EVGA customer satisfaction ?? News at 10:00

[v3raxOC]

I "was" a loyal EVGA customer until today. Today, I have offically become an EVGA hater and I am going to post this same thread on EVERY forum I can think of. Toms hardware, Anandtech, Bleeding Edge, Overclockers, etc.... why? let me explain:

2 months ago I bought an EVGA 680i motherboard from a local store for $249 to put in a customers computer. (I build computers) I purchased the EAR program for it so that I could RMA it if needed and get a new one for my customer before taking the old one. Well, a few weeks after putting it in said customers computer, the sata controller went bad on it, so I RMAd the board. Took 2 weeks for them to send me a new one. I sent the old one back to them and put the new one in customers computer.

A week later, I get an e-mail from EVGA saying that my RMA was being rejected and they were not only sending the bad board back to me, but they were going to charge me $299 unless i sent the new one back to them in 14 days. I asked why the RMA was rejected and they tell me that once they got the board in and inspected it, they found 2 pins bent in the CPU socket.

Well, first of all, I have been building computers for 10 years and know that I did not bend those pins. I know how handle motherboards, install cpus, etc... I am not just some guy that built a computer for the first time that doesnt know how to navigate around a CPU socket. I DID NOT bend those pins.

So.....I called EVGA to tell them I thought this whole thing was BS. They told me sorry, but thats our policy. I explained that I didnt do it. Hows was I to know that maybe one of your guys didnt bend them and blame it on me?? They just told me sorry, thats our policy.

So.... I asked to talk to a supervisor, they connected me to supervisor, yet all I get is a voicemail, I leave message, nobody calls me back. I tried for a week to get a supervisor to call me and nobody called me back. Finally, today, I get a guy that tells me he is a supervisor. I explain the whole thing,he tells me "Sorry, thats our policy"

Ok, I understand policy. I understand that if the pins are bent it looks like I did it and you have a broken board. I also understand that one motherboard being bad isnt going to make or break EVGA!! WHile I waited on hold for over an hour, I kept hearing this recorded message about how EVGA wants the customer to be #1. How they pride theirselves on customer support and keeping customers happy. Well, I dont see it!!!!

This is one customer that isnt happy and I WILL NEVER buy another EVGA product.

I am out a motherboard, I am out the original $249 I paid for the original motherboard, and now I am out $299 for the new motherboard they sent me, because I put it in the customers computer and I cant go tell them to give it back. So, this wonderful EVGA product has cost me almost $600!!

Why are they charging me $299 for a bare motherboard when I paid $249 for the RETAIL package?? WTF do they think they are doing? Great Customer service?? BS BS BS BS!!!! You dont keep customers with this kind of non-concern. Who do you think you are EVGA? i suppose you think you are Microsoft, because it appears that you could care less that you have lost me as a customer just because you arent willing to take a loss on a motherboard that cost you , what? $50?

Well, I have bought EVGA products for a long time, but NO MORE, and I will never recommend EVGA to any of my customers, friends, or family. And furthermore, I will leave this post on as many hi-tech forums I can.

I'll admit you have good products, but your customer support SUCKS!! And customer satisfaction is a big LIE!

 

[Blain]

I feel better, now that you've got that off your chest.

 

[AlgaeEater]

I'll admit it... I've had my problems with EVGA in the past. But I'm not going to go as far as to say I "hate" them. I just think that particular product I bought from them was just a big waste of time. RMA or not, it was just... annoying.

EDIT: Your post has been answered, OP. Nothing more to say from here on out. Hope things get resolved.

 

[bob4432]

dispute the $299 with your cc good luck and like others said, post more around here or we will think you are just making up stuff because you work for the competition. don't take offense, we see it aorund here quite often, so just a fyi

 

[chizow]

Ya like Bob said, I'd dispute it. Sucky situation though, sounds like a he said/she said situation with them falling back on a technicality. Either way, tell em to fix the damn thing at least. Even if it costs you a little bit more out of pocket, at least it'll be usable or you can sell it to help recover some cost.

 

[hardcandy2]

Frustration>>stress>>anger>>posting>>ventilation>>acceptance>>experience>>knowledge.

Sorry about the $299 lost and the frustration.
I have to ask, was there not a plastic peice/cover for the cpu socket, that is expressly mentioned in the instructions, and has to be replaced before returning the motherboard? I know they used to mention it and said it was to protect against bent pins. And if I remember correctly, they said the RMA would be rejected if the cover was missing.

 

[The Sauce]

Nowadays you can be #1 in customer service if you have someone answering the phones who speaks English with some passing proficiency, was born with all ten fingers and toes, and doesn't also work part time cleaning the fryers at McDonalds. The standard is not all that high anymore.

I feel your pain. I'm glad I didn't go with eVGA for my recent video card purchase...although I'm not sure that the company I bought from is any better in this regard (Leadtek).

 

[Nocturnal]

That is the best tool you have when it comes to a situation like this. Charge back.

 

[Noubourne]

Sounds like you are out $50 and some pain and frustration.

They are sending you back the board with the bent pins. Unbend them and re-use it.

$299 is only $50 more than you'd pay retail as you mentioned.

You have no proof that you or your customer did not bend the pins.

If a measly $300 won't break their company, then why would they deliberately bend pins to save from having to replace your board? MORE likely is that you or your customer accidentally bent them, or that they got bent during shipping. Either way, without any pictures of the merchandise before returning it to them to prove the condition, you're screwed.

Customer Service doesn't mean "eat $300 everytime someone complains", so I fail to see how this is a criticism of their service.

Certainly won't stop me from buying eVGA again. When I tried to RMA an MSI board I couldn't even get anyone who spoke english at all. I stopped buying from them. When I called eVGA with Step Up questions I got an english speaking rep. As snatch said, that's more service than you'll get in many places right there.

 

[ayabe]

That's the same policy as most companies, if their tech bent the pins I think he would have said so. They would rather eat the cost of the board than make wild accusations.

Sorry no sympathy from me, you have to look at it from their perspective, people are trying to screw them all the time with bogus RMA's. They have to use the information they have at hand.

It's bad luck on your part, not damning evidence that the company sucks, and making new accounts on all the big tech boards to rant might make you feel empowered but it's not going to do anything.

 

[cessation]

Originally posted by: v3raxOC
A week later, I get an e-mail from EVGA saying that my RMA was being rejected and they were not only sending the bad board back to me, but they were going to charge me $299 unless i sent the new one back to them in 14 days.

As others have said, call your bank or whoever you have that CC with that you gave them. I paid $10 bucks once to stop a company from charging my card. You could always cancel that card you gave them too, but that's more trouble than just getting your CC company/bank to not accept charges from evga.

Originally posted by: v3raxOC
BS BS BS BS!!!!

Why don't you tell us how you really feel?

Originally posted by: Noubourne
If a measly $300 won't break their company, then why would they deliberately bend pins to save from having to replace your board?

I think what he's trying to say is one of their support guys could have goofed and bent the pins. The support guy probably did not want his boss to know he did it so he just blamed the customer. Or maybe that some support guy at evga didn't even know he did it when moving the board around.

 

[vhx]

Did you not put the protective CPU cover on when you shipped it? If you attached it, you might have a case, but if it wasn't, then most likely they can't do much. Most manufactureres won't replace things when there is physical damage to the actual board.

Unfortunately theres really no way to prove it, unless you have a picture before you sent it. Try discussing it with L2 support again.

 

[QuantumPion]

What motherboard company could you have bought a board from originally and not run into this same problem? No one is going to authorize an RMA on a damaged board.

My 680i board has been buggy but when I e-mailed a support guy on their forums they set me up with free cross-shipping (I did not pay for the service when I bought and registered the board). So feh.

 

[Superself]

Originally posted by: ayabe
That's the same policy as most companies, if their tech bent the pins I think he would have said so. They would rather eat the cost of the board than make wild accusations.

Sorry no sympathy from me, you have to look at it from their perspective, people are trying to screw them all the time with bogus RMA's. They have to use the information they have at hand.

It's bad luck on your part, not damning evidence that the company sucks, and making new accounts on all the big tech boards to rant might make you feel empowered but it's not going to do anything.

Bulllllllllllshit!!!
If you are a tech and you bend pins....maybe you will own up to your mistake. Most people will not do that if it means they could lose their job!! That is common sense.

 

[jAkUp]

Hey guys,

My name is Jacob Freeman and I am a PM at EVGA.

This RMA was rejected because of 2 missing pins in the CPU socket, this is classified as physical damage and is rejected per our RMA terms and conditions.

With that being said, we are working towards fixing the boards that we receive with broken pins, and will charge for the fix accordingly.

If there are any questions regarding this my email address is jacobf@evga.com

Thanks,
Jacob

 

[hardcandy2]

Originally posted by: jAkUp
Hey guys,

My name is Jacob Freeman and I am a PM at EVGA.

This RMA was rejected because of 2 missing pins in the CPU socket, this is classified as physical damage and is rejected per our RMA terms and conditions.

With that being said, we are working towards fixing the boards that we receive with broken pins, and will charge for the fix accordingly.

If there are any questions regarding this my email address is jacobf@evga.com

Thanks,
Jacob

Thank you for the reply. I am curious, was the protective cover in place over the CPU socket? (Of course that may not prove much.)

 

[Superself]

Originally posted by: jAkUp
Hey guys,

My name is Jacob Freeman and I am a PM at EVGA.

This RMA was rejected because of 2 missing pins in the CPU socket, this is classified as physical damage and is rejected per our RMA terms and conditions.

With that being said, we are working towards fixing the boards that we receive with broken pins, and will charge for the fix accordingly.

If there are any questions regarding this my email address is jacobf@evga.com

Thanks,
Jacob

:thumbsup:

Wow, this sorta kills the OP's rant. If EVGA was such a crappy company to deal with, I doubt they would give a response like this.

 

[jAkUp]

Thank you for the reply. I am curious, was the protective cover in place over the CPU socket? (Of course that may not prove much.)

Yes, we do send out boards with the protective cover on the LGA socket, and when we received his board, it also had the protective cover on the LGA socket, however, there were 2 missing pins.

As I said though, we are working towards fixing these boards, and charging for the repair, not the entire board.

 

[v3raxOC]

Originally posted by: jAkUp

Thank you for the reply. I am curious, was the protective cover in place over the CPU socket? (Of course that may not prove much.)

Yes, we do send out boards with the protective cover on the LGA socket, and when we received his board, it also had the protective cover on the LGA socket, however, there were 2 missing pins.

As I said though, we are working towards fixing these boards, and charging for the repair, not the entire board.

Jakup I appreciate the fact that you have posted here and have given me a little hope that something will be done. I want you and everyone else to know that I only did this because I was given the cold shoulder by everyone I talked to at EVGA. They basically told me we dont care. That bothered me. Did I over react? Probably, but I spent a lot of time on the phone listening to your recording about how great customer satisfaction is, yet when it came time for someone to talk to me about my situation, that policy seemed to go out the window.

Anyway, I am not trying to get something for nothing, I am not asking you to change policy, I would just like to settle this situation without feeling like I got ripped off by a company that I use to highly regard.

 

[shabby]

I find it funny when someone has a problem with a company, tries everything to get it resolved and meets a dead end. He then posts about his situation on a forum, then a person from that company quickly resolves the problem publicly and then everyone gives the thumbs up to that company.
Where was the cr in the begining? It seems there are telephone cr's and internet cr's who fix the telephone cr's screwups publicly to make the company look good in the forums.
If v3raxOC wouldnt of posted this here he'd be screwed, this simply shouldnt happen at all especially when you tout customer satisfaction and all the crap.

 

[crispy2010]

I find it hard to believe that 2 pins are missing, what did the op take a pair of pliers and rip them out?
Asus pulled the same crap with me, had the board running for 3-4 months, died and I did a rma. They claimed the pins were bent causing the problem, 40$ to fix. Of course they didnt fix that board and send it back, they sent a new one.

Companys just figured out with the fragile nature of the 775 socket, they could claim socket damage and make a few $ off of rma. Why would they rma for free if they can charge you!

 

[RaiderJ]

Dunno how 775 pins are, but I've fixed many a bent pin with a 0.5 mechanical pencil. How do you bend two pins and not like 20 of them?

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: crispy2010
I find it hard to believe that 2 pins are missing, what did the op take a pair of pliers and rip them out?
Asus pulled the same crap with me, had the board running for 3-4 months, died and I did a rma. They claimed the pins were bent causing the problem, 40$ to fix. Of course they didnt fix that board and send it back, they sent a new one.

Companys just figured out with the fragile nature of the 775 socket, they could claim socket damage and make a few $ off of rma. Why would they rma for free if they can charge you!

This kind of bullshit happens much more often than any of you people who've never RMA'd anything would like to believe. I once sent an 8RDA+ back to Epox, after swapping cpu's, psu's, video card, and RAM, along with trying it with all of the non-essentials unplugged/removed. First of all, it took me 6 weeks of e-mailing them, being less and less nice, before they even sent me an RMA #.

I had bought a new motherboard before sending the 8RDA+ back to Epox, and was using all of the same components (cpu, psu, video card, and RAM) with absolutely no problems. Then, less than 2 weeks after mailing them the RMA, I received it back, with a bill that said "this motherboard works just fine", and we are charging you $50 for testing it. Now, they had no idea what my credit card or bank account #'s were, so they had no way of actually charging me. I sent them a reply anyway, though: a 5x7 picture of me giving their POS motherboard the bird, with a note of my own that said "that was the last Epox product I'll ever buy", and it actually was.

Originally posted by: shabby
I find it funny when someone has a problem with a company, tries everything to get it resolved and meets a dead end. He then posts about his situation on a forum, then a person from that company quickly resolves the problem publicly and then everyone gives the thumbs up to that company.

I agree totally. If they were so good with customer service, we would never have heard from this guy in the first place. And the simple fact that they sent one of their tech's over here to AT, just to refute the guy, makes the OP's story extremely believable, doesn't it?

 

[crispy2010]

Originally posted by: RaiderJ
Dunno how 775 pins are, but I've fixed many a bent pin with a 0.5 mechanical pencil. How do you bend two pins and not like 20 of them?

Well they are more like springs instead of pins. I also find it funny that the op was told 299$ for a new board, so op spreads the love for evga to a popular site "anandtech", and now its just pay for fix!

 

[cessation]

Originally posted by: crispy2010
I find it hard to believe that 2 pins are missing, what did the op take a pair of pliers and rip them out?

I have to agree, I don't own a 775 type board but I've messed around with some CPU pins before and they are quite tough to pull off. If the pins on a 775 board are tough to pull off like that why would they just come off unless the board was faulty? If the pins fell out from normal use, it sure seems to me like that's evga's fault and not the OP's.