Ridiculous.

[BlueMirror]

From here I purchased a £1300 laptop, received it broken. Sent it to be repaired. They claimed it was repaired, then I received it back broken.

Not to mention I paid extra to be guaranteed to receive this laptop by a certain date over a month ago now as it was vital I had a pc by that time and I still don't after over a month. And to top it all off I also received a free USB stick for completing a survey if I remember correctly. Which was also broken. Avoid this company.

 

[SmokeDarKnight]

Please provide more detatils, what kind of machine did you buy? What do you mean by broken?

Think there was a batch of bad USB drives that went out, was it a silver one that unfolded?

 

[BlueMirror]

Chassis & Display SkyFire:17.3" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3740QM (2.70GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 675M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
RAID NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Integrated 4 in 1 Card Reader (SDXC/MMC/MS/XD)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ULTIMATE-N 6300 (450Mbps)
USB Options 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 3 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery SkyFire Series 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Laptop Cooling Stands Zalman ZM-NC3000S Ultimate Cooler, 220mm fan, upto 17.3inch (£35)
Carry Case NONE
Monitor NONE
Keyboard & Mouse INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
Headsets (VOIP) NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Insurance NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery PCS EXTRA-CARE DIAMOND DELIVERY - MON-FRI, PRE-NOON (£9)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Change to: FAST TRACK 5 WORKING DAY DISPATCH (£69)
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,099.17
Price £1,319.00

By broken originally before I sent it to be repaired it would turn on and BSOD after a bit of time for no reason, could last a minute, could last an hour. Now after it's been 'repaired' it either BSOD instantly or just doesn't turn on at all.

I don't appreciate being lied to "
Fault Report:


Display issues and BSOD errors.

During tests the GPU was found to be faulty. The laptop was returned to the MSI service center where the GPU and LVDS cable were replaced and then returned to us. Hardware tests have been run and completed all components except for the RAM have been found fault free.

The RAM failed with 20k+ errors. This has now been replaced and the laptop tested over the weekend and reported no BSODs or errors.

The system was then run on a game test for 4hrs and worked fine. Then an overnight load test was run which again completed without issue."

Since this is clearly not the case at all. It can not run for more than 10 seconds, let alone 4 hours and it BSOD repeatedly.

I'm not really bothered about the USB drive, just the icing on the cake that all this company seems to provide is broken goods, even after being sent off to be repaired.

 

[SmokeDarKnight]

Thats a nice specifiation you've chosen too. Its a shame about your aftersales experience so far.

I was having a BSOD problem with my GPU on my Vortex, to fix it i uninstalled the GPU driver and then ran the computer for a while to see if it still failed. After it didn't i then installed the GPU driver direct from the Website. Not sure if thats the problem your having but im my own experience thats whats happened to me.

I would give PCS another call, they can remote log into the computer if it stays on long enough.

How far throught the boot up process is it getting. Do you have any USB items plugged in or Monitors etc that would cause the fault?

 

[BlueMirror]

Thanks for the help but the computer definitely doesn't stay on long enough for it to even connect to the internet for someone to remote log in (Not to mention if they couldn't fix it and just claimed they did when they actually had it I don't see how the could remotely). Infact now it won't even boot at all, when I turn the power on nothing is being displayed on the monitor, all there is is the power light on and the fans spinning. I'm planning to get a refund and buy from somewhere else, emailed asking for a refund and I'm just waiting for a reply now.

It also seemed a bit strange that a laptop to build from scratch waiting time is less than 7 days, but to get it repaired is 15 days. Seems a bit of a case of now that they've got my money doesn't really affect them how long they take.

 

[Snowik]

As a note the forums aren't an official mode of support, your best bet is to actually directly contact PCS via cellphone or mail.

 

[kruppsy]

Are you getting any text flash up during the BSOD?

You can pause it by starting your computer, and before windows loading logo appears (right after the BIOS screen dissappears) press F8 key repeatedly until you see the Windows Startup options.

There will be "safe mode" and other options there.
One of them says something like "Disable automatic restart on system failure". Select this and press enter.

This will pause at the Blue Screen so you can read the error code.

Post it here or in an email to PCS, Im not saying I'll know what it is but someone might be able to help further.

 

[keynes]

Sorry to hear that. Try to give them a call and see what they can do for you, it is very frustrating but I am sure PCS can get it sorted for you.

 

[BlueMirror]

Thanks, I know the forums aren't official support I've already emailed hem. And I've already got the BSOD messages, they're the same as before I sent it off to be repaired and I told them what they were before I sent it off to be repaired. This is the email I sent to send it off to be repaired.

"Dear Sir or Madam
Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I very much appreciate any help. I recently purchased a Skyfire II laptop approximately a week ago, order number ******** however I regret to inform you that the laptop is faulty, I realise that it is unavoidable that some laptops will be faulty. I have a silver warranty and since I only purchased the laptop about a week ago it is definitely still under it. If you would be able to email back how to fix this problem myself I would be very appreciative but I expect that I will have to return it to be repaired. I have recently moved from where I was previously living and no longer have the box that the laptop came in however as I did not have enough space to bring it with me, so if it is possible I would like for packaging to return it in to be supplied.

The problem is that the image on the computer screen often starts to shake, then seconds later the computer will crash to a blue screen. When it does this the error message varies but so far I have noticed the messages, in no particular order, "SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION", "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL", "BAD_POOL_CALLER", "APC_INDEX_MISMATCH", "MEMORY_MANAGEMENT", "BAD_POOL_HEADER" "A thread tried to release a resource it did not own" and occasionally when I try to reboot it will say either "BOOTMGR image is corrupt. The system cannot boot." or "the file is possibly corrupt. The file header checksum does not match the computed checksum."

Sometimes it will crash almost instantly, other times it will not crash for hours and it seems to be entirely unrelated to what I am doing. I can run a resource heavy application and it will work fine sometimes, while other times it will crash doing nothing at all. Sometimes when it crashes it freezes and I have to reboot with the power button, when I do the letter "a" with an accent above it pointing to the right appears all over the screen, the number of the letters on the screen increases if I push the power button harder.

Thank you for any help."

 

[kruppsy]

Yep, as I thought, Im now officially out of my depth.

Good luck and hope you get it sorted

 

[eoinzy]

I did a quick Google of a couple of those BSOD messages. Both came back as driver issues.
For example, APC_INDEX_MISMATCH and BAD_POOL_CALLER.

I'd go through a few of the suggestions found HERE and HERE.

If you can boot into safe mode though, and run it fine for a few hours, then I think that will tell a lot.

 

[BlueMirror]

Thanks anyone that's tried to help. Does anybody know how long refunds take, and any decent custom laptop companies?

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

Thanks anyone that's tried to help. Does anybody know any decent custom laptop companies?

After a long and thorough search of the World Wide Interwebs, I came up with this.

You're welcome

 

[vanthus]

Thanks anyone that's tried to help. Does anybody know how long refunds take, and any decent custom laptop companies?

I don't know of any better than PCS,thing is this could be something very simple like ram needing reseated for example.
This and other problems can be caused in transit,at least give PCS a chance to sort it out.

 

[BlueMirror]

I don't know of any better than PCS,thing is this could be something very simple like ram needing reseated for example.
This and other problems can be caused in transit,at least give PCS a chance to sort it out.

A neighbour of mine builds computers and I assume he'd know how to do that correctly. If he did and it still wouldn't work would that void my ability to get refunded?

 

[Iroquois Pliskin]

There is no finer Clevo custom barebone systems reseller than PCSpecialist, whether it be the UK, or mainland Europe.

What I would do is to take a replacement and not merely a refund, perhaps even upgrade to Vortex III, which is the Clevo P170EM.

Skyfire II is a MSI 16F2 barebone AFAIK - a somewhat outdated chassis.

 

[vanthus]

A neighbour of mine builds computers and I assume he'd know how to do that correctly. If he did and it still wouldn't work would that void my ability to get refunded?

I cant answer about a refund,but reseating the ram wont void the warranty.

 

[BlueMirror]

Not sure what to think of the company now. It's fixed and is working like a dream, much better than you'd get for the same price at most other places.

But on the other hand, the SSD wasn't inserted properly, one stick of RAM wasn't inserted properly, the other stick of RAM wasn't inserted at all and was just lying on top of the motherboard and a clip had broken. Which is completely ridiculous considering the high price paid for their to be 4 glaringly obvious gigantic problems. Twice.

 

[vanthus]

Not sure what to think of the company now. It's fixed and is working like a dream, much better than you'd get for the same price at most other places.

But on the other hand, the SSD wasn't inserted properly, one stick of RAM wasn't inserted properly, the other stick of RAM wasn't inserted at all and was just lying on top of the motherboard and a clip had broken. Which is completely ridiculous considering the high price paid for their to be 4 glaringly obvious gigantic problems. Twice.

The computer would be in working condition when it left PCS,these problems have obviously happened in transit as I suggested.
You can't really blame PCS for that.

 

[BlueMirror]

The computer would be in working condition when it left PCS,these problems have obviously happened in transit as I suggested.
You can't really blame PCS for that.

I suppose, but I find it very hard to believe the exact same problem happened in transit twice. Not to mention it's PCS responsibility to make sure it's correctly packaged.