Newegg.com Botchup Sends Several Core i7 'Demo Boxes' to Customers

[btarunr]

Newegg.com, one of America's leading online retailers of computer hardware and related sales, on its official Twitter page admitted to a botchup with one of its long-term partners that resulted in several customers who ordered Intel Core i7 processors receiving what it calls "Demo Boxes". These boxes probably are used to demonstrate what the boxes look like or weigh, or probably it's a case of "adulteration", forgery, and counterfeiting. Each of these so-called demo boxes contain a completely non-functional dummy of the processor, heatsink fan, and the instruction leaflet. When opened, the three don't really look like mockups, but when packed into the box, can easily pass off as the product.

Newegg swung into action after several customers got back to it reporting "fake Core i7 920" chips. Many of them were taken aback when their $290 investment yielded a big chunk of plastic, and a slab of metal on which is strapped on the processor's IHS. The chunk of plastic is molded roughly to the shape of an HSF, and a sticker of the HSF's top was pasted, so it could be visible from the little window on the box that lets you see the HSF. Newegg said that it has acknowledged that a number of "demo boxes" were shipped, and that its staff is working directly with each of the affected customers to resolve the issue at the earliest. It kind of begs the question: where did so many so-called demo boxes come from, and why are there so many of them?



Video of a disgruntled customer unboxing a "demo box", and statement from Newegg follow after the break.



Statement from Newegg:

Newegg is aware of a shipping error that occurred with certain recent orders of the Intel Core i7-920 CPU. After investigating the issue internally it appears one of our long term partners mistakenly shipped a small number of demo boxes instead of functional units. Our customer service team has already begun proactively reaching out to the affected customers. In line with our commitment to ensure total customer satisfaction we are doing everything in our power to resolve the issue as soon as possible and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers.

Image courtesy: Overclockers.com community members dreadrok, nix. Video by YouTube member publicstunt

[AthlonX2]

great marketing strategy:P

[pr0n Inspector]

This is epic. I want one.

[Phxprovost]

nice coverup attempt newegg, cause im sure intel makes marked + serial numbered "demo boxes" complete with fake cpus with fab labeling on them and coolers that look like they are carved out of polystyrene, lol plus the "booklet" that looks like some blank index cards stapled together. This comes extremely close to topping the woodscrew fermi

*Edit* According to hardwarecanucks even the box it comes in is fake

[mtosev]

lol. biggest fail in history

[TVman]

newegg is fail

[Live OR Die]

looks like a cover up to me if it was a demo it wouldnt look like that and why have a fake cpu and fan

[toyo]

I can answer to the "WTF is this ugly thing?" question about the cooler from the last pic:

That is a piece of cheese, from my country, and Intel attached to it four legs for obvious reasons: the cheese has the CPU inside, and it can walk around the house and compute jobs, like flushing the WC or annoying your girlfriend with some questionable smell.
There is indeed a problem, Intel forgot to print the manual, and it contained instructions on how to melt the cheese if you decided the CPU would better suit your computer.

This is all part of the Intel campaign "Cheese is your friend; Say cheese!", which will be disclosed after the NDA is lifted.

[btarunr]

lol surrealism.

[Mussels]

its a cover up.

the threads on this showed very clearly the boxes have incredibly poor english - these are not intel demo boxes, but clear fakes designed to rip someone off.




Sochet? batch numbers for demo boxes?



I wont even go into how many typos this has

[dr emulator (madmax)]

Originally Posted by Mussels

its a cover up.

the threads on this showed very clearly the boxes have incredibly poor english - these are not intel demo boxes, but clear fakes designed to rip someone off.




Sochet? batch numbers for demo boxes?

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/a...1&d=1267754102

I wont even go into how many typos this has

i love the fake hologram it's so authentic

isn't that the stuff women wear as eye makeup

[Kitkat]

Originally Posted by Mussels

I wont even go into how many typos this has

Your comment brought up a memory of buying a discount CD drive at Frys once!!!

Insert tha cayday drave! hahahahhahahha i noticed like everything was spelled wrong when i got home.

[FordGT90Concept]

http://hardocp.com/article/2010/03/0...ake_intel_cpus

There's apparently 300 counterfeit units (not just demo boxes) as well (which are the ones in the pictures and the YouTube video).

[Mussels]

actually, i see why they made it the way they did. metal CPU, solid 'heatsink' and the pamphlet - so it would look the same if it was X-rayed in an airport. This may be a strong clue that the 'deception' occured overseas, or at least interstate from the warehouse they shipped from.

[Aceman.au]

Does it overclock well???

[btarunr]

Originally Posted by l33tGaMeR

Does it overclock well???

Yes, you can beat Kingpin with it. Just fling it at him.

[HTC]

Originally Posted by l33tGaMeR

Does it overclock well???

You mean, like this?

[cauby]

Fpic Eail newegg!

[Velvet Wafer]

Originally Posted by Mussels

actually, i see why they made it the way they did. metal CPU, solid 'heatsink' and the pamphlet - so it would look the same if it was X-rayed in an airport. This may be a strong clue that the 'deception' occured overseas, or at least interstate from the warehouse they shipped from.

the german is perfect on this box....no Typos,and it sounds native... makes me wonder, if it has been produced here?

[Mussels]

Originally Posted by Velvet Wafer

the german is perfect on this box....no Typos,and it sounds native... makes me wonder, if it has been produced here?

interesting.

[Velvet Wafer]

Originally Posted by Mussels

interesting.

they use many "difficult" words, they are simply too complicated,"educated" to be used by anyone not native... "thermolösung" for example

this is 100% fake.... look how the cpus pcb is not even straight, it has curves!

[FordGT90Concept]

Originally Posted by Velvet Wafer

"thermolösung"

Sounds Korean. Ya know, Kim Il Sung, Samsung, and the like.

[Velvet Wafer]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

Sounds Korean. Ya know, Kim Il Sung, Samsung, and the like.

they dont know Ö

EDIT: the english part looks like its a 1:1 translation of the german text

[FordGT90Concept]

Intel has nothing in Germany so I wonder how those counterfeit CPUs could get into the supply chain:
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/...cturing_qa.htm

[Velvet Wafer]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

Intel has nothing in Germany so I wonder how those counterfeit CPUs could get into the supply chain:
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/...cturing_qa.htm

private production, someone at newegg, who now has a nice stash of money... maybe one of their packers, is corrupt? the proc is not from intel, as far as i can tell
i bet, this hasnt to do with anything "official"

(the info on the intel side is from pre 2006, if i read correctly... just wanted to tell you that )