FYI when buying OEM CPU at Fry's

[Spike]

This is a FYI for anyone with a tray/OEM CPU from Fry's.

So I purchased one of those hot clearance CPU's from Fry's back in February (e6320 for $40) and got an OEM cpu. Package stated it came with a 1 year warranty and people here assured me it was covered by Fry's.

I finally got around to testing it a few weeks ago and found out it was DOA. I swapped ram, psu, cases, hdd, motherboards, etc... and nothing. I took it back to Fry's for the one year warranty and after they found out it was more than 30 days since purchase told me to contact Intel for service. As this was a Sunday we could not get ahold of anyone at Intel and even after showing them the intel website, which says in a round-about way that OEM warranties are through the builder or vender, they still would not do anything besides a $40 credit. To be fair to them the credit was more than they had to do since it was beyond the 30 days.

Needless to say I did not take the offer but went home and did some more testing to be sure it was the CPU. Yes, after trying a third mobo it was definitly the cpu so I sent an email to Intel asking about warranty coverage. The reply I got when asking about the warranty was this

"What you mentioned is correct, the warranty on OEM processors is provided only by the place of purchase or reseller"

So I went back to Fry's and this time they were able to get ahold of their buyer for Intel who confirmed what I was told via email. After much looking in their database trying to find a similar cpu to replace mine with they ended up knocking $80 off of a e6550 and giving me that for $100 ($60 + $40 credit). So in the end I had to pay more but did get a faster cpu so it works.

This post is meant as an FYI to those considering buying or who have bought an OEM Intel CPU from Fry's. Once they found out they were responsible I think they did a decent job of making sure I was taken care of. I would have preferred to have paid nothing and received a e6320 back for mine but with none in stock this was probably the next best thing. Just out of curiosity I called the website and asked about the OEM cpu's being sold there and was told their warranty was covered by Intel as well...

 

[bfdd]

Fry's is pretty annoying if you're trying to bring something back after 30 days, but glad to see they gave you a hand. I don't even argue with them anymore I tell them how it is and just get pissed right off the bat and I usually get what I want from them.

 

[Zap]

This is a "dirty little secret" of the industry. Fry's isn't trying to pull one over on you, because almost EVERY RESELLER DOES THIS. Guess what? Even everyone's favorite Newegg does this. Go to buy an OEM CPU from them, and when going to checkout you see this:

Newegg OEM/Retail CPU Return Policy:

[*]Replacement: OEM and Retail Box CPUs must be returned to Newegg within 30 days for replacement.
[*]Refund: OEM and Retail Box CPUs must be returned to Newegg within 7 days for a refund.
[*]Retail Boxed CPUs carry a 3 year manufacturer warranty, and must be serviced by the original manufacturer.
[*]Newegg.com will not cross-ship CPUs.
[*]All defective and DOA CPUs will be replaced upon return to Newegg.com, provided they are not physically damaged and are returned within the timeframe stated above.

They also have information in their CPU return policy FAQ. Same thing, 30 day replacement period on OEM CPUs. Also this little tidbit:

What are the differences between the OEM and retail versions of a product?
Retail versions may come with additional accessories, retail packaging, bundled software and warranty coverage.

Bolding is mine.

This holds true for ANY OEM hardware/software from ANY vendor.

Anything OEM, tray, white box, brown box or basically anything except fully brand new retail box... has no manufacturer's warranty to YOU as a consumer. You are 100% at the mercy of the place you bought it from.

There are exceptions of course, but generally speaking... OEM = no warranty past store return period.

 

[Spike]

All what you said is true which is why I normally avoid OEM cpu's, only this case was slightly different since right on the package it said:

"1 year warranty"

I'm not sure how else to interpret that besides it comes with a 1 year warranty. That was the ONLY reason I purchased a tray cpu from Fry's to begin with. I knew this cpu would not be overclocked so I wanted a warranty and got one. This Fry's had just never had a tray return (or so they claim) and had no idea how to proceed.

I would never buy and oem cpu from newegg or the other online retailers simply because the limited return policy is not enough, but thanks for the info anyway

Originally posted by: Zap
This is a "dirty little secret" of the industry. Fry's isn't trying to pull one over on you, because almost EVERY RESELLER DOES THIS. Guess what? Even everyone's favorite Newegg does this. Go to buy an OEM CPU from them, and when going to checkout you see this:

Newegg OEM/Retail CPU Return Policy:

[*]Replacement: OEM and Retail Box CPUs must be returned to Newegg within 30 days for replacement.
[*]Refund: OEM and Retail Box CPUs must be returned to Newegg within 7 days for a refund.
[*]Retail Boxed CPUs carry a 3 year manufacturer warranty, and must be serviced by the original manufacturer.
[*]Newegg.com will not cross-ship CPUs.
[*]All defective and DOA CPUs will be replaced upon return to Newegg.com, provided they are not physically damaged and are returned within the timeframe stated above.

They also have information in their CPU return policy FAQ. Same thing, 30 day replacement period on OEM CPUs. Also this little tidbit:

What are the differences between the OEM and retail versions of a product?
Retail versions may come with additional accessories, retail packaging, bundled software and warranty coverage.

Bolding is mine.

This holds true for ANY OEM hardware/software from ANY vendor.

Anything OEM, tray, white box, brown box or basically anything except fully brand new retail box... has no manufacturer's warranty to YOU as a consumer. You are 100% at the mercy of the place you bought it from.

There are exceptions of course, but generally speaking... OEM = no warranty past store return period.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Spike
All what you said is true which is why I normally avoid OEM cpu's, only this case was slightly different since right on the package it said:

"1 year warranty"

I'm not sure how else to interpret that besides it comes with a 1 year warranty.

That is true... in this case I think Fry's did the right thing to (slightly) hook you up with a cheap replacement. They're the one that sold you a CPU with that representation.

Note that OEM CPUs really do have a 1 year warranty, but that warranty is to the company that originally purchased the CPU from Intel/AMD, and is dated from that invoice.

 

[nyker96]

I used to buy OEM/tray CPUs all the time a few years back. But then found out they only warranty up to 30 days in most places just didn't think that few bucks saving is worth the trouble. Besides when I sell the retail version in ebay the buyers give a few dollars more for the included HSF which I never uses. I also used the 3 year warranty on a retail 754 chip last year, the m.b. died and took the CPU with it, I phoned up AMD, no problem sent me a new one in 1 week time. So after that I'm quite convinced retail/3year warranty is the way to go.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: nyker96
I used to buy OEM/tray CPUs all the time a few years back. But then found out they only warranty up to 30 days in most places just didn't think that few bucks saving is worth the trouble. Besides when I sell the retail version in ebay the buyers give a few dollars more for the included HSF which I never uses. I also used the 3 year warranty on a retail 754 chip last year, the m.b. died and took the CPU with it, I phoned up AMD, no problem sent me a new one in 1 week time. So after that I'm quite convinced retail/3year warranty is the way to go.

Yeah, I am in agreement, especially after what happened. This is why I'm glad they gave me a boxed replacement for my OEM chip so now I have a three year warranty on it.

Originally posted by: Zap
That is true... in this case I think Fry's did the right thing to (slightly) hook you up with a cheap replacement. They're the one that sold you a CPU with that representation.

Note that OEM CPUs really do have a 1 year warranty, but that warranty is to the company that originally purchased the CPU from Intel/AMD, and is dated from that invoice.

So, if I am reading what you said correctly, the warranty in this case would actually be between Fry's and Intel, not Fry's and the consumer? If thats the case I wonder why they still list their OEM chips as coming with a 1 year warranty on their website? Seems like they are doing some false advertising there.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Spike
So, if I am reading what you said correctly, the warranty in this case would actually be between Fry's and Intel, not Fry's and the consumer?

If Fry's was the original purchaser from Intel, then yes.