RMAing OCed CPUs

I'd like to appologize to Saps and his fellow mods for sneaking in a 95% OT question in his forum, but IMHO this is the best place to find knowledgable people :)

A friend of mine tried to upgrade a 900MHz Tbird system (GA7ZX1/SDRAM) with an XP 2000+/K7S5A/DDR (there's the CPU right there).

After a long time of testing/swapping it turns out the mobo didn't work (and neither could we get the old system to post in the new case)...so the mobo and case are going to get RMAd.

He talked to customer support, filled out the online RMA form and sent the case+mobo via UPS back to the online retailer (PC Supply).
He also paid S&H...and that's what nagged me...S&H on a 3.06 P4 is neglectable (considering weight and price range), but sending back a case and mobo can be expensive (didn't ask, so dunno how much).

My question is: how do RMAs usually work? Isn't S&H the stores problem? (their fault it didn't work) For that matter when do they send the replacement? (after they receive the faulty parts?)


*TOPIC ON*
Here's a hint for all you overclockers: never forget to plug in the CPU fan on a 2100+ :) The very same friend tested the above mentioned new 2000+ CPU in his system (he also has a K7S5A) to make sure the thing worked, then when he put his 2100+ back he forgot to hook up the CPU fan *OOOPS*...
His PC got all the way into windows before it locked up and started smelling (the bottom of the HS looked worse than the CPU :P).

You would need to pay S&H back to the vendor and when they send back the replacement they pickup that tab. That is why some people like local vendors over online (long distant). Its the risk you take when purchasing items online.

Ya the only time they pay is when they ship you the wrong thing.

You cannot RMA overclocked CPUs or CPUs that have been damaged due to user-error. Most of the time, if they see it has been burnt up they will refuse an RMA. Think about it... if you were a business would you pick up the tab everytime you sold someone a CPU and they destroyed it? Maybe, but only if you had a huge markup (which online vendors certainly do not).

The good news is that AMD CPU's are reasonably inexpensive. Time for one of those $50 T-Breds :)

I had to walk away from another well known OC Forum because of some rather heated debates with People who were posting about RMA'ing fried parts. It seemed as if the honest Oc'ers were a definate Moral Minority there, and the Mods called that sort of behavior a grey area they weren't inclined to address. ???

I signed on here because it seems that the Mods keep a tight grip on that sort of stuff and OT posts in general.

On topic... imho I don't think the store is responsable for the Bad parts, the Manufacturer is. You pay to send it back. They pay to ship it back to you. That seems Fair.

That is still not truely fair. Why should the vendor pay for your mistakes? Like I mentioned before in another post, a friend of mine fried his AMD 2000+ by installing the HS+FAN wrong.
Why should the vendor pay for his mistake? Utilmately he called them and said it was a DOA.

I had a tech install a SCSI HD by forcing it into the HD cage of a server I contracted to build. He torn the side silver label that all HD's have on the side. That does void the warranty. I didnt try and cheat Seagate, I just chucked the drive and was out $400, Its life.

Someone who destroys a part through lack of experience or ignorance can save some money by being dishonest and claiming the part is defective. But in the long run we all will have to pay more as online vendors will ultimately have to mark up the price of the products they sell. Also I would think they will get much stricter about issuing RMA's, potentially to the point where an honest person might get screwed.

Quote:

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Originally posted by rogue1979
Someone who destroys a part through lack of experience or ignorance can save some money by being dishonest and claiming the part is defective. But in the long run we all will have to pay more as online vendors will ultimately have to mark up the price of the products they sell. Also I would think they will get much stricter about issuing RMA's, potentially to the point where an honest person might get screwed.

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I don't agree with knowingly rma'ing a part that you fried. But I am pretty sure this is already accounted for in the price of your parts. Also, say you rma a mobo to the online retailer. It is highly likely that they are going to return that part to the manufacturer or distributor for a credit...I would love to know who foots the shipping bill in that part of the spectrum. I would really be po'd if I were to find out that the manufacturer pays the shipping when it involves a retailer.:mad:

If a P4 chip suffers from SNDS, can it be RMA'd? I mean you cant physically see if the cpu is damaged. It doenst physically "burn" like some AMD's.

If its a retail part then its probably better to contact the manufacturer (AMD, Intel etc.). My Tbird (not Tbred) died on me and I was confused because there was no physical damage to the CPU but there was no POST. I had to FedEX it to AMD (bout 7 bucks) and it took em awhile because it was last Winter and it was right before Christmas, but they eventually next dayed it back to me and gave me what was then the best stepping for an Athlon, the AGIA-R. The process was painless but it set me back 7 bucks and took a couple of weeks.

If its OEM with a warrenty, you'll have to contact the vendor and their policy might vary on what they cover. I'm not one to judge the morality of returning a burnt CPU -- one way or another ;).