Antec support/RMA the WORST...

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[H]F Junkie
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Hi all,

I recently built a box for someone using an antec case+ps combo bought at Frys. I ONLY bought it at Frys as I was there for work anyhow. Fry's is n30+ miles away from me and more from work.

In any case, after putting the box together, windows installed ok but when things were running there was CONSTANT hard drive corruption (eg downloaded files were always corrupt) and running the motherboard monitoring program would give non-stop beeps after booting to windows. I finally figured out what it was: The 3.3v rail was only putting out 2.8V!!!

I swapped the power supply with an Antec True 430 and it solved all the problems. The Bios then showed 3.3V +- 0.03v on the 3.3v rail.

I contacted Antec and was told to send them a copy of the receipt. I don't have the receipt, as I tossed it after windows installed and I had the case purchase recorded in my expenses spreadsheet. In any case, if the PS went bad, there is no way I'd keep the receipt for 3 months, 6 months, a year, whatever....I usually expect manufacturer warranty without receipt (I do this with hd's, video cards, etc whenever I need to without a problem).

Antec told me to take it back to Fry's since I don't have the receipt. Since it's a case+ motherboard combo, I'd have to go back to the clients, yank the entire box apart, box up the case+ps and drive > 60 miles round trip to replace something that I could buy another of for $40-$60.

Anyone had similar experience with Antec? I always thought they were the shiznit with power supplies. Probably what I will do now is buy a cheap $30-$40 out of pocket PS which should suffice for a 1 cpu, 1 hd, 1 dvd-rom box with a 6600GT and consider it a loss out of my own pocket and throw the one that came with the case in the trash (is there any use for this PS, assuming the 12v & 5v are OK?)

Rob
 
Robstar said:
Anyone had similar experience with Antec?
Click to expand...

No. Not at all.

In fact, after 30 days we sent all of our customers back to Antec for RMAs. And if it was a PSU in a case, Antec would replace just the PSU, or the door, or a foot... or whatever part needed to be replaced.

The key difference: The receipt. Antec WOULD always require a receipt, but that was easy... people would call us up for a copy of the receipt and we'd email them a PDF. No problem.
 
I always keep my reciepts... it's even more important if you're building a box for somebody, I think tossing the reciepts after installing Windows is an extremely foolish thing to do. Anyway, Antec is just doing what many other manufacturers do -- they want proof that you paid for the product.

You say that the motherboard monitoring software reported a problem on the +3.3V line... we all know here in this forum how accurate software readings are. I would put a small wager that it wasn't the PSU that was directly causing the problems.

Just curious, what model was it?
 
I have never had any problems with Antec tech support or RMA service.

It is obvious you are not using a DVM/DMM so,
IMO you are not a professional & have no business building for clients.
 
People throw away receipts???

I'll toss receipts for perishable groceries where I paid cash, but receipts for durable goods always get scanned and stored.
 
larrymoencurly said:
People throw away receipts???

I'll toss receipts for perishable groceries where I paid cash, but receipts for durable goods always get scanned and stored.
Click to expand...
ALWAYS!

And if you are in business & you sell your customers products containning items with warranties,
you are NUTS if you "throw out" your/their recipts! :p :p :p
 
Fry's purchase (most purchases even) = ALWAYS KEEP RECIEPT

Learned from experience.
 
I would not say this issue would make Antec's support/RMA the WORST. However, I do see Robstar's point. An Antec power supply is an Antec power supply, just like a Thermaltake power supply is a Thermaltake power supply, it should not matter where you obtained the power supply from (proof of purchase), if it is broken within 3 years years, they should replace it. If no invoice is supplied, the manufacturer should go with the manufacturing date code on the power supply to determine if this power supply is still within the warranty period. And if the power supply is defective, you should only need to replace the power supply, not the case that it came with as well - you should check this with Antec again.
 
larrymoencurly said:
People throw away receipts???

I'll toss receipts for perishable groceries where I paid cash, but receipts for durable goods always get scanned and stored.
Click to expand...
QFT let this be a lesson.
caveat emptor
 
Hey I'm not leaving my customer out to dry. he has a working truepower 430.

The ps was a smartpower350.

It came with a black case (1605B or something, I don't remember the model off the top of my head. The box is at the persons house).

EVEN in the bios the +3.3v is showing 2.8'ish volts. I don't think it's a windows/software issue. Bios is the latest.
 
Antec shouldn't have to go by the manufacturing date either. If it was sold by an unauthorized retailer, was purchased used or refurbished (and Antec didn't warranty the refurb), then they don't have to warranty it. If they want to or not is another story, but come on - who throws away the reciept after just installing Windows?
 
They've done nothing but right by me. When I called to complain about my P180 bowed front door (a known issue) they sent me a replacement without need of anything except my request.
 
How did you pay? If it wasn't cash, odds are Fry's can get you a fresh receipt rather quickly. If it was cash, there's still a good chance if you know when you were there, and it was recent.

Better still, they can probably do it over the phone.

 
Robstar said:
EVEN in the bios the +3.3v is showing 2.8'ish volts. I don't think it's a windows/software issue. Bios is the latest.
Click to expand...

The BIOS gets the data from the same place as any other software. It is still not accurate.
 
that BS it their product and if its still in the warranty period they nhould take care of it :eek: If not like you are trying to RMA a OCZ psu to Antec :confused: And the reciept part is BS also i mean someone had to pay for it it not like they send you the psu for free ;) call them again and dont give up
 
Robstar said:
Hey I'm not leaving my customer out to dry. he has a working truepower 430.

The ps was a smartpower350.

It came with a black case (1605B or something, I don't remember the model off the top of my head. The box is at the persons house).

EVEN in the bios the +3.3v is showing 2.8'ish volts. I don't think it's a windows/software issue. Bios is the latest.
Click to expand...
you said its a smartpower? did you alter the dials in any way? if not before the install of windows did you after?

cause i think thats how it works.........down the 3v to up the 5/12 volt or somthing


and 2.8 on the 3 doesnt sound..........like.......bad.......at least if bios says that......my truepower 550 says 11.2 on the 12v..........which i know for a truepower isnt true :p

soulsaver
 
ramuman said:
Antec shouldn't have to go by the manufacturing date either. If it was sold by an unauthorized retailer, was purchased used or refurbished (and Antec didn't warranty the refurb), then they don't have to warranty it. If they want to or not is another story, but come on - who throws away the reciept after just installing Windows?
Click to expand...
Quoted for truth.
 
ramuman said:
Antec shouldn't have to go by the manufacturing date either. If it was sold by an unauthorized retailer, was purchased used or refurbished (and Antec didn't warranty the refurb), then they don't have to warranty it. If they want to or not is another story, but come on - who throws away the reciept after just installing Windows?
Click to expand...

What is an "unauthorized retailer" ? If they want to check if it's a refurb, ill gladly give them the serial number off of it. I really think they just want an excuse not to honor the warranty.

Also, I've never had problems getting a replacement for a hard drive or video card without a receipt: These (in general) are MUCH more expensive items than a power supply.

Rob
 
soulsaver_8229 said:
you said its a smartpower? did you alter the dials in any way? if not before the install of windows did you after?

cause i think thats how it works.........down the 3v to up the 5/12 volt or somthing


and 2.8 on the 3 doesnt sound..........like.......bad.......at least if bios says that......my truepower 550 says 11.2 on the 12v..........which i know for a truepower isnt true :p

soulsaver
Click to expand...

What dials? There are no dials on this thing.
See Picture
 
Oldie said:
How did you pay? If it wasn't cash, odds are Fry's can get you a fresh receipt rather quickly. If it was cash, there's still a good chance if you know when you were there, and it was recent.

Better still, they can probably do it over the phone.

Click to expand...

Good idea. Perhaps ill call them tomorrow. I wasn't under the impression that stores kept receipts. I paid by CC, so if this is true, I may be able to get a receipt from them.

Rob
 
Spectre said:
The BIOS gets the data from the same place as any other software. It is still not accurate.
Click to expand...

Hm, I'd guess it's accurate if
1) it shows 2.8v on the 3.3v and I have power issues

and

2) It shows 3.3v +- .02v or something with another power supply & everything works properly...
 
Robstar said:
Hm, I'd guess it's accurate if 1:

it shows 2.8v on the 3.3v and I have power issues and

2) It shows 3.3v +- .02v or something with another power supply & everything works properly...
Click to expand...

Chances are that reading isn't accurate.....but hey what do I know.
 
A couple days before christmas two years ago my PSU blew out. Since I was working on a project, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new one from Best Buy. Picked up an Antec TruePower 430. Fast forward to earlier this year. I built a new computer, athlon 64 3200, geforce 6800gt, etc.

Install went fine, played games for a while, then it crashed and corrupted the hard drive. I figured perhaps it was a BIOS issue, so I made sure that was all up to date, checked drivers, looked for any related problems on the net, reinstalled windows... Same thing, crash and hard drive corruption. My BIOS reported the 12V rail was at 1.48-11.55V. Since I work at a computer shop, I grabbed an Antec 380W truepower (notice, less wattage than before). My system's been stable since, with BIOS reporting 12V rail at 12.01V.

Tried to RMA this product to Antec. I don't have the receipt (this was a spur of the moment purchase while I was back home from college, plus I had moved a couple months prior to the new system), no go. So yeah, I have some gripes with the "you must have a receipt" RMA policy. Does it mean I won't buy antec products? Hell no, they make good stuff. It just means I'm less likely to recommend them to customers who may have problems down the line due to power.
 
Robstar said:
Good idea. Perhaps ill call them tomorrow. I wasn't under the impression that stores kept receipts. I paid by CC, so if this is true, I may be able to get a receipt from them.

Rob
Click to expand...

Actually if you paid w/a CC, and have any remote clue about the date (as in the freaking quarter of the year), I can pretty much guarantee you they can get a copy. I used to work for an aftermarket warrenty company, did it all of the time.

 
davidhammock200 said:
That thing is $13 plus shipping,
you could have purchased a DMM & then you would KNOW what is going on! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Actually I bought mine somewhere else (don't remember) for like $8 shipped ;)

But seriously, I doubt BOTH of those are BOTH wrong at the same time. What are the chances?

Actually I have a DMM here, but what makes you think _that_ is accurate ? :p

Rob
 
So taking some of the advice here, I talked to fry's who got me a copy of the reciept.

I reply to my ticket with Antec (a few days ago), and say "ok, I have a copy of the receipt. What do I need to do to get an ADVANCE REPLACEMENT?"

A few days go by, nothing.

I get a ticket status update this morning in my e-mail:

"
To improve system performance we are closing your Support Ticket. If you need to follow up on this ticket with Antec Customer Support you may still do so. Please reference your support ticket number if you call us again.
"

First of all, WHAT DOES A SINGLE TICKET HAVE TO DO WITH THEIR 'SYSTEM PERFORMANCE?'. Secondly, I never called them in the first place. I contacted them via their support page. Thirdly, the e-mail continues:

"To reply to this comment directly, please click on the link below:

http://www.exdesk.com/Antec/USA,Canada/index.cfm?addcomment=yes
"

SO I do this and attempt to login, JUST as stated in their email directions:

"This ticket does not exist or is closed. Please try again"

Is there any way anyone can possibly call antec support good?

I played their game, got a receipt and when I tell them I have it and ask for further instructions, they email me that I'm bogging down their system with my support request and close my ticket.

WTF? I am going to call them on Monday and rip them a new one.

Rob
 
Cosing open tickets streamlines their system because it makes the database smaller and faster for them to search. Guess you've never worked with SQL. ;)

And of course, you can't email them about your ticket if they close the ticket, so that explains that dead end.

It baffles me why people automatically assume e-mail is 100% reliable. I hate when people call me up yelling and screaming and saying "why didn't you get my email!!!" Umm.. What email? "I emailed you once on Monday at 6AM and you never responded!!!" And you didn't think to email me again later that day? And you're just now calling me?

Look... Apparently they didn't get your email and closed your ticket. The best course of action right now is to simply open a new ticket. You have a copy of your invoice now so you shouldn't have a problem.
 
jonnyGURU said:
Cosing open tickets streamlines their system because it makes the database smaller and faster for them to search. Guess you've never worked with SQL. ;)

And of course, you can't email them about your ticket if they close the ticket, so that explains that dead end.

It baffles me why people automatically assume e-mail is 100% reliable. I hate when people call me up yelling and screaming and saying "why didn't you get my email!!!" Umm.. What email? "I emailed you once on Monday at 6AM and you never responded!!!" And you didn't think to email me again later that day? And you're just now calling me?

Look... Apparently they didn't get your email and closed your ticket. The best course of action right now is to simply open a new ticket. You have a copy of your invoice now so you shouldn't have a problem.
Click to expand...

THe thing is I didn't email them.

They send an e-mail that says "go to this web page on our server and respond to the ticket". Thats what I did. How could they not have gotten it? I didn't send them an e-mail about it. I posted in the ticket website (as they requested) asking about how to proceed now that I had the receipt.

A quick summary of what happened:

1) Me: Attempted to get rma via their webform.
2) Antec: Have receipt?
3) Me: no receipt, why do I need it ? I ranted...I probably shouldn't have but whatever.
4) Antec: no rma without receipt, get it or don't bother with RMA. REturn to retailer.
5) Me: Ok, I have receipt, now can I get an RMA?
6) Antec: We are closing your ticket, thanks for playing.

For all steps above, a web form was filled out on my end. When they replied, I normally would receive an e-mail in which I could read the request or see the followup. The email would contain a link for me to login to and I could post my reply.

Rob
 
As I said earlier in the case mod forum:

Nope, I still see it as your fault because you didn't have the reciept. Having it is standard protocol. If you did have it with you, things wouldn't have gone the way they did, and that's your own fault, sorry.

I still think Antec has great customer service.
 
_Korruption_ said:
As I said earlier in the case mod forum:

Nope, I still see it as your fault because you didn't have the reciept. Having it is standard protocol. If you did have it with you, things wouldn't have gone the way they did, and that's your own fault, sorry.

I still think Antec has great customer service.
Click to expand...

What do you think abou them closing my ticket AFTER I followed up when getting the receipt? Still great?

Rob
 
I still think that not having the reciept from the get-go was what sealed the deal.
 
_Korruption_ said:
I still think that not having the reciept from the get-go was what sealed the deal.
Click to expand...

Nice, if that was the case they should have closed it after I first said I didn't have the receipt, not after they wanted me to come up with it.

Rob
 
davidhammock200 said:
Next time buy OCZ, they PWN customer service! ;)
Click to expand...
I swear you work for them or something. They're very good PSUs, don't get me wrong (I have one), but depending on what you're looking for... you can probably get a PSU more suited to your needs if you do a little research. I dislike the Powerstream 520W because it's too +5V heavy for the price.
 
_Korruption_ said:
I swear you work for them or something. They're very good PSUs, don't get me wrong (I have one), but depending on what you're looking for... you can probably get a PSU more suited to your needs if you do a little research. I dislike the Powerstream 520W because it's too +5V heavy for the price.
Click to expand...
The PowerStream 420W is my favorite, but I can't recommend them for DFI N4's. :(
 
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