1/5

posted Feb-15-2008

"I ordered a new computer from AscendTech.US / BareBonekit.Net probably other names as well and was surprised when I received a request the day I placed my order to 'Rate this Merchant' and receive an additional 45 Days of extended Warranty coverage. As a small business owner who has made many e-purchases it always causes me concern when a merchant is requesting a rating before the customer has even received their purchase(s). I have found that these merchants usually have sleazy customer service or other problems with their customer relations. So I am going to be honest about what I have found in this 'New Bare-Bone Computer' I purchased:

Case condition: the front panel bezel was hot glued in place to hold it on since the bezel's plastic retaining clips had been broken off
DVD drives: it appears that something had been spilled on the DVD Rewritable and cleaned up badly, the other DVD drive appeared to have scratches or glue on it's face as well.
Hard Disk drives: I ordered two 400gb SATA 7200rpm 16mb cache drives, received two REFURBISHED 500gb SATA drives which have a hardware manufacturer's warranty expiring in August one month later than that of the extended warranty AscendTech is offering by giving them a good review, which I now can not.
Assembly: I have never seen a lower quality assembly job than this one, one SATA hard drive was not connected which I can possibly attribute to vibration during shipping. However the PATA connection not plugged into the top DVD ROM is impossible to excuse as it takes some amount of force to either connect or disconnect a PATA cable.

The part of this 'Bargain Computer' that most burns me up is the overall appearance and use of Used or Refurbished equipment sold as new is nothing short of FRAUD. As such I will be asking for my money back due to the inconsistencies in what I consider a 'New Computer' and that of AscendTech.

Jeff Means"

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1/5

posted Sep-07-2010

"Ascendtech.us and barebonekit.net both have the same address and phone numbers so they are the same. I ordered a mobo/cpu combo set from ascendtech.us and the on-board audio was bad. The website description for this board was wrong as well. They listed it as a GeForce 6100 chipset and it's actually an nForce 2 chipset. They also listed it as a GeForce 6100 on-board video and it was really a much less powerful GeForce4MX. I emailed to get an RMA and some kid named Steve told me to correctly install the SENSE & BYPASS wires (umm the front panel AC '97 wires are already set right in the plastic connector with jumper wires intact) and then to jumper the audio header which would eliminates the front panel audio jacks in the process. I've been building PC's since the late TRS-80's ;-) We bartered back and forth with emails until he got so rude and insulting I will never again buy from Ascendtech. He also tells me they are going to hit me with a 20% restock fee for a mis-titled defective motherboard. I can't believe this kid talks to thier customers this way. I have spent hundreds of dollars there in the past with no issues but this Steve character is beyond redemption and cost Ascendtech my business. I wonder if they really care. I hope Val is reading this. *UPDATE* This Steve kid is now threatening my business buying power with some site that blacklists customers. I was told my name, company, and email address would be posted on hundreds of forums and websites as a problem customer and I would be blacklisted on a bad customer site. I can't quote them directly but this is the jist of it. Their actions are retalitory for this very review. Threats, insults, and rude service from an arrogant rep. Is this really the vendor you want supplying your PC parts? Broken products, broken service, like a broken leg on a horse...put 'em down!"

This review was modified by PC Solutions AZ on September 11 2010 03:40:42 AM

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1/5

posted Apr-15-2010

"This is the second motherboard I bought from the clowns. Both were bad. the first would power up after a few tries, sure enuff after 30 days the MB stop powering on at all. I let this one slide thinking its just a odd ball and ordered another. Both times they claimed to be new and came in refurbished packing with no disk or anything. Well the second motherboard now gives me bluescreen errors and has serious power issues. Some fans work some don't. Cpu fan goes in and out. Doesn't power up right have to try a few times. Does the same with 3 diff hard drives and also tried different ram. Save yourself the hassle and buy somewhere else."

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1/5

posted Sep-09-2010

"We ordered a Gateway FX6800-01E PC and it was supposed to come with the ATI Radeon HD 4850 as standard but they removed it and replaced it with another card. We started using it right away and immediately noticed the flickerings on the screen. We tried several working monitors and they all have the same problem. We contacted them immediately about the defect. They wanted us to ship the entire system back to them and pay for it out of our own pocket. All they had to do was send out the original working graphics card that came with the PC. The warranty is good only for 30 days for everything and they only extend it to another 45 days if customers post a review here at resellerratings to get exposure.

Updated Sept 15: After leaving this feedback, Ascendtech called and asked me to change the feedback in order for them to replace the defective parts for me as a favor. This is absolutely against resellerrating's policy and is a total deception. First of all the system they shipped out shouldn't have any problem at all if they had reputable quality control. When there is a problem they try to deny it and call their customers "liars." We're sending the parts back to them today and will update you on how they'll be replacing it.

Update #2, Sept 29:
They made me pay to send back the defective item and they sent a replacement which still has the same problem. Now they want me to spend my out-of-pocket money to ship it back to them again which is very costly. They will go around trying to avoid resolving the issue. You guys smell a lemon?!?!"

This review was modified by MSAP on September 29 2010 01:48:35 PM

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1/5

posted Jan-18-2008

"I ordered a new socket 478 motherboard and received a used (defective - bulging caps) one instead without a box or any accessories. I called and they gave me a hard time. They wanted me to pay return shipping even though it was their fault. I own and operate a computer repair business (over 15 yrs). I had to call my bank to reverse charges since they wouldn't co-operate. Beware of this place !

Response: This was clearly a used motherboard with badly bulging (swelled) electrolytic capacitors. I have a degree in Electronic Engineering and have been in the consumer electronics industry since 1970, servicing and selling computers for the last 15. I re-cap motherboards and know what I'm doing. Customers should not have to navigate every page of your website for information. The product webpage should contain all the information needed for the product being sold, period. I would be glad to return this old, used defective motherboard if you would just send me a shipping label. If not, my bank will decide who is right and who is not. "

This review was modified by blueribb on January 24 2008 05:39:02 PM

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1/5

posted Apr-30-2010

"Placed an order for a motherboard on 04/08. On 04/12 I received an email that the item was out of stock and that I would be receiving a refund. That's the first problem, they charged me for an item that they didn't have. Emailed them on 04/17 for an update without a response for 2 days. On 04/20 I called and was told that accounting would issue a refund that day. 12 days to refund for an item that I should not have been charged for in the first place and only then because I called them. I will not be ordering from them again.
Edit for Ascendtech reply:
Yes, there is a way to decline paypal payments. it's called realtime inventory. If you don't have an item it should be listed as out of stock!"

This review was modified by sleef on May 04 2010 01:26:50 PM

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1/5

posted Feb-12-2008

"STAY AWAY THEY SELL USED REFURB ITEMS AND CLAIM THEY DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT. I PAID FULL RETAIL FOR A BRAND NEW MSI MOTHERBOARD. I RECEIVED AN OLD BROKEN NO NAME BOARD WITH NO BOX, NO INVOICE, NO MANUALS, NO DRIVERS AND THE WRONG IO PLATE. THEY REFUSED TO TAKE IT BACK AND SAID THEY DO NOT HAVE TO SAY IF THE ITEMS ARE NEW OR NOT. STAY AWAY STAY AWAY. VAN CLAIMS HE OWNS THE BUSINESS HE IS A THIEF"

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1/5

posted Nov-06-2009

"The barebones kit I ordered turned out to be a Gateway system board in a generic box. NO Documentation, missing IO shield, and NO DRIVER CD. The answer I got was this was an OEM system and to "read" the web. I do not recall anything about this being an OEM. There is nothing on the invoice stating this is an OEM board.
The web page NOW states in rather small print, this is OEM and no documentation, CD or shield comes with the system.
While the quality of the board install was above par, I will not do business with AscendTech due to misleading or untruthful advertising and an apparent lack of customer service."

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2/5

posted Aug-02-2010

"I found this company through Pricewatch, ordered a "remanufactured" PC for my son (his first), and was pleased with the website, ordering process, and shipment response; however, my satisfaction quickly turned upon receiving the item.

I expected to boot the PC and find a factory fresh OS, instead I find an OS that was bugged and required reinstallation. I phoned Ascendtech to request assistance and was promptly told that I bought "a piece of hardware" and if "I couldn't work it" then I could get an RMA for return. That's it. No other form of help. Deal with or return it, in other words. Of course, I then find out they have a 20% restock fee whether the item is functional, or not. Not a bad business, eh? If you can live with yourself, that is.

At any rate, all ended well, as I found a hidden restore partition (that they could have easily told me about), reinstalled to factory defaults, and everything worked peachy.

If you're considering purchasing from this company, because their pricing is good; beware, you may get what you pay for.

In all fairness, based upon the posts of others, I may have just gotten a bum wrap, but my experience was not pleasant.

*****UPDATE***** Shortly after posting this review, I received a phone call from a manager at Ascendtech. He graciously apologized and offered to "make it right", however, since the system is operating now, there was nothing to be done. He assured me that this is not how they normally conduct their business and it seems it was more of an issue with the rep I spoke with than the company as a whole. Only time will tell..."

This review was modified by skrisch on August 02 2010 01:49:11 PM

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1/5

posted Jan-14-2010

"DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS SITE, VERY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! We order parts which did not work as we're resellers we have no reason to check everything we order immediately. When we did they did not work and the owner of this website acts like his a employee and berated us rather than help. WE WILL NEVER EVER ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS WEBSITE AGAIN!! We have been ordering online since the very beginning of the internet and we never had an experience like this. There are many good websites out there but this is definitely NOT ONE!!!"

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