Computer Nightmare at No Charge
Written: Jul 05 '03 (Updated Mar 22 '04)
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
 |
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
 |
|
|
| Full Review |
It's rare for me to have a truly negative opinion of something and say never, never, never again. CyberPower, Inc. is one of those experiences that I term a Life Lesson.
Why Did I Choose CyberPower?
My computer was dying. I had all the peripherals and software, only needing a computer tower. I researched various online computer stores, such as TigerDirect, and I just wasn’t finding the machine I wanted. Then I read on the C-Net website a stellar review of CyberPower’s AMD Value XP system, giving it a 8 rating out of a possible 10. I also searched out and read customer reviews of CyberPower computers. The positive reviews sounded great. There were some negative reviews, too, but did I heed them?
My Online Shopping Experience
CyberPower’s website is easy to navigate. I chose the computer I wanted (AMD XP-2200+ Athlon), and customized it to my needs. I didn’t need extras such as a monitor, speakers or extra software. This was great ... I could just customize the tower and purchase it. CyberPower says on their website: “Systems are extensively tested reliability and performance for 72 hours. Each system undergoes a 250-point quality check. 30-Day money-back guarantee with no stocking fee.” Sounded good.
After choosing the options I wanted, I scrolled to the bottom of the screen and clicked “Add to Shopping Cart”. Another screen appeared listing the details of the order. I clicked the “Checkout” button to proceed with the purchase. Maybe I should have taken it as a sign when I noticed the word handling in “Shipping and Handleing” was spelled incorrectly. Next I filled in my shipping address, how I wanted the computer shipped (Ground, 3-Day, 2-Day or Next Day). There is a place to enter a coupon code for a discount, but I didn’t have a coupon. There is a spot to list a sales person’s name, but I didn’t speak with one. There is also a short “How did you find us” survey. I clicked the “Continue” button to proceed to the next screen. Here I reviewed the order with the Shipping and Handling costs added to the total and then typed in the billing address. I chose to have CyberPower e-mail me a copy of the order. Next, I supplied payment information--CyberPower accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Then I ran into trouble. When I clicked the “Place Order” button, the website froze. Maybe I should have taken this as a sign to run away, run away fast. Not me ...
I phoned CyberPower’s toll free number and spoke with a woman who rushed me through my order. It sounded as though she couldn’t wait to get me off the telephone. I requested 3-Day shipping, paying $85.00 for it, to ensure the computer didn’t suffer too much travel jostling.
My Machine Arrived -- Where’s the Toe Tag?
Precisely three business days later, Fed-X arrived with the CyberPower computer. I couldn’t wait to install it. The machine came with no installation instructions. No problem. I’m handy with computers. When finished, I pushed the power button. A faint click, and no power. I double-checked all the connections, made sure the power button on the back of the machine was in the ON position, which it was, and again pushed the power button on the front of the machine. A faint click, and no power. Again I rechecked everything. Just to make sure I wasn’t missing a simple answer to the problem, I rechecked everything again. Okay. Time to call the customer service number attached to the side of the computer tower. This number was so prominently displayed, I have to wonder if they knew I would need it.
I spoke with a very helpful, kind and knowledgeable technician. He had me remove the side computer panel on the tower and check several connections. He ran me through a variety of exercises and finally pronounced in a happy voice, “I know what your problem is. You have a faulty motherboard.” I replied, “What happened to the quality control check?” The technician had no answer, instead offering to order a replacement motherboard for me. Finally I heard my voice of intuition shouting warnings at me. “No, don’t order it yet,” I told the technician. “Let me phone the corporate office first.”
Speaking with Corporate
Before phoning the corporate office, I decided to do further research about CyberPower on the internet. Now I found even more negative reviews about this company. At this point, I had pretty much decided I wanted my money back. But a part of me was saying, this computer was a great deal (about $550), maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see how involved getting a new motherboard would be.
When I telephoned the corporate office, a woman answered. After explaining my dead-on-arrival computer situation, she hurriedly told me that I need to telephone another number. I explained to her, before she could hang up on me, that I was concerned about the warranty. I remembered reading somewhere that I only had seven days to return a dead-on-arrival computer for a full refund. She assured me that the computer came with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
So I phoned the telephone number she gave me and explained my situation to the man who answered. He said he couldn’t order the motherboard for me, that I needed to phone a different telephone number.
After dialing the third telephone number, and waiting about 20 minutes on hold, another man answered. He said that he could order a motherboard for me and have it delivered in about a week. I asked if the replacement motherboard was new, just like the one in my computer. The fellow danced circles around my question and never stated that I would receive a new motherboard. He then added that the motherboard would ship to my address. This surprised me. I said, “Won’t the technician arrive with it and install it.” No. The motherboard would be sent to my address and then it was my responsibility to phone a technician to install it. I asked how long it would take for the technician to arrive once I phoned him. (I was thinking about the 30-day money-back guarantee that I could almost see flying out a window if I tried having the motherboard replaced.) CyberPower could not tell me when the technician would be able to install the motherboard--could not even guarantee it would be before the 30-day time period expired; it depended on the technician’s schedule. “How do I get my money back?” I asked.
The Definition of Refund
The technician informed me that I would have to phone the corporate office. Again I spoke with a woman who sounded hurried. She suggested I have the motherboard replaced since I had the 30-day money-back guarantee. I explained that I couldn’t count on a technician arriving within that 30 days. She told me I had to phone another number to obtain an RMA number.
At this point, while I’m on hold, I’m waving good-bye to the $85.00 I spent on 3-Day shipping. I figured I could get the refund on the computer, and if I was lucky, convince them to issue a Call Tag to pick up the computer so that I wouldn’t have to pay for return shipping. Meanwhile, still on hold, I read the warranty information and see that dead-on-arrival computers must be returned within seven days for a full refund.
Finally a man answered the phone. I could immediately tell by his questions and tone of voice that he was looking for a way to blame me for the computer not working. He didn’t outright accuse me of anything, but he kept poking at what I might have done when the computer didn’t work. Very pleasantly, I explained the situation right from the start, including my trouble-shooting session with their technician. I don’t think he enjoyed my cheerful, logical answers. He finally, reluctantly, said he had to get the only person who could issue an RMA number.
When the "RMA person" answered the phone, I could tell he was not eager to issue me an RMA number. Again, I had to explain the entire situation. He suggested I try a replacement motherboard, and I explained that I didn’t want to go beyond the money-back guarantee time period while waiting for it to be installed. (What I didn’t tell him was that I no longer trusted CyberPower, their products, their service, or their reliability.) He finally agreed to refund the price of the computer but not the shipping, which I had expected. He said I could send the computer back to them. I countered with the fact that I paid for a working computer, which I did not receive; and that since it was dead-on-arrival I wanted them to issue a Call Tag so that I wouldn’t have to pay for return shipping. He agreed and said someone would pick up the computer the next day.
Sure enough, Airborne Express arrived at my door a little after 6:00 p.m. the following day. I made sure to get the tracking number so that I could make sure the computer arrived at CyberPower. I tracked the return shipment via the Airborne Express website (type in the tracking number to follow the shipment’s travel route). The computer arrived back at CyberPower within a few days. I anxiously awaited the credit to appear on my credit card. CyberPower did process the credit within a few days of receiving the computer. They kept the $85.00 I initially paid to have the computer shipped and refunded the full amount of the machine. Is $85.00 too expensive a price to learn a Life Lesson? It could have been over $500.00 ... so I consider it a bargain.
Summary
I cannot recommend CyberPower Inc. to anyone. It was a dreadful experience that I could have avoided if I had listened to my intuition. So where do I go from here? I’m giving serious thought to a Gateway computer. And I admit that a flat panel monitor is tempting me. It’s a lot more money than the CyberPower deal, but I hear Gateway’s customer service is terrific.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Warranty
“CyberPower warrants that the hardware products it sells are free from defects in materials and workmanship. This warranty also covers damage due to the shipping of products to you. This warranty does not cover damage due to external causes, including accident, abuse, misuse, problems with electrical power, acts of third parties, servicing not authorized by CyberPower, usage not in accordance with instructions accompanying the product(s), failure to perform required preventive maintenance, including but not limited to backups, and problems caused by use of software, parts and components not supplied by CyberPower.
This warranty does not cover software, external devices; accessories or other parts added to a CyberPower system after the system is shipped from CyberPower; or accessories or parts that are not installed in the CyberPower factory. Monitors, keyboards, and mice that are included on CyberPower’s standard price list are covered under this warranty; all other monitors, keyboards, and mice are not covered.
CyberPower has a special policy for all new product purchased from CyberPower that fails to work properly upon delivery. Provided a Return Merchandise Authorization number, described below, is obtained during the first seven days following delivery, defective product may be returned to CyberPower for a complete refund, or replacement with a new product.”
CyberPower, Inc.
4802 Little John Street
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
Phone: (800) 707-0393
UPDATE
I purchased a Gateway 500X computer and am very happy with my purchase. I wrote a complete review about this computer if you would like to know the details about the machine and my purchasing experience.
Gateway 500X Desktop Computer
Please read my other reviews:
HP LaserJet 2200dse Printer
HP LaserJet 1000 Printer
Logitech Mouseman Cordless Optical Mouse
Logitech Cordless Freedom Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Logitech Cordless Elite Duo Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Dazzle 6-in-1 Multimedia Reader
QuickPad Pro Laptop
Mighty Bright Handy Light
Belkin Home Office UPS Emergency Battery Backup
JVC DVD Player
Copyright 2003 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? AMD XP-2200 Athlon Computer
|
|
|
|
|
View Information
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.