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The complaints started in midsummer: A few customers of mail-order PC vendors CyberMax and Quantex wrote to report difficulty reaching both companies. By late August, I had heard from hundreds of angry Quantex and CyberMax owners, all with similar tales of woe.

Judith Grizanti of Liverpool, New York, was a typical victim. "My CyberMax PC stopped working in July, and since then I've spent hours listening to a recording that assures me that my call is extremely important. I have sent e-mails and faxes, and written to the company's president--all to no avail."

CyberMax and Quantex wouldn't talk to us, either. Eventually, we learned that their closely allied supplier, Fountain Technologies, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (see November Top of the News). This form of bankruptcy lets a company continue operating while it reorganizes its finances. But that's little consolation to customers such as Grizanti.

Can't get a satisfactory response from a PC vendor? Submit complaints to the Better Business Bureau, to your county consumer affairs office, and to the attorney general of your state. You can obtain contact details from the Federal Consumer Information Center.

There's no guarantee that even a well-known vendor won't vanish unexpectedly, but you can nudge the odds in your favor before you buy. Research the company in question thoroughly. Check consumer-opinion sites such as Deja.com for recent customer feedback. If the company is public, you can obtain financial facts at Company Sleuth. For private companies, Companies Online can provide a Dun & Bradstreet report for less than $25.