Puget Systems and iBUYPOWER: two sides of the system integrator coin

Puget Systems: Reliability, Warranty and Support

Given the higher cost of the Puget Systems computer, anyone considering a purchase from them is probably going to expect a lot more in the way of reliability and technical support. So how did they do during our testing? Reliability was never a problem during the couple of months that we tested their system. We never had any problems with system stability, and the only minor problem we encountered was sound support in a couple of games. After calling their tech support line, they were able to walk us through downloading the latest audio drivers and that fix the errors we were experiencing. Should any hardware fail and need to be replaced, as with iBUYPOWER you will have to pay to ship the computer back to Puget Systems, and they will pay for return shipping. They are also willing to cross ship components if you're comfortable doing repairs yourself.

All Puget Systems computers come with a standard 1-year warranty, but for an additional fee you can get a 2-year or 3-year extended warranty. Puget Systems also offers a 30 day money back guarantee, with limitations. Basically, more expensive systems may be subject to a 15% restocking fee -- additional details are available on their website. On-site repair service is not available, but beyond the parts warranty all Puget Systems come with lifetime labor and technical support. That's the type of service that we like to see from more expensive system builders: if anyone ever spends a lot of money on a computer, the least they can do is provide technical support for as long as you own the system! Of course, Puget Systems has taken that one step further. Recently, Monarch Computers appears to have closed up shop -- the website is no longer online, the phones are dead, etc. Anyone that purchased anything from Monarch Computers recently has most likely been left out in the cold. Puget Systems has offered to provide technical support and free labor to any former Monarch Computers customers -- obviously in a bid to pick up some new customers, but that's still a good deal anyway you look at it. No one is entirely sure what happened with Monarch, and it could be that they will return in the future, but you have to respect Puget Systems for offering to help at no cost to the end-users.

For technical support, Puget Systems has a variety of options available. You can send an email or fax, give their support line a call, or visit their support forums. The Puget Systems web pages also have a selection of help documents available to answer many common questions. Support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST. If you call for support, Puget Systems can also use remote desktop to take control of your computer and provide additional help. Basically, outside of extended business hours, Puget Systems offers all of the most common support options. However, it's still important to see how the support department handles calls, so we gave it a shot.

We're not quite sure why, but we did get a busy signal a couple times when we called. Our Comcast digital phone line seemed to have problems connecting with them, so we had to resort to using a cell phone. That solved the busy signal problem, and after a short hold typically lasting one or two minutes we were speaking with a technician. Puget Systems handles all of their support internally, and all of the people we spoke with were very friendly, knowledgeable, and more than willing to help. Every one of our "problems" was handled about as well as could be expected, and the advice we received was almost exactly what we would have given someone asking us the same questions.

As an example, our spyware problem got several recommendations, the first being to visit the Lavasoft website and install AdAware, with secondary recommendations of Microsoft Defender and Spybot Search and Destroy. They also cautioned that Spybot tended to be a bit more technical and that some users found it to be a bit confusing. They then suggested that if none of those programs were able to solve the problem, backing up our files and doing a new installation of Windows was probably the best solution. They indicated that it is possible to usually remove spyware if you know what you're doing, but the amount of effort involved often makes it easier to simply reformat the hard drive if the standard anti-spyware software doesn't work.

Other calls involving driver help, upgrade advice, performance issues, etc. were all handled exceptionally well. We also feigned being former Monarch Computer customers just to see if that affected the level of support, and we're happy to say that it didn't. We never felt like the technician was just looking to get off the phone as quickly as possible, we never had difficulty understanding what was being said, and basically there's very little that could be improved.

Our support rating: Puget Systems provided one of the best technical support experiences we've had so far. We could wish that they provided additional support hours, on-site support, or a few other extras, but if you're the type of person that has frequent computer questions and you don't like hounding your friends or relatives, a company like Puget Systems would be an excellent choice as a computer vendor. All of that comes with a higher than typical cost, so computer enthusiasts will probably find it unnecessary, but computer novices may be willing to spend the extra money. At least you know if you spend a lot of money on the computer from Puget Systems they will be more than happy to help you out with any questions. Let's just hope they stick around for a long time.