PC Internation, Worst Reseller Ever!

[Gnome]

PC International, Worst Reseller Ever!

This is a rant on terrible service from PC International starting at the ordering process all the way down to the hardware, if you're interested in why NOT to buy from them please read on:

So here's the deal, I'm building a cheap PC and ORDER the following items from PC International, NOW before I continue: I usually order from Cyberdyne systems and I'm used to the level of service I receive from them so I'll draw parallels to them, anyway these are DIRECT COPY PASTE from their price list:

+ [P5KPL-VM] - ASUS Intel G31, LGA775, 1333(OC)FSB, 2xDual DDR2, 1x PCI-x16, On Board VGA, 1xPCIx1, 2xPCI, 1xATA100, 4xSATAII, Gbe Lan, 6ch-Sound, Max 8xUSB, Micro ATX

+ Pentium 2.0 Dual Core E2180(800FSB 1MB)LGA 775Pinn

+ 80GB- 7200RPPM 2MB Cache SATA II

+ Midi Tower Case + No PSU - Coolermaster - Elite Cool

After this the guy sends me a QUOTE, where he decided to change the coolermaster case to this:

Midi Tower Case + 350W PSU - Coolermaster - Elite Cool which is R190+ more, I guess they didn't have stock of it, the exact situation occured with Cyberdyne system after which they upgraded me FOR FREE from a 512MB chip to 1GB and in another order upgraded me from 2x750GB to 2x1TB hard-drive for NO EXTRA cost to me, BUT it wasn't that much so I let it go and went ahead and ordered and payed.

Next up I collect from their premises (btw. their address instructions SUCK, but that's another story).

Upon collection I was so tired of searching for them I didn't look at the stuff but THIS is what they gave me the motherboard in: (Pics from my phone, excuse quality)

The outside of the box: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5352/dsc00120jy4.jpg

The inside of the box: http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/3505/dsc00122pk9.jpg

Now if you're like me you're thinking, WTF? This IS NOT how you resell hardware, Cyberdyne systems ALWAYS sell hardware in the original SEALED box, except hard-drives which they ship in special Cyberdyne systems plastic protective containers. (PCInt just give it to you in a piece of Anti-static wrap).

Ok so now you're probably thinking it's very superficial of me and I'm full of crap, if this was the full story I *MIGHT* agree, truthfully it annoyed me (and I decided then never to use them again) but I wasn't going to go on a rant.

Next up I open the CPU (didn't get pics of that tho) which has marks on top of the CPU (like a heatsink has been on it before, like scratches, lots of them), I assumed it came like that from Intel because the box was sealed but now I'm wondering.

On to the next problem, the CPU wasn't being detected correctly so I decide, hmm let's download the LATEST bios from Asus website, guess what:

They sold me a Mustek RE BADGED motherboard (The BIOS from CPU-Z lists the motherboard as: P5KPL-VM-MUSTEK-SI), at this point I'm infuriated, because:

1) They sold me a OEM motherboard without making ANY note of it on their pricelist

2) I CAN NOT flash the standard BIOS on that board, the flash utility simply reports: "file ROMID does not match the BIOS ROMID" and REFUSES to flash it, this is in Windows/Asus EZFlash/Dos

3) Mustek/Mecer refuse to help me because they weren't supposed to sell it the way they did

In the end I downloaded a engineering release of ASUDOS (asus flasher for those AMI motherboards) that allows flashing a file regardless of ROMID, it took me a entire day to fix the thing but after spending all that time I FINALLY was able to revert it back to: "P5KPL-VM" standard as it comes from Asus, WHAT A MISSION.

Needless to say none of this has EVER happened to me with another reseller that I've used, it's terrible terrible service, I WILL NEVER support PC International again, truly pathetic, I might have high standards but when I build a PC I like to do it proper but PC International seem to be out to make a quick buck (selling OEM products when they aren't supposed to)

/rant

EDIT: Heh, made spelling mistake in the thread title My bad

 

[eitai2001]

Wow, thats pretty hectic ... I have seen motherboards being given out like that before ... but usually the OEM ones i.e. the ones you buy at Mecer ... but when I sell to a customer, I always get them in the original manufacturers box ... the only things I get that aren't in boxes are Hard Drives ... these I can only get in static wrap with bubble wrap, or sometimes those hard plastic cases, and Tray processors which are wrapped in bubble-wrap (These are the ones that don't come with coolers). 99% of my processors though are boxed.

/me wonders how the CPU was scratched, but sealed in the box :?

 

[Gnome]

/me wonders how the CPU was scratched, but sealed in the box :?

Yes it was sealed which is why I just assumed it must have come that way from Intel, so which is why I don't mention it being their fault but I'm still suspect about how that happened.

I NEVER buy OEM which is why it annoys me so much, they sell it as P5KPL-VM NOT P5KPL-VM-MUSTEK-VI or P5KPL-VM OEM Motherboard or anything like that, completely misleading and that is exactly the reason I NEVER buy OEM is because you always encounter a problem somewhere, in this case the flashing of the BIOS.

Why does Mercer/Mustek change the BIOS? Why don't they just leave a perfectly working product the way it is, now they have to go messing with it

Hard Drives ... these I can only get in static wrap with bubble wrap

I don't know about Seagate but this is against Western Digital policy which is why Cyberdyne ships it with the special plastic HD casing. Western Digital REFUSE to RMA a HD that isn't sold/shipped/returned in that protective casing specifically because the HD can get damaged so I don't really like receiving a HD any other way but Bubble wrap is better than Anti-static bag...

EDIT: Seagate has the same policy also, just checked their web-page, non-standard packing = no RMA(which they list as Seagete seashell and inside that a hd with anti-static bag).

 

[killadoob]

i dont get how a company will upgrade you from a 750 gig to a 1tb at no extra cost

the 1tb is about 600-700 bucks more, so they took 1.2k hit on the nose?

does not sound right

 

[Necuno]

Upon collection I was so tired of searching for them I didn't look at the stuff but THIS is what they gave me the motherboard in: (Pics from my phone, excuse quality)

The outside of the box: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5352/dsc00120jy4.jpg

The inside of the box: http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/3505/dsc00122pk9.jpg

standard oem m/b procedure, be glad you got it in a box, after one time i ordered from wholesaler it came in just plastic which after that i made sure each time its boxed even if its just a white box, which most do these days...

Why does Mercer/Mustek change the BIOS? Why don't they just leave a perfectly working product the way it is, now they have to go messing with it

...they have been doing that since their existence, or from before i started to work there, when i still worked there - get the m/b and flash it to the latest, check of it works (well that QC, was in place when i left) and back into its box.

 

[ubby]

Have you emailed or called them about this. Maybe somebody needs to be fired or at least be disciplined for this. Hopefully this can be a step forward in improving their service.
Believe it or not, I was thinking about ordering the same motherboard and processor this week however I decided to fix my car first. Lucky me.
Their prices are brilliant but that means little if you dont get proper service.
Thanks alot for this thread. Going to make sure I get proper info before I buy anything from them.

 

[LancelotSA]

Further to the thread about building a PC for under R3k... sorry about your story but I know feel very satisfied that I am purchasing a similarly specced, ready built PC for the same price and not building it myself.

Yes I too may have rebranded parts inside but at least it will be working!

 

[werner]

standard oem m/b procedure, be glad you got it in a box, after one time i ordered from wholesaler it came in just plastic which after that i made sure each time its boxed even if its just a white box, which most do these days...

same here, when you buy in lots of 25 and above they all come together in one box, in an anti-static bag. if one needs to go out for rma replacement or whatever then just find any box, turn it inside out as the photos show and off it goes. thats how life works

...they have been doing that since their existence, or from before i started to work there, when i still worked there - get the m/b and flash it to the latest, check of it works (well that QC, was in place when i left) and back into its box.

xp wasnt so bad, but since vista came out the big oem's need their own bios versions. and asus would need to keep track of what went where so it would make sense to include an extra identifier in the romid.

that board was either destined for mustek, or had come back from them, or was overstock.

 

[tyerone]

its a pity as i have always used them and they have given me good service, but i usually get stuff that is repackaged, makes me wonder now....

 

[sn3rd]

That's dodgy... It should DEFINITELY be stated very clearly that the motherboard is OEM! Also don't know how a reseller would simply take one for the team by upgrading you from 750GB to 1TB though. Unless you buy a LOT of stuff from them...

 

[hj2k_x]

Hence their lowest prices

 

[Drone 42]

I have ordered from them before, never had a problem. My stuff was packaged the same way I would get it from Rectron. Must agree Cyberdyne do a good job at packaging stuff.

 

[Gnome]

That's dodgy... It should DEFINITELY be stated very clearly that the motherboard is OEM!

That's what I thought, to some of the others that might be *standard* practice but I honestly am not used to receiving OEM goods in a store claiming to sell retail.

The whole point was I didn't want to buy OEM.

Also don't know how a reseller would simply take one for the team by upgrading you from 750GB to 1TB though. Unless you buy a LOT of stuff from them...

i dont get how a company will upgrade you from a 750 gig to a 1tb at no extra cost

the 1tb is about 600-700 bucks more, so they took 1.2k hit on the nose?

does not sound right

Here's the pic from the invoice

Once again, taken with my phone but yeah they did upgrade me: http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/2297/dsc00123in9.jpg

On that note I do buy from them quite regularly but my friend has only bought from them once before and ordered the same as me on his own account and got the exact same deal (with the HD's). Needless to say we were both presently surprised.

And this time I ordered the RAM from them they just upgraded me again, that is right after I just bought the HD's from me (how on earth they are turning a profit on me I don't know, but you don't see me complaining )

Further to the thread about building a PC for under R3k... sorry about your story but I know feel very satisfied that I am purchasing a similarly specced, ready built PC for the same price and not building it myself.

Yes I too may have rebranded parts inside but at least it will be working!

Hmm, yes, difference being that you don't know what you're buying from the other store and everything would have been OEM anyway, they just list the PSU as 300W and no mention of the case so my PC costs exactly the same up to the part I bought a quality PSU, DDR2-800 CL4 RAM and a Coolermaster case (with loading rails VS. cheap ass case that cuts me when I work in it or bends when you push on it too hard )

To each his own, you look to buy a PC already assembled, I like knowing EXACTLY what I put into it and building a reliable system (100% uptime is a must for this system it's being used in a business which is why the cheap PSU and Case is a big no-no to me). To each his own.