Understanding Reliability

Studies have shown that 60% of all electronic component failures occur in the first 200 hours of operation (marked "T1" in the graphs).

As time passes, the chance of failure declines until the components reach the wear-out phase (greater than 5 years for most solid-state electronic components).

Component "burn-in" is when you run the equipment through the T1 period to reduce the risk of failure. Many PC builders use a 24-48 hour "burn-in". However, unless you do a 200 hour run, it does not qualify as a true burn-in by generally accepted Quality Assurance methods, and only a very small number of failures will be found. We perform several hours of testing to ensure that all components are working correctly.

Who provides our Support and Warranty:

We administer our warranty program in-house. Our warranty is administered in three ways:

1. Technical Support: We provide expert technicians to resolve computer problems. This is in contrast to low paid foreign telemarketers used by the manufacturers of mass-produced computers.
2. On-site Service: We contact technicians in your area and pay them to go to the location of the computer and perform repairs.
3. Replacement: We maintain a inventory of almost ready-to-ship computers in various models. In the event that we do not have confidence that a local technician can properly repair your computer, then we will replace it or bring it in for Depot service. Depending on the age of the computer and the type of warranty you may be eligible for a replacement computer, otherwise Depot Service will be required.

Limited Warranty Information

The Products we sell are designed and intended for rigorous use by professional, business, and commercial users. These computers are more sophisticated than household/consumer grade computers and may have different characteristics. An important difference between our computers and household/consumer grade computers is compatibility with anti-virus software. Many anti-virus software packages are not designed or tested by their manufacturers for use on sophisticated computer systems and can significantly reduce the computer's performance. You do not have to buy anti-virus software from us, but if you use anti-virus software then you should use one that we recommend. If you call us for technical support that relates to software that does not operate correctly and you are using a non-recommended anti-virus program then that anti-virus program will need to be removed before support can proceed.

We warranty our new computers against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of 1 - 3 years from the date of shipping. Some computers sold in the past may have shorter warranty periods; see your Invoice to determine the warranty period on older computers. The warranty does not cover damage done to the computer by you, your guests; objects falling on your computer, lightning, power surges, static electric discharge, operation at elevated room temperatures (more than 85F), or computer malware (viruses and spyware). We are notliable for loss of use or loss of data as a result of equipment failure, technical support, or by any other cause.

If you purchased our 2 year virus and spyware protection and support service then we will do all that we reasonably can to remove viruses from your computer. This service is not a 100% guarantee that all viruses can be removed or that the system can be returned to 100% of its original configuration after the virus is removed. Some viruses cause irreversible damage. The virus protection service will provide remote assistance in removing a virus that has been detected but not removed by anti-virus software or by the customer. No anti-virus software provides 100% protection. When a virus escapes the protection of the anti-virus software then we will attempt to remove it remotely. If that is not successful then we will require the customer to send the hard drive to our facility for more advanced work. Overnight shipping is not included in the service. This service is limited to two incidents per year per customer.

Most devices are compatible with our computers. However, devices you purchase may not be compatible with our computer due to differences in the way some standards are implemented: FireWire devices, USB external hard drives, wireless networking devices, and front audio connections.

Keyboard, mouse, speakers, and other minor components external to the computer have a 6 month warranty.

SILVER, GOLD, and PLATINUM WARRANTY plans have the differences listed in the table above.

A Surge Suppressor is required to be in place at all times while your computer is under warranty.

The warranty does not cover damage due to wet, harsh, or corrosive environments (e.g. corrosion from salt in the air due to operation on or near the ocean).

If there is a problem, you will be called upon to perform actions at our direction to perform recovery tasks and preliminary troubleshooting on your computer. These tasks, in some cases, may take a few hours to perform. YOUR COOPERATION IS REQUIRED AS A CONDITION OF ON-SITE WARRANTY SERVICE. If you do not wish to cooperate then you must mail the computer to us for repair.

If you requested a special components to be installed which we do not normally stock then some restrictions apply to the special component: If the component fails, then you must either:

1. Obtain a replacement part yourself,
2. Get the manufacturer to replace the part,
3. Send it to us for a replacement exchange from the manufacturer if it is possible for us to do so. This may involve significant delays.

Phone Support

Silver Warranty Phone Support:
We provide assistance getting you up and running during the first 3 months with almost any reasonable request. From 3 - 5 months we provide technical support for any hardware device or software that we sold you and can provide advice and recommendations on other hardware and software issues (one we didn't sell you). After 5 months we continue to provide you with advice and recommendations whenever you wish but remote troubleshooting and repair is limited to hardware related problems.

Gold & Platinum Warranty Phone Support:
We provide assistance getting you up and running during the first 2 years with almost any reasonable request. During the entire 3 year warranty we provide technical support for any hardware device or software that we sold you and can provide advice and recommendations on other hardware and software issues (one we didn't sell you).

Out of Warranty:
We may provide assistance if you are out of warranty. We may limit assistance to 20 minutes or less, per incident. Out of Warranty calls will be answered based on the availability of our technical support staff.

How long will repairs take to perform?

Desktop Computers
Problems with desktop computers will be analyzed on the phone and may require your assistance (as outlined elsewhere in this document). If phone-based support cannot resolve the problem then an on-site repair will be scheduled. If parts are required, then a repair technician will be scheduled to show up when the parts arrive. If the computer is not capable of performing your work, then replacement parts will be shipped by overnight delivery. Repairs can usually be completed on the day that the technician shows up. If the CPU requires replacement, and a new CPU needs to be provided by Intel or AMD, then a delay of 2-4 days can be expected before repairs can be completed.

ON-SITE REPAIRS CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH YOUR COOPERATION. ON-SITE TECHNICIANS IN MOST AREAS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY TRAINED FOR DIAGNOSIS OF PROBLEMS, ONLY REPLACING PARTS. IF THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE NARROWED TO A SPECIFIC COMPONENT THROUGH YOUR COOPERATION WITH OUR PHONE SUPPORT TECHNICIANS, THEN THE COMPUTER MUST BE RETURNED TO US FOR REPAIR.

Defective parts must be returned unless we specify otherwise. You will be provided a return shipping label by us. Failure to return parts will result in suspension of your warranty until:

1. the parts are returned, or
2. you pay for the parts.

All replacement parts will be shipped to the "Ship To:" address on our files unless you have notified us in writing or by Email of a different address. If you dot not notify us of an address change then you are responsible for loss of the item if it is accepted by another party at the address on file with us and the item is unrecoverable.

Non-US customers are responsible for customs duties and import inspection fees on replacement parts.

Our Technical Support service and on-site technician service and replacement service does not cover re-loading your software if the Operating System requires re-installation.

Laptop/Notebook Computers
Most laptop repairs will take 2-3 weeks to complete, plus 3-6 days for shipping time.

LCD Monitors
Monitor replacement during our warranty period will take 4-6 business days in most cases.

Keyboards, Mice, Headsets, Cables & other peripheral devices
Monitor replacement during our warranty period will take 4-6 business days in most cases.