PC crash in games

[MrSnaffles]

I found out after much research that this is a common problem with XFX HD 4850's, so I've sent it off to scan, will have to wait and see what they say, though it's going to take them an extra 10 days because they send it off to xfx or something...
... because the problem has been there since the start, is it possible to reclaim the returns postage do you think? :s
It did cost me over £6...

[muddyfox470]

Sorry to bump this.

MrSnaffles is a personal friend, and unfortunately because the hexus/scan free postage wouldn't recognise him as an eligible user, I had to buy on his behalf.

This return, for the faulty graphics card, was issued on the 4/7 and was received by the tech department on the 7/7. Because of XFX returns policy I was notified by email that the return could take an extra 20 days [I assume working days?].
The card was duly sent to XFX, and was returned to Scan's tech department with "NFF - passed all tests" (no fault found) - rather peculiar considering that all the other PC components had been tested; and as per this thread it is clear that the fault was apparent from the outset, but as a good consumer MrSnaffles had troubleshooted all components to source the problem, which takes time.

However upon being returned to Scan, one of the technicians, Lee tested it and stated the following:

Tested by me (as a check) FarCry2 and Crysis both crashed within 10mins as per customers original fault.

Despite a fault being found, the card has to be returned back to XFX for them to confirm a fault has been found before anything can be done with respect to this RMA. Which to me is very inefficient, not just for the company, but for the consumer; the problems have been causing issues for MrSnaffles since purchase, and until now he still hasn't had a fully working PC, despite buying quality components.

If I recollect correctly, any warranty offered is dealt directly with the retailer and it is their responsibility. Now considering a fault has been found, why has the card not been replaced already, and the consumer been left in limbo. [No contact has been made in this time, and it has been the case of having to check the RMA status online at regular intervals for any updates].

I must admit it's come to the point that I'm very annoyed, my friend too, because of the time taken, the problems with the card and the lack of help from Scan.

Fortunately you have a good customer services team who are always very helpful and understanding. Amanda explained everything to me and said that this process was definitely not ideal, but we could do nothing but wait for the process to come to an end. So with all this time passing, the retailer who's responsibility this is has failed to do anything to help or make the process any easier.

Now if I may, I'd like to make a comparison. Ebuyer were often known to be one of the worst in the business, poor packaging, difficult to obtain customer service and an awful RMA process. They have changed vastly, and despite Scan's new warehouse and lightspeed packaging and delivery, their returns have been left behind a little.
I can now get to the tech support people at ebuyer within 2 minutes, speak to them directly, they understand that I know what I am talking about and they arrange a courier to collect the item free of charge [MrSnaffles had to fork out some £6-7 for the postage of the card] the RMA was tracked online, an email was sent to say it had been received and the same day the fault was found (in-house) and the refund was duly arranged, from postage to receiving a refund it took 5 days! [Not the same product admittedly - but like most retailers they are sufficiently able to deal with RMAs internally, i.e. deal with the customer first, keep them happy, ensure the item is faulty, and then send the item for processing by the manufacturer to receive a credit note (or similar) for their purchases as a retailer]

With scan, we've been left in the dark, not quite knowing what to expect, and despite a fault being found the wait has been agonising. I understand you may have special processes for certain products and manufacturers, but this is at a massive cost of customer satisfaction.

When things work, it's perfect and as I said before customer service is great; but it is no longer the defining factor as other competitors in the industry have caught up.

Unfortunately, Scan, my friend has probably had the worst possible experience of your service and is unlikely to use yourselves again; it's not something as a consumer we can take likely, as it's costly in our time and money (purchasing other items to trouble shoot and having to return items at our cost). Personally I like to keep an open mind, but with the good experiences I have had with other companies at the moment I am always keen to shop around, and as for RMA problems I know I am not alone!

I'm sure in this instance my friend would much prefer a refund rather than a replacement considering the cost of return and the current market price of the item. It's obviously not the first impression he should have had.

[armoured_smiler]

Hi,

Have you tried running furmark, this WILL test your video card and them watch the CPUZ (furmark does tell you the GPU tempreture as it runs though. Be careful with it as it has been reported in killing video cards that haven't been cooled correctly.

Cheers
Paul