Barnes and Noble introduces the NOOK
Entered CNET Catalog: 12/15/2005
SKU: 1921
Manufacturer: ABS Computer
Content [Hide]
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1
User Rating: 
1/10
Nice computer, HORRIBLE customer support
Pros: Decent computer for the price
Cons: ABS would rather lie and defraud their customers than take care of them
Review:
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, 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. My computer was no longer under warranty, and I would be paying for everything out of pocket.
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.
I had had some problems with my Mayhem G1, 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. My computer was no longer under warranty, and I would be paying for everything out of pocket.
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.
