Gigabyte RMA screwed me over?

[karolpl2004]

Recently had issues with my r9 270X. It began artifacting on startup. I found out the card was on warranty, so I requested service and got an RMA number. I packed the card in an antistatic bag. Then with a series of bubble wraps, and finally put the card in the factory foam form i removed from retail package. Today, about 3 days after Gigabyte received my card, I get an email that my card has been denied RMA because it appears as if the card was damaged in shipping. The corner of the PCB is slightly damaged (like if someone dropped it and it fell on the corner). There is no way the shipping company could have damaged the corner, as the card was wrapped in bubbles and in the foam. The box does not look damaged in the pictures as well. I sure as hell never dropped the card! What do you guys recommend I do next?
Here are the pictures the RMA sent me:













"
FROM:

GIGABYTE RMA/Customer Service Department



SUBJECT:

RMA#

USA-1640291



We received your

GV-R928XOC-3GD

GIGABYTE motherboard / video card

Serial Number

4719331345181SN134901009067



We have recently received your RMA package, however the package was received with both damage to the outer package and also the motherboard. Due to the shipping damage the warranty of the motherboard has been voided and the motherboard is being returned as is.



Reason: the PCB is damaged


Please view the attached files for more information.

Due to the shipping damage, repairs to the product can not be made to correct the

problem, Please contact your shipping carrier on instructions to file a shipping damage claim



For more information regarding our RMA policy please refer to the following website.

http://rma.gigabyte-usa.com/DirectRMA/EndUser_Main.asp
"

 

[Jetster]

All you can do is wait a few days and call them again. Ask nicely and maybe you will get someone else that will make an exception for you.
You bought the card new?

Ive had to eat a few boards with other companies because of damage. Its very hard to prove how it happen. Double boxing helps

 

[newtekie1]

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/why-ill-never-buy-anything-gigabyte-again.218963/

Welcome to the club. Gigabyte's service is easily the worst I've ever dealt with.

 

[karolpl2004]

I bought the card from a friend. It did not have a scratch on it. I checked very carefully. I have always been super careful with components as well.

 

[xvi]

Something I should really get in the habit of is taking photos of items just before packaging.

 

[AsRock]

That mark looks real fresh, makes me thing if RMA'ing take pictures 1st as you know they will either blame the other.

 

[Mussels]

took me about 5 RMA returns with every single new 280x being faulty before i got my 290.


had they skipped right to the 290 i'd have been incredibly happy, as that cards been solid the whole time i've had it.

 

[karolpl2004]

I'm pissed! Just because they have someone sloppy working RMA and dropped it and now basically telling me to go screw myself. I wont let this go easy! I am thinking of refusing the package, as the dent was not my fault. Basically tell them "You dented it, you fix it"

 

[jboydgolfer]

if i may, i would recommend using this link to post your frustrations HERE

in my experience, Public complaints Tend to get more attention, not always better results, but Often they Can bare fruit.
hope it works for you.
especially if a bunch of other people who know about your issue follow up, or comment on Your post with sympathetic repsonses ... i would back your comment up if you posted, others may as well .

but id recommend Still trying to keep it polite, as hard as im sure it is

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Your reply to Gigabyte: "Let me dig up the pictures that I took of the GPU before I packaged it and sent it to you that show that there was no damage before shipping."
Just make them think that you have pictures and then see what they say.

 

[AsRock]

Your reply to Gigabyte: "Let me dig up the pictures that I took of the GPU before I packaged it and sent it to you that show that there was no damage before shipping."
Just make them think that you have pictures and then see what they say.

yeah real good idea unless they call your bluff and makes you look guilty even more so.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Bad idea, they'll demand to see them.

I'd complain first. If they don't reconsider, go to the BBB.


Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that damage purely cosmetic? There's no wiring in the PCB there. Frankly, I'd demand they plug it in and see if the symptoms match the symptoms you reported--especially if you know how to repeat it. If the card exhibits the same defects, warranty law prevails.


http://rma.gigabyte.us/

GIGABYTE is not responsible for any shipping damages during transit, customer induced physical damages and/or non-GIGABYTE branded products.

The box is proof it wasn't in transit. If you know the damage wasn't by you which means the damage was by them then it's your word against yours. That's where the BBB is good.

 

[jaggerwild]

Gigabyte forums http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/, you shipped a GPU without insurance? I worked for FEDEX, first day on the job I walked up to the belt and computers were literally falling off the end and smashing in front of me. I could easily see someone that is having a bad day fling it. You don't even wanna know what we did with small packages, those trucks got loaded after the belt shut down. The supervisor would ask three people to stay and carefully load the truck(sometimes 2 or 3 trucks). So here you are no one around, and they want you to carefully load each box as if it were your own. we would build a wall up front then toss all the other boxes behind the wall to make it look like we hand packaged each one lovingly of course! And we moved packages for USPS too

 

[RCoon]

It took me four months to get a card returned from Gigabyte after sending it off. They did apologise by sending back a model higher though. Their communication skills are abysmal because their case officers are all Asian and barely speak a lick of English.

 

[jboydgolfer]

as i suggested above, i have done it in the past, and it works, id Post on FB that they Boned You on a technicality, and that as a consumer, One would hope that GB would atleast give the benefit of the doubt to the customer, and Assume they are telling the truth b4 assuming they are lying.
Make a big enough stink. and youll get past this ...not in a rude way, but just dont let down. and ill reiterate, i really recommend using FB to make a complaint. not to mention another support person usually handles FB.
You COULD always try the whole ..." I spoke to "johnny" support member, and HE said He would make an exception" play ignorant when they ask who it was, not exactly honest, but if You REALLY didnt cause the damage, i would ruin them if i were You.

 

[R-T-B]

I had an incident a long time ago where a customers ASUS VGA card was shipped to the RMA department, and they gave me guff about some missing capacitor/resisitor thingy on the PCB. I said "huh, that's interesting because the entire time he had this card it had a third party backplate on, making component damage to the PCB impossible"

They then demanded to see said backplate, determined it was third party and not supported, and voided my request.

There are two morals to this story:

One.) If you say you have something, they will demand evidence.

Two.) They will use that evidence against you in any way they can.

Unrelated three.) ASUS Support sucks

 

[Toothless]

Still better than Asus.

 

[alucasa]

There is one way to avoid all the ordeals. It's not cheap though. It's to buy a retailer's warranty, like the one Newegg offers. Then you won't deal with manufacturers at all and Newegg won't complain a peep and swaps your card or any other components.

 

[jaggerwild]

I had an incident a long time ago where a customers ASUS VGA card was shipped to the RMA department, and they gave me guff about some missing capacitor/resisitor thingy on the PCB. I said "huh, that's interesting because the entire time he had this card it had a third party backplate on, making component damage to the PCB impossible"

They then demanded to see said backplate, determined it was third party and not supported, and voided my request.

There are two morals to this story:

One.) If you say you have something, they will demand evidence.

Two.) They will use that evidence against you in any way they can.

Unrelated three.) ASUS Support sucks

I have 2 780Ti DCII OC I sent in for RMA on the fan blades had broken off, they said sure no worries. After recieving them they said I had spliced into the harness(so I could use my fans) they said the cost was $150 each card LOLZ! I posted on there face book page, I ended up getting 2 water blocks $50 each they scream now...................

 

[eidairaman1]

Yup I work in the Appliance repair business and Some people try to claim this or that, without a reciept the claim is invalid, GA might ask for pictures.

Bad idea, they'll demand to see them.

I'd complain first. If they don't reconsider, go to the BBB.


Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that damage purely cosmetic? There's no wiring in the PCB there. Frankly, I'd demand they plug it in and see if the symptoms match the symptoms you reported--especially if you know how to repeat it. If the card exhibits the same defects, warranty law prevails.


http://rma.gigabyte.us/

The box is proof it wasn't in transit. If you know the damage wasn't by you which means the damage was by them then it's your word against yours. That's where the BBB is good.

 

[DRDNA]

I was just getting ready to procure 45 of these Gigabyte LGA 2011-3 Intel X99 Over Clocking E-ATX DDR4 2133 LGA Motherboards GA-X99-SOC Champion http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UL4RSKA/?tag=tec06d-20 Not necessarily from Amazon but any way after reading this I went to the R&D department that wanted them and showed the above comments and we have decided NO Gigabyte brands will becoming in our doors! I will be ordering the Asus boards instead and maybe Sapphire cards. Thnx for all the above comments my TPU Family because I'm sure you have saved us some uneeded grief!

 

[DRDNA]

I was just getting ready to procure 45 of these Gigabyte LGA 2011-3 Intel X99 Over Clocking E-ATX DDR4 2133 LGA Motherboards GA-X99-SOC Champion http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UL4RSKA/?tag=tec06d-20 Not necessarily from Amazon but any way after reading this I went to the R&D department that wanted them and showed the above comments and we have decided NO Gigabyte brands will becoming in our doors! I will be ordering the Asus boards instead and maybe Sapphire cards. Thnx for all the above comments my TPU Family because I'm sure you have saved us some uneeded grief!

I was also going to procure 45 of these too http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0106B8UAY/?tag=tec06d-20 and will be going with Sapphire instead.
For what ever reason I could not combine this with the original post above so sorry for the dbl post

 

[Athlon2K15]

I was just getting ready to procure 45 of these Gigabyte LGA 2011-3 Intel X99 Over Clocking E-ATX DDR4 2133 LGA Motherboards GA-X99-SOC Champion http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UL4RSKA/?tag=tec06d-20 Not necessarily from Amazon but any way after reading this I went to the R&D department that wanted them and showed the above comments and we have decided NO Gigabyte brands will becoming in our doors! I will be ordering the Asus boards instead and maybe Sapphire cards. Thnx for all the above comments my TPU Family because I'm sure you have saved us some uneeded grief!

Asus is just as bad, I'm afraid the consumer doesn't win all the time and you will have RMA issues with any vendor.

 

[DRDNA]

Asus is just as bad, I'm afraid the consumer doesn't win all the time and you will have RMA issues with any vendor.

I have procured so much Asus product boards cards exc. and have never had any issue with RMA's not a once! Just saying but yeah I guess it can happen with any of them.

 

[hapkiman]

Did you take any photographs yourself prior to shipping as others have mentioned? I always take some pics showing the item is in perfect condition prior to shipping just for this reason. I typically insure it through USPS or UPS as well because its relatively cheap to do so. I do this because I had a similar thing happen to me with an XFX card about 5 years ago. I argued with them over 4 or 5 emails/calls and eventually got the RMA approved. I would call them back and tell them you know you took every precaution and they must have dropped/damaged it on their end. Tell them what a good Gigabyte customer you are and if they want to keep you, they'll issue the RMA. If they call your bluff though, you're SOL.

Good Luck.