Motherboard damage - advice / thoughts please

Middenacht

Middenacht

Middenacht

Associate
Joined
6 Oct 2010
Posts
99
Hi folks

Purchased a new X870 motherboard (circa £300) from a well know large retailer but not OCUK (as they didnt have stock).

I purchased this along with some other items, which aside from my CPU (9800X3D) would all arrive roughly together. The CPU was on backorder.

Knowing I didnt have a CPU to put into the board, the mistake I made was not checking under the CPU cover of the motherboard until I had had it for 3 days. I videoed the entire unboxing from the couriers packaging to opening the box, getting it out the bag and then checking the socket in a single take video, and then discovering what I thought was a foreign body between 4 pins which wouldnt blow out.

I immediately contacted said company, let them know I had the unboxing video and asked for it to be replaced as it had been shipped with damage. They agreed to RMA. Today they have reviewed it and stated that as I didnt check within first 48 hrs, its no longer available for a replacement. They are looking into whether they can do a warranty repair or whether Im SOL.
Given this item is still under the 14 day distance selling act (even though its been with them for 3 days) I am feeling a little miffed on the basis I have proof I didnt cause the damage (above mentioned vid). They have stated the distance selling act is void due to the damage I caused. This incensed me as I had already explained I can prove I did not cause the damage but they then said that I have no proof of that. Which is a little confusing, given a date/time stamped unboxing vid taken on the day I shipped it back to them.

Ive already bought a new board and am building my PC (having a suspicion this exact outcome would happen). If I had been a student with next to no money (which in fact I have been), this would have been a very upsetting outcome so far. Given their statement I damaged it, I am now in the mood for a tussle, which I accept may cost me more than the board itself is worth.

Does anyone feel I have a case? Or despite video evidence of no wrong doing am I just going to be fighting against 'company policies' and wasting time, effort and money taking this further? Surely consumers are protected against damaged goods being shipped to you?

Cheers
 
Is this the four letter company?

You'll often find they will try it on until you push back, you have covered yourself with the video and I'd make a fuss on social media or review sites, because that's usually more effective than trying to argue over emall.
 
Tetras said:
Is this the four letter company?

You'll often find they will try it on until you push back, you have covered yourself with the video and I'd make a fuss on social media or review sites, because that's usually more effective than trying to argue over emall.
Click to expand...
Yes, four letters, the first one being quite a wiggly letter.

Hadnt thought about social media. Ill see where they have a presence.

I was going to involve a solicitor and/or trading standards depending on the solicitors advice, but costs would end up well beyond the cost of the motherboard, unless this went to small claims and I recovered those costs. Its the principle Im annoyed about. They can basically ship anything out and claim the customer damaged it. My annoyance is primarily that this was a Christmas present which I received on their last trading day before they closed down. So their 48 hour rule seems asinine in this case. I also cant immediately find any mention of the 48hr thing in any correspondence I have looked over from them, but im sure its in there somewhere. The person on the line seemed gleefully sure of themselves.

I have to wait now for them to drop the axe and make their decision about how they will proceed, but based on Fridays call with them, I am have little hope of a happy outcome.
 
A company's terms and conditions regarding returns for faulty / damaged goods supplied to a customers don't override distance selling and consumer protection laws.

Some damage or a fault in the manufacture of a product may not be possible to see / picked up until sometime later during use of, and for me the 48hrs checking of an item received via courier / post is only for obvious damage like bashed up packaging, or contents of sustaining damage in transit which are immediately obvious upon opening the packaging.

14 days distance seeling rules applies and also the warranty of the board, which if returned within six months of purchase has to be replaced for a new one, or repaired IF that product model is no longer available or made, also an offer of a comparable model if that's the case or refund.

A product has to be supplied fit the purpose it's to be used for, clearly a received damaged or non functioning product that can't be used for it's intended purpose is therefore not fit for purpose then.

If the supplier is being 'difficult' about the matter l would just tell them you'll be exercising your rights under consumer law and contacting trading standards about them. If they don't value customers they may regard their reputation better, any decent firm wouldn't want their name being brought to trading standards attention for their behaviour towards customers or spread around on social media.
 
Last edited:
How does this even happen though from factory? Bent socket pins I mean. Surely it's all automated, even the cpu cover being put on by a robot?
If I'm a company receiving mobo returns* then I'm probably also calling out that the customer damaged it. I mean it probably happens a lot where people try it on having actually damaged it.
I've had issues with pretty much all computer sales places with returns, feeling like I'm not trusted at all, so I don't think it is limited to that place.
OP you may just have to fight it by asking for it to be escalated to customer services. Perhaps it will go in your favour if you are a longer term repeat customer, with high value where you have bought things before and they can see you aren't some nublet?

*notashop
 
You're right regarding being 'judged' by a shop / business when wanting to return a damaged or faulty computer product, had some moments over the years with different businessess getting faulty items sorted.

The customer is always right they used to say, well not in the eyes of retailers anymore.

Fact is any claim by a shop / business that damage to a product they sold was the fault of a customer, and not them or the manufacturer, have to be able to support that by demonstrating and proving it was caused by a customer, the customer does not have to prove it wasn't their fault to the shop / business however.

The rights of a customer are greater than that of a retailer under consumer law, any business who doesn't know or accept that shouldn't be in business.

As for bent CPU socket pins, well it does happen, and that's another thing that computer part suppliers should be well aware of and prepared for, passing the buck to a customer as first choice shouldn't be part of that preparation though.
 
Last edited:
jaybee said:
How does this even happen though from factory? Bent socket pins I mean. Surely it's all automated, even the cpu cover being put on by a robot?
If I'm a company receiving mobo returns* then I'm probably also calling out that the customer damaged it. I mean it probably happens a lot where people try it on having actually damaged it.
Click to expand...
I expect it happens a lot where a customer did damage it, yeah, but to answer your question: I'd wager the most common answer is: it doesn't, reason being that you aren't getting a board that is actually 'new'. Part of the reason I tend to buy pre-order of a new release, rather than an existing model. Not saying all retailers do that.
 
I bought a asus z790 apex from the same place, didn't have a cpu so didn't bother looking at the board itself until I found threads on the Internet saying the boards where arriving to customers badly bent, so I checked mine and it was one of them,looked at the cpu socket and found massive pin damage, so I contacted them and was told to send it in to rma, a few days later they said the rma guy stated the board showed signs of being installed in a pc, I took pictures of mine before I sent it to them and pictures of a review board and they matched up, lucky I payed with PayPal so I said I would start a dispute, and customer services phoned me asking a load of questions, saying why didn't you check it earlier and I told her I didn't have a cpu, I watched a video with jay2 cents as he ordered the same board and that came with damage to the cpu socket, seems qc was rather lacking at some point, anyhoo got the board replaced in the end, I also put up a negative review on truspilot, they didn't like that and asked me to change it when I got the replacement.
 
Last edited:
Fixbyte said:
A company's terms and conditions regarding returns for faulty / damaged goods supplied to a customers don't override distance selling and consumer protection laws.

Some damage or a fault in the manufacture of a product may not be possible to see / picked up until sometime later during use of, and for me the 48hrs checking of an item received via courier / post is only for obvious damage like bashed up packaging, or contents of sustaining damage in transit which are immediately obvious upon opening the packaging.

14 days distance seeling rules applies and also the warranty of the board, which if returned within six months of purchase has to be replaced for a new one, or repaired IF that product model is no longer available or made, also an offer of a comparable model if that's the case or refund.

A product has to be supplied fit the purpose it's to be used for, clearly a received damaged or non functioning product that can't be used for it's intended purpose is therefore not fit for purpose then.

If the supplier is being 'difficult' about the matter l would just tell them you'll be exercising your rights under consumer law and contacting trading standards about them. If they don't value customers they may regard their reputation better, any decent firm wouldn't want their name being brought to trading standards attention for their behaviour towards customers or spread around on social media.
Click to expand...

are you sure about the six month period here, Normally if a Brand New item is purchased and is faulty within 30 days then you are entitled to new replacement but six months?
 
AMDPower said:
are you sure about the six month period here, Normally if a Brand New item is purchased and is faulty within 30 days then you are entitled to new replacement but six months?
Click to expand...
Why not read the law? In this case - because it's aimed at consumers - it's very simple and straight forward about what is assumed to be present at the time of manufacture.

Op, stop messing about and do a charge back/dispute via the card issuer/payment provider, you tried the reasonable approach, now let those with more clout sort it out for you, it'll be quicker and easier. One piece of advice, lay off the 'if I were a (insert sob story here)...' angle, it doesn't play well and is pointless.
 
had a few issues myself in the very distant past with them and swore them off, seems like it was the right call and there still at it, then need to change the last letter to M... dont let them bully you, consumer rights act covers you all the way especially if you have proof. it should be a really simple replacement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom