1/5

posted Sep-18-2003

"OCT 9th: UPDATE.

After talking to Sterling, and basically explaining to him my problems all over again, answering more questions, generally being hassled about how great monarch is, and how good their service is, etc.... He finally agreed to let me return the motherboard and ram without a restocking fee AFTER I removed my comments from here. That's crap and everyone here knows it - the reason these are here is for honest reviews. If this site was'nt here, or for those who don't know about it - Monarch could be doing the very same thing to other customers.

It took over a week for my credit card to be debited by monarch.... that's ridiculous.

Complete hassle, not worth it.

My original post was on sept 9th, here are the comments :

I AM COMPLETELY DISGUSTED WITH MONARCH......

This was my first and LAST order from monarch. I ordered an Abit MAX3 mobo and some corsair ram. Upon inspecting the mobo, I noticed oily fingerprints on the pcb, I've never once seen such prominent fingerprints on a new mobo in who knows how many years doing this.... anyhow, proceded to clean them up and install the mobo. Right off the bat I had issues with the motherboard, went thru all of the steps (replace cpu, mem, no cards, etc etc). Anyhow, the mobo is completely dead. Call up their return line on friday, ask the guy for a refund so that I could drop it in the mail and pick something up locally over the weekend - was told no, and offered a store credit minus 15%. I called back on tuesday after getting back into town and was told the same thing once again. This issue is still unresolved as of posting this. I will not spend another cent at monarch and I'd suggest you be wary of their return practices."

This review was modified by h1019 on October 09 2003 07:00:20 PM

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1/5

posted Aug-13-2006

"Bought $1,100 in parts 07/21/06. Rec'd an email on 08/01/06 stating parts would arrive no later than 08/07/06. No response to my email of 08/09/06. I cancelled order 08/10/06. Take a look at their score. Would you buy from them if it was their eBay feedback score?"

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1/5

posted Feb-21-2006

"Purchased a 6800GS on 2/16. Credit card was charged the same day. Item had still not shipped by 2/21.

Had to call Customer Service to find out why. The guy on the other end curtly informed me that the item was oversold. I wavered for a few seconds, weighing my want of the card versus the delay in shipping and the less than steller mood of the CS rep. The mood of the rep tipped the balance, and I canceled my order. If I am going to pay to be treated badly, I can think of better ways to go about doing it.

*** Update *** March 8 2006

Rec'd a call from Shawn at Monarch Customer Service less than half an hour after this review posted on Reseller Ratings. He asked me what happened and is there any way he can make me happy. I told him I would be interested in an EVGA 7800GT-517 if they wanted to make me a deal. Shawn then went to ask about what kind of deal they could offer me. In the mean time, Sterling (who I believe is the CS manager) got on the phone and apologized for the CS rep's lousy attitude. Shawn came back with an offer on a 7800GT that was very generous. I accepted and a new order was processed. An additional charge was placed on my credit card that day, the difference between the 6800GS I originally ordered and the 7800GT I was now ordering.

A few days later, I receive my new 7800GT packed in a standard FedEx box with a few deflated air bags as cushioning. I expected it to be better packaged. "Well, it might be ok like that", I think to myself. Wrong. A week and a half of waiting only to receive a broken card. I tried it in 3 different computers, all of which displayed the same set of symptoms (static blue lines on the screen, garbled text in the BIOS, random reboots in Windows and rebooting while installing drivers).

I am not blaming the problem on shipping. The card merely seemed defective. I would expect better packing for a $300 video card though..

Disappointed with Monarch again I contacted the RMA dept at Monarch for a refund and was given the run around. Spent 30 minutes on hold with a CS rep who was going to help me return the card for a refund. Unfortunately our connection was severed and I was left holding my handset listening to the busy tone. I am not saying he hung up on me, but no one made an attempt to call me back either.

It was at this point that I decided to keep the card and get it fixed or otherwise replaced. With all the time and effort involved I wanted something to show for it.

So I called Monarch back for a replacement card and was placed on hold again. When I finally did get someone I was told that Monarch wouldn't replace the broken card they had sent me and I had to talk to the manufacturer for a replacement. That is bullshit. Monarch is more than happy to send you broken equipment and expect you do do all the running around when it arrives dead.

Which is exactly what I have done. I contacted EVGA, who were also surprised to learn that Monarch wouldn't replace my faulty card. They were, however, very considerate on the phone and willing to take my card in for an RMA on the SAME DAY IT WAS REGISTERED with them.

Dealing with Monarch for anything other than charging my credit card has been a nightmare. I am in Savannah, less than three hours from their front door. It is absolutely ridiculous that in the three weeks it has been since they charged me I am still without a working video card and am having to go through the EVGA for support. In the mean time, I purchased an additional 7800GT from Newegg. They are 3000 miles away and had a working card on my doorstep a day earlier than expected.

I gave Monarch three chances to do it right. Two more than their competition needed. I see absolutely no reason to consider Monarch Computer in my future purchasing plans."

This review was modified by choder on March 08 2006 11:42:07 AM

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1/5

posted Apr-28-2004

"This has been, by far, my worst online purchasing experience ever. Each time contact was made regarding the status of the order I heard a different story, usually a complete contradiction of the last story I had been told! Needless to say my order shipped at the last possible moment and was shipped incomplete, just so they could make the date. Oh, yes the missing part was the last reason I was given for the delays. It was being installed while I was on the phone with them for their 48 hour burn in, funny then that it wasn't in the computer when I received it. In fact as of this writing, more than a month from the order, I still don't have the missing part. Now when I finally do get the part, I have to install it myself, something I could have sworn I paid Monarch to do. Have they offered me anything but excuses to make up for this - No! I was a repeat customer, not big, but consistent. They have lost me. At this point I am sorry I ever gave them any business."

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1/5

posted Mar-31-2003

"8/8/03 2:09 PM
The worst on line buying experience I ever had. If this would have been my first time buying online I doubt I would ever have continued to buy from the web.They're that poor. I should point out that it took my credit card company getting involved to finally get my refund for the motherboard I returned in April. 4 months is a long time. This experience will leave a lingering bad taste in my mouth towards Monarch. After all not only did they have their motherboard, but they had my money as well.
4/1/03 7:43 PM
This is how it started...I should have known.
I was sent a motherboard that had quite obviously been used and returned. It was also shipped without ANY of the accompanying accessories. Although it did have the sticker on the box saying that it was inspected and all the pieces were included.

When I called to have them fix this travisty I was assured this was an error on their behalf and would be handled immediately with cross shipping(I send them the one I have and they send me a new one). This was on Friday, March 28. Today (04/01/03)I had to cancel my order. I was LIED TO and given more rhetoric,but still NO tracking number. After being lied to on 3 consecutive occasions, I had no choice other than cancelling my order and buying the motherboard locally for $20 more.

I figure the $20 was worth the headache it saved me from dealing with these less than competent people. Needless to say this will be my ONE and ONLY dealings with this company and I will be sure to pass along this information to anyone who is seeking info about online ordering.

I seriously call into question the 9.75 rating that this company has recieved. I would hate to see what kind of performance a lower rated company would give!"

This review was modified by Ballast on March 28 2004 09:39:42 AM

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1/5

posted Dec-22-2005

"I ordered a custom built computer (for about 2k) back in October. After their customary 3-week wait, they kept coming up with excuses for further delay. After being fed up, I canceled the order and asked for my refund. To make a long story short, in addition to a 15% restocking fee for an order that was never delivered, I am still waiting for my refund 5 weeks after canceling my order. The excuses I have heard so far include "an employee made a mistake in processing the refund", "the only employee who processes your case is out to lunch", "we will call you back with the info for refund" (which they never do), etc. They even hang up the phone on me when I asked to speak to the manager. I have finally given up trying to talk to them and have decided to contact my credit card company and have been forced to contact a lawyer. BE VERY, VERY careful before placing an order. My feeling is that they use their low prices to lure people. I will never shop from Monarch again.
"

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1/5

posted Oct-23-2006

"Don't believe any positive reviews you read about this company.

I placed an order for a custom system on 8/29/2006. A month later, after no updates from Monarch, I called to check on the status of my build. The first excuse was that the hd was bad and needed to be replaced. I called back a week later, at which point I was told that the replacement HD was on backorder, so I had them swap it for a different HD.

Called back a week later and was told that there were configuration issues.

Finally, after over a month and a half, I decided to cancel my order. I've been on hold numerous times for over an hour each time, and the only time I've been able to reach someone on the phone is when I call the sales department (go figure).

I had a brief email exchange with Joe, who tried to convince me to keep my order, but who hasn't responded to any of my emails since I decided to cancel it.

Still waiting for my credit. I've filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, disputed the charge with my credit card company, and will be contacting the Attorney General of Atalanta soon.

UPDATE: 11/1/2006.
Despite repeated requests to cancel this order along with several emails to the manager of customer service - Joe, my order suddenly went into a "ready to ship" status yesterday. I attempted to contact customer server one final time and amazingly enough actually got through to Randall who proceeded to tell me that there was no way for him to cancel a customer order and that I would have to speak with Joe. However, when I told him that I had already disputed the transaction, he immediately said "Well, I'll stop the order from shipping since you've already decided to dispute it and we'd just be wasting money on shipping".

I'll say it again...don't order from these guys and don't believe any positive reviews you read."

This review was modified by jeff12345 on November 01 2006 08:46:43 AM

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1/5

posted Dec-21-2005

"This was, hands down, the worst transaction I've ever had online. I'll never purchase from nor recommend this company to anyone.

Long story short, I paid over $2500 for a system on 10/30 and it's 12/21 and I still don't have it. The customer service is non-existant and they have a complete inability to communicate internally and externally. Here's a timeline:
10/30 - Ordered (billed same day)
11/4 - Followup e-mail, since I paid for 2-day and it's been 5, apology, half the order ships, rest is backordered
11/8 - Another e-mail, another apology, rest of order ships (pattern emerging)
11/10 - Order arrives
11/14 - RMA requested, bad MB
11/18 - RMA received
11/22 - Monarch receives RMA'd parts
11/28 - Another e-mail, another apology, they start work on the RMA
12/15 - After numerous e-mails and over a month, customer service says they might have handled this incorrectly and they'll look into the process
12/17 - New combo ships
12/20 - Combo arrives, missing parts, call to Monarch who says "We don't have those in stock, it'll be 10-14 days."
12/21 - Still don't have the PC I paid for 53 days ago.

These guys are horrible. I asked for a refund, was told I couldn't have one. I asked for daily status updates, was ignored. Called and asked to speak to a manager, was told "Call back in an hour..." Bad things happen, but these guys couldn't have done a worse job from day one.

UPDATE (12/27):
Less than a day after posting my original review, a senior manager called and left me a message about my order. We talked a couple times the next day, and he promised me an overnight delivery of the reaminder of my order along with a "gift box" for my trouble (swag, couple MSFT games, etc...). He also offered a discount on a future order. While none of this necessarly changes my outlook on Monarch or my unhappiness with my experience, I'm grateful to him for the effort he put in and for finally, after 59 days, getting my order completed. He was the lone bright spot in this process, and it's a shame that it took so long to get him involved. I'm definitely glad I found this review site, since it got more reaction than all of my phone calls and e-mails combined! Keep up the good work, resellerratings.com."

This review was modified by jdooley on January 05 2006 04:36:49 PM

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1/5

posted Jul-29-2006

"I decided to purchase a custom state of the art system instead of building it myself, ordering the parts and waiting for them to trickle in. All I wanted to do was to plug in my new pc and 'Go'.

I should have built the system myself. Purchasing from Monarch Computers was the most maddenninly frustrating experience I've had in recent times. Every interaction with a member of their staff left me fuming.

Yes, I'll admit that they have the best prices on the web, but their commitment to customer satisfaction and purchasing experience leaves a lot to be desired.

I've sent repeated emails to staff members that were ignored. I've left messages for mangaers to call me that were ignored. One day I was on hold for cumulatively 2 hours trying to get to speak to someone who could provide details about my upgraded order. Request for an updated invoice were ignored. To top it off, the customer service mangager offered that I was unreasonable and unrealistic. They declined to cancel my order even though it had not been shipped.

Well, I expect a certain level of responsiveness from a vendor with whom I've dropped over $3000.

The icing on the cake is that there was a mistake in the shipped configuration, i.e., I did not get what I ordered (even though I was charged for it). I thought this a valid reason to be refunded my "Hot Rush" fee of $125, since the rushed out an ill-formed system, of course, the customer service manager did not see it my way.

Stay clear of this company. It's obvious that they are understaffed and have don't regard their customers highly."

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1/5

posted Oct-05-2006

"Monarch has started in on a very negative trend of "floating" with the consumer's money.

Just one year ago, I would have recommended to anyone to purchase from Monarch. Indeed I made a number of purchases from them, and considered myself one of their biggest fans. This encouraged me to keep an extra close eye on all their offerings, advertisements and sales.

Unfortunately, I got caught up in something that I should have had the foresight to see was coming. In the last 2 months (since early Aug 2006), Monarch has had a TON of clearance sales, or extra good sales, on items that would otherwise cost quite a bit more at other vendors. I usually obsess over checking prices with other places. I had started to question how and why Monarch was able to dump all of these products at such low prices...

I should have paid more heed to my own observations. I ordered two graphics cards at ridiculously low prices from Monarch on 25 Aug. A few days later, Monarch emailed me to say that THEY were cancelling the order because of a lack of available stock. OK, fine, it was out of stock. Sort of silly to charge a person's credit card immediately on an item they neither have in stock nor are able to ever replenish stock with ...

Well, the email stated I would receive a full refund on the entire order that they had cancelled. This would occur within 30 days.

45+ days later ... nothing. No refund. No attempt on my part to contact the company has been successful. I called them -- and you get to leave a voice mail message. I emailed them: No response. I used their web form twice, which it states receives a response within 24 hours: No response. I don't know what the purpose is of having a web form if the business never responds to the entries on that form...

Anyway, as I have continued to watch the "sales" roll in to my inbox during Sept. and now October ... sometimes 2 or 3 clearances announces in the same week ... I was like -- WOW, I get it -- they are doing this to lots of people. They are charging our cards right away, on stock they do not have, and then they float on our money to pay their bills for 30-60 days. This is normally a very bad sign for the health of a company. I hope their doors remain open long enough for me to be able to obtain a refund. My current burn is for $86.57. At this point I do not know if I will ever see it back."

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