Let me begin by saying I have shopped Newegg for several years and have never had a single issue or complaint--until I had to actually deal with them on a personal level.
I originally placed my order for an ASRock Extreme7 Gen3 on November 28, 2011 and had it delivered to my door on the 29th. It took me a little over a week to receive all the other parts for my build, so I popped the packaging open for the board and pulled out the plastic cover over the CPU socket and voila--bent pins
I immediately initiated an RMA via Newegg on December 5, paid shipping to have the board sent over, and anxiously waited to get this thing back so I could have my rig up by Christmas. They received the board within a few days where my RMA status changed to "Received" [December 12], and after a couple days I received an e-mail that they were sending the board over for inspection. My status remained "Received" during this process, and I finally received an e-mail that basically stated that I damaged the board and it was being sent back. I expected this response as I have read so many horror stories about this, but I got confused when suddenly my RMA Status changed to (and still currently is) "Approved" [December 14], which is clearly defined by Newegg as:
"Your return has been inspected, approved and posted. If you opted for a replacement, a sales order number will be generated shortly and you will receive status updates and tracking information via e-mail. If you requested a refund, the credit will reflect toward your original payment method in 1-3 business days (depending on your bank’s policies)."
After seeing this update, maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I decided to call Newegg and double check whether I was actually getting a replacement or if my original board was being sent back. I spoke with a pleasant gentleman named Thomas. I explained the situation and told him that I received an e-mail that the board was damaged, but then the status switched to "Approved" and I'm not sure whether I should order a replacement board or wait. I spent about 15-20 minutes on the phone while Thomas checked everything he possibly could on my RMA and reassured me that everything looks like it has been approved and a replacement is being sent to me. I explained that I was hoping to have the board for Christmas and their shipping window was closing, so if I was going to make the purchase it needed to be soon. Again, Thomas told me not to worry, explained that there was nothing in the system about the damage, that the RMA was approved, and the replacement board will be here soon. I asked for his name and explained that I wanted to speak with him just in case the broken board comes back, which he said he would be more than happy to assist with.
Even after speaking with him, I wanted a second opinion and logged on to the live chat and spoke with a woman named Jasmine. This conversation was quite a bit less helpful, but still carried a similar story. She listed the RMA number, the tracking number, the fact that it was "Approved" and told me to expect the board soon. She would not clearly answer whether it was a replacement or the original board, but just reiterated the information over again. So I took them at their word.
Well wouldn't you know, December 21 rolls around and the board arrives (at 5:07 PM according to UPS). I tear open the packaging to find my original board, but this time without even a plastic cover on the CPU pins and the arm to hold the CPU down was left opened. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of handling on the return shipment--even if my product is damaged, I believe it should still have been treated with respect. The board costs $250+ and poor treatment is unacceptable, period.
I called Newegg immediately and spoke with a woman whose name I didn't take down, but the story changed and suddenly they were explaining that the board must have been damaged by me, etc., and that's why it was sent back. I explained to her that I spoke with Thomas and he assured me everything was a go, and she put me on hold to verify with him. When she got back on the line, she told me he didn't remember anything about it. I asked to speak with him, and of course that brought back his memory to the whole situation, but his story changed as well.
When I realized my options were running slim, I asked Thomas if I could order another board in time for Christmas, which he told me was impossible since their cutoff time was Noon that day. I asked if I could receive the same promotional price ($20 off from Black Friday) if I ordered a new board from them anyway and he said there was absolutely nothing they could do about that. He explained that I should just call ASRock and try to work out an RMA with them. This did not help me at all, as my whole dilemma was to be ready by Christmas.
My resolution? Amazon Prime--thank goodness I'm a member! I found the board at the same price as Newegg, placed an overnight delivery, and had the new, pristine board sitting at my door step the very next day, December 22. AMAZON SAVED CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! The system booted without a hiccup. Posting from it right now >;]
Newegg, where is the customer service? I have been a loyal customer for years and am just so disappointed
I originally placed my order for an ASRock Extreme7 Gen3 on November 28, 2011 and had it delivered to my door on the 29th. It took me a little over a week to receive all the other parts for my build, so I popped the packaging open for the board and pulled out the plastic cover over the CPU socket and voila--bent pins
I immediately initiated an RMA via Newegg on December 5, paid shipping to have the board sent over, and anxiously waited to get this thing back so I could have my rig up by Christmas. They received the board within a few days where my RMA status changed to "Received" [December 12], and after a couple days I received an e-mail that they were sending the board over for inspection. My status remained "Received" during this process, and I finally received an e-mail that basically stated that I damaged the board and it was being sent back. I expected this response as I have read so many horror stories about this, but I got confused when suddenly my RMA Status changed to (and still currently is) "Approved" [December 14], which is clearly defined by Newegg as:
"Your return has been inspected, approved and posted. If you opted for a replacement, a sales order number will be generated shortly and you will receive status updates and tracking information via e-mail. If you requested a refund, the credit will reflect toward your original payment method in 1-3 business days (depending on your bank’s policies)."
After seeing this update, maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I decided to call Newegg and double check whether I was actually getting a replacement or if my original board was being sent back. I spoke with a pleasant gentleman named Thomas. I explained the situation and told him that I received an e-mail that the board was damaged, but then the status switched to "Approved" and I'm not sure whether I should order a replacement board or wait. I spent about 15-20 minutes on the phone while Thomas checked everything he possibly could on my RMA and reassured me that everything looks like it has been approved and a replacement is being sent to me. I explained that I was hoping to have the board for Christmas and their shipping window was closing, so if I was going to make the purchase it needed to be soon. Again, Thomas told me not to worry, explained that there was nothing in the system about the damage, that the RMA was approved, and the replacement board will be here soon. I asked for his name and explained that I wanted to speak with him just in case the broken board comes back, which he said he would be more than happy to assist with.
Even after speaking with him, I wanted a second opinion and logged on to the live chat and spoke with a woman named Jasmine. This conversation was quite a bit less helpful, but still carried a similar story. She listed the RMA number, the tracking number, the fact that it was "Approved" and told me to expect the board soon. She would not clearly answer whether it was a replacement or the original board, but just reiterated the information over again. So I took them at their word.
Well wouldn't you know, December 21 rolls around and the board arrives (at 5:07 PM according to UPS). I tear open the packaging to find my original board, but this time without even a plastic cover on the CPU pins and the arm to hold the CPU down was left opened. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of handling on the return shipment--even if my product is damaged, I believe it should still have been treated with respect. The board costs $250+ and poor treatment is unacceptable, period.
I called Newegg immediately and spoke with a woman whose name I didn't take down, but the story changed and suddenly they were explaining that the board must have been damaged by me, etc., and that's why it was sent back. I explained to her that I spoke with Thomas and he assured me everything was a go, and she put me on hold to verify with him. When she got back on the line, she told me he didn't remember anything about it. I asked to speak with him, and of course that brought back his memory to the whole situation, but his story changed as well.
When I realized my options were running slim, I asked Thomas if I could order another board in time for Christmas, which he told me was impossible since their cutoff time was Noon that day. I asked if I could receive the same promotional price ($20 off from Black Friday) if I ordered a new board from them anyway and he said there was absolutely nothing they could do about that. He explained that I should just call ASRock and try to work out an RMA with them. This did not help me at all, as my whole dilemma was to be ready by Christmas.
My resolution? Amazon Prime--thank goodness I'm a member! I found the board at the same price as Newegg, placed an overnight delivery, and had the new, pristine board sitting at my door step the very next day, December 22. AMAZON SAVED CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! The system booted without a hiccup. Posting from it right now >;]
Newegg, where is the customer service? I have been a loyal customer for years and am just so disappointed
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