Stay away from Monarch!

[Rockrz]

That's good, but you have to constantly explain to people that just because their card has a Visa or MasterCard logo on it doesn't mean it's a credit card.

What most people do is get a debit card, and think it's a credit card and then are shocked when they find out that their bank won't do a chargeback on a debit card.

I always differentiate between the two by explaining that a debit card draws from your bank account, while a credit card draws from a line of credit. Big difference between the two. Visa / MasterCard have special perks for credit cards written into their policies that don't apply to debit cards.

The only time you can do a chargeback on a debit card is when it is a case of obvious fraud. Then, you have to initiate a fraud claim with your bank. If you lie about this to just try to get your money back and claim it was fraud when it really wasn't....that could get you into criminal legal trouble for making false statements.

It could also get you sued by that merchant for libel

[michaels39]

Monarch would have a tough time sueing anyone for libel,all the lawyers would want to be payed in advance before they took the case!

[Rockrz]

Well, if they were to try that...the burden of proof would be on them to prove to the court that somebody made a false accusation.

If they accusations are true, and the person(s) making such accusations could prove them, then Monarch wouldn't have a case for Libel.

I always thought it strange for anyone or any company to run a scam in the first place. If you run a good business, you'll make more in the long run and sleep good.

I guess some folks are born criminal wannabees.
Seems to be alot of them out there these days

[mclazyj]

Originally Posted by Rockrz

That's good, but you have to constantly explain to people that just because their card has a Visa or MasterCard logo on it doesn't mean it's a credit card.

What most people do is get a debit card, and think it's a credit card and then are shocked when they find out that their bank won't do a chargeback on a debit card.

I always differentiate between the two by explaining that a debit card draws from your bank account, while a credit card draws from a line of credit. Big difference between the two. Visa / MasterCard have special perks for credit cards written into their policies that don't apply to debit cards.

The only time you can do a chargeback on a debit card is when it is a case of obvious fraud. Then, you have to initiate a fraud claim with your bank. If you lie about this to just try to get your money back and claim it was fraud when it really wasn't....that could get you into criminal legal trouble for making false statements.

It could also get you sued by that merchant for libel

Actually, Bank of America in California, treats a Credit card purchase as if it is a credit card purchase. After seeing your post, I posed the question to them. They said that a charge back would work the same way as a credit card. Not sure if this is due to a state law or not. I didn't think to ask that question.

[fghofer]

I ordered a motherboard and processor from Monarch several years ago and received the right CPU but the wrong motherboard. I called, and they sent me not only the right board but a duplicate as well. They paid for the return shipping of the wrong board as well as the duplicate board. Well, anyone can make a mistake. BUT YOU HAVE TO READ WHAT THEY DID THIS TIME.

On September 25, 2006 I ordered a motherboard combo again (I should have learned my lesson).The motherboard portion of the combo order was an Intel D975XBX (a Bad Axe). After complaining that the order was taking an awful long time, and receiving the assurance that the parts were defiantly in stock, I received the correct processor but the motherboard was an Intel D975XBX2 (a Bad Axe 2). Now some may say, “Cool, you got the next generation Intel board that supports the Quad core CPU.” Well, look again at the date above. The Bad Axe 2 was just put on sale at the end of November; what they sold me was a pre-production version of the soon to be released motherboard.

The board came in a plain cardboard box with several stickers on it. The only readable sticker had an Intel logo and D975XBX2 on it; the other stickers were large plain white stickers. There was nothing to indicate it was a preproduction board. I did think it was strange that the board was not in the usual retail box.

I did not know what I had at first. I installed the board, but I could not load the OS because my CD-ROM, which was plugged into the only IDE slot, was not recognized by the BIOS. I E-mailed Intel tech support about the problem, and I was told, “the technical support staff does not comment on unannounced Intel products.” That’s when I found out what I had. They sold me a PREPRODUCTION BOARD!

I peeled off those large white stickers on the box so statically placed, and guess what?, sure enough, it was a preproduction board. And under one of the other sticker it said, “This product is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased until compliance with requirements of the FCC has been verified. This product is intended for ENGINEERING USE ONLY!”

I contacted Monarch and was told the combo department puts so many CPUs and MBs together they may have made a mistake. Yeah, right! (I took photographs of the board and box with the sticker removed).

I kept the processor, but RMA’d the motherboard back and cancelled the MB portion to the order because I no longer trusted them. I have documentation that shows the motherboard was received on Oct 31, 2006 by C. Garrett who signed for it.

I called about my money but was told (by Matt) that the RMA department did not have any record of Monarch receiving the motherboard. He said I would get a refund within 30 days. I asked, 30 days from when. He said, 30 days from the time it hits the receiving dock. Now, that was over 30 days ago.

He was not willing to check with the dock, or help me in anyway, except to tell me that I would get a refund within 30 days from the time it hit the dock. Well it’s beyond 30 days.

Made a call to Monarch two days ago (day #34), gave the person my RMA number and he said it looked like I would be getting a refund but he could not answer any questions about it, and he gave me the extension for the credit department. I called the credit department numerous times and left messages, but my calls were not returned. I call today several times and decided to leave another message but got a message back saying that the mailbox was full. Do you believe it: the MAILBOX WAS FULL! Now what does that suggest?

I can see a very long time passing before I get my refund, if I even get it.

My advice, SHOP ELSEWHERE!!!

[Brigette R.]

I'm on my third RMA with Monarch Computor! The purchase of a custom built Hornet was a costly ugly mistake. I ordered this PC in January and it arrived in early Febuary. I bought a lemon. I've had approximately one and a half months of use. The majority of the time Monarch has been reapairing my PC. This time, they have been in possession of my PC since September 25. My patience has expired and I believe that I have been ripped off. I am convinced that Monarch is closing its doors and will no longer continue to do business. Despite my persistant calls on a daily basis, Monarch will not return to me my PC. They will not give me my moneyback. This is deliberate thievery! Monarch will not return my phone calls despite the many messages I have left. The entire technical support team is aware of my circumstances. I have concluded that they don't care and that their actions are deliberate. I believe that they are closing their doors because they aren't answerering their phones because there are no employees. The sales department is the only active department with Jason answering calls. I've been told that they are restructering and to continue to be patient. Their website is still active and they continue to solicit business. They continue to advertise a 24/7 technical support service knowing that there is none. The 24 hour support phone number is disconnected. One can observe that the parts available for sale on their website is shrinking. I've been ripped off, dogged- out down and dirty. The value of my PC is valued over $3500.00 dollars. I live in California. I must persue this matter legally. I must observe the process of filing civil suit in the Satate of Georgia, and bring this matter to the attention of the Attorney General Department of Fraud in the State of Georgia and the State of California. The skeleton staff of Monarch, I believe, are closing out. The Monarch store is open and the website is still active. Buyer beware! Stay away from Monarch!

[Rockrz]

Originally Posted by mclazyj

They said that a charge back would work the same way as a credit card. Not sure if this is due to a state law or not. I didn't think to ask that question.

I bank with Bank of America and this is not how it works, as per Visa / MasterCard regulations.

Now, since you're in California...it's very possible that there is a state law forcing banks to treat debit cards just like credit cards. So that may be true for you as a citizen of the state of California.

For the rest of us...it don't workie that way
Call Visa or MasterCard and they will tell you what their policy is when using a debit card versus using a credit card.

[nomaxim]

As Rockrz said that is possible. There was someone else posting one here a month or two ago. Anyway, He was shocked that his bank refunded his VISA debit card. Darn, cannot remember any details. I'll look for a link and edit it in if I find it.

EDIT:
Nope, no luck.

[Rockrz]

Originally Posted by nomaxim

There was someone else posting one here a month or two ago. Anyway, He was shocked that his bank refunded his VISA debit card

If you tell your bank it was an un-authorized transaction and you file a fraud claim with your bank...then your bank must give your money back under Federal Law (you have to file the claim in a timely manner, I think it's 30 days)

This applies to both credit and debit cards because you are basically telling your bank that it was not you who made the charge (you'd be claiming your card was used fraudulently, without your knowledge or permission)

This is not a chargeback, but a fraud claim. Major difference between the two. Now, if the merchant can prove that it is a good transaction, you will not get your money back. Your bank will simply tell you to go work it out with the merchant because they cannot do a chargeback on a debit card.

On a credit card, if you simply don't like the product or decide you just don't want it...you can have it charged back. All you have to do is prove to your bank that you returned the item (I like UPS shipping, signature required )

I think some people are getting debit cards and credit cards mixed up.

[mkpa509]

UPDATE From Page 15: 12/04/2006, 08:04

RMA'd System was to ship today per David@ Monarch.
Waiting TWO WEEKS for a replacement MB to arrive?

No Email notification, nobody answering the phone.