Systemax Hellcat Evaluation @ [H] Consumer

I like how you guys review the systems

very detailed

Hothardware did a review of another system from the same company,
but is not as comprehensive as the reviews here
 
I agree, [H]'s full system reviews are top notch.

And not to echo everybody else, but it's Tigerdirect, what did you expect? At least it was an entertaining read.

I wonder how long it'll take to get that $2524.48 credited back to your card?
 
Aztlan said:
I like how you guys review the systems

very detailed

Hothardware did a review of another system from the same company,
but is not as comprehensive as the reviews here
Click to expand...

Yeah. I was looking for the section on customer support and, oh yeah, there ain't one! You get kinda spoiled with [H]'s review and forget that not everyone else gives you so much info. Well, no one else, actually.

Keep them reviews a'comin'! ;)
 
clockworks said:
What do you guys do with the system after testing it?
Click to expand...

It depends on the company, but we will usually send the system back for a refund.
 
trick_m0nkey said:
With that one I would test it's build quality via a "gravity test"
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We've got a Durabook preview from Twinhead coming up. You'll see gravity, water, and shock testing on that one. We might even heat it up. We'll see if it's as good as advertised.
 
DNA Doc said:
We've got a Durabook preview from Twinhead coming up. You'll see gravity, water, and shock testing on that one. We might even heat it up. We'll see if it's as good as advertised.
Click to expand...

awesome!
 
DNA Doc said:
We've got a Durabook preview from Twinhead coming up. You'll see gravity, water, and shock testing on that one. We might even heat it up. We'll see if it's as good as advertised.
Click to expand...

Holy crap!
 
DNA Doc said:
We've got a Durabook preview from Twinhead coming up. You'll see gravity, water, and shock testing on that one. We might even heat it up. We'll see if it's as good as advertised.
Click to expand...


You should take some videos :)
 
Systemmax screwed the pooch bigtime on this one. I never really like them anyway from previous dealings and this only strengthens my point about not recommending them to anyone.

Keep up the great work [H]! :)
 
DNA Doc said:
We've got a Durabook preview from Twinhead coming up. You'll see gravity, water, and shock testing on that one. We might even heat it up. We'll see if it's as good as advertised.
Click to expand...

We demand videos of this! Seriously, we want videos of this.
 
DNA Doc said:
Yes, I'd have to agree. We wouldn't consider Fry's a viable alternative based on the current landscape. There are many other companies that will provide the same kind of options for a much better overall consumer experience.
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Fry's can be a dream or nightmare, depending on what your geek level is. I love Fry's becuase I live near most of them (Bay Area, 5 Fry's stores with in 20 min drive time :D ), and I'm [H] enough to know what I want, how to spot good deals on the fly, and Fry's can have the best deals on parts around. I'd never consider them for turnkey systems.

Fry's is a place you do NOT go to if you are a complete noob. God help you if you ask one of the floor people advice on anything such as "what video card/RAM/CPU/PSU/etc do I need?" :rolleyes:

The only questions I ever ask at Fry's are "where did you guys move ____ to?" and "when is _____ going to be back in stock?"
 
Aztlan said:
I like how you guys review the systems

very detailed

Hothardware did a review of another system from the same company,
but is not as comprehensive as the reviews here
Click to expand...


Guess things turn out a bit different when they custom build a system for the reviewers.

HotHardware.com said:
Priced at $3499, it's hard not to strongly recommend the Systemax Sabre Intel Core 2 Extreme Gaming PC. If you are the type more comfortable with a pre-configured gaming rig versus building your own, the Sabre should impress. The system is loaded with excellent components, has major geek-appeal, and it offers top-notch performance. We give the Systemax Sabre Intel Core 2 Extreme Gaming PC a HotHardware Heat Meter Rating of 9...
Click to expand...
 
Thats one of the main reasons I really trust the reviews here so much more nowadays. Blind anonymous purchasing of the systems gives a much better real world picture of the experience with the vendor and their system. If a hardware review site calls and says send us a test system - hell yes they are going to make absolutley certain the system is tops in every aspect. This way it's as random of an experience as any joe ordering will get.
 
Systemax and TigerDirect are indeed committed to providing our customers with the very best products, service and support. Though we have tens of thousands of satisfied customers, even one unsatisfied customer is not acceptable. We are taking steps internally to understand what went wrong in the case of this review and will use what we learn to improve our customer service as we continue our quest for excellence. I appreciate all of the constructive feedback and all of it is being researched across many departments. From customer service to tech support to engineering and the warehouse QC and shipping, among others.

In the coming days, either me or others from Systemax (or more likely both) will post responses to specific areas called out in the review and perhaps also the forum.

Having been with Systemax for 15 years and experiencing the growth and accomplishments we have made in that time, I take it personally when we fall short of expectations. I and everybody here are dedicated to correcting whatever problems may exist that get in the way of satisfying every customer every day.

I'm not going to hide behind any PR guy or pseudonym. But I don't want to post my email address due to spiders. I will post my phone number below and I'm on the east coast for time zone purposes. I'd be happy to discuss any particular issue or help any reader with an order or product issue that they have.

Richard Wallet
Executive Vice President
305-415-2441
 
Rich,

Thanks so much for taking the time to register and for representing your company.

We look forward to hearing responses from the various folks at Systemax, and the crew at [H] Consumer will do whatever we can to help you address any issues that you'd like our assistance on.
 
I really like the system reviews on the H. Even though I personally build my own systems, it is good to know who to recommend to friends and family if they are looking for a computer. I can't even stand to read system reviews on other sites because they usually don't go into the detail that the H does. I really think that if they custom make a machine especially for reviewers then that review is worthless to me.
 
ive bought many things from TD..and the only bad experience was a bad set of Z-680's which wasnt thier fault...and they sent me out a new set that day.
 
I took a good look at HotHardware's review of the Systemax Sabre.
Overall it was pretty good, except they really dont cover the issues like you and I would encounter(ordering,receipt,and customer service) because obviously it was sent directly as a review build. :rolleyes:
Right off the bat,however, they got a computer that at least looks like it was put together by somebody who took more than 30 minutes. The internals weren't all that squared away but it made H's look like a dream machine.
HH doesnt run much in the way of gaming, but what I did like was comparing several systems of similar build.....like what's been done here as well.

I just cant get over how the HH computer looked compared to [H]'s. Mr. Bennett's comment about how things are done for review specific machines was right on the money.
And you know the rest of the story....... :eek:
 
Systemax Rich said:
Systemax and TigerDirect are indeed committed to providing our customers with the very best products, service and support. Though we have tens of thousands of satisfied customers, even one unsatisfied customer is not acceptable. We are taking steps internally to understand what went wrong in the case of this review and will use what we learn to improve our customer service as we continue our quest for excellence. I appreciate all of the constructive feedback and all of it is being researched across many departments. From customer service to tech support to engineering and the warehouse QC and shipping, among others.

In the coming days, either me or others from Systemax (or more likely both) will post responses to specific areas called out in the review and perhaps also the forum.

Having been with Systemax for 15 years and experiencing the growth and accomplishments we have made in that time, I take it personally when we fall short of expectations. I and everybody here are dedicated to correcting whatever problems may exist that get in the way of satisfying every customer every day.

I'm not going to hide behind any PR guy or pseudonym. But I don't want to post my email address due to spiders. I will post my phone number below and I'm on the east coast for time zone purposes. I'd be happy to discuss any particular issue or help any reader with an order or product issue that they have.

Richard Wallet
Executive Vice President
305-415-2441
Click to expand...


I'm glad to at least see that TD is open to discuss the short-comings that were found. How ever small, at least it shows they are paying attention...


...Or [H] is too loud to ignore :p
 
the funniest thing about what systemmax wrote was this line

"Though we have tens of thousands of satisfied customers,...."

look hardocp uncovered what we all already new about systemax

low quailty
poorly made
crappy customer service

and you would think the pc's they sell are cheap they arent !
 
Friendlypirate80 said:
the funniest thing about what systemmax wrote was this line

"Though we have tens of thousands of satisfied customers,...."

look hardocp uncovered what we all already new about systemax

low quailty
poorly made
crappy customer service

and you would think the pc's they sell are cheap they arent !
Click to expand...

Agreed, a couple of my friends got systemmax computers and have had the same issues with tech support, hence why I got called to work on them. One tech told my friend basically to strip his system down (remove ram, processor, vid card, etc.) you don't DO this if you are an OEM.

Work on it Rich, sales is great, but without support to back it up, I don't think you will be around much longer.
 
Remind me never to buy a Systemax PC.

What dealings I've had with them were inadequate at best - but I've never full out bought a system from them, and after seeing this, I likely won't.
 
As much as I agree - hiding never helps. I admire him taking the time to register on the forums to respond to a poor review. That shows, at very least, caring about their public face, which a lot of OEMs won't do.

As much as I refuse to ever buy a PC from them, at least I know their leadership has their head on straight - or at least is damn good at pretending to.

edit: Though - in truth, it could have just been one of his marketing guys doing it for him. ;)
 
No, that was really Rich. And he means what he said.

The [H] review was honest. We completely respect the this site, the review procedure, and the way it was presented. This is real stuff that affects real people. And we take it seriously.
The members of the forum who have negative views of the Systemax family of organizations are completely entitled to their opinions and you'll notice that we are not going to be defensive and give pre-configured excuses. It just shows us we have to be better.

We've been around for a long time. We've done some great things, made great progress as a company. We've had good reviews, and we've had some brutal reviews. We'll take our lumps when deserved and learn from it. I hope at some point [H] would give us another shot.
 
Technoob said:
inquiring minds want to know the contents of the deleted post :)
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Well, the reason for the deletion is "internal issue", so it was probably something that didn't pertain to us as readers, but more fitted to a private discussion amongst Systemax and HardOCP.
 
Technoob said:
inquiring minds want to know the contents of the deleted post :)
Click to expand...

Okay folks - no more guessing. The second post he made was in reference to our RMA process. It was an "internal issue" between Systemax and ourselves, and didn't need to be on the forums. It wasn't a punishment or censorship - just a removal of information that no one else needed to know about.

Let's also keep this discussion CONSTRUCTIVE. No making fun of the guy's name, for God's sake. They've taken time out of their day to come and confront the issues, even though they didn't have to. Let's give them the respect that any other member of this forum deserves.
 
DNA Doc said:
Let's also keep this discussion CONSTRUCTIVE. No making fun of the guy's name, for God's sake. They've taken time out of their day to come and confront the issues, even though they didn't have to. Let's give them the respect that any other member of this forum deserves.
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QFT. It takes a big person to admit their mistakes, and whether he's sincere or not, he still came here and openly apologised and made available himself for contact. That's more than can be said of a lot of people today, so both Richard and Neil get quite a bit of respect from me for that.
 
Systemax Neil said:
No, that was really Rich. And he means what he said.

The [H] review was honest. We completely respect the this site, the review procedure, and the way it was presented. This is real stuff that affects real people. And we take it seriously.
The members of the forum who have negative views of the Systemax family of organizations are completely entitled to their opinions and you'll notice that we are not going to be defensive and give pre-configured excuses. It just shows us we have to be better.

We've been around for a long time. We've done some great things, made great progress as a company. We've had good reviews, and we've had some brutal reviews. We'll take our lumps when deserved and learn from it. I hope at some point [H] would give us another shot.
Click to expand...

Hi Neil, thanks for registering and giving your thoughts.

We'd be happy to look at another system in the future. We're ready whenever you are :).
 
DNA Doc said:
Okay folks - no more guessing. The second post he made was in reference to our RMA process. It was an "internal issue" between Systemax and ourselves, and didn't need to be on the forums. It wasn't a punishment or censorship - just a removal of information that no one else needed to know about.

Let's also keep this discussion CONSTRUCTIVE. No making fun of the guy's name, for God's sake. They've taken time out of their day to come and confront the issues, even though they didn't have to. Let's give them the respect that any other member of this forum deserves.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. I was just curious if it was something that would be relevant to the review. Suppose theoretically that the rep from the company came on here and said something insulting to customers...that would be very helpful in determining for the consumers if this is a builder that deserves their business.

Happy to see that it wasn't anything of the kind, and that systemax is willing to step up and address the review, it actually says a lot, considering many other poorly reviewed integrators have been silent on these forums.
 
Technoob said:
Thanks for the response. I was just curious if it was something that would be relevant to the review. Suppose theoretically that the rep from the company came on here and said something insulting to customers...that would be very helpful in determining for the consumers if this is a builder that deserves their business.

Happy to see that it wasn't anything of the kind, and that systemax is willing to step up and address the review, it actually says a lot, considering many other poorly reviewed integrators have been silent on these forums.
Click to expand...

No problem. If it was something pertinent to the article, you can bet that it would be available for public consumption. If the respective rep decides to have a meltdown and starts insulting all of the readers, then I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it :).

However, not the case here.
 
Seems to me that their response was too late. They should be providing good products/service in the FIRST place; being called out on it and then essentially saying "well we'll work on it." No. This shouldn't have occured in the first place! When a person buys from an OEM (or anywhere for that matter) one already expects that the company will do everything in their power to help them. It's obviously not the case here, and I doubt one negative review will really change their operations.

Major props to [H] though, since they go through the channels that we the consumers would be going through, and if [H] gets bad service when they order from them, chances are so will we. Hands down, Systemax/Tiger Direct goes on my blacklist of "stores never to patronize." They had their chance to make a good impression, and they have failed. I don't want to drop $2,000+ and have a bad experience. If they wanted to do things right, they would have done things right in the first place.
 
Systemax Rich said:
Systemax and TigerDirect are indeed committed to providing our customers with the very best products, service and support. Though we have tens of thousands of satisfied customers, even one unsatisfied customer is not acceptable. We are taking steps internally to understand what went wrong in the case of this review and will use what we learn to improve our customer service as we continue our quest for excellence. I appreciate all of the constructive feedback and all of it is being researched across many departments. From customer service to tech support to engineering and the warehouse QC and shipping, among others.

In the coming days, either me or others from Systemax (or more likely both) will post responses to specific areas called out in the review and perhaps also the forum.

Having been with Systemax for 15 years and experiencing the growth and accomplishments we have made in that time, I take it personally when we fall short of expectations. I and everybody here are dedicated to correcting whatever problems may exist that get in the way of satisfying every customer every day.

I'm not going to hide behind any PR guy or pseudonym. But I don't want to post my email address due to spiders. I will post my phone number below and I'm on the east coast for time zone purposes. I'd be happy to discuss any particular issue or help any reader with an order or product issue that they have.

Richard Wallet
Executive Vice President
305-415-2441
Click to expand...

C'mon now guys...

While I understand a lot of you are thinking "he's coming here for damage control", I think it's a step in the right direction. He could have easily sent the PR Rep and just kept pushing more sales rather than taking the time to come here, post his phone number, and try to address the issue.

Now on the other side (I'm a tech support manager), I can tell you from first hand experience that tech support is your lifeline for a repeat customer. If you have kickers (or punters), you're going to end up with some very frustrated customers, and one frustrated customer will tell (statistics show) a minimum of 10 people, while a satisfied customer generally will tell 2. If you provide outstanding support, that *WILL* make a huge difference. I can tell you personally that BFG has this down. I've dealt with their support team a few times, and while I have to wait on hold for a bit (not usually longer than 7-10 mins), I don't mind....because I know they will help. I've dealt with other companies, such as DFI, and had horrible experiences.

The main thing is....what is going to happen from this point on? If Richard takes the time to address the issues and concerns, and does actually turn things around for the better, I think TD will see a nice turn in sales as well. While some sales people can bully around the average consumer, it's not so easy with us geeks ;) I truly hope things do turn around for TD, as they've been around for a long time.

Just my 2¢
 
Great that they posted here. Have a cookie. I'm glad they are taking it seriously.

Now prove it. I have yet to ever come across anyone here (or anywhere else) that recommends Systemax. See, what I'm thinking is "If I ever wanted to buy a OEM PC, I'm going Velocity Micro." Why? Because everyone here recommends VM (or Maingear, or Falcon Northwest), and I am 100 percent garenteed to get excellent customer support. I know this because these VM guys are all over the forums, helping people with their VM machines. That says a lot, and I know that even if VM has a bad day, that I can always count on Chris or the VM pres to see my post about the machine I bought to give me not just an apology and a reply, but a fix.

After reading the review about Systemax, the only thought that comes to mind is "fuck that." Crappy case, crappy cabling, crappy value, crappy support. VM on their worst day is 50 times over a better deal. Apparently, even Dell and eMachines is better than you.

So, if you ever want to even change my mindset at all, along with probably everyone else here, you should consider what other companies do that works. I'm sure that if you've had "tens of thousands of satisfied customers," "your company has done great things," and that "even one unsatisfied customer is not acceptable," then people would recommend you. But they dont. And they wont be anytime soon. Because you didnt just score bad. You had one of the worse scores in the history of [H].

So I'm glad you're posting on these forums Systemax guys. Step in the right direction. A step too late though. Maybe you'll get a second chance. You probably will. But it'll be at least a few months from now. So walk the talk.
 
trick ..... I couldn't agree with you more. eTalk means nothing. If [H] give us another chance then great. If they don't then that's fine as well. From the general negativity of these posts on this forum we have more to do then just gettting a good review here and there. I'm not just a face for the company. I'm a real person like you. And like what Rich did I have no problem posting my phone number here and am willing to address any concerns you or anyone else may have. If I didn 't have any confidence in what we do and what our PC factory is about then I can tell you with much honesty that I would not be working for them and posting on these forums right now.

If we do nothing to contantly improve our products and internal processes then we'll continue to deserve the beating that I know you all will give us.

Neilson Hixson
Field Applications Engineer
937-615-1715
 
They screwed up, big, sure.

But hell, they have been stand-up about the whole thing and are at least making an effort to see what they can do better.

How many of you who are posting negative stuff and bashing them have actually called to talk to either of these guys and said something that they can use?
 
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