3/5

posted Jan-12-2007

"I thought after reading the reviews on here my Velocity Micro experience would be a smooth one. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case.

I received my computer on December 18 (the estimated ship date was December 7). The next day, the computer began mysteriously rebooting. After almost a week of this, I contacted VM support and was told it might be a memory issue. After some testing, the culprit was found to be a bad memory slot on the motherboard. The conversation was on December 27, I was told the new motherboard would arrive on December 29, and that they would send a technician that day to install it. On December 29, the time of my appointment was approaching, and I had not yet received my motherboard. So I called the technician, Chad, to reschedule. I found later that day that the motherboard did not even ship until a couple hours earlier. Due to the holiday, the motherboard now would not arrive until January 2. It seems VM did not contact Chad to let him know about this.

So, Chad then came out January 3 to install my motherboard. Unfortunately, the computer would not power up. Chad called VM and it was decided I needed a replacement power supply. This was the morning of January 3 – the power supply did not ship until the next afternoon. I received it January 8, with Chad scheduled to come by January 9. The 3pm appointment came and went, with Chad not showing up. I called and left a voicemail. I got called back at 5:30pm – Chad fell asleep. Reluctantly, I agreed to a reschedule the morning of January 10. He finally showed, the power supply is installed, and the computer so far is working, save for the CD/DVD Combo Drive, which is being replaced, due to the loud grinding noise being made when a disc is in. Chad also didn’t fully complete the wiring inside the computer, as I found later. A few components were not connected, and the wires were left a mess inside the machine – a far cry from the fantastic, clean wiring job I had when the computer arrived. I had to call technical support again to step me through what was still left to be plugged in.

The technical support agents I’ve talked to have been helpful and knowledgeable. They wanted to make sure to pinpoint the problem before taking a course of action. They can’t be blamed for 3 parts having to be replaced in less than a month. But it does raise questions about the quality/testing phase of the build. The replacement of parts has been questionable as well, the first two replacement parts not being sent when I was told they would be sent. Of course they can’t be blamed for the technician falling asleep and missing our appointment.

I last agent I talked to I asked to notate my account regarding the fact in the less than one month span I’ve had the computer, I’ve had only 2 or 3 days of smooth operation. This was in the hopes that my 1 year warranty would be extended an extra month to cover the time I wasn’t able to use the computer.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine machine, and now that it’s running, it’s running as good as I’d hoped. Assuming the replacement drive does the job, I’m sure I’ll be satisfied with my Velocity Micro computer. I’m certainly satisfied with technical support. Everything else though, has been more than a hassle than it should be for a brand new computer. I’m confident it’s an isolated incident, so I wouldn’t deter anyone from purchasing from Velocity Micro. "

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5/5

posted Dec-05-2003

"I found the purchase process very convenient. I was able to utilize Velocity Micro's website to customize much of my notebook computer and VM customer support was very helpful in walking me through the components I did not understand or need. I would give them a solid A."

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5/5

posted Jan-28-2006

"I have purchased two computers from Velocity Micro. The quality has been excellent, and the service has been better than any other computer company that I have ever dealt with. That includes Dell, HP, Alienware, Hypersonic, and Sony. I use my machines both for business and gaming and they are equipped to handle the demands of both. Velocity Micro is committed to being a hometown (US) based company, unlike companies like Dell and all the others. Sales, customer service and 24/7 tech support are run out of Richmond, Virginia by the people who build your company. They do not outsource anything. I enjoy quality from America, and not having to deal with tech support from India. I will buy from Velocity Micro again."

This review was modified by H8PainMD on May 12 2006 10:17:38 PM

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2/5

posted Jan-25-2005

"I purchased a Promagix system for business expansion. For my order after going over every single detail of what to expect, I was told and understood the parts used were all retail and all documentation and even the boxes would be shipped with the machine. What 24/7 and onsite support meant had different interpretations. “That will come in writing with the machine”

The machine arrived a week after projected time, no big deal to me. But it arrived without some items and without documentation. A nice silver box folder with three tab dividers but no documentation! I have plugged it in to make sure it's working at least. Had to complete install of the OS (no directions) and install msoffice and wondered how a machine could be 'finely tuned' (+$30) if these weren't completely installed? I asked the Ulead stuff be sent but not installed -- it's installed anyway. I didn't want to deal with potential conflicts with my own dvd/cd/movie record edit software. Ulead isn’t as it shows on the website. When I asked what I get with Ulead package, I was told to look at their website – that it’s “just as they show on that website”. Well it isn’t true… it’s a copied CD on a VM disk no serial # or registration info.

Have written VM a few times about no documentation, missing items and a missing cd "owners manual" on the Audigy card. The only way I know that is missing is the "install CD" has printed on it to refer to the owners manual cd for more information. One call to customer care they don't come with documentation (why do you have all that slop on the website touting how superior your machines are because they do come with it???). She did acknowledge some things should have been in there and weren't so she sent an email to her supervisor who would be in Monday. As I looked at the machine, the website, the logs of online customer support, emails, notes etc. decided to write my own email to this person about the problems and that I'd like it resolved rather than end up with no machine and an extreme dislike for VM.

His email back said they don’t come with documentation and suggesting first lets plug it in and see that it works (in email I did mention I'd already done this! Did he bother to read it?) And to call so we can discuss further. I don’t have all day for this, and was late getting to a job as it was.

VM web site advertises they do only Retail parts - Not OEM, and clearly states what Retail parts come with. Everyone I spoke, wrote to prior to purchase told me this is true, this is how they do things, etc. After purchase it’s a completely different story. One of the customer care persons said their parts don't come with any documentation - and she was one of the same who told me it DID BEFORE I bought it. ???? Also that "your warranty is from Velocity Micro for 3 years not the manufacturers". Again, that wasn't free. If I hadn't bought it, the manufacturers' warranties would have exceeded VM's standard year in most cases, and support continued. Are they using OEM parts while advertising Retail?

I called some local Retailers with what information I could find and got information what the various parts come with. Their consensus – the parts are OEM if they don’t come with documentation. Ok, so VM you have some explaining to do!

This is very poor customer service so far and feel like a sucker for paying 3 years of it. I've been doing my own tech support all this time and a break sounded good. VM tech support looks like its limited and so far consists of telling me how to do my own. Waste of $299! Have written asking for the documentation for this box and missing items. Filed a complaint with the BBB there in Virginia.

For the high cost, I would have expected to hear something enthusiastic and positive from VM of what they can do about this problem resolved. Not outright lies (conflicts with what their website and sales people say) to start with.

I am looking forward to getting this box plugged in, my data moved over, the new peripherals hooked up and a large donation of computer equipment out the door to the school recycler. I'm looking forward to the expansion of business capabilities this should bring. I almost had decided to build my own so I could get what I want without propriety stuff interfering. VM had this model and the options that got close to what I wanted. And they sounded like they'd build it like I would.

I'd like to be a happy satisfied VM user and it should be a great system. I’d like proof I paid for Retail parts not OEM which is one of the things they justify their prices by. At this point it seems the missing stuff and CC – or lack thereof - is the roadblock to enjoying this system. Hard to believe this with such high price stuff - the service and cc should match. And honesty would be a good policy as well.
"

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5/5

posted Jul-24-2005

"Buying from Velocity Micro was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I wanted to buy a good gaming machine without paying an insane price. VM’s Gamer’s Edge 1000, with a few additions, fit the bill exactly – a basic high-end machine, with enough ‘headroom’ for upgrades, that the system won’t be obsolete in year or two. It was the best-priced system I could find that had the ASUS nforce4 SLI mb.

Just to share the decision process I went thru, I considered and investigated the following companies:

1) Falcon NW and VoodooPC were just out of my price range
2) Alienware – had too many bad reviews, I couldn’t understand their customer rep when talking to her, and waiting 12 to 24 weeks for a rebate is way too long
3) WidowPC and ABS had reasonably priced systems, but their mbs were older/AGP slotted
4) The final three were VM, Polywell, and Puget. Polywell and Puget Systems had comparably priced systems as VM, and, in fact, they had more ‘configurability’ than VM. However, I couldn’t find out enough about Polywell’ customer service & tech support, and when I added the cost of a 3-year warranty, VM was cheaper than Puget.

The order process:
1) Wednesday 7/6 – placed order online. VM called me back saying there was a small hitch to my credit card order, which was taken care of quickly. Received emails over the following days as my order status changed.
2) Wednesday 7/13 – received emails from VM stating my system was completed and shipped!

The conclusion and some complaints:
1) I know I shouldn’t complain about free shipping, but I’m going to anyway. I finally received my pc late in the evening of 7/19. Wasn’t VM’s fault, and the delivery date was accurate, but I wasted an entire day waiting around.
2) Unfortunately, the system was not perfect out of the box/startup. The dvd drive’s ide cable had come loose, so I wound up opening the machine to reattach it. Quibbling. Other than that miniscule flaw, the system was well-built, all the manuals and spare parts neatly packed and organized
3) As far as performance – I really feel that I got more than my money’s worth. I can only hope this machine operates as well over time

Finally, one insight I’d like to share as I was comparison shopping for my new pc. VM had one of the lowest-priced extended warranties out there, and many larger and ‘troubled’ companies were much more expensive in this regard. I’ve always felt that if a company has high quality controls during assembly/manufacturing, they can afford to spend less in warranties and replacements. Just my two cents"

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5/5

posted Dec-09-2005

"I really like the computer. It's solidly built with the exact parts I was looking for, and it arrived on the exact date they told me it woul. Pretty amazing, if you think about it. I paid a few extra dollars for this system compared to the Dell I was thinking of, but now that it's here, I know I got a great value with all of the attention to details.

The one thing I was not too sure about was the service. I've read lots about others having issues, but they have helped me with a few issues that I caused with extreme courtesy and professionalism, and I love the southern accent.

I'd suggest Velocity Micro to anybody who needs a great computer."

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5/5

posted Nov-28-2003

"For months I was searching for a computer. I narrowed my choices to Falcon Northwest and Voodoo. I am not a "gamer" but I was in the market for a super-fast computer that could be used in a home office for video-editing, word processing and of course gaming for my daughter. I ordered a Voodoo Fury, then shortly after, I was informed the chassis was going to be the Wave Master by Cooler Master, not the chassis that was shown on their website because Cooler Master discontinued it. I had my issues with the Wave Master chassis, and Voodoo was gracious enough to let me cancel my order. I had nothing but good experiences when I had dealt with Voodoo and Falcon Northwest.

Prior to canceling my order with Voodoo I picked up a recent PC magazine on the premium high-end computer systems and noticed the editor's choice was a company out of Richmond Virginia called Velocity Micro. In the article they went up against the "BIG BOYS"- Falcon Northwest & Voodoo. I researched the company and decided to give them a call this past Monday November 24th. I spoke to an individual that was very polite and he informed me that someone would e-mail me with the answers to my questions.
It was Tuesday night the 25th, and no response, so I decided to e-mail the President of Velocity Micro to express my disappointment with their service.

At 8:52 pm (Mountain time)10:52pm (Eastern time), I was shocked when I received an e-mail from Randy Copeland, the President of Velocity Micro, apologizing for the company not getting back to me in a timely fashion. Since their business has expanded they were experiencing some growing pains. Mr. Copeland in the e-mail answered all of my questions and even left me a voice mail message at my office, informing me to please give Velocity Micro an opportunity to earn my business.

I am also a businessman and my service has fallen short at times, so I gave Velocity Micro another opportunity and am I glad I did.

My concerns with Falcon Northwest and Voodoo can be explained with the following analogy. If I am paying $60k for a Lexus I do not want to be told that I can get it only in a four door model and my color choices are black or white.

Velocity Micro did not offer at the time the Coolermaster ATC-110 SX1 chassis. Falcon Northwest had the chassis and required that an exotic color had to be ordered. No disrespect intended, but I prefer my paint job to be on my vehicle. Voodoo informed me that Wave Master was the chassis for their Fury model. In all fairness to Voodoo they suggested that they could possibly furnish their old Fury chassis. I declined because it was not all aluminum.
You might be saying big deal if its not all aluminum, thats what I said, but it is, because it has excellent cooling properties, which is a necessity with high end computers.

Again, I was shocked when Mr. Copeland e-mailed me on Thanksgiving Day informing me if I could give him the specs on the chassis. Several e-mails were sent back and forth on Thanksgiving Day . As a result of his & Velocity Micro's efforts they now offer that chassis on their website. You might be saying big deal! Well it is to me! Do the research, that chassis built by Cooler Master and discontinued by them, has received rave reviews from the computer industry. Why do you think Falcon Northwest and Voodoo only use that chassis on their finest systems.

I did not order the finest system from Velocity Micro,(my wife would have killed me) but they hunted that chassis down. Oh by the way I wanted a different motherboard, media reader and CPU cooler than they offered. Mr. Copeland said no problem, if you don't mind waiting a few weeks. Again, no disrespect intended, I know for a fact that Falcon Northwest and Voodoo would not have done that, because I have asked!

Mr. Copeland was extremely gracious enough this past Monday to extend the free shipping offer until I was completely satisfied with making an informed decision.

I am of the opinion when you are spending several thousand dollars for a computer you should be able to order what you want. How many people, myself included, purchase a home or car (for alot more money than the cost of a computer) and still are not able to get exactly what they want.

Thank you Mr. Copeland & Velocity Micro because of your efforts I ordered exactly what I wanted. This Thanksgiving has been memorable.

If anyone reading this wishes to talk to me about my terrific experience with Velocity Micro, please contact Mr. Copeland and he will provide you with my office phone number.

Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Copeland & Velocity Micro!

Guy Brown (Phoenix, Arizona)
"

This review was modified by Guy Brown on January 01 2004 09:58:35 AM

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5/5

posted Feb-28-2007

"I can't say enough good things about this company. I built my last PC and didn't have the time or energy to deal with building one again, so i went ahead with the folks at Velocity. I was hesitant at first, because they don't have the "name" of Dell or Alien, but I definitely didn't need to worry. Everyone I spoke to was EXTREMELY helpful and knowledgeable. They totally went above and beyond the call to get me a system I desperately needed, and to get it to me quickly. Every person I spoke to definitely knew their stuff--I never go the feeling I was talking to someone "overseas" who didn't care about my true computing needs, and then today, the system arrived. IMMACULATE construction. The cables were neatly arranged, and it was cleanly done. It will be a dream to upgrade anything in here. And lastly, tonight I spoke to a rep named Jay with a quick question that, quite honestly, he didn't need to answer because it didn't directly have to do with Velocity or their system. But, he listened to me and heard the unstated question/issue, had some great suggestions, and then told me I could call him back if I still had the problem. Amazing. If my computer is half as good as their customer service, I'll be buying my computers from them for a l-o-n-g time to come. And no, I don't work for them. "

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5/5

posted Nov-06-2003

"I just ordered from these folks based on their ratings on this site, their good prices and the very responsive staff who quickly answered all my questions. I spoke with Jeremy and he was a real pro. He even went out of his way to help me with a pricing issue. I'll update as the build/ship process continues, but I'd recommend these folks to anyone. Look around and compare. After you see the sticker shock of Falcon and Voodoo you'll probably come back here like I did to get a similar quality of machine without the outrageous prices.

UPDATE 11/26/03 OK, Velocity Micro, you have totally won over a serious computer user/gamer. I received on 11/21 a customized Gamer's Edge system. Order was placed on the 6th, you shipped on the 13th (Wow, unbelievable) and I received it via ground shipping on the 21st (hey, the ground shipping was free and I put the shipping money into a better computer). Right out of the box I opened the case to see what you folks have been up to and I was very pleased: every component installed as ordered, all wiring and cabling tucked away and overall a very clean and neat interior (take that Voodoo!). The machine has run flawlessly and with the ATI Radeon 9800 XT everything I have thrown at the computer has run smoothly and really, really fast. And I must say, your price was unbeatable by any comparable "custom" gaming computer company and I looked at them all: Hypersonic, Voodoo, Falcon, Viscious, etc. etc. (I did not consider Alienware since they do not make custom, hand crafted machines anymore and man, their Reseller Ratings stink). Thanks again VM, you have a very happy customer on your hands. "

This review was modified by chris47 on November 26 2003 03:51:20 PM

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5/5

posted Nov-24-2003

"These guys are the best. Top of the line equipment and beautifully put together. Delivered as agreed and in a timely fashion. Move over DELL! You have very serious competition."

This review was modified by tchase on December 24 2003 08:20:50 PM

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