I recently (last week) sent in two video cards (R9 280x toxic) for Rma both having fan/bearing problems. It would make noise caused by the fan hitting against the side. I received a phone call today saying that my package was damaged due to a puncture in the box and one of the cards will not be replaced and that I would need to contact my shipper (usps) to file an insurance claim. I initially asked him why he was calling me today instead of as soon as he received the package and knew of this supposed incident when the shipping was only supposed to take two days (From California to California priority express). He tells me that they received it earlier but he just now received the package himself. He concludes by saying that he will send pictures of the package so I will be able to make a claim with the shipping provider. The phone call ended there with instructions on how to go about making a claim.
After a few minutes the pictures were emailed to me and the box it self look like it was forcefully pried open with a hammer or crow bar almost as if it was stabbed to death. The box was in horrible condition and it just didn't look like it was accidental handling damage from the shipper. I called the phone number back and got a non English speaking person and was shortly transferred back to the "rma manager." I told him that what he had told me and the condition of the box in the pictures it just didn't look reasonable and he responds with an annoyed tone that "if you had packaged it more efficiently and used foam peanuts, than this might not have happened. He goes on to say that my package was "loose" and the cards moved around a lot. So then I went on to say well I thought this was due to the shipper's handling and pointed out the huge contradiction from his two different explanations. In addition, I told him that my packaging was very secure in bubble bags and padded bubble wrap packages where there would be NO possibility of movement from the cards within the box. I furthermore asked him why it took so long to contact me and he goes on to tell me that his RMA department initially received the packaged and it was then escalated to him, as this is where he introduces himself as the "RMA manager." I went on to ask him if he had initially opened the box himself after the rma dept. received it and he says he had not. It was opened by the rma dept. then sent up to him. So I further asked him how he knew exactly 100% that my packaging was "loose" and not in "efficient" manner when he was not the one that opened the box himself. I asked him if it was a possibility that the person that initially opened it packaged the box EXACTLY the way I did when sending it up to him, the manager. I pointed out his contradictions and told him that he shouldn't blame the customer when he wasn't even the one to initially receive that package.
This is where he starts getting really annoyed and angry after pointing out his faults in his story and starts talking over me and shouting for the next 4-5 mins in which I cannot get another word in. He then concludes by saying "whether it was your fault or ours there is nothing we will do but replace one card and to go file a claim with the shipping company."
Not sure if the "RMA manager" is Tony but the email I received was from [email protected]
I have been a long time supporter of sapphire cards and never had a problem with sapphire cards until now. This is my first time experience sapphire rma and will be my last. I will no longer purchase any sapphire cards as long as Sapphire outsources their RMA work to althon micro.
I should state that the cards when purchased we're about $450 each and in hindsight for my own sake should have purchased $900 worth of insurance. The default insurance is only $100. So losing out $350 really blows but what made it 100x worse is the "customer service" and attitude of the "rma department" of althon micro. Furthermore in hindsight, I should have just replaced the fans on the cards myself. There was nothing wrong with the cards but the fans. Only reason I didn't was because I still had at least a year of warranty and read that messing with a fan voids warranty. I've never had a package damaged and my negligence of not purchasing the sufficient amount of insurance is my fault. I'm not 100% certain that it wasn't a shipping accident and also cannot say that althon micron did/did not sabotage my package/cards but what I can for 100% certainty say is that this rma department is very shady, rude, and unprofessional.
I hope that this story can help other people in their future purchasing decisions.
After a few minutes the pictures were emailed to me and the box it self look like it was forcefully pried open with a hammer or crow bar almost as if it was stabbed to death. The box was in horrible condition and it just didn't look like it was accidental handling damage from the shipper. I called the phone number back and got a non English speaking person and was shortly transferred back to the "rma manager." I told him that what he had told me and the condition of the box in the pictures it just didn't look reasonable and he responds with an annoyed tone that "if you had packaged it more efficiently and used foam peanuts, than this might not have happened. He goes on to say that my package was "loose" and the cards moved around a lot. So then I went on to say well I thought this was due to the shipper's handling and pointed out the huge contradiction from his two different explanations. In addition, I told him that my packaging was very secure in bubble bags and padded bubble wrap packages where there would be NO possibility of movement from the cards within the box. I furthermore asked him why it took so long to contact me and he goes on to tell me that his RMA department initially received the packaged and it was then escalated to him, as this is where he introduces himself as the "RMA manager." I went on to ask him if he had initially opened the box himself after the rma dept. received it and he says he had not. It was opened by the rma dept. then sent up to him. So I further asked him how he knew exactly 100% that my packaging was "loose" and not in "efficient" manner when he was not the one that opened the box himself. I asked him if it was a possibility that the person that initially opened it packaged the box EXACTLY the way I did when sending it up to him, the manager. I pointed out his contradictions and told him that he shouldn't blame the customer when he wasn't even the one to initially receive that package.
This is where he starts getting really annoyed and angry after pointing out his faults in his story and starts talking over me and shouting for the next 4-5 mins in which I cannot get another word in. He then concludes by saying "whether it was your fault or ours there is nothing we will do but replace one card and to go file a claim with the shipping company."
Not sure if the "RMA manager" is Tony but the email I received was from [email protected]
I have been a long time supporter of sapphire cards and never had a problem with sapphire cards until now. This is my first time experience sapphire rma and will be my last. I will no longer purchase any sapphire cards as long as Sapphire outsources their RMA work to althon micro.
I should state that the cards when purchased we're about $450 each and in hindsight for my own sake should have purchased $900 worth of insurance. The default insurance is only $100. So losing out $350 really blows but what made it 100x worse is the "customer service" and attitude of the "rma department" of althon micro. Furthermore in hindsight, I should have just replaced the fans on the cards myself. There was nothing wrong with the cards but the fans. Only reason I didn't was because I still had at least a year of warranty and read that messing with a fan voids warranty. I've never had a package damaged and my negligence of not purchasing the sufficient amount of insurance is my fault. I'm not 100% certain that it wasn't a shipping accident and also cannot say that althon micron did/did not sabotage my package/cards but what I can for 100% certainty say is that this rma department is very shady, rude, and unprofessional.
I hope that this story can help other people in their future purchasing decisions.