Problems with Abit Netherlands Tech Support.

[CJShielder]

Hi.

I would like some advice on a situation I'm currently having with Abit Netherlands Tech Support (why does the UK keep outsourcing every flipping thing this country is good at.) I apologise about this being an essay of sorts, but I feel I need to get all my points across.

Earlier this year I sent an RMA request to Sean Turner at Abit UK about 3 motherboards all with different problems (1 has network problem, 2 won't start up) and we started going through the RMA process with him eventually sending me an RMA form to fill out, which I did and sent back. I didn't hear anything for a while so I sent the email again to which I then received an email back informing me that the UK offices were closing and that I would have to contact the Netherlands offices instead.

Fine, I thought, I had managed to get this far without too many problems, hopefully I’ll be able to finish the process with their NL offices. So I contacted them. They came back a couple of days later telling me that they had only just heard about the UK offices closing and could I wait another week while they straighten things out regarding supporting UK customers. So I waited a week. Then I waited another week. Then after about three and a half weeks, an email appeared in my inbox from Abit NL.

Before I go further on, I think it is only fair to give you all a bit more info about my background and the motherboards I am having problems with.

My name is Chris Shields, an ICT Technician from a secondary school in Teignmouth, Devon. We bought 70 Abit SG-95 motherboards in July 2007 from a company called CEBEC Ltd to which we are really good customers of. A month later, I had discovered that one board which had only come out of its box, wouldn’t boot from Lan. Once I had installed windows, I found that windows had trouble installing a driver for it and once I did get it installed, wouldn’t detect a network cable either.

Around the same time, a colleague found that another wouldn’t start up at all, so we decided to go back to our supplier (CEBEC) about them. After 2 or 3 months of chasing his suppliers about it (and a batch of faulty Intel Celerons – about 10 or so – and a LCD monitor that no one knew the manufacturer of, until I took it apart to find out that it’s a company called Innolux…) he eventually came back and told us that we would have to back to the respective manufacturers for support.

At this point, I should mention that all of our working PCs – all 60 of them – were set up with the BIOS settings at their defaults with only minor settings changed (floppy controller disabled, hard disks on Auto, password protecting them, etc…) and were not set up with the intention of overclocking, with us knowing full well that the moment we ever start doing that, that any warranties would instantly be null and void.

Anyway, two of these PCs were set up for use for our library admin staff, for their front desk. At about the beginning of this year, my boss brought one of their PCs down into our support office. The librarian told him that it was working fine the previous day, but when she switched on the following morning, it wouldn’t start up.

I proceeded to try all the usual stuff you would do with a dead board including resetting the bios – including taking the battery out - and swapping components with known good ones all to no avail. On closer inspection of the board, I noticed what looked like some sort of really tiny surface mounted capacitor which looks a bit like this;

-[||]-

(a rectangular black body with gold-ish coloured ends with metal contacts either ends of that, of which there are thousands of on the board, but with limited electronics knowledge I’m not entirely sure what it is. If I could get a picture, I would, but I’m on holiday at the moment so I can’t till next week.)

but it seems to have coming from one end, a black scorch mark with some short whiteish marks following on from that.

Now with a third faulty motherboard I decided I needed to contact Abit now before the warranty end looms ever closer. Which takes us back to this email I got back from Abit NL which I have pasted below.

Dear Mr. Shields,

Sorry to inform you but as long as your reseller is available you should request RMA at your reseller.
But for this item you can already forget your warranty.

3. a: SG95-UDK004588 - Does not start up (with burst capacitor).
A burst capacitor can only be happening by overclocking and that is on own risk.


Met vriendelijke groet
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Yours sincerely

Pim Gielen

Universal ABIT

RMA service Center

Firstly, they’ve told me to go back to my reseller, which I can’t because they’ve told me to go back to the manufacturer (which I originally told Abit NL I couldn’t do), and secondly, they’re assuming that I’ve overclocked my motherboard and that my warranty is void which is absolutely annoying me right now. I was going to write a stern email back to them re-stating that I can’t go back to my reseller and that I under no circumstances did we overclock our systems in any way, but I thought I would get some advice from here about a few things before I do reply, because I am completely dissatisfied with their answer.

1. Is overclocking the only reason for a capacitor to burst open?
2. If someone does manage to find out what component it is I’m on about, are they likely to burst due to overclocking or are there other reasons why?
3. Also I’d like comments on what I should say (and anything else you can think of) when I reply back to Abit NL.

I have had to go back to different motherboard manufacturers before about problems similar to this and they sometimes ask questions about what the board’s being used for, how it’s set up, etc, but they are usually very good and replace them without much hassle at all. I feel that Abit’s boards are really good but if Abit is going to be like this for every support request (except Abit UK, they were a heck of a lot better) then I’m not sure I want to be buying anything from them in the future.

Thanks to all in advance,

Chris.

EDIT: Just looking around on google, it looks like a surface mounted resistor which has gone, not a capacitor.

[BUFF]

I was going to say that it didn't sound like a capacitor from your description ...
Strictly speaking afaik in the first year your vendor should handle the problem & the manufacturer thereafter if the warranty extends past 1 year (it's a 2 year warranty in the UK for abit).

[Nelly.]

As far as I'm aware by law the store is obliged to sort out returns & replacements for you.

If you still get messed about, take it to trading standards - you wont be messed around after that or contact Citazens Advice for more info on Consumer Laws.

Also think about switching to a more reputable company, I'm sure places like Scan etc would do special deals for bulk orders, especially considering your buying for a school, alot of companys do special discounts for schools as I'm aware?

Sale of Goods Act Quick Facts - BERR

Sale of Goods Act Quick Facts
Subject: Sale of Goods Act, Faulty Goods.

Relevant or Related Legislation: Sale of Goods Act 1979. Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994. The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002.

Key Facts:

• Wherever goods are bought they must "conform to contract". This means they must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality (i.e. not inherently faulty at the time of sale).

• Goods are of satisfactory quality if they reach the standard that a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory, taking into account the price and any description.

• Aspects of quality include fitness for purpose, freedom from minor defects, appearance and finish, durability and safety.

• It is the seller, not the manufacturer, who is responsible if goods do not conform to contract.

• If goods do not conform to contract at the time of sale, purchasers can request their money back "within a reasonable time". (This is not defined and will depend on circumstances)

• For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland) purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a repair or replacement).

• A purchaser who is a consumer, i.e. is not buying in the course of a business, can alternatively request a repair or replacement.

• If repair and replacement are not possible or too costly, then the consumer can seek a partial refund, if they have had some benefit from the good, or a full refund if the fault/s have meant they have enjoyed no benefit

• In general, the onus is on all purchasers to prove the goods did not conform to contract (e.g. was inherently faulty) and should have reasonably lasted until this point in time (i.e. perishable goods do not last for six years).

• If a consumer chooses to request a repair or replacement, then for the first six months after purchase it will be for the retailer to prove the goods did conform to contract (e.g. were not inherently faulty)

• After six months and until the end of the six years, it is for the consumer to prove the lack of conformity.

Let us know how you get on anyway.

[Blitzen]

Doesnt sound like a capacitor to me.
From the description it sounds more like a tant. This wouldnt blow like that.
Take a photo of the component and i will tell you what it is.

Unfortunately, as much as i want ABIT boards, i dont want to deal with anyone outside of the UK.

Poor decision ABIT!

[d3fiant]

yep, with the loss of dedicated UK support I will not be keen on buying them in future. Mind you I'm not familiar with other vendors UK support