Amazon: To return or not to return?

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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!

 

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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!

 

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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.

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.

 

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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

An excellent point! Somewhat difficult to buy and sell things in person at the moment in the current Corona climate, but certainly worth considering!

 

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The problem is not with the many goods you're returning. Self-realisation coming in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

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.