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Sapphire/ATI outsourcing RMA's?? Weird response to RMA request.

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yo4444

Member
Joined
May 24, 2004
So the Sapphire x800gt I've had for a year and been running for a few months starts to artifact with "Z" shaped blocks all over the screen, and I search for their RMA process. From their site, support naturally brings me to the AMD/ATI site, where I email them asking for an advanced RMA.

My reply from ATI (<[email protected]>is this:


"Please provide us a copy of the purchase receipt along with part# and serial# of
the card and send it to [email protected].

To post a response please go to the link below.

Link:
http://www.sapphiretech.com/en/supp...102G12813S53102G1-12813S53102G6838783S53102G2

Thank You
Sapphire Tech Support"

I reply with the info and receipt attached. I then receive this response from somewhere called Althonmicro (Tech(Althonmicro) <[email protected]>) requesting $15.00 cashiers check or M.O. to RMA the product, so I must pay to ship it back, and then pay to get the new one.:

"Please fill out this RMA form as much as you can and email it back to
[email protected] along with a copy of the purchase receipt. Once we
receive your RMA form we will process it for you and fax you or phone you an
assign RMA#, please do not send your card in with out a RMA# to avoid refuse
shipment. There will be a US$15 dollar processing fee (Which takes care of
the repacking and insurance of your return product) for this RMA service, so
please include a US$15 money order (if Canadian customer (US$30) Yukon
Northwest Territory, Brazil and Argentina customers will be (US$50) must
provide money order or cashier's check) or personal check so we can process
the RMA request for you.

Thank you.

Tech

Sapphire Technology
Tech Support Center

280 Paseo Tesoro
Walnut CA 91789
Fax. 1-909-594-9771
www.sapphiretech.com"

I'll end up out close to $30.00 for the RMA, and the form says nothing about ATI, Sapphire or AMD on it, with some shady company asking for a money order and my card. What the heck kind of RMA process is this?
 
Try calling them and seeing what's up ?

And what the hell, what a bad service, they actually charge you for shipping the card and return shipping. First time I've heard of this, I'm staying away from Sapphire cards :).
 
That is really really really weird. I wouldn't give them $15 yet. Call them for a fact. This just seems kind of like a scam. ATI, I would think would handle their own RMA's.
 
Sapphire has alot of bad RMA feedback and yes they do go thru AthlonMicro for RMA's. Shipping, plus $15 fee, plus 3-4 week wait. I don't buy Sapphire anymore.
 
El<(')>Maxi said:
Sapphire has alot of bad RMA feedback and yes they do go thru AthlonMicro for RMA's. Shipping, plus $15 fee, plus 3-4 week wait. I don't buy Sapphire anymore.

I had the nightmare of dealing with them too. This is 100% true. They want your money AND take forever. The $15 bucks covers Athlon Micro's cut however, meaning that sapphire doesn't care to give them any money on their lonesome. All the money you spend on a sapphire goes right to their pockets.
 
From what you guys say, this is really disturbing. How can they "warranty" a card but make you pay to have it replaced and still call it a warranty? I understand the shipping back to them is my responsibility, but...

So Sapphire has just been removed from my list of manufacturers to buy from. Is there any way to get them to honor their return without the cost and wait? If they won't advance RMA this for me, I'll be without my PC for a month as I have no other pci-e cards around ATM.
 
Here is my reply to them last night and their reply back to me today. Very disappointing:

>From: "Tech(Althonmicro)" <[email protected]>
>To: "'
>Subject: RE: Support Ticket Request Response
>Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 09:14:35 -0800
>
>Sapphire is located in China, and we are a distribution center for Sapphire
>products in the Sates, therefore there is a fee charge for end users when
>they return their Sapphire products back here for RMA service. And our
>company policy does not provide advance replacement I am afraid we will not
>be able to offer you that service.
>
>Tech
>
>Sapphire Technology
>Tech Support Center
>
>280 Paseo Tesoro
>Walnut CA 91789
>Fax. 1-909-594-9771
>www.sapphiretech.com
>-----Original Message-----
>From:
>Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 3:35 PM
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: RE: Support Ticket Request Response
>
>A couple of things..
>First of all, I have never been charged a fee to RMA a product that had
>failed under warranty before. I am paying for shipping for the card to get
>back to you, not for you to send a replacement card to me because your
>original product failed prematurely. Secondly, I am requesting an advanced
>RMA, where you send me the new card and I then return the bad one to you so
>that I may continue to do business on my PC(although limited with the
>problems) until the new card arrives. This convenience has been afforded me
>by retailers such as ASUS, ABIT and others, with the understanding that my
>card will be charged if the old product is not returned in a reasonable time
>after I recieved the new one. Thirdly, a copy of the sales reciept was
>attached to the last email. I will re-attach it.
>Also, who is althonmicro? My support ticket was sent to ATI, now a part of
>AMD. Are they outsourcing RMA's to a third party now?


Apparrently, I must go without my main PC for up to a month or so to get this fixed. What a crock. Sapphire is now on my poo poo list.
 
Last edited:
Crazy , that sux man stupid rma policys . I have never had a card die on me , all of my ati cards have been BBA I wonder if they use the same messed up way of doing things .
 
agreed. I almost bought a mobo form them but remembered my expereince with a 500 dollar video card.

I emailed them, asking why they would cahrge me SO much for a video card, only to make me PAY for a warranty without letting me know. Terrible stuff. Can you RMA it trough the store? That was my solution
 
Bought it at the egg.. almost a year ago. Never got around to using it until recently, so I don't think the egg will RMA it.

I sent a reply to Althonmicro (note: not athlon micro, aLthon..lol.. trying to pull off the legit AMD thing) asking why a product under warranty would require a $15.00 fee to be replaced and they sent this back...:

Please contact Sapphire at [email protected].

Tech

Sapphire Technology
Tech Support Center

280 Paseo Tesoro
Walnut CA 91789
Fax. 1-909-594-9771
www.sapphiretech.com

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 10:26 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Support Ticket Request Response

"Also, please explain why there is a fee to RMA a card under warranty. If
there is such a fee as a result of a third party servicing their equipment,
shouldn't Sapphire cover it as a part of the Warranty process? Isn't it
unethical to charge for replacement of a failed product under warranty?"

What a scam...
 
Sam, there wouldn't happen to be a magic wand in your pocket for a fix on this one, would there? I know it isn't really a dispute in the sense that I am not technically out money, but it is indeed a horrible cust. service policy at best.
 
Only other thing I can think for you to do is buy a new card, while this one is RMA'd. When you get this card back, sell it.
 
That is what I am considering. The prob is that I just bought a house and have no disposable income...:(
 
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