TigerDirect.com has great rebate items and selection along with high shipping.
Written: Jul 01 '04
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TigerDirect.com
TigerDirect.com is an online store at which you can find computer parts for both desktops and laptops as well as software, gaming hardware, full computer systems, etc. TigerDirect.com is a subsidiary of the Systemax company, which has been building made-to-order and pre-built computer systems since 1987. The company was founded to offer an alternative to pre-built computer systems built with cheap parts in a cookie-cutter fashion, and has evolved into one of the better sites for parts and accessories.
Site Layout
Where to start? Site layout, of course… The site is set up very well for the price-conscious individual wishing to compare pricing on parts and systems. The homepage is set up in the standard layout with broad selections along the top of the page, more targeted selections along the left side, and specials or rebated items in the center. The selections along the top of the page are as follows:
Overstock
Recertified
Open Box
Free Catalog
Shop By Brand
Help
Track Your Order
Rebate Center
I personally use the Open Box, Track Your Order and Rebate Center frequently to check on specials and orders that I have made. It is nice to see the Track Your Order link easily placed for convenience. This does save some time compared to other websites, as you don’t have to drill down through several pages to find the tracking information.
The more specific selections along the left side of the page break down computer, printer and PDA units and accessories into easy to click tags. Clicking on a tag will take you to a new page with the targeted items displayed.
Along the top of the page is a search input field to find specific items on the site, if you know exactly what it is you are looking for. I have used this in the past for price comparison and the search does indeed work fairly well. The more specific you are in the search terms, the better chance you have of finding the exact item.
Email list, anyone?
One notable feature of TigerDirect.com is the Money Saving Email Deals. On the front page is a field in which you can enter your email address to alert you to specials and rebated items that the site has currently running. I use this function, and this has generated most of the site’s sales to me. One thing I would stress is that you should check the details for each rebate, as there has been instances in my purchases where the rebate was still listed on the site, yet had already expired. Also, several of the rebates are tied to system purchases, yet do not specifically state that in the item description. I once bought a printer with two rebates, one of $50 and one of $20. After I placed the order and downloaded the rebates, I noticed that the $50 rebate required a full Systemax purchase, so I was out the $50. I am not complaining at all, as the information was there if I had looked. It was not displayed prominently, however, so just a warning for you!
Business page
Are you the IT administrator for a company, or own your own small business? There is a page linked from the home page that will take you to a site specifically geared towards businesses. You can find servers, server platforms and business-related software at this site. I have not had the opportunity to use this site, but it does appear to be fairly complete.
Selection/Pricing
The selection on TigerDirect.com is great! You can find pretty much anything and any brand on the site if it is computer, PDA or printer related. I have purchased video cards, hard drives, software, networking items, and flash memory from the site in the past.
Pricing is comparable to slightly higher than my favorite computer parts stores, Newegg.com and ZipZoomFly.com. For instance, I recently purchased a copy of Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. On Newegg.com the price was $92.50, ZipZoomFly.com had a special for $88.50, and TigerDirect.com was listed at $99. $99 is still a good deal, but not as good as that found at the other two stores….
Why do I shop there, then?
As I stated above, I am on the circulation list for their email specials. With the rebates there are several items that you can get at or below the cost of the other stores on the web!
Recent ordering experiences
Most recently, TigerDirect.com sent out an email with a special for a Western Digital 200GB hard drive with 8MB of cache (Special Edition) for only $89 after rebates. I am building a few systems for myself and others currently, so I could not pass it up. Clicking on the link in the email automatically opened an IE window with the item’s specific page, and from there it was easy to add the item to the cart.
Once the item is added to the cart, you can then select to proceed to checkout or continue on shopping, searching for more items to purchase. In my case, I wasn’t interested in any other items that day, so I proceeded to checkout.
Checkout
Once you select Checkout, the site directs you to a secured website for ordering. If you are new to web orders, you know that the site is secure by the URL address; Instead of having 'http:' at the front, it will now say 'https:', with the s standing for Secure. At this point they will try to sell you an extended warranty. The drive I was purchasing came stock with a three-year warranty, and in three years 200GB will probably sell for less than the cost of the extended warranty… Needless to say, I didn’t buy the warranty, and I don’t recommend you do so either…
As I have bought on this site several times before, I simply plugged in the information for my account that I have already created. That brings up the billing page, which already has my shipping/billing address added in. You can choose to use separate addresses here, so long as you have set both up as acceptable for the credit card in question.
Clicking through this link and adding in payment options will allow you to submit the order. If you use a personal credit card, the site will ask you to enter in your CCID, also known as the CVV2 (card verification value). This is a 3 or 4 digit number present on the back of the card to ensure that you have the card in hand. TigerDirect.com does not ask for the phone number on the back of the card, as several sites now do…
Security
TigerDirect.com uses 128-bit SSL encryption to protect your personal information across the web. What this basically does is encrypt the data you are sending to TigerDirect.com prior to sending it across the net, and then decrypts the information on the other side. This is very secure as of today, and should reduce identity theft.
To back up the security of the site, TigerDirect.com provides a security guarantee. If your personal information is taken during a transaction with this site, they will reimburse you up to $50 for the inconvenience. $50 may not sound like much, but that is typically the personal liability limit placed on you, the consumer, by the credit card companies to dispute claims. By providing this protection it should cover the costs associated with the dispute of a charge… Does nothing for the headaches, though.
To further substantiate the security of this site, TigerDirect.com is designated a “Verisign Secure Site”. Additionally the site is Verified by Visa and a part of the MasterCard Secure Code program. You should feel safe when shopping here.
Payment options
As alluded to above, you can use personal credit card to pay for the order, and they accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner’s Club, and the Tiger Preferred Gold Account. This is a card specifically from the site to pay for your orders, similar to a JC Penney card. You get no annual fee, credit lines of up to $10,000 and 90 days same as cash. I don’t have one, but then I want to put as much as I can into my rewards card through Cabelas.com…
For the personal purchase, you can also pay through BillMeLater, PayPal(Nice feature), Wire Xfer, and TigerDirect Gift cards. For the business, you can get set up as a business customer and utilize PO’s and business credit accounts as well.
For those of us overseas, they do have options for UK customers through Simply.com.uk which is often lacking on websites based in the US. Canadian customers, do not despair. You can also purchase though TigerDirect, but you will want to point your browser to TigerDirect.ca.
Shipping and Handling/Packaging
Shipping is an area where TigerDirect.com falters, in my mind. They charge shipping, which is different from my two other favorite stores, and even then it seems to be much higher than the rates charged at other stores such as CircuitCity.com and CompUSA.com. For the hard drive purchase, I chose UPS ground and it cost me over $12 to ship it. Very high…
You can choose UPS Ground, second day, and overnight, depending on how fast you wish to get the package. You can also get it on a dedicated truck for an astronomical amount, if your order is large enough or important enough. I personally choose UPS Ground, as it is the cheapest alternative and gets there within 5 days, generally.
The packaging that I have received through TigerDirect.com has always been exceptional. The boxes are quality, and the sensitive computer parts are protected by either packing peanuts or air packs. I have had no problems with DOA parts, and all parts appear to be new when delivered. The rebate process is simple, and I have received all that I legitimately had coming to me.
You can return parts to TigerDirect.com if you choose, but you will pay a restocking fee. I would highly recommend that you know what it is you are looking for and hold on to it. Read the Return Policy before you buy!
The Final Word
TigerDirect.com is a well laid out website with great selection, good rebates and low prices for the computer/PDA/printer purchase. I would highly recommend signing up for the email specials, as that is where the site shines. You will pay more for shipping than other sites, but the deep rebates should more than make up for it. For cost items, compare TigerDirect.com’s prices with the likes of Newegg and ZipZoomFly, but I almost guarantee that they will beat it, and they come with free shipping.
Other online store reviews you may find interesting :
Newegg.com
ZipZoomFly.com
BestBuy.com
CompUSA.com
CircuitCity.com
OldNavy.com
SensationalBeginnings.com
OneStepAhead.com
PETsMART.COM
I hope this review helps you, and please leave me feedback ratings or comments!
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Numerous over the past year
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