location, if all else failed I could drive to thier location to have my machine checked out. Secondly they have competitive prices and were very knowledgable. They had a excellent reputation as well as a business history so I felt safe that they were not going to be gone before my warrenty was up.

The deal sealer was thier response time, Im getting a new notebook this year and things have changed drastically in the market, but a few years ago some resellers would treat you like a hassel rather then a customer. I know some over extended themselves and were swamped with work, and I wanted to avoid this. Discountlaptops always responded same day if not next, were always polite and helpful and patient. There was no phone tag, they always had someone who knew what they were talking about to speak with.

The build quality on both my machines has been amazing too, both LCD's in perfect shape, I have yet to have to have to return a machine to them to fix or look at, and only had to contact thier tech support once and had my issue resolved same day, this is over the last 4 years. This is my first year getting a machine other then an Asus.

 

Yeah totally true, I used to build my own desktops, but my location now is a little bit of a challenge to say the least... although in hindsight of that post, I guess I could always order the parts over the internet. In fact I think I would prefer to do that and get peice by peice.

Lets just say it was very difficult for me to purchase the XR5 Notebook from PC MicroWorks as I am not in the States at the moment, so I have alot of trust placed in that company to process the order, especially having to order so far in advance (my patience is not always the best, but I have faith PC MicroWorks will not let me down at all from all the good things people have said about them on this forum)

Yes custom notebook shells would be the way to go. In fact there is no reason excpet the likes of Nvidia and ATI not releasing the parts to the end user being the reason why we can't do that yet. Maybe in the future we will be able to if the demand is right. Even if only for enthusiasts like ourselves

 

Hmm i asked about the student discount and they told me it was 5%..

 

I am also not living in the states atm. Working down in mexico actually. So a desktop is not an option for me. Also, I always buy each part online, except maybe a case, as it is usually cheaper to go pick one up myself. Newegg baby!! They have served me well for years.

Well I dont think its nvidia or ati's fault. We would need a notebook motherboard standard first. Standard in size, and in interfaces, like mxm and lcd standards.

Then a company would have to start making barebone cases, fitting the notebook motherboard standards. For motherboards we would need about, oh, 3 sizes maybe, 1 for uber-mobile 12in, one for 15in and one for 17+.

Then the cases would just need to be able and fit these basic sizes, and would aslo need to have lcd casing, but not the actual lcd, since lcd makers already have standard sizes, we could swap whichever one of the correct size, into the lcd casing that all barebone cases would include. If you seach on ebay, you can find lcd's for specific notebooks, that simply fit into your notebooks lcd casing. Only thing different would be the standard interfaces on the motherboard, ensuring that all lcd's would fit that standard interface, not just one/a few specific models.

I am actually excited, because I thing this is the natural progression for computers. Used to be people were just as confined with desktops as we are with notebooks. Lack of standards, and lack of manufactures selling individual parts to resellers, who then sell those parts to the public.

So the two things we really need, are motherboards fitting the standards that intel, amd, ati, and nvidia are allready producing, and cases that would fit the 3 or so different sizes of these motherboards....

Well man, I built by first one from individual parts, when I was 14. It really is very simple once you know what basic parts are needed to boot up. Anyone that can read, can do it.

 

The main reason I bought my Blackhawk from PCMicroWorks was that they had the parts that I wanted at the time when I was ready to buy. All of the others, Eurocom, Sager, Pro-Star etc didn't have the Hitachi 7k200 drives at that time. PCMicroWorks did.

 

i got 10%... on a m571ru

 

yeah i got a quote for the "EUROCOM M57RU DIVINE-X" .. 5% student discount.. guess i gotta call instead

 

or send a mail to John Shore ([email protected]) hes the one who send me a PM here and told me about the student discount.

up to now no1 offer me a better price than them... look at my sig

But i took 1gig of ram, no OS and no bluetooth.

 

I hear ya. I should have been less vague, I was just saying that not everyone can research all the parts they want, save the cash, order parts from different sources, put it all together and maintain it with ease.

Some people, even though they are smart enough, just want something out of the box and has a warranty thats easily accessable and is a done deal.

I didn't intend to imply you specifically, I realize now that it kinda did but that wasn't my intention, just a general vague response to the other posting. I agree though, if you can build your own it is the way to go but then again I understand the ease and carefree attitude you can have when you get a prebuilt system because they put it all together and get it running and if you dont want to deal with individual warrantys on a bunch of different parts then going to one source for all of your issues is nice too. I see the advantages to both sides, just depends on the person I guess

 

Yeah I can see that. I guess I have always built mine with more emphasis on budget than ease of use, and reliability. So far though I am one of the only people I know to pretty much never have major computer problems. While I have watched Dells, Compaqs, HPs, and Sonys crap out all around me.

Sure I have had to replace a motherboard after 2 years, or s gpu after 3, but they were outdated by then anyway.

But yeah, if you can afford to pay the very high premium for a highend system from a well known company, 24/7 tech support, and a good warranty are worth alot I suppose.

 

Hmm, I am starting to question my choice of PC Microworks. Now on Xotics site, I could configure the same system for only $80 more than I got mine, but they seem to have better support. I mean they offer 24/7 thech support, and they keep their info, and website very up to date, and point you to drivers for your system. Well live and learn. Has anyone who have dealt with PC Microworks in the past, had any experience with their support team?

 

Ahhhh eurocom ETA changed from 20dec to 4jan!!!

 

On friday I put in my order for one of the new 8800 superpower fueled Sager 9262's through PowerNotebooks.

I'm an avid gamer who spends far too much time online and have been saving for a new machine for quite awhile. Really I should of made my purchase months ago (hindsight says good job since I would of missed out on the 8800) but it was just so hard to let go of that kinda money for me so I waited and deliberated on it for months on end.

It's a huge purchase for me and seeing how I've been to dozens of other resellers websites and called all of them via landline. Donald there at PN was the only one to keep me on the line long enough for me to pull the trigger on this machine. PowerNotebooks have a very decent price and if not for the feeling of actually being someone and not just a payday I got from Donald there at PN I wouldn't of been able to drop my dime and actually go through with the purchase. I could have saved another $100 or so at another reseller but sometimes its just not the dollars that make an impression, definitley not in my case. RESELLERRATING.com and BBB checks were foremost in my reseller search and I scoured the net looking for anything and everything in reference to any reseller I was researching at the time.

I got everything in my order that I wanted and honestly feel good about it Now I'm only hoping to be in one of the first go rounds of made machines and get to dropping bombs on heads with this new monster;P

 

Yeah I am thinking the same thing myself.

They're a little slow on the update and reply via email (sales team) but their support email (support@pcmicro...) guarantees 12 hour response time to all emails where possible. I work with sales guys all the time, they're all the same, lol, but their support team sems ok... will be interesting as they're is a few of us who have pre-ordered the XR5's.

 

Wu Jen would be able to give more insight on this. He has had a Blackhawk for quite a while now so I am sure if there is anyone that knows more about this company it is him. Through out the forms his statements about PCMWs have been positive. Perhaps he can share some experiences with the support team.

I see what you are saying about worrying about PCMWs. I wouldn't worry about it though. They are still young in these forms and as such, there really isn't much information on them. But all the information I have read about them, they are really good at what they do. They just do not inform their customers on these forums like other resellers do. Its hard not to order from Xotic if you frequent this site. They are generally boasted above all others on the site (and understandably so).

Time (and Wu Jen ) will tell if PCMWs was worth going with.

 

Yes, well said.

I agree, they are not active on this forum, good that Xotic are, as it really shows.

Yeah it was primarily based on the comments by Wu Jen on these forums that I have orderd the XR5, and I am sure they (PCMW) will be fine, I have heard only good comments about them, and generally only have good things to say about my experience so far (I haven't picked up the phone yet admittedly, but from those who have report only positive things). I like them for their bang for the buck on the notebook front, and they really do offer extreme performance. It is what I am looking for, and I for one would gladly continue to positively comment on this site to increase awareness of the company

-Coors916