ABS Ultimate M6
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"Reconfigure it yourself." on by simonxlius
Pros: Great cpu selection, sli capable
Cons: 2 x 6600gt < 1 x 6800gt
Summary: Could reconfigure the system to have better video cards.
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"PC didn't ship" on by monyako
Pros: sounds great
Cons: didn't ship
Summary: Shipping was over a week late so I cancelled my order. Customer service was lacking...which is ironic for a company named: “Always Better Servive.”
Updated
Follow up: after canceling my non-shipped PC from ABS I ordered one from Velocity Micro. Interestingly I ordered from ABS because I thought it would be cheaper, but Velocity Micro turned out to be more affordable (no shipping charges or California tax).
I was also very pleased with the customer services from Velocity Micro. VM also offers a system with two Nvidia 7800s…which ABS doesn’t offer. -
"Horrible customer support" on by fergusoncr
Pros: Pretty good systems for the price
Cons: Abysmal customer support
Summary: First off, I am not reviewing this system, but I am writing a review of this company. Since you may have to deal with customer support when you buy this system, this review might help to make the correct decision when looking for a new computer.
I know, it sounds pretty harsh, but it's a fact. ABS is supposed to stand for "Always Better Service", and that is about as far from the truth as this company can get.
I had had some problems with my Mayhem G1 Laptop, and near nonexistant customer support from this company. For starters, you will never actually get your problem solved when you call. It is their standard policy to take your number down and then 1-2 hours later a technical representative will call you. So, rather than you calling them when it's most convenient for you, they turn the tables and call you when it's convenient for them. So, you'll get a call from them when you're in the middle of rush our traffic, or eating dinner with your family, or nowhere near your computer.
After a while, my motherboard went bad on my laptop and I had to send it back to them for repair. Well, I had been having some problems with my screen flickering and it was going from mildly annoying to very annoying (ie., getting worse and worse.) So, I told ABS three times (on the phone, in an e-mail, and on a piece of paper taped to the laptop) that I also wanted the screen flickering taken care of. The computer was no longer under warranty, so I would be paying out of pocket for the repair.
I called and asked about my computer a week after FEDEX had showed it as being delivered to ABS, they take my name and number, and someone called me back two hours later to tell me nobody could actually find my computer! After a weekend of nervous waiting, I call ABS back, leave my name and number, and they call me back 1-2 hours later to tell me someone had found it. As expected, the service tech I talked to had no idea about my screen flickering issue and I had to re-explain it to him that I wanted it fixed along with the motherboard before they sent it back to me.
So, another few days go by and I get an invoice e-mailed to me from one of their service techs. I was immediately concerned because the invoice only had the motherboard on it for parts, and I assumed that the screen flickering would require some new hardware. So, I call them back, they take my name and number, and 1-2 hours later one of their service techs calls me back and tells me that the motherboard was bad and they were needing to replace it. No Duh! I re-explained the screen flickering issue to him on the phone, and (seeming like he knew what he was talking about) told me that it was cheaper for them to replace the entire barebones unit rather than the motherboard, and that was their standard thing that they did with this particular laptop. Since a barebones unit included a new screen, my problem would be taken care of. I emphasized once again that I wanted the screen flickering issue fixed, and if this was their solution then that was okay with me. He said yes, and that when it says "motherboard" on the invoice it really means "new barebones unit." As a person calling me from ABS, I took what he said as being truthful and eagerly awaited for my laptop to arrive healthy and happy.
About a week later, I receive my laptop in the mail. I open the box, and surprise! The same old exterior of the laptop is sitting in front of me. Then, upon further inspection, there is a new 1/2-inch crack in the plastic on one of the hinges! So, not only did they not fix my screen flickering that I asked them to do over five times, they put a darn crack in my case!
I call ABS many times over the next few days, and they take my name and number and call me back a few times. I am successful in getting one of the service techs to admit to me over the phone that they screwed up and needed to honor their word, but it was up to their manager. That was as much of an admission of guilt as I would ever get from them, because their management got hold of it next and it was the standard "we didn't say that, prove it" line from that point on. The manager I dealt with offered to fix my computer like I asked them to, but I would have to re-send it to them, pay for shipping, and pay full price for a new barebones unit. So, basically, she was offering me nothing.
After getting nowhere with their management, I filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau. After what is now months later, the isssue remains unresolved, I have a laptop with a 5-inch crack on the back of it, and a screen that goes blank every five minutes or so that I have to hit to get it working again.
ABS does not stand for "Always Better Service," it stands for "Abyssmal B.S". There are many others like me, and more every day that are having problems with this company. They were getting so many complaints on their own forum, they began to edit them out in order to save face.
In short, stay very far, far away from this company. With support this terrible and defrauding their customers, who knows how much longer they will be in business. -
"ABS has Horrible Customer Service!!" on by sparticus97
Pros: good tech spechs
Cons: Customer service is abysmal
Summary: Actually tried to order the M6 Sniper on 8 December. The website dumped all my info on my first order that I submitted, so I had to do it all a 2nd time. Then, the next day I get a message to call and confirm some of the order information. After doing that, I called back an hour later just to make sure the order went through ok and the same problem still came up. Tech said he got the issue fixed and I verified with him that it would ship by Thursday the 14th. I was told it should ship on time. I jump on their website Friday, the 15th, to see if its shipped yet and it says my order has been canceled. I call them, they take my info and I wait for over an hour for a tech to call me back so I can even tell them about my problem. They say they have no record of me calling and verifying the order, that after three days it automatically cancels the order, and they tell me the customer is notified by email....or they call. Well, I got no email and no call. My order would have dumped on the 11th and the only reason I found out is that I checked on the 15th. 4 days with no contact from them. The tech had no answers and was unsympathetic saying "Well, I guess you could just replace the order or something". I had planned on getting this system before Christmas which is now impossible. Buyer Beware, Do Not Order From ABS!!!!!!!!
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"Not what I asked for & poor support." on by angrykeyboarder
Pros: Awesome case. Overall high performance
Cons: Expensive. Poor Customer Service. Poor attention to order details.
Summary: Were it not for the fact that I specified I did not want my hard drives in RAID configuration I'd have never needed technical support (well that is till my video card died yesterday).
3 calls to support and I'm still stuck with RAID. And now I had to contact them due to the video card and they actually told me to remove and reinsert the card to test it.
My warranty includes on site service. That's s for them to do, not me. I mentioned this to the tech and he told me I'd have to call customer service on Monday (naturally this was a Saturday night).
To add insult to injury, I go to their web site only to find their tech support (namely peer-to-peer) support forum has been "temporarily" shut down...
Aside from all this, the computer itself was awesome, but then it was built well and with high-quality components (the same components offered by the competition).
So if you're in the market for a high-end gaming box from a "boutique" PC maker like ABS, by all means get one, but not from ABS.
Despite what they say ABS does not mean "Always Better Service"
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