Are Stone Computers rubbish for you as well?

[hakko]

My findings of Stone the past 4 years is of decline in service. Reminding me of other UK providers who declined in a similar way.

 

Machines are poorly made and not tested before arrival. They used to test them before and we would get a sheet confirming each component was working.

 

Past year, we've had ~ 3 Stone call outs a month. Not acceptable. The final straw was a group of new machines all with an error during POST. The "penultimate" straw was a batch of new 25+ PCs and a high percentage were faulty. Yes they send someone out next day, but I'd rather have a reliable machine in the first place!

 

They used to make sure the internal cables of a PC were secure with wax, but I find one new (this quarter) PC DOA because the SATA cables have fallen out. Even that was a replacement for a new PC stuck on a POST error/DOA, so I sorted the issue myself to reduce the delay to the user any further.

 

We've even done some quality testing for them. They gave us machines which were randmonly freezing. We found that the memory configs were wrong which they admitted. Even had some big cheese from Stone come round and apologies etc. to us.

 

I wouldn't class Stone as a business/org class provider. They just seem like a corner shop setup. The cases they use are cheap and nasty, and PCs are noisy and we've had a lot of fan/PSU issues the past year.

 

We've had two orders this quarter go missing, even received an invoice for one that hadn't arrived! If XXX can send over a machine from Poland/China in a week, why can't Stone from Staffordshire?

 

I am SHOCKED to find recommendations of Stone on this website. Our dept has joined the rest of the school and is ordering XXX (How many XXX callouts did they need last year? ZERO - We've had 7 Stone callouts/issues in Feb).

[Batman]

We keep getting sales calls from them but we're not buying any because we are happy with the HPs we've been getting recently.

 

Having said that, I'm not sure we'd be interested anyway. Stone computers sound pretty cumbersome!

[hakko]

Also being UK based I can forgive higher prices, but not £100+ compared to XXX.

 

Also had a netbook with a faulty trackpad today, the time is still less than the DOA time limit from delivery, but the support guy says it has expired (so it has to be repaired). He arranged a courier but still I haven't received the ref or label for the collection (he said he would email). The courier arrives but wants to take the laptop away without leaving a receipt!!!

[contink]

We've generally been ok with the small number we've had recently although there was a niggle with four neo netbooks which they sent out with the same machine GUID.

 

That necessitated 90 minutes of faffing and re-RIS'ing because they were all being recognised as the same machine on the domain.

 

Such a simply fix and something that should be getting done by the manufacturer.

[cookie_monster]

I've always had really good service from them. Over the last three years we've bought 150+ desktops and 10 Neo netbooks. We've had very few calls during that time but each time someone was on site next day and solved the problem.

The sales staff have also mostly been very helpfull.

 

We haven't had any equipment from them in the last year though.

Edited March 5, 2010 by cookie_monster

[hakko]

Mar 2009 to Mar 2010

 

35 logged callouts. That is a minimum. Some calls weren't logged on our system and some calls include more than one machine!

 

 

As I type this a colleague has done a call for a PC with faulty internal gfx. LOL.

[mjs_mjs]

But is it snone or Cheap Faulty components causing the issues?

[hakko]

Well it's both. Stone would say we use "branded components" which basically comes down to:

 

Samsung HD and DVDRW, Intel CPU and motherboard, Kingston RAM.

 

BUT - Cheap, nasty noisy cases and fans.

[Butuz]

Could it be vandalism? I.e the kids shoving things in there or spraying stuff?

 

Butuz

[Guest Guest]

But is it snone or Cheap Faulty components causing the issues?

 

Who cares? Its still the same result. I could randomly buy componants, get someone to put them together for me, and find they are incompatible/cheap/crap/etc. Do you think anyone cares who made the accellerator pedals for Toyota? Its still toyota who get the flack and bad rep because of it.

 

The reason i go to a company like Stone, dell, HP etc, is they are supposed to find out these things before they sell me it.

 

(Yes yes, you are always going to get the odd faulty batch which cant be avoided)

Edited March 5, 2010 by Guest

[Martin]

Hummm?

 

Joined today, four posts, all slagging off Stone

 

mb

[cookie_monster]

Hummm?

 

Joined today, four posts, all slagging off Stone

 

mb

 

 

 

I wondered about that especially as all the Stone PC's i've ever had have very good strong cases they don't supply anything else. Well they've never supplied 'me' with anything else these are my opinions of course

[hakko]

Hummm?

 

Joined today, four posts, all slagging off Stone

 

mb

 

I just googled Stone is rubbish and found some posts praising Stone on this forum. So I thought I'd add my experience.

 

It is true, Stone is easy to get to on the phone and they send someone next day. But that's it. Is that enough? No. Not with 35 callouts year to date vs none for rival XXX. And there are MORE XXX machines than here than Stone!

[cookie_monster]

I just googled Stone is rubbish and found some posts praising Stone on this forum. So I thought I'd add my experience.

 

It is true, Stone is easy to get to on the phone and they send someone next day. But that's it. Is that enough? No. Not with 35 callouts year to date vs none for rival XXX. And there are MORE XXX machines than here than Stone!

 

 

 

Maybe you had a bad batch. We had a bad batch one year that had a load of bad memory we had 6 out of 30 fail but in the end Stone came out and replaced all the memory.

[hakko]

I wondered about that especially as all the Stone PC's i've ever had have very good strong cases they don't supply anything else. Well they've never supplied 'me' with anything else these are my opinions of course

 

I'm not sure how much you know about cases and if you've seen cases of other manfacturer PCs.

 

These cases are like basically cheap ones you'd get off ebuyer or something.

[hakko]

Maybe you had a bad batch. We had a bad batch one year that had a load of bad memory we had 6 out of 30 fail but in the end Stone came out and replaced all the memory.

 

Sorry, too many bad batches.

 

BTW The best cases are screwless and no sharp edges, with the drives that can be slid in clipped on etc. With the case allowing it to run cool and quiet. In a room full of XXX the Stone it the loudest machine! Then again it does have a larger PSU which if they specced the machine as orginally required, could have been avoided.

[russdev]

Haven't brought many pcs from them in last year but seem ok the ones we have had.

 

Russ

[tsky]

I've had mixed experience with most manufacturers, from big names like Dell and HP through Stone and beyond.

What I have noticed in the ten years I've been dealing with them is that the kit nowadays is generally a lot 'cheaper' to manufacture. Cases I had ten years ago were much better and sturdier. Components were ballistics-resilient and generally never caused a problem through their lifespan.

 

Their support service is second-to-none in regards replacing kit (though a recent email from them indicates we now have to pay up front for replacement kit before we can claim it back!!) and their sales staff are friendly and helpful (in the whole) compared to some companies.

 

I'm concerned their PC manufacturing lot are letting the side down and they're trying to cut too many cost corners in their latest kit. You shouldn't have to worry (like we do) that the kit is going to detonate component by component. Power supplies burning out, graphics cards overheating, BIOS settings not there, aset tags not inserted as requested, keyboards that don't work with motherboards.

 

To be fair to them, they have tried to resolve most issues when I've raised them - but you shouldn't HAVE to raise these kinds of problems with them, which ultimately causes their sales and support teams a logistical headache.

 

Like HP over ten years ago they seem to be shooting themselves in the foot...

[glennda]

we purchased 226 machines last summer so far only 3 problems all hard disk related alot more reliable then the machines i got from Edutec/SCL Online at my last place which we sent back over 40/50 from a batch on 160 and apparently more have been sent back since i left. these where brand new machines in september 2008. most of them had to have the CPU reseated hard disks replaced etc. but the warranty said we where not allowed to remove the case so it had to be sent back and the brand new classrooms for most of the time not having 30 machines in and teachers moaning as the brand new computers kept failling over

[mbird]

I've had mixed experience with most manufacturers, from big names like Dell and HP through Stone and beyond.

 

We have been buying acer laptops for staff and students - and suffice to say we will never do that again.

After purchasing 70 over the summer we have returned 5 with the same dead hardware .

 

Luckily we do all our shopping through Akhter, who are pretty speedy at sorting them. But still!

[Sirbendy]

We have Stone notebooks, and Rock notebooks (same company)..no complaints with the kit, the service, or the customer care..they've been quite simply ace..

[Gibson335]

We've been buying stations from Stone for about 4 years now and have always found the service, delivery, pre-sales and post-sales and stations themselves all of a very good standard.

 

The fact is, Stone are getting bigger not smaller, and that is a concern, as that often signifies a dip in standards. Until that happens, though, we'll certainly be sticking with them.

[cookie_monster]

I'm not sure how much you know about cases and if you've seen cases of other manfacturer PCs.

 

These cases are like basically cheap ones you'd get off ebuyer or something.

 

 

 

 

Well I've worked in education IT for 10 years in several schools we've bought PC's from companies across the spectrum from HP, Dell, RM (good cases they know a bit about education) to budget end (clunky sharp edges so on) when we've needed to.

 

I think it's fair to say that I've seen several thousand cases over that time and I know a bit about 'good' cases, they're generally the ones that last. All of the Stone cases that we've had have been towards the top end when it comes to build quality (strong, no sharp edges etc) and are certainly some of the quietest PC's we've had, I can happily stand in a room with 30 running and you hardly know they're running.

 

Most of ours are the Stone Small Form Factor PC so I can't comment on the towers but I find it hard to believe that their case quality has taken such a dive in the last 12 months when they've been consistently good in that area for years.

 

Stone Computers - Computers, Computer Equipment

[Iain.Faulkner]

Just thought I'd add my piece to this.......

 

We had Stone as one of our final two potential suppliers in our tender for a full network rebuild last summer. We were invited down to their HQ it Stafford, their sales guys (Jake and Miles) couldn't have been more helpful and I was very impressed by their setup and the proposal that they made. Certainly on the supply of PC's, their PC's appeared well built, and the only issue I had with the case, was that the blanking plates were a little flimsy.

 

Ultimately we didn't choose them (but that's for reasons not to do with this), but it was so incredibly close that it was actually really hard to ring them to tell them that unfotunately they hadn't won this order (unlike when we range RM, Ramesys and the other companies who tendered).

[Guest Guest]

and are certainly some of the quietest PC's we've had, I can happily stand in a room with 30 running and you hardly know they're running.

 

I think it must depend on which form factor youve got then. A couple of batchs of our Stone PCs are by far the loudest PCs ive ever encountered.

 

I dont mind the cases. They've lasted fairly well, but they just dont compare to the plastic Dells of 2000-2004.