Problem

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lonegunm4n

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May 8, 2009
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I'm not sure if this is the right forum or not, as this is the most relavant one I could find. If it is not, feel free to move it.

So, let me begin this saga.

A couple weeks ago, I bought a one month old HP Pavillion desktop (AMD Phenom III 8400, 4 gigs of Ram, 500 gig SATA WD HDD, etc.) off of a girl in one of my college classes for $200.

Not owning any PCI-e video cards (only card I have is an AGP 7800 GT), I did some research on the internet, and decided that the best card for me would be an 9800 GT. So, I looked all over the net, and found a company that sold recertified XFX 9800 GTs on ebay. Perfect, or so I thought.

I won the auction ($72.00), and spent $8 for Fedex Express shipping. Well, the card shipped out on Monday, and I got it yesterday morning. Happily, I cracked open the box, and saw the card sitting in it's anti-static baggy. I took the card out of the baggy, and flipped it over to read the back of it.

Well, poo. It said 9600 GSO. I started to freak. I flipped it back over, and looked at the graphics on the fan, and what do you know, 9600 GSO. I looked at the box itself, and it had a label on the side that plainly said: XFX 9800 GT 512MB, then listed the serial number for a card, a card I would assume is an 9800 GT. I compared the serial number on the 9600 GSO card to the 9800 GT one on the box, and of course, way off.

So, I called the people I bought it from (Grassroots Computers), and told them what had happened. The girl I talked to on the phone, said that she didn't understand how it happened, because the manufacter boxes the video card up, and sends it to them. Then, when someone wins one on ebay or buys one, they slap a shipping label on the box and mail it out. They don't open them up whatsoever. She said they don't even sell or have ever sold 9600 GSOs.

She said there were only two things that could be happening, either the manufacter screwed up, or I'm trying to pull a fast one. Anyway, she emailed me a Fedex shipping label, to send it back to them. She said if they find that it is an error on their part, they will gladly send me the correct card. She never said what would happen if they think I'm trying to scam them.

Anyway, I don't know how to procede next, or what to expect. Any advice I could get would be helpful.

Thanks.
 
Stand your ground. I would find it offensive if they implied I was lying. I'm sure it does happen occasionally but that is the cost of doing business IMO. If they had better records and better checking, they should be able to trace the fault... Its their fault, not yours.
 
send it back, try to get your money back. For what you paid you could add $20 and get an radeon 4770 from newegg who would never pull something like this.
 
why get a 9800gt recertified on ebay (might as well call it used) when you could get a brand new HD4830 from newegg for $9 more not counting the $10 MIR? or even that HD4850 deal for $87 after MIR? I do think the 4850 deal is dead now though.
 
Technophobe said:
Stand your ground. I would find it offensive if they implied I was lying. I'm sure it does happen occasionally but that is the cost of doing business IMO. If they had better records and better checking, they should be able to trace the fault... Its their fault, not yours.
Click to expand...

This. You know you're not at fault, so it's pointless to eat the loss.
 
Well, we shall know on May 13th. Fedex lists that as the expected delivery date.

I'll keep everyone update as it goes on.

Thanks for the words of encouragement so far.
 
Theres nothing you can do at this point but wait,but I do not really think you will have a problem,as they were probably the ones trying to pull a fast one.But,if they try to say you were the one trying to pull a fast one on them.Tell them that if the correct one is not shipped back to you,that you will file credit card fruad on them.That will work most of the time,but then again.That really is your only other option if that happens.
 
Yea, if you get another 9600 gso back then you will know what is up then. Hope everything works out for you, but this is the main reason i don't Ebay anymore.

Good Day
 
One thing I would like to point out, a hole in their story if you will.

The customer service rep I talked to said that they don't open the boxes at their store, they just ship them.

So my question is, how do they get their insert ad card in the box?

It's too big for them to have simply slipped it in the box around one of the untaped portions. It wasn't folded or anything. It's something I wouldn't imagine the manufacter putting the box as well.
 
Okay, I got some resolution...

The service rep called me this morning, and told me that they had cross referenced the serial numbers with the manufacter, and that it was indeed an manufacterer's problem. Turns out there was a whole shipment of recertified 9800 GTs that have the wrong card in the box. Most of them are the 9600 GSOs, but some lucky people will be getting 9800 GTXs.

Anyway, instead of just sending me the proper card, they refunded my money, including shipping. I asked her if there was anyway I could just get a card, and she said no. I would have to buy another one from them.

Couple my refund with a little creative budgeting, and I ordered an HIS HD4830 from New Egg. :cool:
 
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