X-Fi I/O Bay Titanium Now Available from Auzentech

[btarunr]

Yeah, but he didn't ask them to do it for free, he asked how much a replacement screen would cost. Many manufacturers have authorised service centres, and these days of us all being encouraged to be environmentally aware it makes sense to repair instead of replace an otherwise serviceable item.

You call up BFG, EVGA, Zotac, or Palit, and ask them to give you a spare NVIDIA reference cooler for GeForce GTX 260, agreeing to pay for it. They won't oblige. The consumer electronics supply-chain is design in a way that a broken product can be only replaced for free under its warranty, or be replaced by buying a new one. Spares are not sold, or paid repairs done. I know it's not supposed to be this way, but you'll be surprised to know the extant to which this practice has propagated.

 

[Mussels]

what BTA just said is spot on.

 

[mikek75]

Well, I messed up the focusing screen on my Canon DSLR with a ham fisted cleaning attempt not covered by warranty. Was a simple matter of sending it to the Canon Authorised Service Centre and paying then £30 for a replacement screen (fitted). Sapphire will also carry out non-warranty repairs for a fee (although in that case it involves shipping to HK)... Theres too much of a throwaway culture these days (God I'm getting old, LOL)

 

[btarunr]

Well, I messed up the focusing screen on my Canon DSLR with a ham fisted cleaning attempt not covered by warranty. Was a simple matter of sending it to the Canon Authorised Service Centre and paying then £30 for a replacement screen (fitted). Sapphire will also carry out non-warranty repairs for a fee (although in that case it involves shipping to HK)... Theres too much of a throwaway culture these days (God I'm getting old, LOL)

There are companies that carry out paid repairs and sell spares, I don't deny that, but the practice of catering [only] to the throwaway culture is as much institutionalised. I had this GeForce GTX 260 imported from Europe, which came with a broken cooler. I approached every NVIDIA partner there is, and nobody was inclined to sell me a spare cooler. Because I imported it, I couldn't use the warranty. Checkmate. The next thing to do was to import a more expensive, compatible third-party cooler. The two lived happily ever after.

 

[mikek75]

Ah, the grey import rears its ugly... I just sent back a camera because it turned out to be a Japanese market model for the very reason that Canon UK refused to register it. After spending £750 I wasn't prepared to risk the "sellers" warranty, and forked out the extra £70 for the peace of mind. But I digress...

 

[btarunr]

Ah, the grey import rears its ugly...

Yes, it's a gray import, but the point I was trying to make is that the consumer is powerless if he wants spare parts or paid service. The situation would have been the same, if I bought the product from here, and its warranty expired.

 

[mikek75]

Only solution is to boycott such manufacturers....As I said, last time I checked Sapphire will do paid repairs. Whether or not they make economic sense is another matter.

 

[imperialreign]

Only solution is to boycott such manufacturers....

be prepared, then, to boycott 90% of PC hardware manufacturers . . . Intel, AMD, ASUS, Creative, nVidia, ATI, Gigabyte, ABIT, MSI, OCZ, PNY . . .


. . . just to name a few.

 

[pr0n Inspector]

But Creative have Fatal1ty cards! it's so 1337...uh I mean retarded!