PortatechReviews of portatech.com

I have dealt with them before but this time it was like another business. I had to get a refund because nobody had seen that my order was rush and had expedited delivery. i had to notify them that they still hadnt even sent my package off a week and two days. Really hate to see a company do so poorly in both the way they handle the business they run and the people that support their business.

I ordered a custom system, it arrived about 2 weeks after I ordered it. Opened the box - adequately packed with foam, no damage noted. Opened the case to take a quick look at the build and was very disappointed. The Hard Drive was sideways in the drive bay. It did not appear damaged, so I installed it properly. Both case fans I ordered where not installed... (Porta did send me 2 fans so I could install them). Finally, on initial power up, the system failed to boot.... called Porta tech number, no answer... emailed them, got a reply telling me to call for tech support. Called again, no answer. Emailed them with my phone number. They finally called me. They were able to figure out why my system would not boot... apparently they forgot to plug in one of the smaller power cords on the motherboard. Made me wonder how they tested it? The plug has a locking clip so I know it didn't just fall off...

I'm not certain why they do this. I ordered the following: Barebones w/ AMD FX (Socket AM3+) w/ AMD FX6300 - Six - Core (6 x 4.1GHz - 14MB Cache) Asus M5A78L-M USB3 They decided to send a Gigabyte motherboard with a 3.5mhz processor instead. Now, if they were out of stock on a particular item, and notified me of such, I would likely have said "no problem, just send me the Gigabyte and 3.5 mhz processor. But they just took it upon themselves to send whatever they wanted to send. NO offer to adjust the price either. I'll keep pursuing this, but I guarantee you I'll never buy from them again.

PortaTech.com offers good products at inexpensive prices in the low-profit-margin industry building desktop machines. They have a strong following and great reviews. That's why I chose them. I have built many of my own machines in the past and wanted to have a machine by Christmas ready to go for my patiently awaiting son, rather than sitting in a back room building my own. I purchased a higher end gaming machine (not a small cost) and chose the mid-range gaming graphics card (1050Ti). The machine arrived before Christmas DOA with a bad motherboard. Because of the holiday and closures, the communication process and RMA procedure was slow and unfulfilling. After a number of conversations and a successful repair, we will have the machine back around January 13th. Here are the three ways that PortaTech did not fulfill a good customer service policy. 1) Understanding and "warranty repair" but no articulated empathy or urgency. 2) The returned DOA machine was not placed on the priority list for repair. Instead, the company was short-handed and concentrated on new sales. They should have placed a DOA at the top of their repair and return docket. 3) For my trouble, I requested a one-step upgrade of the graphics card. That would have created a raving review. But they were adamant it was unfeasible due to their low-profit margins. I get that. when I worked in the field establishing small business networks (1990s) there were times when I lost money on a project because it didn't go my way. I was committed making sure I took care of the customer at all costs. But for every dollar I lost it was made up for in more projects and more referrals. 4) Not only did the company not upgrade the item at their cost but they miss quoted the upgrade price and had to double the difference after calling me. 5) The shipping time was extended not because of shipping but because the machine sat dormant on their RMA floor for days while they worked on new sales. 6) When I inquired if they could provide any solace with this purchase, they said they could refund the money entirely and let me purchase the product somewhere else. So. That's why they get a 2-star. I am guessing, based on other reviews, that if you get a machine that is working, you will find this company to be an A+ vendor. But the rubber is really when a mistake is made, even when it is unavoidable, they go beyond expectations to resolve it. They not only didn't communicate well they didn't meet their own expectations and provided no recourse or apologize through a product upgrade, or even apologize profusely. It was more "matter-o-fact" or return the machine for a refund. They "allowed" me to upgrade the machine instead and pay the difference. Adam H Pasco WA