Newegg socket bent pin RMA? Sandybridge

Riotf

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Oct 3, 2006
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Hello I bought a Gigabyte SandyBridge board and the pins in the socket were bent, I think one was even broken when I looked at it with a magnifying glass. When I sent in the RMA request I was upfront about the pin situation and selected it as defective, and selected exchange. Note I am not blaming Gigabyte or Newegg for the bent pins, it could've been the carrier or many other factors. Plus mistakes occur on the assembly line all the time.

Has anyone had success in exchanging a motherboard with Newegg once the RMA is initially approved in this situation? I hear of RMA rejections later in some cases. I've only RMA'd 2 items -- this being my second item -- out of 300-400 orders so I would hope they take that into account that I'm not a negligent customer with merchandise.

And what are my options if my RMA is rejected once Newegg receives the package? Should I go through the usual customer service phone call or are there escalation options at my disposal?

I'm paranoid about a bad outcome but I'm hoping they'll exchange it given my track record as a customer and the fact I was upfront about the pins in the RMA request. I'll update this thread with my situation as it progresses. I dropped off the package at a Staples UPS desk today.

Also, would bent pins have done any damage to the CPU itself? I notice multiple markings on the contacts on the CPU where the bent pins were. I made absolutely certain to set the CPU in the socket with the proper alignment the first time, and at no point did I force it into the socket.

Thank you.
 
Unless this was an Open Box item... I'm not sure they will. In order for the CPU Pins to be bent in any fashion, the cover on the socket has to come off. Otherwise, I believe they will see it to be as a user error. As you have stated, you've already admitted to putting your CPU in the socket.

Inserted the CPU incorrectly causing the bent pins, removing the cpu and causing the bent pins. Whether you just ripped off the cover, scraped it across the pins, whatever the case, user error. :(

The socket cover is secure, so I don't believe it could have been caused by the carrier.

I don't know many, if at all any, companies that will accept a motherboard for replacement/refund/exchange with bent pins on the socket. They will tell you to F* off and RMA it with the manufacturer.

However, if it is an ASUS mobo, ASUS will replace your socket for like a $25-30 fee. I am not sure if other mobo manufacturers do this.
 
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As Archer would say,"How do you not check for bent/damaged pins before you install your CPU?"
 
A $30 fee would be more than reasonable even if it's manufacturer defect. I didn't check the pins beforehand as I had assumed they would be fine given the protective plate being over it. Obviously I wont make that mistake again.

This is my first board where the pins are on the mobo side and not the CPU side.

I suppose worst case scenario I can sell it on ebay "As is" and advertise that the socket is defective. I know some experienced electrical engineers know how to repair sockets themselves and I could probably get back 50% of the cost of the board if I'm lucky this way. ;(
 
I know with ASUS, I bent a socket pin and they replaced it, But I had to pay a fee for the bent pins.
 
I had a similar issue with a Zotac mobo from them.. It took about 10 phone calls to get straightened out, but eventually I got it refunded.. Basically the RMA dept will keep rejecting it even though customer service approves it.
 
Hello I bought a Gigabyte SandyBridge board and the pins in the socket were bent, I think one was even broken when I looked at it with a magnifying glass. When I sent in the RMA request I was upfront about the pin situation and selected it as defective, and selected exchange. Note I am not blaming Gigabyte or Newegg for the bent pins, it could've been the carrier or many other factors. Plus mistakes occur on the assembly line all the time.

Has anyone had success in exchanging a motherboard with Newegg once the RMA is initially approved in this situation? I hear of RMA rejections later in some cases. I've only RMA'd 2 items -- this being my second item -- out of 300-400 orders so I would hope they take that into account that I'm not a negligent customer with merchandise.

And what are my options if my RMA is rejected once Newegg receives the package? Should I go through the usual customer service phone call or are there escalation options at my disposal?

I'm paranoid about a bad outcome but I'm hoping they'll exchange it given my track record as a customer and the fact I was upfront about the pins in the RMA request. I'll update this thread with my situation as it progresses. I dropped off the package at a Staples UPS desk today.

Also, would bent pins have done any damage to the CPU itself? I notice multiple markings on the contacts on the CPU where the bent pins were. I made absolutely certain to set the CPU in the socket with the proper alignment the first time, and at no point did I force it into the socket.

Thank you.

If you rma'd it because the pins are bent they will accept it. If you rma'd it because it "doesn't boot" they will like find the damage and reject it.

Your cpu may be fried too, good luck.
 
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Well thanks for all the responses. I should know by the end of next week whether RMA is rejected or not. If it's accepted for exchange I will certainly post an update. And I will thoroughly inspect the replacement board for any pin damage after carefully removing the plate this time before I do anything with the board.

If it's handled smoothly then I'll be preaching the gospel of Newegg that's for sure while enjoying my i7 system. I spent over $2k on components and the board was the only one defective. I don't mind the downtime, so long as I get a working board back eventually.

I'll also make sure to post a good report on the various watchdog sites since most people are apt to complain when something goes wrong but seldom posts praise when something is handled smoothly by a vendor.

Oh and I did mention very clearly in the RMA request that the pins were bent. I didn't go with the generic non-verbose "it doesn't work/doesnt boot" thing. I try to be as verbose as I can on RMA forms.
 
Good luck selling as-is on Ebay. Those get returned about 15% of the time. People will file a case against you claiming it is defective. You will get it back and it will work just fine (except for what you noted that doesn't work). I left Ebay and paypal 6 months ago and will never go back.
 
Hmm...so I threw "asus rma" into google and found an RMA form right away. I've had a Rampage III Extreme with bent pins sitting on my patio since September.

I've just treated it as a pretty $400 box...the thing would never recognize more than 3 ram slots and then when I was packing it up to return it to Microcenter, I placed the cover on backwards. doh!

I guess I'll see what Asus can do for me.
 
I am happy to report my RMA was approved without having to hassle Newegg about it. Two thumbs up for Newegg.
 
I am happy to report my RMA was approved without having to hassle Newegg about it. Two thumbs up for Newegg.

On the other side of the coin, fuck newegg. They wouldn't accept my RMA for a bent cpu socket on an MSI P67-GD55 motherboard. I didn't install anything incorrectly, I've been doing this for years. Board went through boot loop and when I removed the heat sink I noticed a few pins bent. Sent it off to newegg on my dime and they shipped it back, after making wait almost a month for them to "test" it. Now I gotta ship it to MSI on my dime again.

I've also been a loyal customer for years (spending a few thousand dollars) and never had to RMA anything.
 
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I had similar experience with NewEgg in 2011. There are many people complaining about the same situation in their product reviews. I'm afraid to buy from NewEgg any more. They're either dishonest on purpose, or have some careless employes that cause these issues.

I bought an Intel mobo that wouldn't POST with all four RAM slots populated so I sent it back for exchange only to be to told by NewEgg that the socket had bent pins and they refused the RMA. I'm not an idiot, I've been building computers for over 10 years. I'm sure the socket wasn't damaged when I sent it back, I covered it withe cover. When they sent the board back my jaw dropped: the socket looked like someone run a screwdriver across it. I complained several times but nothing helped. I've been newEgg customer for many years, no more. I only buy small things from them. I buy everything else from Microcenter these days.
 
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