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Warning about buying Leadtek video cards

PitchWhite

PitchWhite

PitchWhite

Associate
Joined
9 Mar 2004
Posts
360
Hi guys =)

Just wanted to share my recent experience to help inform the masses ;)

I purchased a Leadtek 6800GT (from ocuk of course!) about a year and a half ago and suddenly it stopped sending any signal to the monitor at all. OcUK couldn't replace it as the year cover they provide had expired however it was still under manufacturer warrenty. So I contacted the manufacturer directly and after a few days they gave me the RMA no and I sent the card to them (In some bizarre location "Sloterweg"! ). 1 month later a parcel arrives! WOOT! I find they have sent me a brand new card is a sparkly box..cool so now I have 2 sparkly boxes as I didn't send them the huge box when I sent my card back.

So I install the card and power up...nothing...
hmm..do all the usual checks...switch back to my old graphics card (a trusty ge-force 3 ti500) and it works fine...switch in this card..doesn't work..try unplugging the extra power cable and it screams at me upon power on as it should....hmmm...
So I take it to a mate who runs a tech shop as I wanted to make sure it was in no way related to my motherboard or PSU. He tries it in a computer ...nothing..goes out back - finds his own 6800gt ..works fine...switches back to the one I was sent...no signal again.

Ok so now I'm NO SWEARING - Rotty as I know they definately sent me a faulty card..and seeing as I've already spent over a month without a decent graphics card (no oblivion and couldn't bring myself to play lotr bfme2 with rubbish graphics ..its been tough!)

So I send an appropriately worded email:

"I have just received the replacement video card for the one that is faulty AND IT HAS EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM.

I took it to a computer store to test it in one of their machines and they took out a perfectly working 6800gt..put in the replacement one that was sent to me and no signal at all. Switched back to their previous video card and it works perfectly. Why did you replace my board with another faulty board?! It has taken me 1 month so far since the first faulty board was reported to you and £10 to send that board to you.
What are you able to do to replace:
1. My faulty graphics card
2. Wasted time - by the time this one is replaced again (assuming it is replaced with a working board) it will be 2months since the fault.
3. Wasted money sent sending back the faulty board you just sent me.

The faulty board that was just sent to me that I waited 1 month for is:
LF4120073426

Many thanks.."


I had no response for 3 days so I sent it again. 1 day later I get a response:

"Hello,



We will pick up the defect card. The defect card will be picked up by the courier that brings you the new card.



Could you please write the following number on the box of the defect card: R-2006050119

Thanks in advance.



I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Met vriendelijke groet,
Best regards,

Leon Kuiper
RMA Department

Leadtek Research Europe BV
Sloterweg 305
1171 VC Badhoevedorp" <---does this place even exist?!

So cool - at least I dont have to worry about the 1 month turnaround again! And I dont have to pay for shipping again!

1 week later at about lunchtime the courier arrives and I try to give him the new faulty card...

he doesn't want it..

hmmm ok..I insist that he is meant to pick it up - he phones his office to confirm and ..nope he isn't meant to pick it up.
Oh well! Like I care anyway! =) so I take the package looking forward to installing it a bit later that day as I was in the middle of some work at the time.

About an hour later the courier comes back to my door...aha! I'm thinking now he must have realised he needs to pick up the package..but wait...he is delivering another package...hmmm..now this size box looks very familiar...its the 3rd box of this size I have received this month .. and he has instructions to pick a package up! So I give him the faulty card and take the parcel.

Upon opening it ..I find my 3rd shiny 6800gt box...with a card inside!

Well great! So now I want to see which one will run most stabily so I can perhaps send back the other one ;)

So I go to my computer and start installing the first card I've received...and upon powering on I see the boot screen SORT OF come up..

I say sort of because it seems to have these huge Green and red pixels in some parts of the screen... next windows loading screen comes up..with some wierd hazey effect...and then nadda...no signal.

So I try the next graphics card...and it worked =)

So I guess it could have been even worse...but even though I got away with this one...having 2 out of 3 cards they have sent out being completely faulty and also the very large turnaround time I will personally avoid leadtek like the plague in future.

Up to you guys if you want to do the same, but at least now you can make an informed choice =)
 
LoadsaMoney said:
Thats ok Leadtek have stopped making graphics cards now. :)
Click to expand...

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32331

Apparently not:

Foxconn will get in the game later this summer and will try to convince everyone to buy its own branded cards but will keep the very successful Leadtek brand and compete with it. We think that the big Foxconn made a good decision as there are many that will want Leadtek only.
Click to expand...
 
i understand your upset, but by nature we are nation whingers lol

i believe that replacements undr warranty are recon'ed returns rather than brand spanker you pick up in the shop. ;)
 
Yeah I expect so - but either way very unimpressed by their service =(

I will probably be going BFG for my next card..when they bring out a generation of cards that is a decent improvement over my current one (will probably need next gen cpu aswell as currently I'm on ath 64 3500+ so any of the new cards wont make a huge difference)
 
I might be tempted to keep it if they sent me 2 working cards as my little bro needs an upgrade and if they asked for it back I could then send it to them.. but I'm not about to go as far as rma'ing a card that I didn't buy - too dishonest for me!
 
No disrespect to OCUK but they are still selling Leadtek cards (including the bradn new 7950GX2 ) and they cant have been fabricated that long ago
 
Still got my Leadtek 7800GTX clocked @ EE and it's still going strong ;). Oh yeah, apart from the fact that one of the displays it pink..
 
LoadsaMoney said:
Thats ok Leadtek have stopped making graphics cards now. :)
Click to expand...

Its completely untrue and I believe Leadtek are already suing various sources for spreading a very false rumour.
 
thats just bad luck dude!

Im about to sell my Leadtek 7800GT, how longs the warranty for leadtek cards? is it 2 years??
 
Leadtek are great. Shame they havnt expanded into the ATI world aswell.

As for the OP, unlucky string of RMA's, can I just ask the question,...

What PSU have you got? I couldnt help but think that your PSU is a cheapo Q-Teq or something which is killing the cards.

King.
 
LoadsaMoney said:
Good on em, they are a good brand as said, you can't go wrong with a Leadtek card. :)
Click to expand...

Yep, my leadtek 7800gtx EE is a beauty :p never had 1 problem and it overclocks like hell.....*strokes leadtek gtx*............*then cuts finger on fan as i forgot to turn my p.c off 1st* :o
 
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