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Another AVAdirect topic

You have to wonder how trustworthy a company is when their policies are shrouded in so much legal doubletalk. Just try getting a clear answer from them on their RMA and refund policy.The guy does have a point,how can they have such high ratings over there after the horror stories we've read here?
 
The recurring theme I always see is Misha threatening to bury someone if they don't stop writing their negative review. I wonder if he will try to bury us here too?
 
LOL this is just too funny...

I still can't believe that they STILL have the link for their silver award from hardocp on their site. I wonder how much business they've lost because people have clicked that and found their way to these forums to see all of these threads.
 
In Soviet Russia... AVA doesn't work for you, you work for AVA.

I must break you!!! (Ivan Drago), I will burry you!!! (Misha) hmmmm.
 
bmango said:
In Soviet Russia... AVA doesn't work for you, you work for AVA.

I must break you!!! (Ivan Drago), I will burry you!!! (Misha) hmmmm.
Click to expand...

Actually,I think Khruschev gets credit for the "bury you" line. Can't you just imagine Misha ranting at a customer while slamming his shoe on a desk?:D
 
Seems like at the Reseller Ratings forum people make threads about AVA as we do here.

Looks like members here are registered there, and discuss AVA openly and bit more so in depth.

Noticed Kodan reading the RR thread the OP posted. :p

The message in the RR thread is serious business. Wouldn't be surprised if defrauded made a trip back to court (he probably has to, to receive his pay still)
 
I am planning to get a high end core i7 later this summer and it's scary to think that AVA was on my list of boutique's at one point in time. It feels like Russian Roulette with these guys, you may get lucky and get a decent rig. On the other hand, if you start having issues, better get that KY ready.

Nobody is perfect, but the way they've dealt with customers who have had issues is mind boggling. I can't imagine companies like Puget or Max ever reacting the same way to their customers.
 
I have no axe to grind with AVA one way or the other, but I do find the rebuttal from dms1956 (with no apparent previous presence on RR) that immediately popped up in that thread...

I am sorry to hear you had such a difficult time. I found their prices and selection to be the best. I worked very closely with them and had no problem at all. The system they built for me is great and I am completely satisified. I guess you can't always please everyone.
Click to expand...

...just slightly suspicious. :)
 
Thecla said:
I have no axe to grind with AVA one way or the other, but I do find the rebuttal from dms1956 (with no apparent previous presence on RR) that immediately popped up in that thread...



...just slightly suspicious. :)
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You read my mind! It seems someone always pops up to defend them,yet the guy doesn't appear to be a registered user,and has no official review in the ratings section.I've also noticed that some negative reviews have disappeared,and that other negative reviews have a "don't know" or neutral rating,which basically has no effect on their overall rating.It's pretty apparent they aren't satisfied customers,so why wouldn't they express that with their rating?
 
Wow.....
So if you buy something from AVA, you give up any legal recourse except arbitration at a time and place of AVA's choice.

I wonder if you can bring legal counsel with you???

I would not buy anything from them.

Not a fish, not a duck, just plain smells.
 
bmango said:
I must break you!!! (Ivan Drago), I will burry you!!! (Misha) hmmmm.
Click to expand...
Whoa, weird

So when I was in junior high some of the guys in high school I played traveling basketball with started calling me "Ivan Durago," and they told me it was the name of Russian Janitor that worked at the high school or something...

So today, I see you type out (Ivan Drago) and I googled it, haha holy crap.
So the nickname that I have been using for 10+ years is the name of a character from a Rocky movie? haha so weird

I bet they called me that as I am ~6'4", Norwegian and have an athletic build. :p
 
Misfate said:
AVAdirect Terms and Conditions of Sale
Click to expand...
Ah, the "we are doing you a favor" clause:
We reserve the right to reject or cancel any order at our sole discretion.
Click to expand...

LOL, put your card back in your wallet and look elsewhere considering long lead time and the next quote below:
Due to the unique nature of the above referenced custom built product(s), you specifically authorize us to charge the agreed price for said product(s) on your Visa card, AMEX card, MasterCard, Discover card, or other credit card, immediately upon receipt of the Credit Card Authorization Form signed by you.
Click to expand...

OMG, how ghetto:
We continually upgrade and revise our products and service offerings. AVADirect may revise and discontinue products at any time without prior notice to its customers. Upon customer's approval AVADirect may ship a substitute product that has the ordered product(s) functionality and performance, even though it may vary from other aspects of the ordered product.
Click to expand...

Waffles, "no, that has *not* been tested." "but i didn't ask anything in particular." "yep.":
We may encounter a defect or compatibility issues with hardware and/or software that the customer selected which may delay order processing.
Click to expand...

Seriously, why would anyone order from this place? Read: you deal with the problem, we already got your money. The carrier will have to pay you back.
Loss or damage that occurs during shipping from AVADirect to customer by a carrier selected by AVADirect is the responsibility of the carrier.
Click to expand...

BB's return policy looks awesome by comparison:
Custom built product(s) may not be returned and are non-refundable except if they were purchased within 30 days, do not work properly, or are in need of repair and are under warranty.
...
You may request the return only of non-custom built product(s), i.e., component(s), within twenty-five (25) calendar days after you receive your product(s). All such returned non-custom built product(s) are subject to a thirty percent (30%) re-stocking fee, which includes but is not limited to costs associated with handling, storage and resale.
Click to expand...

ALL CAPS TO MATCH THIS FLASHING RED LIGHT WARNING:
AVADirect MAKES NO WARARATIES FOR SERVICE, SOFTWARE, HARDWARE OR PRODUCT NON-CUSTOM BUILT BY AVADirect. SUCH PRODUCT IS SOLD BY AVADirect AS IS. WARRANTIES FOR PRODUCTS NON-CUSTOM BUILT BY AVADirect, IF ANY, ARE PROVIDED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER NOT BY AVADirect.
Click to expand...
Shipped an item D.O.A.? 2 B.A.D.

<Blah, blah, blah>

It's funny that the longest section is about arbitration.
 
Seriously...with all the shit that they pull I can't even fathom how they can even stay in business. Lot's of sheep out there I guess....
 
largefarrva said:
Seriously...with all the shit that they pull I can't even fathom how they can even stay in business. Lot's of sheep out there I guess....
Click to expand...

The problem is too many people just don't do their homework when looking for a system.They look in some magazine,see a flashy ad,and don't bother to really check out a company.Even Reseller's apparently isn't immune to the lure of advertiser dollars.It's how hacks like Cyberpower and IBuyPower manage to stay in business.
By the way,did anyone catch this line in AVA's very lengthy warranty page? "AVADirect will replace or repair any component or system free of charge. AVADirect reserves the right to substitute a comparable component or offer an upgrade option if the defective component is unavailable. The replaced hardware may be new or serviceably used, and will be comparable in function to the original. AVADirect will ship free of charge any item covered by warranty back to the customer in the continental United States. Any other shipping fees will be covered by the customer. "
Am I misreading this,or do they actually say that they are replacing defective parts under warranty with used parts? If I'm paying for a brand new system,I expect any parts replaced under warranty to be new as well.Not slightly,somewhat,or"serviceably" used,new,period.
 
Last edited:
michael.pa2 said:
The problem is too many people just don't do their homework when looking for a system.They look in some magazine,see a flashy ad,and don't bother to really check out a company.Even Reseller's apparently isn't immune to the lure of advertiser dollars.It's how hacks like Cyberpower and IBuyPower manage to stay in business.
By the way,did anyone catch this line in AVA's very lengthy warranty page? "AVADirect will replace or repair any component or system free of charge. AVADirect reserves the right to substitute a comparable component or offer an upgrade option if the defective component is unavailable. The replaced hardware may be new or serviceably used, and will be comparable in function to the original. AVADirect will ship free of charge any item covered by warranty back to the customer in the continental United States. Any other shipping fees will be covered by the customer. "
Am I misreading this,or do they actually say that they are replacing defective parts under warranty with used parts? If I'm paying for a brand new system,I expect any parts replaced under warranty to be new as well.Not slightly,somewhat,or"serviceably" used,new,period.
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Flag...half the distance to the goal type of flag.

Thats sealed it for me. Won't be mentioning AVA Direct when I do my next review.
 
Shawnasee said:
Flag...half the distance to the goal type of flag.

Thats sealed it for me. Won't be mentioning AVA Direct when I do my next review.
Click to expand...

[QUOTE="From Puget's Warranty Information]If a component fails or is found to be defective and is reported while under warranty, Puget Systems will repair or replace the defective part with new or reconditioned parts at our option.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE="From Velocity Micro's Warranty Statement]
In keeping with standard industry practice, Velocity Micro reserves the right to substitute functionally equivalent new or serviceable reconditioned parts and systems, which are warranted for the remainder of same period as the original defective part.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE="Alienware's Warranty Policy]Replacement parts will be new or serviceably used, comparable in function and performance to the original part or product, and warranted for the longer of fourteen days or the remainder of the warranty period. Replacement products may be refurbished, and are warranted for the longer of fourteen days or the remainder of the applicable limited warranty period.[/QUOTE]

Meow. Standard business practice, as Heather would probably say.
 
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Misfate said:
Meow. Standard business practice, as Heather would probably say.
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It's a sad commentary on the state of the business,then.I could name at least one builder who doesn't follow this practice.Except I can't mention the name here.:( Alienware doesn't surprise me,they're just a glorified Dell.VM took a nosedive back when they went the mass market route and got in bed with BestBuy.I am surprised and disappointed that Puget would resort to it,though.
 
antecuser said:
Hey guys, seems the admins at RR are stepping in. http://www.resellerratings.com/foru...ct-still-getting-away-murder.html#post1164512
Click to expand...

I love how they bring up Monarch,when that whole sad affair really showed how far behind times they were.They didn't start removing the fake reviews until well after everyone else knew Monarch were scammers.And most of the reports and facts that appeared in their forum were taken from info dug up by posters here.How do they account for all the negative experiences with AVA reported here?They can't say they're false,when just about every one is verified by AVA reps themselves responding(badly) to them.
 
Shawnasee said:
Yep, highly disappointing, whether it's standard or not.

Would you accept a used part as replacement for a faulty one in your rig?
Click to expand...
It's been a standard practice (at least in support clauses) for about 15 or so years. The practice goes back even further.

I didn't quote that section above because of that.

It's more notable if you can find a computer part/system vendor that replaces anything with a new part, and in that case it's probably only because no refurbished/used parts are available.
 
Well,I guess AVA has no shortage of used vid cards,then:D.It seems to be their automatic response to replace them when a system goes bad,but it rarely turns out to be the problem.
Used memory might be in short supply though,if the voltage settings they've been reported to use are accurate.
 
pxc said:
It's been a standard practice (at least in support clauses) for about 15 or so years. The practice goes back even further.

I didn't quote that section above because of that.

It's more notable if you can find a computer part/system vendor that replaces anything with a new part, and in that case it's probably only because no refurbished/used parts are available.
Click to expand...

Standard practice doesn't make it a good practice.

I'll be asking Max about this.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

It doesn't make any sense though. Have a custom builder build your brand new rig, the new video card in your new rig dies, and the builder puts a used one in to replace it?
 
Shawnasee said:
It doesn't make any sense though. Have a custom builder build your brand new rig, the new video card in your new rig dies, and the builder puts a used one in to replace it?
Click to expand...

Having it rephrased like that does make the situation/scenario sound fishy.

Don't think the customer would appreciate having a used card in their rig.

Stress and frustration issues could arise from if that particular card were to die couple of months.
 
Shawnasee said:
It doesn't make any sense though. Have a custom builder build your brand new rig, the new video card in your new rig dies, and the builder puts a used one in to replace it?
Click to expand...
The way it works:

The builder receives/exchanges the bad part with a used/refurbished part. i.e. Parts from a system returned for refund (maybe nothing wrong with the parts, just can no longer be sold as new) or a previous part returned from the manufacturer, which also returns refurbished parts as replacements.

The new "bad" card returned goes back to the manufacturer and the cycle starts again.

What did you think system manufacturers do, throw away the old parts? :p They send 'em back too. A "new" part becomes used after it's installed.
 
Everett1 said:
Having it rephrased like that does make the situation/scenario sound fishy.

Don't think the customer would appreciate having a used card in their rig.

Stress and frustration issues could arise from if that particular card were to die couple of months.
Click to expand...

I hope Heather or someone can answer this for me but where are the used items coming from? Returns?

Why were they returned?

It doesn't sound very cost effective to me to put a used/returned video card in a system. With a used item, don't you run a higher risk of failure? What happens then? You have to replace it again? It's a waste of time and money. This just flat out does not make sense to me.

If they put the used card in the system and it works, well then that's probably where they make their money I would guess, but damn. The chances have to be high that a failure is going to occur?

Where am I offtrack here? Someone set me straight please.
 
pxc said:
The way it works:

The builder receives/exchanges the bad part with a used/refurbished part. i.e. Parts from a system returned for refund (maybe nothing wrong with the parts, just can no longer be sold as new) or a previous part returned from the manufacturer, which also returns refurbished parts as replacements.

The new "bad" card returned goes back to the manufacturer and the cycle starts again.

What did you think system manufacturers do, throw away the old parts? :p They send 'em back too. A "new" part becomes used after it's installed.
Click to expand...

Why was the system returned? I know there are instances and examples but how often is a perfectly good working system returned to a boutique. I would think most times people are just tired of dicking with a system and return it. In that case, something in that box was defective.

To answer your question: "What did you think system manufacturers do, throw away the old parts?" I guess my naivety got the better of me, because never in a million years would I think ANY boutique would replace parts with used/refurbished ones.

I still find it hard to fathom.
 
The boutiques replace the parts with what they are sent...

unless you buy sealed retail items no oem parts could be 100% guaranteed to be brand new.

btw if you buy brand new retail games at gamestop... there is no guarantee that that game wasnt "tested" by an employee.

but in some markets, if the original manufacturer can recondition returned items and repackage em as brand new as well.

your making a mountain out of a mole hill here. how do you define new? or unused? dont boutiques burn in your "new" pc for days non stop before they send it to you? computer parts made by the manufacturer are all tested before they are packaged... so ideally there should be no need for burn in periods...

Boutiques I am sure send back in all defective parts that are returned... and they get back a replacement part from the manufacturer (if said part is under warranty).
 
All reseller ratings at this point wants to do is cover this up and sweep it under the rug. As for ava I bet they have been using the old used parts forever in their RMA cycles and just neglect to mention it. It would explain why the same systems need RMAs multiple times if you just swap one defective part for another "used or refurbished".
 
Working in a small time computer builder company, I can explain why their warranties may include this.

For companies like AVADirect that do not keep stock, they send defective items back to the manufacturers for an RMA. It is then up to the manufacturers to send a new item or a repaired item back to the system integrator.

The system integrator has no idea if the RMAed item is new or repaired from the manufacturer. Unless you do a cross-shipment, 90% of the time your defective item that you sent in for RMA will be repaired and sent back to you. That is the nature of the business.

All system integrators include this and all the lawyer double speak. I dont see why all you are getting up in arms about this. As Misfate showed, ALL the boutiques do this, even your beloved Puget.
 
I'm not sure if it's the standard at Mforce....but not too long ago a customer of his had a problem with the video card that was put in his system. The customer left a post on his forums asking what the problem might be, and Max replied with saying that it sounds like the video card is bad. He also told the customer he would order a brand new one from his supplier that day, and to just have the customer send him the defective card back to his office once he gets the new card delivered and installed.

Essentially a cross shipment where Max took it upon himself to deal with the return of the defective card. He even paid for shipping for both cards. Pretty cool in my opinion.
 
BettiePage said:
The boutiques replace the parts with what they are sent...

unless you buy sealed retail items no oem parts could be 100% guaranteed to be brand new.

btw if you buy brand new retail games at gamestop... there is no guarantee that that game wasnt "tested" by an employee.

but in some markets, if the original manufacturer can recondition returned items and repackage em as brand new as well.

your making a mountain out of a mole hill here. how do you define new? or unused? dont boutiques burn in your "new" pc for days non stop before they send it to you? computer parts made by the manufacturer are all tested before they are packaged... so ideally there should be no need for burn in periods...

Boutiques I am sure send back in all defective parts that are returned... and they get back a replacement part from the manufacturer (if said part is under warranty).
Click to expand...

Boutiques burning in your new PC isn't a very good example. Neither is game stop employees "testing" new games. One is to your benefit and HAS to happen to make sure the computer actually works. The other is illegal.

I am up in arms and making mountains out of mole hills because I didn't realize this was "standard" practice. As I have said, though, standard doesn't mean right.

I guess what needs to be explained to me is what "refurbished", "serviceably used" and "reconditioned parts" actually means.

The term "used" brings up images of something that may be different than what the above terms may mean.

Please enlighten me.
 
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