TigerDirect is suck. I have a friend/client who purchased an NT server package (for which they refused to provide support) and 3 PCs. Not to go into all of the DOA modems and NCs, their support totally blows. Calls are never returned. Their hold times are hideous. And their customer service reps and sales people are lying weasels. And delivery times are measured geologically.
TigerDirect is suck. I have a friend/client who purchased an NT server package (for which they refused to provide support) and 3 PCs. Not to go into all of the DOA modems and NCs, their support totally blows. Calls are never returned. Their hold times are hideous. And their customer service reps and sales people are lying weasels. And delivery times are measured geologically.
I have never personallly dealt with tiger. but I do know they are overpriced and slow and crappy customer service. I will never buy from them. but just one question..
You d idn't know they were incompatiable? you should have done some research to know that before you bought the combo!
You d idn't know they were incompatiable? you should have done some research to know that before you bought the combo!
I think the preaching about "he should have researched the combo" is ridiculous. You don't have to be a complete idiot to assume a company would not sell an incompatible combo that they actually advertise as a combo. Very reasonable people might assume this.
Also, it's extremely common for motherboards to list a maximum cpu speed, and work fine with faster ones. They are often just covering their butts in case future cpu's are incompatible. So if I went to a website and it listed a maximum cpu speed, then went to a company who sold these as a combo, I would very probably assume that the 950's weren't out when the board specs were listed, and it works fine.
Lighten up - some of you make it really unpleasant to try and post.
Also, it's extremely common for motherboards to list a maximum cpu speed, and work fine with faster ones. They are often just covering their butts in case future cpu's are incompatible. So if I went to a website and it listed a maximum cpu speed, then went to a company who sold these as a combo, I would very probably assume that the 950's weren't out when the board specs were listed, and it works fine.
Lighten up - some of you make it really unpleasant to try and post.
I know this is unrelated to TigerDirect, but ConsumerDepot has EXCELLENT customer service. Basically what happened is:
I ordered a $140 Kodak DC200 Digital Camera from them ($146 shipped UPS Ground). It came in 3 days later, so I opened it (the box was in perfect condition). I stuck in batteries, but the camera kept shutting off after a couple of seconds. I finally realized a tiny piece of plastic that holds down the left side of the battery compartment's lid was chipped off, causing the batteries to lose contact with the camera, so I called them up (they don't have an 800#, and are in Tennessee). I got an RMA on the camera quickly after being transferred to a manager in a couple of seconds (both people were polite and knowledgeable about returning and the camera). I also determined that the camera didn't come with the batteries it was supposed to, although I didn't care much about that. I ordered a new camera and shipped my broken one back. They paid the shipping on the new one, and gave me $10 off of the new one to pay for the shipping back for the old one (insured ground, the shipping ended up costing me $9.4X). I got the new one in just 2 days, but the box looked like it was shot up and through a NYC backalley for 20 nights. I called them up, and they said that they had checked everything inside in advance, that it was the last one they had but the camera is fine. I opened the box up, and got a great surprise... they included a VERY nice Kodak camera case, the 4 batteries, and the $35 AC adapter for free as a surprise
. The camera's been fine, and I'm very impressed with the customer service, even if they hadn't included the extras. I thought since they were a warehouse-style store in Tennessee that it would be a pain in the tail getting a new camera in or even just returning the old one, but it turned out to be just as good as my buy.com experiences and any other good store. If you see a good deal on their site, don't be afraid to order...
I ordered a $140 Kodak DC200 Digital Camera from them ($146 shipped UPS Ground). It came in 3 days later, so I opened it (the box was in perfect condition). I stuck in batteries, but the camera kept shutting off after a couple of seconds. I finally realized a tiny piece of plastic that holds down the left side of the battery compartment's lid was chipped off, causing the batteries to lose contact with the camera, so I called them up (they don't have an 800#, and are in Tennessee). I got an RMA on the camera quickly after being transferred to a manager in a couple of seconds (both people were polite and knowledgeable about returning and the camera). I also determined that the camera didn't come with the batteries it was supposed to, although I didn't care much about that. I ordered a new camera and shipped my broken one back. They paid the shipping on the new one, and gave me $10 off of the new one to pay for the shipping back for the old one (insured ground, the shipping ended up costing me $9.4X). I got the new one in just 2 days, but the box looked like it was shot up and through a NYC backalley for 20 nights. I called them up, and they said that they had checked everything inside in advance, that it was the last one they had but the camera is fine. I opened the box up, and got a great surprise... they included a VERY nice Kodak camera case, the 4 batteries, and the $35 AC adapter for free as a surprise
. The camera's been fine, and I'm very impressed with the customer service, even if they hadn't included the extras. I thought since they were a warehouse-style store in Tennessee that it would be a pain in the tail getting a new camera in or even just returning the old one, but it turned out to be just as good as my buy.com experiences and any other good store. If you see a good deal on their site, don't be afraid to order...That deal was for slot-a classics. I got the same board with the 750. I don't see any reason why the board wouldn't support the faster chip. Also, my heatsink only came with a single fan.
Rio,
You are correct about the incompatiblity problem. If the board has miltipliers high enough, the 950 should work, but even after reading the manual from Soyo, I don't see any settings for a CPU faster than 900.
Also, read his latest post again:
The package deal consists of: AMD 950Mhz Thunderbird CPU and Soyo SY-K7VIA Slot 1 MB and double fan.
He can't tell the difference between a Slot A from AMD and a Slot 1 from Intel. He also is calling an AMD Athlon Classic a T-Bird.
It's pretty obvious he doesn't have as much knowledge as he needs to have to be assembling computers.
What are the odds he had a big enough power supply? That could easily cause a crashing problem.
Was the memory he used Athlon compatible?
Or maybe he did get some bad parts, I don't know, but bad mouthing a company is going a little too far when we don't know what the problem really is.
You are correct about the incompatiblity problem. If the board has miltipliers high enough, the 950 should work, but even after reading the manual from Soyo, I don't see any settings for a CPU faster than 900.
Also, read his latest post again:
The package deal consists of: AMD 950Mhz Thunderbird CPU and Soyo SY-K7VIA Slot 1 MB and double fan.
He can't tell the difference between a Slot A from AMD and a Slot 1 from Intel. He also is calling an AMD Athlon Classic a T-Bird.
It's pretty obvious he doesn't have as much knowledge as he needs to have to be assembling computers.
What are the odds he had a big enough power supply? That could easily cause a crashing problem.
Was the memory he used Athlon compatible?
Or maybe he did get some bad parts, I don't know, but bad mouthing a company is going a little too far when we don't know what the problem really is.
Danzilla
Platinum Member
- Dec 30, 2000
- 2,747
- 0
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Hmmmm, no it's not ridiculus to think he should have researched the product first. This is the internet age. Ten minutes and a half dozen clicks provide us with more information in less time than possible without having a support-tech as a friend living next door. I always read up the details of items I'm going to purchase, especially on-line where you can't even check over the retail box in your hand first. If he wasn't familiar with the motherboard, I'd have to say he was asking for trouble by not researching it. I don't know how many times I've seen the same product on different web sites listed with different and incorrect details. Knowing that sometimes errors are made, listing product at below cost just for us anandtechers, it would be folly to believe errors aren't also made in the companies favor. Now obviously Tiger Direct is responsible if they bundled an incompatable MB and CPU, but five minutes reading on the manufacturer's web site could have prevented his current difficulties. Compared to the five hours he reported spending on the phone with the CSRs, it's a small price to pay.
IMO,
D.
IMO,
D.
PG,
I agree. The problems that Goahead described sound more to me like insufficient power than an incompatible mb. Just because the website doesn't list the combo as supported and the 'sales rep' said so doesn't mean they don't work.
The fact that the cpu boots up at 950mhz tells us that the mb can handle the 9.5 multiplier.
And the fact that he blames TigerDirect for him formatting his own hard drive? Spare me.
Sorry Goahead, TigerDirect may have crappy customer support but it sounds more to me that you are blaming them for the fact that you don't know how to build a pc. Plus from what you have written it seems like they went above and beyond trying to help you figure out why the system you built was crashing. When you build your own system you don't get tech support, that's just the way it is in the real world. If you want someone to tell you why your computer is crashing then go buy a Dell.
I agree. The problems that Goahead described sound more to me like insufficient power than an incompatible mb. Just because the website doesn't list the combo as supported and the 'sales rep' said so doesn't mean they don't work.
The fact that the cpu boots up at 950mhz tells us that the mb can handle the 9.5 multiplier.
And the fact that he blames TigerDirect for him formatting his own hard drive? Spare me.
Sorry Goahead, TigerDirect may have crappy customer support but it sounds more to me that you are blaming them for the fact that you don't know how to build a pc. Plus from what you have written it seems like they went above and beyond trying to help you figure out why the system you built was crashing. When you build your own system you don't get tech support, that's just the way it is in the real world. If you want someone to tell you why your computer is crashing then go buy a Dell.
You misread. It's very reasonable and advisable to research the chip and board. I just thought it was unfair to criticize the guy for making a mistake that many of us could make.
If he has any blame at all for not researching the combo, then the company has 100 times that much blame for advertising it as a combo without researching it. So he's right - they are at fault.
As to the points about whether he shouldn't be assembling a computer - I don't know, I didn't catch those mistakes. But it's obvious that Tiger Direct screwed him over. Whether he made mistakes or not, we KNOW that the chip and board are incompatible.
By the way, Tiger Direct is not the same as many of the internet companies. They advertise in mainstream office supply magazines. They encourage non-tech people to do business with them, so I wouldn't hold their customers to the same knowledge standard.
So yes, researching is a good idea, and advisable, but it doesn't let TigerDirect off the hook in this case.
If he has any blame at all for not researching the combo, then the company has 100 times that much blame for advertising it as a combo without researching it. So he's right - they are at fault.
As to the points about whether he shouldn't be assembling a computer - I don't know, I didn't catch those mistakes. But it's obvious that Tiger Direct screwed him over. Whether he made mistakes or not, we KNOW that the chip and board are incompatible.
By the way, Tiger Direct is not the same as many of the internet companies. They advertise in mainstream office supply magazines. They encourage non-tech people to do business with them, so I wouldn't hold their customers to the same knowledge standard.
So yes, researching is a good idea, and advisable, but it doesn't let TigerDirect off the hook in this case.
Rio Rebel,
IF the combo were incompatible then yes TigerDirect is absolutely at fault. The problem is it really doesn't sound like it is.
Like many people have stated he doesn't appear to know enough to determine that. If a mb and cpu are incompatible you most likely would not boot at all. The problem he is describing is more likely to be due to using an underpowered power supply or incompatible ram. (Of course it could also be improper grounding, overheating, incorrect memory settings, static damage due to improper handling, etc.)
The fact that the website doesn't list the 950 as supported doesn't mean it isn't. It simply may mean that the page hasn't been updated since the processor came out. According to several people on Usenet this board works fine with the classic Athlon up to 1Ghz.
IF the combo were incompatible then yes TigerDirect is absolutely at fault. The problem is it really doesn't sound like it is.
Like many people have stated he doesn't appear to know enough to determine that. If a mb and cpu are incompatible you most likely would not boot at all. The problem he is describing is more likely to be due to using an underpowered power supply or incompatible ram. (Of course it could also be improper grounding, overheating, incorrect memory settings, static damage due to improper handling, etc.)
The fact that the website doesn't list the 950 as supported doesn't mean it isn't. It simply may mean that the page hasn't been updated since the processor came out. According to several people on Usenet this board works fine with the classic Athlon up to 1Ghz.
Ive made about 10 major purchases from TigerDirect.com over the last 2-3 years, 8 were avg, ok product, ok price, one was horrible, late delivery, high price and crappy product, bad return too, then the last one was awesome, i got fast delivery, a great product at an amazing price. I still check them out for stuff every now and then, I wont rule them out just yet for hardware.
Tiger Direct SUCKS! I ordered something using their Mastercard Exclusives program, and never got my "instant" rebate. After waiting on the phone for an hour to talk to a CSR, he told me to e-mail the webmaster. After numerous e-mails to both the webmaster and online sales rep., I still have gotten no response. Another one hour wait to talk to a CSR, and he told me he doesn't know anything about the rebate. Tells me he'll call me back after talking to a manger. No return calls or e-mails.
Suffice to say, I'll never deal with that BS company again
Suffice to say, I'll never deal with that BS company again
Or maybe he got a AMD 950 Thunderbird Slot, which is only compatible with 2 or 3 Slot A motherboards out there. I know b/c I ordered one (not from TD) trying to upgrade my Slot A computer, only to find out that my motherboard didn't support it. I ended up buying a new Slot A motherboard AFTER I did the research and found out that the Gigabyte and the MSI Slot A motherboards are the only motherboards compatible with Slot A T-birds.
This might have also been the problem. My old Slot A mobo wouldn't get past the BIOS screen with the T-Bird, but if his did, then i dunno....
This might have also been the problem. My old Slot A mobo wouldn't get past the BIOS screen with the T-Bird, but if his did, then i dunno....
I just reread his original post.
There is a strong implication that he was informed that the board and chip were incompatible by the CSR. That's why I placed all the blame there.
If the board and chip are not incompatible, and he only *thought* they were because he looked on the site and it didn't list anything above 900mhz, I stand corrected. He needs to put the screwdrive down, slowly back away from the computer, and go buy a Pentium III from Best Buy because it's "optimized for the Internet".
There is a strong implication that he was informed that the board and chip were incompatible by the CSR. That's why I placed all the blame there.
If the board and chip are not incompatible, and he only *thought* they were because he looked on the site and it didn't list anything above 900mhz, I stand corrected. He needs to put the screwdrive down, slowly back away from the computer, and go buy a Pentium III from Best Buy because it's "optimized for the Internet".
LuVah,
I also ordered from TD after the $10 MasterCard deal appeared here. They did not rebate the $10. I called, and the guy "asked a manager" and said that the deal (which I showed him on their web site, he "did not know about it" was started after I ordered, therefore I was not entitled to it!
Being somewhat anal, I had printed the web page the day I ordered. He said to fax him the printout, and I did. Called a few days later, he "had not received the fax". Asked to talk to a manager, "they were all in a meeting". He repeatedly suggested I dispute the charge with MasterCard. Finally he "snagged a manager passing by" who authorized the $10 refund, which I did get.
At least I was calling on their dime!
The moral is, you may get it if you insist really hard!
JesseKnows
I also ordered from TD after the $10 MasterCard deal appeared here. They did not rebate the $10. I called, and the guy "asked a manager" and said that the deal (which I showed him on their web site, he "did not know about it"
was started after I ordered, therefore I was not entitled to it!Being somewhat anal, I had printed the web page the day I ordered. He said to fax him the printout, and I did. Called a few days later, he "had not received the fax". Asked to talk to a manager, "they were all in a meeting". He repeatedly suggested I dispute the charge with MasterCard. Finally he "snagged a manager passing by" who authorized the $10 refund, which I did get.
At least I was calling on their dime!
The moral is, you may get it if you insist really hard!
JesseKnows
I got the Athlon 950Mhz CPU & Epox motherboard combo. It was backordered for two weeks before it shipped, but I did get it with a little patience. The Epox EP-7KXA+ arrived with the most recent BIOS installed.
I had to modify the heatsink/fan bracket they shipped with it in order to get it to fit. The plastic mounting base was too long, and didn't clear the power connector. I cut it with a hacksaw and it worked out ok, but that was pretty inexcusable...when a company sells a package deal, the parts should be matched to fit together properly!
After I modified that part, everything else worked out fine. I haven't had much luck trying to overclock it, but that Epox board runs stable at stock setting for the 950, and the CPU runs at a cool 39 degrees C with the dual-fan cooler Tiger Direct sent. I don't think those Athlon 950s are good overclockers anyway, so it's probably not the Epox board's fault.
Sorry to hear about the bad expeiences from everyone else. I guess these guys aren't worth touching unless you can cash in on a real fire sale from them, and don't mind being left on your own to figure out how to get things to work. One thing's for sure, I will always use Blue from American Express if I buy from them. At least that way you get guaranteed return protection if they send you junk that need to be sent back.
I had to modify the heatsink/fan bracket they shipped with it in order to get it to fit. The plastic mounting base was too long, and didn't clear the power connector. I cut it with a hacksaw and it worked out ok, but that was pretty inexcusable...when a company sells a package deal, the parts should be matched to fit together properly!
After I modified that part, everything else worked out fine. I haven't had much luck trying to overclock it, but that Epox board runs stable at stock setting for the 950, and the CPU runs at a cool 39 degrees C with the dual-fan cooler Tiger Direct sent. I don't think those Athlon 950s are good overclockers anyway, so it's probably not the Epox board's fault.
Sorry to hear about the bad expeiences from everyone else. I guess these guys aren't worth touching unless you can cash in on a real fire sale from them, and don't mind being left on your own to figure out how to get things to work. One thing's for sure, I will always use Blue from American Express if I buy from them. At least that way you get guaranteed return protection if they send you junk that need to be sent back.
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