New Modder Friendly Warranty

[neonlazer]

So..As long as i still have the stock heatsink and can put it back on video card im ok on this warrantee?...though if you had to register within 30 days of being bought well..that wouldnt be me i bought this in 5/06...but i have just redone my water cooling system and after a few days i am noticing that i have colored pixels on desktop and pixel streaks on some windows..which i have figured out to be bad video memory...is this RMA'able?

[mazda_626]

I have a question.
Why is it XFX do not know how to write a clearly written warranty?
I live in New Zealand, owned a XFX 7900GT, asked for clarification of replacing the stock cooler in the original XFX forums, to which i was told was fine as long as i kept the original cooler.
9 months later and the 7900GT goes belly up, artifacts and dots all over the place, i even proved my aftermarket cooling was better than stock.
My RMA was denied, not by the store but by Pine group, even the ticket system didnt help because New Zealand doesnt actually have a support centre.
I was told the RMA was denied due to the cooler being removed, I told them i asked for permission on the original forums but their answer was pretty much "prove it, i doubt anyone from XFX would have said anything like that".
i complained and pointed out even the asian (NZ distributor deals with Hong Kong) warranty does NOT clearly state that I cant remove the factory heatsink and asked XFX to word the warranty to what they mean.

for example.

This warranty is limited to the repair and/or replacement, at XFX's discretion, of defective or nonconforming Product, and XFX shall not be responsible for the failure of the Product to perform specified functions, or any other non- conformance caused by or attributable to: (a) any misapplication or misuse of the Product; (b) failure of Customer to adhere to any of XFX's specifications or instructions; (c) neglect of, abuse of, or accident to, the Product; or (d) any associated or complementary equipment or software not furnished by XFX.

the fact it says "at XFX's discretion" means everything written after this means nothing. XFX can choose to RMA your card or just laugh at you, according to XFX anyway. placing of commas dont seem to matter to XFX.

i shall continue "and XFX shall not be responsible for the failure of the Product to perform specified functions, or any other non- conformance caused by or attributable tod) any associated or complementary equipment or software not furnished by XFX." cuased by or attributable to would imply that the warranty is void if the fault was cuased by or attributable to the aftermarket cooler. but remember, "at XFX's discretion" surpasses this. So i could supply a team of engineers to prove it was the standard 7900GT fault but XFX, at it's discretion can and will pick and choose RMA approval.
I never even sent them the card.
It is possable that they denied the RMA due to the card not meeting XFX specifications, but XFX wont send me a copy of their specifications. But even then, thats where "caused by or attributable" comes into play. as long as the cooling was better than factory, then it couldnt be "caused by or attributable" and i proved my cooling was better.
think i'm alone in this? i'm not, i know many other people that have lost out but we can not do a damn thing about it.


why have i said all this here? how does it relate to your north americain warranty?
Quite simply, the way the warranty is written. I am living proof that XFX can and will deny all and resort to the warranty, to the letter.
this thread could be deleted, the warranty be changed and then where is your proof?
this thread could stay here, the warranty not be changed but your still screwed!!
heres why

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.

* Service charge is variable based upon actual material costs to repair or replace missing or modified parts to return them to original factory condition.

so you buy the card in noth america, change the cooler, 9 months later the card artifacts, you send the card away thinking all is well then find they deny you because the cards factory cooling was removed.
where does this warranty actually define what is meant by "Modder Friendly"? it doesnt, does this mean i can volt mod with a soldering iron? what about pencil shading? I seriously doubt it since it doesnt state it's overclocker friendly. so you could technically volt mod the card as long as you dont overclock it, but wait, whats the point in that.
XFX are still not giving you written permission to mod your video card, there is written proof in the warranty stating you can accually remove the factory heatsink, EVGA do state that very thing in thier warranty quite clearly.

I've made it my mission to occasionally check out this forum to see how many 7900GT are still dying and see how many people are denied RMA's. i've also been trying to get XFX to accually write a descent warranty. all i find is XFX are too scared to commit and put things into writting.
yes i'm still pissed, i lost $750 due to a companies badly written warranty and change of foum, though this forum is alot better than the one XFX was running.

So this is a warning to all that are reading this thread, XFX still has complete control and full ability to deny you an RMA even if you refit your factory cooler purely due to the vague nature of the XFX warranty.

edit: the writing was a little big :D
I would ask what warranty would i fall under if i imported a card from north america, but i seriously doubt that would matter due to the way the warranty is written.
if anyone can prove me wrong, PM me and i'll publicly apologise and edit this thread.
to date there are no clear links to more fine print or definitions of wording.

[Miker]

That 2xLifetime Warranty is for people in the North America! By removing your heatsink you voided the warranty because you live in Europe. Even if you put it back on it is still Void. XFX has the best Warranty of any graphic card company, don't go dissing it. The "Double Lifetime Protection" doesn't apply to you because you don't live in North America...

They have the right to deny any Warranty just to protect them selfs. Lets say someone ran the card with no heatsink and it blew, why should they fix it?

Legal: XFX doesn't even have to have a warranty like this and by posting this, saying you don't agree with the terms, also Voiding the Warranty.

[werty316]

Looks like someone needs to read more.

[Miker]

Complaining about the best warranty... what would have happened if he got a EVGA and took the heat sink off?

[werty316]

I don't really know as I am unfamilar with EVGA's warranty if you don't live in Canada or the US.

[Miker]

It was a rhetorical question.

[mazda_626]

Miker, there are so many things in your post i could comment on but i'll save people the boredom. It shows you havent read my post before commenting.

my idea of "the best warranty" is a well thought out and written warranty that everyone can read and understand.
Clearly none of the XFX warranty's are what i would class as "the best warranty".

I am not saying the concept is crap, but i am saying XFX have left alot of room for themselves to deny many RMA's, like they have done in the past.
read this whole thread, notice how many people are asking the same questions? that tells me that the warranty is not written correctly. there is nothing to say i couldnt import a North american XFX card and get a double lifetime warranty, but there is nothing to say i could either.

the EVGA warranty. I have emailed them and they confirm that it doesnt matter where i live, this is for world wide.

By showing this, i'm not trying to put down XFX, i'm just supplying an example of what a competitor site has done so as to confirm or define what can and can not be done.

So XFX, you want to supply a modder warranty? please define exactly what the warranty covers.
while your at it, please tell the Asian branch to define their warranty.
I've been told the warranty's outside of north america are for resellers only, but if that was true, then why does pine group still get in the middle and stop RMA's?

The XFX warranty's just need to be better defined. end of story.
people will trust a company with a good warranty that is easy to understand.

edit: the north American warranty states

Even for those of you who know how to push our cards to the limits, if anything goes wrong, we’ll service it free of charge.

then it also states

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

both quotes contradict themselves. first they are giving permission to mod, then they are saying if the card is modified, they can denied a RMA.
they dont say that if the modification caused the problem then they can deny the RMA, which Should be written.
so as it's written now, anyone could mod their cards but XFX could still deny the RMA regardless if it's a manufacturing fault

[werty316]

Plain and simpel if you aren't satisfied with XFX's warranty terms go with another company.

[Miker]

Plain and simpel if you aren't satisfied with XFX's warranty terms go with another company.

I second that.

[westy87]

Unfortunatly I have heard of many people having problems with xfx over here in Australia and New Zealand. My favourite online etailer has stopped stocking xfx and is now stocking evga instead because of this, as he only wants to sell the best. He ran a poll on his site about if people like customer service or cheaper prices more, and every 1 said customer service. So, after that he changed to evga cause over here they are better (apparently)

[mazda_626]

Plain and simpel if you aren't satisfied with XFX's warranty terms go with another company.

I have and i'm quite happy i've moved on BUT I'm still finding alot of people that are getting their RMA denied for reasons not defined in the XFX warranty.

How the hell are XFX to know what could be fixed or rewritten if people dont tell them.
How are people to know the truth if people dont tell it.

i wouldnt have written the first post if there wasnt a problem.
To me, it's like false advertising.
How hard is it to write a proper warranty? every other brand seems to be able to accomplish it.

It's now got to the point where there are some stores i deal with will NOT sell XFX because pine group step in and deny RMA's when they shouldnt be.
for those that dont know, pine group are the owner's of XFX. If pine group deny a RMA, then thats final. believe me when i say they follow thier warranty's to the letter. which is even more reason why the warranty's should be written properly.
yes, even north american customers are finding the same problems.
this whole thread is only as correct as the warranty it is commenting on. no doubt there will be people reading the start of this thread, go buy a new XFX card, water cool it and try and return it. i have no doubt that XFX will deny some of those RMA's even if they are a manufacturers fault.

it's too easy to say "Plain and simpel if you aren't satisfied with XFX's warranty terms go with another company." but if you asked all the right questions, bought the brands $750 card and followed the warranty based on what support have siad but then get denied a RMA becuase XFX choose to use the loop hole they have provided. it's then too late. i have moved on but this still makes way for many other poeple to have the same problem.
the only way to stop this is from XFX defining their warranty's alot better than they currently do.


If you wish to close your eyes, then your more than welcome to.
All i'm doing is stating the facts.
if people have read my first post and choose to continue to buy XFX based on the modder friendly warranty idea, then thats fine, atleast they are better informed.

[Miker]

In the warranty they tell you they have the right to deny a RMA, they do, got a problem with it?

[werty316]

Their warranty terms seem pretty clear to me and each one is accessable here: http://www.xfxforce.com/web/support/warranty.jspa

[Schwarz]

I have 3 XFX product.
3 8800GTS 320 to be exact, and when I had a problem XFX helped me the best no other customer service has helped me in years.
They even called me home to ask me what was going on.
Of course any big companies have little problems with some customers every once in a while.
I myself have been screwed over by eVGAs step up program, I could even call it false advertisement but I guess in general people would tell me Hey my step up went well !
Its happening to every companies even Asus has been pretty messed up lately.
All in all i`m very satisfied with XFX with my 3 cards from them thats all that matters to me.
My hat is still off to XFX for the great service it has given me in the last year.