RMA damaged in shipping. PACK your cards well!!

IMI4tth3w · Mar 13, 2015

03/03/15: Figure out the fans on my GTX 970 are not spinning at all under any load. GPU temps get to 94C. Proceed with RMA.

03/05/15: Ship card to EVGA via UPS. EVGA says i will lose backplate if i send it with it still on, so i remove backplate. Misplaced original screws so i found some other replacement screws. The last one near the bracket has a nut that i certainly do not have, so i left it missing. Figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I was wrong.

Today: Get email back with pictures of damaged card. EVGA denies RMA due to damage. See pictures below. Should have just left the back plate on. Also, i had a LOT of packaging/bubble wrap that is not pictured as well as double boxed it. i literally tried shaking the thing to death and it would not budge prior to shipment. But it looks like it got crushed more than it got shaken around..

this is so beyond disheartening.. i can't afford to replace the card and they want $300. Part of me wishes i would have just left the backplate on, part of me wishes i would have used a bigger box and more packaging, but it was already $20 to ship this damn thing. EVGA really needs a pre paid shipping box option as i would have gladly paid for that to KNOW my product would make it back safely in a proper box. I don't ship things often. Just kinda upset and not much else i can do but post about it.

but lets be honest, thats some seriously minimal damage. And obviously not the reason why the fans stopped working completely. I doubt they even tried to see if the card works properly.

Ramzinho · Mar 13, 2015

1- You were mistaken to take the backplate off.. you should email them and tell them u want it back.
2- If you lose screws.. they have the right to be suspicious.
3- I wish you best of luck man.

Lesson learnt to all ocn.

IMI4tth3w · Mar 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramzinho

1- You were mistaken to take the backplate off.. you should email them and tell them u want it back.
2- If you lose screws.. they have the right to be suspicious.
3- I wish you best of luck man.

Lesson learnt to all ocn.

Yeah, who knows if i would have all the original hardware screws the damage might have broken the pcb entirely instead of just bending the mount frame.

criminal · Mar 13, 2015

Kind of strange looking damage. Almost looks like someone took some pliers and bent the bracket like that. I would just request the card back and purchase an aftermarket cooler to use on the card.

KuuFA · Mar 13, 2015

wait did you send the card like that? With out the original box or anything? or did they send it like that?

criminal · Mar 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by KuuFA

wait did you send the card like that? With out the original box or anything? or did they send it like that?

They tell you to never send the original box or accessories back when doing an RMA. He sent it like that more than likely.

IMI4tth3w · Mar 13, 2015

Yep i sent it like that, but they decided to leave out all the bubble wrap i had in the box in their pictures. I mean it was literally STUFFED to the brim full of small bubble wrap so that it would not move at all during shipping. Which is why i suspect it was crushed. And it does seem to be bent MUCH more than you would suspect even during shipping.

47 Knucklehead · Mar 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMI4tth3w

Yep i sent it like that, but they decided to leave out all the bubble wrap i had in the box in their pictures. I mean it was literally STUFFED to the brim full of small bubble wrap so that it would not move at all during shipping. Which is why i suspect it was crushed. And it does seem to be bent MUCH more than you would suspect even during shipping.

So why don't you file a claim against the carrier (ie UPS or FedEx) for damaging the package?

That isn't the fault of EVGA.

ssgtnubb · Mar 13, 2015

Normally EVGA will just send a new card not replace the fan shroud itself. With that being said I've never, never had any doubts with EVGA, they have always taken care of me, a few times when I didn't expect they would. That's a hard hit on the IO panel for sure, I see on one of the pictures you can tell the panel is bent in the middle. On one had I can understand EVGA not even looking at it with that much bend there had to be a ton of force for it to happen, those things are sturdy by design. I'd ask for the card back and if anything buy an aftermarket air cooler.

IMI4tth3w · Mar 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by 47 Knucklehead

So why don't you file a claim against the carrier (ie UPS or FedEx) for damaging the package?

That isn't the fault of EVGA.

I already did file a claim, which will probably get denied knowing my luck. that i "didn't properly package the product" or something like that.

But also the fact that the bracket is a little bent somehow affects the fans stop working entirely? and the fact that they just looked at it and said "its broken no RMA" without even doing any sort of testing what so ever. I can't at least get a "card fails to power on" or "card still powers on and functions." This is their RMA department being lazy. Give me a break. Take some shiney pictures of damage and send it to customer to make it seem 100x worse than it really is.

Also as far as the fans not working, i suspect that the cooler is just fine, but the fan controller on the card went bad. They have like 3 versions of this card with 3 different coolers and a couple different bios' its no wonder something got screwed with it. So even if i did purchase an aftermarket cooler, the fan header on the card will not work.

i guess worse case scenario i ask them to send it back and get a converter for the gpu fans and plug it into one of my fan headers on the mobo and control them that way. but what a pain that is.

Pheatton · Mar 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by 47 Knucklehead

So why don't you file a claim against the carrier (ie UPS or FedEx) for damaging the package?

That isn't the fault of EVGA.

Thats what Im thinking. IF EVGA received the box in that shape then something happened during shipping and they should take care of it.

IMI4tth3w · Mar 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheatton

Thats what Im thinking. IF EVGA received the box in that shape then something happened during shipping and they should take care of it.

Yep. Now i just have to wait for UPS to pick it up and go through THEIR claims center so they can pay me so i can pay EVGA to get me a new card. *sigh*

Marc79 · Mar 13, 2015

Did you also place the GPU in the original box or just put it in the box with some bubble wrap?

IMI4tth3w · Mar 14, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marc79

Did you also place the GPU in the original box or just put it in the box with some bubble wrap?

they specifically ask you not to ship back the card in the original box.

szeged · Mar 14, 2015

i have done rmas with evga before, they ask you to not ship the card back in anything you wish to keep, the original box is an example. I have shipped most of my cards back in the original box because i dont care about keeping a cardboard box around my house for no reason lol. you def need to get your money back from the shipping company though, then use that to just buy a brand new card and not one from evga's rma department as it will most likely be a certified refurbished card, which theres nothing wrong with that, but imo brand new is always better.

essanbee · Mar 14, 2015

Nothing personal and I wish you the best of luck, but that sure looks like inadequate packaging to me. There is not enough crush space on the ends of the card. Right where the shipping damage occurred. I know moneys tight for everybody but you should have used a bigger box, more cushioning, and added shipping insurance. EVGA is a great company with great customer service, but when something is damaged in shipping and shows up like that I can't fault their decision.

hazard99 · Mar 14, 2015

I just sent my card in to MSI in what I would say is maybe far less . what I did do is use the original box with the original foam. I then placed that box inside another box with someone that packing paper. I feel for you dude ,I would nerd rage so hard . Though from what I can see you handling it well . Good luck man.

IMI4tth3w · Mar 15, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by szeged

i have done rmas with evga before, they ask you to not ship the card back in anything you wish to keep, the original box is an example. I have shipped most of my cards back in the original box because i dont care about keeping a cardboard box around my house for no reason lol. you def need to get your money back from the shipping company though, then use that to just buy a brand new card and not one from evga's rma department as it will most likely be a certified refurbished card, which theres nothing wrong with that, but imo brand new is always better.

I think that's what i'm going to do. I actually just ordered another 970 since who knows how long it will take to go through the UPS claim center and get my check from that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by essanbee

Nothing personal and I wish you the best of luck, but that sure looks like inadequate packaging to me. There is not enough crush space on the ends of the card. Right where the shipping damage occurred. I know moneys tight for everybody but you should have used a bigger box, more cushioning, and added shipping insurance. EVGA is a great company with great customer service, but when something is damaged in shipping and shows up like that I can't fault their decision.

i agree, but there certainly was padding there with more space, but it appears the sides were crushed with quite a bit of force. we all know how hard it is to bend those plates. i mentioned before it looks like evga removed all my padding to take the pictures which i find strange.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazard99

I just sent my card in to MSI in what I would say is maybe far less . what I did do is use the original box with the original foam. I then placed that box inside another box with someone that packing paper. I feel for you dude ,I would nerd rage so hard . Though from what I can see you handling it well . Good luck man.

thanks. some lessons learned here.

Thanks, i just wish i could have gotten a response back from EVGA on friday or at least by the end of the day. I called them and left a message at 1pm central which is 11am pacific. Never got a call back that day.

Oh well, i'll still buy EVGA as i always have. I'm just in fear now that UPS will now try and screw me over/not cover it. At which point nerd rage will ensue

Darkice · Mar 15, 2015

EVGA has amazing Customer support I have never had an issue with them, You should have shipped it priority mail and paid for fragile care.
I dont know if there is anything you can do now, I would call back and demand to speak with a supervisor.
Did you get insurance through UPS? your best bet might be to make a claim with them if you did because they damaged your shipment in transit and should cover damages.

MadRabbit · Mar 15, 2015

It's funny people say this
Quote:

You should have shipped it priority mail and paid for fragile care.

Why on earth should I pay more and more for stuff they actually SHOULD do in the first place? Doesn't matter if I send some bubblewrap in a box or a graphics card that's fragile, they are already getting paid to actually deliver it in the same condition as it is in when first shipped out. Just greed.

RMA damaged in shipping. PACK your cards well!!

IMI4tth3w

Ramzinho

IMI4tth3w

criminal

KuuFA

criminal

IMI4tth3w

47 Knucklehead

ssgtnubb

IMI4tth3w

Pheatton

IMI4tth3w

Marc79

IMI4tth3w

szeged

essanbee

hazard99

IMI4tth3w

Darkice

MadRabbit

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