MSI Computer posts warning of mass video card theft

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

rise

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2004
9,116
46
91
Originally posted by: Pabster
Originally posted by: everman
From their statement, it sounds like no cards of that kind look like the ones sold by woot, perhaps they were some kind of engineering samples.

My guess is that an OEM had ordered a large shipment and then cancelled / backed out on that order, leaving MSI with a bunch of these sitting in a warehouse to unload. The conspiracy theory is that MSI and Woot are in on it together - they make a nice profit on the "stolen" cards and don't have to offer any warranty on them either. Interesting...

lol. yeah, thats what happened. :roll:

 

sygyzy

Lifer
Oct 21, 2000
14,001
4
76
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
woot.com most likely has proof of whom it was purchased from.

Yeah, I have proof my stereo was purchased from Bobby Smith down in the alley. What's your point?
 

wazzledoozle

Golden Member
Apr 14, 2006
1,814
0
0
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS
 

Turin39789

Lifer
Nov 21, 2000
12,218
8
81
Originally posted by: elwood
A post by a Woot.com staff member: http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=716519

Quoted -

Snapster -
"For now, this comment is being made only here in the specific product thread. As more information is gathered, an email will be sent to all Wooters who participated in this deal. There's a good amount of anger and calls to action from our staff with regards to this bizarre attack, but for now I'm going to just jot down and organize the basics for quick understanding to any members checking in:

1. fact: MSI has publicly claimed Woot has sold stolen goods.
2. fact: Woot has not been contacted by MSI or by any legal authority (as of time of this post)
3. fact: MSI is denying warranty on these cards and implying for whatever reason that they are not "real" (Woot offered these as MSI-OEM cards without any MSI warranty implied and a 90 day Woot warranty only.)

Our initial reaction:

Woot of course denies any wrong-doing in this proposed infringement against MSI. We do not believe that any cards transacted were 'stolen merchandise' -- we transact only with reputable manufacturers and vendors. We will of course cooperate fully with any investigation that is called for. Obviously, we feel harm has been done to our reputation with this claim and we reserve all rights to defend ourselves with further action.

To our members, We would like to take advantage of this opportunity to extend a 2 year Woot direct warranty on all purchased OEM-MSI video cards, un-real/imaginary as they may be. Unfortunately, as we do not have the support of MSI for replacement cards, this will continue to be a full refund only warranty from Woot. This has been automatically implemented on your purchase.

We will update here, or via email as necessary if there is any news.

Thank you for your past and continued support.

Snapster (and rest of Woot Staff)

UPDATE 11:45am: We have proactively sought out and heard possibility that a real investigation may in fact be ongoing here... The language of this post was written during our initial disbelief of this possibility. As you can imagine, we're actively seeking information, due to lack of any direct communication. If any facts emerge, we will update."
 

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
Originally posted by: Pabster
Originally posted by: everman
From their statement, it sounds like no cards of that kind look like the ones sold by woot, perhaps they were some kind of engineering samples.

My guess is that an OEM had ordered a large shipment and then cancelled / backed out on that order, leaving MSI with a bunch of these sitting in a warehouse to unload. The conspiracy theory is that MSI and Woot are in on it together - they make a nice profit on the "stolen" cards and don't have to offer any warranty on them either. Interesting...

LOL. You own stock in Aluminum foil don't you?
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


from a support pov yeah this is taken care of, but if the accusations turn out to be true, a lot of people are in possession of stolen property and woot.com would have been selling stolen goods.

 

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


from a support pov yeah this is taken care of, but if the accusations turn out to be true, a lot of people are in possession of stolen property and woot.com would have been selling stolen goods.

The problem is they could close shop or be closed (for fencing stolen items) tomorrow and you're SOL.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
86
91
Originally posted by: sygyzy
Where is the confusion here? It's pretty clear that Woot stole them or at least is involved in dealing and profiting from stolen goods. What part do you guys not understand? They made OEM green pieces that they never distributed and magically Woot has them. The red cards are meant for retail release.

But the question is how much can I get them below retail and do they take paypal?
 

acemcmac

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
13,712
1
0
Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


from a support pov yeah this is taken care of, but if the accusations turn out to be true, a lot of people are in possession of stolen property and woot.com would have been selling stolen goods.

The problem is they could close shop or be closed (for fencing stolen items) tomorrow and you're SOL.

woot's not going anywhere :roll:

I am sure that even if the allegations are true, woot is in no way cuplable.
 

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
Originally posted by: acemcmac
Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


from a support pov yeah this is taken care of, but if the accusations turn out to be true, a lot of people are in possession of stolen property and woot.com would have been selling stolen goods.

The problem is they could close shop or be closed (for fencing stolen items) tomorrow and you're SOL.

woot's not going anywhere :roll:

I am sure that even if the allegations are true, woot is in no way cuplable.

I never said they were. I said "they could". Meaning it's a possibility, but not an actual.

If this holds true, even if Woot says they will "warranty" a product, can MSI sue or file reports with the police and the stolen items be collected? Curious how that would play out if it's found true.
 

Cutterhead

Senior member
Jul 13, 2005
527
0
76
This will be interesting to see what happens. I was pissed when I missed out on this deal last month, there was a thread in Hot Deals for it.
 

sygyzy

Lifer
Oct 21, 2000
14,001
4
76
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


There was never any MSI warranty because how do you give warranty on stolen goods? I am completely baffled back the disconnect here. Read the description. They are very careful to note that this is a "pre-release", has no "retail packaging" and reminds you to "pay close attention to the driver requirements." I have never seen such specific instructions on getting a product to work. Woot almost exclusively sells overstocked or discontinued items. And all of a sudden they got their hands on a card that hadn't (or just) been released?
 

sygyzy

Lifer
Oct 21, 2000
14,001
4
76
Originally posted by: acemcmac
Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


from a support pov yeah this is taken care of, but if the accusations turn out to be true, a lot of people are in possession of stolen property and woot.com would have been selling stolen goods.

The problem is they could close shop or be closed (for fencing stolen items) tomorrow and you're SOL.

woot's not going anywhere :roll:

I am sure that even if the allegations are true, woot is in no way cuplable.

Receiving and profiting on stolen goods and not cuplable? Alright buddy.
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
Originally posted by: sygyzy
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


There was never any MSI warranty because how do you give warranty on stolen goods? I am completely baffled back the disconnect here. Read the description. They are very careful to note that this is a "pre-release", has no "retail packaging" and reminds you to "pay close attention to the driver requirements." I have never seen such specific instructions on getting a product to work. Woot almost exclusively sells overstocked or discontinued items. And all of a sudden they got their hands on a card that hadn't (or just) been released?

The cards were already out, they'd been selling in Dell XPS systems for MONTHS. Drivers weren't available because nvidia reference drivers typically support only retail products (which the 7900GS wasn't, until recently). Laptop parts are much the same, you have to use modified reference drivers or use the one provided by the system manufacturer.

This is no different than an OEM version of windows not having any support from MS.

Viper GTS
 

Slick5150

Diamond Member
Nov 10, 2001
8,760
3
81
Originally posted by: sygyzy
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


There was never any MSI warranty because how do you give warranty on stolen goods? I am completely baffled back the disconnect here. Read the description. They are very careful to note that this is a "pre-release", has no "retail packaging" and reminds you to "pay close attention to the driver requirements." I have never seen such specific instructions on getting a product to work. Woot almost exclusively sells overstocked or discontinued items. And all of a sudden they got their hands on a card that hadn't (or just) been released?

Umm.. Last time I checked, ANY OEM video card comes without any retail packaging, driver discs, etc... I'm not exactly sure why you are trying so hard to implicate woot, when these "stolen cards" would likely have been bought and sold several times before they ever made it into woot's hands.

 

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
Originally posted by: Slick5150
Originally posted by: sygyzy
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
People are saying that their RMA's were rejected by MSI before they ever claimed the cards were stolen, which is odd.

There never was any MSI warranty, that was clear from the start.

I've been kicking myself for not buying more than one, so far I've been quite happy with mine. The worst I can see possibly happening from this is me having to RMA my card for a refund. Imagine what $140 would buy me 2 years from now!

With woot offering two years on these I'm completely comfortable with the card, & wish I had bought more.

Viper GTS


There was never any MSI warranty because how do you give warranty on stolen goods? I am completely baffled back the disconnect here. Read the description. They are very careful to note that this is a "pre-release", has no "retail packaging" and reminds you to "pay close attention to the driver requirements." I have never seen such specific instructions on getting a product to work. Woot almost exclusively sells overstocked or discontinued items. And all of a sudden they got their hands on a card that hadn't (or just) been released?

Umm.. Last time I checked, ANY OEM video card comes without any retail packaging, driver discs, etc... I'm not exactly sure why you are trying so hard to implicate woot, when these "stolen cards" would likely have been bought and sold several times before they ever made it into woot's hands.

So wait, If I sell you a stolen car that was stolen by someone else who stole it from a dealership, It's ok because I just "didn't know"?

It's still illegal to sell stolen goods.