Here is my story:
On Oct. 24, 2003, I went to the Fullerton, CA Circuit City and purchased a Video card, Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB for $377.11. I brought it home and installed it in the mini Q system and the first time it did not bootup, so I reseated the card and it booted up fine. I installed the drivers and play a game to test its image quality and I get snow and artifacts. I used the newest drivers and still the same problem. So I took the card out and I noticed that the back side of the card, where the memory chips were all faded, so figured it was a returned and repackage items. I returned it right away. So thought I would try another card but I did not noticed when I bought the card that they had another to try. So I just returned it.
Then I went to the Buena Park, CA store and bought another one. They had two in the glass case, the one in front had the plastic wrap torn up and I requested the one behind it. The problem is when I get home and opened up the box, I noticed the magnetic strip for security was outside instead of inside like usual and the card was green and no manual in the front. The DVI to VGA adapter was also missing. So I quickly open the card and it was an old ISA ethernet card. I quickly return to the store and I was honest about the situation and told them what was going on. I understand how this would sound b/c it's properly the oldest trick in the book. But I could have kept my mouth shut and return and the cashier would not even know of anything. Denise, the cashier, also admitted that she would not have known. The reason I came clean with it b/c I do not want another person to take the short end. What if it was a kid who saved all his money and get the one I got which was not the video card. Now I am stuck with an ethernet card which is useless and out of $377.11. This is warning for anyone who buys products at Circuit City, they do repackage their products and the people who do this do not have any clue what is suppose to be inside. So if you shop at Circuit City there is risk of not getting the right product. My situation is probably rare but it does happens a lot at retail stores. I am very angry with this as I am the innocent victim. If I was a crook and I had intention to swap the products, I would have give back the swapped product and return it. But now, I cannot return it b/c I don't have the actual product that is suppose to be in the box. I am very, very unhappy with Circuity City b/c they should give consumers better product protections by examine the products by an expert before repackaging it. I know it was repackaged at Circuit City b/c ATI does not make ethernet cards and could have not mistakenly package the wrong product inside. I felt like a criminal the way they treated me and there's nothing I can do. I read these occurances a lot now days and never thought it would happen to me as it did yesterday.
I usual don't like to buy retail b/c of the high price ticket. But I bought it yesterday b/c ATI is offering retail customers a free game, Half Life 2 if you buy the product after Oct. 1. Being a student I cannot afford to lose this amount of money. I will dispute with the credit card company to see what will happen. The manager then go on to blame for returning 120GB and 100GB hard drives which I have never bought there. I did buy a 160GB and kept it. Other than that, shoppers beware. Circuit City does repackage their returned products.
I have always wonder why Fry's opens all packages regardless what ever circumstances, including newly packaged products. Now I know why when I became a victim. At least Fry's put a white sticker on return products 95% of the time, which is something Circuity City should do to inform the customers.
I am madder than crazy right now.
Here's my business transactions with Circuit City for this year, and I have never bought anything else before this year.
1) Purchase: ATI Radeon 9700PRO, ticket number 336401730889, date: 03/01/2003.
Returned: Opened but unsused, ticket number 336401730889, date: 03/01/2003, reason: found a better deal at Newegg on a Sapphire.
2) Purchase: 80GB Western Digital, ticket number 336401706248, date: 01/22/2003.
Returned: Never open, ticket number 336401706248, date: 01/23/2003, reason: found a better deal at Fry's for $80 after rebates, I bought two at Fry's.
3) Purchase: 160GB Western Digital, ticket number 040503080899, date: 09/01/2003.
Returned: NO. I already got both of my rebates back.
4) Purchase: Soundblaster Audigy 2, ticket number 336401866042, date: 10/05/2003.
Returned: NO. Using it right now.
5) Purchase: Radeon 9800 PRO at store 3364, ticket number 336401876933, date: 10/24/2003.
Returned: Ticket number 336401876933, date: 10/24/2003, reason: artifacts when benchmark testing, faded memory chips.
6) Purchase: Radeon 9800 PRO at store 0405, ticket number 040503107140, date: 10/24/2003.
Returned: CANNOT, reason: ethernet was found inside and brought back to store for exchange and the manager refused base on returned history.
Base on the list above, this is nothing close to the business that I have done with Fry's, Newegg, and SVC, not counting the returns that I do at Fry's. I would not call this a red flag base on the returned history. If I was a crook, I would have used cash rather than credit cards so that they can trace me. Also I would have not come back to the store and complaint.
Now that I won't even qualify for the Half Life 2 game, which makes me even more angry.
All of this trouble for nothing.
NOTE: I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
On Oct. 24, 2003, I went to the Fullerton, CA Circuit City and purchased a Video card, Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB for $377.11. I brought it home and installed it in the mini Q system and the first time it did not bootup, so I reseated the card and it booted up fine. I installed the drivers and play a game to test its image quality and I get snow and artifacts. I used the newest drivers and still the same problem. So I took the card out and I noticed that the back side of the card, where the memory chips were all faded, so figured it was a returned and repackage items. I returned it right away. So thought I would try another card but I did not noticed when I bought the card that they had another to try. So I just returned it.
Then I went to the Buena Park, CA store and bought another one. They had two in the glass case, the one in front had the plastic wrap torn up and I requested the one behind it. The problem is when I get home and opened up the box, I noticed the magnetic strip for security was outside instead of inside like usual and the card was green and no manual in the front. The DVI to VGA adapter was also missing. So I quickly open the card and it was an old ISA ethernet card. I quickly return to the store and I was honest about the situation and told them what was going on. I understand how this would sound b/c it's properly the oldest trick in the book. But I could have kept my mouth shut and return and the cashier would not even know of anything. Denise, the cashier, also admitted that she would not have known. The reason I came clean with it b/c I do not want another person to take the short end. What if it was a kid who saved all his money and get the one I got which was not the video card. Now I am stuck with an ethernet card which is useless and out of $377.11. This is warning for anyone who buys products at Circuit City, they do repackage their products and the people who do this do not have any clue what is suppose to be inside. So if you shop at Circuit City there is risk of not getting the right product. My situation is probably rare but it does happens a lot at retail stores. I am very angry with this as I am the innocent victim. If I was a crook and I had intention to swap the products, I would have give back the swapped product and return it. But now, I cannot return it b/c I don't have the actual product that is suppose to be in the box. I am very, very unhappy with Circuity City b/c they should give consumers better product protections by examine the products by an expert before repackaging it. I know it was repackaged at Circuit City b/c ATI does not make ethernet cards and could have not mistakenly package the wrong product inside. I felt like a criminal the way they treated me and there's nothing I can do. I read these occurances a lot now days and never thought it would happen to me as it did yesterday.
I usual don't like to buy retail b/c of the high price ticket. But I bought it yesterday b/c ATI is offering retail customers a free game, Half Life 2 if you buy the product after Oct. 1. Being a student I cannot afford to lose this amount of money. I will dispute with the credit card company to see what will happen. The manager then go on to blame for returning 120GB and 100GB hard drives which I have never bought there. I did buy a 160GB and kept it. Other than that, shoppers beware. Circuit City does repackage their returned products.
I have always wonder why Fry's opens all packages regardless what ever circumstances, including newly packaged products. Now I know why when I became a victim. At least Fry's put a white sticker on return products 95% of the time, which is something Circuity City should do to inform the customers.
I am madder than crazy right now.
Here's my business transactions with Circuit City for this year, and I have never bought anything else before this year.
1) Purchase: ATI Radeon 9700PRO, ticket number 336401730889, date: 03/01/2003.
Returned: Opened but unsused, ticket number 336401730889, date: 03/01/2003, reason: found a better deal at Newegg on a Sapphire.
2) Purchase: 80GB Western Digital, ticket number 336401706248, date: 01/22/2003.
Returned: Never open, ticket number 336401706248, date: 01/23/2003, reason: found a better deal at Fry's for $80 after rebates, I bought two at Fry's.
3) Purchase: 160GB Western Digital, ticket number 040503080899, date: 09/01/2003.
Returned: NO. I already got both of my rebates back.
4) Purchase: Soundblaster Audigy 2, ticket number 336401866042, date: 10/05/2003.
Returned: NO. Using it right now.
5) Purchase: Radeon 9800 PRO at store 3364, ticket number 336401876933, date: 10/24/2003.
Returned: Ticket number 336401876933, date: 10/24/2003, reason: artifacts when benchmark testing, faded memory chips.
6) Purchase: Radeon 9800 PRO at store 0405, ticket number 040503107140, date: 10/24/2003.
Returned: CANNOT, reason: ethernet was found inside and brought back to store for exchange and the manager refused base on returned history.
Base on the list above, this is nothing close to the business that I have done with Fry's, Newegg, and SVC, not counting the returns that I do at Fry's. I would not call this a red flag base on the returned history. If I was a crook, I would have used cash rather than credit cards so that they can trace me. Also I would have not come back to the store and complaint.
Now that I won't even qualify for the Half Life 2 game, which makes me even more angry.
All of this trouble for nothing.
NOTE: I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.