Graphics Card Warranties (UK Only) - Let's see how good they really are *Look*

[Nelly.]

Best company to buy graphics cards, or any other type of item if warranty is your main concern is http://www.amazon.co.uk/

Here is what happens if you need to do an RMA with Amazon.

1. Just go on "Help" then "Need More Help?" Click on "Contact Us". Select an issue: "Other order issues." Select issue details: "Something else."
2. You then have the option of E-mail / Phone / Chat.
3. They give you instructions on how to send back the old one.
4. If they no longer stock it, they will give you a full refund regardless of how much warranty is left! It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is.

How good is that? This is how all retailers should be for RMA, no farting about waiting weeks, or a month+ for an RMA to be sorted out.

Use table below as a reference guide, if you use any other retailer to purchase your graphics card's.

Asus >> https://www.overclockers.co.uk/part-returns-enquiry
EVGA >> https://eu.evga.com/warranty/ / https://www.evga.com/articles/00671/ / https://eu.evga.com/support/rma.asp / https://eu.evga.com/support/ear/
EVGA Step-Up® - Upgrade program >> https://eu.evga.com/support/stepup/ Note: Within the first 90 days of original purchase.
Gainward >> http://www.gainward.com/main/support.php?lang=en
Gigabyte >> Email: returns@gbt-tech.co.uk
KFA2 (GALAX) >> http://www.kfa2.com/kfa2/support
HIS >> http://www.hisdigital.com/gb/support-71.shtml
Inno3D/Force3D >> http://www.inno3d.com/support_form.php
MSI >> https://register.msi.com/service
Palit >> http://www.palit.com/palit/rma.php?lang=en
PNY >> http://www.pny.eu/data/legal/RMA_PROCEDURE_eng.pdf
Point of View >> http://www.pointofview.eu/contact
PowerColor >> http://www.tul.com.tw/global/contactul.aspx
Sapphire >> http://www.sapphiretech.com/support.asp?lang=eng
XFX >> http://www.xfxsupport.com/Account/Login.aspx
Zotac >> https://www.zotac.com/gb/support#contact

[badass]

You're awesome!
This is the kind of info that a lot of people would like to know but it would take far too long to find out!

[kalniel]

Or just buy from a UK shop and take advantage of our superior consumer rights, avoiding such a need for manufacturer warranties.

[jim]

I wouldn't go that far. I'd far rather deal with Logitech's warranty dept than argue the toss with some shop who insists on denying all consumer rights.

[Nelly.]

Or just buy from a UK shop and take advantage of our superior consumer rights, avoiding such a need for manufacturer warranties.

Sounds good, so what our are superior consumer rights, that avoid the need for manufacturer warranties?

Nearly all retailers after 1 year will shove you onto the manufacturer anyway, right or wrong.

[kalniel]

Sounds good, so what our are superior consumer rights, that avoid the need for manufacturer warranties?

We are covered by the Sales of Goods act which states that we can expect our goods to be fit for purpose, that is: as described, of sufficient quality, durability and free from defects. If it is reasonably expected that a graphics card should be sufficiently durable to continue working beyond the period of a manufacturers warranty (which in most of the cases, it is) then we are protected above and beyond said warranty, and directly with the retailer, for up to six years. However the two are not mutually exclusive, so if you prefer the terms of the manufacturers warranty (which is effectively a service you are buying together with the product) then you are free to use it.

[Blackmage]

damn I got a sapphire card; hopefully it won't die on me

[Kumagoro]

How about one for PSU`s and RAM

[Pob255]

We are covered by the Sales of Goods act which states that we can expect our goods to be fit for purpose, that is: as described, of sufficient quality, durability and free from defects. If it is reasonably expected that a graphics card should be sufficiently durable to continue working beyond the period of a manufacturers warranty (which in most of the cases, it is) then we are protected above and beyond said warranty, and directly with the retailer, for up to six years. However the two are not mutually exclusive, so if you prefer the terms of the manufacturers warranty (which is effectively a service you are buying together with the product) then you are free to use it.

Have to double check however there is a rather major issue with that, if I remember correctly, burden of proof.

If something breaks within the first 6 months then the burden of proof is on the retailer (ie they have to prove that the fault was caused by miss treatment/incorrect usage.)
If it breaks after the first 6 months the burden of proof is down to the purchaser (ie you have to prove that the fault was because flaw in the product, not your handling/use.)

Oh and the total working lift time of something is a vague "reasonable" so your back to the burden of proof again.

@Nelly.
An update to that list
From the XFX website (I've added the bold to highlight.)

WARRANTY INFORMATION

XFX warrants that the Product shall conform to and perform in accordance with published technical specifications and the accompanying written materials, and shall be free of defects in materials and workmanship. XFX does not sell its Product directly to the consumer therefore the warranty for XFX Products remains the responsibility of your reseller where you purchased the Product.

This warranty offered by XFX to its Resellers is limited to the repair and/or replacement, at XFXs discretion, of defective or nonconforming Product, and XFX shall not be responsible for the failure of the Product to perform specified functions, or any other non- conformance caused by or attributable to: (a) any misapplication, modification or misuse of the Product; (b) failure of Customer to adhere to any of XFXs specifications or instructions; (c) neglect of, abuse of, or accident to, the Product; or (d) any associated or complementary equipment or software not furnished by XFX.

Should you experience any difficulty obtaining a fair and proper warranty service from any of our Resellers please do not hesitate to contact us via the Support Ticketing System where we will do our best to help you.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, XFX MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO ANY EQUIPMENT, PARTS OR SERVICES PROVIDED PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NEITHER XFX OR ITS DEALER SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER IN AN ACTION IN CONTRACT OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND STRICT LIABILITY), SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR BENEFITS RESULTING FROM, OR ARISING OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF FURNISHING OF EQUIPMENT, PARTS OR SERVICES HEREUNDER OR THE PERFORMANCE, USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SAME, EVEN IF XFX OR ITS DEALER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL XFX OR ITS DEALERS TOTAL LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE PRODUCT.

XFX do not give ANY retail customer warranty, they deal with the retailers ONLY and leave it up to said retailers to pass the warranty on.

This bit of confusion can cause a lot of the problems in communication, both with customers trying to contact xfx about a warranty claim and retailers who don't understand the situation/foist it off on the manufacture.

Infact you'll find most of these manufacture warranties are the same, generally it's only warranties you have to register with the manufacture that you should be dealing with the manufacture not the retailer.

Buying something is very much like having a contract, you bought it from the retailer so the contract is between you and the retailer not the manufacture, if the warranty is registered with the manufacture then that is a separate contract between you and the manufacture.

The first Moral of this story, only buy an XFX product from a retailer you trust.

The second Moral of this story, if you want to deal with the manufacture, then actually READ the terms and conditions don't just tick the box and register the product with them, if their terms & conditions and warranty covers the things you want, if they don't then buy a brand that does.

ps The EVGA 10 year warranty also needs to be registered with evga.

[Nelly.]

Some good info there.

What you will normally see is the retailers sending off the graphics cards to the manufacturer for repair/replacement, that's when the horror storys start, if you don't receive the item back within 28 days most retailers will either:

• Give you a credit for it's current value.
• Send you an equivelant product out of their own stock.

You are more than likely going to need the Sales of Goods Act if you don't use the top 6 manufacturers in the list I created, and most likely having to pursue through no claims court, of course this also depends on the retailer in question some are better than others.

You just have to look at Scans forum threads on Hexus in regards to XFX graphics cards as well as others to see the hassle it is in recieving a replacement card or equivelant.

[kalniel]

Have to double check however there is a rather major issue with that, if I remember correctly, burden of proof.

If something breaks within the first 6 months then the burden of proof is on the retailer (ie they have to prove that the fault was caused by miss treatment/incorrect usage.)
If it breaks after the first 6 months the burden of proof is down to the purchaser (ie you have to prove that the fault was because flaw in the product, not your handling/use.)

It's not that hard to prove - you can show absence of external trauma and multimeter readings to show you are not feeding damaging voltages to the components etc. Still some work though, agreed.

Oh and the total working lift time of something is a vague "reasonable" so your back to the burden of proof again.

That one's rather simpler - is a graphics card considered to be a consumable?

[Golden Dragoon]

How about one for PSU`s and RAM

For PSU's I would like to see a list like this, as for ram though, in the two decades plus I have been tinkering with computers I have only had 2 sticks of ram fail, a very old EDO stick that died one day after working perfectly, and a stick of RDRAM that plain never worked.

[Pob255]

It's not that hard to prove - you can show absence of external trauma and multimeter readings to show you are not feeding damaging voltages to the components etc. Still some work though, agreed.

It's far more than that, a retailer could still be within their rights to refuse you.
"burden of proof" means proof that will hold up in a court of law, which is turn mean you'll need testing by a qualified/certified person, not just some-guy-with-a-multi-meter.

That one's rather simpler - is a graphics card considered to be a consumable?

Not at all, again it's down to "burden of proof" that will hold up in a court of law, again this is going to be up to the court to decide based on what evidence both parties can give to support their case and what the "life" of a graphics card should be.
Most electronics components are rated in operational hours, so something that's run 24/7 will have a far shorter life than something that's only run 3 hours a day.
So again it's down to you to "prove" you've not been exposing the item to excessive ware&tare or misuse.
For a retailer to prove that you've killed your card because you where overclocking it is near impossible to do, but the reverse is also true and it's near impossible for you to prove that you didn't overclock it.

Now granted most places, will except your word for it that it's not been abused, it's not worth them getting into a legal battle over it, conversely it's generally not worth it for you to get into a legal battle over it ether.

Retailers rely on manufacture warranties as well, faulty cards returned to them within the first 6 month period, will normally be replaced by existing stock to you, then the retailer will contact the manufacture and claim a warranty request with them for a new card. (at least from a good retailer)
After the first 6 month period it gets more tricky.

[kalniel]

Most electronics components are rated in operational hours, so something that's run 24/7 will have a far shorter life than something that's only run 3 hours a day.

Show me the operational hours rating on any shop advert for a graphics card.

[Saracen]

Or just buy from a UK shop and take advantage of our superior consumer rights, avoiding such a need for manufacturer warranties.

Consumer rights aren't, as has been said, necessarily superior. There are several hurdles to be jumped over, and one that hasn't been mentioned is that if a repair or replacement is disproportionately expensive, you'll get a refund and very likely. one with a deduction made for the use you've already had from the product. If it's three years into a four year expected "reasonable" life, you'll get 25% back.

But Pob is right, after 6 months the burden of proof is on the consumer, and it's a fairly respectable burden, at that. It is very likely that a report from an independent engineer will cost a fair bit more than any refund you may get, and if you lose the case (and you don't know what the report will say until it's received, and it may not support your case) then you can be quite a long way out of pocket. It is, therefore, a gamble to rely on consumer rights if there's a better route, and a good warranty may very well often be a better route.

The ideal situation, of course, is to have both and rely on whichever seems the best bet, if it comes to the point where you need it. So in that context, if there's a choice of two identically performing and priced cards, go for the one with the stronger manufacturer warranty. It can't hurt and it may well be very beneficial.

Oh, and if you rely on consumer rights and the shop doesn't accept your view, and it ends up going to court to enforce your rights, how long do you think that will take? And what are you going to do for a graphics card during those months?

[kalniel]

Consumer rights aren't, as has been said, necessarily superior.

To what? I wasn't meaning to the warranty, I mean compared to many other countries.