"I just ordered an x2 3800 from this store without checking here. I hope this goes well. This is my first experience away from newegg"

"In November of last year I placed an order with Monarch Computer. This was to be my second box from them.

I went with Monarch because they offer such a great selection of components--you can literally build your own but have them do the work.

The first computer I got from them was plagued with problems--bad power supply, failing hard-drive, noisy fans, etc.. Eventually I got all those problems worked out but not without a six to eight week loss of my computer when I had to send it in.

Since this was five years ago, I figured they would have some of these quality control issues worked out.

But this second computer, which I got in late December...after a delay that they weren't gonna tell me about... was even more of a problem, if that's possible. I paid for options that they did not implement. I failed to get software that was to be included in the package. I ordered optical drives that were advertized as being able to record to DVD-RW and then, after the fact, tech support denied. When the case was pulled from the cardboard box, it was immediately clear that someone had left a loose bolt inside the case--it rattled. And, now it appears that I have either a bad chipset fan or a bad powersuplly and/or power supply fan...or both.

Monarch sent the replacement power supply...on my credit card....but they will not pay to have it installed. Yes, I can do it but it's not like the old days. Even tech support admits it's gonna be a bear in the Antec p-180 case.

Is this my fault? Yes, it is...I bought from Monarch. Is this my problem? Well, Monarch thinks it is. And despite tech support being generally cooperative (although I have talked to some there that don't know any more about computers than my...now deceased...cat) there are those who think that the loose bolt and the missing software and the false advertising is my fault, too--part of a pattern of complaintdespite hard objective evidence of indifference in quality control on their part. (I admit I'm a squeeky wheel--how else to get their attention and my price-paid value??)


I apologize for the long post but I think if you are going to condemn a company you ought to give your reasons. Would I buy from Monarch again...fool that I am, I finally learned my lesson...the answer is emphatically "no!" Would I recommend Monarch to anyone I liked, again, the answer is "no!" Would I recommend them to my worst enemy? Let me think about that...I have some shred of sympathy even for my enemies.

I hope this post will prevent others from having to hassle with a large indifferent company for months at a time just to get the bare minimum of what you pay for."

" i have bought from Monarch in the past and in general I've been satisfied, however my last purchase was my last purchase. I ordered a creative audigy zs refurb on 7/13/06, my credit card was charged on 7/14/06. on 7/21/06 i still have not recieved anything from the company so i decided to call customer service. i was informed they oversold the part, yet thier website still lists it as in stock as of this writing, they offered to substitute a retail audigy se in it's place. if i wanted an audigy se i would spend the $20 and buy it. when i requested a refund and asked how long it would take i was informed it would take 30 days. how in the world can they bill me a day after ordering and then take 30 days to refund the charge?
it's a shame that a company i used to recommend is doing so poorly now. even their rating on resellers has dropped substantially as of late.

STAY AWAY!"

"I ordered my Opteron 165 OEM from them with an extraordinary coupon that made it too hard to resist. Their offer of only $15 to match the 3 year warranty like the retail version did not break the bank and made it an extremely great buy. I eventually cracked down and ordered another from them again as they had a really good deal on a power supply. I can't say the same for Zipzoomfly in terms of overall speed of processing orders and shipping them out. I would definitely buy again from Monarch! A+"

"they charged me the full price in the cart although something was backordered. after a week, i asked and they told me about the backorder which i was previously not aware of. i asked them to cancel the backordered item and send the rest. 2 weeks, i called about the refund. they told me first to take it up with paypal. then they said it could take 30 days. this is the seventh week, i called and they said they would "send an email to the credit department"

what happened to them? i ordered last year and the customer service was so good... i will never order from them again, and i warn everyone else about this terrible company"

"I ordered a DFI Lanparty Ultra D and a Opteron 165 on the night of July 17th. On the 18th I got an email with the tracking number from fedex. The opteron was listed as 4 to 6 day delivery. I recied it today the 20th. That is excellent customer service and I am very pleased with monarch computer. I will order from them again."

"VERY SATISFIED. This is a great company, they've got very competitive prices to begin with, and if you know where to look, they post coupon codes online for their loyal supporters. Very good way to get repeat customers... I've bought four processors from them just in the past six months, as well as several other small orders, all of which completed without issue. Pay them quickly and you'll get your product quickly. Don't let the bad apples fool you!"

"I ordered a motherboard and cpu seperatly and about 15 mins. later Sterling from Monarch called me to save me money, I seriously could not believe it. I got the best cpu instead of bottom of that class, and also saved about $150 on top. I ordered what I thought was the best cpu cooling fan and he informed me that the one I ordered would not fit and there was one he recomended for me- is a nice fan. Also got a good deal on a really nice powersupply. I have never had a company call me to save me money, unless there was a catch, most companies look at it as they just made more. I still can't believe it. The mother board that I ordered had a recall and they tracked me down to suggest another one that was better from another brand because they felt responsible... I could not believe that either. It was not their fault that the manufacturer recalled it. They sent me it fast and I was up and running. Monarch Computer took care of me, I recomend them to everyone I know. I will be buying from them in the near future. Thanks again Monarch."

"I was working on a time sensative project and had my back up against the wall. Joe at monarchcomputer.com provided me with outstanding customer service. He was prompt in replying to my needs as a customer and was able to take care of the situation immediately. It's been my pleasure to buy from monarchcomputer.com and can easily recommend it to anyone."

"My background is computer programmer and computers are also my hobby. I wanted something that was reliable as well as hardy for programming. I ordered a custom dual-Opteron 250 system with 2Gb RAM, DVD+RW drive, 512Mb super quiet Nvidia card, and 250Gb SATA drive. The case weighs a ton but it dissipates heat well and the noise level is extremely low (thin cases vibrate a lot which attributes to noise, but this case is thick and didn't vibrate at all).

The technicians at Monarch who put the computer together did a great job and kudos to them. This system is simply fantastic! I have bought from them in the past and will continue to buy from them in the future."

"I am 44 yr old gamer , system builder and repair and maintain individual machines for many that I have met in my travels as a Electronics and Business & Residentail Communications Tech and Troubleshooter , I built my machine (AMD 64 FX-53 Based) and have had nothing but pleasure from it in regards to gaming and program/muti-tasking performance , there has been no match for this machine in my past , a lightning ground srike near our house took out the ethernet card on the motherboard of my machine ( and yes everything was disconnected ) , since I use this machine for business , gaming , paying bills , business & personal communication via e-mail it was important I get it online ASAP .
ASUS no longer makes the board as AMD no longer produces the Sever based processor and I could not afford to wait on the Warranty repair from ASUS to have my machine back , I did much searching and found that I could get the board new but it cost over $300 which is in my opinion ridiculous price gouging on the behalf of those who have the boards brand new , so I found I could get the board as a "Remanufactured" board thru a variety of retailers .
The search began again not only for the retailers but for the retailer with the apparently best reputation , Monarch Computer Systems Inc. continued to come up again and again in my search and most of all as a reputable company and distributor.
I finally decided that overwhelmingly Monarch Computer Systems Inc was the one but I wanted to make one more call , I called ASUS themselves and spoke to 3 of their Tech's in reference to my choice , I mentioned Monarch Computer Systems Inc to each of them in my discussion of making my final choice and each knew of Monarch Computer Systems and spoke very highly of the company and their history with them and with the consumers they had serviced via the ASUS products that Monarch sold for them , new and remanufactured , not only did Monarch Computer Systems solve my problem by supplying the Reman Board for me they also processed the order and shipped the board in record time coparing other sources I have used , I got the board in 3 days , Incredible !!!!
I am posting this review using that same board that I purchased from them and have had no problem at all with it and my other board is on its way to ASUS for warranty repair so i will have a spare next time , hope there is not a next time for lighting like this one !!!
I would reccomend Monarch Computer Systems Inc. to anyone who is looking for superior service , highly knowledgeable staff and most of all ......everyone I spoke with were very nice and answered all my questions without any commitment from me to buy they still took time to help me , you just don't find people like that anymore and I am glad I found them , professional and pleasant rarely come in one package but these guys got it people . "

"Promised order in two days for pickup. Monarch charged my credit card immediately. After four days and no parts, I cancelled my order and asked for refund. As of 7-19, no refund after several requests and promises. Hateful attitudes and lousy customer service. "

"Please be aware that the customer service at Monarch Computer is spotty at best. Nearly six weeks ago I made an order for a case that cost nearly 200 dollars. Within an hour I had canceled the order, and their system showed that my order was canceled the next day. My card was charged anyway, and as of yet I have not been able to receive a refund for the money. I have called twice and both times received a friendly guarantee that the issue would be resolved within a week, and each time nothing occurred.

I know most people have had positive experiences with this company but mine has been less than pleasant so far.

Edit: Shortly after posting this I received a call from a Monarch representative informing me that he had read this review, and was concerned. He told me that he would do everything he could to push my refund through, and I had the refund by the end of the day. Thanks guys, but I don't think this should have have happened in the first place. I appriciate the effort though."

"The Saga:

MAY 8 - Order cpu/mobo combo (tested! great!) and video card. Web page claims video card needs molex connector for $8.95. I buy it. Turns out, it is not needed. After placing order, but before it is shipped, I decide I want a better video card. Call customer service to ask to replace the card with a higher-priced card. "Sorry!" "But I'm trying to give you more money?" "Sorry, that's our policy." Umm, OK.

Order arrives, the video card is physically broken. RMA the card, receive replacement card. I pay for replacement so that it can be shipped immediately. Refund takes three weeks. Funny, doesn't take them three weeks to charge the card.

After receiving replacement card, I can now put together my machine. Put combo in system, won't boot with two memory modules. After messing about and getting replacement memory (Kingston customer service spectacular by comparison), finally get it to work. After a few days, constant lock-ups, hard drive file systems corrupted. After extensive testing and narrowing problem to either CPU or mobo, RMA combo to Monarch.

JUNE 7 - Monarch receives the RMA combo.

JUNE 13- Monarch states they cannot find problem with combo. I agree to have it shipped back so I can test further.

JUNE 16- get combo back. System crashed immediately after install. Hard disks corrupted. Get another RMA.

JUNE 21- Ship RMA back to Monarch with a detailed list of testing I've done.

JUNE 28- Monarch receives combo.

JULY 7- call Monarch. My combo was checked in July 5. Testing has not started yet.

JULY 12- Not a peep from Monarch. Request status on RMA on web page. No response. No answer on toll-free number, message box full.

JULY 14- Still no response from Monarch. E-mail helpful tech I spoke with previously, he promptly e-mails back and informs me CPU is bad (didn't they already test this CPU twice?), and they are testing board with new CPU. Combo should be sent early next week, barring problems.

JULY 18 -today. They've had my board for three weeks now, other than the response to my e-mail I haven't heard a peep.

*UPDATE* JULY 21 - After figuring out that BOTH the CPU and motherboard were bad, ship me a replacement. I thought they tested the combo before they sent it to me the first time? The second time?

BOTTOM LINE: Customer service is lousy. E-mails go unanswered, RMA status requests go unanswered, customer service is often unreachable by phone.

I'm on my third RMA, and this time they've had the combo for three weeks. Have they done anything to try to make me happy? Have they even said "sorry for the delay and for the problems you are having with the 'tested' combo?" That would be a "No."

The people I spoke with were nice enough, but everything takes too long and no one is authorized to do anything other than go strictly by company policy, which is anything but customer-friendly.

This was my first and last purchase from Monarch. I'm one of those people who is the "computer guy" and is asked by family, friends and co-workers for recommendations when they buy computers and parts. My experience will cost Monarch thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales. My entire office will need new computers soon. Guess where we definitely won't be getting them? "

"I wish I visited this site before I ordered!!!

I was very dissatisfied with this supplier, however, after venting my issues “Sterling” at Monarch Computers called me and is working very hard to resolve my problems. There was a lack of communication (The CPU I ordered with my Combo Unit was not available and no one notified me). However, they are working with me to resolve the issue and, after all is said in done, I should end-up with a better system than I ordered for the same price.

I’ll let you know what the outcome is.
"