Newegg may be selling pirated Windows 10 Keys

[Donald Bell]

I bought 2 copies of Windows 10 Home OEM from Newegg.com for $85 each on sale. This is consistent with genuine OEM pricing around $100. They emailed me two copy/pasted keys. Both failed to activate Windows so I called Microsoft. They checked the keys and said both were pirated! This is not a genuine Microsoft product!

I contacted Newegg.com and was transferred to a supervisor. They refused to replace the keys with verifiably genuine Microsoft products and refused a refund. They did offer to email me more pirated keys(they called them digital but could offer no evidence they were anything other than what Microsoft said). They refused to acknowledge that Microsoft confirmed Newegg.com’s keys were pirated, constantly trying to say things like, “I’m sorry you weren’t able to get your keys to work” or, “I can assure you that all of our keys are genuine, but they don’t always work.” Fact check; Microsoft has already confirmed these were pirated keys. As for them not always working? 49% of Newegg’s reviews for this item are 1 Star...nearly all of them saying the same thing...the keys don’t work and Microsoft says they are no good. Wish I’d noticed that before I bought...which is why I am here, actually. Don’t make the same mistake as me. I’ll be disputing the credit card charges and I’m optimistic since Microsoft has my back, but what a hassle!

By the way, I just bought a ton of hardware from Newegg that works fine. If it didn’t, I’d be in trouble because they are notorious for not RMAing bad components, but everything I bought was stuff I’d be comfortable taking straight to the manufacturers. 7 dead pixel minimum to return a monitor!? Sometimes the deals aren’t worth dealing with a company like this. Definitely not the place to buy software or easily counterfeit goods.

TLDR; Don’t buy software from Newegg.com. They sold me pirated windows keys that don’t work and refuse to replace them with genuine products or issue a refund.

Around 6:30pm EST on Nov 19th both the links for the Home and Pro versions of Windows sold and fulfilled by Newegg.com both went to "Not Available". We received a response from a Newegg Media Representative very shortly after with the following:

“Newegg is aware of a concern relating to the Microsoft Windows 10 Key. Anyone who is having problems with a Microsoft key purchased at Newegg.com can contact our customer service and get a new one right away.”

UPDATE: 7:45pm Nov 19th - the Newegg Media Representative we have been in contact with has provided us with a follow-up statement:

“For Newegg customers who are having issues with Windows 10 Home keys, Newegg will mail a physical replacement of Windows 10 Home or Pro versions.”

UPDATE: 8:05pm Nov 19th - the Newegg Media Representative we have been in contact with has provided us with another follow up statement:

We just created an email for customers. If they email us at [email protected], they will get immediate customer service attention.

 

[Deleted member 245375]

Wait... people are paying for Windows 10? Wow.

 

[auntjemima]

Wait... people are paying for Windows 10? Wow.

Some people want to keep their Windows 7/8/8.1 keys available, likely for secondary PC's. Outside of that, I see no reason to purchase Windows 10.

 

[B00nie]

Wait... people are paying for Windows 10? Wow.

Wait, did you get your licenses for free also? I installed Win10 beta to 6 of our PCs and each one was upgraded to full retail pro 3 computers without having an existing Windows as a base.
I'm pretty sure every current DIY computer builder has to pay for Windows unless he pirates.

 

[auntjemima]

Wait, did you get your licenses for free also? I installed Win10 beta to 6 of our PCs and each one was upgraded to full retail pro 3 computers without having an existing Windows as a base.
I'm pretty sure every current DIY computer builder has to pay for Windows unless he pirates.

Windows 10 Beta always offered a free upgrade path.

 

[Deleted member 245375]

Wait, did you get your licenses for free also?

Of course it was free, I only use laptops/tablets so they're always licensed. I upgrade to Windows 10 over the current OS (Windows 7/8/8.1) only to lock in the upgrade for future owners of the laptops/tablets if I sell them. I don't use Windows 10, don't be ridiculous.

The point I was making is that you can install Windows 7 or 8 or 8.1 however you want and then still take advantage of the Windows 10 upgrade - it still works, and honestly there's zero reason for Microsoft to ever end that offer even if everything they say at their website or in the marketing is telling people "The free upgrade offer is no longer available."

I bought a Surface Pro (1st gen) off craigslist recently for a piddly sum, factory Windows 8 installation on it, and upgraded it to Windows 10 Pro in seconds to lock in that digital license but then clean installed a fully updated Windows 8.1 Pro ISO I created without issues. Windows 10 is so fucking touch unfriendly it's stunning, 8/8.1 were infinitely superior for tablets like this one.

Paying for Windows directly out of pocket, what a quaint idea.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Hmm.

Is this Newegg itself selling them, or is it in the Newegg marketplace?

Newegg certainly has gone downhill since the good old days when they were the best place to shop, but in general I use the same philosophy there as I do on Amazon. I only buy anything of note if it is fulfilled directly by Newegg or Amazon. I avoid marketplace sellers like the plague. You just can't trust them.

I mean sure, if it is something small and cheap, like a Sata power splitter cable for $1.29 or something like that, fine, I'll buy that on Neweggs or Amazon's marketplace or even eBay, but anything more than that, just say no.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Also, this reminds me of when I bought my Seagate Enterprise drives from Newegg.

I normally don't buy these things from Newegg, but I wanted to get as many varied lots for the 12 drives in my storage pool as possible, to minimize the risk of multiples failing at the same time, so I spread my purchases among retailers I don't usually buy hard drives from.

I got two from Newegg. The first thing I did upon receiving them was to run the serial numbers in Seagate's warranty checker, and I am glad i did, as Seagate listed the drives as being OEM drives without any warranty, while Newegg's sale page listed them as retail drives 5 year warranty.

So I reached out to Newegg and Seagates support at the same time. Seagate support responed that the serial numbers belonged to OEM lots sold to Supermicro International, and that they did not carry warranty from Seagate. Newegg first tried to assure me that of course they had warranty and not to worry. I had to press them harder and go up a management level to get them to file a ticket and resolve it. I'm not sure what happened behind the scenes, but within a week my ticket was closed, and all of a sudden the serial numbers showed up on Seagate's web page as having warranty.

The whole thing sounded sketchy to me, but in the end they resolved it. I don't know how it happened. Maybe Newegg bought a surplus lot from Supermicro assuming they carried manufacturer warranty and then had to turn around and pay Seagate to add the warranty back in? Or maybe there was a mismatch on Seagates parts of which serial numbers they had sold to Newegg?

So, very sketchy, but I'm glad it got resolved. Newegg really has gone downhill. It was going that way for a long time, (does anyone remember the fake i7-920's back in 2010?) but I think the final nail in the coffin for Newegg as far as I am concerned was when they were bought by a Chinese company back in 2016. The downward spiral at newegg suddenly turned into a plunge. I try to avoid them whenever possible now.

I mean, they were sued by Korean authorities for running a Ponzi scheme...

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Wait... people are paying for Windows 10? Wow.

I haven't bought any Windows 10 keys as of yet, but I am at the point now that I have used up all of my old Windows 7/8/8.1 keys I accumulated over the years, so if I need to put windows on another machine now, I'd be forced to buy a key.

 

[AltTabbins]

Hmm.

Is this Newegg itself selling them, or is it in the Newegg marketplace?

I checked when I saw this yesterday, the link (and the reviews) was for a listing sold and shipped by newegg, not a 3rd party. They removed the listing since then, probably trying to cover things up.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I checked when I saw this yesterday, the link (and the reviews) was for a listing sold and shipped by newegg, not a 3rd party. They removed the listing since then, probably trying to cover things up.

Wow. They have really gone downhill.

 

[ManofGod]

Wow. They have really gone downhill.

Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, someone screwed up and they are trying to fix things and make things right.

 

[ManofGod]

Also, this reminds me of when I bought my Seagate Enterprise drives from Newegg.

I normally don't buy these things from Newegg, but I wanted to get as many varied lots for the 12 drives in my storage pool as possible, to minimize the risk of multiples failing at the same time, so I spread my purchases among retailers I don't usually buy hard drives from.

I got two from Newegg. The first thing I did upon receiving them was to run the serial numbers in Seagate's warranty checker, and I am glad i did, as Seagate listed the drives as being OEM drives without any warranty, while Newegg's sale page listed them as retail drives 5 year warranty.

So I reached out to Newegg and Seagates support at the same time. Seagate support responed that the serial numbers belonged to OEM lots sold to Supermicro International, and that they did not carry warranty from Seagate. Newegg first tried to assure me that of course they had warranty and not to worry. I had to press them harder and go up a management level to get them to file a ticket and resolve it. I'm not sure what happened behind the scenes, but within a week my ticket was closed, and all of a sudden the serial numbers showed up on Seagate's web page as having warranty.

The whole thing sounded sketchy to me, but in the end they resolved it. I don't know how it happened. Maybe Newegg bought a surplus lot from Supermicro assuming they carried manufacturer warranty and then had to turn around and pay Seagate to add the warranty back in? Or maybe there was a mismatch on Seagates parts of which serial numbers they had sold to Newegg?

So, very sketchy, but I'm glad it got resolved. Newegg really has gone downhill. It was going that way for a long time, (does anyone remember the fake i7-920's back in 2010?) but I think the final nail in the coffin for Newegg as far as I am concerned was when they were bought by a Chinese company back in 2016. The downward spiral at newegg suddenly turned into a plunge. I try to avoid them whenever possible now.

I mean, they were sued by Korean authorities for running a Ponzi scheme...

It is a shame that Amazon is not necessarily better, just bigger. Hey, I do not believe I have ever had an issue with Newegg but, I am very careful if I have to RMA something, always take pictures and other such stuff.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, someone screwed up and they are trying to fix things and make things right.

I'm usually the first to caution about jumping to conclusions after one or even two issues. Even the best occasionally screw up.

Newegg seems to have an exceptional capacity for screwing things up lately though. It's really starting to look like a significant trend.

 

[B00nie]

Of course it was free, I only use laptops/tablets so they're always licensed. I upgrade to Windows 10 over the current OS (Windows 7/8/8.1) only to lock in the upgrade for future owners of the laptops/tablets if I sell them. I don't use Windows 10, don't be ridiculous.

The point I was making is that you can install Windows 7 or 8 or 8.1 however you want and then still take advantage of the Windows 10 upgrade - it still works, and honestly there's zero reason for Microsoft to ever end that offer even if everything they say at their website or in the marketing is telling people "The free upgrade offer is no longer available."

I bought a Surface Pro (1st gen) off craigslist recently for a piddly sum, factory Windows 8 installation on it, and upgraded it to Windows 10 Pro in seconds to lock in that digital license but then clean installed a fully updated Windows 8.1 Pro ISO I created without issues. Windows 10 is so fucking touch unfriendly it's stunning, 8/8.1 were infinitely superior for tablets like this one.

Paying for Windows directly out of pocket, what a quaint idea.

I was talking about a fresh install to a new self built computer, free. That's what I got.

 

[robjordan406]

I also had an issue activating a new WIndows 10 Pro install on a used computer. It showed a previous installation on another computer so the key would not activate. The computer sell said MS has been having trouble with this since the last update. I then tried a digital key with no luck. Cal the providers tech support and they tried to help me to no avail. They tried to get me to erase the current product key using the slmgr command prompt. I finally got the key to activate by using the slmgr.vbs /cpky entry to remove the previous key from the registry,reboot then using the slmgr.vbs /ipk #####-#####-#####-#####-##### to force entry of the product key. it finally activated. I do not know if this will help your issue but it did mine. I spent about 3 hours researching the SLMGR commands and tried several before this worked.

Robert Jordan
Winnsboro Texas

 

[Deadjasper]

Last build for a friend I purchased a Windows 10 key. Can't remember if it was Newegg or somewhere else but it wouldn't activate. I called MS and they said it had already been activated four times. They then proceeded to give me a new key free of charge which activated without issues. The rep was an Indian and he had to put me on hold to get permission from his supervisor to issue the new key. I thought at the time that MS must be desperate to get Win 10 on as many PC's as possible.

Glad I use Linux.

 

[Mazzspeed]

Last build for a friend I purchased a Windows 10 key. Can't remember if it was Newegg or somewhere else but it wouldn't activate. I called MS and they said it had already been activated four times. They then proceeded to give me a new key free of charge which activated without issues. The rep was an Indian and he had to put me on hold to get permission from his supervisor to issue the new key. I thought at the time that MS must be desperate to get Win 10 on as many PC's as possible.

Glad I use Linux.

I swear, they're trying to get Windows 10 adoption to a certain level. Once they achieve that goal, things are going to change.

People are entitled to their opinions, that's mine.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

This was almost certainly a screw-up on Microsoft's end.

 

[Domingo]

Last build for a friend I purchased a Windows 10 key. Can't remember if it was Newegg or somewhere else but it wouldn't activate. I called MS and they said it had already been activated four times. They then proceeded to give me a new key free of charge which activated without issues.

I've encountered this, too. I had a key that wouldn't activate after re-imaging and the guy on the other side at MS eventually input a fresh new key. He said it was more trouble to get the old one to work again than to just start over.

 

[B00nie]

I've encountered this, too. I had a key that wouldn't activate after re-imaging and the guy on the other side at MS eventually input a fresh new key. He said it was more trouble to get the old one to work again than to just start over.

I gather that one of the reason why your key got deactivated was that someone somewhere used a keygen and they have to rekey you.

 

[x509]

Try B&H Photo. Still family-owned. No sales tax outside NY and NJ.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/.

Highly recommended for both price AND service.

 

[bigdogchris]

Sorry, wall of text. But the guy does know that Newegg is now a market place, he probably bought the key from a 3rd party seller. That's why you always check the box to only show Newegg content. The prices he listed are not prices from Newegg.

When you buy licensing from Newegg, alwas get the OEM packet or Retail box delivered to your home. If you buy digital the key is going to be from a Microsoft key distributor, not a copy/paste job in email.

This is a good example of why I tell people not to buy the "too good to be true" Windows 10 and Office keys you see posted in the FS/T here. They are just HUP/MAK keys that are illegal for resale. Microsoft can lay down the ban hammer real fast over that. All these years later I still don't understand why it's allowed.

 

[Mazzspeed]

Sorry, wall of text. But the guy does know that Newegg is now a market place, he probably bought the key from a 3rd party seller. That's why you always check the box to only show Newegg content. The prices he listed are not prices from Newegg.

When you buy licensing from Newegg, alwas get the OEM packet or Retail box delivered to your home. If you buy digital the key is going to be from a Microsoft key distributor, not a copy/paste job in email.

This is a good example of why I tell people not to buy the "too good to be true" Windows 10 and Office keys you see posted in the FS/T here. They are just HUP/MAK keys that are illegal for resale. Microsoft can lay down the ban hammer real fast over that. All these years later I still don't understand why it's allowed.

Most other forums won't allow the sale of Windows keys like the one's posted here, got me beat also.

 

[AltTabbins]

Sorry, wall of text. But the guy does know that Newegg is now a market place, he probably bought the key from a 3rd party seller.

They keys were sold and shipped by newegg, not a 3rd party on neweggs marketplace.

 

[bigdogchris]

Linus did a TechQuickie about this very subject. Great info. FYI, these types of "great deals" on Windows and Office keys are being allowed sold on [H] forums and have been for years. I really hope we eventually block this garbage from sale here. And the excuse the sellers make "they keys were pulled from license stickers" is complete BS. Just don't allow keys to be sold because you just don't know.

 

[DPI]

When you buy licensing from Newegg, alwas get the OEM packet or Retail box delivered to your home. If you buy digital the key is going to be from a Microsoft key distributor, not a copy/paste job in email.

This is a good example of why I tell people not to buy the "too good to be true" Windows 10 and Office keys you see posted in the FS/T here. They are just HUP/MAK keys that are illegal for resale. Microsoft can lay down the ban hammer real fast over that. All these years later I still don't understand why it's allowed.

The dude reselling the illegal keys here in FS/T is sitting in Sri Lanka so he isn't sweating Microsoft. And I'm a little surprised myself that he's been allowed to continue for years - - the powers-that-be either don't know or just don't care.