DON'T PURCHASE AN iBUYPOWER COMPUTER!

As I write this I've had the iBUYPOWER system for about 14 months and I still think it's a great system BUT THE COMPANY'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WARRANTY IS VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT! The power supply in my iBUYPOWER system failed. I called Costco's Concierge Service and they got me in touch with someone at iBUYPOWER (if it had not been for Costco's Concierge Service I might never have been able to reach someone at iBUYPOWER). The person I spoke with at iBUYPOWER told me to go online, fill out a form, and get an RMA number. He said that someone from iBUYPOWER would call me to get a credit card number and put a hold on the card when they shipped the replacement power supply. The credit card hold would be released when they received the defective power supply. I filled out the online form and got an RMA number. Then I waited for the phone call from iBUYPOWER, and waited and waited... After a day or two I was able to get through to iBUYPOWER's RMA department. I gave them my RMA number and they said they would have to transfer me to Customer Service (actually, Customer No-Service). The phone rang and rang but was never answered. I tried repeatedly to call iBUYPOWER Customer Service but the phone was never answered. I needed the computer back in service so I replaced the power supply. I then called Costco's Concierge Service to see if they could help me obtain reimbursement for the cost of the power supply. Costco again was able to put me in contact with someone at iBUYPOWER and the company absolutely refused to consider even partial reimbursement.

I will never again purchase an iBUYPOWER computer because of the complete lack of customer and warranty service.

For more iBUYPOWER reviews, go to the Better Business Bureau's TrustLink Community (http://www.trustlink.org/Reviews/iBuyPowercom-205963462).

Why This Site?

iBUYPOWER Computer iBUYPOWER computers are sold as gaming systems and I am not a gamer. However, I develop web sites and edit videos and photos, and I often have multiple programs (Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, Outlook, Photoshop, Word, and other applications) open at the same time, so I need a fast processor and a lot of RAM.

In December, 2009, I was considering the purchase of a computer from Costco Wholesale and the iBUYPOWER S915i looked like a lot of computer for $1,299.99 (price is subject to change), It included an Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz processor (liquid cooled), 12GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a 1GB NVIDIA GTS 250 graphics card, a 1TB SATA II hard drive, a 22x double layer DVD+/-RW optical drive, and a 700W power supply. The computer looked interesting but I was not familiar with the brand. In the distant past, I built my own desktop computers. Later, I purchased desktops from Dell or Gateway, and more recently from Dell or HP. I decided to try to learn more about iBUYPOWER computers.

I searched the Web for information. Professional reviews of iBUYPOWER computers were generally favorable, and the overall customer satisfaction rating on resellerratings.com was good, especially the the last six months (8.52 out of 10 as I write this). However, user reviews varied from "Great" to "Terrible". The user reviews of the iBUYPOWER S915i on the Costco.com site were especially confusing. One user said it was "...loud like a vacuum cleaner" while another said the "...watercooled CPU and fans are so quiet." Another user on the Costco site said, "Don’t ever buy from IBuyPower! Less than 30 days after my warranty expired my system died, the processor and graphics card fried." That was interesting because Costco offers a 2-year warranty. Has Costco carried the iBUYPOWER computer for two years, and what would cause a processor and graphics card to fry after 25 months?

After a lot of study and thought, I ordered an iBUYPOWER S915i from Costco.com. On this site I'll explain why I buy computers from Costco, I'll describe the features of the iBUYPOWER S915i, and I'll give you my opinion of the computer I received. If you have questions or comments, please use the Contact page.