Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Anyone have any experience with MCV Engineering's desktops?

Mar 26, 2005 2:00PM PST

I need a new desktop and have been looking at MCV Engineering. They are at mcvpc.com. They custom-build desktops at a pretty competitive price. They claim to have been in the business for several years. They're located in Dublin, OH, not exactly the silicon valley. Just want to know if anyone out there has ever had any dealings with them.

thanks

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
i'd avoid it
Mar 26, 2005 2:39PM PST

the site looks cheaply done, seems like a geocities get-up

personally i wouldn't buy from a company like that

why not build it yourself? Cnet's course starts on monday...and it's very well put together

- Collapse -
I'd avoid it
Mar 28, 2005 12:36AM PST
- Collapse -
Definitely avoid
May 8, 2005 3:41AM PDT

I've had very negative experiences with the personnel of mcvpc.com, which include parts broken on arrival, late shipping, and extremely rude customer service. Check them out with the BBB before doing business with them, and remember to "read the fine print" in their Terms and Conditions section.

- Collapse -
I Had A Great Experience
May 10, 2005 3:26AM PDT

I have a small business and have purchased 5 systems over the past 2 years from MCV. All of the transactions went very smoothly and the deliveries were timely. About a month ago, my first systems power supply gave out and I contacted them and they sent out a new one very quickly. No problems at all...I would recommend them very highly. Check out the ratings at resellerratings.com or ebay, all very positive (that's what I did).

- Collapse -
According to the info I've found on the web...
May 10, 2005 7:59AM PDT

MCV Engineering used to be Explorer Micro...and it doesn't look like they had a very good reputation. It seems that Explorer Micro went out of business and reincarnated itself as MCV.

Here's a quote:

"Explorer Micro has filed bankruptcy, they can be found further ripping off people under their new business: www.mcvpc.com."

Doesn't sound too good, huh? I'd be real careful if I were you.

-JDM

- Collapse -
If anyone cares...
May 17, 2005 3:02PM PDT
- Collapse -
Here's another one...
May 17, 2005 4:13PM PDT
- Collapse -
Yes, that's about right
May 18, 2005 3:00PM PDT

I've been watching these people for a while. They're pretty much the shadiest individuals I've ever dealt with in my life.

It's also funny how every time someone posts a negative review of mcvpc.com on the Internet, someone signs up for a free account just to post a glowing rebuttal.

- Collapse -
(NT) (NT) Seems like they're watching you watch them
May 18, 2005 4:50PM PDT
- Collapse -
I suspect...
May 18, 2005 11:37PM PDT

there are a lot of 'vested interests' watching what goes on at CNET and other forums. Welcome to the third internet revolution--where power gets returned to the people!

Wink JDM

- Collapse -
Thanks for your comments!
May 19, 2005 12:02AM PDT

It's always best to hear from people who have direct experience with a company.

I suspect there are many 'members' in this and other forums who signed up for the sole purpose of "running interference". However, there's a limit to what damage they can do...especially if they're vastly outnumbered, as they usually are. And, unless they are long-term members who post regularly on a wide variety of topics, they also lack the "credibility" to have any real effect. I'd be more worried about long-term members who might be offered "incentives" to boost/pan particular companies...that would be a bigger problem, and much harder to detect. However, such individuals would only be helpful in "tipping the balance", not in "turning things around". In forums like this, the power still rests with the people.

As for those companies which are heavily into "damage control" and "information management", I have a Chinese proverb that applies rather nicely:

"If you don't want anyone to know about it, don't do it."

Wink JDM

- Collapse -
Re: Thanks for your comments!
May 19, 2005 8:52AM PDT

Not only are they outnumbered in this case, they're not very smart.

I remember that Explorer Micro took quite a beating on the resellerratings.com forums. One user took the time to post a positive review of the company. The webmaster of resellerratings.com investigated and found that not only was the poster from a Columbus, OH-area IP address (where Explorer Micro was based), but had repeated the text word-for-word of a positive review that was also on the Explorer Micro home page.

Whether or not Explorer Micro is or isn't mcvpc.com, I exhort anyone doing business with an unknown company to first check out the BBB, the state attorney general's office, and ESPECIALLY any fine print that goes along with it. Mcvpc.com's terms and conditions can be summarized as "You give us your money, but we have no obligation to give you a working computer."

- Collapse -
Frankly, I'm surprized that you're so cavalier about
May 20, 2005 3:00AM PDT

posting such negative comments concerning a company you've never done business with. I seem to be the only one in this discussion that has purchased from them. I'm fairly certain that the 2 companies aren't linked because my first purchase was just over 2 years ago and from what I've read about Explorer Micro, they were still in business at the time. I agree that checking out any company that you're not familiar with is a good idea before doing business with them but I think it shows poor judgement and a bit of irresponsibility to disparage a company that you've not actually dealt with.

- Collapse -
Nothing cavalier about it.
May 20, 2005 4:30AM PDT

Personally, I try to be very cautious in giving any company a positive/negative review. In this case, I believe I said ''be careful'' not ''don't buy anything from them''.

Everyone at CNET Forums is interested in the truth. So far, we've heard good and bad things about MCV Engineering, which may or may not be what was previously known as Explorer Micro. The BBB's take on MCV Engineering is as follows:

http://columbus-oh.bbb.org/bbbasp/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&strBCode=03020000&ComID=0302000065003653

There are two positive reviews on ResellerRatings.com, both posted by individuals who apparently signed up to provide positive reviews for the company, and who give absolutely no information about themselves:

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller8056.html

The information from the Better Business Bureau and the information from the above listed reviews contradict each other...so what are we supposed to think?

If there are many happy MCV Engineering customers out there, we'll hear from them sooner or later. If not, we'll hear about that as well.

-JDM

- Collapse -
Being cavalier
May 21, 2005 3:59AM PDT

"posting such negative comments concerning a company you've never done business with."

I have contacted mcvpc.com about doing business, but did not make a transaction because they could not satisfy my concerns about their "Terms and Conditions" and their record with the BBB.

"I'm fairly certain that the 2 companies aren't linked because my first purchase was just over 2 years ago and from what I've read about Explorer Micro, they were still in business at the time."

There are a number of similarities and synchronicities between Explorer Micro and mcvpc.com that are too uncanny to be written off as mere coincidence. One started about when the other went under. They're both Internet discount computer resellers based in northern suburbs of Columbus, OH. The "Terms and Conditions" are the same. Their business strategies (claim to undersell almost everyone, spam everywhere on the Internet, pay no heed to the BBB) are familiar. Both have some character named Jeff Hartman either in charge or among the higher-ups. There are many, many more.

"I agree that checking out any company that you're not familiar with is a good idea before doing business with them but I think it shows poor judgement and a bit of irresponsibility to disparage a company that you've not actually dealt with."

Heh. If you only knew.