BFG tech doesn't respond? dismantled?

[jimmy818]

helooos
first post here on the forum

so previously i've dealt with BFGtech's rma a few years ago and they were pretty awesome and fast.

last week i tried to put in a RMA request for the same video card(7900GTX OC 512mb) through their online system and have received no response for a few days.

(their service statement says they try to respond within 24hours)

so anyways.. after a few days i put in another request thinking the first one didn't go thru...
no reply again

thinking that they're just ignoring me because i have an old card that they might not want to warranty, i sent a regular message thru their generic message system to see if i get ANY kind of reply at all

i got an automated message at the submission saying the message has gone thru

and again another few days gone by and still no reply
i also sent an email to their contact us address thru outlook and the email never bounced back so i assume it got onto their servers.

is bfg's rma department dismantled?
i recall looking at some other forums saying they no longer sell graphics cards but would still warranty their graphics cards?

has anyone had experience with them recently?

 

[SeaFoam]

Call them, I just RMA'd a 9800GTX on Monday.

I hate email ticket systems.

 

[Menelmarar]

I submitted a request on Monday myself.
Over 24 hours, and no response here either.

 

[jimmy818]

what pisses me off most is the lack of confirmation
if your facilities/support teams are overswamped (which is obviously not the case since someone was able to get an RMA on monday), then at least send out automated messages to assure that us as customers will be taken care of asap and not just outright ignore them.

right now i have no idea if my rma is just awaiting to be processed, deleted, or lost

i would call them except i would prefer the convenience of dealing with them electronically
(which i would have no choice but to call them now)

i posted this to see if it was just MY experience (someones gonna get a huge bitching if they're purposely ignoring my requests) or whether everyone else was having problems and to give a heads-up to others in the future (and to vent a little)

 

[1_legged_sheep]

They did or will soon leave the video card market so maybe they are already cutting back on people.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2010/05/19/bfg-tech-leaves-graphics-card-market/1

 

[AltTabbins]

There is a thread about this about every other day. BFG is no longer in the video card business.

 

[jimmy818]

There is a thread about this about every other day. BFG is no longer in the video card business.

thank you for your participation.
i am fully aware of that fact.
this is not about whether or not they sell video cards or not but rather about video cards they have sold previously.

 

[Spare-Flair]

There is a thread about this about every other day. BFG is no longer in the video card business.

But they are still providing warranty support for all their cards and have a stockpile for replacements. That said, there have been various threads about issues with their warranty support and how it eroded over the past while with videocards and now PSUs.

 

[defaultluser]

thank you for your participation.
i am fully aware of that fact.
this is not about whether or not they sell video cards or not but rather about video cards they have sold previously.

No, this is about the fact that BFG has quit the video card industry. Don't try to play games and avoid the real issue here. This is about MONEY.

If they're not in the market anymore, they could give a shit if you're unsatisfied with your service experience. So, they can cut-back service to the bare minimum, and still avoid a lawsuit.

 

[jimmy818]

update:
just got off the phone with them
first off, TERRIBLE attitude.
ignores my questions and refuses to help

the CSR asked for my phone number (i gave him my home phone), then proceeded to ask what product im trying to RMA.

i give him the details and he says i need to register my product before he can do anything else.
i ask him if he could do that for me on the spot, hes like nope.

then i remember i already registered the product but hes like nothing in our records.
i proceed to log in the onine account to find that i registered using my cell phone number.

i give it to him and he doesn't say anythign about what hes doing.
about after 1 min of silence (and keyboard strokes in the background) hes like you'll receive information about your rma in your email in about 15-20 minutes

terrible experience in terms of customer service.
1)doesn't let the customer know what you're doing/what they're waiting for,
2) ignores my questiosn about email support (i didn't bitch at him, i asked in an extremely polite manner, in a calm voice)
3) refuses to provide assistance (doesn't even offer to walk me through the registration process even if in fact he cannot do it from his end)

nothing compared to the customer service of antec.

also i notified him that i dont have proof of purchase. (for an old card like mine, according to the warranty policy, it doesn't explicity state requirement of POP), he said its fine and that once i register the card he can proceed.
just received an email saying i need to submit POP electronically before i can receive further instructions for rma. =.="

 

[jimmy818]

update2:

i called in again regarding the POP. i dont have POP, and in their warranty statement it doesn't say i need POP (whereas the section pertaining to newer video cards it does)

do i have grounds here or am i just wasting my time with them?


for reference:

APPLIES TO ALL GRAPHICS CARDS INTRODUCED BY BFG ON OR AFTER 2/21/08

BFG Technologies warrants to the original purchaser of the graphics card included in this package ("Product") that the Product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for as long as the original purchaser (residing in the United States or Canada) owns the product, when given normal wear and proper usage. For original purchasers residing in areas outside the USA or Canada, the limited warranty for graphic cards shall be for a period of ten (10) years from the date of purchase.

In connection with such Limited Lifetime or Ten Year Warranty, all BFG graphics cards introduced on or after February 21, 2008 must be registered on www.bfgtech.com within thirty (30) calendar days of the original purchase date to activate the limited lifetime warranty or limited ten (10) year warranty. Products not properly registered will be covered from the date of purchase by a two (2) year warranty in Europe, and a one (1) year limited warranty in the U.S. and other countries. Proper registration includes submitting proof of purchase to BFG.

This warranty is VOID if the product:

•Has evidence of the serial number sticker being altered, removed, replaced, or defaced.
•Was damaged while being installed.
•Was damaged by software or hardware from a company or individual other than BFG Technologies or by motherboard incompatibility.
•Was not operated in accordance with BFG Technologies specifications, instructions and any technical support directions.
•Was modified or damaged by overclocking, tampering, user error, accident, disaster, abuse, misuse, power supply, power application, alteration, repair, modification, a fix or replacement by someone other than BFG Technologies.
Third party products, such as motherboards and other system components using or interacting with this Product are not covered by this warranty.

All products sent in for Return Merchandise Authorization (“RMA&#8221 in connection with warranty claim must include a copy of the original invoice or receipt.

BFG Technologies' liability under this warranty, or in connection with any other claim relating to the Product, is limited to the repair or at BFG Technologies option, the replacement of the portion of the Product which was defective in material or workmanship. This warranty does not apply to any software component.

Customer pays for shipping RMA product to BFG. Customer assumes the risk of loss (insurance from loss or damage) in transit and the returned Products shall become the sole property of BFG Technologies. BFG Technologies warrants that the repaired or replaced Products will be free from defects in material or workmanship.

BFG Technologies reserves the right to inspect and verify the defectiveness of any product returned. Please allow 48 hrs processing time once item has been received by BFG, and 3-5 days for shipping of the repaired or replacement product (shipped ground to the U.S.).

BFG will cover the cost of return shipping back to the customer for RMA replacements via ground shipping through UPS in the United States and Canada.

BFG is not responsible for any fees charged by the Canadian Government or brokers due to brokerage fees.

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED ABOVE, BFG TECNOLOGIES MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WHETHER OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, OR OTHERWISE ON THE PRODUCTS, OR ANY PARTS OR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OR OTHER LABOR FURNISHED.

vs

APPLIES TO ALL BFG GRAPHICS CARDS INTRODUCED BEFORE 2/21/08

BFG Technologies is proud to warrant the original purchaser of the graphics card included in this package ("Product") that the Product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for as long as the original purchaser owns the product, when given normal wear and proper usage. This warranty is valid if the product:


•Was not damaged while being installed.
•Was not damaged by software or hardware from a company or individual other than BFG Technologies or by motherboard incompatibility.
•Was operated in accordance with BFG Technologies specifications, instructions and any technical support directions.
•Was not modified or damaged by overclocking, tampering, user error, accident, disaster, abuse, misuse, power supply, power application, alteration, repair, modification, a fix or replacement by someone other than BFG Technologies.
•Third party products, such as motherboards and other system components using this Product are not be covered by this warranty.
BFG Technologies' liability under this consumer warranty, or in connection with any other claim relating to the Product, is limited to the repair or at BFG Technologies option, the replacement of the portion of the Product which was defective in material or workmanship. This warranty does not apply to any software component.

You assume the risk of loss in transit and the returned Products shall be the sole property of BFG Technologies. BFG Technologies warrants the repaired or replaced Products will be free from defects in material or workmanship.

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED ABOVE, BFG Technologies MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WHETHER OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, OR OTHERWISE ON THE PRODUCTS, OR ANY PARTS OR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OR OTHER LABOR FURNISHED.

BFG Technologies reserves the right to inspect and verify the defectiveness of any product returned. Please allow 48 hrs processing time once item has been received by BFG, and 3-5 days for shipping of the replacement product (shipped ground).

* Product is protected for the product’s lifetime in the United States and Canada, and 10 years from the date of purchase in all countries outside the US and Canada, against defects in material and workmanship.

the tech refused to provide assistance
and simply challenged my claim, at first he was reading it over and quoted a statment saying i need POP and reading to me and cutting himself short upon realizing he was reading the next section pertaining to power supplies.

and proceeded to tell me, you can send it it, but theyr'e just gonna reject it. theres nothing i can do

are they required to comply by their written statement or can they just screw me over just like that

 

[JayteeBates]

They can pretty much give you the run around all day as they really do not have a stake in the GFX market now. Unless you bother to sue over it - and really what are the chances you are going to bother to do that, next to nothing.

terrible experience in terms of customer service.
1)doesn't let the customer know what you're doing/what they're waiting for,
2) ignores my questiosn about email support (i didn't bitch at him, i asked in an extremely polite manner, in a calm voice)
3) refuses to provide assistance (doesn't even offer to walk me through the registration process even if in fact he cannot do it from his end)

The guy they have answering the phone is probably a temp at or near min wage. He doesn't care. They don't care really because again they are out of (the graphics) business.

When a company goes out of business in a market be thankful they have anyone answering the phone at all. I would be suprised if they still are answering the phone after December this year with regard to graphics cards.

 

[Deleted member 133315]

I have a card in with BFG RMA atm, I had to call America to get the RMA proces started, yea, you heard it correctly, CALL AMERICA, I am in the UK, why the fux should I have to call the states for an RMA.

Anyway, nuff about that, they approve the RMA, I sent my card to them and I had the postal service record the delivery, BFG got the card on the first tuesday of this month, which is also the first of the month, I then checked BFG's website to see if they had got the card, it said they hadnt, 2 weeks later my card appears on their rma website saying received as of last week at 2am on a wednesday morning, wtf, the posal service website clearly shows them receiving it at 10.15am or similar on tuesday the 1st of june.

All of that could of been avoided had BFG just sent out a fan, as thats the only thing that was wrong with my card, the fan died, but they wouldnt send me out a replacement fan so that I could put on myself.

I said I would take full liability if they did and if the card wouldnt work after i fitted the fan then thats my loss, but still they said no, I am not bothered about that, but I am bothered about having to make an international call 3 times, 1 of the times I got hung up on by a twat who asked for my phone number and because BFG's RMA system doesnt take the NUMBER 0 as the begining of a phone number he hung upon me because it confused him to much.

My exact conversation with that nub;

BFG: Hello BFG support, can I have your FULL telephone number.
ME: Hi, my number is 0XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
BFG: can you repeat that number
ME: Sure
ME: 012
BFG:click hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

It wasnt until I called back and got a woman that she told me the reason why the dude hung up on me, she sorted it out by removing the 0 and inputting my phone number from the second number which is ok and still works, but the guy couldnt figure that out and hung up, BFG employees = uber thick, well he was, she wasnt.

And after all that I am still waiting for my card, and they have had it since the 1st of june and the replacement hasnt even been shipped as their site says so.

 

[Spare-Flair]

Since they have gotten out of the business, they probably got rid of most of the customer service department and reps and only have a skeleton staff of minimum wage or call center people handling it.

 

[jimmy818]

im ok with minimal ppl answering calls/replying to customers (rather than outright ignoring)
but im definitely not ok with doing shady shit (like hanging up on customers), not following written statements etc

i will not purchase another BFG product and would go with bigger companies with higher survivability like ASUS or something..

 

[myounage]

I emailed them as well over a week ago and NEVER received a response. Call them, do not use email. They clearly don't pay any attention to it. Sat on hold for 20 minutes and got my RMA approved instantly, then an email within 20 minutes with my rma number.

 

[jimmy818]

I emailed them as well over a week ago and NEVER received a response. Call them, do not use email. They clearly don't pay any attention to it. Sat on hold for 20 minutes and got my RMA approved instantly, then an email within 20 minutes with my rma number.

you have proof of purchase tho yes?

 

[JayteeBates]

i will not purchase another BFG product and would go with bigger companies with higher survivability like ASUS or something...

I had to lol - they simply don't care what you do anymore they are being gracious to extend any support at all at this point.

 

[georgexi]

im ok with minimal ppl answering calls/replying to customers (rather than outright ignoring)
but im definitely not ok with doing shady shit (like hanging up on customers), not following written statements etc

i will not purchase another BFG product and would go with bigger companies with higher survivability like ASUS or something..

i'm sure 2 years ago people were saying the same thing "i'll stick to a better company like BFG". honestly a 7900GTX isn't worth much these days. they're worth what.. $50-60?
unless you feel like dealing with more headache, you're better off just cutting your losses and moving on

 

[450]

i'm sure 2 years ago people were saying the same thing "i'll stick to a better company like BFG". honestly a 7900GTX isn't worth much these days. they're worth what.. $50-60?
unless you feel like dealing with more headache, you're better off just cutting your losses and moving on

Less than $60, since $60 get you into an 8800GT. I'd pay $30-35 at most.

 

[Spare-Flair]

The money BFG has to pay their CS, techs, testing, replacement, and for shipping together is probably worth more than the card is worth.

When a card drops below $50 in value, it's time to consider putting it in the closet and not bothering with RMA. Since I'm Canada it costs me like $20 in shipping to send something down to the states for RMA anyway.

 

[sfsilicon]

update2:

i called in again regarding the POP. i dont have POP, and in their warranty statement it doesn't say i need POP (whereas the section pertaining to newer video cards it does)

do i have grounds here or am i just wasting my time with them?

I'd recommend faking one up. Given that they most likely have a minimum wage crew following a script them they won't notice or care. Just for future reference always keep your POP/reciepts till your warranty expires or you sell the component

 

[jiminator]

i've used their service twice, once to request a fan, again earlier this year to get a replacement for a 8800gts. No problems with the rep, no receipts requested.

The whole situation sucks because a crappy nvidia mistake is likely causing the company to go bankrupt. I mean be honest here, did BFG screw you or did nvidia screw you?

Most likely the people you talked to are losing their jobs and the few remaining are the ones that will be closing out the department.

Anyway this is all speculation, I may be full of crap.

 

[CrimandEvil]

i will not purchase another BFG product and would go with bigger companies with higher survivability like ASUS or something..

Well duh! They're out of business, they're not going to have anything else. LMAO

 

[zoglog]

lol, Glad to know i'm getting 2 BFG cards on monday. Price was low enough though for me to be ok w/ it though.