FAQ's

1. Do you build to order or sell fixed configurations?

We build to order, the servers and workstations listed on the website are currently availible in our inventory. However where a customer requires a different specification we can build the order to any specification required.

2. What warranty do you offer?

This can either be a manufacturers standard 3 year onsite warranty as in the case of the majority of HP servers that we sell or in the case of the Dell Servers an MCS warranty. As part of our agreement with Dell we take over all warranty and support from Dell on all the Dell hardware that we sell. Our standard warranty is 12 months return to base. If the fault is diagnosed within 30 days of receipt of the goods we will arrange and pay for carriage to collect and return the item, after 30 days we ask that the customer returns the goods to us, we then pay for return shippment. Our target turn around time is 48 hours. In the event that spare parts are not available within a reasonable timescale we reserve the right to replace the faulty item with an equivalent or higher spec model from that manufacturers range. Please click on warranty options under customer support for more warranty information. Occasionally we may clear older product at heavily discounted prices in which case we may vary the duration of the warranty provided. If this is the case this will be disclosed prior to sale.

3. Are any extended warranty options available?

Yes, on server purchases over �2000 we offer a 3 year advance replacement warranty at additional cost. The cost of this is 8% p.a. of invoice price. In the event of a server failure we will ship a replacement component or system to the customers site for delivery the following day with a fault diagnosis cut off time of 3-00 p.m. for next day shipment.

4. Are any of the systems that you sell used?

In our experience only a very small percentage of the systems that we sell will have ever been used. In the case of the HP Systems that we sell all the systems are normally new and boxed. If this is not the case we would mention it specifically in the description of the item. The Dell servers that we sell are sourced from similar sources at Dell to the Dell Factory Outlet product, we are informed by Dell that typically 80% of these systems are sales order errors, the balance being ex demo machines etc. Unfortunately given the quantities of machines involved we cannot research the detailed history of any particular machine. All systems are tested thoroughly prior to resale and are cosmetically in good order. Occasionally we may clear older product at heavily discounted prices in which case there may be some more noticible defects which would form part of the product description. In the case of HP systems, these can either be brand new product in which case it will carry full HP warranty, HP factory refurbished product which will come with an HP warranty or alternatively an MCS refurbished product which would carry an MCS warranty. Please ask at the time of order if the product catagory is important to you.

5. I can't see the configuration that I am looking for, is this all you have?

We only place a selection of our systems for sale on the web site to give our customers an idea of the models available and typical pricing. We are happy to vary specs to suit individual customers requirements so we do not list multiple examples of the same system. Please e-mail or call for detailed pricing.

6. How much is delivery?

Our delivery charges range from �15 for accessory items, through to �25 for small servers (e.g. Poweredge 600), �35 for Midrange (1600 / 2600 series and ) �45 for larger servers (4400 / 4600) and from �55 for the very large (6600 / 6650). All our deliveries are by courier and we insure the goods to your door. Saturday and timed deliveries attract additional charges.

7. How do I return a faulty item?

Please contact our support department who will ask you to perform a number of diagnostic checks. If a hardware fault is diagnosed they will allocate a reference number and arrange for the goods to be collected.

8. What do I get with my Server system?

9. What do I get with my Workstation system?

As standard all our systems ship with electronic versions of the manuals and a cd with all the drivers needed to install an operating system plus all power cords required to operate the system, keyboard and mouse. We do not normally supply operating system software unless this has been specifically ordered. If an operating system has been ordered this will be supplied installed with a valid licence, however the media is not normally supplied. We will include either a manufacturers recovery cd or copy the necessary files to the systems' hard drive.

10. Do you sell software?

No, not normally. We specialise in great value hardware and would prefer to leave software to those who have the relevant expertise.

11. What support will MCS provide?

When we sell a system we want our customers to be up and running quickly, indeed we offer a free hardware configuration service and will perform software installs prior to delivery at a nominal cost. We offer 30 days operating system support to help with any installation issues that the customer may have, this covers any software supplied and installed by ourselves. We are always happy to help with any hardware issues that you may have and are always keen to share our experiences. We cannot unfortunately support any third party software or hardware not supplied by ourselves.

12. Can I visit your premises?

We are always happy for customers to visit us, our opening hours are Monday to Friday 9-00 a.m. to 5-00 p.m. although we may be able to accommodate requests outside of these hours. Please always call in advance as we are not a retail type operation and so an appointment will avoid possible delays.

13. How can I pay for my purchase?

We accept all major credit cards with the exception of Diners. We will always fax you an order confirmation and credit card authority prior to despatch. We only debit cards when goods are despatched. To minimise credit card fraud we will always ask for some additional proof of ID / Delivery address, typically this will take the form of a copy of a driving licence or a recent utility bill. We are happy to accept cheques which we express clear, normally allowing goods to be despatched within 48 hours of receipt of the cheque. BACS payments and other direct fund transfers are accepted Credit accounts are available for established trade or corporate customers with a likely annual spend in excess of �20k, please ask for a credit application form to enable us to make the appropriate enquiries.

14. Do you hold any accreditations from the manufacturers whose products you sell?

Dell do not accredit resellers but all our technicians have extensive experience of working on the full range of Dell Poweredge Servers, Powervault Servers and Precision Workstations.

15. I need the system urgently, how soon can you deliver?

All the systems quoted are available ex stock. We generally aim to ship standard systems with no O/S within 24 hours of receiving payment, occasionally we can ship on the same day for orders received before 1-00 p.m.

16. Do you ship internationally?

We are happy to ship to anywhere within the UK and Ireland including Jersey and the Isle of Man. We have customers elsewhere in Europe and are happy to supply subject to confirmation of shipping costs.

17. Do you offer trade or volume discounts?

Yes, we have always worked closely with resellers to help them build their server business. We are happy to preconfigure hardware and offer a scale of trade discounts dependant on volume. We supply many IT companies with hardware and so aim to be highly competitive on price as a matter of course, trade discount is normally only applicable therefore where the customer is a bona fide reseller where annual spend is likely to exceed �100k. We are happy to look at volume discount on all server orders over �15k and workstation orders over �10k.

18. Are the accessories that you sell genuine original manufacturers' products?

Yes all the items that we sell are as originally supplied by the manufacturer unless specified otherwise, this covers memory, hard drives, tape drives, RAID controllers and add in cards. These items may have been supplied as either after sales parts or have been removed from our extensive stocks of Servers and Workstations. In either case they are fully tested and carry an appropriate MCS warranty.

19. Do you sell spares / upgrades for my Dell / HP server?

Yes we stock a full range of upgrades and are always willing to try to help with any server related requirements that you may have.

20. I need a server or a workstation for a period of time, do you rent equipment?

Yes, we are happy to rent fully configured servers and workstations for anywhere between one month and three years.

21. Do you offer an installation service?

We are happy to quote for onsite installation if required however we do not normally sell software installation services. We are happy to recommend a number of companies who can provide these services.