DO NOT BUY A CYBERMAX

I bought a CyberMax Travelmax III laptop computer in Dec. 1999. From the beginning I should have been skeptical of this company (I was on hold for over an hour trying to reach the sales department). When the computer finally arrived (not when they said it would I might add), it was missing all of the software except Windows 98. I had to make numerous calls to customer service and tech support to reach someone who could help me (the first woman I talked to actually told me that all of the software WAS pre-installed and if I couldn't access it then there was a hard drive problem and I should return the computer at my own expense). To make a long story short, I never did get all of the included software after 2 weeks of phone calls and 2 partial shipments of software.

Then, only a month after getting the laptop, I started having problems with the LCD not coming on when I started the computer. The first three times I called tech support I gave up after being on hold for over 2 and 1/2 hours each time. Finally, I reached someone at 3:30am who was no help at all. I finally had to fix it myself.

Next, the hard drive died. It took my three days to reach tech support. When I finally reached them, they agreed to send me another hard drive in 3-5 business days. Well guess what, hard drives are not in stock so it will be at least a week before they can ship me one. I bought this laptop so I could work at home on my thesis and now I am without a working computer!!!

Let me just say this. CyberMax is one of the worst companies that I have ever dealt with. Any money that you save on the computer will not be worth the time and effort (and aggrevation!) it takes to try and resolve any problems that will inevitably arise. I have literally spent days on hold trying to reach anyone at CyberMax. I have continually been cutoff after holding for hours. Please try reaching customer service at (800)519-3623 or technical support at (877)499-6968 and see what I mean. Even when you do reach someone, in my experience they are unknowledgeable, unfriendly, and unhelpful. When my hard drive died, the tech support person actually suggested that it died because I had installed Linux! After checking around on the internet, I found that I am not alone in my troubles with CyberMax computers and customer service. Below are just a sampling of some of the many horror stories that I found after searching the internet. Please read them before buying anything from CyberMax.

If you would like to add your review to this site, please email me.



Reviews from www.deja.com


I would like everyone to know about my recent experiences with CyberMax Computer, Inc. HTTP://www.cybermaxpc.com. In December I purchased a new 700MHZ Athlon computer from CyberMax. at a cost of over $2000.00. I did not receive the computer until mid January because the video card I ordered was not in stock. (They did offer to substitute a different card) When the computer finally arrived I set it up and turned it on. Almost immediately I began having problems with it. The computer would randomly shut down and start back up losing all work not saved at that time. This began to occur rather frequently. I called CyberMax tech support and was put on hold for OVER THREE HOURS. Tech support had me try several things, which did not resolve the problem so I called back. This went on for several weeks and all the while the computer was all but unusable. During this time and on more than one occasion I was put on hold for at least two hours. Tech support finally came to the conclusion that I needed to send my computer back to them. (CyberMax paid the shipping cost.) In about 2 weeks I finally received my computer back. They had replaced the power supply, which fixed the shut down problem. When I hooked it up and turned it on, I got no video on my monitor. I called tech support and they told me I had to disconnect everything from the computer and open the case. (Which I found to be broken). Tech support then had me remove and reinstall my video card, which solved the problem. When I asked them about the broken case they told me that they would send a new case. They told me that I would have to send the old case back and the shipping would be AT MY EXPENSE (This is their policy). CyberMax then sent me the wrong case, so now I have to pay the shipping charge for the wrong case AND my case is still broken. This is not all! Within a few days of getting my computer back, the computer started locking up. The mouse and keyboard would randomly stop responding. Again I called tech support and again they had me go through many steps to try to diagnose the problem this took several weeks. They finally decided to send a new video card to see if that would fix the problem. I received the card several days later and replaced it. It did not fix the problem. Now I have to send the video card back with the shipping AGAIN AT MY EXPENSE. I called CyberMax tech support back and again they had me try several more things to try to fix the problem but nothing worked. I called back after running their tests and told them that I was still having problems they told me to send the computer back to them for repair. (The shipping was to be AT MY EXPENSE of course) I explained to them that I design web sites as a second source of income and that sending the computer back for repair for at least 7-10 days would make me lose money as well as make customers of mine upset that their work is not getting completed. CyberMax suggested I borrow a computer from a friend! They also gave me the "option" of taking my computer to a local repair shop and (you guessed it AT MY EXPENSE) paying the shop to find the problem. CyberMax would then send any parts necessary to repair the problem. I asked if they could send a tech for on site service. They told me that their policy states that on-site service is ONLY for replacing defective parts and NOT for diagnosing problems. I asked if it would be possible for them to send a loaner computer while mine was being repaired so I could continue doing business. The answer was no. By this point I was extremely frustrated and asked if I could have my money refunded. CyberMax said that it was past the 30-day refund period. (Of which they had my computer about half the time). I explained that I have not had a fully functional computer for even 7 days total. To which they replied, that their policy states that refunds will only be granted within 30 days of the purchase date. I have sent a copy of this letter in email to at least 5 different people at CyberMax HTTP://www.cybermaxpc.com and gave them 3 business days to reply before I sent this letter out to the public. If you are reading this then CyberMax has apparently decided not to respond. I feel that I am being penalized for a bad product from CyberMax at no fault of my own. If the computer I purchased through CyberMax never had any problems, I would have never had to pay shipping costs three times (Totaling over $100.00), I would have had an operational computer for two months longer, and I would not have lost productivity in my business. Also I am several months into my 1-year warranty and I still haven't received an operational computer. My personal opinion is that this is a deplorable way to do business and if I treated my customers this way I would soon have no customers.

Tech support is unreachable and customer service is a nightmare! I am sending mine back!

I have had a Cybermax with a 266mh Cyrix chip for just over two years. The system has a three-year warantee.
The first component to go was the monitor - tech support was easily reached, and I received a new monitor in a few days. In December 1999 the motherboard went. I had no idea what was wrong, and the phone lines were always busy during the day, but at 5 am a tech person talked me through diagnosing the problem, and a new motherboard was sent immediately.
NOW - a month ago I had a serious problem - turned out to be the chip itself. I called tech support 30-40 times, and each time was put on hold for 3 minutes and then cut off after a message to call another time. They had no one on the lines in the middle of the night anymore. After about two weeks of trying (and having a diagnosis made by a shop), I finally reached someone on July 3. He told me they would ship me a new chip that day or July 5. By July 10, I was getting antsy, so I called FedEx - no shipment had been made. Then I tried customer service. At first I was encouraged because I didn't get cut off after 3 minutes, but I "held" for almost 4 hours, with a recording every minute or two reassuring me that somebody would be with me "shortly." I made at least 20 other calls to customer "service" with no luck. The chip still has not arrived, and they have not responded to e- mails.
Cybermax should be avoided at all cost! the computer is okay - three major breakdowns in two years is not a terrific record. But service has dwindled to non-existence.

My brother has a new Cybermax which arrived with a bad modem. He cannot get through to their support. Has any one else this problem with Cybermax. I feel bad. I recommended this system.
Mark

just got a new CyberMax Athlon700 with an nVidia 4xAGP TNT2 Vanta 16MB card. Regardless of what driver I load in Win98SE, I can't get the control panel to let me set any resolution higher than 1280x1024 at any color depth. My Viewsonic 20" monitor was working at 1600x1200 until I got this new machine. I have tried changing the monitor type, using video drivers from Joytech, Jaton and the Detonator 2 driver from nVidia - all with the same result. I've changed the adapter to a standard PCI, rebooted, then changed to one of the new drivers, rebooted and still had 1280x1024 as the highest setting.
I even tried editing the nvagp.inf file to remove all resolutions lower than 1024x768 (in case there were too many to fit on the CP slider). Nothing changed after I reinstalled the driver using the new .inf file.
I've been trying for 6 days to reach someone at CyberMax, and they haven't responded to my email and their phone mailboxes are always full. Can someone please help???

Our Cybermax computer wasn't right from the start. Bought in April 1998. Windows 95 didn't work right. Modem went bad not too long after. Had to wait a month for the new one to arrive. Installed a US Robotics Winmodem - the one they sent is still in the box. Original motherboard went bad. They sent a new one - that went bad 1 month later. Sent another new one - but the wrong board - should have been an AT board instead of an ATX board - think they should have known better! Still waiting for the right one. The computer's been down a month now. Also many hours on line with tech support. Not uncommon to be on hold for an hour or so. At least 14 hrs. worth of support. Bought a Hewlett Packard recently. Works real well.
Learned a lesson - no more Cybermax computers!

Geetings:
On my Cybermax PC with Win98 both the DVD-ROM and IDE CD-R/RW (Toshiba SD-M1212 and a generic, respectively) suddenly took to being seen by Win98 as removables drives. I'd just inserted the Half-LIfe CD into the DVD drive as usual when the bastard rebooted on me and the drives were no longer CD-ROMs, but removables. Device Manager shows them as okay, but they can't be read in DOS. If already you know what I'm talking about then you know the story. No special software installs recently except Jumbots for Half-life, which worked for a day before this mind-boggler happened.
I'm still under warranty but Cybermax sucks and 16 hours of hangin' on the phone have gotten me nowhere. I've tried all the recommended fixes on the Cybermax site and on some other sites, including removing the two drives in Device Manager in both regular and safe modes and letting them reinstall. No luck.
I just don't know enough about the Award BIOS to know if 'Im reading that right or what to do. I'm at the point in the Cybermax troubleshooting web page where it says give up and call tech support. What a joke.
Any helpful ideas as to how to get my drives back? TIA.
Hugh DiIorio



Reviews from www.resellerratings.com


Comment From User: (glen_moon)
Sat Jul 8 10:49:59 2000
I've had a horrible time trying to get technical assistance. The latest event regards a DVD-rom that stopped working. I've emailed (with auto-receipts back from them so I know they got the email), called (no human answers the techline, just a voice that says call back later), all this for 3 weeks with no response. I've emailed every address available on the website, with no response whatever.
Previous queries to tech support have taken 2 days to a week or more for a response.
My computer is a great machine. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Components fail in any system. But response from tech support has been totally inadequate.

Comment From User: (akrjones)
Wed Apr 12 16:08:19 2000
Customer service is terrible! Communication with the company is nearly impossible. My emails never received any responses. I do, however, love my CyberMax computer, and this is too bad because the lack of service would definitely keep me from buying another. Two thumbs down!

Comment From User: (Jell-0)
Thu Apr 6 12:22:59 2000
Bought a computer for my Mom there and NEVER had good service from them. Tech Support hung up on me, lied to me, and was very rude and not knowledgable at all. Inferior parts were used inside and the quality of the systems was sub-standard. I recomend that my friends NEVER buy from there. Everybody has good experiences and bad experiences - mine just happens to be a bad one. Hopefully everyone else has had better experiences than mine.

Comment From User: (sonoffunk)
Mon Feb 21 21:07:30 2000
Ok, I ordered this machine a year ago, but it doesn't seem like things have changed, so here goes a quick post.
After some initial hassle with an AMD-400Mhz machine with awful performace they agreed to send an identical system with a P2-350. Annoyingly I had to send EVERYTHING back, including the separately shipped speakers, so that they could reship EVERYTHING again. Oh well, their expense.
The system was ok... the software, case, non-mentioned hardware components, etc. were all of a mediocre at best quality (for example they couldn't even send an intellimouse! it was a 2 button MS mouse... intellimice are like $15 for PS/2 oem!).
But my main complaint: tech support with a very rudimentary knowledge and little troubleshooting skills who are generally not extremely friendly. AND.... wait times seem to always be up to 1.5hrs....absolutely unacceptable.
If you're adventurous like me build your own machine (and upgrade it to keep it fresh) from scratch from good vendors like allstarmicro, onvia and others that are highly rated on this site. If you must buy a complete system, Dell is the only decent brand (no, not even Gateway) I can think of. Make sure there's a 3 year warranty AND...most especially NEVER buy an over the counter brand like Packard Bell or Compaq (especially from a horrible place like CompUSA...just read their reviews here!). I've been at this a while.
p.s. call sales, tech, and cust. serv. and check out that they're efficient, knowledgable and friendly (& honest) first.

Comment From User: (fwaz)
Sat Feb 12 08:44:27 2000
I learned of CyberMax on the AMD web site after I decided I wanted an Athlon system. I thought the prices at CyberMax were good, and I had read a good review of one of their systems in ComputerShopper.com. When I placed my order on January 15,2000 I was given a 4-5 week delivery time. The long lead was due to the Athlon 800 Mhz processor which had just begun production. I was told when I placed my order that I should be able to get status information for my order at about 3 weeks.
When the 3 week point came around, I tried to get the status of my order through CyberMax's online system but found that system to be down. I then used the automated phone service and was referred to a customer service rep. This is the method I used to get all status reports on my order.
On Monday, February 7, 2000 I was told that my order was waiting for the DVD Rom drive, and advised to call back on Thursday of the same week. When I did that, I was told that the system was waiting for the processor, and that I could expect my lead time to exceed the 5 weeks I had been given at the start.
At this point I was becoming frustrated. I tried to downgrade to a 750 Mhz processor which CyberMax told me was in stock, but they said they would only take off $50 from the price and that delivery would still be about a week and a half. I did not accept this option. I later found that the price difference between the Athlon 800 and 750 Mhz processors was $200. So why was CyberMax only willing to take $50 off the price for downgrading?
Later on Thursday Feb 10 I went online and began reading the horror stories from other dissatisfied CyberMax customers. I realized that I was getting exactly the same treatment these unhappy people had received earlier. I felt that my only option at this point was to cancel my order with CyberMax and begin the search for a new system from scratch. I did that on Thursday evening. Just as I read in some of the other reports, CyberMax expressed no remorse for my cancellation and never tried to talk me out of cancelling. I was never given a cancellation confirmation number, but I phoned them again on Friday morning and did confirm that my order had been cancelled. Just to make sure I am going to notify my credit card company that they should not accept a charge from CyberMax.
I would certainly advise anyone considering CyberMax to avoid this vendor.

Comment From User: (SDAIL)
Wed Feb 9 14:52:05 2000
My experience was similar to those expressed by GLAIRDFL below - I placed an order, and was continually told that it would get to production soon (once was even given a specific date), only to be told later that they were waiting on yet another part. First it was the motherboard, then the processor, then DVD drives, and then memory! I gave up and called to cancel. The person who took my cancellation didn't bother to ask me why or express any concern. Things must be a real mess there.

Comment From User: (gspamf)
Fri Jan 28 17:28:38 2000
I bought a system from them last May. System worked okay but I wanted to add a big hard drive (34.2GB). After adding the drive the system hangs while the BIOS is initializing. I investigated the problem on the IBM web site and found out the problem is in the Award BIOS having a 33.8GB limit (bug?). I called CyberMax and aftering holding their solution was to remove the drive! Basically they only support the system as they sell it to you. They do not support the system if you add anything to it and it does not work, even if the reason it does not work is a defect in the system they sold you. I'll never buy from them again. (I also e-mailed their support folks last November and have yet to get a response. I guess they prefer to pay for phone charges.)

Comment From User: (techgirl)
Thu Dec 9 21:04:33 1999
These jerks are habitual liars and wouldn't know the truth if it slapped them in the face. I filed a report with the BBB and they even lied to them folks and said it had been resolved. Spend the extra 150 to 200 and go elsewhere. They are horribly rude for anthing other than making the inital sale, and that wasn't even nothing to brag about. They don't stand behind there equip. and treat you like dirt. That extra little bit of money yousave will be quickly eaten up in frustration.

Comment From User: (BillZ)
Mon Nov 29 17:06:29 1999
I ordered a computer from this company on 11/1/99. I gave all the info requested and asked how long it would take to build this specific piece of equipment. The man on the phone said TWO weeks. I thought to myself TWO weeks is a good time frame since all the "BIG" companies say 7 working days. Well that was the last "nice" person I talked to from Cybermax. it has been FOUR weeks today and they didn't even START to build it, due to back orders(so they say). I tried a couple of times before today to call and just to check on the status of my computer. After waiting 45 minutes one time I was disconnected. Called back waited 30 minutes finally got through and was told that I'm not the only customer that they have. Ok figured "hey he's having a bad day" we all have them right? Called back a few days later again after 45 minutes I was disconnected. Called back the next day, they told me (after waiting ONLY 30 minutes this time), they have not begun production yet due to back orders. I was told to call back The Friday after Turkey day. I call at 3:05 and you guessed it get disconnected 55 minutes later. I call back and get a recording saying that they close at 4:00 that particular day. :-) I got a message every 3 or 4 minutes telling me how important my phone call is to them and thanks for having the patience for waiting. well after waiting 55 minutes my so called patience is really growing thin. Well to make a long story not any longer i cancelled my order as of today and ordered from one of the "BIG" compaines. Anyone doing business with Cybermax I wish you the best of luck. their prices are cheap($200 cheaper then the "BIG" comapny), but as far as due dates, customer service, phone etiquette and just plain class for a business, "THEY SUCK!!!!!". I can't think of any other way of putting it. Spend the extra $$$ I think for piece of mind it would be worth it. Have a decent day :-). peace

Comment From User: (techgirl)
Fri Nov 12 15:11:25 1999
Folks, you don't want to buy from these folks. Very rude customer service and they lie about shipping dates just to make the sale. THey are on record at BBB and it's not good at all. They don't honor what they advertise and don't try to correct any wrongdoings. Expect 45 minutes on hold just to get through, only to be treated like a dog by their incompetent staff. I learned a big lesson, the 50 to 75 dollars I thought I was going to save turned into a nightmare.

Comment From User: (coleybird)
Mon Oct 11 11:16:10 1999
Take my advice, don't waste your time with this company. Go to Dell or one of the other well known mfgs. These people have a very poor customer service dept. and will not get back with you to try to correct their mistakes. Buyer beware here folks.

Comment From User: (gloryus)
Mon Oct 11 11:03:59 1999
I would not recommend the purchase of anything significant from these folks. They have very little concern for their customers after the sale.

Comment From User: (bbend)
Sat May 29 01:22:56 1999
I have had my K6-2 system for a little over a month now and I'm satisfied with the equipment but not with the service. My computer arrived 3 weeks late after 3 different shipping date changes. The first change was due to 2 separate reasons(according to 2 separate people)- a backordered video card or a backordered audio card. I was promised 3 or 4 times I'd receive a callback with a new date and more info and never received one. I needed to keep on them. Next my system arrived with 64RAM instead of my ordered and paid for 128. Once again a promise for a call for when it would be sent, who would install and if I did would warranty stay intact - again no return call. I faxed the questions and finally received a call but since I was not home the person gave an RMA#, which I didn't need, and hung up. I didn't receive the RAM or additional instructions for 2 weeks and finally e-mailed them. The RAM arrived a few days later and then an e-mail saying it had been shipped arrived. Still no answers to installation and warranty questions. Finally one more call and I was able to put the RAM in and use it. Throughout the numerous phonecalls, fax, e-mails, and one letter I never once even got an apology - simple thing but important for a company who boasts of it's service in their ads.

Comment From User: (thedark)
Sat Feb 7 20:06:03 1998
I've know 4 people who have bought from Cybermax. I am very unimpressed. Tech support is horrible. RMAing anything back to them is a nightmare. There craftsmanship is questionable. I build computers for my friends and family and I do a much better job. Atleast 2 of the computers that I have looked at from them the cables where stuck to the cooling fan of the CPU with hotglue that they used to secrure the cable to the hookups. The glue dripped and stuck the Hard drive cable to the FAN!!!!
Then they promised one of my friends a Software upgrade. Even sent her a letter saying they would. Then 6 months later when we called to find out what the deal was. The Customer Service rep said that we had bought one of there bottom end computers and that the software upgrade wouldn't be honored. That we got the letter by mistake.
WOuld I buy a CYBERMAX or recommend getting one? Absolutely, hands down, totally and unforgiveingly NOT!
They are JUNK! You get what you pay for. Little price tag? Little quality.
Scott

Comment From: A user @who.knows.where
Tue Sep 9 22:12:01 1997
Overall, I am pleased with my Cybermax K-6 computer; but I am very disapointed with their handling problems. My Monitor quite working after five weeks. Cybermax support suggested that I reseat the video card and call back. That did not work, so they suggested that I take the monitor down to a computer shop and have them test it for me. "Don't worry, they will do it for free" Wondering about the ethics of this and the 1-year *on-site* warranty I was told a number of things: it only applies to the hard drive and CPU; you have to do everything the tech tells you before we can do anything -- have not you read the warrenty, it states that clearly (which it was not). The deal was that they needed to verify that the problem was the monitor and not the video card. They would not accept that there was no CTR sound as an adequate diagnosis that the monitor is the problem. They would not send both to me to test. Finally, I found a shop (who I will buy my next computer from) to lend me a monitor, I taxied it to my house (for $25 bucks -- no car, you see) plugged it in, and it worked! But buy then, the UPS strike was underway. It took several weeks to get the new monitor. But now I have it and I like my Cybermax K-6. Just beware that the 1-year on-site warrantee might not be what you may think.
This is a terrible vendor of PC systems. Check DejaNews for details. If you must deal with them, avoid Bruce Davies in sales and Annie in customer service.



Reviews from www.ripoffreport.com


In October 1999, I purchased a pre-configured computer system (the 3Daredevil K-7 550), advertised in the October 1999 Computer Shopper, from CyberMax Computer, Inc., for the set price of $1,499. The system they sent me only had 64MB SDRAM, though, the system I ordered and paid for has 128MB SDRAM. I've repeatedly contacted CyberMax customer service, in an effort to resolve this issue. I've sent them documentation showing them their error. I've sent them a copy of their own advertisement; all of this, to no avail. Though they've admitted they shorted my system's memory, they will take no action to correct this wrong. All I've asked of them is to send me the memory I've already paid for. They've refused. I strongly recommend you do NOT do business with this company, as they do not appear to want to stand behind their product, and their customer service department seems to be ineffectual. All I've said here may be backed up by documentation, including the e-mail correspondence with the seemingly questionable, itself. Should you purchase from them, you could end up spending your free time reporting them to consumer forums, consumer protection agencies, and the like, as I am doing now.

n December I purchased a new 700MHZ Athlon computer from CyberMax. at a cost of over $2000.00. I did not receive the computer until mid January because the video card I ordered was not in stock. (They did offer to substitute a different card) When the computer finally arrived I set it up and turned it on. Almost immediately I began having problems with it. The computer would randomly shut down and start back up losing all work not saved at that time. This began to occur rather frequently. I called CyberMax tech support and was put on hold for OVER THREE HOURS. Tech support had me try several things, which did not resolve case AND my case is still broken. This is not all! Within a few days of getting my computer back, the computer started locking up. The mouse and keyboard would randomly stop responding. Again I called tech support and again they had me go through many steps to try to diagnose the problem this took several weeks. They finally decided to send a new video card to see if that would fix the problem. I received the card several days later and replaced it. It did not fix the problem. Now I have to send the video card back with the shipping AGAIN AT MY EXPENSE. I called CyberMax tech support back and again they had me try several more things to try to fix the problem but nothing worked. I called back after running their tests and told them that I was still having problems they told me to send the computer back to them for repair. (The shipping was to be AT MY EXPENSE of course) I explained to them that I design web sites as a second source of income and that sending the computer back for repair for at least 7-10 days would make me lose money as well as make customers of mine upset that their work is not getting completed. CyberMax suggested I borrow a computer from a friend! They also gave me the ?option? of taking my computer to a local repair shop and (you guessed it AT MY EXPENSE) paying the shop to find the problem. CyberMax would then send any parts necessary to repair the problem. I asked if they could send a tech for on site service. They told me that their policy states that on-site service is ONLY for replacing defective parts and NOT for diagnosing problems. I asked if it would be possible for them to send a loaner computer while the problem so I called back. This went on for several weeks and all the while the computer was all but unusable. During this time and on more than one occasion I was put on hold for at least two hours. Tech support finally came to the conclusion that I needed to send my computer back to them. (CyberMax paid the shipping cost.) In about 2 weeks I finally received my computer back. They had replaced the power supply, which fixed the shut down problem. When I hooked it up and turned it on, I got no video on my monitor. I called tech support and they told me I had to disconnect everything from the computer and open the case. (Which I found to be broken). Tech support then had me remove and reinstall my video card, which solved the problem. When I asked them about the broken case they told me that they would send a new case. They told me that I would have to send the old case back and the shipping would be AT MY EXPENSE (This is their policy). CyberMax then sent me the wrong case, so now I have to pay the shipping charge for the wrong mine was being repaired so I could continue doing business. The answer was no. By this point I was extremely frustrated and asked if I could have my money refunded. CyberMax said that it was past the 30-day refund period. (Of which they had my computer about half the time). I explained that I have not had a fully functional computer for even 7 days total. To which they replied, that their policy states that refunds will only be granted within 30 days of the purchase date. I feel that I am being penalized for a bad product from CyberMax at no fault of my own. If the computer I purchased through CyberMax never had any problems, I would have never had to pay shipping costs three times (Totaling over $100.00), I would have had an operational computer for two months longer, and I would not have lost productivity in my business. Also I am several months into my 1-year warranty and I still haven't received an operational computer.



Reviews from newsgroups and other sites


From jfredrickson@zdnetmail.com
Hi. Don't know if you're interested in experiences from the British portion of CyberMax. Here goes, anyway...
I ordered a standard machine with an additional memory upgrade from them in April. Machine took two months to arrive. I'm still chasing the memory upgrade, and it is now over three months since my order.
Although, I have to say that the PC is good, the delivery timescales, and lack of clear information from CyberMax have made this a nightmare experience.
Regards,
John Fredrickson

From pdavis@telis.org
I sent this to Trish. Could I send my letter to you to get it posted? thank you Paul Davis
Hello Trish
My name is Paul Davis. I too have just had a horrible experience with Cybermax. I bought the best one they had. Out of the box the CD did not work. From there it just got worse, spending hoursss on the phone getting nowhere. I emailed them & sent hard copy of my problems. They did not respond so i sent it back to them within the 30 day. I lost at least freight both ways $. If I sent my letter to you would you add it with yours? Or could you tell me how to put it with other pages of bad experiences you link to? I am working form my old mac and do not want to spend much more time with the cybermax deal. Do you know of any other ways to stick it to them like they did to me without spending a lot of time? They do suck.
Thanks Paul

From rhodklin@cais.com
Just wanted to let other CyberMax owners that I too have experienced the the wrath of CyberMax's poor customer service.
I purchased my computer about two weeks ago, and have regretted my decision ever since.
Problems so far...
1. They sent out a bad version of Corel WordPerfect 8.
2. After installing the new version of Corel WordPerfect 8, my system crashed. I then had to reload Windows95.
3. After reloading Windows95, I discovered that Microsoft Money (software that had been preinstalled) was damaged and CyberMax did not provide me with a disk or product ID#. I contacted Microsoft to see if they would send me a disk, and they informed me that CyberMax was commiting a crime by "hardloading" software onto my computer and not providing me with the disk. Microsoft said CyberMax was pirating the software.
4. I called CyberMax customer service, they told me that the Microsoft Money that was on my computer was a trial version and that they would not send me another copy. They told me to send my computer back, if I was not happy.
5. They also included 4 MB of video memory on my computer, something which I did not request. They told me that I would have to take out the 4 MB and send it back. They would then send me a 2 MB video card to install. Of course, most people familiar with CyberMax's technical support realize that I would have to spend at least three hours on the phone to get assistance on how to take the video card out.
Thanks for listening.
I would be interested in hearing from you about other people who have had problems with CyberMax.
Is there any organized effort to make more people aware of the problems?
Take Care, Shawn Kline, skline1@hotmail.com

From: "Eddie Cottongim"
I too have had a lot of trouble with ol' CyberMax. Here is the story:
System: motherboard - now a Biostar?? 8500TVX
os - Win 95 24mb ram cyrix p166+ (uhhh)
sound card Ensonique SoundScape Vivo
modem - Sierra 28.8K voice SQ3465
About two weeks before the warranty expired, I called the company and told them my sound card had never worked right under DOS. They said they knew about this and asked me to send the computer back for a motherboard swap.
1. They knew the motherboard was bad but never told me under my 10 trillionth call after almost a year.
OK, so I get back in town two weeks later, and my computer is waiting for me. It works for a week, and then the printer port gets stuck saying OUT OF PAPER even if no cable is attached. I call tech support and they pretty much confirm that it is a motherboard problem, but my warranty is out, so I have to deal with it myself.
2. I get the thing back with a new part right after the warranty expires, the part is bad, and they won't help.
Also, my modem maxes out an 2400 bps on outgoing calls, doesn't work half the time, and only connects one out of 6 or 7 tries. I've called Cybermax silly but always I get BS like "reinstall the drivers" or "reinstall Win '95." I don't know HOW MANY FREAKING TIMES I've reinstalled everything and it just doesn't work.
The sound card still doesn't work right (it seems like a software bug tho...) The computer doesn't even boot sometimes (tech support said "that just happens"). Like diarrhea, BS keeps coming when I ask tech support hard questions. I've never worked so hard so futily to get a system in working order.
I'm not trying to slander the name of CyberMax nor I am expressing a personal vendetta against them, I would just like to communicate my experience...
Having said this ... Its possible that they replaced my motherboard with a toilet seat cover... I'm not saying they did this, but when a part goes bad immediately after you get it back and the warranty is up... suspicious.
I've faxed/asked CyberMax to help, but so far no help. If they change their minds I will post a followup.
Please take note of these people who have had trouble with Cybermax. I'm not trying to get sued; I'm just letting y'all know what my experience has been... If you disgree/have a suggestion, please post/email me
A concerned Quaker, (the game not the religion)
Eddie Cottongim
PS. I'm writing to tell about Cybermax, but if anybody thinks I've overlooked the obvious with this system, email/post me...

From: mxym@usa.net
My boss recently ordered a CyberMax computer. After many years of good experience with Dell, Gateway and such, we were totally shocked by the incompetence and indifference of CyberMax, especially its salesperson Bruce Davies and customer service person Annie. We did encounter other customer service persons like Heidi and Pamela that were much more professional, but it was too late to salvage the situation. We also found that it's completely futile to try to communicate with CyberMax by e-mails. No one -- not Bruce Davies (bruced@cybmax.com), not sales (cmxsales@cybmax.com), not customer service (cmxcare@cybmax.com) -- answers e-mails there. It's like talking to a black hole. Leaving telephone messages is not much better. If you didn't talk to a live person, it didn't happen.
Despite written quotation and written purchase order, our extremely late order was wrongly configured and sent to the wrong address. We are a large organization with tens of thousands of people located over a wide area. The order was sent to the billing address, which is our accounting department, several blocks away. There was no name, no P.O. number, and a wrong telephone number on the shipping label. This completely random number (717-455-2145) was apparently someone's home number. After our accounting department refused shipment, FedEx called this number and was somehow convinced enough to deliver the computer to his home! The signature FedEx got was B. Colward. It was probably a fake name. This guy used the computer for over a week and registered its Windows 95 under the name of "bill clinton" -- probably not his real name, either. ^_^
Mistakes do happen, even to good companies. It's how mistakes are handled that defines the company. CyberMax never apologized for their mistake. Since the order was sent to "one of the addresses on the purchase order" and got a signature, we were told to track it down ourselves. And we did. Then we found the configuration problem. My boss ordered two hard drives and got only one. No, that Colward person didn't steal it. CyberMax's invoice also listed just one hard drive. After reporting this problem two weeks ago, she's still waiting for a straight answer. We don't want to return the computer. Due to budget cycle reasons, we won't be able to buy another computer if we return this one. Somehow, we think CyberMax knows it.
The morals of this story? Well, you pay your money and you take your chances. But with CyberMax, you're taking a BIG chance.



Reviews from http://www.thecomplaintstation.com


From: R Hadley
Emailid: justbob30@hotmail.com
I have a Lemon computer from Cybermax, they are Ignoring my complaints, I am attaching a copy of the latest letter and e mail I have sent them, beware doing business with these people!6/2/00
Consumer Relations Department Cybermax Computer Inc. 100A Randolph Rd. Somerset, New Jersey 08873
I am writing this letter out of sheer frustration, I bought a computer from you in Feb 1999, I have had nothing but trouble with this machine from day one. It arrived dead, I called and waited on hold for literally hours so I could speak to someone about getting it fixed. After discussing it with a tech support person, I finally had a new power supply sent to me, which I installed myself. It should also be noted that one of the SIMMs was loose inside the case, I fixed that without tech supports help. The next problem I had was the modem, It wouldn?t maintain a connection, I don?t recall if you replaced it but I don?t believe you did, I think I found and installed a new driver off the internet myself. At one point the sound card began making screeching sounds. I, at your tech supports instruction re installed the drivers, that did not fix it so then you replaced the card. The Video card, as well, has been acting up consistently since I bought the computer. I have basic video function but if I accelerate it beyond the first notch from the left it crashes the computer. On the third notch I get a solid screen of various colors and at full acceleration (like for games) it just freezes the computer the second you try to open anything. You have replaced the video card twice that did not help. I have attempted to update the video drivers many times with no improvement, or the problem became worse. I have attempted to update the motherboard BIOS 4 times at your tech support?s instruction and they will not update. I have installed various drivers and patches as instructed by your tech support, all to no avail. I checked award?s web site, they appear to have a couple of patches available to attempt to get the STB Velocity 4400, the AMD processor and the Biostar motherboard to work together. I have been hesitant to install them without your instruction to do so in fear of loosing my warranty. And shouldn?t the computer you sold work as configured? I had another problem a couple of months ago, Internet Explorer had started not working right, I had contacted Microsoft about it, anyway, in the course of their attempting to fix it my drive became unbootable. I reformatted my drive reinstalled Windows 98 & thought well the good thing is, if it was a software problem with the video card, this will fix it, It did not, the computer still froze with ONLY windows 98 installed and the video card set to full acceleration. By the way, Microsoft mentioned that the STB 4400 and AMD chipsets are NOT compatible to their knowledge, I did speak to a tech support person on the phone several times. I was instructed by your tech support dept. to take my computer to a local shop to have a diagnostic done. This would cost me $37 for the first 30 minutes and $60 per hr. after that. I am to the point I am considering buying a new motherboard or video-card (one listed as compatible with windows 98, AMD, Award and Biostar) myself because either way it will cost me $100 or more to fix this. This just isn?t right! What do I have to do to get this fixed, your tech support people are stumped, I am bewildered and stunned your company would let this mess get this far. One person I know suggested I demand a refund under the implied warranty of merchantability & fitness laws. Has it come to that? I do believe I have given your company ample opportunity to correct this, yet, every time I try to use my computer as intended it crashes. What do YOU want to do about this? Under the terms of my Warranty, I see a few options: 1. YOU replace the video card with one that is compatible with my system. 2. YOU replace the motherboard with one that is compatible with my video card and AMD processor. 3. YOU buy back the computer because it is unfit for its intended purpose (home computing AND gaming), though this is not something I want to happen, I feel your tech support departments inability to diagnose and fix this problem may leave no other choice. I do not feel comfortable ?leaving? the computer in a repair shop for days or weeks, this hard drive contains over 2 gigabytes of my personal information including bank and credit records. If you elect option 3, I will of course format the hard drive but that isn?t something I would do before taking it to a shop. Thank You ____________ then I followed up with an e mail

I have a serious lemon of a P.C. I bought from you, Invoice # 176598 serial # 5001913753. I sent you a letter via certified mail, Your company signed for it 6/8/00, as of today, 6/24/00 I have not seen a response. Considering the way your company has consistently ignored my complaints, the fact you are obviously going out of business (closed weekends, call back week days, hold for ten minutes and switched to an always full answering machine then hung up on is a sure sign in my book) and the fact the computer has never been "right" I am now demanding a refund under the warranty clause "merchantability of fitness" the computer has NEVER worked as it should, this will be evidenced by the string of replacement parts you have sent. Considering your lack of response and obvious inability to make the computer work as it should I now believe a refund is the only solution.

From: Nora M. Meeks
Emailid: DytchyWytch@aol.com
I ordered an advertised system (Computer Shopper, October 1999), with a set configuration and price, in October 1999. The system this company sent to me is configured for dramatically less memory, and the company representatives I've dealt with will do nothing, to rectify this situation. I have also reported this company to the Better Business Bureau.

From: Shaun Bloom
Emailid: SBloom0371@aol.com
Faxed this letter to them yesterday. Have heard nothing back yet. On October 8, 1999, I ordered a computer system. I patiently waited for delivery. When I heard nothing after 4 weeks, I called customer service to check the status of my order. I was told the motherboard case was backordered and should be in the following week. Then, my computer would go into production. After a week, I called once again to see if it was in production. It was not. The representative said nothing was on backorder and she saw no reason why my system would not go straight into production. I waited a few more days and called again. This time I spoke with a very rude woman who told me the CPU was backordered and there was nothing she could do and "You are free to cancel your order at any time if you aren't satisfied" and then she hung up. I called back immediately and spoke with another representative who said that the motherboard case and the CPU were backordered. After an hour, I decided to call back to speak with a supervisor to inform him/her of the rude representative and to get the correct status of my order since I was told two different stories within minutes of each call. I reached a customer service representative and asked to speak with a supervisor. I was told the supervisor could do no more than the customer service representatives can. When I pressed to speak with a supervisor, she demanded justification as to why I needed to speak to a supervisor. She responded that way knowing that my order was more than 4 weeks behind in production and knowing that production's response to her emails were to no avail. After a few minutes of "justification", she finally passed me to Nate, the supervisor, who sent more emails. He told me that the motherboard case was not backordered but the CPU was. Now, I've had two different stories about the status of my order within an hour of each other. Nate said he'd email production and get them working on it as soon as the CPU was there the next day. A couple days passed and I called again. Again I was told nothing was on backorder and she saw no reason why my system would not go straight into production and since my order was placed on October 8, I should be at the top of the list. I called back a few days later and was told that now the modem was backordered. I called on Saturday, November 27 and asked if there was anything that could be done to get this computer into production immediately. The customer service representative told me that the only thing holding it up was the backordered LAN card. I asked her if, since it had been almost 2 months, she could upgrade me to the next in-stock LAN card at no additional charge and get the computer into production immediately. She told me that she did not have the authority to do that. She said that all she could do is take out the LAN card and then there would be no hold-ups. Although I really need the LAN card, I decided that it would be more expedient to leave it out and get the computer in production. I called back on Monday and was told it still was not in production and production had emailed and said "we will do our best". I called again on Tuesday and was told it still was not in production and production had emailed yet again and said "we'll try". The customer service representative said that production is working on orders placed in the third week of October and she didn't understand why my computer still wasn't in the line since I placed my order in the first week of October. She said the delay was terrible and she would try to figure out what was going on and call back the next day. As of 11:00 MST, I've received no call. I called again today and was told that my system still is not in production and there is nothing that can be done beyond emailing production once more. I hope you can understand my frustration. This entire situation is absolutely unacceptable. Your customer service is reprehensible. I have been treated rudely. I have been hung up on in mid-sentence. I have been given the run-around. With each call, I have been led to believe that my system will be in production very soon, only to find out a few days later that it still has not happened. Throughout this process, I have tried to get in touch with supervisors who would be more help than the customer service representatives - someone who could do more than simply email production. There is apparently no one at customer service who is able to help beyond simply informing me that my system is "not in production and have no idea what the hold up is". Neither were they able to put me in contact with someone who could actually resolve the problem. Your customer service center seems to be set up to shield your company from calls and problems such as mine rather than to actually serve the customer's needs. Is the service I have received so far an indication of the kind of service I can expect if I have warranty or other service related concerns? If I have warranty trouble, will you simply email another department and be told "we're trying" or "we're doing our best" and then, perhaps, hang up on me or give me the run-around? To resolve the problem, I would like to upgrade to the next in-stock LAN card at no charge and I would like my computer system delivered, at no charge for delivery, to me one week from today, no later than December 8, 1999.

Note: The reviews listed on this page are just some of the bad reviews that I found when I was making this website. There are many more like these out there, but I think you get the idea.