I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about EVGA as a company. First there was the "Lifetime Warranty" that at this point seems more like a bait and switch come on:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1254170
Now a separate but related issue with EVGA, is that I finally received the RMA replacement for the 8800GTX card purchased last April that failed last month. It took them over 3 weeks, which seems excessive as Logitech can replace a dead mouse in about 10 days. But at least I got the replacement.
However upon examination of the card, I noticed it was not a new card, not even a "white box" type that came back as a return. This card was old and beaten up. The plastic fan cowling was scratched up, the PCIx card slots fingers were well worn from numerous insertions into the motherboard, and worse of all the SLI fingers were worn. This card was clearly in a SLI setup and it was clearly an older, well used card. If I had seen it at a flea market, even at a bargain price, I'd take a pass.
I could find no repair solder marks on the PC board, so I'm left with two likely scenarios:
1. It failed in someone's SLI setup, but passed the test in a single setup, so EVGA cleaned it up and sent it out again as an RMA. So if I want to go with SLI, the card likely will fail.
or 2. They replaced the GPU (I'm not sure but I think the GPU, unlike other components, is not soldered and can be replaced), but I'm left with a board that has seen who knows what kind of overheating, and who knows what reduction to the board's lifespan.
Actually, I would not have a problem with either of these if EVGA really supported the Lifetime Warranty they claim. But it is starting to look like they are going to duck out on that, which will leave me with what amounts to a 3 month warranty on a boarderline replacement card.
Most people report good experiences with RMA replacements, but there is also some rumbling about recent possible EVGA support rip offs.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1261304
So I have to wonder, if EVGA has been a really good company, as many here feel, and if the EVGA people most here come into contact with - the tech and support people - are decent, helpful people as many here insist (and from my limited experience I believe this is probably the case)...then what is going on with EVGA these days? Have they been taken over by the bean counters who are turning the company into something else? Or are they in financial trouble and feel they need to go for the short term money gouge simply to make payroll? Or both? Anyone know what's really going on?
Edit starts here -----------------------------------------------------
This morning I received a phone call from Joe Darwin from EVGA. He apologized for having taken so long to reply to my email, and he told me he would reinstate the Lifetime Warranty on my card. I've posted a retraction of my negative speculation about EVGA and an apology for it on the EVGA "Lifetime Warranty warning thread here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1254170
As I've said a couple times on this thread, the policy of replacing cards with recycled cards is not unreasonable if it is part of the Lifetime Warranty. The arithmetic is pretty simple here:
One year warranty, replace failed card with an old card = ripoff because it is reasonable to assume the card will not have the 3 year of so lifespan you generally expect from video cards.
Lifetime Warranty, replace failed card with an old card = not a ripoff even though it may be a bit of a bummer to get an old scratched card when the failed card you sent in for RMA was in pristine shape (aside from no longer working). This is a very reasonable, even clever, way to allow EVGA to offer the LifeTime warranty and the 90 day upgrade plan. If you get the beaten up looking card, as I did, if it fails within a few months, it is a bit of an inconvenience but small price to pay for a continuing warranty on these expensive cards.
So, as long as EVGA honors the Lifetime Warranty, it is not unreasonable for them to replace it with a recycled card that works.
BTW, the one they send me is seriously ugly...but it's running cooler than the original card, so maybe it's not so bad after all.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1254170
Now a separate but related issue with EVGA, is that I finally received the RMA replacement for the 8800GTX card purchased last April that failed last month. It took them over 3 weeks, which seems excessive as Logitech can replace a dead mouse in about 10 days. But at least I got the replacement.
However upon examination of the card, I noticed it was not a new card, not even a "white box" type that came back as a return. This card was old and beaten up. The plastic fan cowling was scratched up, the PCIx card slots fingers were well worn from numerous insertions into the motherboard, and worse of all the SLI fingers were worn. This card was clearly in a SLI setup and it was clearly an older, well used card. If I had seen it at a flea market, even at a bargain price, I'd take a pass.
I could find no repair solder marks on the PC board, so I'm left with two likely scenarios:
1. It failed in someone's SLI setup, but passed the test in a single setup, so EVGA cleaned it up and sent it out again as an RMA. So if I want to go with SLI, the card likely will fail.
or 2. They replaced the GPU (I'm not sure but I think the GPU, unlike other components, is not soldered and can be replaced), but I'm left with a board that has seen who knows what kind of overheating, and who knows what reduction to the board's lifespan.
Actually, I would not have a problem with either of these if EVGA really supported the Lifetime Warranty they claim. But it is starting to look like they are going to duck out on that, which will leave me with what amounts to a 3 month warranty on a boarderline replacement card.
Most people report good experiences with RMA replacements, but there is also some rumbling about recent possible EVGA support rip offs.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1261304
So I have to wonder, if EVGA has been a really good company, as many here feel, and if the EVGA people most here come into contact with - the tech and support people - are decent, helpful people as many here insist (and from my limited experience I believe this is probably the case)...then what is going on with EVGA these days? Have they been taken over by the bean counters who are turning the company into something else? Or are they in financial trouble and feel they need to go for the short term money gouge simply to make payroll? Or both? Anyone know what's really going on?
Edit starts here -----------------------------------------------------
This morning I received a phone call from Joe Darwin from EVGA. He apologized for having taken so long to reply to my email, and he told me he would reinstate the Lifetime Warranty on my card. I've posted a retraction of my negative speculation about EVGA and an apology for it on the EVGA "Lifetime Warranty warning thread here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1254170
As I've said a couple times on this thread, the policy of replacing cards with recycled cards is not unreasonable if it is part of the Lifetime Warranty. The arithmetic is pretty simple here:
One year warranty, replace failed card with an old card = ripoff because it is reasonable to assume the card will not have the 3 year of so lifespan you generally expect from video cards.
Lifetime Warranty, replace failed card with an old card = not a ripoff even though it may be a bit of a bummer to get an old scratched card when the failed card you sent in for RMA was in pristine shape (aside from no longer working). This is a very reasonable, even clever, way to allow EVGA to offer the LifeTime warranty and the 90 day upgrade plan. If you get the beaten up looking card, as I did, if it fails within a few months, it is a bit of an inconvenience but small price to pay for a continuing warranty on these expensive cards.
So, as long as EVGA honors the Lifetime Warranty, it is not unreasonable for them to replace it with a recycled card that works.
BTW, the one they send me is seriously ugly...but it's running cooler than the original card, so maybe it's not so bad after all.