Graphics Card Warranties (UK Only) - Let's see how good they really are!

[TNA]

So far I've been in touch with their support team, their customer service team, their returns manager. Their customer service said "Your query had been passed over to the returns manager to make the final decision. I can see that unfortunately this is all we can offer you, to complete your return. We can fully understand your frustrations in this matter and we do send our sincere apologies for the delays you have experienced."

So ignoring the corporate blah blah they are telling me to sod off - and these are the people responsible for good customer service!

I'm not sure how I can escalate it further with the retailer, so next stop I guess is the manufacturer for the warranty details, the European Consumer Centre for my statutory rights (I'm in Ireland), and maybe Trustpilot or something social to try and pressure them into doing the right thing. Any ideas welcome for how to escalate further

Does this companies name end with Direct by any chance? Worse company ever.

I just stick with Amazon and OcUK these days. Worth paying a little extra for better customer service imo.

 

[Flat5]

If it's the store I am thinking of (4 letters) have a moan on their facebook. I did the same when they sent me a 'new' power supply that had all the seals broken and fingerprints all over. One post on their facebook page and the PSU magically developed a fault in their testing which meant I got the full refund.
Seems to be the norm, another store beginning with'e' gave me a partial refund on an 11 month motherboard even though they had the exact same model in stock.

Ah, good idea! Sad that public name and shame seems the only way to get any service. Unfortunately this means I'll need to create a facebook account, I've successfully avoided this for years. Oh God.

 

[Armadillo]

From my experience, Gainward/Palit should be firmly in the red zone!
If anyone has a link to the details of the Gainward warranty I've love to see the details, I can't seem to find it. Any other suggestions gratefully received, I'm hopping mad about this

http://www.gainward.com/support/docs_uk/Warranty_Policy_En.pdf

Gainward is go through retailer. They don't deal with end user.

So experiance will depend on retailer .

I pretty much stick with ocuk for stuff that doesn't have end user rma, default for a lot of other stores just seems to be minimal effort, offer partial refund .

 

[momo56]

Does this companies name end with Direct by any chance? Worse company ever.

I just stick with Amazon and OcUK these days. Worth paying a little extra for better customer service imo.

Nah ends in Buyer. With GPU's I try to deal with the manufacture direct now seems like the best option.

 

[TNA]

Nah ends in Buyer. With GPU's I try to deal with the manufacture direct now seems like the best option.

Not used them for about a decade now. Used to use them a lot around 15 years ago.

Dealing with manufacturers is good, but need to stay away from the likes of Palit, extremely poor support.

 

[kylew_is_back]

My experience from Sapphire was really bad, I RMA my dead 390 and what I receive in the end as a replacement was a 560 LOL(a GPU 2x slower), and their excuse was that it is the retailer fault. When I ask the retailer he said that anything over 1 year with Sapphire you have to goto them directly and Sapphire is responsible for the RMA.

 

[Flat5]

http://www.gainward.com/support/docs_uk/Warranty_Policy_En.pdf
Gainward is go through retailer. They don't deal with end user.
So experiance will depend on retailer .
I pretty much stick with ocuk for stuff that doesn't have end user rma, default for a lot of other stores just seems to be minimal effort, offer partial refund .

Hi, yes I found this pdf, but I read it as saying that retailers handle RMAs (rather than the user sending them to Gainward directly) and then pass onto Gainward. So the decision should still rest with Gainward and not the retailer. Maybe I've misunderstood the process.
One problem is it doesn't state what the cover is e.g. replacement with an equivalent graphics card if the returned one is no longer available. E.g. the EVGA warranty is there to read and clear on what the remedies are, I can't find the same for Gainward/Palit (who I understand are the same company).

So is it unrealistic of me to assume it's standard warranty practice to replace with a similar 1070 card if the one I bought is no longer available (after all one 1070 is pretty much the same as another) ?

Does this companies name end with Direct by any chance? Worse company ever.
I just stick with Amazon and OcUK these days. Worth paying a little extra for better customer service imo.

Nope, it's a 4 letter word starting with 'S' . I won't be shopping there again after this experience and will recommend my friends to steer well clear.

 

[K1LaW8tt5]

So far I've been in touch with their support team, their customer service team, their returns manager. Their customer service said "Your query had been passed over to the returns manager to make the final decision. I can see that unfortunately this is all we can offer you, to complete your return. We can fully understand your frustrations in this matter and we do send our sincere apologies for the delays you have experienced."

So ignoring the corporate blah blah they are telling me to sod off - and these are the people responsible for good customer service!

I'm not sure how I can escalate it further with the retailer, so next stop I guess is the manufacturer for the warranty details, the European Consumer Centre for my statutory rights (I'm in Ireland), and maybe Trustpilot or something social to try and pressure them into doing the right thing. Any ideas welcome for how to escalate further

From what I am aware you should be covered for full refund or replace(with same or equivalent or better) or repair for the duration of the warranty period (2 years) under EU consumer protections. Just keep at them and make sure you tell them that. UK protections have a "get out" after a period where they can offer you a percent refund based on how long you have it.

 

[Armadillo]

Hi, yes I found this pdf, but I read it as saying that retailers handle RMAs (rather than the user sending them to Gainward directly) and then pass onto Gainward. So the decision should still rest with Gainward and not the retailer. Maybe I've misunderstood the process.
One problem is it doesn't state what the cover is e.g. replacement with an equivalent graphics card if the returned one is no longer available. E.g. the EVGA warranty is there to read and clear on what the remedies are, I can't find the same for Gainward/Palit (who I understand are the same company).

So is it unrealistic of me to assume it's standard warranty practice to replace with a similar 1070 card if the one I bought is no longer available (after all one 1070 is pretty much the same as another) ?

Sorry didn't realise you were looking for something more detailed, I don't think there is anything more detailed like what evga has, if there is, it's not public . I think you are right with the process You->retailer->gainward. I would also expect a similar replacement, I don't think it's unrealistic, but with the retailer acting as a middle man, who knows what palit/gainward said. Could just be retailer can't be bothered with the hassle and just wants you gone .

Hope you get it sorted anyway, no point in warranty if you end up out of pocket .

 

[Flat5]

Still ongoing with S***! Their support responses are confusing as they are anonymous (no names) so it's not clear if you're dealing with the same person of a different one every time. I suspect different people as the responses differ widely.
Someone just quoted me the sale of goods act 1979, seeming unaware that it's been replaced with the consumer rights act!
Also they frequently mix up manufacturers warranty with statutory rights, not sure if they're not clear or they're trying to confuse me. It's a bit of a mess.
I agree with the opinions above, going to stick with reputable retailers from now on to avoid this hassle.
Not going to let this go though, a complaint to the European Consumer Centre and/or negative comments to Gainward/S*** facebook look to be the only option. I would really rather not have to do this, their attitude is really disappointing and frankly baffling.

 

[AthlonXP1800]

So far I've been in touch with their support team, their customer service team, their returns manager. Their customer service said "Your query had been passed over to the returns manager to make the final decision. I can see that unfortunately this is all we can offer you, to complete your return. We can fully understand your frustrations in this matter and we do send our sincere apologies for the delays you have experienced."

So ignoring the corporate blah blah they are telling me to sod off - and these are the people responsible for good customer service!

I'm not sure how I can escalate it further with the retailer, so next stop I guess is the manufacturer for the warranty details, the European Consumer Centre for my statutory rights (I'm in Ireland), and maybe Trustpilot or something social to try and pressure them into doing the right thing. Any ideas welcome for how to escalate further

I think you should try Consumer Ombudsman, they will escalate with the company and pressure them to resolved your complaint with a resolution.

http://www.consumer-ombudsman.org/home

 

[Flat5]

I think you should try Consumer Ombudsman, they will escalate with the company and pressure them to resolved your complaint with a resolution.
http://www.consumer-ombudsman.org/home

Hi thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately S*** are not signed up to the Ombudsman and do not participate in the scheme. I'm not surprised given my experience.

In terms of the warranty, I have contacted Gainward/Palit support to try and understand if they have indeed refused to honour the warranty (as S*** claim), and if so why. This might at least tell me if S*** is lying to me.

In terms of statutory rights, I've talked to the European Consumer Centre and have received written advice from them stating that under EU consumer rights as the card is confirmed faulty then "if repair cannot be possible, replacement of Graphic Card should be given (one of similar value and standard)". Also https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm "You always have the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee at no cost .... If goods you bought anywhere in the EU turns out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them free of charge or give you a price reduction or a full refund." Incredibly, S*** have refused to accept this when I notified them of this - Firstly they quoted a section from the 1979 Sale of Goods and services act (no longer relevant) and said it was "impossible" to get a replacement 1070 card. Then later stated "Warranty is not for a "similar card" it is for a direct replacement or a repair.... the amount offered is all we can offer for this." once again confusing manufacturers warranty with statutory rights.

This is not normal behaviour, something is going on here between S*** and Gainward and I am caught in the middle. Perhaps related to the three months plus it took S*** to respond to my queries on the return. Maybe they lost the card? I just don't know. I hope both S*** and Gainward lose some customers due to this fiasco.

 

[TNA]

Hi thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately S*** are not signed up to the Ombudsman and do not participate in the scheme. I'm not surprised given my experience.

In terms of the warranty, I have contacted Gainward/Palit support to try and understand if they have indeed refused to honour the warranty (as S*** claim), and if so why. This might at least tell me if S*** is lying to me.

In terms of statutory rights, I've talked to the European Consumer Centre and have received written advice from them stating that under EU consumer rights as the card is confirmed faulty then "if repair cannot be possible, replacement of Graphic Card should be given (one of similar value and standard)". Also https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm "You always have the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee at no cost .... If goods you bought anywhere in the EU turns out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them free of charge or give you a price reduction or a full refund." Incredibly, S*** have refused to accept this when I notified them of this - Firstly they quoted a section from the 1979 Sale of Goods and services act (no longer relevant) and said it was "impossible" to get a replacement 1070 card. Then later stated "Warranty is not for a "similar card" it is for a direct replacement or a repair.... the amount offered is all we can offer for this." once again confusing manufacturers warranty with statutory rights.

This is not normal behaviour, something is going on here between S*** and Gainward and I am caught in the middle. Perhaps related to the three months plus it took S*** to respond to my queries on the return. Maybe they lost the card? I just don't know. I hope both S*** and Gainward lose some customers due to this fiasco.

Palit are rubbish. Not surprised by your experience one bit. Had something similar happen myself, but I managed to get a full refund in the end. Sticking Scam on my on banned list also.

 

[AthlonXP1800]

Hi thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately S*** are not signed up to the Ombudsman and do not participate in the scheme. I'm not surprised given my experience.

In terms of the warranty, I have contacted Gainward/Palit support to try and understand if they have indeed refused to honour the warranty (as S*** claim), and if so why. This might at least tell me if S*** is lying to me.

In terms of statutory rights, I've talked to the European Consumer Centre and have received written advice from them stating that under EU consumer rights as the card is confirmed faulty then "if repair cannot be possible, replacement of Graphic Card should be given (one of similar value and standard)". Also https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm "You always have the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee at no cost .... If goods you bought anywhere in the EU turns out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them free of charge or give you a price reduction or a full refund." Incredibly, S*** have refused to accept this when I notified them of this - Firstly they quoted a section from the 1979 Sale of Goods and services act (no longer relevant) and said it was "impossible" to get a replacement 1070 card. Then later stated "Warranty is not for a "similar card" it is for a direct replacement or a repair.... the amount offered is all we can offer for this." once again confusing manufacturers warranty with statutory rights.

This is not normal behaviour, something is going on here between S*** and Gainward and I am caught in the middle. Perhaps related to the three months plus it took S*** to respond to my queries on the return. Maybe they lost the card? I just don't know. I hope both S*** and Gainward lose some customers due to this fiasco.

It does not mattered if they not signed up to the Ombudsman, you obviously looked at the wrong place.

https://www.consumer-ombudsman.org/complaintlodgement

All you need to do is fill in company name, email address, phone number and the website address then write your complaint then add support documents like copy of invoice, all emails from them and you etc.

You could also try with Which? help to write a letter of complaint.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act

I found Gainward warranty policy.

http://www.gainward.com/support/docs_uk/Warranty_Policy_En.pdf

If either Ombudsman and Which? cant sorted out with company then you can take the company to a small claim court in Ireland.

 

[Flat5]

It does not mattered if they not signed up to the Ombudsman, you obviously looked at the wrong place.
https://www.consumer-ombudsman.org/complaintlodgement
All you need to do is fill in company name, email address, phone number and the website address then write your complaint then add support documents like copy of invoice, all emails from them and you etc.

I looked here: http://www.consumer-ombudsman.org/about-us/participating-companies, it says "We can only resolve complaints about companies who participate in our scheme (listed on this page). If you submit a complaint about a company that doesn't participate in our scheme, unfortunately we will not be able to progress your complaint." S*** are not on the list.

 

[AthlonXP1800]

I looked here: http://www.consumer-ombudsman.org/about-us/participating-companies, it says "We can only resolve complaints about companies who participate in our scheme (listed on this page). If you submit a complaint about a company that doesn't participate in our scheme, unfortunately we will not be able to progress your complaint." S*** are not on the list.

Oh I see.

Look like I found a good site called Resolver that will help you to resolve your complaint with company and get full refund back to you. Worth a try!

https://www.resolver.co.uk/companies/scan-complaints

 

[chrcoluk]

I just want to add, even if OCUK dont like me saying this, if you have a failure within the statutory warranty period, OCUK have a legal obligation to deal with it (assuming they are the retailer). Even if its e.g. asus policy for RMA's to goto them. I mentioned this as well in the recent motherboard failure thread, the business relationship is between the consumer and the retailer.

A manufacturer warranty is in "addition" to this, not "instead" of this.

http://www.consumerrightsexpert.co.uk/shop-manufacturer-responsible-for-faulty-goods.html

 

[Apone70]

I always use my credit card to purchase things as they seem to have your back when it comes to faulty electronics and when the retailer try's to wriggle out of a refund or replacement. Its a joke offering 50% of what you paid for an item that died within its warranty. I have been looking at a 2080ti MSI gaming trio X from said retailer.

 

[Flat5]

I always use my credit card to purchase things as they seem to have your back when it comes to faulty electronics and when the retailer try's to wriggle out of a refund or replacement. Its a joke offering 50% of what you paid for an item that died within its warranty. I have been looking at a 2080ti MSI gaming trio X from said retailer.

I'd go elsewhere, if only for the peace of mind should something go wrong with the card. S*** are cowboys. Seriously the worst company I've had the misfortune to encounter in terms of professionalism, customer service, and basic courtesy.

 

[TNA]

I'd go elsewhere, if only for the peace of mind should something go wrong with the card. S*** are cowboys. Seriously the worst company I've had the misfortune to encounter in terms of professionalism, customer service, and basic courtesy.

Yep. Go elsewhere with a credit card

I can’t stand crappy customer support. I always go to where it is best as long as they are somewhat competitive, but they do not need to be the cheapest. I want to know that when something goes wrong once in a blue moon that customers service will be there happy to help me, not to try and fob me off.