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TigerDirect was founded in 1987 and incorporated in 1989 as a distributor of software for both PC and Apple computers. TigerDirect eventually expanded its business and became known as an online distributor of products for building computers in the 1990s. The website was launched in 1996, selling computers, electronics, books on electronics, and software. The website was one of the first that was pushed towards the “Do-It-Yourself” market. They have an extensive area of their website that is geared towards the home computer “do-it-yourself” expert.
 Best Buy › | 9.8 Overall | |
 Newegg.com › | 6.5 Overall | |
 Crutchfield › | 5.8 Overall | |
 TigerDirect › | -- Insufficient |
The Good
- For DIY computer builders
- Daily deals
- Marine products
TigerDirect is the ultimate experience for the Do-It-Yourself home computer builder. Here are some of the neat products that we found on the website aimed towards the DIY experience:
- Shuttle XPC SH87R: For $254.99, the Shuttle SH87R doesn't have a motherboard or hard drive, but has PCI slots for cards and other components.
- Motherboards, customers could get a performance-level motherboard for $50-$199.
- Solid State Drives for computing speed allowed a computer builder to get a 512 GB drive for around $500.
TigerDirect also has some great daily deals. We found a ProScan Android Tablet for $39.99. This product, after the rebate, comes with 8 GB of Flash Storage, as well as a carrying case and keyboard kit. The deal is great because the tablet is also outfitted with the latest version of the KitKat Android operating system.
The software selection for TigerDirect was pretty good, as we were happy to see that there was a version of Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended. We weren't able to find a version of Photoshop with Newegg.
We saw some marine products advertised through TigerDirect that weren't available through other online storefronts. Here are some of the marine products that we found on TigerDirect:
- Boat Outfitting
- Marine Audio
- Marine Safety
- Trolling Motors
- Navigation and Location
TigerDirect also offered some good tablet gaming options. In additions to tons of games and hardware for the traditional gamer, there is also the latest Shield tablet. The Nvidia Shield Tablet was a great fit for the on-the-go-gamer, with Android 5.0 Lollipop, a great processor, 4G LTE connectivity, and a 5MP camera setup, all for $399.99. This is a great product, because it lets users connect to a home PC and play all of their favorite PC games, in addition to several different games available through the Google Play Store. The advertised computer for streaming PC games is GeForce GTX PC.
The Bad
- No Apple computers
- Lack of FAQ
Where are the Apple computers? When we reviewed TigerDirect's directory of computing resources, we saw hundreds of different PC models and barebone kits. However, we didn't find any Apple computers, including MacBooks, iMacs, and Mac Minis. For example, the Mac Pro is the latest, hottest desktop on the Apple market and can play many of the games that are available for PC. We felt that TigerDirect would benefit for customers if they sold Apple computers on their website.
Another problem with the website involved the lack of a knowledge base for the do-it-yourself computer builder. A first-time DIY computer builder might benefit from a checklist of items needed to build their own computer, as well as special toolkits for assembling their home computer. To further enhance the barebone kits, there needs to be a separate category for barebone kits and complete computer building kits. There was some overlap between the do-it-yourself categories, and this was indicated by the review where an individual purchased a motherboard with RAM that didn't work. A user needs to know if they are purchasing a kit without a motherboard or a combination package with the body of the computer and necessary components.
We also felt that TigerDirect's return policy wasn't very good. There are no returns accepted. All sales are final.
The Bottom Line
We would recommend TigerDirect as an online electronics storefront. Here is what we liked:
- The Do-It-Yourself marketing paradigm and the wide array of kits and computer devices available.
- The multiple layers of customer support available for customers.
- Tiger Direct's wide selection of merchandise, which included everything from marine outboard motors for boats to toys.
- The gaming tablet that was available from Nvidia, as well as the tablet's accessories (sold separately).
We did have some concerns with some aspects of TigerDirect's products and services:
- No returns are accepted. ALL SALES ARE FINAL.
- There wasn't a knowledge base for customers who might want to build their own computer.
- We'd like to see Apple computers as part of Tiger Direct's product directory.
- Tiger Direct doesn't have a marketplace for frequent customers, as we found with Best Buy and Newegg, as well as other companies.
Read the fine print when purchasing products from TigerDirect, but the high number of quality items should attract most computer buyers.
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User Reviews
Terrible customer service. Ordered two boxes of 12 urinal screens, the ship me two urinal screens. I can't get anybody to do anything about it. Customer service keeps putting me off. They have no answers. I want what I ordered. I would never order anything high-dollar from Tiger Direct!
have bought a lot of computer items and always get great service. bought a refurb laptop still working my desktop over 5 years old still going strong.
I have bought many components from them, as well as two Refurb Computers and one New Computer. All the Computers are doing fine. My Sister has one of the Desktops, and I have one here as well as the refurb Laptop, that both get rarely used now. I have a newer laptop as well as a desktop I built that I use mostly. I have had no problems with them. Pricing has been competitive, but got better delvery time elsewhere. I honestly don't use them much these days, but they are okay and I do recommend then to others.
I have never been disappointed with TigerDirect since I have ordered since 2000
They have closed their stores up north.reason no business. The operation was a joke. Nobody knew anything. The management was awful. They had no interest in the customer and certain rules of the company were rather weird. It was a rather cold feeling in the store. Upper management should have detected this problem sooner. I speak as a very good customer. I bought many thousands of dollars worth of equipment there. Even being a good customer, they didn't appear to want to take time to fill my needs. I shopped at the Orland Park Illinois store. Now they are closed, they have bombarded me with emails everyday. They will be another Radio Shack soon.
excellent company!!
I have always liked shopping with TigerDirect. It really upset me when they closed their brick and mortar stores here in Jacksonville because they were my biggest supplier of PC parts TV's and other items I need to service my customers. Now I have to get them shipped in and it takes to long and is to expensive to over night. This really hurt my business!
I order bulk for a college. I have never had an issue until the last. They ran out of a specific motherboard. They rounded up enough motherboards to fill the order. They are a large company and do have some problems, but I have not had any problem that could not be fixed. Good company for the value.
TigerDirect is by far one of the worst companies I have ever had to deal with. On May 25, I placed an order for 10 HP ProBooks. As of today, June 16, I have not only failed to receive my products, but I have been lied to by multiple TigerDirect representatives. After continuously expressing the urgency needed to get my order shipped, I was put in contact with multiple so-called “supervisors.” Several of them lied to me and said that my order would be shipped out that day or the next, and that I would receive an email with tracking information. I have yet to receive any shipping details, and the only confirmation I have received from TigerDirect is that my order has not been shipped and there are no updates. One of the “supervisors” informed me that the customer service department has no way of calling the warehouse, but instead only communicates via email. How can a company stay in business when it is operating this way? I placed my order nearly a month ago, and yet it has still not even shipped. The complete lack of honesty and respect I have experienced has left me with an extremely bitter taste in my mouth. The failure of service provided by TigerDirect is absolutely unacceptable, and I will never again give the company a fraction of my business.