Asus RMA- what on earth

craigdt

[H]ard|Gawd
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Sent my Asus Strix Z370 mobo that would no longer boot to Asus RMA.

They sent it back with the below paper:
ZzGzQy8.jpg


Did they fix it? Or not?

A BIOS update will fix bent pins?

If they didn't fix it, how can I perform a bios update when the machine wont boot?

If it is a bent pin, how did it get bent, while a CPU was installed in it, working just fine for a year?

Is this the supposed bent pin?
sAMWbh3.jpg
 
Something tells me whoever typed up the repair order isn't a native English speaker. It has that bent pin AFTER you received from RMA?
 
Something tells me whoever typed up the repair order isn't a native English speaker. It has that bent pin AFTER you received from RMA?

Yes correct.

I have pictures before where the pin isn't bent.

Is that even "bent" enough to cause an issue?
 
The slightest bends barely even visible to your eyes can cause problems yes. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the problem listed and the action taken. Asus trolled hard here.
 
That is definitely enough of a bend to cause issues. That said, not all pins will cause an issue. It's also pretty easy to fix that.

I think I can fix it but have no idea how.

My middle name is "shaky" haha
 
So do I try to fix the marginally bent pin, or try to actually contact someone and try this again?
 
Welcome you asus RMA and technical support.

The only thing this post is missing is Asus holding the board hostage until you agree to pay return shipping.

Oh and the claim of improper packaging.
 
asus rma's have a habit of suspiciously ending up with bent pins....
Happened to me also, on a build that I was doing for a friend. After I got nowhere with the first-line support rep, we escalated to second- and then third-line support. They all listened politely, but they all blew me off. So I'm doing a major upgrade of my own desktop later this year, and I just may, just may go with Gigabyte instead. The money that they saved by not fixing or replacing my friend's board, that was cheap compared with the business that I'm not going to give them going forward.
 
Well, if that would have happened to me I would still be on the phone with them until they told me to fuck off or they had another unit in the mail.

No way would I be on a forum complaining to peeps who cant do jack shit about it.
 
I would fix that pin no problem and see how it works....get you a mechanical pencil and see if you can bend that pin back. You might just have needed a a new bios rom is what they tried to tell you in the message? See if it boots up...my next board would boot up without a cpu being installed lol
 
So Asus chat support wants me to try to see if the mobo works before they escalate the case.

They said even with 2 bent pins, it should be fine.

This true?
 
So Asus chat support wants me to try to see if the mobo works before they escalate the case.

They said even with 2 bent pins, it should be fine.

This true?

Depends on what the pins do. There are hundreds of ground and power pins. One or two making poor contact wouldn't really change much.. As long as they don't short to other unrelated pads.
 
Depends on what the pins do. There are hundreds of ground and power pins. One or two making poor contact wouldn't really change much.. As long as they don't short to other unrelated pads.

Well that RMA scenario is alarming and should be brought onto their social media feeds.
Yes that pin may not be critical, yes it may still somewhat work... unlikely but yes a BIOS flash may have flagged that pin unused (LOL) but d*mn, this is lazy troubleshooting and at best (for them) customer abuse.
Did you take a picture before sending the mobo of the pins ?
 
I just don't understand companies with should low level of customer service (I'm a ASUS ROG fan btw.... finger crossed).
One day a SONY rep told me that I should contact Google for my Sony Android TV color issue because Android is made by Google. Trust me it escalated quick to another level but how many persons said yes to that ?
 
I don't buy Asus products because of threads like these. They are the worst I've encountered. To answer your question OP it depends which pins they are. Some could cause a no post scenario, others could cause stuff like some USB ports not working or dimm slots. I do mobo repair in my spare time and those do look easy. It really helps to have a pair of jeweler's glasses or a magnifying device of some kind.
 
Let's wrap it up guys.

OP original issue WASNT the bent pin since he mentions that he has picture of mobo with unbent pins and let's not even go to ASUS customer facing document, that's a disgrace lol.
Chances that this issues was fixed with BIOS updates are slim at best, if even remotely possible (I would assume RMA agent would ask to update FW!?)

Please call them back and ask to speak to level 2 or manager after explaining 1 time you issue.
Do not try to unbend the pin until case is settled.
Did you send mobo with pin protector (if any?) and do you have picture ?
 
Let's wrap it up guys.

OP original issue WASNT the bent pin since he mentions that he has picture of mobo with unbent pins and let's not even go to ASUS customer facing document, that's a disgrace lol.
Chances that this issues was fixed with BIOS updates are slim at best, if even remotely possible (I would assume RMA agent would ask to update FW!?)

Please call them back and ask to speak to level 2 or manager after explaining 1 time you issue.
Do not try to unbend the pin until case is settled.
Did you send mobo with pin protector (if any?) and do you have picture ?


Yes, I sent it back with the pin protector, in the mobo box and packaged wonderfully.

I do have pics of the pins before I shipped it off.

I just am not sure how to best navigate this situation.

I did a chat this afternoon and they supposedly escalated my case.

This is what I get for choosing Asus. You dont think it will happen to you... until it does.
 
Asus gets way too much love with their ROG line and flashy gamer oriented stuff, and not enough criticism for their craptastic RMA department. I wonder when the masses will wake up... probably never.
I know i will keep buying Asus boards....But i only purchase the high end models. I had to use there support one time with bios rom getting corrupted...they charged me about 20 bucks and i was back in business a week later. That board lasted me the better part of 10 years....So yea, ill keep buying them. I would have that pin straighten out and retested instead of talking about it
 
I know most of the others (MSI, ASRock, ect.) likely have poor RMA as they're mostly Taiwanese or Chinese companies and they simply don't respect returns and customer service on a cultural level. Lying, stealing and cheating is deeply ingrained there. But ASUS seems to charge a premium. I know they make good products, but so do the other brands. My last two motherboards were MSI and ASRock, and my GPUs have been MSI and EVGA. EVGA CS hasn't been good to me either but at least they're cheaper than ASUS and often MSI these days. And ASUS seems to be chronically bad. If their CS was at least average I likely would've bought a GPU or two from them, probably a motherboard and would've considered their laptops.

For what little it is worth, they've pretty much lost my business due to poor PR.
 
I know i will keep buying Asus boards....But i only purchase the high end models. I had to use there support one time with bios rom getting corrupted...they charged me about 20 bucks and i was back in business a week later. That board lasted me the better part of 10 years....So yea, ill keep buying them. I would have that pin straighten out and retested instead of talking about it

Give them an inch and they'll take a mile...

I know most of the others (MSI, ASRock, ect.) likely have poor RMA as they're mostly Taiwanese or Chinese companies and they simply don't respect returns and customer service on a cultural level. Lying, stealing and cheating is deeply ingrained there. But ASUS seems to charge a premium. I know they make good products, but so do the other brands. My last two motherboards were MSI and ASRock, and my GPUs have been MSI and EVGA. EVGA CS hasn't been good to me either but at least they're cheaper than ASUS and often MSI these days. And ASUS seems to be chronically bad. If their CS was at least average I likely would've bought a GPU or two from them, probably a motherboard and would've considered their laptops.

For what little it is worth, they've pretty much lost my business due to poor PR.

Never had an issue with RMAs with MSI and Gigabyte. I blew up several MSI boards when the Phenom II x6 came out, and replacement was always done within a week and a half. That was when I stopped buying any MSI AMD boards, but went back to them for X58 and X79. The Big Bang X-Power lasted me about 5 years, now on a Rampage IV only because I found it for a really good price when my X-Power gave out. Still have a MSI X79A-GD65 trucking away in another system. Don't have to worry about any RMA issues with how old this board is.
 
This is why I stick with EVGA, that and the 10 year warranty.

I know i will keep buying Asus boards....But i only purchase the high end models. I had to use there support one time with bios rom getting corrupted...they charged me about 20 bucks and i was back in business a week later. That board lasted me the better part of 10 years....So yea, ill keep buying them. I would have that pin straighten out and retested instead of talking about it

The problem here is that Asus boards tend to have a significantly better bios that is regularly updated even years after the board is relevant (Sabertooth 990FX for example). EVGA bioses are terrible. The reality is I only keep boards for maybe 1-2 years anyway, so I don't need a 10 year warranty, and I definitely don't want a shitty bios for 10 years.

Personally, I just take my chances with Asus and hope I don't have to RMA. In fairness, the one time I used Asus RMA I got a working board back within a "reasonable" time frame.
 
The problem here is that Asus boards tend to have a significantly better bios that is regularly updated even years after the board is relevant (Sabertooth 990FX for example). EVGA bioses are terrible. The reality is I only keep boards for maybe 1-2 years anyway, so I don't need a 10 year warranty, and I definitely don't want a shitty bios for 10 years.

Personally, I just take my chances with Asus and hope I don't have to RMA. In fairness, the one time I used Asus RMA I got a working board back within a "reasonable" time frame.
Fair, I upgrade alot less frequently now that I have kids, and as they get older they'll get the hand me downs so having the long warranty wouldn't be un-ideal.
I do agree the bios are pretty meh especially on the older boards, but its been functional enough it hasn't been a problem for the basic OC'ing I do.
Its a one and done for me, so on the flip side I only have to deal with it being crappy a little bit, the new Z390 bios I found to be extremely robust and easy to use though.

I finally upgraded earlier this year and sold my EVGA P67-SLI last month, still has a 2 years of warranty left :D
 
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