Crunch time: Debian, Libranet or FC1?

[Net Llama!]

The delivery problems don't bother me as much as the other problems i've
had with them.  I ordered 4 1U servers, configured via their website, and
promptly received an email from someone stating that the config looked
'good' and wouldn't be a problem to build quickly. This was a corporate
sale, by my employer.  Since we wanted to pay with a
purchase order, Monarch required us to pay up front, rather than at the
time of delivery.  So we paid the $16k up front.  Then after they got our
money, we got a call stating that they couldn't build the configuration
that they had already told us was 'good', that they had already taken our
money for, and that we'd have to pay an additional $114/server to have a
different configuration in the 1U chasis.  Needless to say we were pissed,
and threatened to cancel the order unless they would swallow the
additional costs.  Monarch eventually conceded, and then we were subjected
to one delay after another with varying excuses that included
manufacturing center problems, more(!) configuration problems, and riser
card signal problems.  Finally after they kept giving my purchasing
manager the run around, I gave them a call earlier this week.

The bottom line is that the configuration that they initially stated was
'good', that their website allows you to order isn't possible to build at
all.  The revised configuration that they wanted $114/box more for also
couldn't be built.  All that they would offer me was a different config
that would cost me another $73/box, and didn't even come close to the
configuration that i needed.  I told them i wanted the order canceled
immediately, with a full refund.  At that point i was put on hold for
nearly 15 minutes, at which point someone claiming to be their Sales VP
got on the phone and offered to upgrade all four servers to a 2U chasis,
with the configuration that I had originally ordered at no additional cost
to me.  He promised that I'd have all the boxes delivered to me by May 4.
Now i'm playing the waiting game once again.

The irony of all this is that my employer used to be in this same
business, and was making all of these same mistakes.  These mistakes are
what caused my employer to leave the hardware business altogether.  but i
digress.

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004, Mike Reinehr wrote:
> I came across them the same way, reading the Linux Journal. They seem to be
> one of the few integrators from whom you can order a custom box with Linux
> installed.
>
> They definitely are having delivery problems. I think they advertise delivery
> of custom systems in three to five days, but in my experience, the reality is
> closer to three to five weeks. My order was accepted on 22 March & the third
> & final system was delivered yesterday. The other two came in around the
> twentieth of April.
>
> That being said, I like the way that you can configure a custom system; that
> they vet your configuration for problems, and (so they say) quality test it
> before shipping. I'll be able to tell you more in another week or two after I
> start setting them up. As it is, I haven't even opened the boxes.
>
> Mike
>
> PS	Even though I'm planning on using Debian, I had to order them with FC1,
> since they don't do Debian. So, I'll boot them & make note of all the drivers
> before I start installing Debian.
>
> On Friday 30 April 2004 12:00 pm, Net Llama! wrote:
> > Funny that you should mention them. ?I purchased 4 boxes from them four
> > weeks ago, and have had nothing but problems getting them delivered in a
> > timely fashion. ?They've been delayed 3 times, and in theory i'm supposed
> > to receive them this tuesday.
> >
> > That said, what was your experience like? ?The only reason I chose them
> > was because Linux Journal seemed to heap alot of praise on them for their
> > 'ultimate linux box' article.
>
>

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lonni J Friedman				netllama at linux-sxs.org
Linux Step-by-step & TyGeMo		     http://netllama.ipfox.com