Tiger Direct

July 31, 2006

Tiger Direct

So, where do you buy your computer stuff online?

There are quite a few outfits out there that would love to have your business, that's for sure. And many of them do very well at giving their customers what they're looking for.

However, there's only one that's getting my endorsement.

Every time I have bought computer stuff online in the last five years, I have used the company that has never done me wrong. Tiger Direct.

I discovered them five years ago, when I found that they had the best price on laptop memory when I was upgrading from 128 to a whopping 384 meg. That was quite a bit of RAM for a guy on a tight budget in 2001!

Anyhow, I was shocked when the memory arrived via UPS TWO DAYS LATER! I had only paid for UPS ground shipping. I was impressed.

Six months later, I ordered a hard drive from them. The price was incredible. Two days later, it was on my doorstep.

Now they would never guarantee two day delivery on their most basic shipping rate. But the fact is that it's my experience that ordered merchandise arrives two, or sometimes three days later. That's impressive!

Not only that, but their prices are impressive. 19” flat panel monitors are still selling for better than $250 at my local Wal-Mart. I just got a SWEET 19” wide panel for less than 200 bucks, including shipping. And it looks real nice as I type this column.

So if you're thinking about buying some hi-tech stuff online, I recommend the folks who have never done me wrong: Tiger Direct.

http://www.tigerdirect.com


Comments on “Tiger Direct”

So far, there are 29 comments on this entery. Why not add yours!

  1. Charlie on August 11, 2006 12:59 PM

    Tiger Direct has only a 5.13/10 rating for the last 6 months on resellerratings.com (a site *everyone* should check before buying online). This is NOT very good.

    I buy my stuff mostly from NewEgg (www.newegg.com), which has a 9.72/10 rating. I have used PC Connection (8.75/10, www.pcconnection.com) and TechOnWeb (9.22/10, www.techonweb.com).

    In general I avoid any place with below an 8.0/10 on resellerratings.com, there are too many high-ranked places that will all be within a few bucks of each other to settle for patronizing a mediocre business.

  2. BillyBuds on August 11, 2006 02:59 PM

    I have been Using TigerDirect for almost ten years. I have NEVER had any problems with the items purchased from them. All have worked & delivered in a timely fashion. I also use NewEgg for purchases. I am always upgrading or building for other people & have found that it NOT worth it to buy from a no-name seller just to save a couple of dollars.

  3. Paul Sugar on August 12, 2006 07:10 AM

    Had a bad experience with Tiger Direct several years ago re: a monitor, which I bought with the assumption that it was new. After it failed within a few months I learned there was no warranty coverage as it was a refurbished unit. Tiger Direct would not do anything to make it right, and in fact didn't even respond to my letter of complaint. Will never do business with them again.

  4. Mike Kruze on August 12, 2006 07:50 AM

    Yeah but get several hundred dollars in fraudulent charges on your credit card like I did and try to contact someone.
    HA !

  5. Wayne on August 12, 2006 08:44 AM

    Been dealing with Tiger Direct for a few years. Never got any problems so far. The only thing to know is that not ALL items are cheap over there. Still have to shop around. The recent search for AMD CPU prices show me that they are quite expensive.

  6. burris millstone on August 12, 2006 09:12 AM

    I have been buying from them for quite some time.

    Their customer support is second to none. They fully support every product purchased through them, even to the point of sending me replacement items that were only covered by the manufacturer and provided satisfaction that was beyond the call of duty.

    Unfortunately, I live in Florida, so the sales tax takes a hit.

    With respect to the crazy world of rebates, I find that if you fill out the online info correctly, your check comes in a flash. This is certainly unlike almost every other dealer.

  7. Dan on August 12, 2006 09:56 AM

    I have no problem with Tiger Direct delivering the merchandise, the problem is with them delivering their rebates. They have a dismal reputation for delivering the rebates. Their solution for a guaranteed rebate delivery is to send the rebate(s) in via Certified Mail (at your expense). NOT a very CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY solution! This becomes even more costly when you consider many of their items have multiple rebates (I have seen some items with 4-5 or more total rebates).

    I now only purchase items from Tiger Direct that do not have rebates. This means that I don't buy from them too often as without rebates, their prices are usually not that competitive.

  8. Al on August 12, 2006 11:18 AM

    I have been doing business with TigerDirect for years and I haven't had any problems yet. I have been recently buying refurbished products for a really low price and getting my rebates as promised. No problems, no delays! I can't say that for ComputerGeeks.com who has screwed my order up 3 times in the row. NewEgg is too pricey.

  9. Jerrod on August 12, 2006 12:24 PM

    For the most part I have had good expereinces with Tiger Direct.com's products, BUT...
    I also have had problems with rebates. The newest rebates are more complicated and they try to make it hard for you to know how to submit them correctly. They wanted a UPC code and a serial number label which I put both of them in my submission. I have hassled with them for several months over the $70 rebate to no avail. It makes me leery to buy any more things with rebates from them. Rebates shouldn't be that difficult to figure out.

  10. Jim on August 12, 2006 12:34 PM

    Products from Tiger have been serviceable but they sat in limbo 2 days between the date the sent to UPS and when the product was actually moved so they didn't beat the promised date. Rebates are a real pain. Order in Feb had 3 rebates. Six months later only one has arrived.
    Is the problem Tiger or Computer Associates? I know CA is unreliable. Maybe Tiger too?

    Jim

  11. John on August 12, 2006 01:05 PM

    Tiger Direct does not honor their rebates! The firm that they use is horrible. Also, I ordered a product from Tiger Direct--a USB/Firewire product. Didn't work with Firewire. Sent in a review that stated this, and they did not publish the review. They edit their reviews before they are published and only let the more positive ones through. Anyhow, I will not deal with Tiger Direct anymore and can understand why their rating is so low in resellerratings.com

  12. gerald kohnke on August 12, 2006 01:44 PM

    Recently a Tiger Direct opened in my area.I shop there for almost all my needs and have had no bad experiences.I need to see and touch what I am buying. Don't get me wrong.I still do my homework on the internet but then I just drive over to their store and buy it.
    Once you get past the smell the store is fun to shop. It smells like the bathroom door on a shrimp boat.
    Rebates? No problem!I just give them to my daughter and let her chase them!

  13. Stan on August 12, 2006 04:50 PM

    I don't buy to much stuff on line, but I've used TigerDirect recently a couple of times and was also impressed at how fast me stuff came. When I saw the return address I figured they have a local warehouse -- in which case stuff should arrive within a day or two.

    I've also been impressed with newegg.com. In fact, several years ago I used to shop at a retail Egghead store close by (in Chatsworth, CA), that after a bit of roller-coastering ended up as newegg.com.

    Both newegg and TigerDirect are good places to look for product reviews and customer comments on computer components.

  14. Matt on August 13, 2006 01:09 PM

    I buy from Tiger Direct on occasion if they have a sale or something, but other than that I nearly always buy from newegg.com. I don't understand the person who said newegg was pricey as I generally always find them to be cheaper than Tiger Direct. Their shipping and service has always been incredible for me and I have a computer consulting business so I buy a LOT of things from them as I build systems as well as upgrade them. 95% of my business goes to them because of price and support.

  15. Andy Frankford on August 13, 2006 07:00 PM

    I second everything 'Posted by: Stan | August 12, 2006 04:50 PM' said above.

    Tiger is Ok -- till something goes worng. We have several horror stories regarding Tiger and DOA and other right out-of-the-box problems.

    We're Newegg whenever possible now.

  16. Kevin Kozicki on August 14, 2006 12:10 PM

    I have been ordering from TigerDirect for several years, always with success. Until this past April. They handled my order so badly, and have yet to resolve the charges for product they never shipped now that it's nearly 4 months later. I will never deal with them again, and would advise caution to everyone.

  17. Rootman on August 14, 2006 01:57 PM

    I too have never had a problem with Tiger Direct but have heard about a LOT of people who have had MAJOR problems with them.

    Caveat Emptor - this goes for ANY retailer.

  18. Dave S on August 16, 2006 08:13 PM

    Used Tiger Direct for many years and never had any problems. Ordered a DVD burner from them, it didn't work properly and they replaced it with no hassle. Last two years, or so, I've switched to NewEgg - because nearly everything is a few dollars less (even shipping!) The drawback to NewEgg for me is that they have warehouses on the left and right coasts. Tiger Direct has one in Illinois - a couple hundred miles from me. If I need anything in a hurry I get it from Tiger Direct. If I have time - which I usually do, I get it from NewEgg.

  19. DJ on August 19, 2006 06:50 PM

    I plan on buying a gaming pc, is tiger good?

  20. DJ on August 19, 2006 06:51 PM

    I plan on buying a gaming pc, is tiger trustworthy?

  21. Jeff on September 2, 2006 10:50 AM

    I am still waiting for $100 worth of Tigerdirect rebates from six months ago. Rebates were sent on time and onrebate shows that they were accepted months ago but still there is no checks in the mail. Several complaints from me resulted in them telling me, I have to wait 30 days, then later they said I have to wait 6-8 weeks, and so forth. I have consistantly had trouble with thier rebates and now I use newegg exclusively, they are sooo much better in every catagory, quality of merch, value, and customer service is second to none; STAY AWAY FROM TIGERDIRECT though.

  22. Erich on September 20, 2006 12:30 AM

    My buying experience for several years from Tigerdirect has always been satisfactory. UNTIL NOW! I ordered merchandise from them May 5, 2006 which had a $20.00 rebate. As of this date, I have not received my rebate check. I have e-mailed Td. to complain about it - no responce. I have received rebate acceptance confirmation from their Onrebate.com center back in July and have sent them 8 e-mails since requesting my rebate. They have now changed their tactic and have ask me via e-mail to verify my address 3 times within the last two weeks and I complied. This is the most unethical outfit I ever had do deal with. One would think Tigerdirect would show some interest in making sure that rebates promises are being honored. From now on, I do my shopping at Newegg.com.
    Erich

  23. Erich on September 20, 2006 11:30 AM

    8 hours after my last post, I got another request from Onrebate.com to verify my address. I sincerely believe the federal trade commission should shut down this outfit.

  24. bryan Hutchins on September 25, 2006 09:26 PM

    we recently purchased from tiger direct,and wanted to order a second laptop.the service we recieved the second time around was the worst weve ever experienced.we recieved no call backs like we were told,tthey were very rude to my fiance,the extras which were promised were never honored.we will NEVER deal with this company again.we also own 2 businesses and will be telling everyone not to buy from this company

  25. Jerry Hionis on October 29, 2006 08:15 AM

    Equipmrnt and products as well as prices are very good.The problem is that the rebate program is a scam.AT least fourt times I had the same problem.It seems that your rebate is designed to rip peaple up.Rebate is a rebate and has nothing to do with paper work.It is my Openion That no one gets rebate from Tiger Direct. Ilost over 500.00 dollars to your rebate program.

  26. nigel bellis on November 16, 2006 09:18 AM

    I will never buy from Tiger Direct again. It seems that their idea of "in stock" means just that somebody has the goods somewhere. Two weeks later I am still waiting for computer disks, and if you speak to their staff they give you a different "it will be with you soon" excuse each time.
    Dreadful outfit.

  27. Rob on May 29, 2007 09:25 AM

    I've had nothing but great experiences shopping with Tiger Direct. Their customer service and sales staff are professional and knowledgeable, not to mention their prices are top notch. I've had no problems getting my rebates from them, which is more than I can say for other companies I've bought rebated items from.

  28. NTufnel on August 14, 2007 04:54 PM

    I've had no problems with Tiger Direct's rebates, and their deals, shipping, and service are among the best I've ever found.

  29. George on January 12, 2008 02:19 PM

    CA -- computer assocates
    will not honor
    their combined 40$+10$
    rebate offer on their
    antivirus package.

    If you submit using registered
    mail they request additional
    information that you already supplied.

    If you don't sent registered mail
    they simply "lose" the information.

    CA has a history of questionable
    business practices including
    accounting fraud. google for
    details.


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