Evga - Step Up - Short Rant

[djnsmith7]

I'm going to assume most of you are well aware of the limitations / restrictions, etc. of the Evga Step Up program, so my short rant is an FYI for those who aren't.

I received a brand new, sealed GTX470 SC as a gift, from Fry's, without a receipt. I figured I'd register the card with Evga & it won't be a big deal, as I'm not expecting the card to fail out of the box anyway.

Once I registered the card, I thought it would be pretty cool to upgrade to say, a GTX580 in a couple months for ~$200. Problem is, what I received as a gift is a 2 Yr. Limited warranty card vs. a Limited Lifetime warranty card & 2 yr. cards don't qualify for Step Up. IMO, there should be a sticker on the box that indicates the card is ineligible.

I'm pretty disappointed with this & I specifically asked this person for an Evga product if they decided to get me a GPU.

So the FYI is, don't buy an Evga product that has a suffix of TR. This is a double whammy, downgraded warranty vs. non-TR products & ineligible for Step Up, per Evga's tech support.

Not cool in the least.

Cliff Notes:

Don't buy a TR card if you want to Step Up & have a Lifetime warranty.
Evga Part Number: 012-P3-1472-TR

/Rant over

 

[mnewsham]

Still got a great card tho.

 

[Quiksilver]

Uh....

I'm not seeing a Evga 470 SC with a product number ending in "TR" on Evga's site... and frys site is just as useless. So that needs a bit of clarification

I'm thinking you meant GTX 460 though...
http://www.evga.com/products/moreIn...TR&family=GeForce%20400 Series Family&sw=

At least your advice on the warranty info is right
http://www.evga.com/support/warranty/

 

[djnsmith7]

No, I didn't confuse a 470 with a 460. The Part # for my card is 012-P3-1472-TR.

Here's the card at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GTX470-32.../dp/B003NSBGGS

 

[Quiksilver]

Thats helps

WTF Evga? Why do you only list the top tier warranty card on your products page when you have all these under the same part number...

EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-TR) --- 2 year
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-KR) --- 3 year
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-ER) --- WTF is this one?
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-BR) --- 1 Year
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-AR) --- Lifetime

 

[notty22]

Thats helps

WTF Evga? Why do you only list the top tier warranty card on your products page when you have all these under the same part number...

EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-TR) --- 2 year
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-KR) --- 3 year
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-ER) --- WTF is this one?
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-BR) --- 1 Year
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked - (012-P3-1472-AR) --- Lifetime

Some of those models end up in store fronts, ebay and non-USA markets where there is no lifetime warranty available. These cards are usually slightly cheaper than the models with limited lifetime.

Customer Service Support

The EVGA Corporation is well known for its genuine customer service world-wide. However, they do not, under any circumstances, provide any customer service support outside of the US, Europe and Canada.

"The EVGA Step-up Program is limited to residents of the US, Canada and Europe only.[5]"
​

As of "January 1, 2009" EVGA has officially agreed to honour all warranties in the Asia/Pacific Regions of the world[6]. Although, "EVGA does not offer refund on products not purchased directly from EVGA"[7], this statement is contradictory to any refund support, as it is not currently possible to purchase a product from their website, from outside of the US, and have them ship the product to a location outside of the US.

Limited Lifetime:The EVGA limited lifetime warranty is only eligible for part numbers ending in: -A1, -A2, -A3, -A4, -AR, -AX, -CR, -CX, -DX, -FR, -FX, -SG, -SX. (with product registration 30 days from purchase)
Limited 5 Year:EVGA 5 Year limited warranty only eligible for part numbers ending in: -GR. (with product registration 30 days from purchase)
Limited 3 Year:EVGA 3 Year limited warranty only eligible for part numbers ending in: -K1, -KR. (with product registration 30 days from purchase)
Limited 2 Year:EVGA 2 Year limited warranty only eligible for part numbers ending in: -LA, -LE, -LR, -LX, -T1, -TR, -TX, -T2. (with product registration 30 days from purchase)
Limited 1 Year:EVGA 1 Year limited warranty only eligible for part numbers ending in: -BR, -B1, -BX, -DR
Other warrantiesroducts ending in -RX are B-Stock and recertified products, these carry a limited 90 day warranty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EVGA_Corporation Step Up Program

EVGA Corporation also has a program known as "Step Up"[8], where selected products purchased through select vendors may upgrade the card to a better model minus the original cost of the card. This only applies to "vanilla" cards (non factory overclocked), and is not available for upgraded editions of a motherboard, such as upgrading from a 790i Ultra SLI to a 790i SLI FTW.

 

[djnsmith7]

Don't get me wrong, I think for the most part, Evga is a stand up company, but this situation has made me look at them with a glaring eye. It's one thing to have a specific market share / target audience (enthusiasts / gamers) & to have an expectation that they are of the most informed, but to make it so they have to know your part numbering system in & out is another thing altogether.

My intention with this thread is to make sure that we all are aware & this doesn't happen to anyone else.

If I could return the card easily (If you've tried to return an opened product at Fry's without a receipt, you know this won't take 5 minutes), I would in a heartbeat.

 

[nyker96]

you can still upgrade using this 470, just pack it up, sell it off ebay using the money to buy the 580, simple as that.

 

[djnsmith7]

True, but that's beside the point & I, nor anyone else, should have to. Heck, I could sell it here if I wanted to & I may end up doing that, as the GTX580 would be a great upgrade.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Since they don't cross ship, how quickly does EVGA process stepups?

 

[nitromullet]

Since they don't cross ship, how quickly does EVGA process stepups?

They usually send your card back within three days of receiving your old one. This time around, just them getting GTX 580s in stock has been the longest wait. I signed up for mine launch day, I was under 200 in the queue, and I just finally got contacted to send in my GTX 470 this week. I know the queue is well over 1000, so I have no idea how long a step-up would take from start to finish if you were to submit a step-up now for a GTX 580.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Ah, I found out they don't make you ship your old card until they have one ready for you anyway, I didn't realize that, LOL.

I found their website's FAQ on the step up and it doesn't mention anything about TR series cards not being eligible for step up- are there are other hidden restrictions on what cards qualify?

Edit- I see they list that warranty level restriction under a completely separate FAQ from the Step up FAQ(pretty useful to not put it in the step up FAQ, isn't it?), but still curious if there are other hidden restrictions.

 

[andrei3333]

Well that sucks, i did not know this when i bought my GTX 460 last month. i knew it only had a 2 year warranty (which sucks too btw when they used to have lifetime on all their products i believe).

I guess im going to have to try to sell it privately if i want a new card

 

[djnsmith7]

Toyota spent a lifetime building a reputation. One year of recalls blemished it.

 

[nitromullet]

Ah, I found out they don't make you ship your old card until they have one ready for you anyway, I didn't realize that, LOL.

Yeah, that would be lame. You could be out of a card for a while if they made you ship right away because it can take a while for them to get step-up cards in stock.

Toyota spent a lifetime building a reputation. One year of recalls blemished it.

This is true. I've been a long time EVGA customer and have owned probably over 20 EVGA cards over the years, but I think the suffix stuff is getting a bit out of hand. It really shouldn't be the customer's job to have to double check this crap on their web site. If they are going to have different tiered cards it should be plainly labeled on the box.

 

[Meghan54]

If I could return the card easily (If you've tried to return an opened product at Fry's without a receipt, you know this won't take 5 minutes), I would in a heartbeat.

Damn, that is a really messed up part numbering system you got caught up in.

Just too bad the card didn't come from a MicroCenter instead of a Fry's. I got an Antec Signature 850 the Christmas it came out as a gift, also without receipt. It died within two hours of use.

Took it to the MC closest to me in Atlanta, GA....it was purchased at the MC in No. VA.

I had store credit for the price of the ps within 1 minute of describing my problem to the returns guy.....most of which was spent almost immediately. Love MC.


Anyway, sucks about EVGA's numbering scheme.

 

[faxon]

just as a warning, fry's also only carries TR versions of some of these products cause they're $10 cheaper than the AR/A1 versions. be sure to check which one you actually are getting before buying it @ frys. we do carry AR versions of some of the cards, but only the ones that arent available in TR from what i have seen. also, most all of the EVGA motherboards we stock are TR as well, again cause they're cheaper

 

[djnsmith7]

just as a warning, fry's also only carries TR versions of some of these products cause they're $10 cheaper than the AR/A1 versions. be sure to check which one you actually are getting before buying it @ frys. we do carry AR versions of some of the cards, but only the ones that arent available in TR from what i have seen. also, most all of the EVGA motherboards we stock are TR as well, again cause they're cheaper

I've since been to the Fry's where the card was purchased & there was only one Evga GTX470 product on the shelf, so it's not like there were other options.

I'm going to keep this thread alive for a while, as I want as many people as possible to be made aware of this BS.

Nothing like being disappointed by a company you trust.

 

[sticks435]

Sound like maybe they got enough complaints about all the different warranty periods. Looks like they have done away with the 1 and 2 year warranty's and just gone to a base 3 year warranty and you can purchase an extended warranty for x amount depending on the price of the card. This can then be used for step-up. New designation is -KR.

http://www.evga.com/articles/00607/

 

[djnsmith7]

According to the article, the option to buy the extended warranty, which makes your card eligible for Step Up, only applies to those who purchase their card in 2011. I received my card the last week of December & registered it the first week of January. Of course I didn't know my card was ineligible until after I registered, which means I can't go back & change the purchase date.

I don't have an option to buy the EW & it clearly states that my card is ineligible for Step Up, under My Products, which means these changes don't help me or anyone else who purchased in Q4.

Great way to treat your Q4 customers, especially those who purchased in either November or December.

 

[djnsmith7]

I want to keep this thread active for one week so that all active members have a chance to see it, especially those who purchased cards in Q4.

 

[djnsmith7]

Awareness bump.

 

[bryanW1995]

I want to keep this thread active for one week so that all active members have a chance to see it, especially those who purchased cards in Q4.

I understand your frustration, but it looks like evga has worked aggressively to fix the "issue". I bought a cheap TR gtx 460 768 about 6 mos ago and also found out that I couldn't use it to step up, but I figured that my deal was so good that I could live with it. I just looked on their website, with their new scheme for $10 you can get warranty and step up for any card less than $200, and for $15 you can do it for any card less than $300. Rather than showing that evga doesn't care about their customers, I rather think that this shows how important customer service is to them. You got the card for free, just be happy with it. Oh, and let me know if you want to sell it, maybe you'll be able to net enough on it to come just as good as you would have with step-up anyway.

 

[Zargon]

I want to keep this thread active for one week so that all active members have a chance to see it, especially those who purchased cards in Q4.

that is kinda shitty.

I dunno what they are doing.....they dont have their P67 boards available either

 

[djnsmith7]

I understand your frustration, but it looks like evga has worked aggressively to fix the "issue". I bought a cheap TR gtx 460 768 about 6 mos ago and also found out that I couldn't use it to step up, but I figured that my deal was so good that I could live with it. I just looked on their website, with their new scheme for $10 you can get warranty and step up for any card less than $200, and for $15 you can do it for any card less than $300. Rather than showing that evga doesn't care about their customers, I rather think that this shows how important customer service is to them. You got the card for free, just be happy with it. Oh, and let me know if you want to sell it, maybe you'll be able to net enough on it to come just as good as you would have with step-up anyway.

Bryan,

I've made it clear that this is an awareness discussion for Q4 customers. I agree, it's great that they've taken steps to offer additional support for their Q1 '11 customers.