"Around 12/10/2009
Well, I guess since I have written favorable reviews about Velocity Micro (herein after referred to as VM) in the past, I should write when things go bad too. A little over 7 months ago I received a new computer system from VM, a company that I have purchased systems from several times before. This new system has not worked right for a single day. Not one day! I have had phone support try to resolve the issues & techs sent out to my home to try to fix things, all to no avail. The tech they sent replaced my main hard drive twice, reloaded Windows three times, I think (once he reloaded the wrong version leaving me to reinstall it), and none of this has worked.

Now, the biggest problem has actually been getting support. Suddenly it is like no one is there to answer the phones. I was given a specific person to contact, but getting this person by phone has proven next to impossible. I send them emails letting them know when they can reach me, but get no response for days or weeks, if at all.

I do not understand what has happened to what I used to consider the best computer support in the industry. With my older systems, if I had a problem I would call, get through to a tech almost immediately, and get my problem(s) solved. Now, you are lucky if you get off hold. I have all but given up on ever getting this system working. It is just a flat out lemon that is almost unsupported by the builder, even when I paid extra for their so called “Velocity Care” support.

I sent an email to Randy Copeland, the President of VM yesterday explaining the situation, but have not received a reply from him.

Think long and hard about buying from VM, as it seems they have lost their way and succumbed to cost cutting measures that have left service terribly under, or at least incompetently staffed. I hope they get it together and get back to being the best in the business again before they lose it all. For the price, the customer deserves much, much more.

Additional Info 5/16/2010
I have never heard from Randy Copeland and my system still does not work properly. I finally broke down and paid $130 for a Windows 7 upgrade (I was overcharged $15 and still have not received a credit by the way!). After the upgrade (around 1/21/2010) I waited a month or so to see what, if any, problems had been corrected by the upgrade. Over a few months I observed that yes, some of the problems had been miraculously repaired by the upgrade! Hoorah! I have since sent two emails to VM requesting support for the remaining issues and have received no response after waiting over a week (from the date of my most recent email (5/8/2010).

Calling them on the phone results in just sitting on hold until I give up, and hang up.

I just do not get it. Two years ago support was not an issue with VM. I am not looking to destroy this company, or make an enemy of them. I am just at my “wit’s end” and cannot in good conscience continue to allow my previous high ratings for this company to stand.

Get it together Velocity Micro! Or beware the end of your business!

"

"This is my second purchase from this company. Overall another good experience. A couple glitches this time though. Went to install another optical drive and the 3 sets of additional drive rails in the bottom of the case were missing. Phoned the company, they're shipping them next day. If you order a "VX" case, be aware that the charcoal selection is not black as the picture depicts, rather a I don't know what color it is. Maybe a dark putty gray? I was somewhat displeased by this as I was expecting a black case as was advertised, but as this is my main system, I can't afford to send it back and upgrade to the Lian Li or Coolermaster. 1st purchase was rated 10 of 10, I'd have to give this one a 7 based upon the case issue. Good components w/ good wiring and good airflow design. Will purchase from them again, I'll just make sure of my case color next time."

"I purchased a Dell PC for my son about four months ago. I didn’t realize until after I received it that their service organization has become virtually nonexistent which is now built upon inexperienced, often foreign-speaking technicians who rely on a written playbook to diagnose problems rather than using their minds and pure experience. But enough about Dell… you can read my full review if you go to Dell on this website. So when I decided to buy my daughter her own PC, I decided this time to shop around. I first relied on reviews on CNET and advertisements in PC magazines to at least give me the names of PC companies. I then spent probably 2-3 hours per day for a full month reading about and perusing the websites of Alienware, Hypersonic, iBuyPower, Polywell, CyberPower, ABS, eMachines, Falcon Northwest, Monarch, PC Progress, and others, virtually none of which I had heard of prior to my research. I really started having fun and was able to easily compare very similar systems for price. I first decided on ABS Computers because of their robust selection of components and very competitive prices. But even though their ResellerRatings.com rating is admirable, there were still plenty of negative reviews from people who were simply not satisfied with the product or the service they received during or after the sale. I didn’t want to take the chance that I might become a part of that disgruntled group of buyers, even though it was a small percentage. Velocity Micro, on the other hand, had a perfect record of positive reviews and a 9.95 overall score. Their prices weren’t the lowest, but the system I eventually bought cost about $200 less than a similar – though not as good – PC would have been from Dell, whose rating on ResellerRatings.com is a dismal 3.59.

Having decided on Velocity Micro, I called to see what kind of people worked there. I first spoke with Chip who was completely unpushy and gave me information about all sorts of options and the differences between them. When I told him I could get a similar machine from ABS Computer for a couple of hundred dollars less, I asked him why I should buy from Velocity Micro. He told me about the care that is taken in building each machine, and the level of support I could expect after the sale. Then he told me to read Velocity Micro’s web page which explains how they build, configure, and test their PCs. That web page did it. Perhaps some other companies followed a similar process, but none explained it as well as Velocity Micro did. (Here’s the URL: http://velocitymicro.com/assembly.php). A few days later I called to order the PC. This time I got Andy on the phone. Since the salesfolk don’t work on commissions, I ordered my PC with Andy. I spent a half hour talking about my components, asking some questions and modifying my order slightly as I heard Andy’s recommendations. Perhaps the biggest surprise was when I was told the shipping cost -- $27! True, it didn’t include a monitor, but this was surely the lowest price I found anywhere. The next day I needed to call back because I had some reservations about some of the components and was thinking of upgrading. This time I got Randy, who was equally helpful and a delight to work with. It was only later that I found out that Randy is the president of the company. In fact, it seems that all of the staff at Velocity Micro is virtually interchangeable. They’re all articulate, interested in you, not your money, knowledgeable, and professional. More importantly, there doesn’t appear to be a separation of sales vs. tech support staff because when I called about a technical question after receiving the PC, I got Chip on the phone – the same person I had spoken to initially when I had requested sales help. I wouldn’t be surprised if this same sales/tech support staff spends part of their days building and testing the PCs. As of 4/21 I've called tech support twice, got thru in about 30 seconds, and got my problems resolved instantly!

What else can I add? I’ve never had to wait more than 30 seconds to get a live body. Their phone menu prompts are limited to “sales” and “tech support.” You never know when the president of the company will answer your call. Everyone is a professional. All e-mails I sent were answered that day or the next morning at the latest. All the manuals and all the original CDs are included in a binder. And Velocity Micro also provided a 2-CD image backup (which uses Norton Ghost) of the original C drive configuration in case you wanted or needed to restore to the way the PC was shipped. E-mails about delivery were sent frequently with a direct link to the UPS website for order tracking. Naturally, I’m extremely satisfied with my decision to go with Velocity Micro. In short, it’s a great company with great people. If you’re wondering, I definitely DO NOT work for the company, and I hereby authorize Velocity Micro to release my e-mail address or phone number to anyone calling the company interested in speaking with me about my experience. Thanks once again.


"

"After researching vendors other than the bigboys (Dell, Gateway, etc.), I decided on Velocity, based largely on this review site, but also on their own site. Some of the others LOOKED a bit cheap. Although Velocity has some very pricey hardware, their Vector line offers an attractive box at a reasonable price with quality components. I priced a similarly configures rig (P4 2.8, 1 G high speed RAM, 128 MB Invidia T4200, dvd rom, cdrw, XP Pro, Office XP Pro) with Voodoo, and it was $1,200 more!!! I know Voodoo offers a great product, but what the heck?

The order process was very professional. I look forward to a smooth transaction, and will update this review periodically.

4/30/03

I called Velocity on 4/23/03, exactly 16 days after place my order. This was the lead time suggested on their website. Like clockwork, I was told that my computer was ready and packed for shipment on 4/24. I received an e-mail on 4/24 with a nifty link to UPS that allowed me to track it with literally 2 clicks. 4/29 was the scheduled delivery date.

Just to make sure that it would arrive at work on 4/29, I drove my wife's new Mini Cooper to work. There was (barely) enough room for the substantial box. The box itself looked remarkably well preserved, especially for UPS.

Everything was well packed. I opened everything in my dining room and laid it out. I hooked up everything (cables, power supply, keyboard, mouse) in about 5 minutes, after spending 10 - 15 minutes reading the manual for the computer and mouse. I selected a Logitech Wireless mouse/keyboard, very cool.

I pressed the button and it came to life in a hurry. I don't think it was more than 20 seconds from when I pushed the power button to where the Windows XP welcome screen was ready for me. Amazingly quiet, too.

Only problem was the mouse and keyboard. Without the software loaded for it, it would not function. I ended up shutting down, attaching a conventional keyboard and mouse, restarting, loading the software, shutting down, reattaching the wireless units, and restarting. Needless to say, the wireless mouse/keyboard are sweet. Even with the wireless hiccup, a 1/2 hour from box to oening Excel for the first time.

As for the machine, it is BIG, much bigger than I expected. My how they have grown in the 6 years since I last bought one. Well mede, sleek and attractive, very quiet and extremely fast. The documentation is not overdone, but my goal is to never have to use it. Push the power button and go.

So far, I am very pleased with Velocity Micro. I'll update in a month or so, after I've played with it fr a while...."

"I purchased a Gamers Edge System from Velocity Micro after initially placing an order with Alienware and cancelling it.

Velocity Micro delivered the PC as promised, and it has been running flawlessly since I got it (and I have been running it 24/7 with a distributed computing application running in the background).

Their customer service is outstanding, I got through right away when I called to check the status of my order, and they have always responded quickly when I emailed them a question. In fact, I even emailed them about a month after I got the PC and asked about the LED fan that was supposed to be part of the Zalman CPU cooler (my order specified that it was a Red/Blue LED fan), and asked why mine appeared to be only blue. (To me this was a minor thing, but I wanted a clor that contrasted with the blue cold cathode lights I asked for). After a couple of emails exchanged, they just sent me a replacement fan for the cooler free of charge (without having to fiddle with returning the old one)! I thought this was a terrific example of great customer service, and this experience showed me that I made the right decision by cancelling my Alienware order (they have what has to be the worst customer service in the industry).

It was truly a smooth experience. Their phone techs/customer service people are very friendly, and I got the sense that they have just a few people who man the phones (and they all speak perfect english - unlike the folks at Alienware).

Bravo Velocity Micro! I wish them the best in their future operations."

"I have just received my Gaming Machine this week from Velocity Micro. My dealing with the staff Randy and Chip has been a great experience. They helped me in designing a very competitive system for on-line gaming at a lower cost then I expected. I would highly recommend this company to anyone wanting a high end system at a fair price Believe me I have looked into all of the big companies i.e. Alienware, Falcon and Velocity systems run beside or exceed competitors benchmarks, oh and the money you save well it is a no brainer which to buy. You want customer service and a quality system, look no further."

"The purchase went smoothly and the computer was shipped on the date promised. After about 3 weeks I experienced some hardware problems, and Velocity Micro immediately shipped the replacement parts. What particularly impressed me was that although I experienced these problems on the Presidents Day holiday, and Richmond was snowed in at the time, I was still able to get prompt and courteous service."

"Great service - fantastic system. Follow up support is excellent. And oh yeah - very very fast system.

- JP"

"An excellent machine, which came to me after a good purchasing experience."

"VM handled my purchase very professionally. They didn't even mind changing my order once or twice after I had already submitted it via web."

"I was really pleased with the entire process of buying my computer. The sales staff helped me choose the right components and made me feel confident that I was dealing with knowledgeable people. The components used in my PC are top-grade and were clearly assembled with care. The system has been rock-solid reliable for the 5 months I've been using it. I can't imagine why anyone would buy a "one-size-fits-all" system from one of the major manufacturers when a quality company like Velocity Micro exists."

"It took a little while to get the order through (though it was stated by them in a very upfront manner that the process could take up to 3 weeks). They didn't run over that alotted time though, and since the system's gotten here, it's been trouble free. It's all been well put together. The first thing I did was take the old auxilliary drive out of my old computer (w/ all my data, music, etc) and dropped it in the new machine. I was happy to open the case and find that all of the wiring and assembly was very professionally and neatly done.

As far as stability and performance go, everything's been great. As I type this I've been up and running for 31 days and some change, without a single shutdown or reboot. This is considering that I play processor intensive first person games such as quake III, UT 2k3, and Mafia, all cranked up to full or nearly full detail levels. I've had no problems at all running these things. Most of the time I don't even bother closing Mozilla (multiple tabs open) or winamp before I play. Sure, the system's fairly high end (athlon xp 2100+, 512 mb of RAM), but performance is quite solid and consistent, even with those specs considered.

After my experience, and reading the experiences of other users on this board, I woudn't hesitate to recommend them to others.

As a side note, they are competitively priced for what they offer. I priced systems of the same performance level throught Dell and Alienware, and Velocity beat them both, hands down."

"velocity micro did a wonderful job for my speakers. i would recommend them to anybody for efficient and extremely dedicated service. i now trust them with all my computer needs.
"

"I was very pleased with my purchasing experience. From research to ordering to shipment notification to follow-up, very professionally done."

"I was ready to purchase a new PC as my old one had been acting very strangely. I browsed various vendors on the WEB and looked at a number of custom builders and compared various models and the features. Velocity had the best set of options available and the prices were as good or better than any of the other custom builders. They did an excellent job of setting up the new PC, and there were just a couple of small problems with some missing items in the shipment, but their support was outstanding and very prompt. I would recommend Velocity to anyone looking for a quality machine at reasonable prices."