In Q4 of 2005, we (SuperMotors) were looking to expand our servers as we were experiencing growing pains and needed a solution that would last us for several years. Previously, we had built really cheap tower-based servers using server-grade components supplied by General Nanosystems of St. Paul, MN. General Nano was great in that is was local to us, we did not need to keep spare computer parts on hand (which meant no need to buy extra hardware we would not immediately use) because they were within a few miles drive of our colocation facility and were open all the time. If a drive failed, a motherboard died, a stick of memory went south, we had replacement parts basically “down the street.” It was a great scenario during our startup phase.

As we began to outgrow the basic tower offerings and were looking for more serious “server grade” components, I began looking online for solutions. Dell was very well-respected in this regard, the hardware replacement policies were outstanding, but they also had the pricetag to go along with them. For 3 guys trying to juggle day jobs and a startup company on the side, we had to be as efficient as possible. So, after much searching online, we felt we had found a reputable source for a custom server at a reasonable price: CCSI (aka Opertonics aka RackMountEquipment.com).

In hindsight, what a horrible, horrible decision it was.

The sales support process was very disappointing. We made the mistake of paying in FULL before ever receiving a thing. Granted, this is how most companies work, but considering they were unknown, we should have negotiated some other terms. With that said, all I can really do is post the timeline of events that would transpire over 8 months until we demanded a refund for a server that never worked (these are my notes to CCSI in an e-mail to help explain the position they had put us in):

1. 11/2/05 check mailed for original purchase of machine for $XXXX.XX (cost hidden to protect us ). 3 drives purchased separately by SuperMotors.
2. 11/9/05 (check received), told after Thanksgiving, possibly first week of December to ship
3. 12/6/05, system built, but issues with motherboard
4. 12/14/05, changing out motherboard, but no bench space to do it. Expect to ship on 12/16, NLT 12/19
5. 1/9/06, Server ships, tracking number provided 60 days after check received.
6. Due to my moving across country on 1/3/06, I could not setup machine. This would be delayed and we would incur setup charges by our ISP to configure the server due to me no longer being in the same city/state as our colocation facility. We incur 3 hours of setup time @ $120/hr only to find that there is a hardware issue. Purchased a new 3WARE 9550SX card. Still will not run reliably.
7. Shipped to CCSI for delivery on Wed, 6/21. You said you would get right on it upon receiving.
8. 6/21, server arrives. Repairs not started as promised via e-mail.
9. 6/28, no update yet.
10. 7/5, Bad memory. Replaced.
11. 7/13, hard drive drops offline. Don’t know why. More troubleshooting necessary.
12. 7/20/06, lost a drive. Looks like the controller is making contact with the heat sink on the southbridge chip on the motherboard. We’re making adjustments (trimming the heat sink) and maybe an insulating shield and will try again. Hopefully more results tomorrow.

We did end up getting a refund for about 17% of what our initial investment was. After much hemming and hawing, they gave into our demands after repeated e-mails from me. It was a morbidly hilarious chain of events, I must say. I can’t imagine treating a customer like we were treated. Incompetence and unwillingness to work with us on all sides of the sale, but thankfully we got some cash back, albeit 17%.

So, here we sit with a pile of hardware that doesn’t amount to a complete server and 17% of our investment back in our hands. They claimed to have never issued a refund before, so I’m happy to say we were the first. I am posting this because I did not find any other reviews on the company, nor do they have a Better Business Bureau record, and I want others who are researching CCSI to be aware of their tactics. At the time, we were a small firm looking to maximize our limited budget, and we ended up losing out rather significantly on the deal. If you would like any other information on this company, do not hesitate to contact me. I have a complete chain of e-mails that documents the entire ordeal.