WARNING – PAGE NSFW OR CHILDREN!

The Warning List

You all knew it was coming, and here it is, the definitive list of qualifications for uryaen.com's Warning List. I know you're thinking of a dirtier version of that term, but we'll stick with this for now.

First; a fair warning. Most of uryaen.com is fun, funny, witty, humorous, light hearted and safe for work. This is not that section. Here, I’m calling out the bad companies to clean up their bull. In many ways, this is part of the core purpose of my site. In many other sections, I talk a lot about Integrity and Class, and I both attempt to always show it in my articles, actions, and presentation, and I DEMAND it of my vendors as well. Many of them are just perfect. Some are kind of slippery; they need work. Those might not end up on this list. They might forget to answer an email now and then, ship product a couple weeks late, or in the case of product support, fall behind a SLIGHT bit.

These are not the companies that make this list.

Companies on this list have made a decision to be lazy, complacent, incompetent, immature or arrogant in their dealings with me either as a reviewer, a pure consumer, or both, and most likely have a lot of evidence online that they have treated others the same as well. The purpose of this List is to OUT these bad seeds for what they are. I’m not afraid to get a little dirty, and if a company is on this list and does a LOT to fix it; I will reverse my stance on them LEGITIMATELY. Sadly, most will not.

In fact; a company on this list who goes out of their way to FIX the problem, and doesn’t do it again, will earn an EXTRA recommendation from me, because it shows a real willingness to learn, grow, and improve.

That said; This is a no holds, foul mouthed, ranting, fighting words, mudslinging, knockdown, and drag out FIGHT. This section doesn’t truly uphold the Class and Integrity of the rest of the site in presentation, but in content. NO OTHER REVIEW site in existence has the guts to do what I am going to do here, which is to challenge companies with reputations for FRAUD, shady business practices, and even just sloppy support to FIX IT or get dragged into the spotlight. I will NOT quote emails verbatim, or detail accounts with actual names. That gets too far into harassment territory. I have created a very clear system of levels of infractions. I will list the company, and the level, and maybe a bit of GENERALIZED commentary on why they are here. EVERY last item here is absolute truth, or is commentary about the situation, but this section is not for the faint of heart.

Vendors

If you’re on this list, chances are good; you’re not getting off of it. I have little hope that you will do anything to correct the negative behaviors or actions that caused me to put you here. Smaller vendors on this list are welcome to change my mind. To do that, you must show that you have taken steps to CORRECT the behavior. This means that we need to see a reversal of WHY you are listed here, and the WHYS can be extremely varied. Most likely you already know, but if you weren’t involved, write me and I will tell you the whole story IF you show a desire to fix it.

Readers

Let me be VERY clear. I am not a whiner. I’m not a two bit forum troll just bitching about how I didn’t get my shiny toy just the way I like it. I have PLENTY of shiny toys. This section is about companies who are not living up to my expectation of class or integrity, and as such, do not deserve your money, and are likely to prove problematic should you choose to give it to them.

I am not listing companies who politely turned down requests for review units. NO. So any comments or posts that suggest such will simply be deleted, and your account banned for trolling. The ONLY time a company gets listed on here for that is if they actually COMMITED to sending product, listed a DAY to do it, and then never did it, and have ignored attempts at further contact. There are going to be some of those on here. Once they FOLLOW THROUGH on their promises, and show some evidence that they will correct that behavior the next TWO rounds, I will remove them from the list. The exception to this are companies who were rude or arrogant about it, rather than polite. This shows a disregard for client relations, and is a “major” infraction and is likely to land them on the Level 2 list. We’ll go over the exact definitions and rules below.

The rules of the Warning list are many, and we’ll go over them, and they will evolve as we go along.

What is the Warning List?

The Warning List is the list of companies who have demonstrated a flagrant disregard for client support. This may come in many forms. Any company on this list deserves to be here. Why?

What it Means:

I have purchased or received product from them, and received beyond horrible, nightmarish customer support. There is ample evidence online that MANY others have suffered the same fate.

This company doesn’t give a rats behind what its reputation with customers, reviewers, or worse, both is. It will have shown blind arrogance that simply being able to sell large numbers denotes a good company. I will attempt to break this fallacy here.

This company will have promised review product, maybe even repeatedly; and never shipped.

Let me be CLEAR, as this bears repeating. Any comments that sound like “you’re just complaining because” or “I didn’t have a problem, therefore, it’s a great company” will be deleted, and you will be deleted for trolling. Any company on this list ( at least at Level 3+ ) has a widespread reputation for poor support or products. NOT just my personal experience, but based on the difference between my experience with that company and its competitors, my view is valid. If you have a constructive opposing view, and a story, tell it. I also encourage said vendors to respond and attempt to defend themselves or correct their wrongs.

How does a company get on this list?

The following are some examples of how a company can get on this list:

Committing any acts of consumer fraud. I’m not here to get into debates with uninformed people. I don’t list this stuff without reason. Usually it’s either common knowledge, and augmented by my own experience, or I have ample reason to call them out. Just because YOU don’t see it, doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening.

Committing to something, and not following through. I hate this with a passion. If you say you’re going to do something, DO IT. No excuses, especially big companies.

Lying about product specs.

NOT supporting a product up to BASIC consumer expectation. A good example of this is Dells’ almost patent refusal to update video drivers on the Alienware laptops. It took several solid MONTHS of pressure from the internet to get them to do ONE update since the RELEASE of the laptop in question, ( when they were about five behind ) and even that update is now several updates behind, with no sign of ever being updated again. For a “premium” product we pay $3600+ for this is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable.

Promising certain support and not giving it.

Failing to follow through on support issues, despite repeated attempts at contact.

Showing a complete lack of comprehension of a problem.

Shoveling support off to other countries where the support barely speaks English, and cannot understand a complex problem.

Wasting my time with hollow crap and nonsense.

Forcing me to spend literally DOZENS ( and in one case HUNDREDS ) of man hours chasing down support for a warranty issue, and offering ZERO compensation or upgrade for the lost time, and then giving me an attitude about it.

Sending a product that is actually WORSE than the one I sent in to be fixed, and then refusing to fix the new one.

Shipping a used product and not disclosing it. 

Get the idea?

Fanboys/Fangirls

EVERY company in existence, no matter how horrid, has uninformed, blind fanboys. The intelligent know this. This list is about real world experience, not blind faith. Nothing is black & white, but these companies DO have a problem, and need to address it. Keep your fandom to yourself.

Moving on

I can tell you right now, that the KING of crap in this section is going to be Dell, guilty of so far EVERYTHING on the above list.

Obviously there are going to be levels of infractions, and there will be rules for how to get off the list. In certain cases, I am going to need to see a change in attitude, and a couple of rounds of similar interaction with the new fixed procedure/attitude to accomplish this.

If you present a very terse/poor attitude; this tells me that you are likely to treat a customer the same way. It is NOT my experience that there is any hope that this isn't true. The face which you present to a potential business partner is the same face you will present to a customer, especially when something goes wrong.

The rules:

I know this is all terribly complex, and it may even sound biased and unfair, but I assure you that no company on this list is here by accident. Each has been given more than ample opportunity to fix their behavior/mistake, and have been warned directly, but most will need some time listed here to lose some bottom line before they are willing to realize that volume sales does not equal DESERVED sales.

In most cases, you’re just going to have to take my word for it. I’m not going to post actual names, or any identifying information. In that way, don’t ask for screen shots. I’m not going to do it. I have developed a system of Levels and the infractions that make up those levels to determine how severe the problem with a company is. What follows is the explanation of those rules:

Levels

There are five levels of Infraction here that make up the Warning List:

Level 1 – Minor infraction or two. Take some steps to correct the behavior and you will disappear from the list. If you promised product and never sent it, do it. Then send two more rounds of samples without incident.

Level 2 – Several minor or one major infraction. I will need to see a pattern of fixes for you to be removed. This is most likely getting into product support fixes. I am not yet warning readers away from you, but if you do not fix the situation in a timely manner after making contact or being told to, I will consider that a new major infraction and you will move up to Level 3.

Level 3 – Several major infractions, or one of certain ones, and possibly several minor. Have most likely shown little or no desire to fix your behavior. Getting off of the list will be difficult from this point on. This is the first level in which I will actively but gently warn readers AWAY from you and your products. I will need to see a concerted effort on your part, publicly, to remove you from the list.

Level 4 – Many minor or major infractions and even one count of a severe infraction, and/or an arrogant disregard for my attempts to give feedback. I will warn readers away from you and your products very sternly, and it will take quite a lot to reverse my stance. Write to me privately to discuss the steps needed. If you are not ready to deal, don’t write, as anything you say can and will be used against you. Reversing the listing at this level WILL require you to spend money and time, so if you write to me and attempt to coerce me to remove or downgrade you based on emails alone, guess what? Automatic Level 5.

Level 5 – You are most likely Dell. If you’re not, you still need a bottom to top rethink of how you do business. You do not deserve to stay in business, and you should refund your current customers and offer a public apology. Since the likelihood of this is about as good as my sprouting wings and flying, your listing on here should settle in and get nice and comfy. In the highly unlikely event that you as a company are willing to take the heroic steps necessary to reverse my stance on you, and earn a recommendation from me, contact me for further instructions. I can say right now that it will likely involve three full rounds of product samples, with NO issues, an in-person tour of your company and the steps being taken to correct the problems, including a visit with your LOCAL support team, and a written apology BY the CEO to be published on the site. Let’s just say I’m not holding my breath.

The infractions and how they are classed: ( this list will grow with time and experiences )

Minor - Committing to something, and not following through - Failing to follow through on support issues, despite repeated attempts at contact - Showing a complete lack of comprehension of a problem – Wasting my time with repeated requests for information, or taking up my time and showing no sign of following through – Directing me to “review” products based on images on the official site or other sources, and doing no support or sending of product – Wasting my time with needless hurdles, ( many vendors ship eval product from my first message, so this is an infraction if I have to spend a LOT of time giving information and still get nowhere ), hiding behind incompetent PR firms.

Special Minor Infractions –

Ignoring attempts to contact for review units, or info, and then spamming the HELL out of me with press releases. I consider this extremely tacky and arrogant. If you have resources to spam, you have resources to respond. uryaen.com is a hands on lab, not a press release reprint machine. 

Major – Lying about product specs - NOT supporting a product up to BASIC consumer expectation - Promising certain support and not giving it - Shoveling support off to other countries where the support barely speaks English, and cannot understand a complex problem - Wasting my time with hollow crap and nonsense – needlessly and classlessly denigrating the competition ( Hint: The competition is part of why you are here. This is ESPECIALLY true if you are clearly NOT the number one in your field ) – Showing smug arrogance and refusing press support when competitors higher up the food chain are supporting – Showing a clear lack of comprehension of the rules of the site – Attempting to manipulate the social context by arrogantly sending a refusal message AFTER I have already turned you down ( this is childish ) – Refusing to fix the infractions at the lower levels – Any instance of deleting my emails without even reading them. This is a slap in the face, and the laziest, most disrepectful level of professionalism. 

Special Major Infractions –

You are in an “informal” industry, meaning a bunch of garage artists putting together hand made products and you show a smug arrogance in the face of a competitor who is open and polite, you’re on the list. To get off the list, you’ll have to get over yourself, and correct the behavior. This is a serious enough infraction alone to warrant putting you on the level 3 list.

Severe - Committing any acts of consumer fraud - Forcing me to spend literally DOZENS of man hours chasing down support for a warranty issue, and offering ZERO compensation or upgrade for the lost time, and then giving me an attitude about it - Sending a product that is actually WORSE than the one I sent in to be fixed, and then refusing to fix the new one – Selling a product and refusing to properly support it with updates so that it will work as expected – Selling refurbished product as new – Placing unauthorized charges on card - Here's a new one: Only allowing review units to outlets that you advertise with. 

Special Severe Infractions –

Contacting me to “fix” a low level listing and then wasting my time with runarounds is an automatic Level 5 infraction.

Contacting me to COMPLAIN about being on the list is an automatic Level 5 infraction. This includes a refusal to make ANY attempt to fix your listing on the site CITING your being on the list AS the reason. This is an elegant system, as it moves you up or down the list based on an analogue to your customer relations.

Attempting to game the system, bully me into removing you, refusing support or further product samples, witholding further samples due to a negative review, or any similar result will be treated the same. Don’t make a bad situation worse. Just fix the problem.

Contacting me with any threats or attempts to get back at me is an automatic Level 5 infraction AND I will post your message WITH your name and contact information, and I might forward the message to your local law enforcement as a harassment charge.

Any attempt to use the Facebook comments on my site to artificially boost your reputation by pretending to be a customer. I have some extremely sophisticated logging for my site. I can tell who you are, where you are, what network, device, OS, IP and browser you are using, and quite a lot of other information about you. If I have reason to suspect fraud, I will have it investigated and yes, that’s an automatic Level 5 infraction.

All vendors who have been moved to Level 5 status based on these elegantly designed special infractions will be notated as such, which is an exception to the general rule. The lesson here: Don’t make a bad situation worse.

The Warning List:

Here it is: the ACTUAL list. Again, please note that only the level of infractions are listed here, and ONLY a vetted representative of the vendor itself can get the true story and names involved in order to correct the problem. This is to prevent any misunderstandings, and stave off any accusations of harassment. NO names will be published EVER, except in the above exceptions, so don’t ask.

Please also note: ALL compaines on the list have been clearly notified via email, and given a solid two or more weeks to respond. If they are on the list now, they chose NOT to repsond. This technically SHOULD be it's own infraction, but at this point, such a thing would simply be redundant. My rule will simply be that regardless of NUMBER of infractions, a company will only show up on this list if they have not only accrued the infractions, but shown zero willingness to even address them. Therefore, you have been warned.

Level 1 –

Origin PC Corporation – 3 counts of the same minor

Micro-Star Int'l Co.,Ltd – 2 minor

Western Digital Corporation – 1 minor

EA Games ( the publisher, not individual developers ) - 1 minor

Deepsilver games - 1 minor

Level 2 –

Shuttle Computers – 1 minor, 1 major

Antec - 1 major

Gameloft - 1 major

Level 3 –

Puget Custom Computers – 1 minor, 2 major

Sceptre Inc – 1 minor, 1 major

OCZ Technology - 1 minor, 1 major - Three new product have arrived since Revodrive, and testing is positive. Situation is turning around. More to come!

Level 4 –

Seagate Technology LLC – 2 minor - and 1 special Severe - Nearly Three months and not a word from their PR following a negative review. I can only conclude that this is retalation for the review. Do we support that here? No. 

Level 5 –

Dell, inc ( including Alienware ) – pretty much everything on the list. Has shown zero willingness to work on the problem, and shown a level of smug arrogance unriveled by any other vendor I have ever dealt with. I have given Dell more than 30 attempts to do the right thing, or even attempt to, but they do nothing but spout the corporate policy. It's a shame too, because the Alienware hardware itself is great in theory, if you happen to get a good one. More on that another time. 

Best Buy – Having worked for BB, I know how they work, and their unwillingness to change. Has never shown a willingness to improve, despite extensive documentation of consumer fraud. DO NOT EVER purchase anything from BB. If you can at all help it, NEVER enter a BB ever again. We have Newegg, Amazon, B&H, etc for our needs. Show a little patience. I'm done giving them chances. I have written extensive documentation and proposals, which have gone ignored. It is my extreme hope that like many stores before them, such as a certain rival computer chain, they will go out of business.

2K Games - 1 Special Severe infraction of clear consumer fraud. See my post in PC commentary. 

Yikes! We’re on the list! What do we do?

If you’re serious about correcting the issue, contact me. I’m EAGER to help!! That’s the special bonus here. I’m willing, able, and EAGER to help you fix it, and get on my good side, and get reviews published that PASS my Integrity Check. It’s all a matter of maturity on the part of the vendor. All part of an elegantly conceived system. For level 1’s most likely the fix is to do what you said you were going to do. For level 2, you will need to apologize for your attitude, and correct the behavior over time.

For level 3 and beyond, it gets more complicated. Just contact me and we’ll work on it. If you DO contact me, be ready to DO what you have to or say you will. Contacting me and then wasting my time with runarounds is an automatic Special Level 5 infraction. I consider this a base attempt to manipulate me. As should be quite clear from the massive amount of material on this site, I am not one to be trifled with, and cannot be manipulated, placated, or otherwise "worked". Fix the problem.

Part of the point of my site is to fix some lingering issues in the tech industry. I have a lot of experience and abilities in process evaluation, and high end negotiation and sales. If you are progressive enough, and have a higher level listing, pay to have me visit your facilities and talk to your people. I will come up with solutions, create a PP presentation, and give a talk at your facility. It will be a fairly straightforward and easy to follow path of recommendations, and I promise it will help with your issues. The whole process should take no more than a couple of days, and won’t cost you much. Just cover my travel, with special mind that I have a bad back ( this means no cramped airline seats ), and accommodations, and I won’t even charge for my actual time and services. Implementing my recommendations, and following through is payment enough for me. I will detail the account on my site, and my readers will see that even though you messed up, you are making an actual effort to fix it, which goes a LONG way with people.

Closing

There you have it, the World Exclusive *$%# list of Vendors. Why a special list? Because most likely, I don’t have current product to review, and thus, I can’t just include the usual “Integrity Check” in an article. Needless to say, each company on this list failed my Integrity Check. Level 1’s are not a severe problem, but much beyond that and it gets pretty sticky.

I hope that you the readers will find the exclusive list useful, and enlightening.

Vendors: No hard feelings, in most cases. Just fix it, and I’ll remove you.

Bear in mind the following:

To fix a listing at each level, I will need to see correction of the infractions. For level 4 or 5, I AM going to have to visit you in person, and that means that you WILL have to pay for all travel and accommodations. The level of which and ease of which will be factored into the final review. You were most likely on here because you cheaped out on support. Don’t make the same mistake again. That said, don't overdo it either. Five star hotels and limos but no real change in company policy isn't going to sway me. I'd rather have a rental car and a cheap motel and see some real willingness to change. Again, it's not about how much you spend, but how much you LEARN.

What did I say above? Don’t make a bad situation worse.