"Do not buy from this company !! The product is good but after that your nothing. Customer support does not exist. I had a problem with the laptop I purchased and my e-mails (20 or more) were totally ignored and phone calls is a laughing matter. They WILL NOT return your calls. I repeat, DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!! There are way to many top notch businesses to deal with."
"**EDIT: The overall rating that I have for VPC is still a 7.5/10.
-Packaging: Definitely well-insulated. No signature signing was required upon home delivery.
-PC Analysis: My case was actually upgraded from the see-through side case to the Cooler Master case. This was fine by me, however, I REALLY was banking on having a titanium silver case (I know, I'm ridiculously vain), AND VPC didn't inform me of the upgrade. I was very impressed with the internal structure of the case--all professional wiring, nothing was broken, dented, unhooked, etc. None of the parts that I bought were swapped out for generic models, either, which was a real treat.
-Overall: I have a kick-ass PC, built *almost* to specification, and I'm sure that it will last me for QUITE a long time. Graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and the system is uber-fast. I'm moderately happy with what I got. =)
My rating for ViciousPC.com: 7.5/10
The Good:
-They have a very easy and coherent ordering system.
-The Customer Service Rep (I had Angela) will supply you with their actual phone number/extension so you can take any complaints/questions to a human instead of an automated phone tree.
-The phone line itself takes you to different extensions, instead of just one main line.
-The CSRs are very prompt in answering phone calls and emails.
-The ratings for ViciousPC are a helluva lot better than some other half-assed, lackwit companies out there (see my other review for ibuypower.com).
-They do not charge you until your entire PC is built, tested, and ready to ship. Personally, I was very pleased with this option, as my other experiences with the aforementioned fuckwit company now make me very protective of any eletronics purchases that I make.
-The shipping: If my Fedex notification email is correct, my box will arrive approximately 5 days after it was shipped from Pomona, CA. (This remains to be seen, but hey, fast shipping is fast shipping.) They provide you with Fedex tracking #'s for each transaction--as a result, it's easy to watch your box make its lonely trek across the world...
The Eh-kinda-good:
-Variety of parts: While the computer that I ordered is definitely a kick-ass rig, I wish that I could have had a few more choices of brand names for hard drives and such.
-Customization: Again, this could have some improvement. The colors that you can choose for the case/lighting are either red, black, blue, or silver--not much to 'em. However, I happen to be a red-silver person, so I was ok with the options.
-The price: Is actually pretty good for the parts that you put in your box.
-Construction of the actual PC: Yeah, they definitely took a lot longer than 10-15 business days to ship my box. My PC took almost a month and a week to make (ordered on 2/23/07, shipped 3/29/07)--they tacked on an extra week because a part wasn't in, but they told me immediately about what caused the delay. Overall, I would rather them be late but thorough in testing/building/shipping my box than shipping it out half-built.
-Customer service: Could use a little work. Angela was extremely polite and friendly, and again, she called me back every time that I left her a voicemail. She was also very willing to work out the issue w/ my bank (I had a $1,000 limit on my card, which I can only raise to $1,500 at certain times of the year). Twice I raised my bank account in the morning and asked Angela to charge my card--which she did--but she waited until the absolute last second to do it. I live on the East Coast, so when it's 1:30 p.m. in CA, it's 4:30 p.m. over here. Needless to say, the transaction didn't occur in time since she waited until bloody 1:25 p.m. to charge my card (twice, dammit), and I ended up using my father's credit card instead. Blergh.
Some tips for the would-be ViciousPC purchasee:
1.) Call, don't email them for questions about your purchase. The CSRs will glady answer your questions, but you have to call THEM. These guys handle tons of orders per day, and if you want them to consider you important, you must let them know what is important to you.
2.) Also, be firm with what information you want from them. I should have asked Angela to charge my card at a certain time instead of letting her wait until the last minute. It would have made things MUCH easier for both of us. Granted, I understood that she was extremely busy, but I emphasized to her numerous times that I only had a few chances to raise my limit.
3.) Don't expect the 10-15 business days. Expect more of about 3 weeks to a month for your order to process, be built, and then shipped.
Overall, this is not a bad company. My fiance also bought his PC from Vicious two years ago, and he bloody loves it. I may buy a laptop or something from here again, but in the meantime, I am very intrigued by Avadirect's 9/10 lifetime rating..."
"By far the worst customer service I've seen from a computer reseller. No one answers the 800 number, and no one returns messages left on their voicemail. They had my top-of-the-line machine for over two months to replace the motherboard. I've had it back for a week, and it's broken again. Extremely frustrated with the support on what is a great machine when it's working!"
"I purchased laptop on June 30th. They did get back to confirm the order almost immediately. I was impressed with this. They did say it would take two weeks because I wanted a custom paint job. No problem,I understood that. I called on the 15th on July to check on the status. They said that they were not going to ship it until the 25th of July. This upset me a little but I let it go. I called on the 26th to check and they said there was a paint problem and it needed to get re painted. When I asked when it would be done they needed to call the painter and get back to me which they did not within the hour they said but several hours later. They said it would be ready late last week. I checked again today called they again said that they needed to get back to me. I have now waited 5 and half weeks since the order and a full three weeks past the original time I was told it would be ready. I have been frustrated as a consumer can be.
That is the happy part. Now let me explain their customer service. Apart from the prompt order confirmation, Vicious PC has horrible customer service. When I call, I need to call 5 or 6 times in a row before a human answers the phone. I make sure it is west coast time and I have left messages. No one gets back on phone messages or e-mail. I have tried both and no luck. I have never been treated so poorly by a company before. I feel they don't want my money and order. I am very upset and would love to cancel the order but again I can't get a hold of anyone at Vicious. I am bummed because it seems people like their products. I would love to enjoy their products also. Please be aware of this when ordering with Vicious."
" Like so many others reviews I read on here, I did a good deal of research into the various gaming rig builders(alienware, maingear, falcon) and found them all to be highly over priced, even when they offer "Take xxx amound of dollars off your total for spending xxxx amount."
Checking the price of a computer put together by Vicious was within 100 dollars of what I would have paid for the quality of parts from online vendors. That being said, for a few dollars more, Vicious saved me the headache of putting the computer together, individual part failure, and the headache of waiting for parts to come at different time intervals.
I ordered my computer 15 days ago and am waiting for it to ship. Will leave an update once I get it in and check everything out. I did recieve the usual phone call to go over my order and confirm that I had indeed made said order. The only thing I find Vicious to be lacking is an updated ordering form so that you can see pictures of the actual parts you are ordering and it would be nice for a means of seeing what phase of ordering/construction/shipping your computer is at on the website."
"Ok, so i followed vicious pc for about a year really wanting to buy one of their pc's but didnt have the cash. Well i finally came around and decided to order a pc phantom. I did my research, alienware.. falcon.. voodoo.. all wayyyy overpriced for nothing.
so i modded the pc to my specifications for a few days debatin whether i needed which. i made up my mind and ordered my pc on 05/23/06 last month. they called me an hour later informing me the specific geforce 7900 gt at 550mhz was not in stock so i said id wait. about a week went bye still didnt have any in but i was in no rush. week and a half and that version is discontinued so i go for the virtually same 7900gt 520 mhz.
took them about a week to build, process, test and package my cpu. which i didnt mind as long as it was build well. they shipped it this past monday 06/05/06, sent tracking information, and it arrived today 06/09/05.
this machine is insanely well built, cabling and construction is very neat. runs like a dream completely amazed. all the cd, drivers, manuals, wires+parts all organized into the motherboard box. all packaged undamaged packaged safely, box has personal computer and fragile allover it.
games run amazing, only downsides are the basic keyboard is OK, personally will probably get a new one later, and instead of a free copy of farcry they sent tomb raider which i dont care much b/c those were just really to test the graphics for me and boy did they pass...
Highly recommend ordering from viciouspc, especially now since they got the hang of everything and know what their doing. if you order call a couple times each week to see how the status of ur cpu is. ill update if anything changes but i doubt it cuz this computers running excellent.
sincerely,
bek
P.S. - my viciouspc:
amd 64 3700+ 2.2ghz
asus a8n-sli 2000 motherboard
2gigs kingston dual channel memory
dual 160gig maxtor drives striped
256mb xfx geforce 7900 gt 520mhz 1.5ghz
nec and lg dvd-cd-rw drives
580watt ace power supply
viewsonic vg920
---------------------------------
* UPDATE *
---------------------------------
Well i love this compu ter theres nothin more u can say. Just bought battlefield 2 w/ expansion, and let me put it this way. All video mods set on high, full 1280x1024 res, runs flawless...
thinkn about even getn a second 7900 gt card just to take advantage of the SLi
if your unsure where to get a new gaming pc, and dont want to spend over 2 grand, this is the place, they just updated the site and prices too "
"The Vicious PC site tells you that the order will take 5-10 days to be processed, built, tested and shipped. It ended up taking longer (about three weeks until I was notified that it shipped). Not a big deal, I'd rather they take their time and make sure everything was right.
The only complaint I have about the time it took is that I was never notified that it was going to take longer. After 14 days I sent an email, I got a rather curt response telling me that they'd let me know when it shipped. Again, it isn't a big deal but it would have been nice if I'd been told it was going to take longer.
When the system finally arrived I was slightly dismayed to discover that the logitech G5 mouse wasn't included. I called Vicious and was told it would arrive the next day as it was shipped seperately. Not a big deal, I wouldn't have bothered calling if there had been a note included.
The system is beautiful with a clear side panel that shows how neatly it was wired. All the wires are wrapped together and there is a very cool neon light inside the case.
Is this thing on??? It is SO QUIET! It booted up perfectely (is is SO MUCH faster than my old system) with the Vicious PC logo as the background, very cool!
Here comes the test...I bought Battlefield 2 and FEAR and have been waiting to be able to play them. Both games are known to be system killers, monsters that you have to have a high-end rig to run at anything faster than a slideshow.
BF2 looks INCREDIBLE, I still can't believe how QUIET this system is. If it wasn't for the lights you'd never know it was even on.
I encountered a problem and had to call tech support. The 24 hour tech line is ALWAYS busy, I get the feeling it is one phone line for the whole country. Once California business hours came around I was able to speak with Jacky at Vicious. He got the problem straightened out in no time. It wasn't their fault at all, the problem lied with an external HD I have for backing up important files. Can't blame Vicious for that but they were still nice enough to help me out even though it wasn't the systems fault at all.
The only complaint I have is the 24 hour tech support is absolutely useless since the line is always busy. Since that is outsourced by Vicious PC it isn't their fault. In fact when I ordered the system Jacky at Vicious recomened that I didn't spend the extra few hundered dollars to extend the 24 hour tech support past the first year (first year is free). I get lifetime tech support from Vicious anyway. That was the deciding factor for me, it's rare that a company doesn't try to talk you into spending every possible dime. That made me believe that I could trust Vicious and so far I've been right!
I am VERY pleased with my system, so far everything is running smoothly and fast. BF2 and FEAR both look incredible.
I would recomend Vicious PC to anyone looking for a high-end rig at an affordable price.
"
"I bought this system for my wife and am now buyin g one for my self. The people at Vicious are great. They were all friendly and helpful. This is all on top of recieving a solid well built PC that screams for $1322 delivered. I would highly recomend this company, exelent value for the price. Actually one of the lowest priced system builder using top quality parts. "
"I've decided to do business with Vicious because I've contacted several online vendors, and Vicious was the first (and only actually) to respond to my questions. I was contacted by a man named Jacky who was a lot of help, and answered any further questions I had promptly. I finally put in my order yesterday, I will update when i get my system. So far however, I am pleased with the promptness of Jacky and the ViciousPC staff to answer customer concerns :)
update: 4/21
I got the system yesterday, and I have to say I'm pleased with it. I got a great system for a very fair price, and it was everything I expected it to be. The case is really cool looking, and the wiring job on the inside is very organized and well done. The ViciousPC staff have been helpful throughout to answer the questions I had during the process, I would recommend them to anyone who would be interested in buying a good gaming system without having to break the bank. ViciousPC has been a pleasure to do business with and I plan to do business with them in the future when I'm in need of a new system."
"I have had my computer for over a month now & I love it. So far everything is running great. I must say I was a little leary when I figured out the company was smaller than I originally thought but the product is very good and for the first week I am sure I drove them nuts because before I got the computer I had downloaded the newer version of my antivirus/firewall with my old computer and when my new computer came I installed it off the cdr I had it on not knowing it was infected with a virus, I immediately started having problems & thought it was the new computer I called Jacky several times in a state of panic but once it was figured out what was wrong & fixed I have had no problems since & Jacky was extremely patient with my freaking out. Very pleased, my whole family likes it and are so glad we don't have our crappy Dell anymore!"
" The ordering went really smooth. Got a better price than all other gaming laptops out there. The selection, quality, 10% off, free shipping and free carry case is what really sold me.
Laptop came exactly as I ordered it. Really high quality product. They didn't load it up with alot of usueless software. Came with all Windows/drivers/program discs. Loved everything!!!!
I WOULD like to make a couple recommendations to ViciousPc though;
1. It took about 30 days to receive my laptop. I know that it was cumstom built so I know it takes what I would figure a couple days to put it together. I ordered a custom paint job (which came out beautifully) so I understand that would add another week or so, and then installing software and testing unit is another day or so. So doing the math, a day to process order, a week for painting, a day or 2 to install hardware, a day or 2 to install/test software and 3 to 5 days for shipping, I think 15 to 18 days would have been a more reasonable (and easier) wait time. (Maybe have option to pay extra for a little rush job?)
2. Although I received a call on the day it shipped, it would have been good to receive an email with the tracking number so I could track the package and have a good idea when I would receive it.
That's it! All in all, a very pleasant experience and the end product is awesome. I guess with someone like me (which is probably the majority of the population) I want my product TODAY, but I guess with all good things, you must have patience.
Thanks ViciousPC and I WILL be ordering from you again!!!"
"Overall I'd have to say I'm blown away by the quality of the machine I bought for the price I paid. I received exactly what was on the invoice, same brands as quoted, no mistakes. I opened the case before I turned it on for the first time to make sure nothing had come loose during shipping and found very neat, tidy cable work and solid construction. It's been running without any problems and is suprisingly quiet. It was my first time ordering from Vicious PC but I'm extremely pleased, and will be ordering from them again in the future. What they lack in aesthetics on their website is made up for by the end product, and I can't complain. The only hiccup during the entire experience was a mix up with the shipping, but that was FedEx's mistake and was quickly sorted out. I also would like to note that they could communicate with their customers a little better in regards to what stage of the build process their rig is in, and an exact ship date, since they didn't charge my credit card until it did ship though, I never had a problem."
"Shopped at some of the "BIG" name venders for my computer. Wanted a very high end gaming machine. Don't want to mention names but one is from outer space and one is a bird ;) I stumbled across Vicious on the nVIDIA web site and checked them out. Not only did I save over $500.00; I got the best service I have had in a LONG time. Every time I called Reena was fantastic and patient. I even changed my configuration 3 times in a 3 day period. The only response I got was "no problem". I spoke to Jacky (manager) and about my computer and he actually talked me out of some items I did not need. He could have sold them to me for the profit but, he was honest and let me know that I did not need them. Service after the sale was just as great. Had the computer at my house (he is in L.A. Calif; I'm in Virgina) in less than 2 weeks. As I was setting up the rig my dog got courious and decided that the fan for the water cooler would be a good thing to break. Called Jacky to buy a new one and his response was (after a giggle) "Don't worry I will send you a new one". These folks will have my business for a LONG TIME! Give them a try...you WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED!!!"
"Ordered my PC on Tuesday December 6th, 2005. Talked to one of the service representatives. Very helpful. Saved me money and increased the systems performance. Was informed that i would recieve a call to verify my credit card and billing address within 48hrs from the sales dept. They called the next day at 9am. Very prompt. So far very pleased.
I will update when I recieve the system.
System arrived when expected (fedex) looks great and operates perfectly. Everything I expected and more. I called in the day I recieved the system to get some questions answered at 6pm and was directed to help immediately. Very happy with vicious pc."
"I placed my order on 12/2/05. They have yet to place their advertised confirmation call 2 days after purchase. They haven't charged my CC yet. They have already gotten off to a bad start with me. I like companies to stick to their promises. I have also sent a few e-mails making sure they did recieve my order and credit card authorization form. No replies as of yet. This was three days ago. I will update as more develops. Bottom line right now...don't like the beginning of this relationship. I ordered from ViciousPC due to good reviews here.
**UPDATE**
I cancelled my order yesterday. They claimed that they called winthin 48 hours to confirm your order. Well, they never called. If I can't trust them to follow through with something as small as calling to confirm an order, how can I trust them to give good customer service/tech support when I need it? These guys don't seem very trustworthy. Stay away!!
HAS ANYONE NOTICED IF YOU POST A BAD REVIEW ON THIS COMPANY THEN YOUR USER RATING GOES DOWN???"