Where-to-surf.com presents: Techdepot

Where-to-surf.com presents: Techdepot

Short Description :

TechDepot.com is your online source of over 60,000 of the latest computer products and services now available to you through Office Depot!

Specials & Deals:

No special deals for now, check the merchant page for offers and discounts.

Review written by Jake

The first time I ordered an item from Tech Depot, their website showed the item in stock. I placed the order, gave my credit card number, and was advised that my order was accepted. I received an email several hours later saying the item was out of stock and would not be shipped as earlier expected.

The second order I placed was for a laptop listed as brand new with full manufacturer's warranty. I had a couple of questions about the item, so I called their 800 number. The representative confirmed that the item was brand new and came with the three year manufacturer's warranty.

When I received the item, it was labeled on the outside of the box as refurbished. I contacted the manufacturer with the model and serial number, and they advised that it was indeed refurbished with only a 90 day warranty. When I contacted Tech Depot, they continued to assert that it was a new laptop. After several emails and a fax, they responded that the warehouse must have made an error and shipped the wrong item. When I compared the model and stock number on the packaging with the item listing on the website, it appeared that it was not a shipping error, and the model and stock numbers were the same.

Tech Depot finally admitted that the laptop was a refurbished model, even though they had listed and represented the item as brand new. They said they had no more brand new laptops of the model I purchased in stock. After several more emails, they finally agreed to ship a comparable new laptop, told me that the replacement model was in stock, and promised that I would receive it via overnight delivery.

Well, as you can probably guess, between the time they promised to ship the replacement laptop and the time that it should have been handed to FedEx or UPS, the replacement model became "out of stock", and we appear to be back to square one.

So far, completely unsatisfied. I will try to post a follow up if possible. I suspect that I am not the only customer who bought a new computer but was sent a refurbished one. If you bought a Hewlett Packard laptop (Omnibook 6000 in particular, may apply to other models) and the model number ends in R (such as F2475KR or F3540WR) you likely have a refurbished laptop. You can contact HP with the model and serial number and they can tell you if it is new or refurbished.

Update: Since this review, Tech Depot again promised to send a replacement. Today I received via UPS Next Day Air the new laptop I was promised as a replacement for the refurbished unit they originally sent. While it is not the model I had preferred, so far it is an excellent laptop and it was shipped as promised. I am due a credit as well, since this laptop doesn't have quite the specs of the other (although it is close), so we will see if that is posted correctly and in a timely fashion. So far, they have taken an D- customer service experience and raised it to a C+. If the credit comes through as promised and I have no further difficulties, I'd have to bump it up to a B!

If you can find something you want on their website, don't rely on their listing showing how many are in stock. They take your order, and you don't find out until it is due to ship whether it is in stock and will ship or on backorder.

I will say that their customer service people are very courteous and that despite all the problems with my orders, the rep I dealt with (Sue) was pleasant and professional throughout. I got the impression that they did want to treat me fairly. For some reason, they just had trouble following through. I can't recommend Tech Depot if you absolutely need reliable delivery of the product you order. I might recommend them if you see a great price on a product you want and don't mind taking your chances.

Prices are hit or miss. Some great deals, some that warrant passing by. Friendly folks. C+ and working on improvement.

Where-to-surf.com is an affiliate of Techdepot