how reliable is this hardware vendor?

[brikis98]

i'm gonna be purchasing the following system, most likely before weeks end:

- asus P4T533-c (w/ LAN and sound on board)
- p4 2.26 Ghz 533 FSB, 512k L2 cache
- 256 PC1066 RDRAM (will add more when the price goes down)
- MSI geforce 4 ti 4400 128 mb
- maxtor 40 gig ata133 7200 rpm

i was initially gonna buy all of this from allstarshop.com for about $901 (including S/H)...

however, i found that on buymstar.com they have the exact motherboard, processor and ram i want in a combo deal for just $555 (plus $11 S/H)...

if i bought that from there and the rest of the stuff from allstarshop, i'd save some $25...

allstarshop has an awesome rating on resellerratings, which makes me feel good about buying from them... however, i can't find mstar anywhere on the site...

has any1 bought anything from mstar before? is it a credible and reliable company? should i risk my money to save some $25?

thx

[John C. Dechon]

I've just bought a HD from AllStarMicroelectronics (AllStarShop.com) and they were very good...did a review of them, too, as I ALWAYS do...everyone here should ALWAYS do a review, too...that's the only way this system will work.

But back to buymstar...check them out at BizRate/Yahoo Shopping and/or PriceGrabber...see if they are rated over there. If not, then maybe they're new ot the business. You could ALSO look for an Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports on them on file in their state, but if all that turns up NOTHNG, you could try this technique:

1. E-mail buymstar and say you didn't find them listed at Resellerratings.com -- and they really SHOULD be listed there because "everyone I know" goes there to check out vendors (I know I and my friends do) -- and no listing or a poor rating/review = no sale for an unrepresented online vendor.

2. Also mention that you "always" do reviews (good or bad) after an online ordering experience and so if things went WELL, you'd give them very positive publicity via a good rating/evaluation at Resellerratings...this would "put them on the map" there and help increase their online sales. Are they interested?

The goal with this approach -- for a vendor not listed yet and for you -- is to do THEM a favor at the same time you are doing one for YOURSELF...THEY get a positive reviews/advertising if they do you right -- and get listed at Resellerratings -- YOU get a good price and service.

Of course, the reverse is also true: If they do you wrong, THAT will be publicized on Resellerratings, too...hopefully they will not need this pointed out.

I use this approach for vendors I see listed at Pricewatch but are NOT listed -- or have only 1-2 customer reviews -- partly so I can give startup vendors a chance to build a reputation but also so I have at least SOME "insurance" that I'll not have a bad experience with them.

Otherwise, however, it's best to order from higher-rated vendors only (7-10)...there are quite a few in the 10s and 9s you know to choose from.

Sometimes saving a few dollars isn't worth the risk, but if it's a BIG difference in pricing, I sometimes DO risk doing business with an "unknown" but only using this technique...to let them know "it will be reported regardless."

So far, so good.

Good luck,

John D.

[brikis98]

thanks for the reply man, it was very helpful...

pricegrabber shows mstar as having a 4/5 stars rating (unfortunately, they're doing server repairs so i couldn't actually read any specific reviews)...

it's also listed as a site w/ the cheapest price for the mobo i want...

i checked it out on bbb.com (i tried this a couple days ago, but the bbb server was busy) and it has a "satisfactory" rating, meaning any complaints filed thru the bbb have been resolved...

so, that makes me feel better - thx again

i'm probably gonna go ahead and order the mobo/cpu/memory combo from them tomorrow...

if any1 has any more advice, please share it.

[Geotpf]

One problem with e-mailing the vendor that they ain't listed...that's not going to get them listed. To get them listed, somebody has to buy stuff from them and review them. Scott W (head honcho round these parts) won't add a vendor if the vendor asks to be added; he needs a customer's review.

[DangerSeeker]

I've done the "Add a Reseller" bit for more than a dozen companies. They always got added...you just need to have their name, and a url...and SHABAM! And I recall seing in the UELA or whatever ya call it that a vendor can be added at their own request.

And how can you review them if they're not listed?

[Geotpf]

Uh...I guess that's true. My bad; I guess I was thinking about how it used to work (the company was added when you reviewed it).

[John C. Dechon]

Geotpf,

You misunderstood me.

I did not say that simply e-mailing them would get the them listed. Of course you have to buy something and the not-listed-yet company is THEN added as you say...I mean HOPEFULLY it is added, that is, if Resellerratings is working properly.

You are telling the "newbie" vendor that he WILL be listed by you no matter what.

So the "recon by e-mail" is to let the vendor know what's up -- put him on notice -- and set you up for a better/safer experience.

Additionally, it's "recon by e-mail" in the sense that if you get NO response at all -- or a very late/indifferent response -- that also tells you something...what it tell me is NO SALE...I move on and look for another more together vendor.

John D.