SCAN produce LEMON 3XS TRIAD system - approx. £2,500 down the drain

[iwtone]

This is to warn others about SCAN! Or as I my partner likes to call them - SCAM!

SUMMARY:
Motherboard failure
Hard drive failure
Memory failure
Motherboard failure (again) - still waiting for a replacement - almost 3 weeks!

The PC was delayed due to testing issues. Apparently, I was informed, some of the engineers get a little bit over excited when it comes to overclocking. This had the alarm bells ringing.

So the PC dully arrived, apparently fully tested, and stable. Yeah right. Within a few days the PC had to be sent back to SCAN because of CMOS errors. The Abit motherboard had to be replaced (with a Striker Extreme).

So, what happened next. One, or possibly both, of the two Samsung hard drives failed. So they had to be returned to SCAN, and I had to reload the operating system when the replacement drives arrived. I couldn't restore from my backups, because the original data on the hard drives was corrupt.

So what happened next. The PC kept crashing. It took me quite some time to figure out the problem. The memory had now failed - confirmed via memtest - hundreds and hundreds of errors within a few seconds of testing. So guess what, my backups were again useless, as the faulty memory had corrupted data on the hard drives! When I took the memory out, I noticed that they were in the wrong slots. The DDR2 high end memory had been running in single channel mode on an overclocked machine for several months. No wonder they eventually failed!

So, a month or so after the PC's warranty expired, the Striker Extreme reported the dreaded CPU INIT error message. I put 'Striker Extreme' and 'CPU INIT' into GOOGLE and got thousands of hits. I tried everything, bar removing the motherboard, that the various technical forums suggested, but the motherboard would not post. A local computer shop tested my rig and confirmed that the board was effectively dead.

So I called SCAN, they generated an RMA #, and I posted them the board. They tested the board using low end cheap components and the motherboard posted. I informed them that the board should have been tested using the same components on my PC! I was fobbed off with 'policy' excuses. I called back, and SCAN changed their tune as they had built the system. I was informed that Ben, the technical manager, would call me. I'm still waiting for a call Ben! I called back again, and was informed that the warrenty was void as I had removed the motherboard from the case! I called back again, and was informed that the motherboard would now be tested with the correct components. I called back again, and was informed that the engineer wasn't in, so there would be a delay in my board being tested. I called back again and the engineer was indeed in but I needed to contact the technical services department (Ben)... The above is a summary, as I've called many many times, and have been fobbed off each and every time. No one wants to take responsibility.

The support from SCAN, whilst the PC was under warranty, was pretty good. But then it would have to be good considering the poor systems they build (or throw together). The support I have received over the motherboard has been, quite frankly, disgraceful.

Well they've had the board for almost 3 weeks now! I haven't had a working PC for well over a month!

So in order to warn others, I'm putting the above issues on a few technical PC forums. Next steps will be to apprach trading standards.

Other problems:
General wiring issues - pretty shambolic - for example, the lower Disc caddy cannot be removed as some idiot has shoved wires through it.
DVD R/W - has never been able to record to DL.
Network driver problems.

Regards,

Ian Tone.

[akaneria]

Originally Posted by iwtone

I was fobbed off with 'policy' excuses.

i had a similar problem with a graphics card, i know how it feels!
if you look further down the threads "so disappointed with scan" you can see it

[Madafwo]

Yet another person joins hexus to whine...

No doubt your issues will get sorted and I apprciate that you are frustrated but insulting the people who are trying to help really isn't the smartest thing to do and it's getting boring.

Why not come on here and ask for help, it is a support forum, not a whine forum. Ask and ye shall receive as the old saying goes. maybe I'm wrong, maybe insult and ye shall receive.

[iwtone]

My email may be a tad emotive, but I think I'm justified in airing my frustrations.

Regarding "insulting the people who are trying to help", I think you'll find that no one is interested in helping resolve the problem. I've left voice mails, emails, messages. SCAN staff have in turn left messages for someone to call me back...

And do you know, in the past 3 weeks, how many people have bothered calling me back to resolve the problem - precisely ZERO!

So what would you suggest I do? What more can I do?

Whiney Ian.

[iwtone]

Originally Posted by akaneria

i had a similar problem with a graphics card, i know how it feels!
if you look further down the threads "so disappointed with scan" you can see it

Just read your thread. Pretty poor form me thinks.

You've got me worried now, as not only is the Striker Extreme (and Striker II Extreme for that matter) a dodgy motherboard, I also have an XFX 880 GTX graphics card. Knowing my luck, that's the component that will go next - at least then there wont be much left on my rig to go wrong!

[Wiczy]

I'm with you m8, you will have to excuse some of the people on here because they simply refuse to believe Scan can do any wrong so instead they clutter up complaint threads with sycophantic dribble.

To be totally honest with you I have bought lots of components from Scan over the last 10 years or so and have had very few if any problems with most of it. But I did have a problem with a GFX card which Scan told me was fine and then charged me to have it shipped back to myself. I contacted the manufacturer and they immediately swapped the card after finding 2 faults, not just the one I had noticed.

Since then I have had a DOA motherboard and Corsair memory, the refund for which took a month after being authorised.

Basically I think they are ok to a point but their testing is laughable at best, their refund system simply isn't working properly and some their advertisements are very misleading imho.

I hope you get this resolved to your satisfaction and I wholly sympathise with how you feel after being ignored, it sucks

[Madafwo]

I suggest you come on here and ask for help.

By all means you are entitled to air your views, that is what a forum is for however all you have done is kick off, you haven't asked for help, your e-mail was one long rant at Scan.

This is a support forum, you haven't come on here to ask for support, you have come on here because you want to put the boot into Scan.

As you have stated, it's an e-mail, I am sure you have copied Scan in on this e-mail so you think they will now take more notice, which they probably will.. However, I am also pretty certain that if your e-mail went along the lines of this

"I have had some issues with my system, I have sent a few e-mails and haven't had a response yet, can someone help me out?"

You would get the same response, the issue will be resolved and everyone would be happy, but again, you haven't. You've just ranted and insulted people.

Edit: Don't take this as an I love Scan thread, I have had issues with them and had them deal with it, I have had issues with other companies as well and they have sorted it, I also know that ranting and having a go might get you something sorted in the short term but why would someone then bend over backwards if anything else went wrong to help you, they would just do the bare minimum for you, why should they try any more to help when all you have done is insult the company they work for and probably take pride in working for them.

How many other people do you know they will log on to a support forum at gone midnight on a Saturday night and offer support like some of the Scan guys have done?

[Wiczy]

Do you not find the fact that he is being ignored after spending £2500 on a system that is failing component after component, with some components installed incorrectly, a tad insulting? All this from an 'award winning company with a strong focus on customer care'.

[Madafwo]

Originally Posted by Wiczy

Do you not find the fact that he is being ignored after spending £2500 on a system that is failing component after component with some components installed incorrectly a tad insulting?

I dont find it insulting, I find it unfortunate. I would be annoyed big time if it was me, but I would ask for help, not rant.

I can't offer you any support on this to be honest, I do hope you issue is sorted ASAP as I dont think anybody should be left with a £2500 lemon. I only took issue with it being your first post and all you did was just rant, not ask for help.

[iwtone]

Madafwo - thanks for the rather patronising responses.

A rant is justified as a last resort.

[Saracen]

Okay, everyone's had a good vent.

Can we now leave this one at least until Scan have had a chance to look into it.

Thanks.

[iwtone]

I'll let you know if something or nothing happens - unfortunatley the latter is more likely.

[Chris P]

iwtone

It's disappointing to hear about the issues you have been having with your system. The TRIAD system is extremely popular and issues are rare with this particular system.

Problems will always occur and we expect Customer's to have the intelligence to understand this, however the reason why we are recognised as having excellent customer service through the awards we have won is because we sort problems out and we care about the customer.

In this case I can understand your frustration and the issues you have experienced are isolated and we will do everything we can to get this system sorted for you.

We are not perfect but more often the not we get things right..

I will liaise with Ben / Sanjay in our System Support section to get your issues resolved as quickly as possible.

We will be in touch on Monday.

Best Regards

[RabidDeathGnome]

Originally Posted by iwtone

Madafwo - thanks for the rather patronising responses.

A rant is justified as a last resort.

Rants are often never justified. After all your system is out of warrenty, technicaly they don't have to do anything. And like you said yourself, the support during warrenty was good.

You can't blame SCAN for having bad componants, thats the manufacturers fault. You surely can't expect them to test the PC for 3 months on end before shipping it out to them? Often faults in hardware arn't found for a week or two untill a problem arises when it's put into a certain situation.

And for the record of the bad form, they sell thousands of stuff every month. People don't tend to come to a forum to praise, they only come to rant. Understandably you can understand other peoples fustration when you come on hear whining to the heavens and not actualy asking for help.

If you were a company, and I sent you an email bauling and whining about how hard done by I am, and then being abusive and calling them idiots for their cable mangement system would you be happy to help AFTER their warrenty had run out? When you have absolutly no legal requirment to help?

All we're saying is that if you're going to ask for a favour and help on matters which you don't feel are satisfactory is to at the very least do it with a bit of courtesy, even if you are annoyed.

[Blitzen]

Originally Posted by Madafwo

Yet another person joins hexus to whine...

No doubt your issues will get sorted and I apprciate that you are frustrated but insulting the people who are trying to help really isn't the smartest thing to do and it's getting boring.

Why not come on here and ask for help, it is a support forum, not a whine forum. Ask and ye shall receive as the old saying goes. maybe I'm wrong, maybe insult and ye shall receive.

And rightly so.
If they arent satisfied and are getting no joy from the telephone, why shouldnt they join to post their frustration?

[moogle]

another reason to D.I.Y