I bought one September 14th...
It worked great initially (400MHz fsb, Barton 2500+), so I put it aside to build a system for my son on my KT7A-RAID (XP2000+). After a few days of fixing Windows bugs I go back to my new toy AND IT WOULDN'T BOOT. I had power to the fans but no video, just a long beep. I checked and double-checked all connections, cleared the BIOS - you know the drill. Then I see some smoke from a cap by a lower PCI slot. No, I'm not going to monkey with a brand new board, so I go to Abit for an RMA, and find out they want $157 to cross-ship! Yes they'll return $150 if and when they determine everything's copasetic, after banging my card. It's $25 if you can't find a copy of your original receipt, or for a host of other reasons. You may want to see their site - So we Fedex to CA, follow the tracking numbers online (they got my son's machine to GA in two days - gotta love 'em), and check Abit's online RMA system. Here's what they'll tell you:
"ABIT's RMA operation uses a "Pool" system. In order to ensure a fast turn-around time, ABIT has developed a pool of products from which to draw on. The products that are shipped back to the customers will be replacements of the same models as returned, not the same products that were sent back to us. This helps maintain a constant supply of products available for a continuous and reliable system of returns."
OK, so they got my board lunchtime last Friday. I e-mailed them the following Wednesday night - not a nastygram, just to say what's the holdup, is there a problem... Nope. No answer... So Sunday makes a month since I bought the board, and I've had maybe four hours on it. I've had a few RMA's over they years, and I once handled RMA's for a local clone shop, and this industry has always impressed me with its level of service - BUT ABIT HAS SAT ON MY BOARD FOR A WEEK! Where's that "fast turn-around" and all that "constant","continuous" and "reliable"? Are they having a quality problem? Are they overwhelmed with returns right now? I wouldn't know as I haven't heard from them. I saw some posts about a month ago regarding some customers' complaints with Abit's RMA service. Maybe I should have paid more attention, but I've got a BX6 here that still works, I'm writing this on another KT7A-RAID, and other people I know who bought Abit (on my word) aren't having trouble. Abit HAS BEEN a quality supplier. That's why the post - I'm not looking for a pity party, I'm just trying to build a fire under our friends in Fremont. I've been in electronics manufacturing nearly twenty years, and I know the "RMA Pool" deal - I used to maintain one for the AWACS. I want to make it public that my Abit RMA experience isn't what I expect from the industry, and certainly not what I expected from Abit. If you're so backlogged then send them a new one - especially if they sent you a new one back! AND an apologetic e-mail. Mike
It worked great initially (400MHz fsb, Barton 2500+), so I put it aside to build a system for my son on my KT7A-RAID (XP2000+). After a few days of fixing Windows bugs I go back to my new toy AND IT WOULDN'T BOOT. I had power to the fans but no video, just a long beep. I checked and double-checked all connections, cleared the BIOS - you know the drill. Then I see some smoke from a cap by a lower PCI slot. No, I'm not going to monkey with a brand new board, so I go to Abit for an RMA, and find out they want $157 to cross-ship! Yes they'll return $150 if and when they determine everything's copasetic, after banging my card. It's $25 if you can't find a copy of your original receipt, or for a host of other reasons. You may want to see their site - So we Fedex to CA, follow the tracking numbers online (they got my son's machine to GA in two days - gotta love 'em), and check Abit's online RMA system. Here's what they'll tell you:
"ABIT's RMA operation uses a "Pool" system. In order to ensure a fast turn-around time, ABIT has developed a pool of products from which to draw on. The products that are shipped back to the customers will be replacements of the same models as returned, not the same products that were sent back to us. This helps maintain a constant supply of products available for a continuous and reliable system of returns."
OK, so they got my board lunchtime last Friday. I e-mailed them the following Wednesday night - not a nastygram, just to say what's the holdup, is there a problem... Nope. No answer... So Sunday makes a month since I bought the board, and I've had maybe four hours on it. I've had a few RMA's over they years, and I once handled RMA's for a local clone shop, and this industry has always impressed me with its level of service - BUT ABIT HAS SAT ON MY BOARD FOR A WEEK! Where's that "fast turn-around" and all that "constant","continuous" and "reliable"? Are they having a quality problem? Are they overwhelmed with returns right now? I wouldn't know as I haven't heard from them. I saw some posts about a month ago regarding some customers' complaints with Abit's RMA service. Maybe I should have paid more attention, but I've got a BX6 here that still works, I'm writing this on another KT7A-RAID, and other people I know who bought Abit (on my word) aren't having trouble. Abit HAS BEEN a quality supplier. That's why the post - I'm not looking for a pity party, I'm just trying to build a fire under our friends in Fremont. I've been in electronics manufacturing nearly twenty years, and I know the "RMA Pool" deal - I used to maintain one for the AWACS. I want to make it public that my Abit RMA experience isn't what I expect from the industry, and certainly not what I expected from Abit. If you're so backlogged then send them a new one - especially if they sent you a new one back! AND an apologetic e-mail. Mike
