"I am very happy with my Monarch Computers order and the people I talked to were all great too"
"I bought some geek shirts at a heavily discounted price. If you're a computer geek then you need to have the threads to prove it. Fast shipping and a great company to deal with. I bought a PCI-E BFG 6800GT from them a while back and it was exceptional as well."
"Wow! Free stuff, including one of the best games, with a very competitive price on an AMD CPU/motherboard combo. This makes this deal worth much more than any other competitor. They even upgrade the motherboard with the latest BIOS for FREE! That is worth some $ there too. Very pleased to have received the combo within 7 days of placing the order online.
Purchased a screaming AMD 3700+ Venice core CPU, having a 1 Meg L2 cache, and Abit K8N Ultra motherboard, which will make of an even faster upgrade in the near future to a dual core AMD processor."
"Monarch Computers is excellent! Shipping is fast and if you can find it, the deals are there! i'd buy from them again without a doubt. The only thing was that the motherboard combo maker (something other sites need) doesn't have ALL boards available for gamers who want the latest.. It's ok though."
"This is a tale of the GOOD, the BAD, and the NOT-SO-UGLY....but not in that order....
First, the BAD:
Monarch Computer Systems REQUIRES that your shipping address be a registered address with your credit card company. This is the first reseller that has REQUIRED this. Billing address is not enough...the shipping address HAS TO BE ON FILE with your credit card company. If it is not, they will send you a nice little email...over and over...and in my case, call...to inform you of the fact. Do yourself a favor and add your shipping address to the credit card you use BEFORE you make a purchase from Monarch Computer Systems. It will save you a headache.
I was not privy to this little tid-bit of information prior to making my purchase of a AMD Opteron 165 on Thursday, December 22nd. On Friday, December 23rd...while in the middle of moving (moving on Christmas weekend...ugg...but that is another story)...from a pleasant lady explaining that I would need to register my shipping address with my credit card company and that if I did it right away, she would be able to process my order that day (Friday). I immediately called my credit card company and registered my shipping address (my work address...much easier to receive items here as I am here to sign for them).
Welp, I moved throughout the Christmas weekend...had no internet connection at my new residence (until last night), so I was a bit surprised and, frankly, a little peeved that when I got to work on Tuesday, I had not 1, not 2, but 3 emails explaining to me that I had to register my shipping address with my CC company. One was dated Friday morning...no worries...probably BEFORE the nice lady called me...however, the next was dated SATURDAY...and the final email was dated TUESDAY MORNING AT 7:45AM...Houston...WE HAVE A PROBLEM. I called my credit card company and asked if there was ad additional address registered on file, and there was...so my phone call to my CC company on Friday DID register and the shipping address IS on file...next, it's time to respond to the emails...
On to the NOT-SO-UGLY:
After some banter back and fourth via email, getting nowhere, I decided to phone. The very nice lady I spoke with on the phone informed me that the other nice lady I had spoken to was not there (at lunch) but assured me that she would deal with my situation immediately upon her return. I told her I feld that I should get free overnight shipping as the delay was their error. After a short time on hold, I was informed that I had been OKed for "2 day air" instead of overnight. I dropped the "ResellerRating.com" website name and the fact that I would be writing this review, and she told me that 2nd day air was the best she could do. So be it. The whole time she was very pleasant to talk with. I received a confirmation later that day which, in fact, stated "2nd day air"....so it was a HUGE surprise to me that the next morning I received an email from FedEx informing me that my OVERNIGHT package would be here that day!! They had, indeed, shipped it OVERNIGHT! Bravo Monarch Computer Systems for making good on your error!
Now...to THE GOOD:
$278.33 out the door for an Opteron dual core 165 chip is pretty spiffy if I do say so myself. I have yet to install it so I can not comment on it's performance.
The customer service reps are very nice and English is their primary language! It is so nice to be able to speak to a CSR and know that everything I am saying is being understood, and even better, everything they say to me I can understand!
Finally, they made good on their error...which doesn't happen so often these days with such low profit margins! With the free overnight upgrade, I am sure these folks actually LOST MONEY on my purchase...and yet the still did it to compensate for an error on their part...that is very telling of a company. I am comfortable recommending this company for your computer purchases. I have a feeling that my issue with them was somewhat isolated and that my future purchases will go smoothly. "
"A fairly good company that likes to spam you to rate them. Yes it bugs!
Great Products at a Great price.
Ordered an Enermax Power supply. It arrived very fast and packaged well.
I did call Monarch and they answered the phone and the question very quickly and efficiently.
To bad I called the wrong company, they were very nice about it too.
"
"I am happy to say that I decided to buy my Christmas Gift for my brother from Monarch Computers and they came through with flying colors. Not only did they get my hot new video card but also got my brother's OCZ with the new heatspreaders to us in time for Christmas."
"Hello , I have been wanting a custom built computer for awhile now since thay dont come with a bunch software i dont need or ever use,and i had Monarch Computer build it for me. My salesman was by far the most polite ,patient and knowledgeable person i spoke with about having a system built for my needs.Everone i talk to ther treated me with respect. I also recived it on the day they said it would arrive, and that was 24-dec 2005. It is what i wanted and more. I am fortunate to have such a nice Computer custom built by Monarch, they did a great job.
I set it up on Christmas day and i had a question about one of the component's, I didnt want to mess up such a nice computer, so i called there 24-7 support line. I left a message for them to please call me, i really did not expect a return call being that it was Christmas day and all, but within minutes, a technician was calling me back. my question was answered and everything was taken care.He was very proud of Monarch Computers and the product they sell,he had no problems and the skill to get me back on my way. I would recommand Monarch Computers to anyone. They are a very porfessional and proud, of there product.
Sincerely a proud owner of a custom built computer by Monarch Computer.
Paul M."
"*Edit* within 6 hours of this posting, I received a phone call from a top manager at monarch. He explained to me about the problems and the reasons with my issues. This gentleman called me on his personal cell phone and on a day they were closed and he was at home. If this wasnt enough, we discussed each individual issue, and resolved at..incuding additional problems that I had not incuded here. I feel this gentleman has gained my trust back with this company. I cant think of any company who would go to such lengths to fix a wrong.In the end, I feel this is a company who is very trustworth and is upgrading their systems of operation with their growth and doing pretty efficent, all businesses have problems. I believe, I will be happy with any future transaction at Monarch Computer. Thanks to S!
To recap, I had probems with my intial order, mainly due to a software module, after many coversations and backlogs I recieved my order and are quite happy with the product.The initial customer service was very unsatisfying, but I now believe that to be from a growing standpoint of hiring new people. But, the followup service. Has been the best of ANYTHING i have ever purchased. I encourage anyone who buys please post a rating good or bad. Some companys tremendesly do care about their image and rating.
"
"Very good experience! Outstanding customer support and service. The only one company in my area I can trust. Thanks!"
"Items were as stated and at a competitive price. Shipping was on time, though not as fast as other vendors.
Web site navigation and presentation of merchandise could be better.
Over all a fine vendor."
"I ordered a custom built computer (for about 2k) back in October. After their customary 3-week wait, they kept coming up with excuses for further delay. After being fed up, I canceled the order and asked for my refund. To make a long story short, in addition to a 15% restocking fee for an order that was never delivered, I am still waiting for my refund 5 weeks after canceling my order. The excuses I have heard so far include "an employee made a mistake in processing the refund", "the only employee who processes your case is out to lunch", "we will call you back with the info for refund" (which they never do), etc. They even hang up the phone on me when I asked to speak to the manager. I have finally given up trying to talk to them and have decided to contact my credit card company and have been forced to contact a lawyer. BE VERY, VERY careful before placing an order. My feeling is that they use their low prices to lure people. I will never shop from Monarch again.
"
"I've purchased two High-end systems from Monarch. The quality is great, the price right, and customer service has been refreshingly responsive. I would buy here again and again."
"This was, hands down, the worst transaction I've ever had online. I'll never purchase from nor recommend this company to anyone.
Long story short, I paid over $2500 for a system on 10/30 and it's 12/21 and I still don't have it. The customer service is non-existant and they have a complete inability to communicate internally and externally. Here's a timeline:
10/30 - Ordered (billed same day)
11/4 - Followup e-mail, since I paid for 2-day and it's been 5, apology, half the order ships, rest is backordered
11/8 - Another e-mail, another apology, rest of order ships (pattern emerging)
11/10 - Order arrives
11/14 - RMA requested, bad MB
11/18 - RMA received
11/22 - Monarch receives RMA'd parts
11/28 - Another e-mail, another apology, they start work on the RMA
12/15 - After numerous e-mails and over a month, customer service says they might have handled this incorrectly and they'll look into the process
12/17 - New combo ships
12/20 - Combo arrives, missing parts, call to Monarch who says "We don't have those in stock, it'll be 10-14 days."
12/21 - Still don't have the PC I paid for 53 days ago.
These guys are horrible. I asked for a refund, was told I couldn't have one. I asked for daily status updates, was ignored. Called and asked to speak to a manager, was told "Call back in an hour..." Bad things happen, but these guys couldn't have done a worse job from day one.
UPDATE (12/27):
Less than a day after posting my original review, a senior manager called and left me a message about my order. We talked a couple times the next day, and he promised me an overnight delivery of the reaminder of my order along with a "gift box" for my trouble (swag, couple MSFT games, etc...). He also offered a discount on a future order. While none of this necessarly changes my outlook on Monarch or my unhappiness with my experience, I'm grateful to him for the effort he put in and for finally, after 59 days, getting my order completed. He was the lone bright spot in this process, and it's a shame that it took so long to get him involved. I'm definitely glad I found this review site, since it got more reaction than all of my phone calls and e-mails combined! Keep up the good work, resellerratings.com."
"I have been a regular MonarchComputer customer for 2 years now. All my orders have been hassle free from the start, they are one of the few sellers that will deliver to GUAM. "