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Computer arrived broken, all accessories missing
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As a developer and video editor I need a high-speed workstation, and Origin's L-Class Studio desktop was a great fit. Origin's focus on "great customer support" also appealed to me. I configured my L-Class Studio, entered my credit card info, and things went downhill from there.
My initial order date was April 6th. Here is an overview of what happened:
April 6th - April 28th: SALES
A day or so after I ordered my PC I got an email from a sales rep saying my credit card didn't go through. I figured my credit card's company flagged the activity, but Chase said they hadn't received a charge at all. I asked the sales rep if I could use another payment method. He said that wasn't possible despite the checkout page of the site accepting everything from wire transfers to graduated payments. I asked if he could rerun the card and did not get a message for 2 weeks.
During that 2 week span I tried both sending emails and calling the support line. Calling the support line eventually got me a person that tried to rerun the cards (around April 24th) and this still didn't work. No one was able to give me a concrete reason why any of this was happening (including Chase) and so I took matters into my own hands and ordered a second L-Class Studio using a wire transfer. This time it worked!
That's when I thought my problems were over, but things continued to get worse.
April 30th - June 9th: BUILDING
Like many companies, Origin has been impacted by COVID. For that reason I don't fault them for their 42-day building time.
June 9th - June 16th: SHIPPING DEPARTMENT
On June 9th I got an email that my L-Class Studio had entered the shipping department that claimed "The shipping team will carefully pack your system, accessories, and extras." I was getting a bit anxious at this point because I had to leave town for a work conference. The sales guy asked about my custom etching at this time, which I turned down to save time. Despite this, the computer didn't ship for another 7 days.
June 16th - July 7th: ARRIVAL
The computer arrived the day before I left in this cool crate with the Origin logo emblazoned on the side. The crate seemed large enough to hold the computer AND all of my accessories. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to unpack the box before my flight. While I was away I readied my After Effects and Premiere Pro projects to be transferred to the computer.
July 7th to present: THE DESOLATION OF MY L-CLASS STUDIO
There are 3 steps to opening an Origin crate: open the top, open the side, and remove the packing foam from inside the desktop. After removing the top and side I could tell something was wrong - specifically, everything that wasn't the desktop was missing. No monitor, no speakers, no mousepad or hoodie. Since I had been there the day the PC arrived I knew no other packages had come. Then I tried to remove the packing foam from inside the desktop and discovered to my horror that there was none. THEY SHIPPED A $12,000 COMPUTER WITH NO INNER PACKING FOAM!
I looked inside the computer and the Nvidia RTX 3090 was crooked, it's weight causing the card's metal frame to bend and the PCI connectors to chafe against the motherboard. Terrified, I took pictures of all of this, starting to realize the only person I knew at Origin was my sales rep that didn't answer emails. I tried to place the GPU in the damaged PCI slot and realized it was futile - attempting anything more could give Origin reason to not repair the damage they did.
ORIGIN'S "SOLUTION"
I called the 24-hour customer support line that night and got hold music. I tried again next morning and got a representative that told me I'd need to send the computer back for repairs or ask for a refund. I felt pressured to make this decision immediately by the rep, who gave me an RMA number and told me it would be 3 WEEKS at the least. Here's the unacceptable part: this rep told me that the monitor, etc. are sent by a 3rd party and I should keep waiting for them. It has now been about 3 weeks since the desktop arrived. Furthermore, Origin's own email stated their shipping department was "carefully pack[ing] your system, accessories, and extras." Now I'm no rocket scientist, but I'd guess that the same people that forgot to put the packing foam in the $12,000 desktop are probably the same people that didn't remember to pack the extras and monitor.
HOW I FEEL
Obviously, this was a really disappointing experience. This company's website really drew me in - the pictures of people hard at work making PCs, all the references to customer support, the fun computer customization screens all worked together to make me press the 'Order Now' button. Everything after pressing that button fell apart. The reps I talked to seemed to be operating in a bureaucratic wasteland, seeming to want to solve my problems but not having any actual ability to do so. The few I did get on the line were nice people, but no one could actually help me and I felt I had to solve their techical problems myself. I try to look on the bright side but there isn't really any redeemable quality here. Any good work their building department did on my computer was destroyed by the shipping department. Their customer support is just as addled as their sales department. This company has a BBB rating of A+ and I honestly have no clue how that's possible after reading some of these other reviews. With all that said, I'm really ready for them to prove me wrong and fix this. Perhaps it was all a fluke.
NEXT STEPS
I've opted for a 'repair', but this is because I'm afraid of the 15% restock fee mentioned on other reviews. Since I used a wire transfer to get the money to Origin it will take some serious legal action to get it back and I don't consider these folks trustworthy. While they can repair my computer, I don't know what to do about the monitor and speakers. They've effectively stolen those from me and I will file complaints with the BBB and whatever else I can. I'm honestly still hoping Origin tries to make this right. But until then, I hope you will remember my story and tell everyone you know to avoid this sketchy company.
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