# Intel Steps into Alleged Counterfeit Core i7 920 Sale Issue



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

After last week's report on some of Newegg.com's customers receiving what the store calls "demo boxes" that it described to have been accidentally shipped by one of its "long term partners", Intel stepped in with a clarification on how it looks at these anomalies. In a statement to HardOCP.com, Intel's Dan Snyder said "Intel has been made aware of the potential for counterfeit i7 920 packages in the marketplace and is working to how many and/or where they are being sold. The examples we have seen are not Intel products but are counterfeits. Buyers should contact their place of purchase for a replacement and/or should contact their local law enforcement agency if the place of purchase refuses to help."

The "examples" Intel is referring to in the statement are these so-called "demo boxes", apparently 300 of them, which could be out on the loose. Meanwhile, Newegg.com is making efforts to get in touch with each of the affected customers and rush-delivering genuine merchandise or providing 100% refund, depending on what the customer chooses. While the whole episode seems to have taken a toll on Newegg's image as one of the most reliable, efficient, and competitive online retailers which it built over years, in the line of fire seems to be its "long term partner", a certain distributor in charge of these Intel processors. The same company sent cease and desist letters to some online publications to withdraw their reports on this issue, blaming them for publishing "untrue statements" about it. However Intel's statement adds clarity to the issue. Indeed some customers may have received "counterfeits", and indeed there are no such things as "demo boxes", at least as far as Intel is concerned. That said, whoever is behind these "demo boxes" still stands to face the law for infringement and imitation of Intel's product design, and trying to profit from it.





*View at TechPowerUp Main Site*


----------



## AlienIsGOD (Mar 8, 2010)

The Big Dawg steps in OoO


----------



## FordGT90Concept (Mar 8, 2010)

They had to at some point.  There is a criminal amongst its ranks or distribution chain.


----------



## mikek75 (Mar 8, 2010)

Obviously being in the UK I couldn't use Newegg anyway, but they've really shot themselves in the foot by the claim that they were "demo boxes". Thats just outright dishonest lies. Any company can be caught out by counterfeiters, but the only way to deal with it is complete honesty and acceptance. "Bullshit baffles brains" only works on officers, it destroys reputations. The Newegg PR dept want sacking for this!


----------



## Pickles24 (Mar 8, 2010)

I imagine it's not a good Monday morning at the Egg today..


----------



## Mescalamba (Mar 8, 2010)

Did I get it correctly that those CPUs are "fake"? Hows that even possible?


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

Mescalamba said:


> Did I get it correctly that those CPUs are "fake"? Hows that even possible?



Simple, they're not CPUs, but pieces of metal and plastic that make the package look real from the outside


----------



## Mescalamba (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Simple, they're not CPUs, but pieces of metal and plastic that make the package look real from the outside



Just "OMG".


----------



## Yukikaze (Mar 8, 2010)

mikek75 said:


> "Bullshit baffles brains" only works on officers



I take offense 

Whoever pulled this switcheroo off better be, for his sake, waaaay gone and with a good escape plan, or his ass will get sued into the next dimension so quick he won't even be able to afford a lawyer - That's even aside the criminal case.

Me ? I wanna see him caught and put on trial. Ordering a 300$ CPU and getting a a PoS fake ranks high up on the list of sucky things that could happen in eCommerce.

Newegg really did shoot itself in the leg with their public statement, though.


----------



## mlee49 (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm glad to see Intel speaking out.  They need to confirm or deny that these Demo units were made.  

I'm still smelling mafia ties to these productions.  Who knows could have been a couple college guys that swapped a pallet of 920's at Neweggs distrobution center.


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 8, 2010)

This wasnt no college guys,it took some sort of production setup to create 300 of these fakes.i'd say some sort of organised crime ring myself,with a patsy in the db centre to do the switch.I bet there are a few db workers who have gone afk


----------



## Pickles24 (Mar 8, 2010)

Thing is..  D&H Distributing is threatening HardOCP.com for investigating, and supposedly throwing them under the bus..  Everyone is pointing fingers and someone will pay a hefty price..


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

mikek75 said:


> Obviously being in the UK I couldn't use Newegg anyway, but they've really shot themselves in the foot by the claim that they were "demo boxes". Thats just outright dishonest lies. Any company can be caught out by counterfeiters, but the only way to deal with it is complete honesty and acceptance. "Bullshit baffles brains" only works on officers, it destroys reputations. The Newegg PR dept want sacking for this!



You do realize that it is far more likely that D&H told newegg they were demo boxes shipped on accident, and newegg just passed the story on, right?

Besides that, the only way they could have shot themselves in the foot would be to not take care of the customers, and they did that very quickly.  They can say whatever story they want.


----------



## n-ster (Mar 8, 2010)

I wonder if this hurts their (newegg's) sells. I mean, despite this, they are the most trusted and have great customer service.

and +1 to newtekie1


----------



## DannibusX (Mar 8, 2010)

I can't wait to see how this story unfolds.  Props to Newegg for getting their customers squared away quickly.


----------



## OVRKIL (Mar 8, 2010)

The question now is where did those 300 920s go?  Has there been a flood or them on ebay!?:shadedshu  You would think that the perps would try to get those sold ASAP!


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

The thing is customers shouldn't care who D&H is. It's Newegg they're dealing with, not its suppliers. So to the customer, it's Newegg that called them "demo boxes", aside from the fact that they're now resolving the issue.

Now to the above if you reply "then it shouldn't matter what story Newegg tells its customers", then the reply is "no, it does matter. When customers pay $300 for something, they deserve to know exactly what was shipped to them, and why they should spend another $10 shipping it back to Newegg to get a replacement or refund."


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> The thing is customers shouldn't care who D&H is. It's Newegg they're dealing with, not its suppliers. So to the customer, it's Newegg that called them "demo boxes", aside from the fact that they're now resolving the issue.
> 
> Now to the above if you reply "then it shouldn't matter what story Newegg tells its customers", then the reply is "no, it does matter. When customers pay $300 for something, they deserve to know exactly what was shipped to them, and why they should spend another $10 shipping it back to Newegg to get a replacement or refund."



Very true, but the customers that are digging deeper to discovery that they really aren't demo boxes, are also the ones that will care who D&H is.

The customers that shouldn't care who D&H is are the customers that shouldn't care if they really are demo boxes or not, and are the same customers that only care that they get what they paid for in the end.

The customers that paid $300 don't care what was shipped to them, they don't care if it was a demo box or a counterfit, they just want what they originally paid the $300 for.  And newegg is assuring that, as they are sending out replacement very quickly, I believe with overnight shipping if what I've read is correct, without the customer sending the original "demo" box back.

And fankly, if I was one of the customers that recieve one of those bad units, my only concern would be getting the right part that I paid for, not why I got what I got.  Newegg could tell me aliens came down and abducted my i7, I wouldn't care, as long as a real i7 was shipped to me.


----------



## mlee49 (Mar 8, 2010)

Highly doubtful Newegg will request people to pay anything to return their item for refund/replacement.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> Very true, but the customers that are digging deeper to discovery that they really aren't demo boxes, are also the ones that will care who D&H is.
> 
> The customers that shouldn't care who D&H is are the customers that shouldn't care if they really are demo boxes or not, and are the same customers that only care that they get what they paid for in the end.



No, the customers are digging deeper into whether it was "demo boxes" or "counterfeit merchandise" that was shipped to them. They are entitled to know that, just as you're entitled to know how many calories a serving of your cereal gives you. That said, since they're dealing with Newegg and not its suppliers, it's between them and Newegg. Hence "demo boxes" comes to them from Newegg.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> No, the customers are digging deeper into whether it was "demo boxes" or "counterfeit merchandise" that was shipped to them. They are entitled to know that, just as you're entitled to know how many calories a serving of your cereal gives you. That said, since they're dealing with Newegg and not its suppliers, it's between them and Newegg. Hence "demo boxes" comes to them from Newegg.



That is an undeserved sense of entitlement.  They are only entitled to what they originally paid for.  It would be nice to know the truth, but they certainly aren't entitled to any thing beyond what they originally paid for.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> The customers that paid $300 don't care what was shipped to them,



Oh they do, that's why it became such a big issue, and not one of the many customer discrepancies Newegg addresses on a daily-basis. 



newtekie1 said:


> they don't care if it was a demo box or a counterfit, they just want what they originally paid the $300 for.



Then they do care, and since their receipt of merchandise got delayed by a week if not more, they all the more deserve to know what went wrong. 



newtekie1 said:


> And newegg is assuring that, as they are sending out replacement very quickly, I believe with overnight shipping if what I've read is correct, without the customer sending the original "demo" box back.



I've a copy of the email Newegg sent to affected customers. It goes like this:



> Dear Valued Customer,
> It's been brought to our attention that you may have received a Demo Version of the Intel Core i7 Processor you recently purchased. We would like to first and foremost apologize for any confusion this may have caused you. Please take a moment to examine the product you received thoroughly to determine if you in fact received the wrong product. The Demo Version of these CPUs were purchased between March 1, 2010 through March 4, 2010 and will have FPO/BATCH# 3938B006 printed on the product's packaging. Additionally, the Part Number on the heat sink will read CNFN936612 and there will be no wiring on the heat sink itself. If you have determined that you received the wrong product, please except our deepest apologies. To resolve this matter immediately, simply forward this email to both xxxxxx@newegg.com and xxxxxx@newegg.com and state which of the two following options best suit you:
> Full Refund - We are more than willing to issue an RMA for a full and complete Refund.
> Replacement for the Correct Product - If you are still interested in the product, we will issue an Advanced Replacement RMA to get the product to you immediately.
> ...



So it requires you to follow a standard RMA procedure - another couple of days' delay (in sending the item to newegg, them processing it, them approving it, ), and then shipping you a new chip.


newtekie1 said:


> And fankly, if I was one of the customers that recieve one of those bad units, my only concern would be getting the right part that I paid for, not why I got what I got.  Newegg could tell me aliens came down and abducted my i7, I wouldn't care, as long as a real i7 was shipped to me.



Lucky for you. If I were a smalltime system builder running behind a deadline, I'd be mad pissed at receiving a demo box that could hurt my business (overstepping deadlines).


----------



## AsRock (Mar 8, 2010)

mikek75 said:


> Obviously being in the UK I couldn't use Newegg anyway, but they've really shot themselves in the foot by the claim that they were "demo boxes". Thats just outright dishonest lies. Any company can be caught out by counterfeiters, but the only way to deal with it is complete honesty and acceptance. "Bullshit baffles brains" only works on officers, it destroys reputations. The Newegg PR dept want sacking for this!



They said there supplier said they were demo boxes not newegg.  So Newegg are not covering any thing up as we know.

EDIT:



btarunr said:


> The thing is customers shouldn't care who D&H is. It's Newegg they're dealing with, not its suppliers. So to the customer, it's Newegg that called them "demo boxes", aside from the fact that they're now resolving the issue.
> 
> Now to the above if you reply "then it shouldn't matter what story Newegg tells its customers", then the reply is "no, it does matter. When customers pay $300 for something, they deserve to know exactly what was shipped to them, and why they should spend another $10 shipping it back to Newegg to get a replacement or refund."



Every single item i had to ship back to newegg has been FREE to do.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> They are only entitled to what they originally paid for.  It would be nice to know the truth, but they certainly aren't entitled to any thing beyond what they originally paid for.



That's like saying you paid $500,000 on a house and your builder promised to give it to you in "a guaranteed" one year, and ends up taking two years to do that, and that your knowing the truth behind the delay is an "undeserved entitlement".

Besides, we're missing the point. According to Intel, these are certainly not "demo boxes". So one of these: Newegg or its supplier, is in for trouble...part of what's making news.


----------



## WhiteLotus (Mar 8, 2010)

That's a nice email that btarunr posted. It is nice of them to offer the choice, instead of just making them have the CPU.


----------



## t_ski (Mar 8, 2010)

Just in case any of have not seen how far this has gone, take a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQrAOQ4TzQc&feature=player_embedded


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> That's like saying you paid $500,000 on a house and your builder promised to give it to you in "a guaranteed" one year, and ends up taking two years to do that, and that your knowing the truth behind the delay is an "undeserved entitlement".
> 
> Besides, we're missing the point. According to Intel, these are certainly not "demo boxes". So one of these: Newegg or its supplier, is in for trouble...part of what's making news.



$500,000 is a little more than $300, and dealing with a time contract is different then purely goods sales.

In the end, when you buy goods, the only thing you are entitled to is the goods.  If you get something different, all the seller is responsible for is making sure you get what you paid for.  They are not responsible for giving reasons behinds mix-ups. It would be nice to know what really happened and why, and a good gesture on newegg's part to give a true* explaination, but they buyer is not entitled to an explaination.

*By true, I mean true as far as newegg knows. As I stated before, if D&H told newegg they were demo boxes, newegg had no way of knowing otherwise.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> $500,000 is a little more than $300, and dealing with a time contract is different then purely goods sales.
> 
> In the end, when you buy goods, the only thing you are entitled to is the goods.  If you get something different, all the seller is responsible for is making sure you get what you paid for.  They are not responsible for giving reasons behinds mix-ups. It would be nice to know what really happened and why, and a good gesture on newegg's part to give a true* explaination, but they buyer is not entitled to an explaination.
> 
> *By true, I mean true as far as newegg knows. As I stated before, if D&H told newegg they were demo boxes, newegg had no way of knowing otherwise.



When those mixups affects you, then the issue is different. Think system builders, think company IT departments - people for whom this ≥1 week delay deserves a little more than free replacement or full refund as compensation.

And regardless of Newegg not knowing if these were "counterfeit merchandise" or "demo boxes", it's Newegg and not its supplier that's liable for this mess, to the customer.


----------



## WarEagleAU (Mar 8, 2010)

I agree with newtekie1 as Newegg is really hands down the best. Sure, there are others who have better deals and cheaper shipping at times, but by far, Newegg is the best. Also, *ADVANCED RMA* means they ship the product to you, usually at a greater cost than shipping you may have paid, and most times, its either overnight or maybe 2 day air. I think this was a good move on their part after noticing the error or being told about it and as always, their customer service has come through. However, of course, continue to bash them as you do not deal with them. they are doing the best they can with what they have and I highly doubt they sold any "fake" or "counterfeit" products to its customers. It is unfortunate what happened, but it has happened and they were quick to get it fixed.

Also, Id like to applaud Intel for stepping in to clarify what was being said and also being a good business in general. Well done Intel and Newegg.


----------



## Kei (Mar 8, 2010)

Get 'em Intel! There are some seriously greedy people on this earth....it makes me sad. 

I'll still gladly shop at newegg anyway without hesitation. 

Kei


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> When those mixups affects you, then the issue is different. Think system builders, think company IT departments - people for whom this ≥1 week delay deserves a little more than free replacement or full refund as compensation.



Greater than 1 week delay?  You sure about that?  From what I've read, the issue was discovered by the customers Thursday(3-4), and newegg was overnighting replacement Friday so they would arrive Monday(3-8), if not sending them out Monday arriving Tuesday.  That isn't exactly a 1 week delay...

And again, they are not entitled to an explaination.  They might want one, and ask for one, and newegg might give one, but the customer certainly is not entitled to an explaination in any way.


----------



## DannibusX (Mar 8, 2010)

Let’s not forget that it appears that Newegg has also been defrauded.  They’re taking all appropriate steps to ensure that their customers receive what they paid for.

There will likely not be an explanation from Newegg on this, at least not for some time.  The amount of money involved and the fact that the fraud crossed state lines means the FBI will be investigating what happened.

I ordered a new CPU and ram from them this morning, I have no doubt I will receive what I ordered.  Newegg’s customer service has gone above and beyond my expectations when I have dealt with them.


----------



## WarEagleAU (Mar 8, 2010)

Me too Kei. So I followed up more on the HardOCP links posted by Ford and some others. I didn't realize D&H was so bent out of shape over their name being mentioned like only once or twice and very late on the posting. To me this screams coverup or something fishy. I don't fault newegg too much, but they really need to enhance their QA/QC of checking stuff like that. Question, does anyone know if the boxes felt the same (meaning weight wise) or different (eg. lighter) than a normal proc box?


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> Greater than 1 week delay?  You sure about that?  From what I've read, the issue was discovered by the customers Thursday(3-4), and newegg was overnighting replacement Friday so they would arrive Monday(3-8), if not sending them out Monday arriving Tuesday.  That isn't exactly a 1 week delay...



No, customers may have placed orders originally on last Monday (to get this "demo box" delivered to them) on Wednesday or Thursday. Newegg gave out its statement acknowledging this on Friday, it got in touch with customers on that day. Then comes weekend (nobody delivers either ways), and then customers opting for replacement send their "demo boxes" back to Newegg. Then typically Newegg takes a working day to process even advanced RMA, and sends back its merchandise via overnight.

So let's see:

Saturday 2/27/2010 (original order placed) or
Monday 3/1/2010 (original order placed)
Tuesday customers who opted for overnight deliveries get this "demo box", complain, compaints start pouring in.
Wednesday or Thursday (they receive  this "demo box", if they'd used a standard 3 business day shipping, same day they complain, sizable number of complaints are built and at Newegg, a "one off issue" turns into a large scale problem
Regardless of when the original order fetched "demo boxes" to customers, On Friday, Newegg makes these public statements, and sends emails to affected customers
Probably the same day or Monday, customers choosing replacement or refund send their "demo box" back to Newegg
Weekend (nobody delivers the "demo chip" to newegg)
Monday - 1 calendar week has already elapsed, tentatively Newegg receives and processes the "demo box", processes Advanced RMA
Monday or Tuesday, Newegg, upon successful verification of the "demo box" puts a Core i7 920 on overnight delivery
Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on the above), customer finally gets what he paid for.


----------



## WarEagleAU (Mar 8, 2010)

Fedex ships on Saturdays, UPS does not. So there is a company that ships on the weekends (not Sunday that I know of).


----------



## bat (Mar 8, 2010)

I think you're dead wrong btarunr.

There any many situations and scenarios that could have happened.  The bottom line is they are taking care of their customer to the best of their ability!  They are proactively sending out emails instead of waiting to hear from customers first.  They are providing free overnight shipping or refunds depending on what customers prefer.  How could they take care of their customers any better reasonably?

For all we know the distributor gave them that excuse and before they got a chance to investigate it fully (maybe because they wanted to take care of their customers) they went with that story.  Would you rather wait while they investigate it to find out exactly what happened before they took care of their customers?  We're not entitled to know EVERYTHING that might have impacted our order timing.  

The truth is probably not so picture perfect but I bet its a far cry from how evil you're making them sound for telling either a white lie or what they believed to be the truth.

In the end they're taking care of their customers and there's not much else you could ask for.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

bat said:


> I think you're dead wrong btarunr.
> 
> There any many situations and scenarios that could have happened.  The bottom line is they are taking care of their customer to the best of their ability!  They are proactively sending out emails instead of waiting to hear from customers first.  They are providing free overnight shipping or refunds depending on what customers prefer.  How could they take care of their customers any better reasonably?
> 
> ...



Nobody is giving them discredit for that. If you read the article, there's nothing that maligns Newegg, at least nothing that isn't backed by citations. 

The truth is Newegg told its customers they got "demo boxes". Press alleged it's a cover up (many in the older news thread did, too) and in response, instead of coming out to clarify, Newegg's suppliers sent cease and desist orders to the press. Then the press called in Intel and asked for its take. Intel said that no, those parts aren't demo boxes, they're counterfeits. Meanwhile Newegg is resolving the issue with customers. So regardless of who came up with the "tell them they're demo boxes" idea, Newegg lied to its customers. 

Now, is there really something you couldn't understand from the news? There's no need to be defensive about Newegg in the whole discussion. I myself am a Newegg customer, I know their standards.


----------



## bat (Mar 8, 2010)

'And regardless of Newegg not knowing if these were "counterfeit merchandise" or "demo boxes", it's Newegg and not its supplier that's liable for this mess, to the customer.'

They're responsible so they're responsibly taking care of their customers.

Also why are you holding them responsible for their supplier sending out cease and desist orders?

If an employee is drunk and puts the wrong item in your box and you have to exchange it are you entitled to know an employee was drunk on the job and got fired?  No they'll apologize for the mix-up and correct it the best they can.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

bat said:


> Also why are you holding them responsible for their supplier sending out cease and desist orders?



I didn't. That's where you're wrong


----------



## n-ster (Mar 8, 2010)

Newegg, I think, is dealing well with this mess... and it kind of protects their name by saying demo boxes instead of counterfeit... They could, however, offer a small compensation at least


----------



## DannibusX (Mar 8, 2010)

Honestly, I don't see how Newegg "lied" to their customers.  That email went out on Saturday and their supplier could have told them that they were demo units.  Was it just this morning that Intel reported that they don't have demo versions of their products?


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

DannibusX said:


> Honestly, I don't see how Newegg "lied" to their customers.  That email went out on Saturday and their supplier could have told them that they were demo units.  Was it just this morning that Intel reported that they don't have demo versions of their products?



Newegg told them they're "demo boxes", keeping Newegg's reputation in mind, press sought to tackle Newegg's supplier, and not Newegg. Press got whacked with C&Ds. Press proved its point through Intel's intervention that there's no such thing as "demo boxes", and these are counterfeits to the T. Newegg maintains that these are "demo versions" (earlier "demo boxes"), in their latest communications, and didn't clarify. Therefore, Newegg is lying to its customers. Yes, as long as you get your chip, and are satisfied with Newegg's way of making it up to you, you shouldn't care. But the scope of this report and several like it is not that.


----------



## bat (Mar 8, 2010)

'The truth is Newegg told its customers they got "demo boxes". Press alleged it's a cover up (many in the older news thread did, too) and in response, instead of coming out to clarify, Newegg's suppliers sent cease and desist orders to the press. Then the press called in Intel and asked for its take. Intel said that no, those parts aren't demo boxes, they're counterfeits. Meanwhile Newegg is resolving the issue with customers. So regardless of who came up with the "tell them they're demo boxes" idea, Newegg lied to its customers.'

Gotta go to work so last post from me.

You saying they 'lied' indicates they knew exactly what happened before they sent out any statements.  It also portrays newegg in a sinister and damning light which is why I took a defensive tone on their behalf since I think they're a great company.  Also including their distributors actions in the same statement you're criticizing newegg in it seems like you're grouping them together.

So you say I'm wrong, I'll agree to disagree.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

bat said:


> 'The truth is Newegg told its customers they got "demo boxes". Press alleged it's a cover up (many in the older news thread did, too) and in response, instead of coming out to clarify, Newegg's suppliers sent cease and desist orders to the press. Then the press called in Intel and asked for its take. Intel said that no, those parts aren't demo boxes, they're counterfeits. Meanwhile Newegg is resolving the issue with customers. So regardless of who came up with the "tell them they're demo boxes" idea, Newegg lied to its customers.'
> 
> Gotta go to work so last post from me.
> 
> ...



The communication is between Newegg and its customer. Newegg by now, or at least by Friday, knew that calling them "demo boxes" is factually incorrect, and could also invite action from Intel (for retailing non-Intel goods with Intel's product design, brand name, and not later acknowledging that those were counterfeit). As long as Newegg maintains the stand that those were "Demo boxes" or "demo version" (300-odd in number), it's lying to its customers, period.

Once again let me reiterate that the scope of the news article (and even this discussion) is not to talk about Newegg. In the article, Newegg is but a small component of the issue. There's no need to be so defensive about Newegg. Yes Newegg did a great job dealing with its customers, but that's not central to the issue.


----------



## mikek75 (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> You do realize that it is far more likely that D&H told newegg they were demo boxes shipped on accident, and newegg just passed the story on, right?
> 
> Besides that, the only way they could have shot themselves in the foot would be to not take care of the customers, and they did that very quickly.  They can say whatever story they want.



Utter crap. The statement came out way after the story broke on the forums, which included pictures of all the grammatical and spelling mistakes pointed out. If they were "demo" boxes they wouldn't have had such errors.

Of course they've shot themselves in the foot, its a PR disaster. Yeah, they can say what they like, but saying the first thing that came into their head without the facts, instead of admitting they'd been caught out, is disingenuous. Or is that how YOU carry out your business?


----------



## Pickles24 (Mar 8, 2010)

In reality, What demo is a piece of clay/mold with a fan sticker and a chip made of metal with a sticker instead of actual pins.  I think Newegg reacted with the "demo version" to cover their own tails..  As they should.  I still plan on ordering form them, just like the last 5 years or so.  Someone made off with $80k street value..  I  wonder if they can trace the chips missing by serial?


----------



## n-ster (Mar 8, 2010)

I think they lied... but TBH, for the average buyer, newegg's name does not get hurt as much by demo boxes than by counterfeit products...


----------



## TIGR (Mar 8, 2010)

Not that I think they were, but this doesn't _prove_ they _weren't_ "demo boxes"—or that they weren't intended by Newegg to be _used_ as demo boxes as newtekie said. It just proves they weren't demo boxes _made by Intel_. Realize that not all demo products out there are authorized/manufactured/sourced by the manufacturer of the actual item, anyway.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> No, customers may have placed orders originally on last Monday (to get this "demo box" delivered to them) on Wednesday or Thursday. Newegg gave out its statement acknowledging this on Friday, it got in touch with customers on that day. Then comes weekend (nobody delivers either ways), and then customers opting for replacement send their "demo boxes" back to Newegg. Then typically Newegg takes a working day to process even advanced RMA, and sends back its merchandise via overnight.
> 
> So let's see:
> 
> ...



So worst case, assuming the initially paid for overnight shipping and recieved the "demo box" on Tuesday it is a 1 week delay.  I'm guess when they complained to newegg on Tuesday, the process was started to replace the item.  Though do we have any reports from people earlier than Thursday about the issue?

And again, from what I have read customers are not having to ship the demo box back before newegg ships them a proper item.  Just pictures of the demo box emailed to newegg customer service, and newegg overnights the new item.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

mikek75 said:


> Utter crap. The statement came out way after the story broke on the forums, which included pictures of all the grammatical and spelling mistakes pointed out. If they were "demo" boxes they wouldn't have had such errors.
> 
> Of course they've shot themselves in the foot, its a PR disaster. Yeah, they can say what they like, but saying the first thing that came into their head without the facts, instead of admitting they'd been caught out, is disingenuous. Or is that how YOU carry out your business?



So you are saying it is impossible that D&H told newegg they were demo boxes, for whatever reason, and newegg simply passed the story on?  

But instead it is far more likely that newegg came up with a lie about the issue and falsely blamed it on specifically one of their major suppliers without reason.  Yeah, that makes business sense right there.  I wonder which is more plausable...

And the statement didn't come out "way after" the story broke on the forums.  The story hit the forums at about 8PM Thursday, and the statement came out less than 24 hours later at 5PM Friday.  I've dealt with suppliers, and I can tell you when I call them for something that isn't related to buying product, it can take a while to get a response.  That is a reasonable amount of time really, you call them up and wait for them to respond, and it probably took D&H a while to figure out the issue and respond also.

And it actually isn't a PR disaster, if anything it helps their reputation, because they are handling the issue so quickly, and making the situation with their customers right as quickly and painlessly as possible.


----------



## TIGR (Mar 8, 2010)

You can't easily put a price on these delays. If I were Newegg, in addition to replacing the fakes as promptly as reasonable (overnight shipping), I'd toss each affected customer a $10 or $20 Newegg gift code. Anyone who felt reparations had not been adequately made would be welcome to GTFO and shop elsewhere.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

TIGR said:


> You can't easily put a price on these delays. If I were Newegg, in addition to replacing the fakes as promptly as reasonable (overnight shipping), I'd toss them maybe a $10 or $20 Newegg gift code. Anyone who felt reparations had not been adequately made would be welcome to GTFO and shop elsewhere.



I can say with confidence, that if you push slightly hard, they probably would do exactly that.  Hell, they gave me a $50 Gift Card simply because I complained that it took them a little too long to respond when I was asking for them to price match on a netbook...something they officially don't even do, but they did anyway...


----------



## TIGR (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> I can say with confidence, that if you push slightly hard, they probably would do exactly that.  Hell, they gave me a $50 Gift Card simply because I complained that it took them a little too long to respond when I was asking for them to price match on a netbook...something they officially don't even do, but they did anyway...



 I need to complain to Newegg more!


----------



## moonlord (Mar 8, 2010)

*Error*

A company with 2.1 billion revenue to do that? for a 280$, there is something weird here.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

moonlord said:


> A company with 2.1 billion revenue to do that? for a 280$, there is something weird here.



I think we have all, at least the sane and rational of us, have come to the conclusion that newegg wasn't behind it.  It might have been an employee of newegg acting on their own, but it certainly wasn't newegg purposely trying to screw customers with fake products.


----------



## TIGR (Mar 8, 2010)

moonlord said:


> A company with 2.1 billion revenue to do that? for a 280$, there is something weird here.



Welcome to TPU!

That said, I don't really understand what you're getting at here.


----------



## moonlord (Mar 8, 2010)

Newegg doesn't have any reason to do that, maybe it was a sabotage.


----------



## TIGR (Mar 8, 2010)

moonlord said:


> Newegg doesn't have any reason to do that, maybe it was a sabotage.



Ah, gotcha. Yeah, it wouldn't make sense considering the damage to their image.


----------



## moonlord (Mar 8, 2010)

If i see a prove i will believe this story, are you sure that box was shipped by newegg??


----------



## mikek75 (Mar 8, 2010)

The point is, just passing on information from a third party (24 hours after the obvious errors in the packaging were pointed out) is at best incompetant. The fact that they are bending over backwards to sort the issue is mere damage limitation, they have no choice but to supply the goods which were advertised and purchased. 

In a way is a bit like your Bill Clinton getting caught out with Monica, it wasn't necessarily the fact he was getting a blow job which did the damage. More the fact that he said he didn't when it was proved he did!


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

mikek75 said:


> The point is, just passing on information from a third party (24 hours after the obvious errors in the packaging were pointed out) is at best incompetant. The fact that they are bending over backwards to sort the issue is mere damage limitation, they have no choice but to supply the goods which were advertised and purchased.
> 
> In a way is a bit like your Bill Clinton getting caught out with Monica, it wasn't necessarily the fact he was getting a blow job which did the damage. More the fact that he said he didn't when it was proved he did!



The spelling errors do not necessarily mean they weren't demo boxes, so newegg had no big reason to not believe D&H if that is what D&H told them.  Demo boxes are thrown together to look close enough to real, that is it, they are not 100% accurate.

If there is an issue with something I sell, I go to my supplier and ask them why, and they give me a reason.  If it is believeable I tell the customer.  And in this case, demo boxes are pretty believeable, even with the spelling mistakes.

Them bending over backwards to sort the issues out is newegg being newegg.  That is what they do, always, even with small issues that wouldn't publicly hurt their image.


----------



## laszlo (Mar 8, 2010)

there were no demo boxes someone clever change the real ones...

the cpu's can be traced....but i doubt someone will do that(every cpu has a unique signature in 1 system...)


----------



## Nick89 (Mar 8, 2010)

*This thread=* People from foreign countries bashing an American company they have never had the pleasure of doing business with. Because even after this, Newegg is still the best E-tailer to get computer parts from in the US.

If you have never used Newegg you don't have a say if they are a good company or not. In my experience Newegg is the best online E-tailer.


----------



## Easy Rhino (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> When those mixups affects you, then the issue is different. Think system builders, think company IT departments - people for whom this ≥1 week delay deserves a little more than free replacement or full refund as compensation.
> 
> And regardless of Newegg not knowing if these were "counterfeit merchandise" or "demo boxes", it's Newegg and not its supplier that's liable for this mess, to the customer.



say you went to a retail store like bestbuy and bought a CPU. you bring it home and unpack it and realize it isn't a CPU, but a model of a CPU. you bring the CPU back to bestbuy and either ask for a refund or a real unit. you cant demand to know why you received a model instead of the real thing because bestbuy probably wouldnt know at first, and second we have laws in the US against perjury, meaning you cant point fingers based on speculation and publish that speculation because it will hurt the wrongfully accused. so bestbuy couldnt even tell you if they wanted to UNTIL the people responsible are found guilty in a court of law. that is why you the purchaser of goods are not entitled to know.


----------



## Yukikaze (Mar 8, 2010)

Nick89 said:


> *This thread=* People from foreign countries bashing an American company they have never had the pleasure of doing business with. Because even after this, Newegg is still the best E-tailer to get computer parts from in the US. They are jealous.
> 
> If you have never used Newegg you don't have a say if they are a good company or not. In my experience Newegg is the best online E-tailer.



I happen to be a person from a foreign country who bought many parts (over 1,000$ total) from Newegg on a couple of trips to the USA. They always shipped fast and have had good service when I needed it. 

However, since a very quick examination of the box reveals spelling mistakes that are revealing as to the non-Intel origin of the boxes, reporting them as "Demo Boxes" was a bad move. It might have been a message from D&H they passed along (But should have verified, since they had a huge scandal developing on their hands and probably had a few of those boxes on-hand, as well), or it could've been an overzealous marketing representative who thought it was a clever way to try and minimize the damage (And failed miserably), but this is not the behavior expected from the "best E-tailer to get computer parts from in the US".


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

Finally, Newegg uses the right term - counterfeit. 

Here's a statement it gave to Overclockers.com editor IMOG:



> Hi Matt,
> 
> We were notified of a batch of products from one of our suppliers which included counterfeit CPUs. Newegg would never intentionally stock nor sell counterfeit products and we have verified our remaining inventory is completely legitimate. Newegg is in the process of contacting all the customers who received these products and are offering a replacement with expedited shipping, or a full refund, whichever the customer is interested in.
> 
> ...


----------



## Nick89 (Mar 8, 2010)

Yukikaze said:


> I happen to be a person from a foreign country who bought many parts (over 1,000$ total) from Newegg on a couple of trips to the USA. They always shipped fast and have had good service when I needed it.
> 
> However, since a very quick examination of the box reveals spelling mistakes that are revealing as to the non-Intel origin of the boxes, reporting them as "Demo Boxes" was a bad move. It might have been a message from D&H they passed along (But should have verified, since they had a huge scandal developing on their hands and probably had a few of those boxes on-hand, as well), or it could've been an overzealous marketing representative who thought it was a clever way to try and minimize the damage (And failed miserably), but this is not the behavior expected from the "best E-tailer to get computer parts from in the US".



You ever think that Newegg had to use the term "demo box's" while they investigated because its a neutral term and wouldn't get them sued by there supplier for slander? Like if they straight out said they were fake? 

You guys seem to have no idea how business's work. When something like this happens you use a neutral term like "demo boxs" so not to immediately implicate wrong doing until it is certain of what has transpired.


----------



## Yukikaze (Mar 8, 2010)

Nick89 said:


> You ever think that Newegg had to use the term "demo box's" while they investigated because its a neutral term and wouldn't get them sued by there supplier for slander? Like if they straight out said they were fake?



When you do not know, you do not use ANY term to describe the situation. You say that you are investigating a problem with the shipping of said CPUs, but you don't go and say "demo boxes" when you have no idea what the heck happened. The first one is just as effective when you offer immediate treatment to your customers in the form of refunds and replacement, while the second leaves your ass hanging out in the middle of nowhere when the truth comes out.


----------



## Bundy (Mar 8, 2010)

I don't understand why someone would make a conterfeit and then attempt to pass them off through the Intel distribution chain. Criminals don't leave such obvious footsteps. Wouldn't there be a better chance flogging this via online auctions or dodgy web sites?

I still think they are demos, perhaps not formally approved by Intel, thus now gaining the term "counterfeit" from Intel's perpective. Originally I thought Intel themselves had procured these but now based on their statement, I suspect a mistake by a distributer. If I were Intel, I'd be sweeping this under the carpet, as they are doing.


----------



## btarunr (Mar 8, 2010)

Nick89 said:


> *This thread=* People from foreign countries bashing an American company they have never had the pleasure of doing business with.



Not me:






And it doesn't take a Newegg shopper to see something wrong, or that only Newegg shoppers are some special species that have the "moral right" to "speak about" Newegg.



Nick89 said:


> Because even after this, Newegg is still the best E-tailer to get computer parts from in the US. They are jealous.



Since when is it an axiom that "the best" don't screw up? If anything, news of this nature should be encouraged, and not looked at as defamatory or maligning to the giant Pandora tree Newegg. For starters, Newegg could dump its suppliers for more competent ones, and that could benefit you. Where has "proactive thought" gone?


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

Yukikaze said:


> However, since a very quick examination of the box reveals spelling mistakes that are revealing as to the non-Intel origin of the boxes, reporting them as "Demo Boxes" was a bad move. It might have been a message from D&H they passed along (But should have verified, since they had a huge scandal developing on their hands and probably had a few of those boxes on-hand, as well), or it could've been an overzealous marketing representative who thought it was a clever way to try and minimize the damage (And failed miserably), but this is not the behavior expected from the "best E-tailer to get computer parts from in the US".



Since when do demo boxes have to come from Intel?

It isn't entirely unheard of to get a 3rd party to make realistic looking demo products.  You ever been in a store and seen those fake boxes on the shelves, with tags that say "bring box to counter for real product".  I've seen plenty of very bad demo boxes.

And really, if D&H told newegg that they were demo boxes they had made up for another customer to display in their store, that is a plausable thing. I'd certainly accept it an move on, because there are bigger things to worry about.



Bundy said:


> I don't understand why someone would make a conterfeit and then attempt to pass them off through the Intel distribution chain. Criminals don't leave such obvious footsteps. Wouldn't there be a better chance flogging this via online auctions or dodgy web sites?



Because if you replace what you steal with something that looks real, you are less likely to be caught instantly.  Someone along the distribution chain likely swapped the fakes for the real products, and because they looked real enough, no one noticed.  

I mean, do people really think the people shipping the processors, and packing them up in newegg's warehouse are reading the backs of the boxes looking for spelling mistakes before boxing the product up?


----------



## Yukikaze (Mar 8, 2010)

Bundy said:


> I don't understand why someone would make a conterfeit and then attempt to pass them off through the Intel distribution chain. Criminals don't leave such obvious footsteps. Wouldn't there be a better chance flogging this via online auctions or dodgy web sites?



Because they forgot an important rule of scamming (I'm gonna paraphrase Mass Effect 2's Aria here, because it just fits):
The world of computers has no titled ruler and only one rule: Don't. Screw. With. Intel (Or any other very, very large company who would sue your ass off if you somehow threaten their good name - And with right and good reason).


----------



## Nick89 (Mar 8, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Not me:
> http://img.techpowerup.org/100308/bta3lkhekm.jpg
> 
> And it doesn't take a Newegg shopper to see something wrong, or that only Newegg shoppers are some special species that have the "moral right" to "speak about" Newegg.
> ...



I'll agree with you btarunr


----------



## Yukikaze (Mar 8, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> Since when do demo boxes have to come from Intel?
> 
> It isn't entirely unheard of to get a 3rd party to make realistic looking demo products.  You ever been in a store and seen those fake boxes on the shelves, with tags that say "bring box to counter for real product".  I've seen plenty of very bad demo boxes.
> 
> And really, if D&H told newegg that they were demo boxes they had made up for another customer to display in their store, that is a plausable thing. I'd certainly accept it an move on, because there are bigger things to worry about.



A good point, actually.


----------



## DannibusX (Mar 8, 2010)

No one really knows what happened other than Newegg, their partners and maybe some law enforcement.  Speculating on what happened does no good.  Arguing over it does no good either.

Newegg discovered the problem and their working to correct it, I don't think this will have any lasting effect on their reputation and I am sure steps will be taken to prevent something like this from happening again in the future.

They'll find out where these counterfeit/demo/non-functioning-paperweights were slipped into the supply chain.  As long as their customers are taken care of, things will be alright.


----------



## t77snapshot (Mar 8, 2010)

Like I said before...you know someone out there tried to install that cpu and probably fried their board.


----------



## jpierce55 (Mar 8, 2010)

1. Only a complete idiot would blame a reputable company the size of Newegg for the counterfeits. I mean come on 300 $280 processors? I am sure they would destroy a billion dollar company over that.

2. I very seriously doubt the warehouse workers pulling the orders have the time to check all the boxes for correct spelling.

3. Considering the cost to make those counterfeits I would also be prone to believing organized crime was involved.


----------



## Deleted member 3 (Mar 8, 2010)

All but one get returned and destroyed. That one will be sold on ebay for $10.000 because it will be a collectors item.


----------



## Completely Bonkers (Mar 8, 2010)

What, anyone got one of these? Keep it!

Did you realise there are ONLY 300 ever made? Guaranteed. Each one numbered and signed by the artist himself?  Do you know how valuable these will be in a few years from now? Collectors items, soon to be found in a museum near you. If you have got one - seriously - keep it. Return an empty box with a photocopy, but _keep the fake!_

I will now eat this rubber tire to the music The Flight Of The Bumblebee. Music Maestro. 

ART!


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 8, 2010)

t77snapshot said:


> Like I said before...you know someone out there tried to install that cpu and probably fried their board.



Anyone that stupid shouldn't be installing their own processor...


----------



## cauby (Mar 8, 2010)

Correct me if i'm wrong,but isn't this a major loss for newegg?I mean,they paid their distributors the price for 300 real i7 920's (U$280x300=U$84,000) but only got cheap plastic and cardboard???

And I also don't think this is Intel or newegg's fault,they were victims of counterfeiters.Newegg should only be blamed for not paying more attention to what they put to sale,but since they're are trying to correct their mistake,it's ok!


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 9, 2010)

cauby said:


> Correct me if i'm wrong,but isn't this a major loss for newegg?I mean,they paid their distributors the price for 300 real i7 920's (U$280x300=U$84,000) but only got cheap plastic and cardboard???
> 
> And I also don't think this is Intel or newegg's fault,they were victims of counterfeiters.Newegg should only be blamed for not paying more attention to what they put to sale,but since they're are trying to correct their mistake,it's ok!



Newegg will likely not pay the distributor they got the CPUs from, assuming the distributor accepts the blame, and the distributor will not pay their supplier, and it goes up the chain until they figure out where along the chain the CPUs were swapped.  Then that person along the chain will put in a claim to their insurance and the insurance will cover their loss minus a deductable.


----------



## OVRKIL (Mar 9, 2010)

OK, here's my no sense, I mean two cents!!  I work in distribution for the largest Hockey company on the planet!  I run the returns dept there and have a pretty good understanding of how things work.  There's actually an interesting video on YouTube made by Newegg about how orders are processed, they have quite the facility.  

Now regarding those 300 boxed CPUs, chances are it was one skid/pallet worth of product wrapped up nice and tidy so to protect the product and keep the inside concealed until its put away in its storage then picking location.  If it was a bogus shipment from the distributor, then the outside documentation is what was recorded upon receiving the product and a quick check of the pallet contents.  I can't tell you the number Asian vendors that screw up wording 'ans' skus (<-I made a funny!) and then get charged back to them for the mistakes.  We had to relabel thousands of units due to errors by the vendors at times.  

Anyway, looking at Newegg's picking process, there is a bin with a barcoded sticker that contains the order info that travels along a conveyor and at a certain picking station, someone scans the bin and places the appropriate product in the bin and it continues along its way.  If no one actually scans the product, then they won't know if there's an issue, assuming someone replenished that pick bin properly.

Like someone has pointed out, the amount of $$ in question here is in excess of $80K and at that point I think the Fed will investigate and we will see where it takes it.  I did notice one seller on ebay selling a boatload of 920s for like $700 'buy it now', claiming they are guarenteed overclockers!!  BOGUS!  So that's my take on what "possibly" could have happened based on my experience in distribution.  

For the record, I am currently building my 4th PC with parts purchased almost exclusively thru the Egg!  I have never had to RMA a single item!  If I did receive something that I didn't order, of course I'd be upset, but I'd contact them immediately to get it resolved.  Do I expect them to give me a ticket to Willy Wonka's factory for my troubles or divulge information that may need to be kept quiet because of a possible investigation!?  Hell no, just give me what I ordered so I can complete my build!!

Thanks to listening to my nonsense and have a great night!

OVRKIL


----------



## WarEagleAU (Mar 9, 2010)

Here is what they just posted, or recently posted on their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/neweg...-intel-core-i7-920-cpu-situation/400548248571

Check the link for all the information. It was not D&H but IPEX. They are terminating their business with them.


----------



## OVRKIL (Mar 9, 2010)

WarEagleAU said:


> Here is what they just posted, or recently posted on their Facebook page.
> 
> http://www.facebook.com/notes/neweg...-intel-core-i7-920-cpu-situation/400548248571
> 
> Check the link for all the information. It was not D&H but IPEX. They are terminating their business with them.



There you go...those of you who wanted the details...they didn't have to divulge that info but I think they did to satisfy D&H!


----------



## Kantastic (Mar 9, 2010)

I'll think twice before reading, let alone believing, anything from [H]orriblyunreliableForum again.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm a victim of this fraud! I ordered an i7 and they shipped me an Phenom II!


----------



## OVRKIL (Mar 9, 2010)

TheMailMan78 said:


> I'm a victim of this fraud! I ordered an i7 and they shipped me an Phenom II!



OMG...OH THE HORROR..ARE YOU OK!!


----------



## eidairaman1 (Mar 9, 2010)

sounds like someone is Hording chips


----------



## [I.R.A]_FBi (Mar 9, 2010)

eidairaman1 said:


> sounds like someone is Hording chipsmoney


----------



## pantherx12 (Mar 9, 2010)

Not sure if anyone has called BTA out on "o it requires you to follow a standard RMA procedure - another couple of days' delay (in sending the item to newegg, them processing it, them approving it, ), and then shipping you a new chip."

newegg said they would do advance RMA which is sending you out the product/refund before they get it back to them.


----------



## jpierce55 (Mar 9, 2010)

oops, I see it is already linked.


----------



## Papahyooie (Mar 9, 2010)

I just wanted to throw this out there, in the Email they said they would give an Advance RMA. That means they will send you the product immediately, before you shipping back the broken one.


EDIT: d'oh! Hadn't read this last page...


----------



## WarEagleAU (Mar 9, 2010)

Yeah I put it back a few pages ago, even bolded it, so it has been brought up. Easily mistaken or missed though, lets not bash BTA, he is an awesome person afterall.


EDIT: They took my thanks button again. Oh well


----------



## caleb (Mar 9, 2010)

Whats the fuss. I don't get it somebody stole 300 CPU's and intel needs to speak in the matter ? Strange...


----------



## HammerON (Mar 9, 2010)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> All but one get returned and destroyed. That one will be sold on ebay for $10.000 because it will be a collectors item.



Hopefully you meant $10,000.00

I still love the Egg and will continue to give them my money for products I don't need but sure the hell want


----------



## Deleted member 3 (Mar 9, 2010)

HammerON said:


> Hopefully you meant $10,000.00



No, I meant $10.000 which is the correct Dutch notation. There is some flawed logic as to why I should be using the Dutch notation in an English sentence, just accept that.


----------



## HammerON (Mar 9, 2010)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> No, I meant $10.000 which is the correct Dutch notation. There is some flawed logic as to why I should be using the Dutch notation in an English sentence, just accept that.



Whoops ~ my bad!
I apologize for globalizing American currency


----------



## Yukikaze (Mar 9, 2010)

caleb said:


> Whats the fuss. I don't get it somebody stole 300 CPU's and intel needs to speak in the matter ? Strange...



If you were selling a product counterfeits of which would have cropped up, you would respond as well. This isn't about the theft.


----------



## Deleted member 3 (Mar 9, 2010)

HammerON said:


> Whoops ~ my bad!
> I apologize for globalizing American currency



Notation, not currency.


----------



## HookeyStreet (Mar 9, 2010)

LMAO @ those fakes.  They arent even good ones   I would expect a full refund or replacement and a little extra for my time being wasted 

What if some n00b actually stuck that, what looks like a piece of lead, onto his motherboard LMFAO


----------



## yogurt_21 (Mar 9, 2010)

yeah I think newegg is handling the situation well, but the demo boxes lie (whther or not it originated form newegg) will cost them. I work in online education and yes customers can get peeved by an outage but they are actually very understanding "these things happen" they tell me. That is until they are lied to. Once the lie is there whether or not intentional they become irate lose trust and begin looking at doing business elswhere. Wehther or not I was told by programmign that the outage would only last another hour I never tell the customers that. Why? because if they're wrong and it lasts 2 I've violated the trust of the customers and lied to them. I'm only pasisng on what I've been told but all the same I've lied to the customers. 

this is where the big issue is. Newegg should never have passed on that little nugget. The email should simply have read "We are still investigating the problem with the I7 920 cpu's for batch/shipment number XYZ. While we continue to investigate we are offering refunds or replacemnts for anyone who recieved and I7 920 for that batch/shipment number."

This avoids blaming the wrong person or telling the customers incorrect information. That way when Intel sends out an announcement, newegg doesn't look like a jack ass.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 9, 2010)

HookeyStreet said:


> LMAO @ those fakes.  They arent even good ones   I would expect a full refund or replacement and a little extra for my time being wasted
> 
> What if some n00b actually stuck that, what looks like a piece of lead, onto his motherboard LMFAO



Read the thread, they are overnighting replacements to all the customers.

And anyone that would fall for this shouldn't be installing their own processor, as said before.



yogurt_21 said:


> yeah I think newegg is handling the situation well, but the demo boxes lie (whther or not it originated form newegg) will cost them. I work in online education and yes customers can get peeved by an outage but they are actually very understanding "these things happen" they tell me. That is until they are lied to. Once the lie is there whether or not intentional they become irate lose trust and begin looking at doing business elswhere. Wehther or not I was told by programmign that the outage would only last another hour I never tell the customers that. Why? because if they're wrong and it lasts 2 I've violated the trust of the customers and lied to them. I'm only pasisng on what I've been told but all the same I've lied to the customers.
> 
> this is where the big issue is. Newegg should never have passed on that little nugget. The email should simply have read "We are still investigating the problem with the I7 920 cpu's for batch/shipment number XYZ. While we continue to investigate we are offering refunds or replacemnts for anyone who recieved and I7 920 for that batch/shipment number."
> 
> This avoids blaming the wrong person or telling the customers incorrect information. That way when Intel sends out an announcement, newegg doesn't look like a jack ass.



I find that customers in general a pretty understanding, until lied to.  However, they only tend to get peeved when the lie is something like "it will get to you tomorrow, and then it doesn't come for a week".  When something like the newegg situation happens, they are pretty happy to believe anything they are told as long as they get what they paid for quickly.


----------



## caleb (Mar 9, 2010)

Yukikaze said:


> If you were selling a product counterfeits of which would have cropped up, you would respond as well. This isn't about the theft.



Thats not even a counterfeit,Its a lame theft. It would be something worth mentioning in press if they would actually sell working CPU's with fake labels etc. not a pig in a poke. All Im wondering is why would a company as large as that even bother to react to a problem on such a tiny scale.


----------



## DaedalusHelios (Mar 9, 2010)

caleb said:


> Thats not even a counterfeit,Its a lame theft. It would be something worth mentioning in press if they would actually sell working CPU's with fake labels etc. not a pig in a poke. All Im wondering is why would a company as large as that even bother to react to a problem on such a tiny scale.



Because news travels fast in a country that has more online than anywhere else in the world.


----------

