tldr - Got sent a defective pc broken out of the box. Skytech sent in a "new" replacement pc,…read moreclaiming that it was new, but was also broken in exactly the same way. The quality control certificate for the "new" pc was dated more than 1 month before the day it was supposedly built.
I've had what is likely the worst experience buying a computer in my entire life. I purchased a PC from Skytech via Amazon last November. When it arrived, I quickly set it up. Initially, it worked, though the fan noise was extreme--even when no games were running. I spent a few hours installing all the necessary programs and planned to contact customer support about the fan noise the next day.
The next day, when I tried to boot up the PC, it failed to load Windows. Instead, I was met with a blank screen and a static white dash. I tried rebooting several times, but nothing worked. I immediately contacted support, and they told me the issue was likely with the Windows installation on the drive. They instructed me to reinstall Windows, which turned out to be a long and exhausting process. I had to dig out my old PC, reconnect all my peripherals, download Windows onto a USB drive, reconnect everything back to the Skytech PC, and tinker with the startup manual to reinstall Windows.
Despite following their manual step-by-step, I couldn't get the installation to work. In fact, the situation worsened. Through the interaction with the technician, I have come to realize the PC had about a 30% success rate when rebooting. However, after following their instructions, the PC wouldn't boot at all. In hindsight, the problem was likely more complex than just a Windows installation issue.
Since the PC was essentially broken out of the box, they offered to replace it with a new one. I thought to myself, ok this is kind of annoying that the pc is broken out of the box, and I don't really understand how the drive can have issues with windows on day 2, but these things happen, and I will just wait for the new PC to arrive. So I packed their PC back in the box, carried it through the stairs in my apartment, and took an Uber to the post office to ship it back. They told me on 12/31 that the PC model was out of stock, so they put that on the build schedule so they could build a new PC. (email attached)
Fast forward, and the replacement PC arrived. Before even turning it on, I noticed something suspicious. Skytech PCs come with a quality control certificate, verifying that the PC has undergone extensive testing. The certificate for this replacement PC was, however, dated on 11/25--over a month before they supposedly built it (photo attached). How could a PC added to the build schedule on 12/31 have been tested in November?
When I booted the replacement PC and followed the instructions to install Windows, the same problem occurred--it crashed, showing the same static white dash on the screen. My immediate thought was that they had mistakenly sent back the defective PC I had returned.
I contacted support again, but they insisted this was a new PC. Their solution? Go through the same tedious Windows reinstallation process that had failed before. At this point, I was very annoyed. They had sent me two (supposedly) defective PCs in a row and expected me to repeat the same exhausting process that didn't even work the first time. I told them this is not going to work. I am not going to do that again.
Given that they have sent me two broken PCs in a row, I proposed that either they send in someone to fix it, or let me hire a technician to fix it and reimburse the cost (which would be a dime compared to the cost of the pc). They declined both requests. They also failed to explain why I received two broken PCs or how a "new" PC supposedly built after 12/31 could have been tested on 11/25. Instead, they blamed the issue on the drive and offered to send me a replacement drive to install myself.
I hesitated--if I were comfortable messing with PC hardware, I would've built my own computer. However, they assured me the installation was simple, with only one screw holding the drive in place. They promised to guide me through the process and claimed I'd end up with two functional drives. I believed that having two drives would indeed be worth my troubles, so against my better judgment, I said yes.
Fast forward to this past week, and I finally received the drive in the mail. By this point, I was nearing the last day I could return the PC to Amazon for a full refund. I managed to get some time off work in the morning (since it was MLK Day), so I contacted support again for instructions on how to install the drive. However, I was put on hold both on the phone and through live chat. (cont'd: https://www.reddit.com/r/SkytechGamingOfficial/comments/1i6ew7s/got_sent_defective_pcs_twice_in_a_row_support/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
