"Great product, great service. Purchased Sager 9280 and it is a high quality and very fast notebook. Also very quiet when doing normal computing. I will buy all of my future notebooks from Donald Stratton at PN. Very satisfied."

"Great customer service. I already knew what I wanted before ordering from powernotebooks.com, but I called them anyway to confirm that my order would arrive before I went out of town. They confirmed that my specific laptop and processor were in stock and would ship in time, but promised to call me for an alternate shipping address if there was a delay. As it turns out, there was no delay: my new laptop shipped exactly when they said it would and arrived in plenty of time to take on the plane with me."

"Purchase details:
PowerPro P 12:15 (discontinued), 15.4" WSXGA+ screen, Core 2 Duo P8700, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD @ 7200 RPM, Bluetooth, Windows 7 Ultimate 64 (upgrade from 7 RC installed over Vista.) 3-yr warranty, lifetime tech support. At the time of the purchase, I could not find another configuration from another reseller that beat these specs and support for the same price.

The ordering process was pain-free. I communicated with Donald several times via email and phone before and after I placed my order and he was always happy to answer any questions I had, however mundane they may have been.

There were no major problems with payment; PN processed and charged my CC within a day of placing the order. It took about a week to build and ship and another week to reach me in MO from CA; I had my computer just over two weeks from when I ordered it.

The computer arrived exactly as specified and is mostly running smoothly at 11 months, with one notable exception, detailed below. At the time of my purchase, PN guaranteed only top-shelf brands for RAM (Corsair, Crucial, Kingston) and HDD (WD, Seagate), though their website no longer specifies that.

UPDATE: A hardware glitch resulted in my first major issue with PN. My computer had a hardware glitch which caused it to stop charging itself even when plugged in, eventually shutting itself down and refusing to turn on when the battery hit 0%. After temporarily resolving itself, sort of, the problem returned, requiring an RMA under my warranty. I shipped the computer off to their factory and within a week they had completed the repair; I even asked them not to do another, unrelated minor fix so that I could get my computer back sooner, as I'm a student and this happened at a busy time in the semester when I need my computer the most. Up to this point, I had no issues with the warranty process.

PN requests that you specify your desired return shipping address on the RMA info form you include when sending a computer off for repairs. I had originally had the computer sent to my home address when I bought it, but I needed it sent to my school after the repairs, so I put that address on the form. Unfortunately, somebody in the factory did not read the form carefully enough, and the computer was sent to my home, where it was useless to me. PN instructed UPS to reroute the shipment to my school (happily, no one could sign for it so it could still be rerouted!) but I still received it 48 full hours later than expected--not a minor consideration, since, as I have already noted, I really needed my computer at that time.

The error was a simple one but also a significant one, so I contacted PN to see how they could make things right. I communicated with Donald by email, who eventually decided the error was in fact on their end and offered me a 3 month extension to my warranty and a discount on a future battery or AC adapter, which I consider a more than fair offer. Also, as usual, Donald et al. were extremely polite and professional in the process, though I was unable to talk with Donald himself about the issue over the phone despite several requests.

I am disappointed that such a simple-yet-huge mistake could and considered reducing PN's rating for it; after all, I did stop them from performing another possibly useful repair just so I could get my computer back sooner, only to lose the time anyway due to their mistake. However, the company handled the situation almost as well as I could have asked for and given my prior experiences in purchasing the computer, I still feel that this is a five-check company on balance. And I will still look to them first in buying computers in the future. They are not infallible, as my story shows, but they handle incidents well--perhaps because they have so few of them!--and are still a much better company to shop and buy from than any major computer manufacturer."

"PowerNotebooks was a great place for me to find and purchase my laptop. Everything was easy to find on the site, and customizing my laptop was a breeze. The support people were really helpful, I liked how they talked to you one on one, instead of pre-written junk that I have seen before. The laptop didn't take forever to get here either, plus the laptop was amazing for its price. All in all I enjoyed my experience with PowerNotebooks and plan to shop there if I even need a laptop again!"

"Both Donald and Tim were very helpful on the phone. Donald even began chatting about the other parts of the computer to make sure everything was going to work for me. The main reason I choose PowerNotebooks over other resellers was because of the excellent phone support. (No wait time either.)

I ordered the laptop and later that night Donald called me to not only confirm my order but to let me know that if I was planning on upgrading to Windows 7, I could wait a day and get a discount.

The laptop shipped a day ahead of their quoted time and I received the laptop in the time Donald said it would take. The laptop arrived with no problems and I received my spare battery that was on back-order shortly after.

This is one of the best computer companies I have ever done business with. I would highly recommend them to others with no reservations."

"Superb service and product. Computer arrived on time and in perfect condition with everything assembled exactly as specified. Highly competent, prompt tech support before and after purchase. I've dealt with numerous custom builders in the last 25 years, and none of them can match the products and service of PowerNotebooks. They're the best in all respects. "

"I must say that I was hesitant about buying from a site that I hadn't heard of before. I've always wanted to be able to touch what I'm buying. But after receiving excellent support from Donald Stratton, I felt much more secure about buying from PowerNotebooks.com. The laptop (a Sager np2096) did take longer than I expected to arrive (3 weeks), but the finished product was incredible. Everything about the laptop was what I expected and more, from the installation of hardware to the meticulous securing of the laptop in its box. So all I can say is two big thumbs up for what I've received, and I plan on using PowerNotebooks.com every time I want a new laptop."

"Powernotebooks has been an absolute pleasure to do business with. My order was shipped quickly and it arrived with no problems. The price-per-performance of Powernotebooks easily goes unrivaled. Donald has done everything necessary, and much more, to make sure that my purchase went as smoothly as possible. Even after receiving my laptop, he still seemed to show interest in how I was enjoying my new laptop, if I had any problems or questions, and if he could do anything that would help me. Overall, I could not have asked for a better laptop-buying experience. I have just been converted to a PNB customer for life.

Thanks, PNB!"

"It was a rare treat to experience such a high level of customer service. Donald contacted me personally to review the details of my order, and his shipping team contacted me to make suggestion about the shipping address I provided in order to ensure my package was not delayed. And as for the computer - it arrived exactly as described, and without issue. I highly recommend this company to anyone considering purchasing a computer."

"So far, so good! I just received my Sager NP8662 Gaming Notebook from PowerNotebooks.com a couple of days ago. Thus far, I am quite satisfied with my new machine- frankly, I would say flat out that I am happy and excited with it, but for my lawyerly caution.
I appreciate the folks at PowerNotebooks.com for their assistance in getting me into a beautiful, high-performance notebook, their uniquely direct assistance arranging the Windows 7 upgrade certificate and for their pleasant and comprehensive customer service."

"Shipped really fast after all was said and done. Product arrived early and works great! Paying the company was actually way less stressful then it might look. Went it and deposited it and they received it and call me immediately! I will order from them in the future!"

"PowerNotebooks is a phenomenal laptop/desktop replacement seller. My entire purchase experience went smoothly, from having the opportunity to review my order with a sales advisor to having the same advisor follow up on the sale through email to ensure that everything was operating to my expectations. This type of customer service does not come around all the time, especially not in computers and technology. It was a refreshing change from the typical service which redirects you to no answer as I was always in contact with the same sales advisor who provided all relevent information to me as well as suggestions to my custom build. Highly recommended to anyone looking to buy a laptop. I will certainly return to PowerNotebooks for any future laptop purchases."

"I bought a PowerNotebooks from PowerNotebooks.com as a high school graduation present for my son. He wanted a good machine for playing games and use at college. The PowerNotebooks PowerPro P 15:3 Gaming Laptop is perfect. We both love it.

With the PowerPro P15:3 it was easy to find the sweet spot for upgrades from the basic system like the CPU, memory and hard drive. I was able to make these choices on my own but I'm sure the good people at www.PowerNotebooks.com like Donald Stratton will be morethan happy to help you do the same.

We dual boot installed the latest version of
Ubuntu and Windows7 RC. We even installed Ubuntu first, then Windows7 RC and fixed up the Linux
grub dual boot program, to get Ubuntu back. Not as bad as it sounds.

A great machine.

Lou"

"I don't enjoy writing long comments, so I'll make it short. The company is surely one of the best notebook resellers out there, the contact was great, shipment fast, got great value for a fair amount of money. If I were to order a notebook ever again, it would surely be Powernotebooks!"

"The majority of reviews posted on this website pertain to the purchasing experience of Power Notebook customers. This review is about my service experience from Power Notebooks.

After owning my notebook for 2½ years, I shipped it to Power Notebooks Service Dept to be serviced. I have Powernotebooks.com 3 year warranty. The overall experience was less than pleasant. My notebook was in service for almost 2 months. The bottom line – when the computer was returned it worked, but, my notebook LCD cover came back from their service dept scratched and dented.

Prior to shipping, I took pictures of my notebook which clearly shows that there was no damage to my LCD cover prior to sending it to their service dept. Power Notebooks Tech Support Dept suggests that an owner take photos of their notebook prior to shipping it to service and I did just that.

When my notebook was returned, I opened the shipping box and immediately discovered scratches and dents to my LCD cover. I called Tech Support to report this damage. I emailed 6 before and after photos placing arrows pointing to the damaged areas of my LCD cover.

After waiting nearly 2 months for my notebook, and then, receiving it damaged, I am very disappointed. Next, I receive a request for more photos. Instead of Power Notebooks taking care of the damage, my photos are now being called into question.

At this point, Donald Stratton emails me. He states I sent my notebook with pre-existing damage. I am accused of providing pictures of everything except the damaged area and manipulating my photos to prove my claim. Donald suggests I send more un-manipulated photos of the LCD cover or abandon my claim.

I write Donald that I stand by my before photos indicating that there was no damage to my notebook LCD cover prior to shipping it to his repair facility. I had no more photos. At this point, I feel that it is useless to pursue my claim. But, I wanted to obtain information to get my LCD cover replaced.

I email Donald making one last request of him. I asked him for the name and phone number of a repair facility where I could have my LCD cover replaced at my own expense. His response was “I might try Googling for a Compal HEL80 LCD cover and if I can find one, install it myself, or take it to a local qualified repair shop”. It surprises me that a company that specializes in computers for 10 years would be unable to provide me a referral to fix the problem.

After posting my review on Reseller Ratings, I receive another email from Donald. He says I am not addressing the issue at hand and continues to maintain that my before photos do not prove my case. He asks me why I would make a post “which is only going to make people shake their heads in disbelief and ask themselves is this guy really that dense”?

Next, I receive an email from Power Notebooks Tech Support Dept stating their factory service dept had completed their investigation and attached a visual form indicating my notebook LCD cover had scratches, dents and scuffs upon receipt. This visual inspection form was emailed to me after I posted my review at Reseller Ratings. It seems strange that after all of the events that I have just listed above, a handwritten visual inspection form would be sent to me. Included in this email was a denial of my claim.

The following day I received an email stating that I was trying to scam Power Notebooks. I was accused of cropping my photos and what I was doing constituted blackmail and would likely be “punishable as a federal crime – meaning that if they involved the FBI in this matter, that would be very bad news for you”.

I responded that my notebook cover was not scratched before I sent it in for repairs. I have my original photographs that the FBI may examine. I reiterated that I would replace my laptop LCD cover at my expense. I have no demands of Power Notebooks, I am not trying to scam or blackmail Power Notebooks. My claim was denied. I take them at their word.

The purpose of Reseller Ratings is to help buyers make educated purchasing decisions. The purpose of my Reseller Ratings review of Power Notebooks is to truthfully share my service experience with this merchant.

I had high expectations of Power Notebooks. My sales experience and the quality of their tech support is very positive. But, then, I was accused of bullying Power Notebooks into repairing the damage caused by their Service Dept. This is far from the truth. The above statements are backed-up by written email correspondences I have received.

Having Power Notebooks perform service to my notebook has been a very stressful experience for me. I will not be doing business with Power Notebooks again. I hope that no other person will have to go through the issues and problems that I have encountered with PowerNotebooks.com

This review supersedes my review dated 7-1-09.
"