Rant\ Do you normally have to pay for shipping both ways for a RMA?

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dario03

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Hey guys I just got a email from Sapphire regarding me getting a replacement for my 4870. (Basically the fan seems messed up because it will spin at 3000rpm at 20% when at 20% it should do something like 1000rpm, so its really loud all the time). In any case after never answering any of my questions and just telling me to send the card in for replacement I start a RMA process. They email me the form to send in with the card but tell me I also need to include $15 for process and return shipping.

That really bugs me because 1. In total I'm gonna end up spending $25-$30 in shipping because the product is defective. 2. I'm already upset because their tech support never answered any of my questions like what the fan rpm should be, temps on the card, is it normal to hear the fan 20 feet away while standing right next to a running refridgerator, any possible thing I could do to fix it myself etc, etc. 3. I'm not sure but I think they want me to ship it to a 3rd party called athlon micro (not advanced micro).

When my OCZ 600w stealthxtream psu failed I just shipped it back to them (on my dime) and they sent me back a 700w modxtream for the hassle, which I thought was really cool of them. Now I'm ok with not getting a upgrade and I'm ok with paying for shipping one way, I would even be ok with paying shipping both ways if they said they would give a free upgrade but as far as I can tell they want me to pay shipping both ways and they'll send me a replacement of the same card.

So I'm wondering is that normal or should I just start avoiding Sapphire now?


Also do you guys think a aftermarket fan would fix my fan problem? I thought about just spending the money on one of those but I thought the card itself controlled fan speed so I don't know if that would actually fix the problem.
 
I heard of Sapphire having poor customer support before. I would avoid them all together, actually I have as well. I usually don't buy or recommend parts from Sapphire.

Getting an aftermarket fan might not work since you're right about how the fan connects to the card itself. So there is a chance that the cards bios or sumtin is messed up.
 
Yeah I was thinking bios or sensor. I had considered flashing it to see if it was the bios but I didn't want to mess up the warranty in case it wouldn't flash back. I assume it would mess up the warranty.
 
Although not so true now that XFX is in the ATI mix, I've always had good experiences with their customer care.
 
If you would happen to fry your video card from overclocking or sumtin, would XFX replace it? like how Evga would.
 
I had an RMA experience with Sapphire not too long ago. Honestly I was pleased. It is not unheard of for a company to charge a "processing/shipping fee" for an RMA, and although I did not like it I was not going to complain. My 2900PRO died after just over a year of use, Sapphire responded to my RMA request the same day and I had a replacement 3870 in a week. Honestly, as far as RMA processes go that was pretty **** efficient. I do understand your aggravation from the aspect of them not answering your questions though. Generally I find their cards to be rather durable as I still have an x180 from them that is over two years old that is still going strong.
 
They email me the form to send in with the card but tell me I also need to include $15 for process and return shipping.

That really bugs me because 1. In total I'm gonna end up spending $25-$30 in shipping because the product is defective.

The way you worded it sounds like you'll only pay $15. Unless they speciffically specified you pay BOTH ways.

I know when I had to RMA a HDD to Seagate I had to pay the return shipping. It had to be insured and through a trackable provider, ie UPS. So in the end I paid almost 10 bucks to get it shipped. I would assume with a graphics card they would want the same standards. If it something they can fix they can re-sell it as a refurb so they want it in a good condition.
 
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