XFX RMA Experience/Summary

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Crispy002

[H]ard|Gawd
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Note: This isn't a QQ thread about the RMA from hell or a fanboi post about how leet XFX is, it's a simple explanation of my rma experience with XFX.

I recently purchased an xfx 5870 (paid a little extra for reference design for voltage control) and quickly found out that both DVI ports were dead straight out of the box. I have a pretty sweet ESD bracelet that keeps my hardware safe and chocked it up to be an unlucky DOA.

I began the RMA process and went through XFX's ticket system to contact technical support. Their system seemed cumbersome compared to email based support but the responses from their staff were quick and helpful. Within 24 business hours of opening the ticket I had been approved for an RMA.

XFX instructed me to ship my card to their facility in the LA area which was convenient as I'm also located in California. The package was delivered a few days later (8/31) and XFX acknowledged the day after (9/1) they had received the card. One of their representatives told me the typical turnaround time is 2-3 days. Five business days later (9/7) I was informed my card had been tested faulty and a replacement was shipped same day via Fedex ground.

Upon arrival I was greeted by a small gray box slightly larger than the card itself. Inside it was wrapped in an ESD bag with packing peanuts accompanied by a driver disc. The card itself was a non-reference 5870 (ZFNV model). Inspection of the card confirmed that it was indeed used though it had been given a thorough cleaning. After installing the card everything was working as intended and all appeared to be satisfactory.

Unfortunately, the ZFNV model is hardly as stellar as its reference counterpart. The card lacks software voltage control (while I wasn't intending to use oc the card in the short term I desired the capability for when it begins to age). It is also substantially louder than the reference model. I didn't write down the idle/load temps of the previous card so I'm unsure if the fan assembly is hotter/cooler. Additionally, the card lacks the steel backplate that covered the entire back of the reference card. This eased handling, looked awesome, and provided a small amount of protection for the card should my wc loop somehow leak.
Overall, the differences are bothersome but relatively minor.

To conclude my thoughts on the RMA:
The retail box for the 5870 states that XFX has 5 star warranty support. I'm inclined to say 5 out of 10, not 5 out of 5. Nothing about their RMA process was particularly great or horrible, just average. If it wasn't for their transferable lifetime warranty I would most likely have chosen a different manufacturer. I do not intend to pursue this further in an attempt to get a reference card as I do not believe it's worth my time even if they were to agree to send one. It's more than likely they're simply out of reference cards as they are no longer manufacturing them, which is quite unfortunate since the reference card is superior in every way.

Edit:
I'd like to add as a footnote here that the best RMA experience I have ever had was with Corsair. Those folks know customer service! :)
 
I would be calling them asking them to send me the SAME model reference design, I will tell them to go SCREW yourself. Only thing is, why didn't you ship it back directly to the vendor that sold it to you. I would have probably done hat first.
 
I'm dealing with them now. I have a XFX 4890 and my fan stopped working yesterday. So far I'm not impressed... I've had the card for 11 months, so I can't just take it back to Best Buy and swap it for a new one(They don't carry them anymore either BTW) Here is the transcript from the help desk.

"(Me)[ 9/13/2010 1:18:16 AM] The Video Card Fan stopped working


(ME)[ 9/13/2010 4:10:52 AM] If I could just get a new fan shipped to me, I would be very happy. I would hate to have to RMA the card for this minor issue. I just want a new fan. Thank You


[JEDY 9/13/2010 10:37:15 AM] Hi, thanks for your message,Please note that the warranty is the ultimate responsibility of your reseller. we recommend contacting your reseller for more information. regards Jedy

(ME)[ 9/13/2010 3:02:07 PM] Best Buy only warranties things for 30 days! I`ve had the card for 11 months. Are you going to fix this issue for me or not. I should at least have a 1 year warranty with XFX.."

I will follow up this post when I know more.. .Good or Bad
 
OP, see if they'll cross ship you a reference card since they don't need to test the card you have now.
 
Crispy002 said:
To conclude my thoughts on the RMA:
The retail box for the 5870 states that XFX has 5 star warranty support. I'm inclined to say 5 out of 10, not 5 out of 5. Nothing about their RMA process was particularly great or horrible, just average. If it wasn't for their transferable lifetime warranty I would most likely have chosen a different manufacturer. I do not intend to pursue this further in an attempt to get a reference card as I do not believe it's worth my time even if they were to agree to send one. It's more than likely they're simply out of reference cards as they are no longer manufacturing them, which is quite unfortunate since the reference card is superior in every way.

Edit:
I'd like to add as a footnote here that the best RMA experience I have ever had was with Corsair. Those folks know customer service! :)
Click to expand...
I had better luck, though not 5 out of 5 either. got the RMA (I out of experience quickly let the CSA know that I knew what I was talking about) and got the shipping info. sent it out, took a while to get it back. I would give my own 7 out of 10.
 
It looks like XFX is sending me a new fan, so overall I'm okay with the experience so far. But the first generic response had me concerned. I will post update when the fan arrives.
 
@Gwar

By the fan died do you mean that you're replacing the entire fan+heatsink+shroud on the vga? That doesn't void the warranty right?
 
The fan itself stopped working. Only 3 screws hold it on the heatsink and it's very easy to remove/replace. I only asked for fan, but I'm not sure exactly as of yet what they plan on sending out. If they send me just the fan I'm good and if they send the entire heatsink/fan combo I will just take the fan off of it, if it's the same... if not I'll replace entire thing. This is what they said...

[ERIK_A 9/14/2010 4:58:29 PM] Hi , What is your best mailing address? Provide that and we can see about sending out a fan. Just be aware that physical damaged cause during installation of the fan could void a warranty so you want to be carefull. - Erik

I
 
@Banzai

*UPDATE* I just received this update from XFX and thought I'd pass it on...

"[ERIK_A 9/14/2010 9:49:48 PM] I will have one of those Fan/Heatsink assemblies sent out to you, should go out with tomorrow`s shipments. - Erik"

I'm a happy customer ;) ...I was worried at first, but when I bought my first XFX card (GeForce7900GS) it was because of the good things I had heard about them in forums like this. They had few reps in the forums helping people having issues (think it is was here ...not sure though). Anyway... I'm overall happy and will give them 4 out of 5 stars ATM...They lose one star for initial response(I'm a hardass, so 4 is very good).
 
Canadians might want to keep in mind that XFX ships their RMA replacements ground, which means you ARE going to get hit with a brokerage fee at the other end. They won't give you the option of having it shipped any other way. This is why I won't buy another XFX card in the future, regardless of price.
 
@OP: you should accept no less than a perfectly functional card of equal or greater performance as your own. i would get back in touch with them asap and tell them that they sent you the wrong card and you had a reference design and would like the same. let us know what they say. theyre trying to pull a fast one on you here.
 
hagbard said:
Canadians might want to keep in mind that XFX ships their RMA replacements ground, which means you ARE going to get hit with a brokerage fee at the other end. They won't give you the option of having it shipped any other way. This is why I won't buy another XFX card in the future, regardless of price.
Click to expand...

I have done 2 RMA's in the last 5 months and neither have had brokerage fee's. This is Cali > Vancouver.
 
I RMAed a GF6800 a year or a year and a half ago. The exchange was prompt and hassle free and I got back an fanless 8500. The only minor gripe I had was that I was initially told I'd be contacted about what I wanted as a replacement since there weren't any 6800's available but was then sent the 8500 without being asked. That said of the three reasonablish options I expected to be offered to choose among (8500, 8600, 9500) the 8500 would've been my second choice and as long as 8xxx chips were still in inventory I wouldn't expect to see the 9500 offered. At that point none of the options were reasonable for gaming on and for a non-gaming card used in a 2ndary machine reduced power draw would be more attractive than more unused capacity.
 
I've contacted them about a possible cross-ship for a replacement reference card. I just moved back to school and my backup card (4870) is ever on the verge of failing completely (baked it twice now) so I can't really afford to do a standard return and wait two weeks, hence the reason I was just going to suck it up in the first place. If they spring for a cross-ship that'd be awesome though. I'll post their response when I have it.
 
ekuest said:
@OP: you should accept no less than a perfectly functional card of equal or greater performance as your own. i would get back in touch with them asap and tell them that they sent you the wrong card and you had a reference design and would like the same. let us know what they say. theyre trying to pull a fast one on you here.
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I agree, don't settle for anything less than what you paid for.

My RMA with XFX was cumbersome, and ultimately never resolved the issues with my reference 5870 xxx. Only after 5 months of back and forth was an exchange to a different model considered. The options they gave were non-reference 5870, or Nvidia GTX 295 (on wait list). Ultimately, I now have a 5970BE at no additional cost.
 
Here's the response:

[BRIAN 9/16/2010 6:02:14 PM] Hi, we base the replacements off of performance and we actually don`t have stock on the reference cards. The performance of the replacement will be the same as the card that you sent us. Also, We tested the cooling on both cards and the cooler on the one that you have is actually better than the reference model. Keep us posted. Thanks, Brian.
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As I had assumed they're out of reference cards and since they've stopped making them....they won't be getting more.
 
Crispy002 said:
As I had assumed they're out of reference cards and since they've stopped making them....they won't be getting more.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. I have a noisy fan on my reference 5870. They tried to find a fan/shroud in the warehouse but came up bupkis. So if I RMA, I'll get the XZNFC or XZNFV. (I asked for V so I get AvP but they keep side stepping my question.)

I keep tossing it back and forth. One minute I want to RMA, the next not so much. It's hard sending a better product back for a lesser one. The reference model hit 1000/1300 with a bit of extra juice.

Only good thing about the RMA is my cards will match as I have a non-reference as well.
 
If you really want to keep your reference model, you could take a little extra effort and see if some of the folks with aftermarket coolers would be willing to part with their shroud/fan to replace your noisy one.

When I had my RMA experience, I was sending the XXX model, so they couldn't give me a non-reference model since there isn't a non-ref XXX edition. You might be able to barter up to an xxx ed if you are really adamant about wanting a ref model.
 
My RMA was returned as a bare card, so don't hold out too much hope for a game bundle...
 
hagbard said:
Canadians might want to keep in mind that XFX ships their RMA replacements ground, which means you ARE going to get hit with a brokerage fee at the other end. They won't give you the option of having it shipped any other way. This is why I won't buy another XFX card in the future, regardless of price.
Click to expand...

Not at all, as boxes are marked as warranty/rma replacements. If brokerage has been charged, it has been incorrectly charged and you need to take it up with the courier. I've recieved 3 XFX RMA boxes and all have been appropriately marked with the paperwork to avoid brokerage from US to Canada.

It has nothing to do with ground. I have no idea where you are getting that idea.
 
Nibathy said:
If you really want to keep your reference model, you could take a little extra effort and see if some of the folks with aftermarket coolers would be willing to part with their shroud/fan to replace your noisy one.

When I had my RMA experience, I was sending the XXX model, so they couldn't give me a non-reference model since there isn't a non-ref XXX edition. You might be able to barter up to an xxx ed if you are really adamant about wanting a ref model.
Click to expand...

Does it even fit? I thought the reference and axial fan versions used different PCBs. I own a reference 5870 and if I got a non-reference back, I would just sell it.

I had a semi-okay XFX experience. 8800GT died, got an 8800GTX back. That card was faulty. That one was shipped back as well. Ended up with a 9800GTX in the end which is a decent upgrade over the 8800GT.

I don't understand why companies send faulty cards out on RMA in the first place though. I also had to pay shipping on everything from my end from Canada to California which was a bit more expensive and the process took about a month and a half.

Nonetheless, because of that experience, I decided it would be in my interests to go for an XFX 5870 because I'm never buying a card from a vendor that has 2-3 year warranties.
 
I had to send back a 4850 a few months ago, the wonderful XXX version that died fairly often. I got a 4870 in retail packaging back which was great. It was used, but performs fine after I fixed it. It came to me with some non stock BIOS that someone had tried to load on, which caused it to be stuck in 2D mode. Not sure how well they are checking things, but they got me a copy of the regular BIOS and all was well again.
 
I recently had to RMA an XFX 4890 that was overheating to the point it would re-boot my machine. It was a faulty fan, they sent me a new one, the fan died again a month later. Told me to send them the card, so I did. I haven't heard anything yet.

Update: They sent me a NIB 5830 in exchange for my 4890.
 
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Spare-Flair said:
Does it even fit? I thought the reference and axial fan versions used different PCBs. I own a reference 5870 and if I got a non-reference back, I would just sell it.

I had a semi-okay XFX experience. 8800GT died, got an 8800GTX back. That card was faulty. That one was shipped back as well. Ended up with a 9800GTX in the end which is a decent upgrade over the 8800GT.

I don't understand why companies send faulty cards out on RMA in the first place though. I also had to pay shipping on everything from my end from Canada to California which was a bit more expensive and the process took about a month and a half.

Nonetheless, because of that experience, I decided it would be in my interests to go for an XFX 5870 because I'm never buying a card from a vendor that has 2-3 year warranties.
Click to expand...

No, a ref shroud probably won't fit on a non-ref card, but that was not the suggestion.


Pretty much, just think what you would consider to be "good customer service". It will be different for everyone, but if you do not feel that sending one card in and receiving a different one, based on what is available, or what someone else feels is "equivalent" then by all meants tell them their solution is not satisfactory. You may have to wait longer to get the desired outcome, but that decision is at least yours.

You are not obligated to just accept whatever solution they throw your way, ultimately you are the paying customer.
 
Spare-Flair said:
Not at all, as boxes are marked as warranty/rma replacements. If brokerage has been charged, it has been incorrectly charged and you need to take it up with the courier. I've recieved 3 XFX RMA boxes and all have been appropriately marked with the paperwork to avoid brokerage from US to Canada.

It has nothing to do with ground. I have no idea where you are getting that idea.
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What will XFX do?

During the duration of the limited hardware warranty, XFX or its authorized representative will repair any XFX-branded hardware products returned to us that prove to be defective in materials or workmanship. If XFX or its authorized representative is not able to repair the product, we will replace it with a comparable product that is new or refurbished.
When you contact us via phone or web, we will issue a Return Material Authorization Number for you to include with your return. You must return the products to us in their original or equivalent packaging with all original components, prepay shipping charges, and insure the shipment or accept the risk if the product is lost or damaged in shipment. We will return the repaired or replacement products to you. We will pay to ship the repaired or replaced products to you if you use an address in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and U.S. possessions and territories). Otherwise, we will ship the product to you freight collect.
If we determine that the problem is not covered under this warranty, we will notify you and inform you of service alternatives that are available to you on a fee basis. If you want the product returned, you will have to pay the shipping fees.
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I recall this page, or a page once you get your RMA states that they are not responsible for brokerage fees that might occur. I know that at least a few people on redflagdeals have reported being hit with brokerage on an XFX RMA. Here is one from RFDs, check post number 10:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ever-get-hit-brokerage-rma-shipping-823173/

Post number 5:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/wtfedexfx-792427/
 
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hagbard said:
I recall this page, or a page once you get your RMA states that they are not responsible for brokerage fees that might occur. I know that at least a few people on redflagdeals have reported being hit with brokerage on an XFX RMA. Here is one from RFDs, check post number 10:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ever-get-hit-brokerage-rma-shipping-823173/

Post number 5:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/wtfedexfx-792427/
Click to expand...

That is an issue with the courier. XFX uses FedEx and all the boxes I got and the paperwork were marked with "defective warranty replacement with no resale value" in a big sticker and in the fine print. It did also say: "please bill all customs and brokerage fees to recipient" as well but there were none as there should be no fees on a defective warranty replacement. According to my research with couriers, they should not charge fees on these and you need to take it up with the courier.
 
I just got my Heatsink/Fan replacement from XFX. It only took a week and it arrived via FedX Ground JSYK...I'm so happy they just sent me that instead of having to RMA the card.
 
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