Recieved Busted case.. What to do?

[r1013]

I try to buy from people with a high resaller ratings like newegg. Thats why when newegg was out of a case I wanted I ordered from Techonweb.com with a rating in the 9's.

I recieved my case (sx1040) yesterday. I opened the box and the front panel was loose next to the tower. After inspecting it I noticed all the plastic clips that hold on the front panel were scattered various places in the box. All 10 were broke. I also noticed that the top hindge on the door had a light white look to it, like plastic does when its been bent. So the hindge is about to break to. The rest of the case is scratch and dent free. My first thought was to see if they would just exchange a new front. After thinking it over it would probably be best to get a whole new case. I mean the case other than the front appears in great condition but it must have been hit really hard to break the styrofoam and break the front of the case completly off. I haven't tested the power, but even if it works its life span may be shortened due to it being hit, dropped ect..

I tried to call techonweb yesterday a hour prior to closing but all I got was being hung up on 12+ times. Maybe they were wanting to leave early for the weekend..

Anyway.. I looked on there site and it says:
SHIPPING RETURNS Freight must be prepaid and insured to our returns warehouse.

Does this mean that if I return a busted case that I have to pay shipping and insurance?.. or is that just when someone returns something when its ok and they just don't want it?

I ask this because if I have to pay shipping it will cost me $70.00-$80.00 for it round trip back (25+ both ways plus insurance). Thats not right especially when its not my fault its busted.

I have ordered quite a bit of computer products and this is my first defective product so i'm new to this. Since I couldn't get ahold of techonweb I just wanted to be prepared when I did speak with them.

Thanks for any help or suggestions

[herura]

Most companies NEVER pay shipping. Ever.

A good analogy is a retail store. If you buy a product and take it home and it does not work, do you:

A: Call the store and demand that they bring you another at no charge
Or
B: Take it back and get a replacement.

Except for some special circumstances, (some notebook makers will pay for shipping for an in warranty repair, for example) I know of no store that will bring a replacement out to your home. That is essentially what you are asking the mail order company to do, and they will not do it for the same reason as a brick and mortar store. That being that it cuts into their profit margin.

Sorry, but that is the risk you take when you buy online. When you consider that this is the first time you have had to return an item, your track record is pretty good.

Another bit of advice, check the return policy of the company before you buy, that way you will know what the risk is going into the purchase. If you are not willing to abide by the return policy, then you have to option of not buying from them. Remember the old adage about buyer beware? As long as they follow their stated return policy there is really nothing you can do.

Also you should always check the box for damage before signing for it. If there is any evidence of damage (holes, water stains etc.) be sure the shipper notes it on the invoice. That way if it was damaged in shipping, as it appears your case was, you can go after the shipper.

Just consider it the price of doing business through the mail and take that into account when you purchase online, or by regular mail for that matter.

Good luck

[Xeroid]

I had this happen once. The box the case came in looked like the driver had backed over it with his truck. He came by when everyone was out and just left it on my front porch without getting a signature. It's a shame that shippers are so rough with fragile electronic equipment that is obviously marked as fragile.

Luckily the case wasn't damaged. All the 5 1/4" drive bay plastic covers were knocked loose and in the bottom of the box.

Unfortunately we as consumers must pay return shipping in this case. Online retailers clam that 90% of RMA'ed equipment is defect free and that they can't afford to pay shipping costs. Contact your Vendor by email and tell them what happened and try to work something out. Follow up with a phone call Monday when they come back to work. Perhaps they can go back to the shipper and demand some type of relief for you.

Mike

EDIT: Welcome to TechIMO, r1013 ! !

[woodbutcher]

r1013
Welcome to techIMO.
It's un-fortunate its under these circumstances.
herura is correct as far as you having to (and them) abide buy there written policy.
My suggestion at this point would be to email them with the problem and see what they are willing to do (apparentlly they do not wish to speak to you).
I think it will probably take some time to resolve this issue.
You might want to email Antec directly to see if they are willing to do anything for you. If nothing else ask if you can receive a replacement front bezel from them and at what cost.

WB

[Brainchild]

Welcome to TechIMO

I agree with woodbutcher. @ 70-80 dollars, it would be much cheaper to buy a frontcover from antec than pay shipping/insurance

But I would raise cain with them anyway, they might be willing to work with ya

Good luck
BC

[nochay]

Choose A Different Shipping Method Next Time. UPS Is Pretty Nasty With Packages, (I Knew A Guy Who Works There! The Stories!) Anyhow, Use Like Fedex Or USPS. I Have Recieved Some Pretty Sh*tty Packages Through USPS Lately Though Fedex Is Best In My Book. Cheaper 99.99% Of The Time, And Arrives In One Piece.

Dane

[r1013]

I did e-mail them and told them exactly what happen.. description of the damage, me calling and being hung up on during business hours, and I even sent them a picture of the damage.. all withen an hour of discovering it. I told them I would call today (sat) and if no answer I would call monday first thing.... So I guess it sounds bad about the shipping but maybe if they won't work with me I can order a front replacement from antec cheaper than shipping the whole thing back.. and I'll just cross my fingers that the power will be ok.

Thanks for the replies
r1013

[Xeroid]

Some places will allow you to just ship back the damaged item instead of the whole case. I know Directron used to let you send in just the power supply if it was bad. It would save a great deal of shipping costs if all you had to return was the front cover. I'd still see if they would replace the whole case first and make the shipper (fedex, ups) pay for the ride back.

It might not hurt to contact the shipper (fedex, ups) anyways and file a complaint. There's no sence in this. It's not your fault.

Mike

[r1013]

I just recieved an e-mail back from techonweb from yesterday.

Here is the reply:

"Sorry about the damage. We are issuing call tag for
the unit to be
picked up from you. Please allow 7 days before your
product is picked
up. Once we receive back the damage unit, we will
ship you a brand new
unit again. Sorry about the inconvenience."

So far so good... Again I try to buy from those with high reseller ratings. I was just really upset spending that much money and getting it broke that bad. The only bad thing is I want be able to try out my new MOBO until after the holidays but things happen. I'll post an update here later to let you know how they handle this in the end just incase you want to buy from them.

Thanks again

[Xeroid]

Good deal, r1013. Do let us know how it went.

Mike