XFX warranty sucks.

[Waxking1]

I learned my lesson buying XFX. I recently put an EK waterblock on an XFX 280 GTX and the card died. I really don't know if it was something I did or not. One thing I know is that I never got a drop of water on the card.

I RMA'd the card a little over a week ago and their support just informed me that the warranty was denied because of water damage. I could understand if they said their warranty didn't cover modification done when installing a water block, but they said there was water damage which is just an outright lie.

Anyway I will be buying EVGA for my motherboard and Graphics cards in the future. There never would have been a doubt in my mind that EVGA would have replaced the card. I really don't know what I was thinking by buying XFX.

Edit
I got an email from XFX showing the back side of the card where I had to peel the sticker off to get to the screws for disassembly. This is what they were calling water damage for some reason, this just makes the support guy ignorant, not a liar, so I take that part back. If it is their policy to not allow anyone to open a card to put an aftermarket cooling device on the card, then I broke that policy. If they do allow this, then the warranty should be honored.

[aspire.comptech]

They should cover after-market cooler installation.

I recommend you wait for a response on here, or try escalating to a manager.

[dinos22]

intel will flat out refuse warranty if you tell them that you used an aftermarket cooler even though it is fully compatible with the board and much better cooler than standard product

they do that unfortunately and there is nothing you can do about it except not buy the products again if you are dissatisfied but i am not sure sure that evga or anyone else for that matter would honour warranty with an aftermarket cooler installation on their product :shrug:

[VOID WARRANTY]

yea dosnt EVGA have the best warrenty for NVIDIA cards..if they dont give you an RMA ..buy an EVGA

[Waxking1]

I'm going to call them tomorrow. They emailed me today but weren't in the office, at least to answer calls, because of Veteran's Day.

The problem is that the XFX video card backing is completly covered so that you can't get to the screws. You have to peel the XFX plastic from the backside of the card to be able to take it apart. This is what the technician was calling water damage. I really am unclear on what they warranty, but I will find out tomorrow. I never tried to be dishonest about what caused the problem, and when I initiated the RMA I told them exactly what happened and they still issued me an RMA.

I really don't see how they could stay in business and not allow using an aftermaket cooling solution on their cards. I already bought another 280 and it is EVGA. When I bought the XFX, I wanted an EVGA 280 FTW but noone had one in stock so I went with the XFX XXX edition. If this had been EVGA, a new card would already be on the way back to me.

[dinos22]

have you asked evga if they cover aftermarket coolers in their warranty?

[Waxking1]

I don't have to ask, I already know they do. My first GTX 260 I used for a stepup had been disassembled and MX2 applied to the GPU. EVGA is very overclocking mod friendly, only thing I know of that will void their warranty is if you flash the BIOS, but even then as long as you can flash back to the original, you are still good.

[Waxking1]

I don't have to ask, I already know they do. My first GTX 260 I used for a stepup had been disassembled and MX2 applied to the GPU. EVGA is very overclocking mod friendly, only thing I know of that will void their warranty is if you flash the BIOS or physical damage to the card, but even then as long as you can flash back to the original, you are still good.

The physical damage to the card is the issue with XFX I am sure. Problem is that with an XFX card, you have to do some physical damage in order to disassemble it. On the back of the card they completely cover the screws with a plastic label which has to be removed for disassembly.

[SoulsCollective]

eVGA warranty (http://www.evga.com/support/lifetime/default.asp):
There is no physical damage to the PCB, GPU/chipset, or components that are caused by: Damage due to improper installation, damage during modification of any kind, damage during any type of Aftermarket cooling installation, and water damage of any kind.eVGA will and does accept back products on warranty that have been after-market cooled, so long as you haven't been a douche and physically damaged the card during the installation.

[dinos22]

that's good to see in writing

maybe time for XFX to update their warranty policy

[XFX Tech]

We are very sorry but it wasn't just that the cooler and screws were very scratched and the decals were torn up, the card was still damp. I, myself, saw that card and felt it. None of the board partners would be able to warranty it in its condition. I pulled up the pictures that you were sent and you can visibly see from the paper of the decals that it was crinkled from liquid.

[Logos4]

I knew XFX warrantied returned cards that had been used with after market coolers, as long as the original stock cooler was remounted, and in good state. They said it very clearly when they started this forum section. Just fyi anyone ;)

[jason str]

Any pictures to post ?

Always take pictures before and after removal so there is no problems or arguments, if no pictures are available take this as a learning experience and be sure to cover yourself for this situation.:slap:

[systemviper]

Damn should have dried it out before sending....

[Waxking1]

This is just an outright lie. The card was damaged from removing the sticker. They sent me the below picture and said there was water damage. Noone ever mention being wet until I created a stink. The card was dry as a bone when I returned it. I never had a leak in the EK block. If XFX does not want to honor aftermarket cooling solutions they should just say so.

The screws have no damage, it is glue from the top label I had to peel off to get to the screws. There is not a way to take the card apart without damaging this label, so I just peeled it off. It is very thick and the plastic is hard, you can't even tell where the screws are to punch some holes, but if I had punched holes they would have still claimed damage so it doesn't matter.

Here is a picture of the card that they sent to me and it is accurate as far as I can tell. I don't deny peeling off the label. They should have told me before I paid to send it back that they would not honor using an aftermarket cooling solution because you can't do it without damaging the label.
The wet part is BS, if there was water on it they put it there or someone in there office set it in a coffee spill.

I won't ever buy XFX again. EVGA is the only way to go.



http://www.techpowerup.org/uploaded.php?file=081112/IMG_1366.jpg

[Waxking1]

I realize this is kind of a cross post but I wanted to make sure everyone here knows this and maybe you do. If you damage the label on the back of an XFX video card in order to get to the screws, your warranty will be void.

To be honest, when I removed the label I had a pretty good idea that it was voiding the warranty, but some people here told me to RMA the card because XFX allows aftermarket cooling solutions without voiding the warranty. The label is thick plastic and covers the screwholes completely, at least on the GT200 series. You will have to damage the label in order to get to the screws, there is no way around this(Catch 22).

You can install an aftermarket cooling solution but you can't damage the label to get to the screws under the label. XFX told me warranty denied because of water damage to the card and sent me a picture of the back of the card where I peeled off the label(like it was caused by water). I told them I peeled the label off and then they came back and said the card was wet(this is a lie). I never got water on the card.

I would have been OK with the loss if they would just come out and said that you can't take the card apart to install a WB because this will void the warranty. What bothers me is that they want to be able to claim that they will honor a warranty for installing aftermaket cooling solutions but then they design the card where you have to do damage to the card to take it apart. Now they are lying about the card being wet. I knew I should have bought an EVGA card but I couldn't find the FTW in stock anywhere.

Sorry for the rant.

[Xilikon]

I don't think this has to do with the label peeling since they allow a aftermarket cooling. I assume they assumed that the label is not sticking due to water damage and denied the RMA, which is correct since warranty is void if there are physical damage on the card :rolleyes:

[Erasmus354]

Call them on their bull:banana::banana::banana::banana:, unless you told them you had a waterblock they have no way of knowing. Just say you installed an aftermarket air cooler, and ask them to show you where it prohibits aftermarket cooling.

[Eddie3dfx]

Tell them the case was hot and it peeled right off :)

I have evga and their warranty service is really good, though as well all know nvidia based motherboards are just plain horrible.
BFG warranty is probably the best. They are like 15 minutes from my house

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I realize this is kind of a cross post but I wanted to make sure everyone here knows this and maybe you do. If you damage the label on the back of an XFX video card in order to get to the screws, your warranty will be void.

To be honest, when I removed the label I had a pretty good idea that it was voiding the warranty, but some people here told me to RMA the card because XFX allows aftermarket cooling solutions without voiding the warranty. The label is thick plastic and covers the screwholes completely, at least on the GT200 series. You will have to damage the label in order to get to the screws, there is no way around this(Catch 22).

You can install an aftermarket cooling solution but you can't damage the label to get to the screws under the label. XFX told me warranty denied because of water damage to the card and sent me a picture of the back of the card where I peeled off the label(like it was caused by water). I told them I peeled the label off and then they came back and said the card was wet(this is a lie). I never got water on the card.

I would have been OK with the loss if they would just come out and said that you can't take the card apart to install a WB because this will void the warranty. What bothers me is that they want to be able to claim that they will honor a warranty for installing aftermaket cooling solutions but then they design the card where you have to do damage to the card to take it apart. Now they are lying about the card being wet. I knew I should have bought an EVGA card but I couldn't find the FTW in stock anywhere.

Sorry for the rant.


IDK dude I read the XFX response in your other thread, he said he touched the card and it was damp and it sounds like the card had some pretty obvious water damage.... please dont pass off you frustration onto bashing a brand

[gully666uk]

Im also not going to be looking at buying anything else from xfx, They still havent replied to my support question in 23 days.But here in the uk we are used to getting shafted by compainies who tell you outright lies.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

looks pretty freaking beat up to me, maybe you should have been more careful when removing the sticker and actually taken the whole thing off as a single piece.....

[Waxking1]

IDK dude I read the XFX response in your other thread, he said he touched the card and it was damp and it sounds like the card had some pretty obvious water damage.... please dont pass off you frustration onto bashing a brand

I'm not bashing the brand, I'm bashing their warranty lies. The card was not wet when I sent it in. If I had really had water damage, don't you think I would have dried the card before I sent it in? I admit to peeling the label and putting on an EK water block. The block never leaked. Their bit about the card being wet happened after I called them on the warranty. They called it water damage and sent me a picture of where I pulled the label off.

Their tech told me there was no way they would be able to send the card back for credit with the label removed. Problem is that you can't get the card apart without damaging the label because it is a thick plastic laminate. You can't even see where the screwholes are, there are no dimples in the laminate.

I was prepared to take the loss when I pulled the label off, but then people on this forum told me to RMA it because XFX will honor warranty even if you use an aftermaket cooling solution. This is the lie because you can't get the card apart without damaging the label. You can believe what you want, but I bet there won't be anyone here taking an XFX card(GT200 series) apart again and expecting their warranty to be honored. I can take the loss OK but I want to warn others about making the same mistake if they are expecting a warranty.

I even admitted here that it was possible I damaged the card installing the EK block but I didn't feel like I did. I'm sure a card can be killed just by taking it apart. I really don't know why the card died, but I don't think it matters.

[IanY]

Speak to an attorney and have the lawyer contact them on your behalf.

I trust that the issue will be very amicably resolved after that.

I have encountered zero resistance each time after an attorney, especially a product liability class action lawyer, speaks to customer service. After that, it'll be "yes, Sir" and "OK, Sir."

Its magical how courtesy and expediency improves ten fold upon a lawyer call.

[cadaveca]

Yep, I'd say this would fall under damage caused by installing the aftermarket cooler. Wet or not.

[jc99]

Wouldn't the attourney fees make it not worthwhile to pursue that course of action?

[SparkyJJO]

Possible that some traces or those dinky little resistors/capacitors/what have you got damaged when peeling off that giant sticker?

[Waxking1]

I took it off as a single piece, they use a lot of glue. Its not about what I should have done. XFX does this on purpose in order to avoid warranty claims. EVGA doesn't cover the screws with anything. I'm not doing this in hopes of changing XFXs mind about honoring my warranty. I'm doing this to warn anyone before buying an XFX GT200 series card. Do not buy one thinking you will have a warranty if you plan on taking the card apart. You won't.

I would like to see XFX admit that they will not honor warranty on a card that has been disassembled. At least they would be being honest then.

[Eddie3dfx]

Wouldn't the attourney fees make it not worthwhile to pursue that course of action?

You need to use an attorney who is a friend :)
In my case, I told my attorney-workout buddies to short oil at $146.
Let's just say I get many rewards in return :up:

Whats it to a friend.. 3 cents of their "official" paper and a 2 minute jot down.

[IanY]

Wouldn't the attourney fees make it not worthwhile to pursue that course of action?

Obviously, if you have to pay attorney fees. I would hope that everyone knows any number of lawyers in today's litigious society. As long as no one is faking legal credentials, a lawyer is a lawyer, and having counsel represent you on the phone is enough to send a message that enhances cooperativeness.

[2low4u]

Guess it's a good thing the 8800GTX's don't have those stickers eh? lol

[IanY]

This isn't the first case I've heard about XFX not wanting to honor their warranty, especially with regard to their XXX series of highly overclocked video cards.

[TheGanG]

Covering the screws with a restricted label is sick, that brand is sick too, they also have a sick way to protect themselves...

They know prety good, we all buy VGAs for clocking and mostly watering, so what the hell is that covering hysteria?

It doesn't bother me too much why someones RMA shi.ts, but bothers me that covering personally...

Regards...

[XFX Tech]

I am sorry but in this case we are not able to replace your card. We would never be able to use that cooler on a card for any other customer. I don't believe that the result is any different than any other manufacturer would have taken.

[Waxking1]

The covering is what surprised me. I would never have ordered the XFX card if I had known they cover the screws in a way that you have to damage the card in order to take the card apart. I knew when I saw this label that I would be in trouble if warranty issues arose. I bought the card with the intention of watercooling so I took the chance. I guess I should have turned around and sold it and bought an EVGA. i didn't really expect that the card would die.

XFX_TECH,
Why would your company put a cover like this on the GT200 cards and still claim to honor an aftermaket cooling solution warranty issue when you know that we can't take the card apart without damage to this cover. I think the answer is obvious.

[dinos22]

i am confused
where does XFX Tech say they cover aftermarket cooler in warranty

how can a card be damp even if it took a single day for the card to be delivered :S:S:S:S:S

[T_Flight]

This is precisely why I'm am going with EVGA. I've seen this for the last 15 years with XFX. I hate to be negative like that, but they have seriously earned that rep. I've had freinds on numerous forums have warranty issues denied even when the card weas left bone stock like it was straight out of the box. Back when I was benching if I saw 10 of these kind of issues, I saw 100. I'm seeing it again, now that I'm getting back into it. Nothing has changed obviously, so this is nothing new. Maybe threads like these will send a message, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

On a positive note, I have an online freind that works at EVGA and will definitely be buying from them. They have courteous service, and they treat they enthusiasts very well, and actually go above and beyond in most cases. I've seen them offer things that I couldn't believe just to make people happy, and in some cases just to help them get up and running again. They care.

[SoulsCollective]

i am confused
where does XFX Tech say they cover aftermarket cooler in warranty
XFX Warranty (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=187571):
If you live in the US or Canada our video cards come with a Double Lifetime Modder Friendly warranty. This basically means the video card is under warranty for as long as you own it and if you give it away or sell it, the second owner also has a lifetime warranty (helps with resell value). Modder friendly means we do not mind if you overclock the video card or change out the fan as long as the video card is not physically damaged and you keep the original hardware (in case you ever need an RMA).While they say "change out the fan" rather than "use an aftermarket heatsink", I think it's pretty clear.
how can a card be damp even if it took a single day for the card to be delivered :S:S:S:S:S
I'm also very confused about this. There should just be no way that a card can be damp, unless it was absolutely soaking before it was packed, and noone's stupid enough to send a card in for RMA soaking wet (plus OP says it was sent in bone dry). However, I in no way think it's fair to say that XFX must have wet the card themselves in order to not have to honour warranty. Without evidence of some kind it's just not fair to make that kind of claim.

Shipping damage, perhaps? @ OP, how was it shipped?

On a general note, I've dealt with stickers like that before. Regardless of how thick the sticker was, I'm finding it very, very hard to accept that you needed to damage the sticker and plastic that much to find the screw holes. You should easily be able to run your fingertip over the sticker, and find out where the holes are that way. Even if not, there's damage to parts of the card where no screws could possibly be hiding.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

OP, it looks like you were just wayyyy too hasty in removing the sticker when you installed the waterblock, and thus you paid the price. Not to mentiong that you did short the card so you probably did something wrong besides ripping at the sticker like a rabid dog

[MomijiTMO]

LLOLOLOLOLOLOL the card looks like it's been to hell and back. I didn't have any stickers falling off when I removed my cooler. If you are going to do things like removing coolers, you have to be extra careful, so that nothing looks touched. It also pays to thoroughly test everything before hand.

[Erasmus354]

If I am getting an nvidia video card I always go eVGA as well, even if it costs more or if I have to wait. I have dealt with their warranty and customer service and everything is a breeze. So through my experience and their reputation I think it is well worth it. It amazes me that more companies don't see the kind of effect customer service like this has. I don't think any video card company has the kind of word of mouth recommendations that eVGA or BFG has, and it is all because they have sensible and helpful customer service.

[cadaveca]

PLease see the picture of the card he sent in, and tell me that it's OK to do this, and then complain...

http://img.techpowerup.org/081112/IMG_1366.jpg

[Gir92]

lol, even Zotac didn't care about me using a waterblock and having done a volt mod when I RMA'd my card.

[Ic3man]

Is that the new 'Battle Damage effect' GTX?:shocked:

Even if the card wasn't wet and XFX are lying through their back teeth, I'm not surprised they are not honouring the warranty on this occasion given the dire state of the card.

Because the card arrived wet (confirmed by XFX) can you not claim on postal insurance?

[cadaveca]

Yeah but did the card look as bad as above when you sent it back?

[dinos22]

just a tip for ppl when they face the same situation as OP about removing stickers

find your hair dryer and heat up the sticker
that will help you peel if off without ANY damage :D

[N19h7m4r3]

It looks like he tried to remove the sticker, which he already claimed.

Also the condition of the sticker doesn't really have anything to do with the card.
Now if the actual card looked like that, it's a different story.

I for one have always removed those types of stickers because I find them ugly.

[Gir92]

Yeah but did the card look as bad as above when you sent it back?

Sorry, didn't see your post.

That does look really bad, but it doesn't necessarily point to him using water. An air cooler could have done that as well.

[IanY]

I see the sticker being peeled off, and nothing else. The sticker has no bearing on the health of the video card.

[Waxking1]

That is what the card looked like. There was nothing wrong inside. I guess I could have stabbed holes in the laminate label until i could have gouged out some holes to find the screws. You can't see or feel the screwholes through their label. Looking back, maybe I could have used a heatgun to get it off better but I still don't think it would have gone back on right. This is basically what you have to do to get the card open and they will void your warranty. If you are going to mod don't buy XFX, buy EVGA. Nothing wrong with the XFX card except that they won't honor an RMA on a modded GT200 series card. There is no doubt that they covered the holes intentionally to prevent modding. If you mod, you have to damage the card.

I didn't know the card was going to have the holes plastered over with the label from hell when I bought it. This is the info I am trying to pass along. I would never have bought the card if I had known about the label. I bought the card with the intention of watercooling and the place I bought from would only accept returns for replacement with the same item. I could have sold it or I could tear the label off and take my chance.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I see the sticker being peeled off, and nothing else. The sticker has no bearing on the health of the video card.

It certainly has insight on how he treated the card when disassembling it, If he was being careful with the whole process it wouldn't look anything like that. He shorted the 280 with the water block I wonder why :rolleyes:

that said I would imagine that XFX would glady accept the RMA if OP had just carefully used an Xacto knife to cut the stick around the outline of each screw head.... or just peeled the sticker off as a whole as he should have.

[m411b]

Even if not, there's damage to parts of the card where no screws could possibly be hiding.

I don't see any other damage to the card anywhere other than the sticker looking like horrible sh*t.

[Waxking1]

Let me give you another tip. Buy an EVGA card if you are going to mod it. The screw holes aren't covered up. Do you want to take a chance using a hair dryer to warm the label, hoping you can get it back on to look right. Or poke some holes to find the screws, maybe I could have felt them if I had really tried. Oh wait, if I poke holes the card is damaged. Do you really think XFX would have taken the card back if I had cut out the screw holes. I admit I tore the label off because XFX is not mod friendly, if they were they wouldn't have covered the screw holes. This is a tactic used by XFX to avoid any warranty claims after a card has been modded. This is over as far as me getting a new card or my money back, its not going to happen. I just want to warn others that if you plan on modding that you should buy from a mod friendly company like EVGA. If this is not getting through then go ahead and buy an XFX card and mod it, I hope your card doesn't have problems if you do.

Oh, I shipped by UPS and it took about a week to get there.
I didn't accuse XFX of wetting the card, I said the card was dry when I shipped it and I never got it wet. They said the card was wet, and I said the only way it could have gotten wet is if they somehow got it wet.

[cegras]

I don't know the full story, but it's just a damaged and ripped up sticker, from what I see.

[Waxking1]

It certainly has insight on how he treated the card when disassembling it, If he was being careful with the whole process it wouldn't look anything like that. He shorted the 280 with the water block I wonder why :rolleyes:

that said I would imagine that XFX would glady accept the RMA if OP had just carefully used an Xacto knife to cut the stick around the outline of each screw head.... or just peeled the sticker off as a whole as he should have.

Yes go ahead and try carefully removing the label or cutting around the holes and if you have a problem send the card back and see what happens.:rofl:

I see no reason for any modder to purchase an XFX GT200 series card when EVGA is available which has no label over the screwholes. You don't know that I shorted the card with the EK block, what an idiotic statement. If you go back and read my posts I never said I shorted the card. I really don't know how the card died but shorting certainly is one possibility. Its also possible that the card just chose to die at that moment for no apparent reason. It could have died when I pried the card off from the stock cooling block or any number of ways. I'm sure EVGA would have warrantied it anyway. Why you want to defend XFX is beyond me but it sounds like you may have a personal interest. I don't even work in an industry that is electronics rated or own stock in one.

[Sadasius]

Well the truth of what happened to that card will probably never be known. A multitude of things could have happened to kill it. A small leak, a drop on the floor, run over by a truck, a child playing with it in the toilet...etc I had not too much trouble trading in a few...yes a few of those 7950 GT's. The XFX rep can look that up actually under my same user name. Mind you I never sent in a card that looked so scuttled either. That card looks like Windex was used or something to try and peel the sticker off.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Yes go ahead and try carefully removing the label or cutting around the holes and if you have a problem send the card back and see what happens.:rofl:

I see no reason for any modder to purchase an XFX GT200 series card when EVGA is available which has no label over the screwholes. You don't know that I shorted the card with the EK block, what an idiotic statement. If you go back and read my posts I never said I shorted the card. I really don't know how the card died but shorting certainly is one possibility. Its also possible that the card just chose to die at that moment for no apparent reason. It could have died when I pried the card off from the stock cooling block or any number of ways. I'm sure EVGA would have warrantied it anyway. Why you want to defend XFX is beyond me but it sounds like you may have a personal interest. I don't even work in an industry that is electronics rated or own stock in one.

look he called me an NV fanboy! *points at sig* :rofl::rofl::rofl:


anywho, I guess I'm playing devils advocate here, so hear it like this: If I was a manufacturer and I got a card in the mail that looked like someone had had a seizure while holding a screwdriver to the back of the card and the card was dead as well, I couldn't bring my self to say "here have some free money to compensate for what you've done to your card"

I operate on ATI hardware 90% of the time with none of the generous warranties you get with some Nvidia OEMs. if you aren't careful and neat with your ATI card and it dies your just sh*t outta luck.

[teyber]

I'm going to call them tomorrow. They emailed me today but weren't in the office, at least to answer calls, because of Veteran's Day.

The problem is that the XFX video card backing is completly covered so that you can't get to the screws. You have to peel the XFX plastic from the backside of the card to be able to take it apart. This is what the technician was calling water damage. I really am unclear on what they warranty, but I will find out tomorrow. I never tried to be dishonest about what caused the problem, and when I initiated the RMA I told them exactly what happened and they still issued me an RMA.

I really don't see how they could stay in business and not allow using an aftermaket cooling solution on their cards. I already bought another 280 and it is EVGA. When I bought the XFX, I wanted an EVGA 280 FTW but noone had one in stock so I went with the XFX XXX edition. If this had been EVGA, a new card would already be on the way back to me.

i understand your frustration but evga is no walk in the park either. They sent me 4 bad 680i's until i said i want to have the credit from the 680 put on a second 8800gtx. i did that, paid for a 8800gtx, and didnt' get the 8800gtx for 4, 4 months after. i called in about twice a week and every tiem "oops thats not correct, ill look into that for ya".

:down:

[SoulsCollective]

I don't see any other damage to the card anywhere other than the sticker looking like horrible sh*t.
There're scratches on the locking flange near the PCI-E contact fingers, and the SLi connector at top is beaten up. But mainly I meant that if you look at where the screws are (all around the vents), and where the scratches are (all over the top of the card), it's pretty clear that there's more than just the damage required to remove the screws being done here.

[Waxking1]

Point taken Snipe. No hard feelings here and I even understand XFXs POV, sort of. I just think they should be clear about no mods allowed instead of putting a sticker over the holes which would be difficult to circumvent to say the least.

What made me mad was when they lied about the card being wet. That and the fact that they accepted the RMA to begin with. I told them I put a waterblock on the card before I ever shipped it back. I would love to see someone pull that label off and put it back on and make it look new. If they were mod friendly they wouldn't have the label there.

[Waxking1]

There may be some very minor scratches on the PCI-e copper connections, but if they are it is just from plugging and unplugging into the PCI[e slot. I think the picture makes it look a little worse than it did because of the way it catches the light, but I think the picture is accurate. The SLI connector was never used or pried around and the what looks like scratches is a result of removing the label only. Also the screws aren't scratched but were covered up with sticky glue pretty good.

[Nanometer]

I dont think the XFX representative is in a position to lie. If he said the card was still wet, I believe it. I see absolutely no excuse for a water damaged card, it's happened to me, tough. I don't expect XFX or any other card contractor to absorb what you damaged. If anything, it's your fault for not properly leak testing the system, or possibly the fault of EK for sending you a block with a hole in it. Just because you think the water damage is insignificant, it does not mean it wont be caught. I've seen crap pulled like this before... many times. The difference is, they realized they made a dumb mistake and didn't bother to ask for an RMA.
And that picture looks horrid, it looks like you beat your card to death with a baseball bat

[gully666uk]

Over my issue, i decided to call xfx hq in north america from the uk that was fun.Hopefully they can urge the people in the uk to answer me.

[aspire.comptech]

I think the thread title needs t be changed.

Not all XFX cards utilize the same heatsink design and their heatsinks can be removed without causing damage to themselves.

I for one had to rma my 8800GT because it died on me and they knew it was water cooled and had no qualms sending me a brand new one.

[fox3]

I have to agree with the above post. Mebbe consider changing the thread title.

[Praz]

What's Covered:
Once the product is registered, XFX warrants that should the graphics card purchased require service or repairs as the result of defects in materials or workmanship, XFX will make those repairs for free. If the card cannot be repaired, it will be replaced. However, the warranty does not include refunds.

Products received by XFX must be in original condition and must have all original components in order to be covered[/I]. XFX does NOT warrant cards that have been tampered with (ie. volt-modding) by the user. XFX does not make any other warranty, express or implied, and is not responsible for loss, damage, or shipping charges to our RMA Center. XFX also reserves the right to inspect and verify the defect(s) of the product(s) that are returned.

XFX’s liability under the Double Lifetime Protection is limited to the repair, or, at XFX’s discretion, the replacement of the portion(s) of the Product that are found to be defective in material or workmanship. XFX reserves the right to claim shipping fees as well as a service charge** for any incomplete or modified product that is returned and that requires repair or replacement, or when the Owner is not entitled to any coverage under the XFX Double Lifetime Protection.
Double Lifetime Warranty (http://www.xfxforce.com/en-us/Features/DoubleLifetimeWarranty.aspx#2)

The card was definitely not returned in original condition. Also, nowhere in the above warranty statement is a person explicitly allowed to change out the cooler. The condition the card was in when returned is a disgrace at best. You screwed up. Posting this nonsense all over the Web is not helping your cause. Let it be a lesson learned and move on.

[Praz]

I have to agree with the above post. Mebbe consider changing the thread title.
Or how about deleting the thread. Still not sure why two identical threads are being allowed .

[AndrewZorn]

I read basically the whole thing.

Sticker removing skills should not have anything to do with your warranty.

The end.

XFX has now been removed from my list, only EVGA remains as "cool card rebrander".

[SoulsCollective]

Also, nowhere in the above warranty statement is a person explicitly allowed to change out the cooler.
XFX Warranty (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=187571):If you live in the US or Canada our video cards come with a Double Lifetime Modder Friendly warranty. This basically means the video card is under warranty for as long as you own it and if you give it away or sell it, the second owner also has a lifetime warranty (helps with resell value). Modder friendly means we do not mind if you overclock the video card or change out the fan as long as the video card is not physically damaged and you keep the original hardware (in case you ever need an RMA).
While they say "change out the fan" rather than "use an aftermarket heatsink", I think it's pretty clear.
???

[Waxking1]

Oh, I think it is helping my cause. My cause is to alert fellow modders to the fact that XFX places a mod unfriendly sticker over the screwholes on the card to prevent any modding and voiding the warranty. If I had known the sticker was there, I would never have purchased their card.

The condition of the card was excellent except for the sticker being pulled off which I admit makes the card look rough. The sticker is made in such a way that it does not come off cleanly and leaves a sticky residue of glue on the card. Modder Beware.

[Waxking1]

I don't see how to change the title but if someone can tell me I will be glad to change it to GT200 series, which is really what I am talking about. Also if have no problem if a mod wants to remove the thread in the XFX section but I would prefer this one stays. I think most of the modders come here.

My sentiments exactly Andrew. The sticker shouldn't even be there.

[STEvil]

Is it really necessary to remove the screws from the top? I dont think i've ever seen a video card where you had to do it from the top to get the cooler off..

This should be in the XFX section anyways..


EDIT - Threads merged, 10 hour redirect; also this kind of seems like a clear-cut case of user abuse after seeing the picture so it'll probably die soon anyways.

[Waxking1]

Yes I abused the card, I pulled their sticker off. Its clearcut alright, don't buy an XFX card if you are going to mod because you have to pull the sticker off and it will void your warranty. I also disagree about putting the thread in this forum. This was a card being modded with a waterblock so it should be in the watercooling forum, but you're the mod. What happened, did XFX complain?

[aspire.comptech]

Yes I abused the card, I pulled their sticker off. Its clearcut alright, don't buy an XFX card if you are going to mod because you have to pull the sticker off and it will void your warranty. I also disagree about putting the thread in this forum. This was a card being modded with a waterblock so it should be in the watercooling forum, but you're the mod. What happened, did XFX complain?

No this thread is not about water cooling at all.

This is about you savagely trying to get the sticker off, and then expecting them to warranty something like that. I mean hell, it would be one thing if they refused your rma because you water cooled.

But they refused it because your basically destroyed the top cover and whether it was your fault of not, sent them a "damp" card.

This thread had no need to be in the water cooling section and as such was merged into YOUR EXISTING THREAD in the XFX support section.

Finally, every single post of yours uses blanket statement's this "issue" is limited only to the GTX series of cards and no others. I have had excellent warranty experiences with XFX as have numerous others.

[cegras]

Have you all forgotten something?

How can a card be packed, shipped, and arrive STILL WET?!

[WC Annihilus]

Is it really necessary to remove the screws from the top? I dont think i've ever seen a video card where you had to do it from the top to get the cooler off..

But they refused it because your basically destroyed the top cover and whether it was your fault of not, sent them a "damp" card.
Just to make things clear, what is pictured is the back of the card, not the front. Here's a pic of it intact:

http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/articles/2008/09/15222118921l.jpg

[SoulsCollective]

Have you all forgotten something?

How can a card be packed, shipped, and arrive STILL WET?!
Erm...nope ;)
how can a card be damp even if it took a single day for the card to be delivered :S:S:S:S:S
how can a card be damp even if it took a single day for the card to be delivered :S:S:S:S:SI'm also very confused about this. There should just be no way that a card can be damp, unless it was absolutely soaking before it was packed, and noone's stupid enough to send a card in for RMA soaking wet (plus OP says it was sent in bone dry). However, I in no way think it's fair to say that XFX must have wet the card themselves in order to not have to honour warranty. Without evidence of some kind it's just not fair to make that kind of claim.

Shipping damage, perhaps? @ OP, how was it shipped?

[STEvil]

Oh, it was the bottom.. my bad then.

Still, with as much damage as was done to the sticker in areas other than where the screws were makes me wonder what you were doing..

[Vienna]

I read basically the whole thing.

Sticker removing skills should not have anything to do with your warranty.

The end.

XFX has now been removed from my list, only EVGA remains as "cool card rebrander".

Agreed, XFX is now on my personal blacklist.

Have you all forgotten something?

How can a card be packed, shipped, and arrive STILL WET?!

Yes, this is one of those small facts people here seem to be overlooking, shipping damage? in this case you'd have to contact UPS BUT XFX would have to agree with you that its shipping damage as well, but at this point they seem intent that someones stupid enough to mail out a still dripping wet card for rma. Even scamers arn't that stupid.

Oh, it was the bottom.. my bad then.

Still, with as much damage as was done to the sticker in areas other than where the screws were makes me wonder what you were doing..

Sticker removal skills should not affect a warranty, all I see in that picture is someone having a tough time taking off a sticker with sticker residue everywhere, NOT DAMAGE.

To the OP, did they even give you your card back?

[SoulsCollective]

Yes, this is one of those small facts people here seem to be overlooking,
*sigh*
Have you all forgotten something?

How can a card be packed, shipped, and arrive STILL WET?!
Erm...nope ;)
how can a card be damp even if it took a single day for the card to be delivered :S:S:S:S:S
how can a card be damp even if it took a single day for the card to be delivered :S:S:S:S:SI'm also very confused about this. There should just be no way that a card can be damp, unless it was absolutely soaking before it was packed, and noone's stupid enough to send a card in for RMA soaking wet (plus OP says it was sent in bone dry). However, I in no way think it's fair to say that XFX must have wet the card themselves in order to not have to honour warranty. Without evidence of some kind it's just not fair to make that kind of claim.

Shipping damage, perhaps? @ OP, how was it shipped?

[Vienna]

*sigh*

I know, thats why I quoted your post as well, I seem to of quoted the wrong one, I realized YOU didn't overlook it :p:

[dinos22]

it could be shipping damage which is what i was thinking of

i would never imply someone was making it up here

how can i when there is absolutely no proof

hope there is no misunderstanding

[m411b]

There're scratches on the locking flange near the PCI-E contact fingers, and the SLi connector at top is beaten up. But mainly I meant that if you look at where the screws are (all around the vents), and where the scratches are (all over the top of the card), it's pretty clear that there's more than just the damage required to remove the screws being done here.

I see what you mean now, but that is normal wear and tear! Maybe not on the SLI connector but still does not look bad enough to void warranty on that alone. All I see is a sticker that was ripped off and thrown back on. Yes it looks horrid, but what does one expect it to look like after you try to stick the sticker that is torn up back on?
I am also having a really, really hard time believing that the card was wet after being packed up and in the shipping phase for a week!!

[T_Flight]

Have you all forgotten something?

How can a card be packed, shipped, and arrive STILL WET?!

Exactly. Probably was delivered into a warehous somewhere with a puddle of water on the floor OR in the truck. I've had this happen to me personally. I had some very expensive rocket motors delivered ina box that was soaking wet. I looked into the truck when the driver was unloading them and said "HEY! That's marked 1.4g people, what's up?!?" They looked at me like they didnl;t have a clue what I was talking about. 1.4g means flammable, meaning it's supposed to burn, buit not if they get soaking wet!

There were 3 $400 dollar M motors in that box and they ended up getting to fill out a $1200 dollar insurance claim.

XFX,
If the card was wet, you should've worked with the individual. It might've resulted in insurance coverage, but instead, you lost a customer and many more here. The user told you he did not send the card in wet. At that point you had no reason to doubt him and should've looked into it further. I tell you what, Send me one of those danged gawdy stickers, and I will carefully remove the old sticker and residue with jewelers precison, and put a new one on it BY HAND, and will polish out any scratches, and will send the thing back to you in a plastic bag so that you can't blame ME for getting the dang thing wet, and then you can stop tormenting this user, and publicly lynching him. Will that make you happy?

[hixie]

I really think both sides are wrong, ripping up the sticker like that really shows no care what so ever for the card. You could have run your finger to find the screw holes (and don't tell me you can't, because i have a card here and i can feel them), or used a hair dyer to warm the sticker up and peeled it off (i've even RMAed a sticker-less 8800GTX and got a new one).
Every single of my nvidia cards are from XFX and their warranty is the best that i have seen.

However, i believe XFX is at fault as well, the sticker should have no effect on the warranty of the card, and if XFX wants to claim there was physical damage then provide the proof that there was physical damage to the card (and not just the sticker). If there is proof of water damage inside the card then provide some proof, if there are signs of short circuiting then provide the proof.
You can't deny RMA of your product just because your pissed off with someone not taking care of your products.
If you can't provide any proof of damage inside the card then replace/repair the card and send it back to him with his torn-up/ripped up sticker.

Honestly, i think both sides need a good smack in the head :slap:

[m411b]

This is how we water cool our stuff XFX:
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w292/marcus000/Supernova/GPU2.jpg
We don't dip our stuff in one of these and call it water cooling:
http://www.watchitrot.com/images/bucket_of_water.jpg
OK, so lets get real here!!

[aspire.comptech]

This is how we water cool our stuff XFX:
http://www.campbellassociates.ca/blog/content/binary/IMG_0328%20(Small).jpg


No it isn't...

"We" don't use aluminum. :yepp:

[m411b]

No it isn't...

"We" don't use aluminum. :yepp:

Is that better ^^^^^^ :p:

[KaptCrunch]

looks to me a little ruff handling, possible dropped trying to get screws out breaking traces.

[TheGanG]

With a new sticker, it should have a brand new looking VGA...

[XFX Tech]

If it were cleanly cut around the screws or the decal had been removed intact and put back we would not have any problems with that. The damage to this card was too much to be able to warranty the card. We have plenty of people, in this forum especially, with after market cooling on our products. In North America that is covered as long as the card is not physically damaged and the card is in original condition when it is received here.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

If it were cleanly cut around the screws or the decal had been removed intact and put back we would not have any problems with that.

TYVM for clarifying. :) *satisfied smirk* and now I can say, I told you so

[cadaveca]

and the card is in original condition when it is received here.

I have no love for XFX, none what so ever, but this seems pretty plain.


But the mention of teh card being wet...well...just make XFX look bad. BUt the OP admitted to the sticker damage, which is clearly not "original condition", so I'd easily say XFX is justified in denying this RMA.

[m411b]

If it were cleanly cut around the screws or the decal had been removed intact and put back we would not have any problems with that. The damage to this card was too much to be able to warranty the card. We have plenty of people, in this forum especially, with after market cooling on our products. In North America that is covered as long as the card is not physically damaged and the card is in original condition when it is received here.

OK, so what you are saying is that; If someone pulls the sticker off of an XFX video card and it rips in half, that the warranty is not going to cover the card anymore if the sticker is put on crooked and "looks" like crap?

[aspire.comptech]

To the OP, buy another XFX card. Carefully remove the sticker this time with something other than a butter knife.

Swap the covers.

RMA.

Sell returned card.

Success.

[Waxking1]

XFX_tech,
I understand why you denied the RMA, I just don't understand why you would put this sticker over the screwholes to begin with. Since you seemed to have actually viewed my card, did you find any physical damage to the card other than the sticker and the claimed dampness?

I never intended to send this card back in when I peeled off the sticker. I figured an RMA would be denied and was willing to accept the loss. My previous experience is with EVGA 260s and there were no stickers. Once I ordered the card I was stuck. I either had to sell it or get the sticker off the screw holes. I knew I would never get the card to look like new no matter what I did. I searched the net for a disassembly procedure on an XFX card and all I found was a Utube video. The guy pulled off the sticker and it came off fairly clean. Looking at the video, I could tell there was no way he would ever get the sticker back on again. I just pulled a corner up and peeled the sticker back and that is what happened.

I sent it back in after some people on this forum advised me to do so. I figured all I had to lose was shipping charges and I wasn't clear if you warrantied a card after the sticker was removed. If the remnants of this sticker could be removed and a new sticker put on the card would look brand new IMO.

[evoted]

http://img.techpowerup.org/081112/IMG_1366.jpg
holy crap dude, how can you do something like this to a video card?

were you skateboarding with it or what...

just get over it dude, next time you decide to mess around with a 500 dlls gadget make sure you know the warranty policies...

[Waxking1]

http://img.techpowerup.org/081112/IMG_1366.jpg
holy crap dude, how can you do something like this to a video card?

were you skateboarding with it or what...

just get over it dude, next time you decide to mess around with a 500 dlls gadget make sure you know the warranty policies...

Righton DOOD,
I am so totally over it. I'm just trying to help out all the other DOODs like you. I'm already getting concessions from XFX, they have publically defined their position on the label. This was never done before. It is now OK to cut around the screwholes.

[steve_sarge]

I've just read this entire thread and I'm not going to comment on who should've done what as it isn't in my interest to do so.

I ask the question to all the WB installers that have passed judgement here.

Have any of you personally removed the covers of this particular card for any purpose?

If the answer is yes, please post pics of the end result of the covers that you have removed so we can see if it can be done with minimal damage.

I think the XFX Support for the standard user is quite good. I live in Aus and communication time is still a little off, but being that my dealings were with a Country more than a day behind GMT+11, I can accept that.

As for modding a card, I am surprised a manufacturer will offer a warranty on that at all. If I purchase a new Subaru Impreza WRX (Motor Vehicle) and put an aftermarket exhaust on it, I wash that warranty away unless Subaru install THEIR exhaust. (You see where I'm going here). I feel for you Waxking, I sincerely do. It's a lot of money to see washed away.

I hope you can see some other cases where people have modded the card's cooling and XFX have accepted RMAs as I don'tthink this should be a flogging of XFX's warranty here, more a vent of frustration that your claim was unsuccessful.

[SoulsCollective]

Have any of you personally removed the covers of this particular card for any purpose?

If the answer is yes, please post pics of the end result of the covers that you have removed so we can see if it can be done with minimal damage.
I recognise your point, but really, that's a bit of a farcical request. I doubt anyone here can readily dig up the stock cooler for their card, as there's no real point in keeping it once you've replaced the cooler, as for most brands that instantly voids the warranty.

[steve_sarge]

I recognise your point, but really, that's a bit of a farcical request.

:rofl:

I wasn't being humorous with that request by a long shot. You have clearly assumed that I am taking the piss (As I like to use words that EVERYONE can understand) out of the Modders.

I was asking a serious question so anyone considering this in the future can learn from Waxking's demise and see if it is worth throwing the money in the toilet for the sake of a few FPS. Obviously, if no one has kept a hold of their stock covers, there won't be a picture of one posted;)

[SoulsCollective]

:rofl:

I wasn't being humorous with that request by a long shot. You have clearly assumed that I am taking the piss (As I like to use words that EVERYONE can understand) out of the Modders.
um...wut. No, I was responding seriously to your post - it's a fair point to say that people should prove they can do better before criticising. But as I said, the chances of people keeping their stock coolers around is next to none.

I honestly have no idea how you found that amusing :eh:

[TMM]

We would never be able to use that cooler on a card for any other customer.
WHAT WHAT IN THE BUTT? So a card comes in with a HSF full of dust, worn out fan bearings etc, do you 'reuse' that cooler on another customer's card o_O? I would be seriously angry if i RMA'ed a card for a failed fan and got it back with pre-loved replacement parts. That's low as.

btw that HSF probably wouldn't cost XFX more then a few dollars. HSFs are seriously cheap to produce on a mass scale. For example the HSFs that come with intel processors cost less then $1USD to produce iirc!

All this certainly doesn't make you (XFX) look good, especially on this forum of all forums :rofl:

[Praz]

The EVGA 8800GTS had a similar plastic label on the cooler. I removed it without any damage to the card, cooler or label. As much as I try I still cannot understand why anyone would think a product would be considered for warranty returned in the condition this card was in.

[cegras]

WHAT WHAT IN THE BUTT? So a card comes in with a HSF full of dust, worn out fan bearings etc, do you 'reuse' that cooler on another customer's card o_O? I would be seriously angry if i RMA'ed a card for a failed fan and got it back with pre-loved replacement parts. That's low as.

btw that HSF probably wouldn't cost XFX more then a few dollars. HSFs are seriously cheap to produce on a mass scale. For example the HSFs that come with intel processors cost less then $1USD to produce iirc!

All this certainly doesn't make you (XFX) look good, especially on this forum of all forums :rofl:

That post was full of so much win. I laughed hard.

[zsamz_]

I am sorry but in this case we are not able to replace your card. We would never be able to use that cooler on a card for any other customer. I don't believe that the result is any different than any other manufacturer would have taken.

thats a stupid answer imho
even if the cooler was in better condition would xfx sell a used cooler
looks like even if xfx offered tripple warranty i not buyin no xfx

[TheGanG]

thats a stupid answer imho
even if the cooler was in better condition would xfx sell a used cooler
looks like even if xfx offered tripple warranty i not buyin no xfx


WHAT WHAT IN THE BUTT? So a card comes in with a HSF full of dust, worn out fan bearings etc, do you 'reuse' that cooler on another customer's card o_O? I would be seriously angry if i RMA'ed a card for a failed fan and got it back with pre-loved replacement parts. That's low as.

btw that HSF probably wouldn't cost XFX more then a few dollars. HSFs are seriously cheap to produce on a mass scale. For example the HSFs that come with intel processors cost less then $1USD to produce iirc!

All this certainly doesn't make you (XFX) look good, especially on this forum of all forums :rofl:


I honestly agree with u. This confession is a wide angle pic of XFX. Absolute sick. (well, or just a stupid opinion of someone else, not XFX :rofl: )

[Waxking1]

I guess XFX wanted to use my heatsink fan on someone elses card. That's funny. I should have carefully cut out the screw holes so the next guy that would have received my fan would have never known. :ROTF:

[teyber]

Why doesn't xfx allow the OP to buy another hsf for like 5-10 and get the card back? not ideal but better then a new card -_- if the issue with the warrenty is in the heatsink... kinda like not allowing a car to have a tune up on warrenty because the cupholder broke

[EMok1d08]

I learned my lesson buying XFX. I recently put an EK waterblock on an XFX 280 GTX and the card died. I really don't know if it was something I did or not. One thing I know is that I never got a drop of water on the card.

I RMA'd the card a little over a week ago and their support just informed me that the warranty was denied because of water damage. I could understand if they said their warranty didn't cover modification done when installing a water block, but they said there was water damage which is just an outright lie.

Anyway I will be buying EVGA for my motherboard and Graphics cards in the future. There never would have been a doubt in my mind that EVGA would have replaced the card. I really don't know what I was thinking by buying XFX.

Edit
I got an email from XFX showing the back side of the card where I had to peel the sticker off to get to the screws for disassembly. This is what they were calling water damage for some reason, this just makes the support guy ignorant, not a liar, so I take that part back. If it is their policy to not allow anyone to open a card to put an aftermarket cooling device on the card, then I broke that policy. If they do allow this, then the warranty should be honored.

Did you post this same story on the TPU forums?

[Simps]

Are you :banana::banana::banana::banana:ing kidding me with this :banana::banana::banana::banana:?

http://img.techpowerup.org/081112/IMG_1366.jpg

Look, it is impossible to tell by the picture. It looks like it is only a :banana::banana::banana::banana:ed up sticker, but it would require further investigation.

I am not going to go with any side here, since only the involved people, who actually had access to the card, can tell if it was damaged by the user or not, and if that damage source is covered by the warranty or not.

Anyway, even if only the sticker was damaged, man, WTF were you doing with the card? Were you skateboarding on it? There is no way a "normal" person would :banana::banana::banana::banana: up the sticker like that just to get access to the screws.

There are parts on that sticker far away from any screw, and they still look so bad.

Do you have only one finger per hand? I believe that it would be ok, for a guy with one finger per hand to do that with the sticker. But if you have all your five fingers on your hand, then there is something very strange there.

Something is not right, and we will probably never know what it is. Only the guy who handle the card will know for sure, and he already said he did nothing wrong.

Maybe only god knows for sure now =D.

[TheGanG]

Are you :banana::banana::banana::banana:ing kidding me with this :banana::banana::banana::banana:?

Look, it is impossible to tell by the picture. It looks like it is only a :banana::banana::banana::banana:ed up sticker, but it would require further investigation.

I am not going to go with any side here, since only the involved people, who actually had access to the card, can tell if it was damaged by the user or not, and if that damage source is covered by the warranty or not.

Anyway, even if only the sticker was damaged, man, WTF were you doing with the card? Were you skateboarding on it? There is no way a "normal" person would :banana::banana::banana::banana: up the sticker like that just to get access to the screws.

There are parts on that sticker far away from any screw, and they still look so bad.

Do you have only one finger per hand? I believe that it would be ok, for a guy with one finger per hand to do that with the sticker. But if you have all your five fingers on your hand, then there is something very strange there.

Something is not right, and we will probably never know what it is. Only the guy who handle the card will know for sure, and he already said he did nothing wrong.

Maybe only god knows for sure now =D.

Sticker (f.cked up, messsed, peeled or planed) is not the basic issue...

[philbrown23]

I say XFX should replace the card. the xfx guy said "because we cant use that cooler on any one elses card" so :banana::banana::banana::banana:ing what! that has nothing to do with it. If you took a loss from all the nvidia bullcrap in the last 6-8 months then just take your lifetime warranty off the site. a lifetime waranty is a lifetime warranty Vistiontek rma'd my card and it looked WAY worse than that! and they have a REAL lifetime warranty, boy im glad I bought from them and not the xfx 9800GX2 I was going to get, if you ask me this is bullcrap!

[Gunslinger]

I would like to see pictures from XFX showing the water damage and physical damage (other than the destroyed sticker). It seems logical that to deny the warranty they would have to have this proof and supply it to the person who purchased the card.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I think that you guys are read WAY too much into the comment about the coolers condition, I believe what XFX meant by that was that the card is clearly not in original condition which it was sold in, I am sure that XFX's warranty has a clause demanding that the product be returned intact in original condition to qualify for the warranty

[philbrown23]

no card that has been used will be returned in it factory condition or why would it be being rma'd!

[Waxking1]

Well, its good to know that other Manufactures will allow you to remove the label and not void the warranty. There is a thread on the EVGA forum talking about removing the label to help with cooling and to be able to put your own design on the card. The official EVGA position is that you can remove the Fan Art label but not the serial number label. With EVGA you don't even need to remove the label to disassemble the card anyway.

[gazmtk]

I think that you guys are read WAY too much into the comment about the coolers condition, I believe what XFX meant by that was that the card is clearly not in original condition which it was sold in, I am sure that XFX's warranty has a clause demanding that the product be returned intact in original condition to qualify for the warranty

I am hearing what your saying, but seriously, what is the cost of a new stick to replace it, how many stock coolers will they still have, how many have been returned with DOA cards? :rolleyes:
for one part that is insignificant to stop a warranty claim is bogus... how bout joining us on the "we hate XFX" :shrug:
LOL nah your alright Snipe, just think XFX is doing a crappy job on this

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I (read: me, my money on the line) wouldn't accept that 400 dollar brick looking like that just to send another $400 to the guy who broke it. IDK about you guys but all my video cards that i haven't volt modded are in perfect brand new condition sitting in a protective metal box that we call a computer case.

You have draw the line somewhere with warranties and TBH the damage to the outside of the card is 100% indicative of how the user treated the card no matter what the user "says" he did with the card. (the thing did die!)

So, in conclusion, am I gonna send another $400 to the guy who just ripped and tore the first 400 up and sent me back the pieces? hell no. I wouldn't expect anyone in their right mind to do that.

[aspire.comptech]

I (read: me, my money on the line) wouldn't accept that 400 dollar brick looking like that just to send another $400 to the guy who broke it. IDK about you guys but all my video cards that i haven't volt modded are in perfect brand new condition sitting in a protective metal box that we call a computer case.

You have draw the line somewhere with warranties and TBH the damage to the outside of the card is 100% indicative of how the user treated the card no matter what the user "says" he did with the card. (the thing did die!)

So, in conclusion, am I gonna send another $400 to the guy who just ripped and tore the first 400 up and sent me back the pieces? hell no. I wouldn't expect anyone in their right mind to do that.

QFT :up:

[dengyong]

Evga isn't so hot either, here's a pic of the second $811 DOA brick they sent me exactly as evga packaged it.
:yepp: They just zip tied it to a box with no other support and one zip tie broke on it's 5 day journey across the states.
Another member here got 3 dead ones in a row, each a replacement for the one before.
It only took me 6 1/2 weeks and about 20 phone calls to get a full refund.
89232

[AzN_plyR]

At least it's double boxed lol.....

I wouldn't expect an RMA either from the pictures of the card... but I wouldn't do an American Pie on it either.

[TheGanG]

Evga isn't so hot either, here's a pic of the second $811 DOA brick they sent me exactly as evga packaged it.
:yepp: They just zip tied it to a box with no other support and one zip tie broke on it's 5 day journey across the states.
It only took me 6 1/2 weeks and about 20 phone calls to get a full refund.
89232

You lucky guy (at last)

Took about 9+ weeks my EVGA M Board RMA, also told me "u play with water, eh?"
But i am happy much more then XFX victims :cool:

[Waxking1]

Here's another picture of the card. I tried getting part of the label off with some Goof Off but there is still a residue. You can easily see that the card is not damaged under the label but it is still a bit tacky. Someone mentioned that they thought they saw some damage next to the SLI connector, so I removed some of the label in that area also. Judge for yourself. Too much work to remove the whole label on a dead card. Someone on the EVGA forum said it took them an hour and a half. With the Goog Off the label remains just slowly melts away with some hard rubbing.

I'll be glad to answer any questions but I'm not going to get into any arguments as I've already been cited for trolling on this thread. It's a large picture but I think you can see better how the label is. I noticed on the card contacts that a little piece of label gunk got between two contacts. I thought maybe something was shorting here but it was just a piece of stickyness and it came out with a toothpick.

http://www.techpowerup.org/uploaded.php?file=081121/XFX%20Video%20Card.jpg

[Knight]

Try using acetone to remove the sticker. Take a picture of the front of the card as well. What type of shape is the rest of the card in?

[jasonelmore]

Rubbing Alchol will work just as well.. my experience with XFX has been great. They sent me a free copy of COD4 and then i broke one of my screws on the back of my 8800 and they sent me a whole new set with no questions asked

[Waxking1]

http://www.techpowerup.org/uploaded.php?file=081121/Video%20card%20003.jpg

[runmc]

I did an RMA with XFX and they treated me like "Gold" That is the reason I asked them to have a support section on XtremeSystems. I will definately buy XFX again.

I'm sorry your card wasn't replaced, but the way you butchered it, I wouldn't have replaced it either. :shakes: You need to learn some tricks of the trade if you expect to get an RMA after a mod gone bad. :up:

[Waxking1]

I have learned a new trick. The trick is not to buy an XFX card if you intend to make any modifications that require removing the label. Not sure what you are talking about "butchered card"?
I guess you could say I butchered the label, but I'm not sure butchered would apply since all I did was peel it off(no knives or tools used).

I think anyone unbiased can easily see why XFX put a label like this on the card. Is there any other manufacturer(reseller?) that uses a label like XFX(screw holes covered up with the label) on the GT200 series? If there is I would like to know so I can stay away from them also.

You pro XFX guys talk your stuff all you want but you know why the label is on there just as I do. My pictures clearly show that there is no damage to the card, only the label.

[aspire.comptech]

I have learned a new trick. The trick is not to buy an XFX card if you intend to make any modifications that require removing the label. Not sure what you are talking about "butchered card"?
I guess you could say I butchered the label, but I'm not sure butchered would apply since all I did was peel it off(no knives or tools used).

I think anyone unbiased can easily see why XFX put a label like this on the card. Is there any other manufacturer(reseller?) that uses a label like XFX(screw holes covered up with the label) on the GT200 series? If there is I would like to know so I can stay away from them also.

You pro XFX guys talk your stuff all you want but you know why the label is on there just as I do. My pictures clearly show that there is no damage to the card, only the label.

The XFX rep already said if you can just cut the stickerwith a knife where the screws were they wouldn't have any problem replacing the card.

Now however you removed it, I'm going to say, it looked as if you took it and rubbed it on concrete.

[TheGanG]

I did an RMA with XFX and they treated me like "Gold" That is the reason I asked them to have a support section on XtremeSystems. I will definately buy XFX again.

I'm sorry your card wasn't replaced, but the way you butchered it, I wouldn't have replaced it either. :shakes: You need to learn some tricks of the trade if you expect to get an RMA after a mod gone bad. :up:

I think all brands have golden relations with some people...
That's not a bad way tho, kinda market strategy...

[dengyong]

It looks as if the sticker is made of relatively thick paper with a clear plastic laminate over it.
When he pulled the plastic off, rather than the whole sticker, it took random areas of the paper substrate with it and only the surface in spots, giving it the "rubbed on concrete look".
It's like trying to pull tape or a shipping label off of a cardboard box. Sometimes it comes off easy leaving the surface intact and sometimes it takes the top layer of cardboard.
I don't see damage on anything other than the sticker and IMO, a sticker should not stop an rma under any circumstance.

[zoz]

now its my turn
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ozcity/DSC01371.jpg

after mounting an EK block...my card just died..no water spill no leak..
its really hard to take off the sticker...well as mr waxking says "The trick is not to buy an XFX card if you intend to make any modifications that require removing the label"


ive take it apart gently, you cant even see any scratches on the clip..oh well
the sad part is..i havent even used this card and its just died

this is when i put all things back (its clean except for the sticker)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ozcity/DSC01378-1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ozcity/DSC01379-1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ozcity/DSC01381-1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ozcity/DSC01377-1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ozcity/DSC01375.jpg


aside from the backplate sticker...
Will XFX accept my 280GTX xxx edition for warranty??..i think not!!