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Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

consumerist.com

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Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#81

Post by binarycrusader »

dpifke wrote: post #80

This story somewhat mirrors a similar RMA experience I had with Newegg a year or two ago. I bought several high-end Cisco access points. One needed to be RMA'd, so I boxed it up and sent it back. The problem was that I inadvertently used the box from one of the working APs. The remaining boxes were discarded. Newegg refused to take the RMA because the serial number on the box's label didn't match the serial number of…

In fairness, some manufacturers actually have the serial number requirement.

Nintendo was notably one of them in the past and so were some video card manufacturers.

Newegg didn't want to eat the cost of the return; and who can blame them?

When I handled returns for the electronics retailer I used to work for, if we didn't follow all of the procedures and meet all of the requirements for the return exactly, the manufacturer often wouldn't credit us for the return and would send it back.

On the other hand, sometimes we did eat the cost because the customer followed all the rules we told them about...

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#83

Post by ajross »

trafficlight wrote: post #48
gamache wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also remarkable to me that Newegg would become the target of an internet lynch mob. I know dozens of IT professionals and Newegg has done right by all of us for years. I can't think of another hardware retailer that's gotten better word of mouth. A company is allowed to make a mistake once in a while! This was resolved quickly and to the (internet loudmouth) customer's satisfaction. Let's give them credit.

Absolutely. I only order from Newegg if it at all possible. Their Returns Department is top notch.

Except, of course, when the returns department kicks the return back at you based on an apparent misunderstanding of policy.

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#84

Post by wtracy »

binarycrusader wrote: post #81
dpifke wrote: post #80

This story somewhat mirrors a similar RMA experience I had with Newegg a year or two ago. I bought several high-end Cisco access points. One needed to be RMA'd, so I boxed it up and sent it back. The problem was that I inadvertently used the box from one of the working APs. The remaining boxes were discarded. Newegg refused to take the RMA because the serial number on the box's label didn't match the serial number of…

In fairness, some manufacturers actually have the serial number requirement. Nintendo was notably one of them in the past and so were some video card manufacturers. Newegg didn't want to eat the cost of the return; and who can blame them? When I handled returns for the electronics retailer I used to work for, if we didn't follow all of the procedures and meet all of the requirements for the return exactly, the manufa…

In my experience, Cisco generally isn't that kind of manufacturer.

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#85

Post by kenrikm »

Terretta wrote: post #62
DanielStraight wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Why is "we made a mistake, we're offering to fix it" not enough? What more could they say? Do you want the name of the rep who made the mistake? Do you want them fired? Neither one of these seems remotely reasonable, but I'm not sure what else you could want. It was a simple human error. Customer service agent was wrong about the policy. It happens.

> wrong about the policy In that case, it's interesting that they had RMA form boilerplate for the situation.

Exactly, that form did not seem if it had been written for that specific case but rather something they could select in the system for why they were returning the item.

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#86

Post by marshray »

Symmetry wrote: post #28
xxiao wrote: post #20

could it be somehow the linux display driver damaged that screen? while I use linux but I do think newegg has a point. A policy is a policy and newegg can not verify all those 100+ linux distro on the market.

Generally speaking you don't want a screen to break no matter what signals you put into it. It would really suck if a virus could actually destroy your computer.

In fact, the original IBM PC monochrome monitor had a horizontal sweep timing circuit driven completely by a video card register. If it were set too high, for example the motherboard switch was set wrong and it didn't tell the BIOS to initialize it, the monitor could be burned out.

PC Magazine printed a rumor of a virus that tried to or actually did (can't remember) burn someone's house down.

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#87

Post by mifay »

MartinCron wrote: post #25
rfrey wrote: post #6

It's a remarkable (to me) number of comments to the OP saying they're glad Newegg refunded the money and apologized, but they would still never buy from them. Seems to me like Newegg acted quickly and unambiguously. The flip side of the "punish bad behaviour" coin is "reward correct behaviour". Maybe it was, as many commenters are suggesting, just the public shaming that got Newegg to act, but maybe not... in any eve…

Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age, or I'm lucky enough to only deal with decent retailers, but I've been in quite a few scenarios lately where the company had a choice to make me either a spiteful vocal detractor or a customer-for-life and they have made the customer-for-life choice. The fact that it's hard to tell if the person you're screwing out of a refund has a few thousand twitter followers (I sure as h…

Customer-for-life (until they fuck up)

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#88

Post by jaylevitt »

praxulus wrote: post #76
miahi wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It means that they don't have/follow clear procedures, so it's a matter of luck if your request is processed this or that way.

It's a matter of luck, but given that I've literally never heard of anybody else having a poor experience with Newegg, they still compare favorably against most of the alternatives.

Now you've heard of anybody else. I didn't have a horrible, traumatic, life-scarring experience, but I did have a bad one:

* They advertised an item as a SAS/SATA RAID cage; I paid rush overnight shipping, only to discover it was actually SATA-only

* When I tried to return it, I was charged a $90 "restocking" fee for their mistake. Indeed, their invoices state "All refunds require a 15% restocking fee." That's not legal in Massachusetts.

* I was also left responsible for paying my own return shipping (until I complained). Not legal either.

* And the original shipping, for an item that's not as advertised. Probably not legal either.

* When they corrected all this, they gave me the "one time exception" bit - which implies that their policy is to charge me shipping even if they send me the wrong item.

Color me not very impressed - and in fact I've avoided buying from Newegg for over four years now.

https://gist.github.com/2927900

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#89

Post by jaylevitt »

trafficlight wrote: post #48
gamache wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also remarkable to me that Newegg would become the target of an internet lynch mob. I know dozens of IT professionals and Newegg has done right by all of us for years. I can't think of another hardware retailer that's gotten better word of mouth. A company is allowed to make a mistake once in a while! This was resolved quickly and to the (internet loudmouth) customer's satisfaction. Let's give them credit.

Absolutely. I only order from Newegg if it at all possible. Their Returns Department is top notch.

Their Returns Department charges a 15% restocking fee, return shipping unless you ask for a prepaid label, and original shipping unless you raise a fuss. What do you consider bottom notch?

Re: Newegg: No, We'll Totally Take Returns After You Install Linux

#90

Post by brianobush »

steve8918 wrote: post #21
rfrey wrote: post #6

It's a remarkable (to me) number of comments to the OP saying they're glad Newegg refunded the money and apologized, but they would still never buy from them. Seems to me like Newegg acted quickly and unambiguously. The flip side of the "punish bad behaviour" coin is "reward correct behaviour". Maybe it was, as many commenters are suggesting, just the public shaming that got Newegg to act, but maybe not... in any eve…

What they need is a post-mortem and a transparent analysis of the situation posted on their website, similar to what Heroku did with their outage. If they can show that the reason why this occurred was because of a break in a process, and this process was fixed, then I wouldn't have any problems with Newegg. If the refund was a one-off situation to quiet the public outcry, and they don't care about fixing their gener…

[post-mortem and a transparent analysis of the situation]

talk about overboard. they apologized, is all, move one.

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