Well this sucks...

[maroofc]

Hi

Not only did I save up the money to get an Optimus V or Cosmos II and was looking forward to ordering with all the news I've heard about PC Specialist... I then come across these forums where people mention the fan issues, poor build, BSODs etc, and then on top of that, massive build times.

I really wanted to order an Optimus V but now am having to spend less and order a Cosmos II as its the 'safer' laptop it seems for reliability but still having doubts due to the build time etc.

I admit , when speaking with Sales on chat, I've been 'left the chatroom'd' once, questions ignored and then blank responses , and then sent from one queue to another, and by email very slow responses.

Not sure I have the faith in PCS anymore, as much as Id want to I just dont have the capacity to receive a broken laptop and go back and forth with RMA given I need one asap.

 

[TheGeeza]

PCS is very good when it comes to customer support usually and have always been there when i need them. Don't lose faith in them just because of a few random posts. Be reasonable. I mean there are bound to be problems with any PC builder as none are perfect. This is a technical support forum so I would assume that there would be technical issues discussed on it. Tell you what, I challenge you to find a better PC builder than PCS. I have had several friends order systems from them and they have all been especially pleased with the service. I thought the same as you when i bought my system and have done extensive research into pretty much every custom PC builder in the country and none seemed as good as PCS. I bought my system and have no regrets. Build time was fast , customer support is the best i have ever experienced and the system is perfect. Trust me, you won't be disappointed The optimus V seems to have a few issues but don't let that put you off ordering a PC. Maybe buy the cosmos instead.

 

[maroofc]

Hi, thanks for the reassurance,I actually build PCs myself but never Laptops, however it does seem notorious with the Optimus V in general, I just glimped at:

Forum: Laptops/Notebook PC's
Technical support for laptops/notebook PC's.

They all mention it

I just wish an official from PCS would comment on this on the forums and give a proper update on the common issues.

 

[bigben]

When I had a problem with my desktop the man on the phone was very helpful, asked me if I was happy going inside the case, clearly explained what he needed me to check.
When none of those worked he created the RMA for me (Mon. 13th May), I had another email to say they had received it (Fri. 17th), another email to say they had fixed it and dispatched (Mon. 20th). Excellent after sales support.

The thing to remember is that PC Specialist is a pretty big company and sell 1000s of desktops/laptops, most people don't leave feedback if they are happy with what they bought, whereas if they have problems they are much more likely to leave feedback.

 

[araabd]

Hi

Not only did I save up the money to get an Optimus V or Cosmos II and was looking forward to ordering with all the news I've heard about PC Specialist... I then come across these forums where people mention the fan issues, poor build, BSODs etc, and then on top of that, massive build times.

I really wanted to order an Optimus V but now am having to spend less and order a Cosmos II as its the 'safer' laptop it seems for reliability but still having doubts due to the build time etc.

I admit , when speaking with Sales on chat, I've been 'left the chatroom'd' once, questions ignored and then blank responses , and then sent from one queue to another, and by email very slow responses.

Not sure I have the faith in PCS anymore, as much as Id want to I just dont have the capacity to receive a broken laptop and go back and forth with RMA given I need one asap.

To be fair buddy I just ordered an optimus V 17.3 inch, I ordered it on tuesday afternoon with the 5 day fast track, I went and picked up my laptop today.
I messaged them through the mail system inside the account and I got very prompt and polite replies and there was no frustration on their part no matter how many times i asked when will it be done lol. When I went to pick it up today, was greeted by a nice chap and he took my license to verify that it was the account holder picking it up and within 10 minutes I was out of there.

I can not fault the service by PCS, I purchased a laptop a few months ago for my uncle and was so impressed that it prompted me to buy from them with my own. I have looked for a similarly spec'd laptop and cannot find one for cheaper.

 

[One-Half]

Its great company with great service .... saturday delivery...i find wrong fitted ram saturday 10:00am call to PCS ....thuesday new ram arrived old send by dpd collect and return ...

 

[SimonUK]

Hi

Not only did I save up the money to get an Optimus V or Cosmos II and was looking forward to ordering with all the news I've heard about PC Specialist... I then come across these forums where people mention the fan issues, poor build, BSODs etc, and then on top of that, massive build times.

I really wanted to order an Optimus V but now am having to spend less and order a Cosmos II as its the 'safer' laptop it seems for reliability but still having doubts due to the build time etc.

I admit , when speaking with Sales on chat, I've been 'left the chatroom'd' once, questions ignored and then blank responses , and then sent from one queue to another, and by email very slow responses.

Not sure I have the faith in PCS anymore, as much as Id want to I just dont have the capacity to receive a broken laptop and go back and forth with RMA given I need one asap.

Hmm, sadly, your post sounds very familiar...

 

[PaulH]

Hello All,

We do understand where you are coming from, we know you, as the customer, keep us up and running - we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you guys.

As said, we do have problems, every company does and we do go to rectify them to the best of our ability in a very good timeframe, for the most part I know we do.

We have been exceedingly busy this year so far, especially at "going back to Uni" time - this has set us back which we have compensated for by adding new staff and increasing working hours, this backlog is now falling back a large amount and we will soon be back on track.

There has also been a few issue regarding some of the problems specified above, we are working together with the manufacturer to try and rectify these, sadly it is not an overnight fix in the most part but as soon as we have something positive, you guys will be the first to hear about it.

 

[moosEh]

Hi

Not only did I save up the money to get an Optimus V or Cosmos II and was looking forward to ordering with all the news I've heard about PC Specialist... I then come across these forums where people mention the fan issues, poor build, BSODs etc, and then on top of that, massive build times.

I really wanted to order an Optimus V but now am having to spend less and order a Cosmos II as its the 'safer' laptop it seems for reliability but still having doubts due to the build time etc.

I admit , when speaking with Sales on chat, I've been 'left the chatroom'd' once, questions ignored and then blank responses , and then sent from one queue to another, and by email very slow responses.

Not sure I have the faith in PCS anymore, as much as Id want to I just dont have the capacity to receive a broken laptop and go back and forth with RMA given I need one asap.

We are sorry to hear you are having issues with the pre-sales service
Sadly the Optimus V does have a different FAN table that some people do not like the speed the fan gets to after sitting at idle. We have brought this to the attention of CLEVO when this first was reported. They are still testing new fan tables but during their tests for a quieter fan speed the test beds overheated. As soon as they have resolved the issue we will of course deal with sending out replacement BIOS updates to every customer affected.

On a personal note: Having had the first ever Optimus V 17.3" built and sold by PCS I do not see this as a major issue but understand other customers concerns.

Edit: And after running my Laptop on Heaven Benchmark for 5 hours on Extreme the Laptop was at a normal laptop fan sound and didnt lift above 55 degrees.

 

[maroofc]

Thank you for the replies to all, I guess then this confirms my doubts on the Optimus V for now, until the issues are resolved. The main issue for me was the fan whirring up when on idle as it'll just make me paranoid about the machine and to make me keep checking temp monitoring apps etc. Again I cant afford to have an RMA back and forth at the moment due to work commitments.

Im guessing moosEh that this applies to both the 13" and 17" models of the Optimus V ?

 

[Grimezy]

Seems like you've had some very reassuring answers from staff members. If you're still not convinced, check out websites that matter: http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Like others have said, Forums tend to be for complaints or technical issues, not so many people come to rant about how good of an experience they had (although some do!). You will always find problems within any company with the help of the internet, people are far too quick to badmouth a company of a tiny problem, heck, some guy the other day said he refused to buy from PCS as he couldn't find the Discount Code box on the website and assumed they were a con-company who roped customers in with fake discount codes...

 

[maroofc]

Seems like you've had some very reassuring answers from staff members. If you're still not convinced, check out websites that matter: http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Like others have said, Forums tend to be for complaints or technical issues, not so many people come to rant about how good of an experience they had (although some do!). You will always find problems within any company with the help of the internet, people are far too quick to badmouth a company of a tiny problem, heck, some guy the other day said he refused to buy from PCS as he couldn't find the Discount Code box on the website and assumed they were a con-company who roped customers in with fake discount codes...

To be honest I've read only good reviews of PC Specialists after sales service, no doubting them whatsoever, as they did confirm earlier though, right now the laptop in question has got issues which can cause some people a bother and that they are working at full capacity to fulfil back orders. If I knew the laptop was OK, I would have no issues ordering even with the backlog, but knowing it has issues and my limitations with RMA time etc, it's just a case of bad timing/situation right now

 

[moosEh]

Thank you for the replies to all, I guess then this confirms my doubts on the Optimus V for now, until the issues are resolved. The main issue for me was the fan whirring up when on idle as it'll just make me paranoid about the machine and to make me keep checking temp monitoring apps etc. Again I cant afford to have an RMA back and forth at the moment due to work commitments.

I'm guessing moosEh that this applies to both the 13" and 17" models of the Optimus V ?

This applies to the 15.6" and the 17.3". The 13.3" is a completely different mobo.

 

[Ravi_MB]

I noticed you were also considering the Cosmos II as one of your potential choices. I've recently received that laptop and it's only been a few days so I don't know how reassuring this will be, but the fan is dead silent when idle, web browsing and watching HD TV. I'll test it with photo editing and basic gaming when I get a little more time on the weekend but it's a very quiet laptop and manages heat very well as far as I've seen so far.

 

[maroofc]

I noticed you were also considering the Cosmos II as one of your potential choices. I've recently received that laptop and it's only been a few days so I don't know how reassuring this will be, but the fan is dead silent when idle, web browsing and watching HD TV. I'll test it with photo editing and basic gaming when I get a little more time on the weekend but it's a very quiet laptop and manages heat very well as far as I've seen so far.

Thats much appreciated, actually its funny I'm literally googling it now!

I would like to know how it fares against Battlefield 3 type games

 

[moosEh]

Thats much appreciated, actually its funny I'm literally googling it now!

I would like to know how it fares against Battlefield 3 type games

COSMOS won't be earth shattering on high end games.

 

[Ravi_MB]

Well it's not suited for high end gaming, the graphics card installed on the Cosmos II is entry level, which is great for basic gaming like League of Legends, and the screen is fantastic for multimedia activities (which has met my needs brilliantly thus far). But if your planning on using the laptop as a portable gaming rig of sorts then I'd say your best bet is probably Skyfire III, I've not heard of any fan issues with that one and the spec on review is very well priced for what it is.

 

[gaaron]

I didn't buy that machine, only because I wanted more 'freedom' to choose components & that I can change them at a later stage. This was due to my age....I'm 'old', so therefore no concept of earning more money & eventually replacing. Anything I've written, was for advice, & I see it as 'teething probs', & the peeps on here give solid advice.
I'll agree with some posters - lots of peeps post to complain - I'm sure if PCS would give their sales details, I am sure the complaints will be in the minority. Now - work out the bue tooth connection ha ha

 

[Matrix510]

Well. I have ordered an Optimus V 17.3" model and that's on the 8th working day of production and on the pre-production phase. I hope I encounter none of the issues people keep complaining about, but it's inevitable. At the end of the day, we aren't exactly paying a premium for the items we are getting, these laptops are reasonably priced.

But I will be sticking around to give my personal feedback on the laptop I have ordered once I receive it, which I expect to be either later this week or beginning of next. I have read a post on another topic concerning with some Blu Ray ROMS that weren't in stock until recently that may have also effected some orders. Although I am unclear as to whether mine was delayed at all due to this. If it was it would have been nice to be informed, but I'm not concerned about production times yet.

I have always liked the appearance of PC Specialist as a company and hope that their service and product delivers a high standard to me. I want to use it as a semi-portable gaming device that is powerful enough to match the performance of a mid range desktop; due to it being the only gaming PC I have access to right now.

The main issue for me won't be fan noise but it will be casing quality. I currently own a Lenovo G570, and the casing is atrocious. The left rear corner of the casing, right next to the hinge is prying itself apart with the force of opening and closing the laptop's lid. The protection for the heat-sink has also disintegrated, and the screw, along with the threading have both come out of the case. It's a matter of time before the hinge completely separates itself from the main body. Having this experience will make me overly cautious with laptops in future, and I hope that the Optimus V will be a good choice to set my prejudices straight on the build quality of laptops.