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I made a huge mistake when I bought computer parts from Krex (www.krex.com)
This webpage is an effort to document an incident I had with an online computer store, Krex.com. I will list documented facts, and let the reader draw his/her own conclusions based on those facts.
On Jan 19th, 2000, I ordered from Krex:

Two P2 450mhz CPU's
A stick of 128meg PC-100 ram
Tyan Tiger 100 mobo.
It cost me $645 including next day shipping (Krex does not ship the same day you order, so my parts were not shipped off till the 20th, and I got them on the 21st). The invoice and pictures of the system are displayed below, click on a thumbnail to load up the full sized image. My personal information has been blurred.

The system looks pretty good, So what could be the problem? It had repeated catastrophic lockups. I ran the computer for a short time, installing Windows 98, and randomly during the install, the system would lock up and freeze. I thought it was a bad Win98 CD-- so I bought a new one, only to find the same results. After over 10 attempts at installing, I was able to finish installing Win98 all the way, but the system was no more stable, the random lockups were still present. Obviously something was wrong. When this whole thing started, I used to call Krex up with my regular phone long distance, however due to the avg hold time in excess of 20 minutes each call, I eventually started to use dialpad. I contacted Krex about the lockups, and was given generic "Well I don't know what could be wrong... you could try _____", and was given a list of things such as running the board out of the case, checking of the cpu and ram was securely inserted into the board, etc. Checking those items proved to be fruitless.
I thought perhaps the system wasn't getting enough power, so on Jan 22nd (the day after getting the parts) I bought a new Power Supply and case fan ($43):

Unfortunately that didn't resolve the problem. I then decided (since the last time I bought parts from Krex, the ram was bad) that it might be faulty ram causing the system to lock up. I went to a local computer store the next day (Jan 23rd) and picked up a 64 meg PC-100 stick ($80):

Even when running the system with just the new ram, I still had lockups, and now it had become worse than before, locking up more frequently. I noticed one of the CPU's was hotter than the other, so I picked up a set of dual cpu cooling fans and a second case fan the next day (Jan 24th) in hopes that the system was just overheating ($40):

Again, the problem still persisted. Please keep in mind as you read this, that through all this, I've been in constant contact with Krex tech support and Tyan's tech support (The motherboard maker). At this point, since the only thing left in my mind, was the CPU's, I contacted Krex and asked for an RMA:

I boxed up the CPU's and shipped them back to Krex via 2 day USPS. As you can see from the above picture, Krex got the CPU's on Jan 27th, and shipped out on the 28th (via Ground UPS) the replacement CPU's. I waited about a week to get the replacement CPUs. My job is computer related, thus it was vital I get working parts ASAP. I let Krex know this when I talked to them on the phone -- this was the reason why I had paid extra to have Krex ship me the initial order next day UPS. AMAZINGLY, when the new CPUs arrived from Krex, they did not work, either! The system still had lockups. I was disgusted. What was the problem? I had replaced the ram, I replaced the power supply, I ran the system outside of the case (to make sure nothing was shorting out the system), and even tried the system out with 4 diff hard drives -- all resulting with system lockups. I called Krex up, and asked for another RMA -- this time I'd send back EVERYTHING and let them test it and replace whatever was not functioning. I misplaced that RMA sheet or else I'd display it here on this page -- but Krex told me they were unable to find any problem with the parts. I was able to convince them to replace the motherboard with a new one, as that was the only part remaining that had not been either replaced, or substituted for testing.
I waited another week to get back the new parts. I'm excited, finally I'm going to get a working computer. If it wasn't the CPU's, the ram, the power supply, the case, the or the hard drive, it must be the motherboard, right?
Wrong -- I got the system in, and just like before, it would boot up for a bit, then lock up. These Krex parts were worse than my Pentium Pro system that they were replacing, at least my old system functioned.
At this point, the cpu's have been replaced, the motherboard, the ram, and the power supply. What the heck is causing the problems? I tried flashing the Tyan motherboard with a new new bios, but it doesn't fix anything. I contacted Tyan and asked them to ship me a new bios, who knows, maybe it's the bios that is bad? Tyan on the 17th of Feb (Thursday) said they'd ship me off a new bios chip. I call them Tuesday (Feb 22nd) and inquire about the status of the shipment. Guess what? Tyan didn't ship the bios on Thursday, nor even that week, they waited till Monday to ship it -- but Monday was a holiday! Tyan shipped out my bios Tuesday the 22nd, by ground USPS, and to make matters worse, Tyan is on the other side of the United States. It would take a while to get here.
While the Tyan/bios situation was going on, on Feb 19th, I bought a new system case, who knows, maybe an act of God would let my system run? I try it out, but no good either:

While I was waiting for the new bios, I was not just sitting around -- I called Tyan, and ask them if they had any other ideas. The tech guy there says it could be the video card that is locking it up. Okay -- I run off to Best Buy on Feb 17th, and pick up an AGP video card -- a Savage 4 from Diamond. I pop it in, and still nothing. Ugh, what's the deal? I asked Tyan, and they don't have that video card listed in their chart of video cards they've tested with -- back to Best Buy I go, I swap the $130 Savage 4 for a $200 Voodoo3 3500.

I finally got the bios in on Monday Feb 28th, however, it DOES NOT WORK. I am not an idiot who doesn't know computers. I take proper precautions when I handle sensitive parts, I've built countless computer systems in the past for myself, friends, family, and work. I can't even imagine why this system refuses to function. I'm really upset at this point. I spent several hundred dollars ON TOP of what I paid Krex, and I still have a system that is basically worth nothing.
Perhaps the Tyan dual cpu motherboard just sucks? I run to the local computer store on Feb 28 and pick up a MSI motherboard. I decided on this motherboard because it has 4 LED's that have an OFF/ON switch that light up as the system boots up, letting you know which stage of the bootup process the system is at, allowing one to see where the system is locking up at.

Just like the Tyan motherboard, it boots up and runs for about 5 minutes before locking up. I try out the PCI and AGP video cards, with several hard drives (even without the hard drive), with the Krex ram and with the local computer store's ram, with and without the case. IT STILL REFUSES TO RUN! I'm tearing out my hair out. Like all the previous motherboards, eventually I can't get video to post. It's a shame I don't have any other Pentium II/III cpu's to test with... I go back the same night and get another motherboard, an ABIT BE6 (as you can see from the above receipt -- I did a swap). Once again, I'm stuck with a dead board.
I decided to go to a local computer store and have them TEST my parts. Find out once and for all what is going on. I pay $25 for this service on Feb 29th, 2000:

What did they find? The Krex ram doesn't run. The Krex motherboard is dead. The only thing still running is the local store's ram (64 meg). Further testing found that the new ABIT motherboard I had been using with the Krex CPUs was FRIED. I explain to the local store tech the whole situation with the Krex parts, and they decided not to try out the Krex CPU's in any more of their motherboards as two were already dead, and two of the Tyan Krex motherboard were dead too. Lucky for me, the local computer store gives me a new ABIT motherboard, and I promise not to try out the Krex CPU's in it.
That same day (Feb 29th), I go to another computer store and pick up a P3 550MHz cpu ($250):

I plug that cpu into the new ABIT BE6-II motherboard, along with the ram that I bought locally, and guess what? The system boots up! No crashes.
Now I have a new ABit mobo, a new P3 550 cpu, a new case, a new power supply, several new case fans, and a new video card. What from Krex runs? Nothing as far as I can see. I dare not run my new P3 550 cpu in the Tyan motherboard for fear it might damage the CPU. I know the two Krex CPU's don't run, they've just killed four motherboards from three different motherboard makers, and the Krex ram doesn't run either. That's over $600 down the drain, not to mention all my time wasted, all my driving around, all the shipping, and insurance placed on the parts each time I had to ship them to Krex.
It gets better, Did I mention Krex has a policy that after 30 days their OEM CPU's have no warrantee? After returning the CPUs twice, they said I had run out of time -- this is why I had to continue looking for the problem, and did not replace the CPU's again after the second time. I had asked after I got non-working parts from Krex the second time, if I could return the parts, and just take the 15% restocking fee -- I was informed after 14 days that was no longer an option. I didn't even have those parts in my HANDS for 14 days total, and never did they even work properly!
Total costs for Krex parts: $645 + $16 for the two times I shipped RMA parts back.
Cost for replacement parts to figure out what was wrong with the Krex parts:

2x P3 dual cpu fan: $29.98
Case fan: $7.99
64 meg PC-100 ram: $79.99
Voodoo3 3500: $199.99 (swapped twice)
ATX Power supply 300 watt: $29.00
2x Case Fan: $12.00
ATX Case w/ 300W PS: $39.99
New motherboards: $99.99 (swapped three times over)
Labor cost to locate problem: $25.00
P3 550mhz CPU: $249.00
Total including tax: $816.62
What now?
The run-around.
I've been trying to get ahold of Bill at Krex -- Bill (I'm told) is the head of Krex's RMA department. I put up this webpage for Bill, after my chat with him on Feb 29, 2000, as Bill wanted information about my situation because when I explained the situation to him on the phone, he said it was "too much to hold in my head."
I emailed tech@krex.com, bill@krex.com, and called on the phone many times during the first half of March (1st - 15th), each time I was able to get in contact with Bill, I was given excuses as to why Bill was unable to even read the details of my situation. Excuses ranged from "My wife has a broken wrist", to "I'm busy right now, I'll get to it tonight", to even "our internet link is down, I can't access the web."
Finally on the 16th, Bill read my webpage I put up for him, that had all the details of my situation. Bill said he was new at Krex, but they were improving their support department, and he wanted to correct the situation for me. Bill asked me what I wanted to do. To which I replied that I now had a new computer system, and all the Krex parts were defective, I'd like a refund. Bill said he would do that, and would even try to put in my refund into his system without the 15% restocking fee. He asked that I mark the package URGENT, and send it with "ATTENTION BILL" at the top. I was happy, things would finally be resolved. Below is my email to Bill immediately after our talk on the phone.

Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 14:16:33 -0500 To: bill@krex.com From: Jason Subject: Attn: Bill Hi Bill, This is Jason, I've sent off the package. I snapped a pic (krex.jpg) so you know what to look for -- it should be in your office Monday. Thanks, Jason Hamilton

If only things were that easy. On April 4th, I still had not gotten any word from Bill as to the situation of the parts -- I shipped to Krex the ram, tyan motherboard and the two P2 450mhz cpus (all of which were nonfunctioning) via 2 day USPS, it surely can't take more than 15 days to get the package. I emailed him, and got this reply 2 days later:
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 19:18:54 -0700 From: "Bill" <bill@server.krex.com> To: "Jason" <jason@superlink.net> Importance: Normal X-Mailer: VisualMail 3.0 ( http://www.minter.com.ar/visualmail ) Subject: Re: status update Jason, Working on situation. Will advise you soon. Bill On Tuesday, April 04, 2000 at 05:47:04 PM, Jason wrote: > Hi Bill, I'm emailing you today to inquire on the status of > my situation with you (Krex). I'm the guy who had the dual > P2 450's and the Tyan mobo and had a website up for you > to see the documentation of the situation. I sent you the parts > a good while ago, and have not heard since, thus why I write > this evening. > > My initial invoice number was: 01002863 > > I look forward to hearing from you soon. > > Jason > > Fax: (413) 556-1207 > Bill .............................................. Krex Computers - 9320 Waukegan Rd - Morton Grove, IL 60053 Sales: 800-222-KREX (5739) | Tech Support: 847-967-0275 Fax: 847-967-0276 | Email: bill@krex.com | http://www.krex.com

The sad part is, when Bill wrote the above email, he already knew the day before, he had shipped to me the broken CPU's. Bill did not issue the refund as he had told me he would.
On April 10th, I received the broken CPU's. Below is the invoice that came with the parts. Note they acknowledge the motherboard, the ram, and the cpus were all defective and damaged -- basically everything that they shipped to me was defective. To make matters worse, the new ram I was shipped, was DOA. As far as I can tell, it might even be the same nonfunctioning 128 meg stick of ram :(

I was never shipped working parts. I was put off for four months, lied to, and in the end, I was returned the defective cpu's without any explanation or reason. All efforts by Krex were to delay things until their OEM warrantee period of 30 days was up, which is why they refuse to issue a refund or even ship me functional cpu's. At this point, anything except a full refund would not be acceptable as I already have a new computer system built using the parts I purchased to find out what was wrong with the Krex parts.
UPDATE: Aug 14th, 2000.
Today I got an email from John, here is the email:

From: John@Krex Computers Inc. <john@krex.com> To: jason@superlink.net Subject: Re: [Fwd: Re: CPUs] Jason, My name is John and I am the Service Manager for Krex Computers. I found your motherboard, RAM, and CPUs in our RMA department. I believe Bill was trying to help you. Bill is no longer with Krex and I apologize for your frustration. This should have never happened. I have tested all the components and found that both CPUs are bad. I have read the email that was with the items. I would like to resolve this matter in the best possible way for both of us. John Service Manager Krex Computers, Inc.

To which I immediately replied:

Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 18:02:20 -0400 To: <john@krex.com> From: jason@superlink.net Subject: Re: CPUs John, Please go to my website at http://mars.superlink.net/jason/krex you'll see the full details of my accounting with your company. You'll see receipts for everything I bought, and an accounting for every event that happened along with the full dates that they happened on. As you read that page carefully, put yourself in my shoes and try to imagine having that situation happen to you or a family member. What would you want done if you were in my shoes? At the very least, you'd want a full refund. But even that doesn't take away from being out $650 for over a half year, and going thru hell trying to fix a computer that needed to be up and running ASAP. Jason Hamilton

The final reply John sent me was this:

Date: 22 Aug 00 15:35:33 CDT From: John@Krex Computers Inc. <john@krex.com> To: jason@superlink.net Subject: Re: [Fwd: Re: CPUs] Jason, I had to do a little more research into my records. I found that we have already replaced the CPUs once. At this point there is nothing I can do to replace these CPUs. I am sorry. John Service Manager Krex Computers, Inc.

Eight days later, on Aug 30th, in my mail, I found a USPS air package addressed to me at my old house (I just moved and have the post office forward mail from my old house to the new). There was no sender's return address. No way to identify who sent the package.
Take a look at how Krex deals with their customers (click on a thumbnail to enlarge):

UPDATE: Some nine months after the initial problem, Krex has finally agreed to refund my money. I do not think it was out of the kindness of their hearts -- they've not spoken to me, offered any apology, or explained the poor service. Rather, I belive they refunded the money only when my bank pressed them, and was going to report them to whoever does their credit card processing. I'm told (Not sure how accurate this information is), that when a place has enough problem reports and gets into trouble, they can lose their credit card processing. If this is true, it would explain why I finally got the refund. At any rate, I still have the broken ram, cpus, etc here. I haven't tossed them just in case Krex asks for them back. I'm sure Krex is fully aware all of it is broken, which is why they didn't bother.

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