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Been sold a refurb/RMA at 'as new' prices?

David91

David91

David91

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Been sold a refurb/RMA when buying a NEW card?

So I ordered a PNY GTX 580 from a competitor of OCUK (who shall remain anonymous).

First of all I had the PNY card break on me. So it was RMA'd to the competitor and I waited for a replacement PNY card. Unfortunately I had to upgrade to a higher priced EVGA model (I paid the difference) as the PNY model was out of stock with no date for a restock. the replacement was sold to me in "as new" condition and at full price. There were no mentions of a refurb/RMA when I was sold it.

So the replacement EVGA card arrived, and the first thing I noticed was that the seals on the box had been previously broken by someone. I installed the card and checked it condition then phoned the company and asked of its condition and if it was a RMA or refurb. They tracked its movements through their system and said that it had been bought directly from EVGA and then sold to me, no words of an RMA or refurb.

Now I've only just remembered the card was meant to come with a copy of the new Batman game, which it did not as it was not included in the box.
I also noticed the typical "heavy GPU bend" syndrome on the PCB of the card before I'd even installed it (when it was sitting in the box). This reminds of cards that has been used previously (for more than a 'stock test' or any other test that the company may run on the card) and sent back.

Now I've just noticed that the vent on the back of the card is not the typical vent that should be on the card as standard. It is the "high-flow" model that is available online and is definitely not standard.

Is this grounds for me ringing up and asking if the card is a refurb and asking for a replacement? or am I just being paranoid.

Thanks for any help in advance.

EDIT: As D13 spotted, i bought the EVGA GTX 580 from the company in a NEW state, not "as new"
 
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well 'as new' must be a return/refurb otherwise it be plain and simple new, so yeah it will have seals broken. If they said tehy bought it direct from evga then i guess it must be a damaged card rma'd to them, they fix it and sell it 'as new'

was the pny also 'as new'?
how much did u pay for it out of curiosity?

well if you ring them and ask if its a refurb and can you have a replacement they will just send you another card 'as new' so you may have same problem.

what warranty do you have with the card?
if you nto happy with it just arrange return and get refund.
 
Sorry about that, I meant new, I forgot there was a difference.

to reiterate the card I bought was advertised as NEW. as in never used before, box never opened, straight from manufacturer NEW.

I've edited the title of the thread to clear this up. It doesnt seem to have changed the main thread title, can an admin change it?

well spotted D13 :)
 
ah lol, so both the pny AND the evga were supposedly new? in that case i would be seriosuly ****ed, call up retailer demand DEMAND new replacement or full refund no questions asked
 
Thanks very much for your help D13. I have the same feeling.

I've done some research and I'm pretty sure that if it IS infact a refurb/RMA then the company is breaking the law, so at the very least i'd get a brand new replacement card. With possibly an upgrade thrown in :)
 
yes exactly, also if it is part of batman promo then you are dealing with a big online retailer, i would be pretty sure there would be no problems for you to get replacement, and also insist they pay for postage as well
 
ALL You have to look at is the fan and marking from screws on the mounting plate... You have the special Hi-flow bracket which is £15-20 from evga and fitted standard on some of the cards.

Thoroughly test the card and if all is well negotiate a deal and keep it ;)
 
It may just have been opened to take the serial number from the PCB. In doing so, some cack handed packer dropped the key code.

Is there a fault from the card? Is there any reason apart from a broken seal to suspect it has been returned etc.
 
PhillyDee said:
It may just have been opened to take the serial number from the PCB. In doing so, some cack handed packer dropped the key code.

Is there a fault from the card? Is there any reason apart from a broken seal to suspect it has been returned etc.
Click to expand...

Just had a little look at the card while its in my PC.

The screws on the back of the board appear to have scratchmarks from where they've been loosened/retightened. Also one of them sits proud off the board by about half a centimeter, where it hasnt been retightened completely. I'm calling this one a refurb, It appears that work has been done on the card when you factor everything in.

The serial number is written on the outside of the box and is even visible through a window into the box (the GPU is encased in clear plastic only), so i can't really understand why they'd open the box to get at the serial number.

There is currently no fault on with the card, but I'm not particularly happy with accepting a refurbished/RMA'd card when i paid the full (and high) price for a new one.
 
Contacting them tomorrow, first thing. I'll reply in this thread with their response.

Thanks for all the help so far guys :)
 
You need to post some pictures Pal !

Why have you opened an opened box and then fitted the card if You were suspicious....You should have just returned it !

Sounds a bit to Me like the box had fallen open and the game voucher dropped out before it was sent out :D
 
Last time I tried to sell something on ebay as 'as-new' in the description ebay validation rejected the wording due to my 'Used' setting that I had selected and I kind of agree with that too as some who dont understand english might think it means new.Retailers seem to be able to accept returns and then sell on at the full new retail price

I blame some of the enthusiasts personally as being part of the problem. I've read even on these forums about people buying cards and returning them when they didn't overclock well enough. Personally I don't think people should be able to return 'experiment' cards but of course the law allows for returns for any reason....so the second buyer gets rogered. Think cards should have some kind of overclock detection on them and returns rejected if overclocked, although I thinkcards usually protect themselves anyway to avoid damage if users try to fry them. Overclocking aside, components returned for any reason IMO should not be resold at the full price, I know purchaser wouldn't be able to do that.Parts resold by retailers do have additional cover but still think price should be lowered.

I had the same thing myself. Bought a 480 and when I opened it firstly I realised there was no shrink wrap around the box and no seal on the box. Inside the static protection wrap was crinkled so looked like the card had been removed from it at least once, it was not smooth and nicely wrapped around the component as is usually the case when new hence the card had been used. Partly due to lack of time for returning it I just I never returned it and the card has worked flawlessly thank god but paying £340+ for a card(ie, full new retail price) or any other compoents I expect it to be brand new, never used.
 
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DarrenM343 said:
Last time I tried to sell something on ebay as 'as-new' in the description ebay validation rejected the wording due to my 'Used' setting that I had selected and I kind of agree with that too as some who dont understand english might think it means new.Retailers seem to be able to accept returns and then sell on at the full new retail price

I blame some of the enthusiasts personally as being part of the problem. I've read even on these forums about people buying cards and returning them when they didn't overclock well enough. Personally I don't think people should be able to return 'experiment' cards but of course the law allows for returns for any reason....so the second buyer gets rogered. Think cards should have some kind of overclock detection on them and returns rejected if overclocked, although I thinkcards usually protect themselves anyway to avoid damage if users try to fry them. Overclocking aside, components returned for any reason IMO should not be resold at the full price, I know purchaser wouldn't be able to do that.Parts resold by retailers do have additional cover but still think price should be lowered.

I had the same thing myself. Bought a 480 and when I opened it firstly I realised there was no shrink wrap around the box and no seal on the box. Inside the static protection wrap was crinkled so looked like the card had been removed from it at least once, it was not smooth and nicely wrapped around the component as is usually the case when new hence the card had been used. Partly due to lack of time for returning it I just I never returned it and the card has worked flawlessly thank god but paying £340+ for a card(ie, full new retail price) or any other compoents I expect it to be brand new, never used.
Click to expand...

Thats not down to the user, its down to the shop selling them. They are selling them as new, and they really should not be. They should be graded as they are returns.
 
PhillyDee said:
Thats not down to the user, its down to the shop selling them. They are selling them as new, and they really should not be. They should be graded as they are returns.
Click to expand...

As far as I'm concerned they probably all do it. I don't see separate areas for 'slightly used' components on their websites.

Are companies able to charge restocking fee's these days for non-faulty goods? If not that might also contribute to the issue
 
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