Dead Card, question about return experiences..

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xtasyindecay

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 28, 2005
Messages
427
Hey - for those of you who've pruchased a video card from a retail store, if you return a card thats possibly dead, they accept it give you a refund on credit - will they test the card later and withhold a refund or charge you for it if it turns out to actually be dead?

*I'm not sure with forum this goes in, so move it if its in the wrong place. Sorry.
 
Depends on where you got it from. Bestbuy wont refund you the money, but will let you exchange it.

I have HEARD, that they will test it and will charge you if it is something that you did vs a factory defect.. ie, if you burnt it trying to overclock, removed the hs/fan or modded it in any way (bios etc) then youre screwed...

As for returning it in that condition, if it was caused by you then suck it up and take responsability.. if it really was a factory defect, then dont feel like you cant return it.
 
I don't think they'd be able to figure out if you just overclocked it from software... Messing with the hardware (heatsink change, etc.) is a different story.
 
I didn't overclock, but did attempt to install a Zalman vf900. I put the card back in, and the mobo beeped repeatedly... so i reinstalled the stock HSF. I was careful to not mess with the factory arctic silver and carefully placed the original HSF back on with a little of another type of AS5 to disguise it. I don't know if the card is dead or not.

They took the card back with my "reason" and gave me a credit back to my card.. so I don't if they do anything after the fact or not. This particular store is pretty lenient, but retain address, phone # etc. in their system, but mine is old and the number is no longer mine. I'm just wondering if they can withhold my refund w/o knowledge..
 
You should be fine then... odd are that it will end up in the "refurb" bin of whatever company made it.
 
lloose said:
You should be fine then... odd are that it will end up in the "refurb" bin of whatever company made it.
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I hope so, b/c if the money's not back in there soon I may be making a trip back...
 
xtasyindecay said:
I hope so, b/c if the money's not back in there soon I may be making a trip back...
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yeah man how dare they be slow in giving you back your money after you borked your card. :rolleyes:
 
Though you probably shouldn't have returned a card you broke i'll tell you what the deal is, (at best buy anyway) if you return the card and say it's dead then it either gets trashed or sent to a vendor / to fix if you say it's good it gets stuck back on the shelf as open box, either way there is no way to link it back to you after the fact, nothing is tested up front and by the time they find out the card is dead for a second time they wont be able to do much about it, there isnt anyway of linking that card with you seeing as they dont take down the serial number.

I'm sure most stores are like this and dont have a way of linking returned product with the person who returned it after the transaction is complete so you're more than likely fine
 
0V3RC10CK3D said:
Though you probably shouldn't have returned a card you broke i'll tell you what the deal is, (at best buy anyway) if you return the card and say it's dead then it either gets trashed or sent to a vendor / to fix if you say it's good it gets stuck back on the shelf as open box, either way there is no way to link it back to you after the fact, nothing is tested up front and by the time they find out the card is dead for a second time they wont be able to do much about it, there isnt anyway of linking that card with you seeing as they dont take down the serial number.

I'm sure most stores are like this and dont have a way of linking returned product with the person who returned it after the transaction is complete so you're more than likely fine
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See thats what I was thinking... but the store is computers only and not Best Buy... so I may have been the only person that returned a video card that day. We'll see.
 
best buy does take down the serial number to protect themselves against the hundreds of nice people who break a part, go to best buy and buy the same part, and then return the broken part in the new parts box. but i digress...
unless there is some kind of physical damage that absolutely had to be done by you, they have to give refund. now if you cracked the core, which you probably did, and many other people do using those jive ass third party coolers, and cracked it pretty good, somebody at the store with a hair up his ass may check it and see. but since they dont have to pay for the card, i wouldnt worry about it. now when you get another card, leave it the hell alone. the couple fps or 3dmarks you get are not worth the grief.
 
....I work at a best buy and they dont, they keep records that you returned A video card, which make model and sku but they dont take the serial to go with it.
 
0V3RC10CK3D said:
....I work at a best buy and they dont, they keep records that you returned A video card, which make model and sku but they dont take the serial to go with it.
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i guess its different here. the kid in front of me on the customer sevice line last xmas tried to return a fugazi western digital 80 gig drive, and was immediately shot down because the serial number didnt match. i would think that the only way to keep track of inventory would be to track serial #. but what do i know. i'm just a customer.
 
vanilla_guerilla said:
i guess its different here. the kid in front of me on the customer sevice line last xmas tried to return a fugazi western digital 80 gig drive, and was immediately shot down because the serial number didnt match. i would think that the only way to keep track of inventory would be to track serial #. but what do i know. i'm just a customer.
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Didn't match what? They do verify that the serial from the product matches the serial on the box so that they know you didnt just swap the product with something else to return or a defective unit you previously owned...but that has nothing to do with the serial going anywhere else
 
didnt match the serial number that was on record of the one that he had bought a few days before.
 
One thing I did notice when I returned the card was that the cashier looked at the exposed serial number on the card (through the window in the package) so I guess that was either to check that its the same card model (at least as not all people can recognize a card's model just by glancing) and/or possibly the serial number.
 
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