Warning about ASUS

I Must be Fair to ASUS

I was so incensed by the completely unhelpful and somewhat contemptuous attitude of the online chat rep that I came close to losing my mind yesterday. The following is the email response from the ASUS tech rep who had originally advised me to RMA the motherboard.

Note: The only reason I needed the online chat was that none of the numbers I found on the motherboard "satisfied" the RMA request form and as a result it kept getting rejected.

Hi Dennis,

I'm so sorry. It pains me to have to read a chat transcript like that. He's was correct in saying that the RMA cannot be done and that the warranty is void if there is no serial number.

However, he should have at least tried to help you locate the serial instead of saying how it would void the warranty.

The board isn't a fake. The "0210261-00219-MB07F0-A04 0902" isn't the serial number, but the 0902 indicates the BIOS version that's installed.

On our boards, there should be a sticker with a barcode. Under the barcode is a set of letters and numbers. Usually, the 3rd character should be an M, to indicate motherboard. Some possible locations for this sticker is: at the top of the parallel port, side of the PCI slot, or the side of the power connector.

The C860007073CB that you gave to the live chat agent looks like a serial number, but nothing comes up when I enter it into the system.

Did you find any other stickers on the mobo?

Tien

Now those of you who know me know that I'm a super mellow, strikingly good-looking, and quite loveable, guy - until I get pushed into a corner.

Well, I have been pushed into the corner so many times by manufacturers of computer products which I spent a lot of money on and which never worked when they arrived. I've got an entire room full of the stuff - no exaggeration.

Well, here's where I need to be fair to ASUS. Let me just get this off my chest now.

I was a Complete and Utter ____!
(Please feel free to fill in the blank.)

I was so busy looking all over the motherboard with my magnifying glass that I missed the obvious. Right on two of the PCI slots, where it should be, were two barcodes with numbers (No S/N 123456 format though)

A) C2M0AJ006433
B) 001E8C000059F4C9

I sent this information and an apology to Tien last night. Hopefully one of the two (I'm guessing the C2M... set.) is the serial number.

So what did I learn from this ordeal:

1) Continue to buy only from Amazon
2) Rely on Amazon if a problem ever arises
3) Understand that online chat is of little use
4) Don't get my undies in a knot so easily (listening TC?)

Now gotta go. Cousin Dad is calling. We got lots a work to do at the still .....

Maybe I missed it, but what has Amazon done for you? It is my understanding that it is well past the return date and that you had to deal directly with Asus.

Sorry, kbrady1979, thought I had posted that.

Now I don't know if it's because I purchase so very much from Amazon or not. Actually I think not. I just think it's Amazon policy to ensure customer satisfaction. So I will print the following from Amazon, lest my words be inadequate.

Hello,

I'm so sorry about your problem. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused you.

Instead, I've requested a full refund of $114.99 to your payment method. You'll see the refund in the next 2-3 business days.

Once processed, you'll also be able to see the refund request here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/summar...322910-0669814

To compensate this inconvenience, place a new order (directly from Amazon or fulfilled by Amazon) with One-Day Shipping and write back to us with the order number so that we'll either waive off or refund the total shipping costs.

Please visit the following link to provide the information we requested:

http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-mi?c=yrhg...44419252&q=o2r

If you still have any concern, please feel free to contact us immediately. We're here to make things right for you.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contac...questions.html

If it's convenient you, you can also contact us by phone or chat so we can assist you right away.

To contact us via phone: http://www.amazon.com/clicktocall

To contact us via chat: Live Chat with Amazon.com

We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Best regards,
Benjamine M

Hello,

We're writing to let you know we processed your refund of $114.99 for your Order 103-4322910-0669814.

This refund is for the following item(s):

Item: ASUS M5A97 Evo - AM3+ - 970 - SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 - ATX AMD ATX DDR3 2133 Motherboards
Quantity: 1
ASIN: B005584ZD0
Reason for refund: Item not satisfactory

Here's the breakdown of your refund for this item:

Item Refund: $114.99

We'll apply your refund to the following payment method(s):

MasterCard Credit Card [expiring on 8/2014]: $114.99

We've processed a refund for the above order in the amount of $114.99. The refund should appear on your account in 2-3 days if issued to a credit card.
Refunds issued to a bank account typically take 7-10 days to reflect on the account balance.

Have questions about our refund policy?
Visit our Help section for more information:

Amazon.com Help

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sincerely,

Amazon.com
We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company
Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more

Hello,


Thanks for writing back with the order number.

As promised, I've waived the $26.77 shipping charge for your order.

Once processed, you'll also be able to see a detailed summary of your adjusted order here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/summar...406663-1229000

We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Best regards,
Athena L.

Now I know a lot of you folks shop at NewEgg. I have on occasion too. But there is no way I will stop buying from Amazon when they have always given me such exemplary service.

Although both the above as well as the following are on page 3 of this unfortunate thread, I do think this bears repeating. It is yet another example of how well Amazon has treated me.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a CyberPower UPS which turned out to be too low a wattage for the PSU. It was 100% my fault actually, because I changed my mind and decided to use a bigger PSU.

Well, I contacted Amazon after I had already received the UPS and opened the outer box (not the UPS box),
I told the Amazon customer rep that I had done so and that it was my responsibility to at least pay the return freight.

Well. the customer rep said to call the shipper and have them come back and pick it up as refused. I fully expected to pay the return shipping charge at least. Believe it or not, Amazon paid the shipping charge both ways. And it was all my fault!

May I also offer as a contact: tien_phan <techsupport@asus.com>

You have no idea how many email exchanges we have had. Tien actually took the problem to heart, and made my problem his problem. Wonderful man!

I'm glad to hear most of it will be straightened out....minus pain/suffering/headache on your part. I usually shop at either NewEgg or Amazon, and sometimes TigerDirect if there is a sale on something I need.. When I was building this rig, I went through 2 Intel SSD's and NewEgg CS brought their A-game. I had a replacement and a Samsung replacement for the 2nd drive in no time flat. Just had to call them up. Amazon does a few things right, shipping and customer service......can't ask for any better as far as I'm concerned.