Why you should stay AWAY from XOTIC PC

EDIT: I had a phone conversation with Justin, who, not surprisingly, is extremely careful to manage the customer perception of XOTIC PC. I must say, I am impressed with the level of service I was given, and I believe the initial bad feelings were due more to a misunderstanding of the business and mis-communication on the initial call I received. Clearly, I was wrong about steering people away from a company like this. Any sales manager who takes the effort Justin did to resolve the issue amicably deserves an A+ in my book.

To recap: I was never unhappy with the computer. In fact, besides the screen, the machine was excellent. I'm pretty amazed at the number of responses (I have not read them all), but I must really stress that Justin has done everything in his power to try and correct the situation in a fair and timely manner.

Thank you quick response Justin. I must say, after our discussion, I am extremely satisfied with the level of customer support I received.




Hello All,

Because of the excellent word of mouth this forum has generated for XOTIC PC, I (not so) recently decided to purchase an NP8660 from them. I pre-ordered, and waited patiently for the deluxe (1900x1200) screen (about $200 extra). After receiving the laptop, with a deal pixel on the screen and having the keyboard constantly peel up from the top right corner, I decided to request an RMA. XOTIC PC gladly obliged if I followed their shipping instructions and paid to have it shipped (about $150 all in). I sent it in last week.

Today, I was a bit unsettled when XOTIC PC called me to explain that there were absolutely no flawless screens that Sager could give me, and it would take several weeks to several months to get a new one. I did not purchase the dead pixel policy, and I was reminded several times during the phone call.

I was very disturbed to learn the following pieces of information from the rep:

(1) There are NO flawless 1900x1200 screens available from Sager. This implies that either (a) XOTIC PC is knowingly shipping new NP8660s with non-flawless screens, (b) you will have to wait several weeks to several months before XOTIC PC will ship out a laptop (because they won't ship out knowingly defective screens) or (c) the rep is lying.

I'm pretty sure we can rule out (b) as I can order a laptop now and there is NOT a several week to several month backorder.

(2) Unless you order the no-dead-pixel policy, XOTIC PC does not check the quality of the screen you are receiving. This was made abundantly clear by the rep explaining that if I ordered the policy for $200 they "...would check the screen before shipping the unit out..." Once again it seems that they're paying very little attention to quality control.

(3) If I would like a refund, I not only have to eat the $150 it cost to ship the unit to Sager ($30 for new boxes, $45 for shipping, and about $75 for necessary insurance to cover the purchase cost of the unit), but I will also have to ship the accessories back, at my cost, despite the fact that I was explicitly instructed not to do so in the RMA email.

Unless this is quickly, efficiently and honorably taken care of, this is enough for me to not do business with XOTIC PC ever again, and to explicitly deter people I know from doing business with them. Had I ordered from a bigger name company, this would be a non-issue. It would have been taken care of, free of any shipping charge. In fact, despite shoddy workmanship on some other parts, the past three laptops I bought from Dell never had a single dead pixel, and flawless screens seem to be in abundance in the Michael Dell's magic laboratory.

Quickly to addess one last issue. The "dead pixel policy," offered by XOTIC PC, gives a customer 30 days to return the computer on the grounds that there is at least one dead pixel. XOTIC PC and/or Sager will then replace the screen. This is offered for $200. This policy is crap for one obvious reason: had I the chance to pre-inspect the equipment before purchasing, XOTIC PC would not be able to, for one second, sell me a laptop with a dead pixel in it. They prey on the fact that you cannot pre-inspect the merchandise and (seemingly) knowingly ship faulty equipment. To pay extra above and beyond the asking price to "insure" that you get a working, non-defective, laptop is a ludicrous notion.

So, the way I see it, we either have poor customer relations and quality control at XOTIC PC, customer reps who lie at XOTIC PC, or SAGER and XOTIC PC knowing shipping out shoddy equipment. I leave it up to you, Justin, to address this complaint.

Thank you for your time.

 

First off /facepalm you are over reacting mate, this appears to be more of Sagers fault for not providing appropriate screens. The reason I believe Xotic still ships out notebooks is that many people would rather have a notebook ASAP with a dead pixel rather than wait a few weeks/months also most people do not care much about a dead pixel to 10 dead pixels, usually picky people/OCD diagnosed people/graphic design artists are the ones that care.

 

sorry to say dell is no better. they have a 5 or more pixel policy and do not offer the dead pixel warranty. i have went through 11 screens from dell now and only 2 were even acceptable and the rest had one or more dead or bright pixels. my lg on my 570ru i recieved did not have any dead / bright pixels i have to say. i do agree about the shipping though as many companies pay to ship it back. but other than that i had no issues with xotic

 

Eh? Sager ships them directly and all Xotic PC does is pass the package on so any delays with imperfect screens would be on Sager's end. Your #2 points this out, and contradicts your #1 ("xotic does not check" and "xotic wont ship out").

My screen is perfect, by the way (although true, wsxga).

I'm also assuming the $200 no dead pixel thing is to cover *Sager* extensively inspecting the screen.

 

Well, I would rather have a dead pixel at the moment instead of having my laptop's video cards overheat and die every two months, and getting the same stupid laptop back that is just going to die again. I understand how this could be upsetting for you, but just keep in mind that there are people like me out there that have even worse laptop issues and aren't reacting as much.

-J.B.

 

You expect the not one out of 2.3 million pixels on your screen are going to go bad? Fact of life. Thats why they offer the no dead pixel guarantee at the price its at. If you don't like it, go somewhere else and quit dogging on one of the best companies on the market.

 

well emike.. i expect the same myself. one reason i went with dell was because i knew i could swap the screens out by calling them

 

That's a little harsh isn't it? The guy is upset, he obviously tried to get the issue resolved and got the run around.

 

No, it sounds to me like he tried to get the issue resolved, got a straight answer (get the **** warranty next time), and is *****ing about it.

 

lol I can't imagine paying $150 to get a dead pixel fixed

 

yah, agreed. that was a little insensitive...

Hey do want a bad experience? buy an acer!

 

lol i gess im nuts because i would..lol but im wayyyyyyyyyyy ocd about those kind of things

 

1) if my memory serve me correctly, the industry standard for deal pixel is 5 pixels or above. so your screen (which has only 1 deal pixel) doesn't qualify as defective.
2) xoticPC/Sager have dead pixel policy for higher standard customers, pay for it or take your own risks, the deal can not be any more fair.
3) you think it's xoticPC's fault that you dumped your boxes? LMAO
4) I would suggest sager retailers stay away from you.

 

Well it happens. When you purchase the system, you take the risk. If you don't want to gamble with dead pixels, there is a bounty to pay.

 

Thats why I am a bit hesitant to fork over 2.2k of my hard earn cash on a laptop just to find out it has a bad pixel. Thats 1 main reason I have not jump on the 8660 bandwagon yet. I find it ridiculous I will be paying someone 200 dollars to check for me if the LCD is fine. Thats why I have not ordered and I am waiting. Now on the Dell issue, from my own expirience from my old 1530, the first LCD had the samsung greyish white effect that I did not like. I bought the 3 year warranty and they send me a new LCD got an LG to replace it and everything was fine and great. On this situatioon I do feel for him and that's the main reason I have not ordered.

I am looking into this company now Lynnbay they offer a 30 day money back guarantee on the 8660, you just have to pay shipping and they dont charge that 200 dollar monitor check fee.

 

If there was an issue with XoticPC, it would be that they are supplied their products by Sager and have no control over the quality of its design. They are basically the courteous guys that tell you the company said to '**** off' instead of the company telling you that themselves. In essence, they have no real power over your product other than giving you the limited service that they can.

Nothing against XoticPC, but after seeing Sager's quality control, I'm glad I went with PCMW.

 

Sorry. I feel your pain; this is the norm, so you can say the clevo owners have it good and therefore find more minor things to complain about When hard drive issues become the biggest (only?) "it's running warm!" issue, you know we're down to things that won't kill a system >.>

Just noting again: I have a perfect screen on my NP8660, and I think quite a few others do, not to mention the other hundreds (?) of people who have bought and not posted because everything works fine.

 

Xotic PC has the same money back guarantee, with the same thing; you pay shipping fees.

If you get the dead pixel warranty, you get a monitor with no dead pixels or you're covered (shipping inclusive) for 30 days no dead pixels.

If you don't get the warranty you're free to exchange/return but you have to pay shipping.

Sounds pretty fair to me.

 

I find it funny however that you are addressing this to Justin wouldnt it have been easier to just send an email instead of slamming Xoticpc on a discussion board? or even emailing the BBB?

 

Exactly. Sager/Clevo forums are the wrong place to bash Xotic...

 

GamblinMan - I have to say I am a little taken back by some of your comments.

I understand the frustration with receiving a dead pixel and that it is not desired on a new machine. There is no disputing this and I 100% agree with you. Please try to understand those who do not purchase the 0 dead pixel policy fall into the standard dead pixel policy and unfortunately have a chance at receiving a dead pixel as with nearly all LCD’s you buy on the market today. As new rules do not allow me to link to this policy on our website it is clearly listed in detail there.

Dead pixels are more common than you think and are a problem with not only Sager buy many brands on the market including who you have named as well as others. Ultimately this is in result of standards placed on LCD Manufacturers. As most know these are built and tested by Sager. I don’t understand your foundation to blame us publicly, rather than quick phone call or email reviewing your concerns.

At the present Sager expects the next shipment of WUXGA screens in the next 1-2 weeks. Anyone who opts for the WUXGA on the 8660 with the 0 Dead Pixel Guarantee will be instructed the same thing you were advised.

Ultimately those who don’t want to purchase the 0 Dead Pixel Policy and want to use the 30 Day Return Policy and try a new machine, this is no problem and we are happy to work with customers in this fashion as we have done with you. Although we try to ensure Sager does their best to avoid a Dead Pixel, keep in mind this does not guarantee you will have no dead pixels. Purchasing Sager’s 0 Dead Pixel Guarantee is the only way this “Guarantee” can be extended.

If you would like to discuss this with myself or any of our other staff you are welcome to call or email and we are always willing to put our best foot forward and try to help the best we are able.

 

dammn!
glad they are like 20 minutes from me. ill be down there like yesterday. can i get a working screen this one seems faulty. *LOL*

and one pixel isn't going to kill you. i have one in my 1920x1200 screen, but it's like the size of very small needle head. and 99 percent of the time i never even see it.

edit: justin, what's the deal on the 9800m gt's you still have them or are they off the market?

 

Well I can see I've generated some responses, I'm glad there's someone listening.

Emike: My point is, that in over 15 million pixels, 6 million of which came from dell, I have NEVER had a dead pixel. I just spent $2000 on a laptop, I fully expect it to be in tip-top-shape. If someone had tried to sell me a $2000 laptop in person with a dead pixel, I'd laugh, move on, and find another retailer. I don't see why this is any different. Next time, though, I will specify when buying that I want a computer with "absolutely no dead pixels" in case someone thought it would be a good idea if they'd send me one for free.

ny.sky.scraper: Thanks, and this is exactly my point. It would be one thing if they said "no you cannot swap it out" before they had me ship it 1500 miles and pay $150. But they already gave me explicit instructions to do so, and assured me it would be fixed. In fact, I laid out all problems (keyboard included) before sending it back to ensure they agreed to the terms of the repair (fix the pixel/get new screen and replace keyboard).

Clyzm: I would hardly call what I got a straight answer. I already shipped the thing, and now they're telling me there's a problem replacing a screen with a dead pixel? Wouldn't this information be better to give BEFORE you have your customer pay $150 to ship the thing to technical support?

SplinteredVision: But it's ok to pay $200 to make sure you don't get any bad ones to begin with?

Supernova1: I dont care what the industry standard is. This is exactly why, from now on, I am only dealing with reputable companies like Dell. Say what you will about that company, but I've NEVER had a problem with issues like this. It's simply not worth it for them to garner a bad reputation. I didn't even complain about the shipping cost, which, by the way, you have to pay even if your laptop arrives DOA. Furthermore, to point (3) in your post, I never complained about the shipping, not once. I'm complaining that I explained the situation, they knowingly had me pay to ship it, and NOW they are giving me grief rather than before.

EdiT808: I disagree completely. Had I seen a post like this, I would have thought twice before ordering from XOTIC. In fact, this sort of market discipline is the sort of things I look for when browsing forums.

Thanks everyone.

 

While this is certainly not XoticPC's fault as they really don't have any control over this kind of thing, they do handle such situations poorly. I've noticed that any time an issue arises and a customer is unhappy about something, they seem to avoid any accountability because they don't like to deal with problems. As long as your transaction is nice and quick, and you are satisfied with your product - you will have a pleasant experience.

 

Justin,

Thank you for the response, I appreciate you quick reaction to my post. Let me explain exactly why I'm upset, because it seems like the post did no justice. Your support staff instructed me that it would be fixed. Had you said "it cannot be fixed because you did not purchase the insurance," I would have shipped, all in one box, everything you sent with the laptop and requested a refund. I would have been upset about having to pay return shipping, but this is your policy.

No offense, but the dead pixel policy is garbage. If you tried to sell me a monitor/laptop with a dead pixel in person, I'd absolutely, positively refuse to take custody of the item. Why should I have to pay for insurance to guarantee that I get a quality product? That, sir, is what your reputation is all about. It is not ANY different at my local butcher, barber, financial planner, or any other business. I don't see why I should accept any less simply because you are a mail order company.

Lastly, to address what I was told on the phone. I was told Sager (or you, I do not understand this business, obviously) has no perfect screens, and will not have any for anywhere from several weeks to several months. So, as I said, they (you) are either knowingly shipping imperfect screens or the order for a new computer will take several weeks to several months. Which is it?

Again, thank you for the quick response, and I do appreciate that you actually do care about my feedback and input. I intend to follow up tomorrow during business hours to find a mutually agreeable solution to this problem.

 

imo dell is the worst with dead / bright pixels

 

you must have completely missed the part of Justin's post where he said -

"At the present Sager expects the next shipment of WUXGA screens in the next 1-2 weeks. Anyone who opts for the WUXGA on the 8660 with the 0 Dead Pixel Guarantee will be instructed the same thing you were advised."

 

GamblinMan, I understand the way you are feeling, today, I had to ship my laptop to Sager for repairs, among other manufacturing problems I'd rather not disclose due to having no need to, in this case, Xotic PC is not to be blamed, as it has been previously said, they only buy the laptop for you and then ship it as it was assembled and tested by Sager, currently, my laptop is on its way to Sager, a dead pixel is not too bad, but I know what it feels, due to the high price tag you are paying for a quality product.

My NP9262 had three dead pixels in a L shaped cluster, just under a deep and rough dent that was on the display (the dent and the dead pixels were manufacturing defects), the best you could do is waiting until that they get a new batch of screens, or getting the Zero Dead Pixel Warranty, and just as others have said, buying a LCD T.V, Laptop, etc... is a gamble, where you can get a dead pixel or a flawless display, the manufacturing standards for most LCD Display Manufacturers allow even 8 pixels on the middle of the display, and some companies do not even have such a policy where you can get zero dead pixels for a small fee. (As in, they tell you to buy a new display, or even a new laptop if you want to get rid of the dead pixels.)

 

GamblinMan - A public forum such as NBR is not appropriate for working out these details. If you want to ask for me or speak with any of our other staff we can do so tomorrow.

Keep in mind your not paying anything additional for a quality laptop. The option is for a 0 Dead Pixel Guarantee due to the standards that have been placed on LCD MFG's s and how they can sell LCD screens to ODM's (such as Clevo and others) with dead pixels.

 

I agree that the dead pixal policy alot of companys has is really stupid..All notebooks/lcd should come in perfect working condition unless otherwise stated and the price reduced. I don't buy a brand new car that has a cracked windshield...

That's why i paid for the pixel policy, the $200 was more then worth it to make sure my screen is mint. How you guys can deal with a laptop that came with bad pixels is beyond me, even if i paid $500 for a cheap laptop I would want my money back..

Also if you look at the warrenty's you can get a combined extended warrenty with the pixel guarantee for a reduced price. Thats what I did and it was a good deal. i would go ape poop if I had a dead pixel anywhere on my screen.

I am not sure why you crying about everything. You should have spent some time reading the policy's and FAQ on Xotic's website so that you understood the process. You should also have taken time to read reviews of laptops from people and not company's and you would have known that bad pixels are somewhat common. Though you have had 2-4 laptops there have been millions sold, so you limited experience with Dell has nothing to do with real world statistics of dead pixels in LCDs.

 

As I said, there is no perfect/imperfect for monitor manufactures, from their points of view screens with 5 deal pixels or less are consider as "passed quality control". This is not the matter whether you like it or not, if you don't agree with their standards, then don't buy a laptop. But technically you had signed the agreement with them at the moment you clicked the purchase button, which had stated that there will be no guarantee for dead pixel free. The policies should be available on sager web site. You are responsible to read them carefully before making purchases.

 

I think from reading the OP comments that the root of the problem may simply be because he thought he was dealing with XoticPC, not knowing that XoticPC is a middle man for Sager.

GamblinMan, any system marketed as a "Sager" is built by, shipped and warranted by Sager not XoticPC. Emike awarded them " one of the best companies on the market" but they just hand your order off to Sager, they don't build it. That is why "Sager" came up so many times in the various replies. It seems the majority of the people are jumping on you for not being at the same knowledge level about where these systems actually come from. I don't believe that is your fault.

Anyone else that may be reading this may want to try LynnBay which is NOT a reseller or middle man but actually Pro-Star, the American distributor of these systems. Pro-Star and Sager are the ones who bring these sytems into America and they are owned by the same family. They build, support, ship and warranty all the systems that middle men "sell". If you contact them direct they will beat any middle man pricing and the extra money you save could go into something like a no dead pixel guaranty.

 

You are right, ny.sky.scrapper, I tried to state that in my post, but I guess I was a bit too carried away, and did not really state what that statement was for.

I am sorry for just jumping and letting myself be carried away by the "Thought Train", I meant to say what ny.sky.scrapper just said, that Xotic PC was just a "middle-man" in the purchase of a Sager Laptop.

Good information, ny.sky.scrapper, by the way.

Edit: Off-Topic: I guess I am just a little frustrated for having to use my old Gateway MX3631m that is falling down to pieces, haha.

 

In any walk of life, it is not appropriate to go public with information until one has thoroughly attempted to resolve an issue with the concerned party. I had a problem with my purchase from XoticPC's general support, but after taking a little extra time and working with Justin, everything was resolved and I am far happier having worked through an issue than I would have been were the issue never to have arisen.

Justin is not saying that public forums are not a place to voice a complaint, but more that it is not very kind or professional to start pointing fingers and throwing blame before an issue could be worked out. He is just upset that he was not approached with the issue before a thread like this was started.

 

Understandable, but look at the resposes he got, "You suck", "Face palm" etc. etc. etc. It didn't really help anyone in this situation.

 

And they were well deserved. Who knows what kind of unneeded loss of business this thread created. If he had gone to Justin before, or even asked for advice here before casting blames, perhaps XoticPC would not have gotten such a bad mark from the OP's thread. Not fair at all for Justin, and as a small business owner myself, I realize even the smallest negative can wreak havoc for public standing and amount of income.

You might consider shipping DHL next time and think to keep your original boxes before tossing them away. When I returned my 5793 to XoticPC, it cost me $30, and that included insurance.

 

Read what Emike posted I still disagree with you and you can disagree with me all you want its cool with me. However I agree with what Emike wrote that was the point was trying to get across sorry i wasnt so clear.

 

"Well deserved?"
Sounds like he called, Xotic staff told him that it WOULD be fixed, he sent it in and got a different story from Sager. Are we going to ignore any blame at all on anyone other than the OP? What ever happened to, "The customer is always right?"

You're a small business owner, lets say you sell tires for cars. When you sell a tire it's physically there in your shop. You see it, touch it and install it. XoticPC does not see, touch, inspect or anything with the product, which is why this happened. Hence the term, "middle man". If that is how you are going to make your money you have to take the good with the bad.

There can be issues because without being able to be hands on with the product there can not be any quality control from XoticPC's end. Can we at least agree to that? If he never even sees the system he can not have any quality control over it right?

As far as being in business and it "not being fair" when someone is unhappy and tells people about it, hey, welcome to the real world of capitalism. We have enough quality control issues that two people in this few hour old thread have problems.

If business owners don't want to be criticized by customers that had bad experiences then they better tighten up the way you are doing business. Maybe one thing they could do is charge more to have the notebooks shipped to him first for inspection and testing. Leaving everything up to someone else is the RISK XoticPC TOOK AS A BUSINESS. Now you want to give him a free pass because you're both small business owners?

I would think in this eonomy that a small business owner would have similar advice to my own. Get it together and take the reins of quality control because where your customers are hearing about your product is where your customers are going to air out the dirty laundry.

Either way, we can agree to disagree. I respect your opinion eMike and I respect your right to voice it on a public forum. I don't want to argue with you so I will have this be my final comment on the subject.

 

The OP is not at fault for the dead pixel, but he agreed to take the chance of a dead pixel, he got one, and Sager does not at this time have a guaranteed no dead pixel screen in stock, and if he wishes to wait, could receive one. nyskyscraper, your obviously living in a world where if everything isn't perfect and your way, your not happy. To the OP, you got what you paid for.

If I go to Vegas and gamble every penny I have away, and end up loosing my house, car, and family over it, was it the Casino's fault for not guarantying me I will win? Or was it my fault for not taking the necessary precautions to make sure I stayed within bounds where I would safely be able to enjoy the experience either whether I won or lost.

I'm surprised Syster hasn't jumped in on the one...

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Xotic_PC

Enough said.

 

and re reading what he stated about the screens and no flawless screens. he never stated that this is the reason why they dont have any right now and that they were waiting on the next shipment. i understand that he said he was reminded about the dead pixel policy, but he never stated that they "would not change it if they had the screens in hand" so which is it?

the buyer usually has anywhere from 7 to 15 days to send it back before your stuck with it. and any "real" warranty covers what your complaining about. but if you didn't buy it then your stuck as well. so the minute you seen the dead pixel and keyboard and didn't hear the answers you we're looking for, then you should have returned it for a full refund and bought another one.

and about that 200 dollar pixel complaint.

big sign on there site:
Sager 2 Year Parts & Labor Warranty + 30 Day NO Dead Pixel Warranty w/ Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Customer Service ( + 259 )

do you know what i get out of this? 2 year warranty for 59 bucks or my screen is covered for 30 days. along with my 2 year warranty. which im thinking you didn't purchase. if your spending two grand or higher, dont you think you should get a real warranty?

and your right, i would not buy the screen knowing it had a dead pixel if i was allowed to open and test it, but this is 2008 going into 2009 and most companies will not take a 1 to 5 dead pixel anything back because they are stuck with it. now if you buy the "real warranty" then of course it's no questions really asked and exchange is processed. and if you bought said computer from the store, im willing to bet you would have just left the store with it without even opening box. but what saves the buyer here is the fact that it is easier for the store to flat out give you another one than to charge back then ring up another one.(down fall when buy online- takes way longer) your going through a 2nd party. so that's a lot of shipping around....

 

I though there's already been a lot of discussion about dead pixels and dead pixel policy...(Note that when I say dead pixel, it can be stuck pixel or anything you want that is not a working, correctly displaying pixel)

- If every manufacturer trashed every screen that had dead pixel, the cost would go up by a LOT.
- That's why there are industry standards to make the difference between a reasonable amount of dead pixel and something that deserve to be returned
- Most sellers don't offer dead pixel policy. You would have to return the product, get a refund and buy another one.
- By paying your $200, you cover the possibility that the screen would need to be replace and shipping cost for both ways. But instead of shipping you a unit with dead pixels then forcing you to RMA it for screen replacement, they prefer to check it in advance to avoid all the hassle after.

When you RMAed the laptop, you asked them to repair it. Repairs implies a problem. Dead pixels are not a problem. To get a unit w/o dead pixels, you have to return the laptop for a refund.

I believe the industry standards are way too unreasonable for anyone and the dead pixel insurance is here to solve the problem. But it is a bit overpriced....or is it? You are paying $200 to have it checked before it gets shipped. In the event the screen is perfect, you receive your laptop. In the event it is NOT, Sager would have to replace the screen again, which costs around $200 I believe. And in the event the dead pixel appears after, the shipping cost + screen replacement cost, I believe, more than $200. I don't know any statistic about the number of screen replaced because of the insurance, but I believe they are making some money out of this at the end. How come some insurances are only $100? other $60 I think (or it was 60 GBP).

I'm very surprised that Justin only comes in when there's an issue with XoticPC (well, its normal after all)... just want to know if its possible to order a back panel for my laptop

 

should have bought the real warranty.

what would you do if that pixel went dead on the 32 day?

 

Wait a minute GamblinMan...so you're saying you didn't purchase a dead pixel policy and, regardless of that, xoticpc is still offering to replace your screen? And you're complaining because there's a delay? WHAT?!

 

My first laptop I ever bought online, well actually I tried to buy, was from Xotic. I made the purchase with my debit card. For some reason, there was a problem with the system they were using at the time and the purchase would not go through with my card. I was overseas at the time and it took a few days of emailing back and forth and the purchase would not go through still. Soooo, I decided to cancel the purchase and bought an identical lappy from newegg.....the same day Xotic resolved the problem with my debit card. So I just bought 2 laptops and both were on thier way to Qatar to meet me. Needless to say, I was not happy So I called Xotic and we worked it out. They put out a recall for the shipment, laptop returned to them and I was refunded in full.

I have since then purchased 2 more laptops through them with no problems what so ever. Why? Because I know that if I have a problem, they will work with me to fix it.

FYI: I had no idea this forum existed when I made my first purchase from Xotic and I am glad I did not. If so, I most likely would have made an arse of myself by complaining about the experience here.

 

In my opinion the 0 dead pixel warranty would be a silly idea if all and sundry who buy a laptop without the 0 dead pixel warranty expect and do get a laptop without dead pixels, always. If it were so, why would someone fork out $200 if without forking it out one wouldn't get any dead pixel anyway?

What one must realise is that if one takes the policy, then one will get a pixel-free laptop.
If one doesn't take the policy, it's a gamble. AND the gamble would be against you because there's the chance that:
EITHER:
A) You get a random laptop not tested for dead pixels;
OR
B) You get a laptop which was already tested for a buyer who bought the policy, and which was found to have a dead pixel so it wasn't shipped to that buyer!!!

Personally I decided to be on the safe side and forked out 70 Euros for a 3 month 0 dead pixel policy from notebookguru.de, which I don't think is a bad deal at all.

 

I'm glad to see this thread - original post and all.

My understanding of the zero dead pixel policies was this:

All laptops are garaunteed to ship with zero dead pixels. All of them. The Zero dead pixel policy covers dead pixels appearing over time.

Now, obviously I was wrong.

But to be honest, given how things are now? I'm never ordering a laptop online again.

I refuse to spend $200+ for my supplier to do basic quality control and LOOK at the $2-3K product they are shipping me. As far as I'm concerned, any reseller not carefully checking their product before shipping it out is falling down on the job.

Now, this may be expecting more than industry standards, it may be considered unreasonable to some.

But I'm the buyer here, and expectations are mine to make. If I cannot be garaunteed to receive a quality product from my reseller, then I'm not purchasing it.

I expect that when I'm ordering a product - particularly at that price point - I'm getting a top quality product. I don't mind "cut rate" cheap models that may have dead pixels, but the key point is the OPTION should be the low quality, not the standard. Prices should be advertised as the quality (re: no dead pixels) models, and there should be a very clear warning when choosing the cheaper model that you may have up to a certain number of dead/bright pixels.

It's an important difference.

And it's up to the buyers to force resellers - and thus the resellers to force the ODM's - to sell and produce the quality the buyers expect.

 

Sorry to hear that you have problems In my opinion, Xotic PC is trustfull and fast.
I purchased NP5796 from them and despite that I didn't buy no-dead-pixel policy, I still got a laptop with 0 dead pixels. So I think you were just unlucky But if you wanted a laptop with 0 dead pixel, why didn't you buy no-dead-pixel policy?
Anyway, good luck m8!

p.s.: Maybe I know it wrong, but I think Sager builds+sends out the laptops, not Xotic PC...at least they did for me.

 

You know what? That extra $600-800 that you're paying for a dell likely includes such a surcharge that goes toward screening screens. And you're glad that someone is listening? Is your normal method of operation to throw a hissy fit to get what you want (because that is what this thread is)? Exactly how much effort did you put into fixing things before you posted this? How did I manage to figure out what the no-dead pixel policy meant and extrapolated that if I didn't buy it, I wouldn't get a freebie return on less than 5 dead pixels, and you didn't?

Ok, you need to stop posting this stuff in every thread or back up your claims with more than "this guy jeff with 3 posts on another forum said so." Lynnbay's site states "Since 1993, LynnBay has partnership with Clevo/Prostar Computer to promote notebook computers." Are you basing your posts on the fact that all three companies are located in the same town? The same town being City of Industry, which is aptly named and is a major industrial and commercial center - warehouse city more like it.

Right, extreme uninformed negative comments are rants or at worst slander. And no, this is not a public forum. This is a forum that requires registration to post, has moderation and rules, and is operated by private individuals. Quit your idiotic first amendment rant. And it's sentence.

 

If this post contradicts to the rules it can be erased by the moderators. Same way some 'fan boys' here like to kiss resellers' ***, some others might have a negative opinion and they to express it. By they way the forum has some amoount of negative posts related to Eurocom but I did not see you standing up there.

PL

 

I read the first few remarks to your post and I happen to agree 110% with you. To be asked│expected to pay "extra" for assurance against a defect when buying something new is in fact ridiculous. I considered it inferred when the word "NEW" is employed that it be defect free. Look at Costco's return policy if you want an example of a company valuating its patrons.

For a company to smear it in your face that you failed, neglected and refused to buy their bloatware (dead pixel warranty) is also a form of ridicule.

I have owned 15+ laptops in recent years and from a variety of OEM's like Sony, DELL, Toshiba, HP and now Clevo. Guess how many dead pixels I have seen in all of these. Just 2 on the Toshiba and this was after 2 years of ownership. I had the best warranty Toshiba offered and it was rectified.

I think it is both reasonable and prudent to ask and expect that the screen be held to the same standard as any other component in the computer.

You say "well it has millions of resistors for the screen, one is bound to die" and I agree, perhaps 6 months down the road or longer. Look at Intel CPU's, they have millions of resistors and all without any failures and this with people overclocking them.

No, I agree 110% with the OP.