harvey@nems.arpa (Harvey) (09/01/89)
I have a friend who is getting ready to order a 286 P.C. from CompuAdd. Has anyone had any good or bad experiences dealing with them? Betty Harvey <harvey@nems.dt.navy.mil> David Taylor Research Center Bethesda, Md.
diblanch@sdrc.UUCP (Jeff Blanchet) (09/01/89)
I tried to E-Mail you but it bounced. I have bought a 286/10MHZ system from CompuAdd. I also got a 40 meg harddrive, a VGA Monitor and the CompuAdd 16-bit VGA card (Actually a Paradise card). I have had no problems with the system and I am very pleased. I did have a small problem when they shipped the system to me. They sent me an EGA monitor by mistake. I called them and the Federal Expressed the correct one to me. Along with that they included a return Fed Ex form to send the EGA monitor back to them. I later ordered a mouse from them. Somehow they messed up my order and lost it. I called them back reordered the mouse and finally received the mouse. Their customer service seems very good. I bought the system thourgh mail order but I did get a chance to look at the system when I was at DECUS earlier this year in Atlanta. They have just recently added a store in Cincinnati and are having stores pop up all over the United States. If you have anymore questions just let me know! Jeff Blanchet UUCP: uunet!sdrc!diblanch SDRC Cincinnati Ohio
jbh@trsvax.UUCP (09/02/89)
I have owned a CompuAdd 12Mhz '286 machine for almost 2 years. During that time, I have never had any problems with it. My sister is now using it for her hobby, which is geneology. Currently, it has a Video 7 enhanced EGA card with a NEC MultiSync GS monitor and a Seagate ST296N 80 Meg SCSI hard disk. I have never had any compatibility problems running software. I have never had to talk to their tech support people (since nothing has gone wrong with it!), but I understand their tech support is good. I recommend it to anyone looking for a low cost, AT-compatible, DOS machine.
c60c-4ab@e260-4c.berkeley.edu (09/02/89)
In article <719@dtix.dt.navy.mil> harvey@nems.UUCP (Betty Harvey - Code: 1893.5) writes: > > I have a friend who is getting ready to order a 286 P.C. from CompuAdd. >Has anyone had any good or bad experiences dealing with them? > I worked for a company this summer who used CompuAdd 386 computers exclusively, and we never had any problems with the computers. I set up several new ones, and any time something strange happened, CompuAdd tech support was very helpful. Your friend is probably pretty safe buying from CompuAdd. Scott
JLI@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (09/02/89)
In article <719@dtix.dt.navy.mil>, harvey@nems.arpa (Harvey) writes: > I have a friend who is getting ready to order a 286 P.C. from CompuAdd. > Has anyone had any good or bad experiences dealing with them? > Well, their prices are good but qualities are questionable, and warranty service is BAD (turn-around time may be months). We bought some 286s from them and had a lot of problems. If you want to see BLUE SMOKE comes out of a monitor, try one of theirs. This is just my experience. Maybe I am just unlucky. Please NO flames. I may be the only one who had such experience.
drk@athena.mit.edu (David R Kohr) (09/03/89)
In article <719@dtix.dt.navy.mil> harvey@nems.UUCP (Betty Harvey - Code: 1893.5) writes: > > I have a friend who is getting ready to order a 286 P.C. from CompuAdd. >Has anyone had any good or bad experiences dealing with them? > >Betty Harvey <harvey@nems.dt.navy.mil> >David Taylor Research Center >Bethesda, Md. We have several dozen CompuAdd 286/10's and 286/12's in my group here at Lincoln. We've had the following problems: 1. The power supplies on several machines have gone out, so that replacement was needed. 2. The battery-backup has occassionally failed (I think), so that we had to re-run the ROM Setup program (I'm not the official PC support person in my group, so I don't recall this problem very well--I may be mixing this up with just having the batteries run low). 3. We've had intermittent problems with the disk controllers on some machines, so that we either had to replace them or fiddle with them in some way. (Again, I may have this wrong.) 4. The original CompuAdd motherboards were somehow incompatible with SCO Xenix, so we replaced all the motherboards (free of charge) to be able to run Xenix (I believe this problem doesn't exist with the newer motherboards). This may sound like a lot of problems, but considering that that is all that's happened to several dozen machines in the course of a year or two of daily use, that's a pretty good track record. In fact, I bought a 286/20 for home use based on my experience with CompuAdd's at work. I haven't yet had a single problem with it, after about two months. A friend of mine bought a 386/25, and hasn't had any problems with it so far, either. I'd have to recommend them for a medium-range machine in terms of price and quality. They're not Dell or Compaq, but they don't cost as much either. (Of course, I'm not affiliated in any way with CompuAdd Corp.--I just use their stuff.) David R. Kohr M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory Group 45 ("Radars 'R' Us") email: KOHR@LL.LL.MIT.EDU or DRK@ATHENA.MIT.EDU phone: (617)981-0775 (work), (617)527-3908 (home)
sac90286@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kubla Khan) (09/03/89)
In article <10471@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> JLI@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes: >In article <719@dtix.dt.navy.mil>, harvey@nems.arpa (Harvey) writes: >> I have a friend who is getting ready to order a 286 P.C. from CompuAdd. >> Has anyone had any good or bad experiences dealing with them? >> > Well, their prices are good but qualities are questionable, and >warranty service is BAD (turn-around time may be months). We >bought some 286s from them and had a lot of problems. My experience with CompuAdd is about the opposite of yours. I have a CompuAdd 386/20 and we had several 386/25s at my last job. I've found their quality to be excellent and their warranty service very fast and reasonable. High end 286s and all 386s come with a free on-site service contract, and the few problems we've had have been handled by FedExing us the new parts BEFORE we shipped back the old (they paid shipping both ways). I would not hesitate to recommend CompuAdd to anyone. Scott kubla@uiuc.edu
ralf@b.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Ralf Brown) (09/03/89)
In article <14015@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> drk@athena.mit.edu (David R Kohr) writes: }2. The battery-backup has occassionally failed (I think), so that we } had to re-run the ROM Setup program (I'm not the official PC support } person in my group, so I don't recall this problem very well--I may } be mixing this up with just having the batteries run low). You may simply have gotten some of the buggy clock chips that occasionally scramble their non-volatile RAM on powerup. Or the "power-good" signal is asserted a few microseconds too soon (people have reported fixing lost setups by adding a resistor between power-good and ground to delay its assertion). In my case, I lose the setup every couple of months (used to be two or three times a month, but has gotten lots better over the past 2.5 years). When I dumped the CMOS RAM after a bootup error, I always found that one or two locations had been copied into other locations, and one or two other locations zerod. -- {backbone}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf ARPA: RALF@CS.CMU.EDU FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/46 BITnet: RALF%CS.CMU.EDU@CMUCCVMA AT&Tnet: (412)268-3053 (school) FAX: ask DISCLAIMER? |"Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to What's that?| have it." -- Langston Hughes
JLI@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (09/04/89)
> My experience with CompuAdd is about the opposite of yours. > I have a CompuAdd 386/20 and we had several 386/25s at my last job. I've > found their quality to be excellent and their warranty service very > fast and reasonable. High end 286s and all 386s come with a free on-site service > contract, and the few problems we've had have been handled by FedExing us > the new parts BEFORE we shipped back the old (they paid shipping both ways). > I would not hesitate to recommend CompuAdd to anyone. > Sorry, I do. Since we do evaluations on various brands of personal computers, our test (you may say) is a "little" too extensive and covers most areas. Like many clone-makers, they are using generic parts in their machines. I don't mean generic parts are not reliable or do not meet certain specification standards. A lot of parts (either made in U.S. or overseas) are very good, but unreliable parts do exist. I have noticed that the parts they use change from time to time, and some of them did have problems. If their machines are only used for offices and homes, they do have my recommendation (so do many other brands). Since many of our customers use different kinds of interface devices to do scientific experiment, etc., any small problem (such as bus speed, signal timing) will trigger system failure or bring unwanted results. By the way, we did not get complete system tech. ref. from CompuAdd for their units. We do have complete ref. from Zenith for their products (including all design diagrams, signal timing diagrams, etc.). Even though Zenith products are not our favorite choice, we can easily determine if a certain design is suitable for particular use or not. I bought some parts from CompuAdd to assemble my own computer at home. They do work fine to me, but I don't want to buy a whole unit from them. This is just my own opinion. No flames please! :-)
v117q38h@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (03/03/90)
The following message is in response to the bad mouthing of CompuAdd: First off, I believe that Mr. Goldstein is mistaken about the machines he is speaking of. CompuAdd has not built a 10Mhz 286 machine for years now, so unless he got them used, they don't exist. I am the happy owner of a 286/12 from CompuAdd and I have nothing but praise for them. I did have problems in the beginning figuring out how to format my RLL hard drive, but a call to their tech line straightened out matters for me. You have got to remember that CompuAdd is not a mom and pop operation, they are going to be a billion dollar company this year. CompuAdd computer owners are lucky to have a tech line to call, or better yet, the 90 Superstores in North America with walk in support and/or service. I am not implying that Mr. Goldstein was lying in any way, but I must show my loyalty and keep future computer buyers from being swayed heavily by one person's bad experiences. I must also point out that CompuAdd has recently revamped their entire computer line. The new machines are low profile with integrated motherboards. The only exceptions to this design are the 286/20 and 386 machines which are full size units. So essentially I'm just saying that if you are looking for a PC, do your own research, look at the comparisons and what you get for your money and make an informed decision. I believe that I can now get off my soapbox. Thank you for your attention. Adam Solomon
phd_jacquier@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (03/03/90)
>CompuAdd: >... follow PRAISES OF COMPUADD I can only second this. I have had a compuadd286/12 for 2 years. There have been a few problems with the hard disk. Tech line is impeccable, guarantee has worked without a problem. That company seems flawless to me. A number of people in my school have bought 286's and 386's recently and are very pleased with the machines and the service.
victor@hercule.cs.concordia.ca (KRAWCZUK victor) (03/03/90)
In article <300.25ee54cc@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu> v117q38h@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu writes: >The following message is in response to the bad mouthing of >CompuAdd: > >So essentially I'm just saying that if you are looking for a PC, do your >own research, look at the comparisons and what you get for your money >and make an informed decision. > >I believe that I can now get off my soapbox. >Thank you for your attention. > I'm not too worried about the unreliability arguements. I suppose Compuadd is big enough to fix such problems if one is persistent enough. What prevents me from purchasing one is what someone wrote a few months ago on this group concerning non-standard design of the finished product: ======================================================================== Organization: OZ BBS - Dallas, TX Lines: 13 Our experiences with several CompuAdd machines (286's and 386's) are: 1. Great for home use. 2. Okay for secretarial office use. 3. Not acceptable for corporate software development. A few non-standard things are done and the vendor doesn't offer sufficient support. It took a week to get a service rep to look at a bad floppy. -- "If you want Peace, work for Justice." ======================================================================== I wrote the person who posted this article but the mail bounced. If anyone knows anything about the "few non-standard things" that Compuadd does, please post or e-mail me the answer. I have deleted the name of the sender of the above article so that he may not be accused of "defaming" the great name of Compuadd. If the author recognizes his/her article and has the courage to expand on item 3 (ie. non-standard things...), some of us may be grateful. P.S. What is the meaning of "corporate software development" as opposed to "home use - software development"? -Victor victor@concour.cs.concordia.ca
v193evnb@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (03/03/90)
RE: Compuadd- I like compuadd a lot, but a bit less these days. They have excellent prices on drives, peripherals, and some nice systems. They aren't the lowest, but they have things in stock, ship quickly, and no problems if you have a problem and want to return. I've ordered lots of things from them. Their addition of the retail stores is nice, as there is one right near me now. One problem, now that they sell in just about every state, you can't avoid the taxes by ordering from out of state. That means I have to pay 8% tax even if I order from them in Texas. That adds a bit to the cost of major items. Still, for lesser expensive things, they're great. I've gotten my mouse from them, monitor and card, and lots of little junk like keyboard drawers and copy stands (the one with the adjustable arm is great- I use it for a music stand near my synth, and one next to each computer, for $10 you can't beat it).
chris@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Chris Wagner) (03/04/90)
In article <7812@tank.uchicago.edu> phd_jacquier@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >>CompuAdd: >>... follow PRAISES OF COMPUADD >I can only second this. I have had a compuadd286/12 for 2 years. There have >been a few problems with the hard disk. Tech line is impeccable, guarantee >has worked without a problem. That company seems flawless to me. A number >of people in my school have bought 286's and 386's recently and are very >pleased with the machines and the service. I do not doubt the words of any of you. However, I bought a 286-10 in Dec 88 and there were several problems over two to three months I had returned all but the case, power supply, and hard drive. Even the setup software disk was faulty. During this time, the tech support line was so jammed, that it took not less than 20-45 minutes to talk to a tech. At least it was toll-free. The last straw for me was when I sent the motherboard back via UPS 2nd day air and it was mistakenly sent back ground (I REALLY NEEDED IT SOONER)! They offered to pay me the shipping difference provided I send the UPS receipt; I accepted. I asked to speak to a customer rep supervisor, invited her to look at my RMA file, and asked if this was the norm. She said no, that this was really unusual. I asked if I might get *some* kind of discount on something they sell for the unusual amount of trouble I had to go through to get this computer fully operational. "There's nothing we can do." was the reply. No apology; I was very polite (I understood that the person on the other end of the line was not the one who QA'ed my computer). It was a shame the 30 day period had expired. I spent a small fortune in shipping and had to make several trips to UPS to finally make it right. Yes, the warranty works just as advertised but who expects to make multiple trips??? You would think that even after I _wrote_ CompuAdd Customer Service about all this, that I might even have rated a $0.00 "I'm sorry we delivered you a product that had so many problems" reply. I guess it was too much trouble. I definately feel as if I "slipped through the crack" in ComuAdd's _much_touted_ reputation for customer service and quality. Still a little bitter though it could have been worse, Chris Wagner
mjw06513@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Mary Winters) (03/04/90)
In article <7812@tank.uchicago.edu> phd_jacquier@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >>CompuAdd: >>... follow PRAISES OF COMPUADD > > >I can only second this. Add my voice to the chorus of satisfied CompuAdd owners. I have a 386/20 which has only had one problem (one of the serial ports was flaky). A call to the CompuAdd support line got me a set of replacement parts within two days (and I did NOT have to ship them the old parts first!) It's been working perfectly ever since. My employer also has about a dozen CompuAdd machines, ranging from 286/12s to 386/25s, all of which have performed exceedingly well and reliably. Highly Recommended (as Dr. Pournelle might say). -- uv@f69.n233.z1.fidonet.org Suffering from PMS (Presentation Manager Syndrome)
diblanch@sdrc.UUCP (Jeff Blanchet) (03/06/90)
In article <300.25ee54cc@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu>, v117q38h@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu writes: > The following message is in response to the bad mouthing of > CompuAdd: > > First off, I believe that Mr. Goldstein is mistaken about the > machines he is speaking of. CompuAdd has not built a 10Mhz 286 > machine for years now, so unless he got them used, they don't > exist. I am the happy owner of a 286/12 from CompuAdd and I have This is true today. Compuadd no longer sells the 10Mhz 286 but I did buy one brand new from them last year. Other then that I must agree that I would highly recommend a Compuadd computer to anyone that asked. Jeff Blanchet SDRC Cincinnati Ohio
sorc@carina.unm.edu (Paul Caskey) (03/06/90)
Just thought I'd add one more post to support CompuAdd. I work
personally with three of their machines, one at home and three at
work, and none of them have ever given me any grief. I made the
mistake of buying my hard drive from somewhere else (HDI) and have
gone through endless hassle sending it back repeatedly and finally
living with its flakiness. The hard drives in the machines at work
are from CompuAdd and they never fail to work perfectly, no matter how
I torture them. (No, the problem with my drive (controller, actually)
is not HDIs fault, but they should be more helpful in replacing it.)
Most statements about companies come up when there is a complaint; I
think it's important that positive statements are voiced as well. I
have had nothing but good luck with CompuAdd, and have recommended the
company to at least 4 friends who also have had no trouble.
--
/*********/
Paul Caskey
pcaskey@ariel.unm.edu
Only lawyers represent anyone's ideas but their own.
/*********/rwp@cup.portal.com (Roger William Preisendefer) (03/06/90)
The company I work for bought 10 Compuadd machines ranging from 12MHz 286 to 25 MHz 386 machines (with most of the in between models.) I'm the person who had to set them up. Setup proved to be fairly easy, as all of the hard drives came preformatted, and they were generally configured correctly. WHen we decided to add memory to most of them, I got to open them up. They were mostly Western Digital hard drives and controllers (except the 90M, which was a Wren.) All of the VGA cards were Paradise 16 Plus cards. The 212, 320, and 325 used SIMMS (80ns), while the 316 used 256K 80ns chips (ugh). The 316 could only hold 2 meg without a daughter board addition. The 320 and 325 used microprocessors which were rated for the clock speed advertised (as did the others, of course.) One hard disk was DOA, and was promptly replaced within one hour (there was a store in our area.) The monitors provided with the units were fixed frequency, and the floppy drives were Mitsubishi.