Anyone tired of AW's poor customer service? - Page 2  

Thanks for the idea, HH, however, I already started a company building custom engineered solutions, and I've been very successful. I like to think it's because I build quality engineered solutions, and if any of my customers have problems, they can be sure I will support them. If their problem was my fault, i.e., my design, I will fix it for free or make it right somehow, even at my expense. While I don't necessarily expect that level of support from AW, I expect more than "sorry, your SOL next month. so you say your new HD lasted 3 weeks? well then, first we'll send you a new HD..." Of course, I'm sure that is not their motivation, just their procedure. WRT the rest of your ranting, whatever. You obviously don't care to read or understand what I post, and are only interested in attacking anyone who is critical of AW.

Hi Adam,

You are correct. I don't expect to see postings from people saying everything is great, but I do expect to see postings of AW customers complaining about their product or support. What I also expect, however, is that the poster comes back and says an AW CS agent contacted them, and AW earned their 5-star support claim.

What I don't expect to see is the community (or the community rep, in this case) attack the poster because he was critical of AW. Why the admins allow personal attacks, misquoting, and name-calling in a support forum is beyond me. Why don't you call off your dog? He's a "community rep" after all, and I'm assuming you're an admin.

I even went so far as to apolgize for offending anyone, yet the attacks continue.

I also can't say I undertand your post. You are as guilty as HH for misquoting. I suggested a boycott against AW's laptops until the resolved their quality issues. Perhaps a bit extreme, but still I made a point. I don't recall ever saying "rallying the troops for an overthrow". I praised their personnel's professionalism, and I've only criticized the Clevo brand and AW's support of it, suggesting that if they knew these laptops were unreliable, then they should offer alternatives to those who are unhappy and having problems, and not just me either.

Ever been to a BMW forum? BMW dealers suck, but when you have a problem with your car, and it's BMW's fault, they a) tell you, b) fix it, c) extend your warranty to make sure it's not a problem. I have even seen BMWNA offer to help a guy that bought a car, out of warranty from a non-affiliated dealer, which had a particular engine problem for which BMW had originally offered a replacement under warranty, and it hadn't been replaced on this particular vehicle. Furthermore, this paricular owner knew about the problem beforehand AND that the car was well out of warranty, yet when he complained, BMWNA still offered to deeply discout a replacement. BMWNA is an example of 5-star support. I could go on, ad nauseum about how impressed I am with BMWNA and my personal experience with them, but I think the point was made: BMW is an expensive car, they have excellent customer service (even if you are initially unhappy with the dealer), and you pay for it. AW sells expensive computers, they claim to have 5-star support (and the jury is still out, IMHO), and I paid for it.

If the car example it too far-fetched, then let me give another. I purchased several HP servers last year. At one time, I was unhappy with HP CS (which is in India BTW) because they could not send me a freakin box (called a return kit) even though I provided the HP part number, and I was willing to pay for it. They said "sorry, you are unhappy with our service. Return the server in any box you can find, and we'll give you a refund", although, I didn't want a refund, I wanted a box. This was nearly a year after I had bought the servers. How does AW CS compare?

Additionally, the only person really causing heated discussions here is HH. You don't have to like my opinion, you don't have to read it, and you certainly don't have to attack me because my professional opinion is that the quality of the Clevo laptops is poor, and I'm unhappy with AW CS policies.

If you hadn't read the entire thread, then let me assure you I have already taken "the next step", but like everyone else who spends an inordinate amount of money on a high-performance machine, I expect satisfaction from my purchase. The fact is, I'm shopping for several high-end PC's for my office, and if AW wants my business, they are going to need to show me the quality of their support. I don't blame them for the product being bad, but the support for their product is what I question.

Hi bmwrob,

I disagree. If he had stated his problem, he would only have drawn more criticism for what he should have done or expected.

Hi basicvisual, Thanks for your positive post. I fully understand that Clevo designed the 7700 and not AW, but AW is selling and supporting them. I don't expect AW to know they are good or bad at the onset, but if problems arise, I just hope that they wouldn't leave their customers in a lurch. Maybe Clevo's are great, maybe I'm wrong, but I've seen too many "I've replaced the Mobo 3 times" threads for me to form a positive opinion. So far, AW has followed their normal procedure in dealing with my problems, as HH is fond of reminding me, and I hope that they continue to ensure that my 7700 isn't defective, even if the same problems I have now reappear after the end of my warranty. After all, how many HD's does a PC have to eat before you suspect the PC?

Hi moidoc,

Thanks for chiming in.

I'd like to point out what I believe is a flaw in your argument. You suggest I am not following AW tech support procedure because I replaced my own bad HD, then you suggest that AW should not have to trouble shoot my 7700. Keep in mind, that AW's repsonse was the same as mine, they replaced the HD. Also, keep in mind, I AM following AW TS procedures. There is apparently no other option. I think everyone can agree that no procedure can take in to account every possibility, and I am suggesting perhaps their procedure is flawed since they are repeating my efforts, wasting my time and theirs.

I'd also like to point out that I am willing to pay a restocking fee, only receive partial credit on the return, or whatever, should AW determine that there is a problem with my 7700. I only asked that they either test and verify for themselves, or extend my warranty to cover whatever problem I am experiencing, again, at my cost. What is wrong with that?

A comparison to what other "5-star service" companies do is perfectly relevant, especially HP.

I'm also not saying AW doesn't have the right to deny extending my warranty, denying my requests, or anything else. I'm only stating that I think that their CS policy sucks, IMO, and I would prefer if they would adopt a more customer friendly approach, again, IMO, since I paid so much for their product, exepcting "5-star support". Who knows, eventually maybe they will, maybe the won't, but for now, the response has been less than stellar.

Again, I did NOT "take a do whatever I say approach", as you put it. I asked what my alternatives were, and they were few, i.e., "take what support we offer or don't". Again, I have only stated that I am unhappy with that policy, and I have NOT demanded anything from AW. I think you are reading too much of what HH is posting and not enough of what I am posting.

What do you suppose that I don't understand? Did you read the entire thread? I have worked with many companies, some which I have already listed, regarding a pruchase. My suggestion was in response to what support I see others receiving in addition to the polices which I have experienced. I have given AW the opportunity to find and fix the particular problem that caused 2 HD's to fail, yet they just sent me a 3rd HD. It's like having a flat tire: you keep putting air in it, and it keeps going flat. You take it to your point of purchase and ask for them to fix it, and they just put air in it and say "let's see if it does it again" because that is there TS procedure, and their CS policy doesn't allow that you already tried that. I am still continuing to give AW the opportunity to find and fix the problem. I expressed concern that my warranty would expire before my 7700 ate the new HD, however, and I wanted some guarantee from AW that they would see it through. Note, they could have accepted my laptop back in to depot, run their full suite of tests, fixed whatever is wrong (if anything), and returned it, and I would have been happy, but that was not an option. I guess that requires commitment to customer support, like maybe a 5-star commitment, which is the point of my complaint. I did spend nearly 4 hours on the phone with AW before posting my dissatisfaction with their policies and the apparent quality with the Clevo units. So far, I have not received any help here at NBF, except from AW-steve (Thanks Steve!). What I have received is criticism and insults for not doing what others think I should have done. When do I qualify to post my dissatisfaction? For the record, dealing with AW is a LOT less of a problem than dealing with some of the posters here at NBF (which admittedly, I don't have to do). This board doesn't tolerate differing opinions or criticisms of your apparent-favorite systems integrator. A simple "no, I don't think I'll boycott AW. I don't mind the service or having to replace my mobo every year" would suffice. Even a "I've not had any problems with AW or AW CS" is welcome. Let someone post "I didn't care for AW CS", and the criticisms of the poster begin. If you were going to invest $4000 to $5000 on a laptop, wouldn't you want to know that people are having problems with them? Then why should I not post a warning to prospective AW/Clevo customers? Isn't that the point of this forum? I see people everywhere asking for reviews on new products. Isn't it fair to give a negative review when warranted? How about an opinion? I'm sure AW sales will not be hurt by my post, and if they were, I'm sure AW would sue me unless I could prove everything I've said, and to date, I have only stated what has happened, and MY opinion of it. I thank you for your wishes, and I agree that apparently, here on NBF, I approached this situation incorrectly.

Thanks for your post, Moidock. To clarify, I did tell them that I had already replaced the HD with an identical model, and it had failed as well. What I think you are saying is that it had to be an AW contributed HD for it to matter, and I realize that is the case. What I am saying is, I don't care for that policy. What difference does it make in the end? The result is the same: my 7700 killed 2 HD's. I don't think that is normal, and that is why I asked AW to support me, and so on... If by "do what I say or want", you mean that I want AW to provide me with other options besides sending my monster a 3rd HD to eat, then I concede that AW cannot act beyond their support policies, which is till what I think sucks (the policies, that is). Otherwise, I agree with your assessment that I am unhappy with my laptop's reliability and AW's customer support policies, and because of that AND the other complaints I have seen on this forum alone, I suggested a boycott on AW laptops (especially Clevo's), until AW fixes what I and many others on this board perceive as oustanding problems. I did not suggest a general boycott of AW the company. I don't know that I attacked any of your regulars. I think your regulars laid in to me right off for suggesting a boycott, and I suggested that kind of behavior was immature, AND I apologized for offending anyone.

Fair enough. However, I haven't taken out any anger on anyone. I've simply tried to respond to what is posted. If it requires reiteration and clarification, so be it. I don't care that some are uncivil, as I've pointed out that only makes the poster look foolish. I realize that anyone who purchase an AW, and some other brands, have spent a fair amount of money on machines which have had problems. I see the statements and complaints. I was particularly horrified at some of things which others have endured. It was for that reason that I suggested a boycott against AW laptops. You can say, "no 'amen' from me, I don't mind having my expensive laptop out of service for months on end", or "I haven't had any problems to date", but some of the responses here are uncalled for. How about "we understand you're disappointed, but you'll have to use the system in place if you want results", maybe even a "we agree that AW CS isn't optimal". Does any one believe that AW CS is optimal? Or have I offended another half-dozen regulars? In general, I appreciate your view point and your civilty. I had hoped, apparently in vain, that everyone would reailze my original post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek (although not so ridiculous, apparently), and that I was simply reporting my dissatisfaction at what seems like a innane solution to my problem, i.e., sending me a 3rd HD, but whatever, it's simply indicative of the community.