Newegg's 2/1/11 Statement on Sandy Bridge mobo chipset flaw

[ferretmania]

I received this email today from newegg after I contacted them to rma my new Asus P8P67 Pro mobo. They granted a full rma refund without question or dispute. I really appreciate that kind of customer service, especially considering Intel -- not newegg -- caused the problem. I hope this info will be useful to others who have recently purchased H67 or P67 mobos.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Newegg has recently become aware of a design issue that is affecting recent models of Intel Sandy Bridge platform motherboards. We are working with Intel to identify the exact nature of this problem.

As always, Newegg remains 100% committed to our customers' total satisfaction. In keeping with our commitment to our customers, we are extending the return period for your motherboard by 90 days or until replacements become available from the manufacturer, whichever is greater. Intel expects to have a new revision of the P67 & H67 chipsets out around April, at which point first-run motherboards with this issue will need to be physically replaced in affected systems.

From a technical standpoint, the design issue can be bypassed fairly simply by not using the Serial ATA (SATA) ports that are affected. Your motherboard’s manual should identify your SATA ports by number, and at a minimum you should see ports 0-5 (6 ports in total) listed. Ports 0 and 1 are Sata Rev. III (6Gbps), and do not appear to be affected by this problem. Ports 2-5 are SATA Rev. II (3Gbps) and should not be used. For a thorough explanation of this hardware work-around, please refer to our video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJcE2alQPvY

If you choose to use the hardware work-around option, there is no need to contact us at this time. We have your information on record and will email you as soon as the replacements become available. If you would like to discuss this with our tech community or read up on the latest updates, please visit our EggXpert forum:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/682006.aspx

If none of the above options are suitable to your needs and you wish to return the board at this time for a full refund, please email us at intelsandybridge@newegg.com and include your sales order number so we can help you out with your return.

If you have any concerns, please contact Newegg Customer Service for further information and assistance.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,


Your Newegg.com Customer Service Team

 

[rolli59]

+++++ Newegg.

 

[asantesoul]

How do you rma a product? In this case the motherboard? If doing it to get a replacement how long does the process take?

 

[ferretmania]

How do you rma a product? In this case the motherboard? If doing it to get a replacement how long does the process take?

Assuming you're asking about newegg's return policy, first read the newegg.com link below:

http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/FAQD...p=FAQ-_-Returns(RMA)-_-617&Menu=sn_617#sn_617

Second, be aware that under normal circumstances (which the bad silicon in the H67/P67 boards is not), you'll be charged a 15% restocking fee if the return is due to your changing your mind and wanting a different product.

In the case of manufacturer's defect or a "DOA" product, contact the seller. In my case, I just clicked on the customer service link and hit the "chat" button. BTW, "live chat" is only available from (I think) 8 AM - 5:30 PM PST.

The agent will then issue email you an RMA # complete with a pre-paid UPS label that you print out and attach to the shipping container. If the defective product is in stock, newegg will promptly ship you a replacement. In the case of the Intel mobos, those won't be in stock til April. So they will refund the money upon receipt of the goods.

 

[nged72]

There is no point to RMA a board if you have the computer setup yet. Just wait for the new ones to come out then do it.