Amazon: To return or not to return?

axtract

axtract

axtract

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Hi everyone

So I've been in the market for a new gaming laptop, and I've run aground somewhat. I'm hoping that the ever-wise users of Overclockers can give me some advice on what to do.

I bought a Razer Blade 2018 model through Amazon Warehouse for £1,000, which I understand is their way of selling returned or used goods. The laptop runs extremely hot, and so I have a strong suspicion it is near the end of its life. On this basis, I did not think keeping it would be a sensible choice.

While deciding what to do about the Razer laptop I went ahead and bought a £1,000 Acer Predator laptop from a third-party seller fulfilled by Amazon. This laptop, while better in many ways, has a very loud fan, and I am not sure if it is working correctly. This, coupled with the obnoxious 'gamer' styling of the laptop, has led me to no longer want the laptop.

Normally I would take solace in Amazon's excellent customer service, but unfortunately I have a high number of returns on my account, and I have previously received an email saying that if my high number of returns continued my account would be cancelled. From some research, it seems it is very hard to continue using Amazon if the account is cancelled, if at all. I use Amazon a lot, and it would be a huge pain if I were no longer able to use the system.

As I was worrying about all this I spoke to a customer service representative at Amazon through chat, who told me that because of the high number of returns on my account there was a good chance that the returns would be reviewed, and if there were large faults found with the item the account would not be closed, but if there were not large faults found, the account would be closed. When I expressed my concern to the representative he told me that he would annotate my concern on the account, and he reassured me that the account would not be closed. However I remain concerned - there are a lot of years left of my life, and not having an Amazon account would be a huge annoyance!

So I would like to ask your help: Which of the following actions should I pursue:

a) Return both laptops to Amazon and take my chances with their customer service team

b) Sell the laptops through eBay and get as high a price for them as I can, accepting that I will lose some money in the process, but hopefully will keep my Amazon account

c) Some other option I have not yet thought of?

Many thanks in advance for your help!
 
Return the laptops if you’re not happy with them and within the returns period. When raising the return simply indicate the reason for the return - running hot for one of them and loud fan for the other. both are legitimate reasons for a return. I highly doubt they’ll bin off your account for legitimate returns.

that said if you’re account is full of returns ‘just because’ they may decide you’re account is more hassle than it’s worth but I obviously have no idea about the other returns you’ve done or the reasons why.
 
With a high end gaming laptop I would assume that either heat or noise are par for the course, I'd be surprised if you can have the best of both worlds in such a slim form factor.

I think Amazon's annoyance is probably that you aren't reporting a specific problem but just suspect something isn't right (in which case I'd avoid buying returned items in the future) or don't like the look of it which I'd assume you saw prior to buying. Yes you have a right to return it but retailers will put their foot down if you take the pee.

The laptop runs extremely hot, and so I have a strong suspicion it is near the end of its life.
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What sort of warranty do you have with it? is it performing okay? stable? a overheating laptop will either slow down or crash a lot. A lot of hardware today is designed to run at temperatures of up to 90C or so and it's quite possible manufacturers use parts of the chassis as a sort of heat sink.

This laptop, while better in many ways, has a very loud fan, and I am not sure if it is working correctly.
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What is it doing that gives you the impression it is not working correctly?

I suppose your actions will depend on how much you value your Amazon account, if you don't want to risk losing it then Ebay sounds sensible.
 
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@Thekwango Thank you - that's good advice.

@Dis86 I know... I just can't seem to think of the name...

@mmj_uk I think you're right about the heat - it's running at up to 90 degrees while running games, and seems pretty stable doing it. It's throwing out sub-par scores in 3dmark relative to what it should be getting (per a benchmark of the laptop done closer to the time of its release) which may be reflective of it being slightly older. The main issue is that it is very uncomfortable under my hands because the case is getting so hot - as you suggest I suspect the manufacturer may indeed have chosen to use the case as a heat sink of sorts.

Thank you for the advice - I'm concerned when it comes to eBay about the possibility of getting scammed, which I understand can be an issue for new accounts. What are the chances of being able to sell the laptops to a computer shop for a half-decent price? I'm guessing the chances of getting a good price would be slim, as they would have to pay me significantly less than they would be aiming to sell the laptops for in order to get a good price.

Any other suggestions very welcome!
 
Dis86 said:
3, buy your goods from a decent specialist computer retailer.
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that

provide them with objective proof Razer is runing hot on a standard benchmark, to support your case,
they can demand you foot the return postage/insurance if it proves not defective.

but - buying a 2nd laptop, from amazon when you should have known/reported the first one was not working out.

if you've used s/w license on the Acer, won't they'll make a deduction anyway, unless they (3rd party expert vs amazon) concur with fan noise problem;
down for postage/insurance again, too.
 
Other option
Facebook is full of local buy/sell /swap groups
Some specifically for pc hardware
Collection or local delivery only makes it much harder to get scammed
I won't sell anything valuable on ebay anymore unless it's collection only due to scams and of course the fees too
 
jpaul said:
that

provide them with objective proof Razer is runing hot on a standard benchmark, to support your case,
they can demand you foot the return postage/insurance if it proves not defective.

but - buying a 2nd laptop, from amazon when you should have known/reported the first one was not working out.

if you've used s/w license on the Acer, won't they'll make a deduction anyway, unless they (3rd party expert vs amazon) concur with fan noise problem;
down for postage/insurance again, too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply - also very insightful. I don't understand your line about using the s/w license on the Acer - what do you mean by that? I installed a couple of games to see how it runs, that's about it.
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Other option
Facebook is full of local buy/sell /swap groups
Some specifically for pc hardware
Collection or local delivery only makes it much harder to get scammed
I won't sell anything valuable on ebay anymore unless it's collection only due to scams and of course the fees too
Click to expand...

An excellent point! Somewhat difficult to buy and sell things in person at the moment in the current Corona climate, but certainly worth considering!
 
[FnG]magnolia said:
The problem is not with the many goods you're returning. Self-realisation coming in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
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Just want to make sure I'm understanding you here - you're implying that I'm the problem? If so, yes, I would have to agree. I'm not trying to look like a saint here, I'm just trying to figure out how best to get myself out of the corner I've painted myself into.
 
One thing I would suggest is if in the future if you're buying multiple items like that then try to spread them across different retailers that way if you decide to return them both it doesn't look like you're taking the pee.

I think what [FnG]magnolia is suggesting is if you're particularly fussy like a lot of people are then it's probably best to avoid stuff that has already been returned by someone. If I were buying the warehouse deals I'd be expecting to find minor problems with them (dead pixels etc), there's probably not a lot of items that get returned for being perfect.
 
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