Thursday, August 5th 2021
EVGA is Requesting Scalper-level Pricing for Advanced GPU RMA Program
Just a few days back, we have seen reports being made about EVGA graphics cards dying from playing a closed beta test of Amazon Game's New World MMORPG game. Multiple users are reporting on their GPUs getting fried from playing the game, and EVGA is already offering a replacement for the GPUs. However, today's situation appears to be slightly different. According to the report coming from Igor's Lab, EVGA is charging premium prices for its advanced GPU RMA service, getting some criticism from the community. For starters, the advanced RMA service is a service designed for EVGA customers to send their faulty GPUs, pay a deposit, receive a replacement GPU from EVGA, and once EVGA receives the old GPU, it returns the deposit to the person who made it. It basically allows less downtime for owners of the GPU, with a replacement quickly on the way.
All of that is working neatly in theory. However, as every person involved in the PC building recently knows, prices for GPUs are at an insane level as demand is much higher than the supply currently available. Igor's Lab has reportedly experienced a similar situation with EVGA as well. As Igor filed for the advanced RMA program, the deposit needed to be made. Instead of the regular 782 Euros (or about 931 Euros with VAT included) for EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra, EVGA asked for as much as a 1,728.20 Euro deposit to be made.
While this is certainly a scalping price that EVGA is requesting, the whole deposit is returned to the customer once the broken GPU arrives. It is an attempt to give EVGA a sense of ease that the customer will not scalp the new card and not send the old one to EVGA, so the situation couldn't be seen from the angle of only "bad EVGA". Of course, if the person doesn't have the funds for an advanced RMA program, there is always the standard "slow" method. Most companies are only doing the standard method of replacing the broken parts under warranty, so the advanced RMA program is still seen as a benefit from that perspective.
EVGA has the following statement on their RMA page:
Source:
Igor's Lab
All of that is working neatly in theory. However, as every person involved in the PC building recently knows, prices for GPUs are at an insane level as demand is much higher than the supply currently available. Igor's Lab has reportedly experienced a similar situation with EVGA as well. As Igor filed for the advanced RMA program, the deposit needed to be made. Instead of the regular 782 Euros (or about 931 Euros with VAT included) for EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra, EVGA asked for as much as a 1,728.20 Euro deposit to be made.
EVGA has the following statement on their RMA page:
Due to increased fraud and current market conditions, the collateral amount includes an additional RMA service hold attached, which will be fully refunded upon the return of the original item. As a thank you for our customers, we now include a pre-paid UPS return label in the box.
58 Comments on EVGA is Requesting Scalper-level Pricing for Advanced GPU RMA Program
Asking current *cough* MSRP *cough* is a bit crap.
Anyone detailed how long it takes when you go the non "Advanced" RMA route?
You may not know this, There are lot of people still buying graphic cards in this current overpriced market condition. 1660 Ti for $600 still sells, even 3070 for $1500. Especially if the price comes from the sole distributor in the whole country, there's no other choice.
Now, as for why eVGA is doing it this way. Well, lets just assume you are a scalper that has no moral integrity. You get an eVGA graphics card that you plan to scalp. Now though, eVGA is giving RMAs to anyone that says New World bricked their cards. So you just apply for an advanced RAM, pay the $700 MSRP, and turn around and scalp the second card too. Now eVGA is out the second card, you aren't actually breaking any laws and eVGA can't go after you because you paid them for the second card. That's the whole deal, you are paying for the card that they are shipping you in advance, if you don't return the "broken" card, they keep your money. But a scalper now just got two cards at MSRP that they can now scalp. However, if eVGA charges scalper prices for the advanced RMA, then it isn't worth it for scalpers to run the scam to get more cards.
Yes, money buys you service and a whole heap of other things.
official w0rd:
OOh i just going to get a advanced RMA and pay MSRP price and not send the none broken one back :P, i bet there is a hell load of people trying it too who are not even scalpers.
At first I wanted to claim a TLDR card, and bash EVGA just like everyone else... Then, I had my morning coffee and went through EAR terms and conditions.
Then I had my second morning coffee and got a little recreational reading of EAR for EU customers....
So, long story short: if you live in CONUS, nothing is changed even if they ask for $1M collateral (unless you are one of those bastards that knowingly broke it and just trying an RMA roulette, but that's usually done through normal RMA). But if you are in EU - that's where things get complicated. Even if you are in the right, you still have to pay safety deposit, which means that an additional grand will circulate in someone else's pocket instead of making useful things for you.
As far as I can see, the only way you can "scalp" GPUs off EAR is by committing fraud (which is a whole another story), and given how EAR works and what qualifies I'm pretty sure that you can discard the majority of fraudulent cases on the processing stage. Either EVGA has some serious internal problems (or bad partners on distributor side), or the proper approach requires so much effort and manual labor that it pretty much became a reason why EAR gets discontinued in the first place.
And, for goodness sake, it's an optional RMA program.
Don't get it, if you don't want it.
Its why if i start a mod project i get a cheap vid board for recovery reasons.