Question Newegg open box scam

[maddogmcgee]

I just watched this video and I thought I would share it because it seems super dodgy.....to the extent of being pretty funny/maybe illegal.

Not an option for me but if it was, I would be avoiding these at all cost.

 

[mindless1]

I don't think it's a premeditated scam, just poor QC and policies at 'egg, that "maybe" are designed to work in their favor instead of being impartial, but yeah, more often than not when an 'egg board is open box, there's something funny about it.

I used to buy their open box all the time, can't recall all the different things that were wrong. Only one was DOA, maybe more but I don't recall them. Some where missing the rear I/O case plate, some had visible damage repair to traces with a blob of epoxy over the area, some capacitors knocked off but seemed to function fine still, some missing the rear heatsink mount plate, one had a CPU socket with a corner of the thermoplastic broken off (but still worked fine), some missing various unimportant accessories like the SATA (or going back further, PATA) cables. Many were just bare boards in whiteboxes, no accessories except the rear I/O case plate. IIRC it was mostly Asus boards that were like this.

I never got screwed like GN, and don't regret the open box I bought there, but haven't bought any in a good 10+ years, only new since then. The open box pricing became a lower % discount, to where the gamble wasn't worth it when you also consider they have little if any warranty past the return period.

I should also clarify that I never spent over $100 on an 'egg open box board, was still buying new for higher end builds the whole time. Typical example, last open box I can recall buying there was in 2010, an Asus M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 board, $58. I'd get boards like that when friends and family wanted an upgrade on the cheap. They usually had integrated video.

Even more than the above I stopped shopping at egg for items like that because I hated how cluttered their site became, more nonsense to navigate it including checking often for the open box deals (good deals on one-off open box don't last long), and weeding through all the 3rd party listings when 'egg decided they wanted to be a bazaar like amazon.

What I don't get is Steve/whoever being so cheap as to get the open box item, when it is so common for them to have some issue and they needed it ASAP for production/content use. They must not have bought as many open box as me to not realize that resolving missing parts/whatever can completely negate any benefit of paying for expedited shipping... or they were short on sleep and didn't notice it was open box.

 

[mindless1]

Anyway back to your topic theme. Yes it stinks when any company has the situation 'egg does, and decides to blanket deny someone a fair consideration and refund... should be the cost of doing business to accept some questionable/loss if they don't have particular evidence to the contrary.

Similarly being a high volume seller from mobo manufacturers, they should be negotiating for more friendly credits on boards that left the factory faulty or were damaged in shipping to them. It's always a shell game, where the buck stops.

 

[maddogmcgee]

Yeah he mentioned he missed it being open box. Blamed it on being rushed and being used to the warning being in a different spot. Accidents happen I guess, especially when you are trying to get everything done on a busy day.

 

[mindless1]

I should mention that there's already an existing topic about this.

For everyone who has been unhappy with Newegg in the past... Gamers Nexus: Newegg scammed us! [Newegg Interview Posted]

Seen a number of threads to this effect in the past although I've never had an issue myself. This little screwup however may prove expensive! Time to start shopping elsewhere I guess. :confused:

forums.anandtech.com

 

[runfox]

This guy agrees with gamers nexus and had a similar experience

 

[mindless1]

^ Yeah but it's kind of self-serving, that he doesn't bring this to light until he thinks he can get more views out of it, then BAM, two videos almost a year later... would've served the public interest more if he didn't sit on this.

Still, that doesn't make Newegg in the right at all and more evidence is good, but I can't help but think... how many customers out there didn't make positive videos every time something went as expected. I'm not about to buy more 'egg refurb boards, but if you only hear about the problems any company faces, pretty soon there's nowhere left to buy anything.

 

[runfox]

There is this too

 

[mindless1]

You're not seeing the bigger picture of motivation towards youtube revenue.

I much prefer when sites did straight reviews instead of youtube spectacles. Give someone a camera and they Lose Their Mind.

Data please, not hyperbole.

Even so, let's call it what it is. Newegg got caught on their shady RMA process. They don't seem to understand goodwill towards the community and have a policy biased excessively in their own favor.

 

[runfox]

You're not seeing the bigger picture of motivation towards youtube revenue.

I much prefer when sites did straight reviews instead of youtube spectacles. Give someone a camera and they Lose Their Mind.

Data please, not hyperbole.

Even so, let's call it what it is. Newegg got caught on their shady RMA process. They don't seem to understand goodwill towards the community and have a policy biased excessively in their own favor.

You seem pretty emotionally invested in new egg's reputation despite several examples being made public of their poor business practices, as well as anecdotal accounts that hundreds of customers have reported unofficially through social media. These are people who are not youtubers, and have no platform or incentive for views. I have no dog in this fight, i don't care one way or the other. I don't live in the us or have access to newegg products. Why are you so hellbent on outright rejecting these people's claims and dismissing a bunch of different people saying they have had similar poor experiences? Where there is smoke there is fire. Not all these people are lying for views. The gamers nexus guy showed up to the newegg meeting with a binder full of hundreds of accounts of newegg's systematic refusal to process rma requests from his own audience which he gathered in thirty six hours. Are all his viewers lying? Lol, why are you so invested in defending newegg? It doesn't even make sense. Hundreds of accounts is data, whether you like it or not.

 

[mindless1]

^ Emotionally invested? I haven't bought anything there in years (wait... maybe a mSD card in 2020) and have no affiliation.

I have not rejected anyone's claims. Never stated they were lying. You have a reading comprehension problem.

 

[mindless1]

[nm]