Albatron KX18D PROII: nForce2 Ultra with Memory Ratios

Albatron KX18D PROII: Tech Support and RMA

For your reference, we will repost our support evaluation procedure here:

The way our Tech Support evaluation works is first we anonymously email the manufacturer's tech support address(es), obviously not using our AnandTech mail server to avoid any sort of preferential treatment. Our emails (we can and will send more than one just to make sure we are not getting the staff on an “off” day) all contain fixable problems that we have had with our motherboard. We then give the manufacturer up to 72 business hours to respond and then we will report whether or not they responded within the time allotted, and if they were successful in fixing our problems. In case we don’t receive a response before the review is published, any future responses will be added to the review, including the total time it took for the manufacturer to respond to our requests.

The idea here is to encourage manufacturers to improve their technical support as well as provide new criteria upon which to base your motherboard purchasing decisions. As motherboards become more similar every day, we have to help separate the boys from the men in as many ways as possible. As usual, we are interested in your feedback on this and other parts of our reviews, so please do email us with your comments.

Albatron is only in its second year after being formed by ex-Gigabyte and AOpen personnel. However, Albatron has already established quite a history at AnandTech with excellent and timely technical support. We received a response from Albatron's tech support in just 17 hours. Like our past experiences with Albatron, this is an excellent time that is much better than we normally see with the top tier desktop motherboard manufacturers. Given that the smaller manufacturers are trying very hard to distinguish themselves from the pack, this is really not a surprise. However, it’s refreshing to see the kind of care and concern a company like Albatron can provide, and we just wish that this was the norm in our industry instead of the exception.

You can email Albatron's U.S. tech support at support@albatronusa.com or contact them directly by dialing (714) 893-8113 ext. 128. Albatron also lists their international contact information on their “Service and Support” site and by clicking their “contact us” hyperlink, which is located on the right-hand side of their home page.

Albatron's RMA is equally as impressive as their tech support, since they clearly state their RMA policy (and have an RMA form) on their website. It is a pleasure to see an RMA form that actually makes sense for a change, including asterisks highlighting which information is required to fill out a proper RMA. If you'd like to visit Albatron's RMA form, click here. It will you ask you to provide the following information:

1. Purchase date and invoice number.
2. Contact information.
3. Problems or symptoms.
4. Concise explanation why you're filling out an RMA.
5. Operating System.
6. Product Model.
7. Serial Number(s)

Albatron also has a clearly marked RMA email address at the bottom of the page, rma@albatronusa.com, in addition to a U.S. tech support phone number, 1-714-893-8113 Ext. 128, which is conveniently listed for a second time. Overall, Albatron's tech support and RMA information is as clear as it gets. Many other manufacturers have made it very difficult and time-consuming to find information on their web sites. Albatron, by providing quick and easy-to-find RMA and tech support, easily ranks up there with the best motherboard makers in customer service and support.