Read this before ordering from Monarch Computer Systems please!

muddocktor

These facts were researched and posted by me personally and don't reflect any involvement or endorsement by Short Media. I am posting this for information purposes only for our forum members so they can make an informed buying decision.


Recently at multiple other forums, I became aware of Monarch Computer Systems having an employee joining several various forums to help provide customer service. While that sounded cool at first glance, it made me start wondering why this employee was joining several forums all in the same timeframe, so I went to look at their ratings at resellerratings.com and immediately knew that this looked to be some kind of damage control measure. The following is what I found on their October ratings at RR:

Overall customer satisfaction - 43 reviews - 2.62 rating
Pricing of products and services - 42 reviews - 5.95 rating
Likelihood of customers making future purchases - 27 reviews - 2.96 rating
Overall product shipping and delivery process - 26 reviews - 3.27
Overall customer service - 24 reviews - 2.08 rating
Product Returns/Refunds/Exchanges - 12 reviews - 1.04 rating
Their 6 month overall rating is now at 4.90

This was a quantum fall from the ratings they used to carry at RR, which were generally in the 9+ range. And reading the individual ratings left there on Monarch Computer Systems during the last 6 months, I saw time and time again about customers being charged immediately for their order and then having to wait extended amounts of time for the order to be sent and another central problem seemed to be the slow refunding of cancelled orders, with some customers literally having to wait months for their refund to appear on their CC account. And quite a few had to resort to going through their CC company with a chargeback to get their refund.

I then decided to check the Better Business Bureau and see how they rate this company. This is the BBB's page for Monarch Computer Systems. Here is a quote from the page:

BBB wrote:

Customer Experience

Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to unanswered complaint(s).

Also, here are some threads at various different forums for you to read and research at before buying from Monarch Computer Systems.

Overclockers.com Forums:
Monarch Rep for You thread. Dead thread, but a very good read.
Monarch Computers Owes me more than $2000 thread. Another dead thread, but a very informative and now resolved thread.
Monarch CSR helped you? Please post here! thread. Live ongoing thread, to see how many people the Monarch CSR guy actually did help out. He claimed in the first thread linked that he helped out 30+ people on the OC Forums.

The Resellerratings. com forums:
Stay away from Monarch! thread. This thread was first started in 2003 and went by the wayside for 3 years before resurfacing again this month. I linked to the revelant page dealing with the 2006 issues. You will also see the person going under the handle "GA400" is claiming to be the same person "Shawn" that was going by the "Monarch CSR" moniker at the OC Forums. Another good read, and one I just found this morning.

EOC Forums:
*rant* monarch computers thread. Another dead thread. And with their representative also posting in the thread.

[H]ardOCP Forums:
Monarchcomputer using customers money as a float, anyone have recent experince thread. Ongoing thread.

I could go on and on posting more thread links at various forums, but I feel there is no need to post even more than the links I've already posted.

I have no ongoing problem with Monarch Computer Systems either and I'm not out for "Revenge" by posting this info. I really don't remember if I've ever ordered from them. I have made this post here so that my fellow members at Short Media can make an informed decision before deciding whether to deal with this online company or not. I'm not recommending that you stay away from ordering from them either; that is for you to decide after researching through the links I have provided. I do not want Monarch Computer Systems to go bankrupt because that would serve no purpose but to screw the people who had an order pending when they shut the doors. But before you buy from this vendor, do some research as to whether this vendor is a company you would trust with your order.

Thrax

Moral of the story: It's not on newegg, ****ing wait.

Leonardo

I have purchased from Monarch before, both online and at their Atlanta store when I lived in Georgia. Each time I was treated very well and was very satisfied with the product and service. It's sad to see this happening.

primesuspect

I too, have had multiple successful and satisfactory purchases from Monarch, it's too bad this seems to be going down the tubes now

NiGHTS

You can't use debt as leverage when you're in a volatile industry like electronics. Its one of the only reasons why Compaq was able to survive the computer bust of the early 90s. This is a great current real-world example for my finance class, though.

Leonardo

There is controversy surrounding the apparent present difficulties of Monarch. I would encourage anyone reading this tread to look up the links Muddocktor, the thread starter posted. Read the threads that are linked, read the reviews posted at Resellerratings, and please also take note of the positive remarks being made for Monarch.

My comments in this post neither support nor disparage Monarch.

csimon

I bought my first opteron from monarch. It was a 175 and had crap steppings and crap ocability. I replaced it with a 170 from monarch and same thing ...crap & crap + two weeks after I was charged I had to call them to get them to fulfill the order. Never again.
I just bought a 165 from newegg last week and after 3 days order and shipping ...BINGO! No more crap! All in all I payed about $900 to monarch to get crap and $170 to newegg to get it right.

muddocktor

Yep, I was specifically thinking of you and the trouble you had to get them to send you that Opty 165 when I started checking into the Monarch situation, Chris. It does look to me like they are about to close their doors and screw a lot of people with pending orders.

csimon

muddocktor wrote:

Yep, I was specifically thinking of you and the trouble you had to get them to send you that Opty 165 when I started checking into the Monarch situation, Chris. It does look to me like they are about to close their doors and screw a lot of people with pending orders.

Ah ...it was the 170 and I remember now ...you loaned me that 4400!! I appreciate that too!

muddocktor

Just an update and a bump here.

It looks like the curtains will be going down soon, but not before they screw a whole bunch more people out of their hard earned money for Christmas. They have finally shut down the newbuild section of their website but still have some parts and refurb systems listed. What's really bad though is that they have taken all their phone numbers off their website and people who have tried to contact them lately have either gotten a disconnected number, a message stating that they are closed or a full voicemail box message. Also, Kyle Bennet posted a message in the [H]ard Forums that he had heard from 2 different industry insider sources that they are on the verge of bankruptcy. Here's a direct quote of his post:

Kyle Bennett wrote:

I was told today that Monarch was on the verge of bankruptcy. I have heard this from two industry insiders. It is still an unconfirmed rumor and I would treat it as such, but you better get your business done with them quickly if you have something outstanding.

If you are in the market for a new computer or components, do not even consider this "merchant" to deal with now. All you will do is lose your money.

somethingsmellsyummy

spread the word..i went to monarch computer and talked with the guys there. their front doors are locked and there is a sign on it saying that they are closed and out of business . !!! they have been in financial trouble for awhile. they will be out of their building in two or three weeks. they were bought by another company. THEY ARE STILL SELLING PRODUCTS !!!!!! DO NOT BUY !!!!! they are more than likely bankrupt and in trouble with corporate law and IRS..(that is my feeling last sentence not a fact but more than likely)

muddocktor

Welcome to Short media, somethingsmellsyummy.

But, I see that after you posted this little tidbit of info (unsubstantiated too, with no proof) you went to the Overclockers.com forums and posted the exact same post there under the name of hiremeknow69. And you got quite abusive when some members there asked for some more concrete proof than just your word. So don't get defensive and start attacking people here if they do ask for more proof than just your word.

As far as the closing is concerned, they do have a sign posted on the door saying that they were getting out of retail walk-in sales but were concentrating on internet sales only. I have seen a picture (which I copied) of this posted, which I will attach to this post. But there is nothing listed saying that they were going completely out of business. And yes, their website still seems to be open for orders, but I'm not dumb enough to order any of their remarkably poor offerings they have for sale. But I do question your motive on posting this here and at OCforums and it makes me wonder whether you are a disgruntled customer or a competitor of Monarch. If you are a disgruntled customer that they have screwed over, I can understand why you would post this but if you are an employee of a competitor, then there is no need for this. After all, Monarch has been doing a very good job lately of pissing off just about everyone that has dealt with them in the recent (2-3 months) past and they don't need any help getting any lower rated. And I found another post on the Anandtech forums that states basically the same as you posted here, but with different wording to it, unlike at the OCforums site.

I do think that anyone would be crazy to buy anything from them now, which is why I started this thread originally. So thank you for the information. Is Monarch really going out of business; well nobody seems to know for sure. But I wouldn't bet on them making it through January 2007 in their present form.

Anyways, here are some pics I lifted from the HardOCP forums that a member there took of the sign on the door, the building that Monarch presently occupies and their business sign out front.

csimon

I've dealt with monarch a few times in the past. While I can say that I wasn't 100% happy with their business ...I can say that after waiting for my order for two weeks I did get a number and contact person from mtgoat and the guy got right on it. In fact he did so from his cell and he had everything ready on his desk when he got to work that morning. And as far as the poor steppings are concerned I will be the first to admit that they delivered exactly what I ordered ...nothing less. Steppings are always a gamble unless they are advertised like the old athlon XP days. That would give any vendor an edge in my book anyday.

With that said ...I really would like to see Monarch survive and offer some good products for 2007. I really appreciate having an altenate when my favorite vendor just doesn't carry what I really need for my rig planning.

somethingsmellsyummy

muddoktor, you are correct when you asked was i a disgruntled customer. thats exactly why i was there to take care of my business which would not have gotten taken care of im pretty sure, had i not gone there. i have gotten the runaround so many times from these guys with different things being said by two different employees. what i cant understand though is why it takes an act of congress, dna, 50 notary replublics with their birthcertificates and social security cards, live webcam, three hours of video footage, blood samples and the atlanta mayor for anyone to simply believe that a disgruntled customer who lives a little under two hours away, KNOWING THE HASSELS OF SHIPPING parts back and forth, could not simply say to himself .."hey, what the hell, i'll just drive there and settle this in person !!" is that SO FAR fetched ? seriously, this is driving me bonkers the amount of disbelief , skepticism and basically calling me a liar that i've gotten over something that actually happened and i experienced personally. im trying to build myself a new computer system and the main item i ordered from them was a mobo. Now everyone KNOWS that every other item you order has to be compatible with your mobo. I mean if you order half a dozen parts from several vendors to match your mobo and then you get the wrong mobo, a $85 mobo can cost you quite a bit more, sending parts back, reordering, shipping scenarios the works....so NO its NOT far fetched that someone lcould drive to a place that you can never get a call through to or get communication email or otherwise to try to settle their problem if it was in driving distance..
in regards to me being disrespectful, i think people basically calling me a liar unless i met their burden of proof when i was just telling my business transaction story is extremely hypocritical. If you follow that logic , that means-aside from a court of law-everyone that ever shared their business or any other story for that matter would need to meet some sort of criteria of proof before posting . IT IS THE SAME THING.
the other thing i dont get and blows my mind so much i feel like im discussing these issues with people from mars......is the unrelenting protection and defense of a company that, priviously may have been reputable, but now has resorted to deception on a daily basis on multiple levels to possibly thousands of customers. im sure there are some of the employees of monarch that dont agree with whats goin and tries to do the right thing...but this is coming down from the owners and those that run the business on a higher level im confident..
I have pulled my hair out over my issue with them !!! and not doing enough investigative research is MY fault. i take the hit on that, but when i try to help others before they step into the same pile of **** i did winds up with me getting raked over the coals it makes me wonder about the obsurdity of the situation and what kind of intelligence and logic people are using...IT DONT MAKE SENSE...

Leonardo

No one here was calling you a liar. Relax a little, ok?

Had you identified yourself from the get-go as a "disgruntled customer" and provided more concrete information about yourself, such as when you ordered and exactly what you purchased, you would have had more credibility. Anyone can make any accusation at any time. We, the staff of Short-Media have to be careful about what we allow on the site. The site is potentially subject to libel; or if not libel, we still don't wish to unfairly disparage an honest business.

Considering the bad testimonials that have emerged from all online quarters concerning Monarch, I'd say most of us are inclined to believe you. It's just that the anonymity of the Internet makes any thinking person a bit skeptical when it comes to accusations from completely new forum members without a history at the community.

Hope you understand now.

Welcome to Short-Media. Please stay, and we hope you remain active. We are fun, knowledgeable, and a usually caring community.

somethingsmellsyummy

i understand what you are saying, however there is a bigger problem with complying with what you are saying.

1. if you reveal too much information on the internet , you are subject to future identity theft, potential harm of life and limb at the hands of pyscho sicko's and their computer hacking skills and the gobs of information that is available if you trace and track things with the current technology. now this wouldnt make sense for the average "disgruntled customer" because no one probably knows or will find out who they are. ..HOWEVER..someone that actually went the store personally and had an interraction with several employees ..makes me stand out and easily identifiable and anyone from that company or related in some way that did not like what i had to say could figure out WHO it was and how to find me with the information they have on their computers.

#2 My issue may not be solved with my motherboard yet depending on whether it works or not so im trying to be as discreet about who i am in case i must deal with them further. however at this point my #2 point is more than likely shot to hell in a handbasket thanks to trying to explain myself, which was totally in my own hands and my own doings and now my anonymity blown if any monarch computer employees with any free reading time have read any of these forums.
am i being overly dramatic...who knows but i have more than myself to care for and have to think of them. apparently most people posting on here only have themselves to care for or think about. so safety and identity is not a major issue. one of the moderators in ocforum pinged me trying to locate where i was. he only found the central server for my isp but thought i lived where it showed. he displayed it and blotted out the last two digits but still showed the city he thought i was living in ,,then had the gall to say quit being so overdramatic.
so...for someone that was just trying to share their story for people to read and make their own descisions from and try to save some people some hassel..this has escalated into something a bit more....

Linc

somethingsmellsyummy wrote:

am i being overly dramatic...who knows

I do.

somethingsmellsyummy wrote:

then had the gall to say quit being so overdramatic.

You don't say?

muddocktor

Here's a little more info that backs up the fact that Monarch has tanked in it's present form. It is only from a post from the HardForums, but this person has already stated that he was an employee of MCS until recently and with all the other events posted around the internet about MCS, including the information you posted, somethingsmellsyummy, I tend to believe it. This person, going by the name Ju-No at the Hardforums, posted the following:

Ju-No@ Hardforums wrote:

I ran into a fellow ex-employee today while I was out and about and discovered that Monarch has indeed been bought out. Whoever bought them wanted the rights to sell the Hornet system (since it was I believe a custom chassy).

Anyone who you knew who worked there is gone, from what I heard from this individual.

I feel bad for the company that bought them, as they owed quite a bit to several vendors, and the IRS as well, but that's because apparently someone didn't file the form that says "hey, not everything we sell is in GA, so most of it we don't need to pay tax on it."


Since everyone there is gone now, I'll say that anyone who did a chargeback up until maybe Septemeber, I was the guy who responded. Ditto with BBB. Sorry if I pissed anyone off with my responses, I was just following the company line. Ditto if you got sent to collections. Speaking of collections, if I get a bored day I'll post a copy of a letter we got from a guy we sent to collections. It's not related to the topic at hand really, but it's at least funny.

Source.

And if you had stated that you had been burned by this bunch of asshats at MCS in your first post, it would have alleviated a lot of suspicions about who you really were, somethingsmellsyummy. Because if I were in your situation, being screwed by these people and only living a few hours away, I most likely would have done the very same thing as you and drove over there to get my stuff or my money back too.

Like Leo said, stick around and enjoy our little forums here.