Puget Systems and iBUYPOWER: two sides of the system integrator coin
by Jarred Walton on February 15, 2007 10:25 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Puget Systems: Reliability, Warranty and Support
Given the higher cost of the Puget Systems computer, anyone considering a purchase from them is probably going to expect a lot more in the way of reliability and technical support. So how did they do during our testing? Reliability was never a problem during the couple of months that we tested their system. We never had any problems with system stability, and the only minor problem we encountered was sound support in a couple of games. After calling their tech support line, they were able to walk us through downloading the latest audio drivers and that fix the errors we were experiencing. Should any hardware fail and need to be replaced, as with iBUYPOWER you will have to pay to ship the computer back to Puget Systems, and they will pay for return shipping. They are also willing to cross ship components if you're comfortable doing repairs yourself.
All Puget Systems computers come with a standard 1-year warranty, but for an additional fee you can get a 2-year or 3-year extended warranty. Puget Systems also offers a 30 day money back guarantee, with limitations. Basically, more expensive systems may be subject to a 15% restocking fee -- additional details are available on their website. On-site repair service is not available, but beyond the parts warranty all Puget Systems come with lifetime labor and technical support. That's the type of service that we like to see from more expensive system builders: if anyone ever spends a lot of money on a computer, the least they can do is provide technical support for as long as you own the system! Of course, Puget Systems has taken that one step further. Recently, Monarch Computers appears to have closed up shop -- the website is no longer online, the phones are dead, etc. Anyone that purchased anything from Monarch Computers recently has most likely been left out in the cold. Puget Systems has offered to provide technical support and free labor to any former Monarch Computers customers -- obviously in a bid to pick up some new customers, but that's still a good deal anyway you look at it. No one is entirely sure what happened with Monarch, and it could be that they will return in the future, but you have to respect Puget Systems for offering to help at no cost to the end-users.
For technical support, Puget Systems has a variety of options available. You can send an email or fax, give their support line a call, or visit their support forums. The Puget Systems web pages also have a selection of help documents available to answer many common questions. Support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST. If you call for support, Puget Systems can also use remote desktop to take control of your computer and provide additional help. Basically, outside of extended business hours, Puget Systems offers all of the most common support options. However, it's still important to see how the support department handles calls, so we gave it a shot.
We're not quite sure why, but we did get a busy signal a couple times when we called. Our Comcast digital phone line seemed to have problems connecting with them, so we had to resort to using a cell phone. That solved the busy signal problem, and after a short hold typically lasting one or two minutes we were speaking with a technician. Puget Systems handles all of their support internally, and all of the people we spoke with were very friendly, knowledgeable, and more than willing to help. Every one of our "problems" was handled about as well as could be expected, and the advice we received was almost exactly what we would have given someone asking us the same questions.
As an example, our spyware problem got several recommendations, the first being to visit the Lavasoft website and install AdAware, with secondary recommendations of Microsoft Defender and Spybot Search and Destroy. They also cautioned that Spybot tended to be a bit more technical and that some users found it to be a bit confusing. They then suggested that if none of those programs were able to solve the problem, backing up our files and doing a new installation of Windows was probably the best solution. They indicated that it is possible to usually remove spyware if you know what you're doing, but the amount of effort involved often makes it easier to simply reformat the hard drive if the standard anti-spyware software doesn't work.
Other calls involving driver help, upgrade advice, performance issues, etc. were all handled exceptionally well. We also feigned being former Monarch Computer customers just to see if that affected the level of support, and we're happy to say that it didn't. We never felt like the technician was just looking to get off the phone as quickly as possible, we never had difficulty understanding what was being said, and basically there's very little that could be improved.
Our support rating: Puget Systems provided one of the best technical support experiences we've had so far. We could wish that they provided additional support hours, on-site support, or a few other extras, but if you're the type of person that has frequent computer questions and you don't like hounding your friends or relatives, a company like Puget Systems would be an excellent choice as a computer vendor. All of that comes with a higher than typical cost, so computer enthusiasts will probably find it unnecessary, but computer novices may be willing to spend the extra money. At least you know if you spend a lot of money on the computer from Puget Systems they will be more than happy to help you out with any questions. Let's just hope they stick around for a long time.
Given the higher cost of the Puget Systems computer, anyone considering a purchase from them is probably going to expect a lot more in the way of reliability and technical support. So how did they do during our testing? Reliability was never a problem during the couple of months that we tested their system. We never had any problems with system stability, and the only minor problem we encountered was sound support in a couple of games. After calling their tech support line, they were able to walk us through downloading the latest audio drivers and that fix the errors we were experiencing. Should any hardware fail and need to be replaced, as with iBUYPOWER you will have to pay to ship the computer back to Puget Systems, and they will pay for return shipping. They are also willing to cross ship components if you're comfortable doing repairs yourself.
All Puget Systems computers come with a standard 1-year warranty, but for an additional fee you can get a 2-year or 3-year extended warranty. Puget Systems also offers a 30 day money back guarantee, with limitations. Basically, more expensive systems may be subject to a 15% restocking fee -- additional details are available on their website. On-site repair service is not available, but beyond the parts warranty all Puget Systems come with lifetime labor and technical support. That's the type of service that we like to see from more expensive system builders: if anyone ever spends a lot of money on a computer, the least they can do is provide technical support for as long as you own the system! Of course, Puget Systems has taken that one step further. Recently, Monarch Computers appears to have closed up shop -- the website is no longer online, the phones are dead, etc. Anyone that purchased anything from Monarch Computers recently has most likely been left out in the cold. Puget Systems has offered to provide technical support and free labor to any former Monarch Computers customers -- obviously in a bid to pick up some new customers, but that's still a good deal anyway you look at it. No one is entirely sure what happened with Monarch, and it could be that they will return in the future, but you have to respect Puget Systems for offering to help at no cost to the end-users.
For technical support, Puget Systems has a variety of options available. You can send an email or fax, give their support line a call, or visit their support forums. The Puget Systems web pages also have a selection of help documents available to answer many common questions. Support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST. If you call for support, Puget Systems can also use remote desktop to take control of your computer and provide additional help. Basically, outside of extended business hours, Puget Systems offers all of the most common support options. However, it's still important to see how the support department handles calls, so we gave it a shot.
We're not quite sure why, but we did get a busy signal a couple times when we called. Our Comcast digital phone line seemed to have problems connecting with them, so we had to resort to using a cell phone. That solved the busy signal problem, and after a short hold typically lasting one or two minutes we were speaking with a technician. Puget Systems handles all of their support internally, and all of the people we spoke with were very friendly, knowledgeable, and more than willing to help. Every one of our "problems" was handled about as well as could be expected, and the advice we received was almost exactly what we would have given someone asking us the same questions.
As an example, our spyware problem got several recommendations, the first being to visit the Lavasoft website and install AdAware, with secondary recommendations of Microsoft Defender and Spybot Search and Destroy. They also cautioned that Spybot tended to be a bit more technical and that some users found it to be a bit confusing. They then suggested that if none of those programs were able to solve the problem, backing up our files and doing a new installation of Windows was probably the best solution. They indicated that it is possible to usually remove spyware if you know what you're doing, but the amount of effort involved often makes it easier to simply reformat the hard drive if the standard anti-spyware software doesn't work.
Other calls involving driver help, upgrade advice, performance issues, etc. were all handled exceptionally well. We also feigned being former Monarch Computer customers just to see if that affected the level of support, and we're happy to say that it didn't. We never felt like the technician was just looking to get off the phone as quickly as possible, we never had difficulty understanding what was being said, and basically there's very little that could be improved.
Our support rating: Puget Systems provided one of the best technical support experiences we've had so far. We could wish that they provided additional support hours, on-site support, or a few other extras, but if you're the type of person that has frequent computer questions and you don't like hounding your friends or relatives, a company like Puget Systems would be an excellent choice as a computer vendor. All of that comes with a higher than typical cost, so computer enthusiasts will probably find it unnecessary, but computer novices may be willing to spend the extra money. At least you know if you spend a lot of money on the computer from Puget Systems they will be more than happy to help you out with any questions. Let's just hope they stick around for a long time.
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EvErywhErE - Saturday, October 25, 2008 - link
Great Article on Pudget! I stumbled accross them quite by accident last month after my work machine melted down... I was tight for time, didn't want to think about anything, and was planning on doing just a litle internet research to see if anyone could beat Dell for general price, performance, warrenty, and ease of assembly.I was instantly impressed with the pudget website, and the fact that a real person picked up the phone and seemed to know exactly what I needed. I explained that I was an mechanical engineer and that the machine would be used for CAD work about 90% of the time. 10 minutes later I recieved an e-mail link to a custom computer that served as a great starting point. I did just a little customizing and really felt quite happy knowing that I didn't have to spend the rest of my day weighing performance, stability, and an unknown amount of time troubleshooting that one unexpected thing.
I ended up going with an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Quad-Core 2.66GHz, an Asus P5Q-E mother board, Quadro FX 1700, and 4Gig of ram. Not the most amazing machine out there, but more than enough to keep me working for another year or two.
As luck would have it my modest workstation proved to be a nightmare to get up and running... In the end it took a full 4 weeks to get everything up and running. This included some hardware shipping delays, swapping of memory, OS choices (xp64, then Vista 64) swapping the motherboard, and eventually solving the problem with a Bios update.
Needless to say I've gone through many levels of frustration during the whole process, but at the same time I really have felt supported by pudget the whole time. My contact person has been quick with updates most of the time, and has always been good at not making promises that he couldn't keep.
In the last week I've spent so much time researching computer components that I decided to just build my own one more time, and when I realized how huge my mark up was it really did make even more sense. But there really is a bit of irony though because my last machine was painstakingly built up with the help of a knowledgeable friend for the exact same purpose and I had a bios gremlin the haunted me for the past 3 years...
So to bring this long story to a finish, I sent an e-mail to Pudget today saying that after a lot of thought, too much computer research, and of course way too much waiting, I'd decided to cancle the order. This had already been discussed previously and the plan was to make a final decision today. I recieved a very nice call from a manager just an hour or so later who was very sympathetic to the whole situation.
As it turned out my computer had finally made ith though the last phase of QA and was ready to ship. Considering all I'd been through he offered to ship it next day for free and let me demo the machine with an unconditional 30 return and no restocking fee. At the moment I'm still pretty set on the idea of building an SLI machine myself- but at the same time I realized that even in this worst of all imaginable scenerios, I as a customer never felt negleted. That's a really had thing to find these days even in the best of situations, so to find a company that really did manage to fall flat on their face in terms of expectations, but still maintain customer support and confidence is really something that stands out.
About 10 minutes after I got off the phone I recieved an email summary of my newly completed system complete with thermal images in both an idle and loaded configuration. It's just a little touch, but really that is what makes the difference between high quality and useless junk. My new test drive toy should arrive monday morning; I can't decide if I want to to be amazing, or if I want to need a little more. I guess too much geeking out on specs the last week has really started to sink in. Either way it's nice to know that there's a whole crew of people to support me regardless of my decision.
Pudget definately isn't the cheapest, and they don't offer every component known to man, but if you're in the market for a team of people that will take the time to do the job right, and provide quality human interaction the whole way through the process they may be a very good choice.
Metal Face - Monday, February 26, 2007 - link
It looks like Puget may have scrapped their Certified Systems programicthy - Friday, February 16, 2007 - link
I've been considering buying a computer from Puget Systems for some time now, so I was quite glad to see the article. I especially appreciate that you calculated the markup for a computer, although it would have been nice to see some details. Also, I want to mention the reason I've considered Puget Systems is they'll build a top of the line linux computer, which is nice because then you don't have to worry about issues with compatability and cutting-edge hardware. I'd like to offer the friendly suggestion that this would have been a useful piece of information for the article, as it's rather difficult to find a computer vendor that will build something that will be guaranteed for linux.Finally, I'd suggest checking out Envision Computer Solutions for a future article along these lines. I bought a PC from them and was very impressed. (Note: I have absolutely no personal or business relationship with them).
Imnotrichey - Friday, February 16, 2007 - link
yikes, i didnt see that part. 25% markup seems a bit extreme.JarredWalton - Friday, February 16, 2007 - link
Check out VoodooPC, Falcon Northwest, Alienware, and anyone else like that. Some of them seem to be about a 50% markup - and yes, I'm accounting for the cost of their custom paint jobs (where applicable).Imnotrichey - Friday, February 16, 2007 - link
Yes, I'm sure you are correct that this is better than those others. Just surprising to me, since I never looked into it. 5-10% I could understand, but making a 2000 buck system cost 2500 just doesn't seem worth it. Seems like someone would slip under that 25% mark up and force them to compete at that level.JeffDM - Sunday, February 18, 2007 - link
Given the costs of doing business, I really don't think it's extreme.In your example, the $2000 "system" isn't really a system, it is really just a pile of parts. It's part of the $500 extra that makes it into a system, the rest have to go to business expenses. The labor, procurement, warranty and support aren't free. There are a host of other business expenses in there too, running a business is not cheap.
runestone - Saturday, February 17, 2007 - link
I live in the nearby area of Puget Systems, here's my .02: when the A8nE-sli boards came out, they were hard to get. I noticed they had some; called them and got a quote of 275$, well past my threshold of gouging. I found one a day later for 100 less.I guess if you have the money to blow they have some nice systems.
anandtech02148 - Friday, February 16, 2007 - link
good taste, always begins with a computer case. Puget got it.Imnotrichey - Friday, February 16, 2007 - link
I agree, Puget system seems to give you so many top notch choices