[BBLISA] local vendors for Intel servers?

[Tom Metro]

stephen wadlow wrote:
> That sounds more like bad luck with motherboards instead of a vendor 
> problem.

Agreed. I wouldn't fault PCFE for a bad batch of hardware, unless it 
seems like a chronic problem due to them using poor quality suppliers.


> I've done well with PCFE, and have dozens of rackmount servers from 
> them. ... Sure, I've had problems, but that's true of any vendor...

I've used PCFE to build custom systems for clients over the years, and 
while the systems have always worked, there have almost always been 
small problems with them, such as the wrong components installed, 
bundled software not loaded, or mechanical problems with the assembly.

(If you're buying systems for in-house use, these small problems may be 
no big deal, but if you're providing them to clients, the added labor 
costs negates any cost and convenience benefit to using PCFE.)

What troubles me about this is that it gives the impression that they're 
a new organization that's still trying to work the bugs out of their 
assembly process, even though the reality is that they've been in this 
business for 10+ years. Whether it is high turnover of the assembly 
technicians or management problems, I don't know, but it doesn't instill 
confidence that they've figured out how to build systems reliably.


> ...and they try hard to fix problems when they come up.

Fortunately the problems I have had with their systems have been minor 
enough that they could be resolved in-house, and the deployed systems 
have been reliable, so I've had minimal dealings with their support.


> Service is _much_ different if you approach the place as a
> business, and establish a relationship, instead of walking in off the
> street.

I attempted to do this, and did have a specific sales rep. I dealt with 
for a while, but I found response from their sales staff - at least via 
email - to be sporadic at best.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/