MALIBAL Reviews

so... was it wrong for me to ask a question based on the reviews which I had read through?

 

No, you weren't wrong to ask such questions. However, you wait a ticket to be replied. You do not go around asking to it to be replied.

Notice that the live chat rep realized your identity immediately; that should tell you something which you probably won't realize at this point.

I do, however, admit that the rep was slightly rude.

 

IDK, Malibal seems very responsive, they respond to all my emails immediately, PM's on the forums quickly, and my one phone call when ordering was exceptional.

Granted the answers they give are not always the ones you are looking for... ie, I was hoping to see my laptop shipped out Today but it looks as if it will "Probably" be shipped tomorrow, and "Probably" isn't for sure so that's still up in the air... but at least they respond! They say 5-7 business days, for me if they ship tomorrow it will be 7 Business days, and I was hoping for the low end of that range, but it is within their statement. So far I see no issues with Malibal and their CS, to be honest its refreshing to see a serice department that is responsive, but also stands up for themselves.

 

I don't know how many representatives operate on Malibal Chat. There was once I found the rep a little rude and other times where he was awesome. If it's one guy then he must be on period, no offence intended.

 

I think it's one guy. Before placing an order, I did talk to a live rep from their website before. He was a little rube and blunt, might I add.

 

I completely agree with you, I should be patient. I hope I am not sounding harsh, but I sent the ticket on the 3rd, and was just asking for an update...

 

I completely agree with you, but I had received a mail after my first post with a question (instead of an answer to my ticket [which is still unanswered...]), which asked whether I posted on a forum. Makes me feel two employees are kinda against me (one on live chat, and one on email, which I doubt would be the same employee ). I guess I'll wait for Malibal to respond on this thread...

 

Think they already told you to go elsewhere, why would they need to respond more?

 

I guess just like we are free to choose whatever reseller we want; the reseller can choose whether to do or not to do business with you. It seems that they don't think that dealing with you personally as a customer is worth the money for them for whatever reason.

Just chose another reseller with similar pricing - PowerNotebooks, XoticPC, LPC Digital, am I missing anything? Origin and Mythlogic have steeper prices in my experience.

 

*sigh* i guess i agree with you... ... I guess I'll go with LPC-Digital

 

I ordered a P180HM from Malibal and I was happy with the experience. Especially the response time.

Also due to my own problems (credit card switchover between ordering and building) the system was slightly delayed and they bumped me to faster shipping to get it to me by Christmas. That was unexpected and appreciated.

Malibal got my business because everywhere I checked they had positive reviews and even responded to the negative ones. It's always nice to see a company that makes the extra effort to make things right at least in my research.

 

Though remember that MALIBAL isn't a reseller but a builder. The laptops you see on their site are not Sager. The BIOS in my laptop is not a custom FW from Sager.

 

Wow, read this whole thread today.

MALIBAL sounds like an excellent company and customer service is so hands on.
Perhaps even worthy of my hard earned cash.

 

Hi St4r! Thanks, please PM us if you have any specific questions or need help with anything else.

 

i PM to you many days ago. but i didn't receive any responds yet. don't know that the message was sent to u or not. about my last quote, today seem there is a little change in price/spec

 

Ok, I know extremely little about computers and which manufacturer to go with, so please bare with me. Would you recommend Malibal to someone like myself who knows very little about computers and pixels and graphics, etc, etc? Based on what I've read, I'm excited to look into them. What separates them from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovov, etc other than marketing and brand awareness?
Thanks for any responses.

 

There is no hurt knowing more knowledge, that's why we have this forum. Malibal won't cheat you with your money unlike many other companies like Dell, HP... you get what you pay for.

Malibal will be perfect for you. Malibal's response system is really fast and will probably answer 90% of your questions. Give it a try, go to their website and hit the chat link on top.

 

More importantly, you can actually customize your lappy and it can be upgraded in the future. I did not buy mine from any of these resellers, but there are several I would not hesitate to buy from in the future. I would not even think for a moment about buying a laptop from Malibal. I have watched these threads for over a year now and they really have shown great customer service. I run 2 auto auctions and I eat, sleep, drink and cry customer service, and this company (along with a couple of others) does the same. I have had HP, Dell and a couple of other computers over the last 20 years or so, and there is a HUGE difference in the quality and service these guys give. I think you will be very happy with them.

 

I am very interested in buying the Lotus P150HM from MALIBAL.

One of the biggest reasons why I haven't bought it yet is that I worry about receiving a screen with any dead pixels. It seems a there is a decent number of people that get those. I am pretty paranoid when it comes to it, and I just think paying 75$ premium to make sure it doesn't come with dead pixels/warrantyfor45 days is dumb. I mean when your dishing out so much money on a product like that, it shouldn't come with any defects(1 dead pixel to me is a defected product, not 6 as stated on their warranty.)

For right now, I'm still researching what other options I have. Will probably get the P150HM though.

 

I've got my sights on the Lotus P150HM as well.

Haven't pulled the trigger yet for exactly the same reason as well as payment options for international purchases. I'm hoping to speak to a MALIBAL rep later to discuss other options as I have relatives in the States.

 

I'd recommend investing in the dead pixel warranty. When you're spending 800+ it's better to have peace of mind, as I've seen some posts on these forums complaining about the dot on their screens, but it is semi-rare... but again the chance is there and it's nice to be 100% dead pixel free at that price tag

 

From what I've read though, all the dead pixel warranty offers is the option to return the laptop if there's a dead pixel. I'd prefer an assurance that a screen with any number of dead pixels will not be shipped to me. While the warranty may take the cost of shipping the laptop back, it still does not account for the downtime. Correct me if I'm wrong about the warranty.

 

If you purchase the A+ Grade Panel With 45 Day Perfect Pixel Warranty, the screen is inspected for dead/stuck pixels before shipment. Also, not all LCD panels that are produced are perfect, so LCD Manufacturers use a grading system (e.g. A, B, C) to account for things like dead/stuck pixels. The grade of the panel will determine the price and warranty.

Being perfectionists, we would prefer that every screen we ship out is guaranteed to be perfect from the manufacturer, however - that comes at a huge cost - and since a lot of people do not care about possibly getting a single stuck or dead pixel, most companies (including us) offer a lower grade panel as the default selection - with the option of upgrading to a higher grade panel.

I hope that helps.

 

Clears it up for me MALIBAL, thanks. Does this apply for the 95% NTSC Color Gamut Matte Screen? You'll ship a B or C graded screen unless the A+ Grade Panel With 45 Day Perfect Pixel Warranty is purchased along with said screen selection?

 

Hi, yes it's the same with the 95% displays. However, I would like to note that even if you don't purchase the A+ Panel, there is still a very good chance you will not have any stuck or dead pixels - however - there is no guarantee like with the A+ Panel. Plus you won't have the 45 Day Perfect Pixel Warranty that's also included with the A+ Panel - which offers additional protection.

 

Malibal, thanks for posting the information about the dead pixel warranty. I had no idea that the dead pixel warranty included an upgraded screen. Besides dead pixels, is there any other difference between grades of the same model of screen?

 

The dead pixel warranty doesn't include an upgraded screen, if you're referring to things like gamut range and whatnot.

 

No, I'm referring to screens in the same model. I'd to know if there's any difference between an A+ screen and a B screen for instance, besides dead pixels. Most B grade screens don't have dead pixels, so what makes one screen an A+, and another of the same model a B?

 

Panels are also graded based on mura levels i.e. luminance non-uniformity e.g. clouding.

 

Thanks....I may have to reconsider purchasing the dead pixel warranty when I'm ready to buy a new notebook.

 

FWIW I got the 95% glossy and I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I really love it. I can't not get an upgraded display when buying a notebook now.

 

Same here

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

Just ordered Malibal Lotus last night. very good help and support from malibal sales dep. now wait for approval and assembly.
thank you

 

Does anyone know how to get in touch with the people from Malibal? I need to speak to their 24/7 technical support.

I just put in my 2nd ticket because its been weeks and nobody has returned my voicemails, or contacted me regarding my first ticket.

 

Ken, we just replied to your ticket - there is no record of a first ticket.

 

Thank you.

 

Scheduled For Early Delivery On:
Tuesday, 01/17/2012, By End of Day

OMG is this true? Yesterday it said it would arrive on Wednesday but now it says today. And it just shipped out yesterday. Wow, nice ground shipping lol.

 

Just ordered my Lotus - and it's being shipped all the way to New Zealand.

They've been very helpful so far - however after re-reading this thread, I'm really concerned about dead pixels on the screen. They say they test everything, but I'm curious as to how after testing everything, a few dead pixels would result during the shipping process - that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I went with them, at significant expense (to ship all the way here - and to ship back if something goes wrong!) largely based on the quality of the website, the customer support and the vastly positive reviews here. They've got a product that simply isn't available for near the same price down these ways. Even going via Sager/Eurocom etc etc - who essentially offer the same build, they're still a little cheaper.

It's true I could've purchased the pixel warranty - but I think it's a reasonable to assume that really, this wouldn't be needed. Or perhaps this is just a cultural/legalisation thing - here in NZ we're fully protected from anything like that at the time of purchase, warranties are considered extra protection (companies make warranty margins by offering 'extended warranties' etc) - so I hope I haven't screwed up there.

I hate having the 'crossing your fingers' feeling, when committing to such a large purchase.

I'm sure I'm just being paranoid - and as mentioned they've been very nice so far - and told me not to worry about it when my Wire Transfer hadn't shown up, heh.

Will Update!

 

Same here, I bought a P150HM and waiting to be delivered. However, reading about laptops that arrive dead is worrying me! I hope mine works fine when it arrives at Dubai!

 

Let's have a race! When are you due? I've just become impregnated myself.

It's a difficult thing to judge isn't it - you read a community like this, and it's hard to know what percentage of the customer base this is. I would, usually, assume relatively small - but this a page linked on their website - and honestly, I can't remember how I came upon it - I think, probably, searching for another re-seller. Whoops!

 

Its now in delivery stage i have contacted them many times to ensure that they check everything before shipping. i hope i receive it with no problems.

 

Think positively guys. You're going to receive your laptop, fall in love and live happily ever after.

 

To preface this, I'm really trying not to be ing furious when I write this review.

I ordered my P170HM in October 2011, and received my first laptop in the last week of October. Immediately upon using the laptop, it would randomly power off during use, had to replace using the 100% QA guarantee that the MALIBAL poster is quoted using in his sig to get a new one.

The redeeming quality I've worked with so far at Malibal, has been the customer service. I mentioned that I was leaving the country in a very short manner and needed another machine ASAP, and the 2nd day aired a new one out. Fast forward to now, had this 2nd machine for about 2 1/2 months so far.

This machine is now toast. Talked to tech support, they indicated it was most likely a bad CMOS/motherboard. Today after I got home from work, the laptop won't even hold power on just the battery anymore; the second I unplug the AC charger any indication of power is gone. To say I'm ing furious is an understatement, this is an 1800$ product I've had to replace twice in the course of 3 months.

I'm not going to turn this into a rant but I damn should. The customer support has been the saving grace of this company so far and I hope it continues to be so. Tech Supports solution is an RMA, which i totally understand, however my situation is unique in that I have deployed overseas to the middle east. The RMA process, to send an item out, RMA, and receive again, would easily take around 2 months for me to see the end item. This is simply unacceptable, I use my laptop for work, school, and obviously games. The fact that if I RMA another machine I would have to buy some 500$ Acer junker just to get buy is ludicrous for how much I paid for a premium product.

I very much hope to hear from the Malibal rep on here soon. I understand happens and parts break, but theres a quote around here mentioning 'extensive testing' before shipping; but I've replaced 2 so far? Get serious.

Please contact me at [email protected]

 

Hi Bakuhar, the current problem you have cannot be prevented with testing, so it has no bearing on our QA. It's an issue where the BIOS EEPROM gets erased / corrupted due to a faulty chip. It's a manufacturing flaw from Clevo.

P.S. Please open a support ticket on our site for further assistance with the RMA.

 

I'll submit the ticket whenever I get home to submit the RMA, I'm typing this at work since my laptop is clearly fried. Can I get a replacement similar to how my first one was treated, where I was just shipped a new one?

My address is an APO which is considered a US address.

 

Within 30 days of purchase, we will exchange any defective unit with a Brand New system, however - it's been nearly 4 months since your purchase - so at this point - we can only service your notebook.

 

Hey I received my P151HM yesterday and I gotta say it's awesome. Love the laptop. It's quiet and does not get hot as my HP HDX. The keyboard is great too.

Also, THANK YOU for the surprise free upgrade to the i7-2670QM. Really put a smile on my face

 

Ops now i am worried mine will reach me next week and i hope that it will stay at least 4 years :-(

 

Thesilent85, it doesn't matter which brand or which store you purchase from, there will always be a certain number of systems that will require service. That's why there's a warranty.

However, rest assure that the fail rate on these laptops is pretty low - and if there is an issue, it's usually something small like a defective stick of RAM or bad HDD.

The problem Bakuhar has experienced is not very common at all.

 

thanks for the reply i am doing an international order and cant imagine sending back the laptop it would cost me a lot.

i hope you are right.