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I, however, do not agree with EBC selling used parts as new. The parts do go through a 36-hour re-testing process, but this doesn't mean they are new or refurbished. This is a very gray area to try and verify the parts are as good as new. Especially, if the problem was intermittant in the first place. EBC should lower the price on these parts, sell them as used, and raise all of their prices on other products slightly to cover the increased cost ( or loss). They should also offer no in-store warranty and state the remaining manufacturers warranty on the used parts. In this manner there are no illusions in the customer's mind as to the customer service on these parts.
I also feel that there are some customers requests that have been mis-handled. Unfortunately, anger often gets in the way. I am not speaking so much of Eddy personally (he's usually as cool as a cucumber), but of some of the staff and some of the customers. The key is to be civil and polite. If you lose your temper as a customer, it can result in the management losing their tempers and then you lose. At that point, you may as well kiss your service goodbye. As my mother used to say, "honey attracts flies better than vinegar".
Additionally, the time that it takes sales associates to enter an order is too long. They need to revamp the invoicing system to a realtime system that makes a sales order and invoice all at once by scanning the serial barcode or an EBC specific SKU barcode into the system. This would solve the long waits for sales orders.
And finally, I suggest that you inspect all parts that you recieve from EBC extremely closely, and be extremely careful with the part when installing it into your computer. Any physical damage caused directly by you or others (besides Tech support) will void any EBC AND Manufacturers warranties expressed or implied.
If you recieve damaged or equipment that you suspect is used, I suggest that you refuse that equipment. (Keep in mind that in order to scan serial number barcodes into their computers the seals on the static bags are often broken on motherboards and modems. This means you should inspect the part closer for possible marks from mounting or inserting motherboards or video/modem/network/sound cards. Also, check the seals on monitor boxes and power supplies {whether inside or outside the case}.)
My final words are this:
Research your products Know what you want Call ahead for a will call Don't accept used equipment Inspect closely Wear static wrist strap when installing your equipment Don't overclock (or admit to overclocking), or play with settings in the BIOS you don't understand Know the warranty, RMA, and return polices of EBC and expect them to enforce them. Don't break seals or remove stickers Keep your original invoice Be polite and calm when seeking a return/RMA
This is a way to avoid problems and hassle with EBC if you follow it closely. If you choose to ignore me then, "let the buyer beware."
"
This review was modified by brightglaive on June 19 2002 04:31:10 PM
"Ive been purchasing parts from EBC computers for a number of years. I too have been in the store when customers have braught in parts to replace or return. From what i've seen in person, and read on this forum, most of these company/client problems can be atributed to the stupidity, and ignorance of the clients, not the company. I have spent over 40,000 dollars a year for the last 8 years at EBC and have only had a handful of defective parts which EBC swapped for me no hassle. I suggest to anyone who knows how to arm a computer without damaging it, to purchase from EBC as their prices are the lowest arround."
"I'VE HAD NOTHING BUT GREAT RESULTS FROM EBC, NONE OF THE AFORE MENTIONED PROBLEMS HAVE AROSE,I 'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THEM FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW NEXT MONTH. OVERALL PERFORMANCE WITH CUSTOMER REPS TOTALLY SATIFACTORY!"
"I just bought an entire system. I bought most of the parts at EBC. I was a little nervous to do so, after reading the reviews on this site, but in the end, the fact that they were close and cheap won out. I did have to return the first monitor, but they replaced it swiftly and without complaint. I put everything else together and it worked perfectly. I am very pleased with the merchandise and the service I received at the Ogden store."
"Despite what others have said, both me and my brother have spent around 3k total and havn't had any problems that we could trace to EBC or bad parts. Good prices, though the salespeople are a bit impersonal. As has been said before, make sure you know what you're getting will work in your machine and you won't have any problems. I had to return one item before and it went farily painlessly."
"I have used EBC Computers dozens of times over the past 10 years or so. I will never buy another motherboard from them again. I have purchased 4 bad motherboards from them that I had to return. I do not necesarily blame Ed Bodoya, but he does need to take a better look at his return procedures. EBC has always replaced my defective merchandise, but it seems very disorganized and has been time consuming at times. EBC is a good store where if you need something quick, it is available. I would not assemble an entire computer from EBC, but occasionally, I will buy a hard drive or a fan if I need a part quickly and don't worry too much about it konking out within 30 days. EBC offers very good prices and good availablity of parts. I am glad that EBC has hung in there. A lot of the problems with returns is not understanding their policy and trying to make them enforce your wishes when they do go against their policy. The close out items, I would never touch with a 10 foot pole simply because they do not take them back after 3 days, and they are ALL used parts. Be careful. At least they are honest about their advertising of their close out special items. Overall, EBC is a good computer store and they have soom cool looking computers. Just be careful and know what you are doing when you order there. "
"when i first started to use EBC they were great but now they just suck, i was just in there the other day and after waiting 30mins for some to come out of the back to help me, the guy we got was in such a rush to get off, he messed up and only had taken half the order and then he told some other guy to help us because he was leaving, and many other times when i have bought parts there, the sales person i got didn't speak eglish very well or the person didn't know how to spell very good."
"Purchased an AMD Athlon XP 1800 and an eVGA Geforce 4 Ti 4600. As of today, 13 July 2002, both parts are DEAD. The Athlon burned up, and the Geforce freezes any system that I put it in. I have a suspicion that I was sold a REMARKED VIDEO CARD (RETURNED AND SOLD AS NEW)!!. As he was processing my RMA he said that they had only sold 2 of those cards. Things that make you go HMMM. Anywho, I am never going to buy another AMD processor from them or anyone else. I am currently using my 1 GHz P-!!! and have no problems with it at all. Avoid EBC for all major parts purchases, smaller things like cables and such should be all right.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10/11/2002 EBC Computers profiled on local news
From kutv.com
EBC Computers
Bill Gephardt
Oct 3, 2002 12:52 pm US/Mountain
How would you feel if you bought something only to learn you couldn't use it until you bought a plug or a cord that was supposed to be in the same box? When an Orem man didn't get an item he was supposed to get when he bought a computer video card, he decided to Get Gephardt.
It's simple, I think. If the front of a package tells you what's inside, you can expect it to be inside. More than that, it's the law. So, what happened in this case?
Gary Meyer handles his frustrations through computer games.
"Takin' out my aggression on someone else."
Gary's latest frustration is with a computer accessory he bought from EBC Computers in Orem. He paid $275 for his new video card, and then came the surprise...
"When I checked the contents of the box one of the parts was missing."
That missing part is a plug Gary needed to be able to run the device. The plug is pictured right here, as included, on the back of Gary's box. So where's the plug? Gary says when he asked the Orem store manager, he said...
"We are actually instructed to take that part out of the box and sell it for an additional $7 cost."
What? When Gary challenged EBC's policy, he says he was told he was free to do with the product as he wanted to.
Gep: "Oh, really. We contacted MSI, the manufacturer of that video card, and said is that true? That the retailer is allowed to reach into that box and take that plug out? MSI said absolutely not. Anything that is included in that box should stay in the box and be sold that way."
That seems to make sense...
"The contents of the box should be as the contents of the box are listed as being."
So, I contacted EBC to ask about their policy of removing this part from the box.
Gep: "I talked with EBC owner Eduardo Bedea, and he didn't want to talk about any of this on camera, but he said that he didn't know that the practice of taking things out of the box was illegal."
But now, he'll make a deal with Gary, and anyone else to whom this may have happened. Rather than selling the plug separately, he'll give it to them for free.
It's simple, if it's listed on the front of the box, you can expect to get it when you open the box. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
This review was modified by Sosai_X on October 11 2002 11:23:30 PM
"If you're in need of anything reliable, buying from EBC Computers is masochism. I bought the parts for two whole new systems from EBC just last week, including two ASUS P4C800 motherboards. I had tons of problems (most notably, random shutdowns and random blue screens and processes crashing on fresh installs of Windows) and since I had two of everything, I was confidently able to narrow it to the motherboards. EBC charged me a $40 restocking fee for returning one of the motherboards with a ribbon cable that didn't say "ASUS" on it, even though it was a brand new cable. I suggested he sell me a new ASUS motherboard so I could give him his ASUS cable, and did so, but when I did, I noticed traces of thick dust around the SIDES of the back connectors, the type that could have only been put there by a case fan over the course of months. Right there I knew I was being sold a well-used part as new, and right there I shoved my entire order back in their face and told them "NO MORE MOTHERBOARDS, just charge me the damn restocking fee, I don't want to troubleshoot your garbage". I wasted one weekend and $40 for the privilege of troubleshooting EBC junk... then went to COMP USA and bought two new motherboards and my systems worked flawlessly afterwards."
"Ebc Computers is one of the worst computer stores i have ever been to Never buy motherboards from them and dont expect them to honor any thing they say. there testing for bad parts is if it POST's it works.
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posted Mar-03-2006 
This review was modified by 
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Ive been purchasing parts from EBC computers for a number of years. I too have been in the store when customers have braught in parts to replace or return. From what i\u0027ve seen in person, and read on this forum, most of these company\/client problems can be atributed to the stupidity, and ignorance of the clients, not the company. I have spent over 40,000 dollars a year for the last 8 years at EBC and have only had a handful of defective parts which EBC swapped for me no hassle. I suggest to anyone who knows how to arm a computer without damaging it, to purchase from EBC as their prices are the lowest arround.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/218247#comment218247","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"Mystraka","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I\u0027VE HAD NOTHING BUT GREAT RESULTS FROM EBC, NONE OF THE AFORE MENTIONED PROBLEMS HAVE AROSE,I \u0027VE BEEN DEALING WITH THEM FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW NEXT MONTH. OVERALL PERFORMANCE WITH CUSTOMER REPS TOTALLY SATIFACTORY!","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/54687#comment54687","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"daleray","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I just bought an entire system. I bought most of the parts at EBC. I was a little nervous to do so, after reading the reviews on this site, but in the end, the fact that they were close and cheap won out. I did have to return the first monitor, but they replaced it swiftly and without complaint. I put everything else together and it worked perfectly. I am very pleased with the merchandise and the service I received at the Ogden store.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/247940#comment247940","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"Hakkatan","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Despite what others have said, both me and my brother have spent around 3k total and havn\u0027t had any problems that we could trace to EBC or bad parts. Good prices, though the salespeople are a bit impersonal. As has been said before, make sure you know what you\u0027re getting will work in your machine and you won\u0027t have any problems. I had to return one item before and it went farily painlessly.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/40722#comment40722","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"The_hammer","rating":"4"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I have used EBC Computers dozens of times over the past 10 years or so. I will never buy another motherboard from them again. I have purchased 4 bad motherboards from them that I had to return. I do not necesarily blame Ed Bodoya, but he does need to take a better look at his return procedures. EBC has always replaced my defective merchandise, but it seems very disorganized and has been time consuming at times. EBC is a good store where if you need something quick, it is available. I would not assemble an entire computer from EBC, but occasionally, I will buy a hard drive or a fan if I need a part quickly and don\u0027t worry too much about it konking out within 30 days. EBC offers very good prices and good availablity of parts. I am glad that EBC has hung in there. A lot of the problems with returns is not understanding their policy and trying to make them enforce your wishes when they do go against their policy. The close out items, I would never touch with a 10 foot pole simply because they do not take them back after 3 days, and they are ALL used parts. Be careful. At least they are honest about their advertising of their close out special items. Overall, EBC is a good computer store and they have soom cool looking computers. Just be careful and know what you are doing when you order there. ","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/309361#comment309361","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"enyalid","rating":"3"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"when i first started to use EBC they were great but now they just suck, i was just in there the other day and after waiting 30mins for some to come out of the back to help me, the guy we got was in such a rush to get off, he messed up and only had taken half the order and then he told some other guy to help us because he was leaving, and many other times when i have bought parts there, the sales person i got didn\u0027t speak eglish very well or the person didn\u0027t know how to spell very good.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/66116#comment66116","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"WHo CaREs","rating":"3"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Purchased an AMD Athlon XP 1800 and an eVGA Geforce 4 Ti 4600. As of today, 13 July 2002, both parts are DEAD. The Athlon burned up, and the Geforce freezes any system that I put it in. I have a suspicion that I was sold a REMARKED VIDEO CARD (RETURNED AND SOLD AS NEW)!!. As he was processing my RMA he said that they had only sold 2 of those cards. Things that make you go HMMM. Anywho, I am never going to buy another AMD processor from them or anyone else. I am currently using my 1 GHz P-!!! and have no problems with it at all. Avoid EBC for all major parts purchases, smaller things like cables and such should be all right.<br><br>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>10\/11\/2002<br>EBC Computers profiled on local news<br><br>From kutv.com<br><br>EBC Computers <br><br> Bill Gephardt <br> <br>Oct 3, 2002 12:52 pm US\/Mountain<br><br>How would you feel if you bought something only to learn you couldn\u0027t use it until you bought a plug or a cord that was supposed to be in the same box? When an Orem man didn\u0027t get an item he was supposed to get when he bought a computer video card, he decided to Get Gephardt.<br><br>It\u0027s simple, I think. If the front of a package tells you what\u0027s inside, you can expect it to be inside. More than that, it\u0027s the law. So, what happened in this case?<br><br>Gary Meyer handles his frustrations through computer games.<br><br>\u0022Takin\u0027 out my aggression on someone else.\u0022<br><br>Gary\u0027s latest frustration is with a computer accessory he bought from EBC Computers in Orem. He paid $275 for his new video card, and then came the surprise...<br><br>\u0022When I checked the contents of the box one of the parts was missing.\u0022<br><br>That missing part is a plug Gary needed to be able to run the device. The plug is pictured right here, as included, on the back of Gary\u0027s box. So where\u0027s the plug? Gary says when he asked the Orem store manager, he said...<br><br>\u0022We are actually instructed to take that part out of the box and sell it for an additional $7 cost.\u0022<br><br>What? When Gary challenged EBC\u0027s policy, he says he was told he was free to do with the product as he wanted to. <br><br>Gep: \u0022Oh, really. We contacted MSI, the manufacturer of that video card, and said is that true? That the retailer is allowed to reach into that box and take that plug out? MSI said absolutely not. Anything that is included in that box should stay in the box and be sold that way.\u0022<br><br>That seems to make sense...<br><br>\u0022The contents of the box should be as the contents of the box are listed as being.\u0022<br><br>So, I contacted EBC to ask about their policy of removing this part from the box.<br><br>Gep: \u0022I talked with EBC owner Eduardo Bedea, and he didn\u0027t want to talk about any of this on camera, but he said that he didn\u0027t know that the practice of taking things out of the box was illegal.\u0022<br><br>But now, he\u0027ll make a deal with Gary, and anyone else to whom this may have happened. Rather than selling the plug separately, he\u0027ll give it to them for free.<br><br>It\u0027s simple, if it\u0027s listed on the front of the box, you can expect to get it when you open the box.<br>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/47531#comment47531","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"Sosai_X","rating":"2"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"If you\u0027re in need of anything reliable, buying from EBC Computers is masochism. I bought the parts for two whole new systems from EBC just last week, including two ASUS P4C800 motherboards. I had tons of problems (most notably, random shutdowns and random blue screens and processes crashing on fresh installs of Windows) and since I had two of everything, I was confidently able to narrow it to the motherboards. EBC charged me a $40 restocking fee for returning one of the motherboards with a ribbon cable that didn\u0027t say \u0022ASUS\u0022 on it, even though it was a brand new cable. I suggested he sell me a new ASUS motherboard so I could give him his ASUS cable, and did so, but when I did, I noticed traces of thick dust around the SIDES of the back connectors, the type that could have only been put there by a case fan over the course of months. Right there I knew I was being sold a well-used part as new, and right there I shoved my entire order back in their face and told them \u0022NO MORE MOTHERBOARDS, just charge me the damn restocking fee, I don\u0027t want to troubleshoot your garbage\u0022. I wasted one weekend and $40 for the privilege of troubleshooting EBC junk... then went to COMP USA and bought two new motherboards and my systems worked flawlessly afterwards.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/130926#comment130926","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"reswobslc","rating":"2"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Ebc Computers is one of the worst computer stores i have ever been to Never buy motherboards from them and dont expect them to honor any thing they say. there testing for bad parts is if it POST\u0027s it works. <br><br>P.S. there warnty is absolute bull","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/EBC_Computers\/comment\/188632#comment188632","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/EBC_Computers.jpg","store_name":"EBC Computers","username":"Sintar","rating":"2"}, "single");){kind=link}
"Let's flip the coin over.
I, however, do not agree with EBC selling used parts as new. The parts do go through a 36-hour re-testing process, but this doesn't mean they are new or refurbished. This is a very gray area to try and verify the parts are as good as new. Especially, if the problem was intermittant in the first place. EBC should lower the price on these parts, sell them as used, and raise all of their prices on other products slightly to cover the increased cost ( or loss). They should also offer no in-store warranty and state the remaining manufacturers warranty on the used parts. In this manner there are no illusions in the customer's mind as to the customer service on these parts.
I also feel that there are some customers requests that have been mis-handled. Unfortunately, anger often gets in the way. I am not speaking so much of Eddy personally (he's usually as cool as a cucumber), but of some of the staff and some of the customers. The key is to be civil and polite. If you lose your temper as a customer, it can result in the management losing their tempers and then you lose. At that point, you may as well kiss your service goodbye. As my mother used to say, "honey attracts flies better than vinegar".
Additionally, the time that it takes sales associates to enter an order is too long. They need to revamp the invoicing system to a realtime system that makes a sales order and invoice all at once by scanning the serial barcode or an EBC specific SKU barcode into the system. This would solve the long waits for sales orders.
And finally, I suggest that you inspect all parts that you recieve from EBC extremely closely, and be extremely careful with the part when installing it into your computer. Any physical damage caused directly by you or others (besides Tech support) will void any EBC AND Manufacturers warranties expressed or implied.
If you recieve damaged or equipment that you suspect is used, I suggest that you refuse that equipment. (Keep in mind that in order to scan serial number barcodes into their computers the seals on the static bags are often broken on motherboards and modems. This means you should inspect the part closer for possible marks from mounting or inserting motherboards or video/modem/network/sound cards. Also, check the seals on monitor boxes and power supplies {whether inside or outside the case}.)
My final words are this:
Research your products
Know what you want
Call ahead for a will call
Don't accept used equipment
Inspect closely
Wear static wrist strap when installing your equipment
Don't overclock (or admit to overclocking), or play with settings in the BIOS you don't understand
Know the warranty, RMA, and return polices of EBC and expect them to enforce them.
Don't break seals or remove stickers
Keep your original invoice
Be polite and calm when seeking a return/RMA
This is a way to avoid problems and hassle with EBC if you follow it closely. If you choose to ignore me then, "let the buyer beware."
"