7900GTO damaged upon arrival!

[jiffylube1024]

Send it back to newegg.

 

[Icepick]

This is frustrating. I just got off the phone with Newegg customer support. They are not going to RMA it. Instead they told me to submit this as a "claim", which is what they do when a product is damaged during shipping. I told them that it probably wasn't damaged during shipping because there's no damage to the retail box. They wanted to do it this way anyway so I didn't argue with them. The hardest part about this is that they take 3-5 business days to get back with a response to claims so I've got to sit on my hands until Wednesday or Friday. Until then the rest of my components will collect dust. I hope this has a happy outcome.

 

[Icepick]

Originally posted by: SteelSix
Having worked for UPS claims, I've seen many a crushed packages, and many damaged internals where outer box was in perfect condition.

It's completely possible to have physical damage to goods inside a box without the box sustaining damage, especially when other, perhaps heavier, items are packed along side an item within a shipping box. Look at the EVGA packaging. The plastic shell and box will allow force to be exerted on the heatsink right? You give me a sealed retail box, and I'll produce that type of damage and hand the box back to you with no visable damage to the box.

It's very possible the card was damaged in shipping. You said other components were shipped with the card? Allowed to move around inside a shipping box with other items, anything can happen. I know it seems crazy, the EVGA box and shipping box being in tact. But it happens.

What items were packed along with the card inside the newegg box??

I've been thinking about this. What you're saying is entirely possible. The other items in this box were a Corsair power supply, motherboard, CPU, Ninja heatsink, NEC DVD+-R drive, RAM.

In fact, my initial impression upon opening the box for the first time was that there was not a lot of those styrophome peanuts in it. There was a thin layer on the bottom, then the other items were placed in there. There were no peanuts put in around or on top of them. There was a LOT of space in the box.

I initially dismissed the idea that it was damaged in transit since the retail box was OK. From what you said I'll bet that's what happened then. I'll bet that the heavy power supply got smashed into the vid card. :Q Now I'm getting angry about this since it seems to be clearly the fault of the people who packaged the box incorrectly. I think the mystery of the damaged video card has just been solved.

Now the bigger concern is that I've got other expensive components that I installed into the PC that could be damaged. I've been unable to fire up the computer since there's no video. I hope that the rest of the components work or this is going to turn into a big MESS.

 

[Navid]

That card comes inside a plastic clamshell inside the box. The amount of pressure needed to compress the clamshell and damage the card seems to be so much that would leave some signs on the outside box!

Close the clamshell without the card inside it. Squeeze it to see how hard or soft it is. may be it is a very soft one!

It came inside a plastic clamshell, didn't it?

 

[albundee]

i hate something similar like this from newegg. my zalman 9500 am2 fins were bent and wouldnt let the fan spin. rma'd with newegg.

 

[nitromullet]

It's definitely possible that your card got messed up in shipping. I looks as if not only are the fins bent, but that the enitre heatsink element inside the shroud is off kelter. The top heatpipe in this picture:

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/icepick/20061026-7900gto-005.JPG

is supposed to be flush with the plastic (all the way in the nook so to speak). You can see where the silver sink bends down towards the black one making contact, which is isn't supposed to do.

That is the one drawback to this cooler, and one that most review sites fail to mention... While, it's pretty quiet (not silent as many claim) and it works pretty well, it is overall rather flimsy. The plastic is just a thin shroud over the actual heatsink. I was expecting it to feel stiff and solid (like an NV5 from Arctic Cooling) but it's pretty soft and feels fairly delicate. Of course, it's plenty strong to do it's job and to be handled by someone who knows how to work on a PC. Compared to ATI's noisy X1900XTX HSF, I was surprised though. The ATI cooler is like a brick, although I have not had the opportunity to check out an X19050XTX cooler.

 

[Hauk]

A flimsy layer of packing peanuts is not enough to prevent components from moving around inside a shipping box, not unless everything is packed tightly such that you have to compress the peanuts to get the box flaps closed when sealing. You should be able to shake the box and feel no movement inside. Period.

I'm betting it was the power supply knocking around inside the box that caused the damage. The Egg and ZZF both do a poor job in my opinion when packing a box tightly enough to protect multiple items during transit.

A large UPS hub has 2+ miles of conveyor belts. Imagine your box spilling off a conveyor and sliding 30 feet down a slide, coming to an abrupt halt at the end. Now imagine a 70+ pound package sliding down and slamming into it. Image the box getting dropped or slung around by package handlers. Going cross country via UPS ground? Your package goes in and out of at least two hubs. Top it off with a cherry as your UPS driver manhandles your package on and off his truck.

Inadequate internal packing can result in an outer box that looks okay, while loose items inside bang around. That clamshell offers minimal protection from external force. And the EVGA box is paper. Anyone want to experiment, send me your card with original packing and I'll post a video showing what little force it took me to produce similar damage.

Whenever possible, select 2 day delivery, as it pretty much cuts out UPS and Fed Ex hubs from the equation. Ground packages suffer the most abuse.

Sorry man. The mobo, cpu, heatsink, and memory are all probably okay. The EVGA box is best shipped all by it's lonesome, unless you're doing the packing.

 

[Icepick]

:thumbsup: Thanks for your insight SteelSix.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: SteelSix
A flimsy layer of packing peanuts is not enough to prevent components from moving around inside a shipping box, not unless everything is packed tightly such that you have to compress the peanuts to get the box flaps closed when sealing. You should be able to shake the box and feel no movement inside. Period.

I'm betting it was the power supply knocking around inside the box that caused the damage. The Egg and ZZF both do a poor job in my opinion when packing a box tightly enough to protect multiple items during transit.

A large UPS hub has 2+ miles of conveyor belts. Imagine your box spilling off a conveyor and sliding 30 feet down a slide, coming to an abrupt halt at the end. Now imagine a 70+ pound package sliding down and slamming into it. Image the box getting dropped or slung around by package handlers. Going cross country via UPS ground? Your package goes in and out of at least two hubs. Top it off with a cherry as your UPS driver manhandles your package on and off his truck.

Inadequate internal packing can result in an outer box that looks okay, while loose items inside bang around. That clamshell offers minimal protection from external force. And the EVGA box is paper. Anyone want to experiment, send me your card with original packing and I'll post a video showing what little force it took me to produce similar damage.

Whenever possible, select 2 day delivery, as it pretty much cuts out UPS and Fed Ex hubs from the equation. Ground packages suffer the most abuse.

Sorry man. The mobo, cpu, heatsink, and memory are all probably okay. The EVGA box is best shipped all by it's lonesome, unless you're doing the packing.

i think this should be posted in off topic as well

 

[NeweggSupport]

Icepick,


Please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience of this order. We'd like to investigate deeper and hopefully find a resolution that meets your expectations. Would you mind sending us a PM with your Sales Order Number (SO#)?

Thanks for your cooperation. We hope to hear from you soon.

 

[Icepick]

NeweggSupport - I sent you a PM with the sales order number as requested. Thanks!

 

[TanisHalfElven]

cool AT has a member as newegg support.
anyway i think this post.

Having worked for UPS claims, I've seen many a crushed packages, and many damaged internals where outer box was in perfect condition.

It's completely possible to have physical damage to goods inside a box without the box sustaining damage, especially when other, perhaps heavier, items are packed along side an item within a shipping box. Look at the EVGA packaging. The plastic shell and box will allow force to be exerted on the heatsink right? You give me a sealed retail box, and I'll produce that type of damage and hand the box back to you with no visable damage to the box.

It's very possible the card was damaged in shipping. You said other components were shipped with the card? Allowed to move around inside a shipping box with other items, anything can happen. I know it seems crazy, the EVGA box and shipping box being in tact. But it happens.

What items were packed along with the card inside the newegg box??

probably caused newegg to send you claim to UPS claims.

 

[Hauk]

Originally posted by: tanishalfelven
cool AT has a member as newegg support.
anyway i think this post... probably caused newegg to send your claim to UPS claims.

I doubt the anandtech member/newegg employee that replied in this post is the same person he he spoke with on the phone. First response is to associate the carrier with the damages. Upon review, it should be considered that too many items were poorly packed into one box. No physical damage to the shipping box (crushed corners, etc) but damaged goods inside means they were improperly packed and were not sufficiently protected. That IMO places the burden back on the shipper.

It would be nice to see Newegg honor an RMA. UPS claims take weeks to fufill. Either way, it sucks. Good luck icepick. Let us know the outcome...

 

[Icepick]

The NeweggSupport person who sent me the PM here on the forums contacted shortly after 17:00 EST this evening. He was very polite and pleasant over the phone. He offered to grant me a full refund for the card since it was sold out. I indicated that I'd rather have them ship me a new card so that I could get to work on building my new computer.

Get this, (this is so cool) - he asked ME what would be a good replacement for the 7900GTO. I initially mentioned that the 7900GTX would be a nice alternative. It's got the same core GPU on the same PCB, heatsink and dimensions - just has underclocked memory. Unfortunately, since it was priced at over $400 it was out of the question. My next suggestion based on what they had in stock was the EVGA 7950GT KO SC and he agreed to that. This 7950GT performs just under the 7900GTO and stays within a few FPS in the benchmarks I've seen so I'm sure I won't notice a performance difference.

It gets even better. They're going out of their way to get this card delivered ASAP. We missed the cutoff time to get the card shipped out of their NJ warehouse in time for delivery tomorrow but, I've been assured that it will be here by Friday and Newegg is paying for shipping!!!!

I must say that Newegg rocks! I had a response to my PM here on the forums the same day and had a resolution within hours. I have never seen another e-tailer or manufacturer provide this high level of service. I'll definitely do business with Newegg again and feel secure knowing that they'll always be willing to provide EXCELLENT customer service.

 

[John]

Icepick, I'm glad things were resolved to your satisfaction. Newegg's level of service after the sale is one of the main reasons I don't mind paying a few dollars more for an item. When it comes to returns and RMA they are also willing to accomodate you and offer a fast turnaround time. :thumbsup:

 

[Hauk]

The right thing to do on Newegg's part. They did good. Offering you an immediate replacement or refund was excellent.

Good try on the GTX! Too bad the GTO is out of stock. You got the fastest solution to the problem however. No worries. After all, you'll have the step-up itch a month from now anyway...

 

[liquid51]

I often find stuff cheaper at newegg than anywhere else too. I'm impressed by this thread. 5 eggs for newegg

 

[Icepick]

Thanks for your help SteelSix! Yeah, now I'll still have the step-up option to play around with .