Ever RMA a motherboard? Share your experience here (good, bad or indifferent)

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pwrusr

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This seems to be a very popular subject recently. Let's hear everyone's experence on the RMA process they had with different motherboard makers...

Please include the following information in your post

Make and model
Problem (why you RMAed the board)
Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back
Was the problem fixed with the first RMA?

Please keep this thread clean folks, and to clearify this is for the RMA process from you to the maker of your motherboard.
If the maker of your board did not work out did the reseller you bought it from save the day?
 
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I'll start, but I suggest you add a criteria for 'Problem.'

Model: ASUS P8P67
Problem: Frequent lock ups, confirmed to be the board
Amount of time: Two weeks after filing RMA never heard from ASUS
Fixed on first RMA: Yes, NewEgg was able refund me months after my purchase to buy a Gigabyte.
 
Just started my RMA process, so far, color me unimpressed. I will update it when it gets resolved, which, hopefully, will be soon.

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair v formula/thunderbolt.

Problem: Board refused to post, after six months of working flawlessly.

Feedback: As previously stated, I'm underwhelmed. Someone buying this board obviously is in know, (I should have gone intel,lol)yet they make you feel like a complete dolt with questions like " Did you cycle the power, and is it plugged in?" Not only that, they talk over you as you are trying to answer those very questions, turning what could be a ten minute ordeal into an hour plus. Anytime, I have a problem wih something, I always state everything I have done so it helps speed the process along. Having done that, I still get asked "What did you do to asses this problem?" Serioulsy? I just told you. Furthermore, I had to not so gently remind them that my board qualifies for ASP, which the rep continually denied. I was more than polite up to that point. After more than an hour, I'm then told to expect an email within "48 hours" to provide me with information for the RMA and to get the process started. Wait, didn't I just get the process started over an hour ago? "So all this time my phone call did nothing, I should just wait for an email? " Was what I said to the rep. The reps response "We needed the information to confirm their was a problem." Completely clueless to the question I just asked. Seriously hope this is not a taste of things to come. For the record, NEVER have had any problems wiht ASUS stuff up to this point, guess my number came due.
 
Make and model: Intel BOXDG41TY
Problem (why you RMAed the board): Board wouldn't post or turn on
Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back: About a week or two
Was the problem fixed with the first RMA?: Yes, they sent a referb or new board (not 100% sure which).

I found the overall RMA process pretty good with intel, Since this was a computer that I built for a friend/client it was nice that the process was smooth and relatively fast.
 
RMA process for me with my desktop build in November of 2011 went fine, although I technically didn't wait to get the money reimbursed per se before buying something else.

Model: Some Biostar H67 crap
Problem: No problem, wanted P67
Amount of time: Few days (4-5 at most)
Fixed on first RMA: Newegg credited me money very fast, and I bought my Asrock P67 Extreme4 right after I shipped off the first mobo.
 
I think we're talking about RMAs with manufacturers that did or did not promptly honor their warranty.
 
EVGA X58 SLi: arrived to me DOA on release day....I was discouraged to say the least.
called newegg and sent the board right back for replacement......didn't bother with EVGA due to day 1 failure.

EVGA Classified X58- first release model, received NIB as a Step-up from the X58 SLi board above.

developed memory issues after 2 years. called EVGA, RMA accepted immediately and they cross-shipped.

My replacement board was warped badly, but POSTed.

Took pictures, sent evga an email, had to go through two different guys, but finally returned the RMA for a different refurb model of the same board. It was ok and functioned properly. I sold it on the forums. I replaced it with an ASUS Rampage III Formula.
 
Make and model: Asus P4C800 E deluxe
Problem (why you RMAed the board): Random restarts
Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back: 2 weeks
Was the problem fixed with the first RMA? No there were a number of subsequent rma's. After each rma the next board had something else wrong with it from missing capacitors to bent pins. During the final rma 7th or 8th I asked for an engineer to please test the board. They did and that one worked fine.
 
RMAed a few motherboards.

One thing i have learned, always keep these CPU Slot cover pieces or cover pieces for the Graphic card slot. Place the Protective parts back on there.

If you even screw ur board onto u case try not to ever scratch the soundings of the board.

This will eliminate any annoyance by them claiming that it was user error.

And also keep ur board clean of heatsink goop its like turning in a car to get fixed and it looked like it went mudding, they don't want to work on it and will give you any excuse that it was ur fault and not do the warranty.
 
Have only had to RMA one motherboard:
MSi 790FX-GD70
Reason: Computer would turn on, but there would be no video, no beeps etc. After some diagnostics, I determined the motherboard was dead (best noted when it killed not only one CPU, but the second one I put into it ><).
Emailed MSi about it, they gave me an RMA # and address, made me pay for shipping to them ($10?). I got a brand new motherboard in the retail box a little over a week later with no explanation as to what happened.
For the record, AMD was kind enough to replace both of my CPUs as well, but paid for my shipping too.

:edit:
In my experience, if you want a smooth RMA experience, you need to prepare yourself before starting the process:
1) Explore every possibility that could have created the issue.
2) Document every diagnostic activity you participated in.
3) Confirm findings with an enthusiast community ([H]ard OCP) and look for any other possibilities.
4) Prepare your evidence in a well written letter, as well as expressing your brand loyalty to the manufacturer (which is easy when its true).
5) Now contact the RMA department, and receive your RMA instructions almost immediately.

If you do all of the work for them, and leave them with only one option, replacing your product, the process is fast and hassle free.

Again, this has been my experience with the RMA process. So your mileage may vary, but I still think it is sound advice. I have had other products replaced as well by other companies by following this method.
 
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DOOMHAMMA said:
Have only had to RMA one motherboard:
MSi 790FX-GD70
Reason: Computer would turn on, but there would be no video, no beeps etc. After some diagnostics, I determined the motherboard was dead (best noted when it killed not only one CPU, but the second one I put into it ><).
Emailed MSi about it, they gave me an RMA # and address, made me pay for shipping to them ($10?). I got a brand new motherboard in the retail box a little over a week later with no explanation as to what happened.
For the record, AMD was kind enough to replace both of my CPUs as well, but paid for my shipping too.

:edit:
In my experience, if you want a smooth RMA experience, you need to prepare yourself before starting the process:
1) Explore every possibility that could have created the issue.
2) Document every diagnostic activity you participated in.
3) Confirm findings with an enthusiast community ([H]ard OCP) and look for any other possibilities.
4) Prepare your evidence in a well written letter, as well as expressing your brand loyalty to the manufacturer (which is easy when its true).
5) Now contact the RMA department, and receive your RMA instructions almost immediately.

If you do all of the work for them, and leave them with only one option, replacing your product, the process is fast and hassle free.

Again, this has been my experience with the RMA process. So your mileage may vary, but I still think it is sound advice. I have had other products replaced as well by other companies by following this method.
Click to expand...

That is true also Write all the info about the board.
Almost like what they teach you in school LOL, thorough report !!!

And it will be all hassle free =D
 
Make and model
Sapphire PURE BLACK P67 Hydra
Problem (why you RMAed the board)
The CPU VRM caught fire one day after I turned it on. (that was fun, imagine billows of smoke coming out of your case and having to unplug the PSU to get it to cease)
Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back
About 6 weeks.
Was the problem fixed with the first RMA?
No, they sent me a refurb, and the serial number was close to the board I sent back. The VRM on that board also caught fire immediately after I pressed power. Nothing was shorted. Notified them of the problem and that I was probably not sending it back a second time any time soon (I needed a working system immediately, so I bought a different brand). Sent it in again about 2 months ago and the tech was bewildered. Also waited six weeks. Was not my CPU, worked fine in other boards. Sent me another refurb. I have not tested the second replacement since I have long given up any hope of having fire-free VRM with this particular board.
Overall very dissatisfied.
 
acfrazier said:
Make and model
Sapphire PURE BLACK P67 Hydra
Problem (why you RMAed the board)
The CPU VRM caught fire one day after I turned it on. (that was fun, imagine billows of smoke coming out of your case and having to unplug the PSU to get it to cease)
Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back
About 6 weeks.
Was the problem fixed with the first RMA?
No, they sent me a refurb, and the serial number was close to the board I sent back. The VRM on that board also caught fire immediately after I pressed power. Nothing was shorted. Notified them of the problem and that I was probably not sending it back a second time any time soon (I needed a working system immediately, so I bought a different brand). Sent it in again about 2 months ago and the tech was bewildered. Also waited six weeks. Was not my CPU, worked fine in other boards. Sent me another refurb. I have not tested the second replacement since I have long given up any hope of having fire-free VRM with this particular board.
Overall very dissatisfied.
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:eek:
 
Model Asus A7N8X Deluxe

Problem Bios would corrupt itself with memory timing adjustments

Turn around time 8 weeks x5

Was the problem fixed with the first RMA? Nope was a horrble bios issue that never got resolved. Even though this mb is old and dates back, it was the worst board i ever owned. Adjusting the ram timings to stock settings for the dimms would cause the BIOS to corrupt itself and no longer post. After the 5th RMA I gave up and purchased a Gigabyte equivalent.
 
Make and model: ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3

Problem: Would not recognize 3 different GTX580s, worked fine with a GTX560ti and 2 different Radeons.

Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back: Never received a replacement--RMA was rejected with the reason "customer caused damaged to CPU socket". I received the returned motherboard and a full QUARTER of the pins in the CPU socket were completely smashed sideways and up and down. I have been building computers for the last 15 years and am the first to admit when I've seated a CPU incorrectly. I'm also experienced enough to know when I've caused damage by doing something stupid. This was absolutely not the case. I've purchased boards by Asus and from Newegg for many years and this is the first time I've actually been mortified by the customer service/shady RMA tactics I've witnessed.

Was the problem fixed with the first RMA? Absolutely not. I will never deal with Asus again. I will never shop with Newegg again, especially when TigerDirect sells in Tennessee without charging sales tax. I am officially done with both companies, from now on.
 
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MSI with two different boards.

First board:
NF980-G65

Problem:
Blew up mosfets overclocking a 1090t (twice).

Turnaround time: two weeks from when I shipped it x2

Feedback: described problem on RMA ticket, RMA number given next day, was sent a refurbished working board with extra I/O plate in each case. Subsequently blew up the board again at a later date, same process again with no issues. At this point, I got a gigabyte 790xta, and then a Crosshair IV to overclock the 1090t. Always got tracking number for replacement board.

Second board:
MSI Big Bang Xpower

Problem: froze on boot, isolated board as cause.

Turnaround time: 2 weeks x 2, then 3 weeks for last one

Feedback: Got refurbished board, different problem occurred: one RAM slot was bad. Opened new ticket, MSI sent a shipping label for return shipping. Happened twice, then MSI sent me a BNIB board, without even asking me if I wanted a new in box replacement. Very painless, did not need to ask MSI for return shipping label. Tracking number of replacement board was always given.
 
EDIT -- To be fair, my rants about MSI are due to my experiences only with their bottom rung MATX boards but they have been plagued with bad caps & flaky BIOSes, even on top teir offerings & they skimp on parts, in my opinion, especially the PWM components --

Sorry to say MSI are JUNK! Every MSI board I tried to use DIED a mysterious death, 1 way or another. They are cheaply made POS crap & I've put together 100's of PC's over the years so it isn't me. Alot would go into standby to never boot again. So far, DFI have impressed me with a solid biuld, every time. Too bad they aren't around anymore. ASUS is good but RMA sucks ball$. I've never RMA'd a board as I by mostly used, new condition, already tested. Abit was OK but Fatality line sucked a$$. All the older ATI chipset boards(RDX-200), escept DFI failed withing weeks/months with mysterious no-wake, no-boot condition. I like Gigabyte but their chipset timings are too sloppy/loose so they can brag about their OC numbers but no fine tuning on the chipset latch timings & RAM dividers leave much to be desired.
 
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Two Asus boards:

A8N5X back in 2006-2007 just stopped working: RMA procedure was easy--1 phone call. Board was replaced with a like-new board. Turn-around was about two weeks. Replacement board still working fine running my Windows Home Server box.

M5A99X EVO three months ago. Supposedly new board that I got on eBay for a very good price wouldn't boot. CPU light would come on and that's it. Again, RMA procedure was easy--tech guy on phone was smart and knowledgeable. Inspection of board showed a burned trace, so they tried to get me to buy a replacement at list price. I told them to just send it back. Total turnaround was about three and a half weeks. (I returned the board to the eBay seller for a full refund.)
 
ASUS P8P67 revision 3.0

Intermittent connection problems involving the main PCI-E slot: My video card would not stay secured properly, so there would be movement, causing artifacting which would cause drivers to fail, causing reboots.

First contacted ASUS about the problem on May 9th. Got an automated e-mail the next day, with information regarding cross shipping (was unsure if it would be possible, since this board is now deactivated). Sent information the same day and got a response the 11th. My board didn't ship until the next Wednesday, the 16th. Because of the delay in shipment and FedEx not delivering on Sundays, I received the replacement today. So 12 days (or 8 business days) after the initial contact, I simply need to install the motherboard and send back the old one to complete the process.

However, ASUS did not provide me with any type of pre-paid label, so it is looking like I will have to pay out of pocket for a shipping a component that faulted on its own, as well as waiting for ASUS to take the hold off my payment method for the cross shipping process. Not cool.
 
ASUS P9X79 Deluxe (socket 2011) purchased from Microcenter about a month ago. Testing with 1 and 2 sticks indicated it had a bad ram socket, so I took it back the day after I bought it.

I took it back to Microcenter, handed it to the pretty girl (late teens-early 20s) behind the customer service counter, and was told to go get another one. When I got back with the replacement board she printed off a receipt and I was on my way. She just glanced at my receipt and didn't even look at the board before sending me off to get another one.

The replacement was a new board in a sealed box, and it works just fine.
 
DoomDoomDoom said:
However, ASUS did not provide me with any type of pre-paid label, so it is looking like I will have to pay out of pocket for a shipping a component that faulted on its own, as well as waiting for ASUS to take the hold off my payment method for the cross shipping process. Not cool.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the industry standard... the only RMAs that I've experienced where they provided me with the shipping label is with Amazon, Tigerdirect, and just recently Sandisk.
 
I have had to rma both a asus and a gigabyte. the asus was a breeze but took them a month. the gigabyte was a pain in the ass but it only took them 2 weeks.
 
blaze15301 said:
I have had to rma both a asus and a gigabyte. the asus was a breeze but took them a month. the gigabyte was a pain in the ass but it only took them 2 weeks.
Click to expand...

Could you give details per post one? or you can't remember the details?
 
Tsumi said:
That's pretty much the industry standard... the only RMAs that I've experienced where they provided me with the shipping label is with Amazon, Tigerdirect, and just recently Sandisk.
Click to expand...

When the Cougar Point fiasco occurred, I got a pre-paid label when I went with cross-shipping. I haven't had to return much online, but I've been provided pre-paid labels in instances where I have not been at fault. If a company is willing to eat some cash because of a defective product, I don't see why they can't eat another 10 bucks or so.
 
DoomDoomDoom said:
When the Cougar Point fiasco occurred, I got a pre-paid label when I went with cross-shipping. I haven't had to return much online, but I've been provided pre-paid labels in instances where I have not been at fault. If a company is willing to eat some cash because of a defective product, I don't see why they can't eat another 10 bucks or so.
Click to expand...

That was different, where there was a product-wide recall. Basically, extraordinary circumstances, where I'm sure they were compensated by Intel. I can almost guarantee you that all motherboard manufacturers will require you to pay for return shipping in normal circumstances.

Now, if they sent you a defective board as they did in my case, they would usually provide you with a return shipping label.
 
Gigabyte MA78LMT-S2

Random boot failures.

Did my testing, confirmed the board was the culprit using a second identical board. Sent them an email to which they replied within an hour with a questionnaire. I answered the questions and replied. the next morning I had an RMA number. sent the board in and was contacted telling the board was received. A week later they sent me an email with a shipping tracking number. The board arrived 4 days later and is still working 1.5 years later.

Overall, it was a painless process but my only gripe is that they didn't replace it with a 990FXA board. lol

This is the only motherboard I've ever RMA'd since 1995 and I build about 3 systems a year. I hope I didn't jinx myself...
 
Tsumi said:
That was different, where there was a product-wide recall. Basically, extraordinary circumstances, where I'm sure they were compensated by Intel. I can almost guarantee you that all motherboard manufacturers will require you to pay for return shipping in normal circumstances.

Now, if they sent you a defective board as they did in my case, they would usually provide you with a return shipping label.
Click to expand...

I can understand that, it's just somewhat frustrating to have to pay out of pocket towards a product which is under warranty, which became defective under no fault of my own.
 
Gigabyte X58-UD4P

Instability at even stock settings (i7 920). Swapped memory, power supply, CPU.

RMA to Gigabyte (on my dime), turnaround 3 weeks. Same board shipped back to me (took pics of serial #s).. Whatever the problem, it was corrected. Was unable to determine what the actual fix was. Subsequent communication with Gigabyte shed no light on the fix.

EDIT: The only other board I ever RMAd was an MSI (Socket A so that tells how long ago that was). After that experience, I haven't used an MSI since.
 
Update:

ASUS sent me a B2 revision board. Uhh... no. Not cool. And I thought taking off the third-party heatsink backplate, which was STILL attached, was annoying enough. Calling them in the morning to get this straightened out.
 
DoomDoomDoom said:
Update:

ASUS sent me a B2 revision board. Uhh... no. Not cool. And I thought taking off the third-party heatsink backplate, which was STILL attached, was annoying enough. Calling them in the morning to get this straightened out.
Click to expand...

I'd expect them to pay for cross-shipping a new board overnight when they screw up like that. Sounds just about as sad as this guy over here. Your post pretty much proves to me that ASUS does nothing but trade customer boards around in the hopes that the original issue is fixed and the customer doesn't notice any issues with the replacement.
 
At work where I have built 200+ systems I over the last 15 years I had to RMA a single motherboard about 8 or so years ago to Tyan. I believe the keyboard port had a blown fuse. I sent the board back and it was repaired in less than 2 weeks. They sent me a document describing the fix and all worked well. Although that was the only dead motherboard in the warranty period we had quite a few boards have northbridge fan failures and this caused early death on many of these or at minimum random BSODs making the boards not worth using.
 
Subweevil said:
Just started my RMA process, so far, color me unimpressed. I will update it when it gets resolved, which, hopefully, will be soon.

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair v formula/thunderbolt.

Problem: Board refused to post, after six months of working flawlessly.

Feedback: As previously stated, I'm underwhelmed. Someone buying this board obviously is in know, (I should have gone intel,lol)yet they make you feel like a complete dolt with questions like " Did you cycle the power, and is it plugged in?" Not only that, they talk over you as you are trying to answer those very questions, turning what could be a ten minute ordeal into an hour plus. Anytime, I have a problem wih something, I always state everything I have done so it helps speed the process along. Having done that, I still get asked "What did you do to asses this problem?" Serioulsy? I just told you. Furthermore, I had to not so gently remind them that my board qualifies for ASP, which the rep continually denied. I was more than polite up to that point. After more than an hour, I'm then told to expect an email within "48 hours" to provide me with information for the RMA and to get the process started. Wait, didn't I just get the process started over an hour ago? "So all this time my phone call did nothing, I should just wait for an email? " Was what I said to the rep. The reps response "We needed the information to confirm their was a problem." Completely clueless to the question I just asked. Seriously hope this is not a taste of things to come. For the record, NEVER have had any problems wiht ASUS stuff up to this point, guess my number came due.
Click to expand...

Okay folks, so here's the update and closure:

A touch over 8 hours after talking to the rep, I got an email response, although not the one I was wanting. The email read:
***This is an automated message – please do not reply directly to this email***

**For any inquiries, please visit our North America Service Site at http://service.asus.com**

Unfortunately we do not have a replacement available for your RMA which means at this point that you would have to send your product in for regular RMA (Repair). We really apologize for the inconvinience. Bellow are
the shipping instructions so you can send in your product for repair.

Like I said, not what I wanted, so I decided to call and see if I could get it worked out, since one of the perks of buying this board is the ASP. Now I had been polite and courteous to the last rep I had talked to, clearly stated what the problem was, but still got nowhere. I figured couldn't hurt to try again, so I did. Phoned ASUS as soon as I got home that day, which was a Friday evening near closing time for them. Honestly, my hopes were not that high, since it's a Friday and well, it's almost time for them to close. Boy, was I happy to be wrong!!

Got ahold of one of the service techs, Eli, and promptly stated my case in a polite and courteous manner, like before. Right from the get-go, he seemed like he wanted to work with me, so I obliged. I told him I was not the least bit happy about this, and he said he unerstood, but he couldn't do anything more. I replied that "Every e-tailer has this mobo in stock, and you guys have NONE for warranty/ASP, that's not cool at all." He told me to hold on a bit while he looked into it, and when he came back, he asked if regular mobo without the Thunderbolt card would work, to which I happily said "Certainly." This made me happy with Eli, because he knew the problem we had both agreed on it prior, listened, and he worked around it, since a regular Crosshair V would work fine. I explained further thatI had paid for a new board, and that I was not accepting a used board. Now, he didn't confirm I would get a new board, but he pretty much hinted that I would in a round-about way. The whole time he was pleasant, listened, and worked with me, the customer, completely different from the first tech I tried to speak with, all this while he could have been getting ready for the weekend. After all was said and done, I thanked him profusely and awaited my email.

Got this less than an hour after talking with Eli:

Your RMA has been authorized for our Asus Advance Premium Service Program (APS).
Fax or Email the completed ARS Request form for processing.
Processing time is 24 hours (1 business days) once completed forms have been received by the

X-Ship department.
Fax # 510-608-4511
Email: [email protected]

I followed all the instructions and awaited what was hopefully my new board. Happy to report that it was a NEW board I recieved, and it worked fine outta the box and even had the newest bios. This made me a happy camper!!

So, in closing, Eli did everything that should have been done right the first time, going above and beyond whatI had expected. I'm guessing I was also lucky to get him, but I was also polite and courteous at all times, I realize he had a job to do like everyone else, and was not rude, cursing, or disrespectful. Heck, we even joked around while he was processing everything.

All in all, thanks to a great tech, Eli, who made things right, I will not hesitate to buy more ASUS products.
 
Just got off the phone with ASUS support. I am not exactly thrilled.

I was told to send in the replacement board I received. As soon as I send the board, I am to contact ASUS again and when they see the board is "in transit" they will send the new replacement. I asked how long it would take to receive the replacement, and was told it would send at the standard rate, including the 24-48 hours to source it. Apparently I could not get overnight or a faster rate of shipping, but I will get a pre-paid shipping label.

So I'm supposed to wait multiple days for a replacement board while holding onto my still defective original board and ship the replacement before I get a NEW replacement. And all I get for my inconvenience is a pre-paid label? Awesome... Not.
 
Make and model Abit NF7-S
Problem (why you RMAed the board) I think its the NB fan died and chip overheated
Amount of time/turnaround it took to get the replacement back Like a week or two.
Was the problem fixed with the first RMA? Yeah, until the same thing happened again half a year later.
 
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