Newegg.com Consumer Report.
Well about a month ago I submitted a story to Lxer.com suggesting that we boycott Newegg.com. The original story is below.
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Should the Linux community boycott newegg.com?
I’m beginning to wonder myself. My uncle bought a $1200.00 laptop that didn’t work right brand new and wanted to return it for a refund in under 30 days. In the US its illegal not to refund someone’s money for a defective product or a product that is not as described and everyone has the right to return something that is new.
Desktop PC, Notebook, and Tablet PC Return Policy
Return for refund within: non-refundable
Return for replacement within: 30 days (defective items only)
This is our Detailed Desktop PC, Notebook and Tablet PC Return Policy. Under this policy all Desktop PCs/Notebooks/Tablet PCs are non-refundable, and this supersedes all other return policies. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy. Any Desktop PCs/Notebook/Tablet PC that is deemed defective may be returned for a replacement within 30 days only, but a request for refund will not be granted. If a Desktop PC/Notebook/Tablet PC is returned for a replacement, but no problems are found, the Desktop PC/Notebook/Tablet PC will be returned at your (the buyer’s) expense. You should be certain in your decision to purchase a Desktop PC/Notebook/Tablet PC and must agree to this policy before completing your order. By confirming your order, you indicate your agreement to this policy.
A defective Desktop PC, Notebook, or Tablet PC that is returned for a replacement may be repaired or replaced at Newegg.com’s discretion, unless otherwise required by law. We strive to uphold our standard RMA processing time for these types of items; however, in some situations the item must be sent to the manufacturer for repairs. Unfortunately Newegg cannot expedite the RMA repair process in these situations, as we must abide by the manufacturer’s established processing time. If you have a question regarding a Desktop PC, Notebook, or Tablet PC RMA, please contact our Customer Service Department.
Newegg.com is not obeying the law and has you agreeing that they can break it with every purchase of a Laptop, Desktop, and Tablet PC. This to me sounds like a Microsoft agreement. They don’t trust the customers. I myself have purchased thousands of dollars of their products over the last year for my customers. I know that they are convenient and low cost. However if they don’t trust us why should we trust them? They won’t listen to their customer feedback. I think that the only way to get Newegg to listen is to do the following:
1.Kindly send them letters from everyone in the community stating that we want them to change their return policy before we boycott them.
2.Get the Linux community to decide on a date that we will all boycott newegg.com and boycott them for at least a month. If we all do this their sales will drop dramatically and they will look into their consumer feedback. It might take them a while if it’s backed up.
3.Resend our letters.
4.If they don’t comply repeat steps 2 3 and let all your friends and family know as well as any computer businesses in your area.
5.If they do comply then everyone should send them a letter of thanks but be careful as they can change their policy at any time.
If you think this is what we need to do please comment here. Thanks.
What shocked me was that after all the calls that I had made to Newegg.com resulting in negative responses someone from Newegg.com contacted me here on lxer.com. The messages you will see below are direct quotes except for the names used and account information. Newegg.com’s responces and comments will be in BOLD.
Dear usacomputertec,
We Sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may of had, and Thank you for your informative review. At your earliest convenience please contact me at [] or at ——– ext ——- with your order information so I may make this right for you as we truly care about each and every customer like family here at Newegg and really hate to hear any negative feedback or bad experiences as we try to make every customer’s purchase a positive enjoyable one.
Thank you
Sincerely,
Newegg Support
Dear, John Doe
This is usacomputertec / Justin Breithaupt from lxer.com
I purchase thousands of dollars of hardware from you every year and resell it to my customers. I also recommend you to some of my customers and other resellers. I figured that should have counted for something and even mentioned that on the phone to the newegg.com representatives. All they said was that they had to follow their return policy which is not legal in the US.
Original Product Invoice.
Order Information
Invoice # Order # Order Date Order total CustomerPoNumber ----- 11/9/2007 1:40:24 AM $1,213.98 Shipping Information To From Date Method ----- 11/9/2007 11:19:37 AM UPS Ground Payment Information Cardholder's Name Card Type Card # Exp. Date ----- Products Qty. Product Description Total Price Item(s) shipped from CA Tracking Number: ----- Track 1 ASUS A8 Series A8SC-B1 Intel Core 2 Duo T7250(2.00GHz) 14" Wide XGA 2GB 160GB DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G NoteBook - Retail Item #: N82E16834220225 Return Policy: Desktop PC, Notebook, and Tablet PC Return Policy For Asus Tech Support, Please Call 502-995-0883 or http://helpdesk.asus.com/ $1,198.99 Subtotal: $1,198.99 Tax: $0.00 Shipping: $14.99 Amount Paid: $1,213.98 Special ordered items are not refundable. All items come with manufacturers warranty only. Open box items come with 15-day warranty only. All refunds require 15% restocking fee. Do not remove any labels from any parts or it will result in your warranty being void. Any wrong or damaged item must be reported within 7 days. No refund after 30 days, NO CPU REFUND AFTER 7 DAYS, no exceptions. PLEASE NOTE: - If you need to return an item to Newegg, please obtain an RMA by contacting Customer Service at (800) 390-1119 or clicking "My Account" on our web page. - Please save all packaging and accessories. All original equipment, components, manuals, cables, documents and packaging must be returned with your item in order for Newegg.com to process your RMA. Return Policy Text Desktop PC, Notebook, and Tablet PC Return Policy Summary Return for refund within: non-refundable Return for replacement within: 30 days (defective items only) Detail This is our Detailed Desktop PC, Notebook and Tablet PC Return Policy. Under this policy all Desktop PCs/Notebooks/Tablet PCs are non-refundable, and this supersedes all other return policies. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy. Any Desktop PCs/Notebook/Tablet PC that is deemed defective may be returned for a replacement within 30 days only, but a request for refund will not be granted. If a Desktop PC/Notebook/Tablet PC is returned for a replacement, but no problems are found, the Desktop PC/Notebook/Tablet PC will be returned at your (the buyer's) expense. You should be certain in your decision to purchase a Desktop PC/Notebook/Tablet PC and must agree to this policy before completing your order. By confirming your order, you indicate your agreement to this policy. A defective Desktop PC, Notebook, or Tablet PC that is returned for a replacement may be repaired or replaced at Newegg.com's discretion, unless otherwise required by law. We strive to uphold our standard RMA processing time for these types of items; however, in some situations the item must be sent to the manufacturer for repairs. Unfortunately Newegg cannot expedite the RMA repair process in these situations, as we must abide by the manufacturer's established processing time. If you have a question regarding a Desktop PC, Notebook, or Tablet PC RMA, please contact our Customer Service Department.
Policy & Agreement | Privacy Policy | 2000-2007 Newegg Inc.
My customer/uncle who received the laptop is content to keep it now because of all the hassle but we still both believe that return policy is a joke. I’ve even talked it over with people that use to work for the Government that told me it is against the law. So now it’s not a matter of getting a better laptop or getting our money back but just to get newegg.com to realize that having a no return policy even under 30 days for a return does not comply with US Laws. And even if there is some loop hole where online sales can escape US Law that does not mean that we should be taken advantage of.
With a reputable company like newegg.com I figure that when I agree to terms and conditions that these terms and conditions are within the laws passed in the US. I’ve had no problem in the past returning items that were DOA or just completely not as described like a USB wireless card that didn’t work right in Window$ or Linux. I felt that that case was handled very well. This laptop that we ordered was described as being very high quality and having a large LCD screen. When we got it not only was the screen smaller than it looked in the picture due to the fact that the manufacturer had put the screen in a tapered hole to make it look bigger but there were numerous other problems that were most likely manufacturer related. The Ethernet didn’t work at first. I installed Linux and left Vista Home Premium on for the customer as well as he requested. (He really wants to become independent of Vista) When we booted Linux it would not recognize the Ethernet connection and when we booted Vista the entire computer would lock up after opening Internet Exploder 7 on the first boot. In order to turn the computer off we had to hold down the power button. 3 reboots later we got Internet Exploder 7 to go directly to www.getfirefox.com and it corrected the problem. I also had to reconfigure Linux to accept the Ethernet card as well. This was very unexpected because the Linux drivers for Ethernet work on any Ethernet device. So you can see how with Vista crashing when trying to access the Internet and not even bringing up a page and Linux not connecting that we thought the Ethernet was broken. Of course that was just the beginning of our fun. The laptop has 2GBs of RAM, a 128MB NVIDIA video card, and a dual core Intel processor and it still runs slower than Mozes with Vista like it is an 800Mhz PC with 128 Mbs of RAM and I know for a fact that cheaper Laptops with the same specs run much faster with Vista on them. To me this hunk of junk should not have been priced at $1,200.00 and been described as being the elite laptop that it was intended to be. We should have been able to send it back and get that $700.00 Gateway laptop that had much better hardware. It was under 30 days.
To be realistic here lets think about this bogus return policy. You walk into a store in the US and you buy a Laptop in the US and you get it home and it does not work. You take it back and they give you your money back and you go somewhere else. Thats the American way and it’s the law. What makes that any different than shopping online?
Thats why I made that comment about signing for something like a package and finding out that you just agreed to sell yourself to a sweat shop in a foreign country and are contracted to work for them for 4 years. That would be signing your rights away to a company. Rights that American citizens have been given by the Government can’t be taken away by contracts or agreements. And Like I said before even if there is some loop hole for selling online that I’m not aware of it’s not right to exploit it in this manner.
The best example of this is the Window$ Vista agreement that gives them the right to invade your privacy, control your computer, deactivate your computer, and you sign away your ownership of any previous Window$ licenses that you used on that computer. Thats like saying that by buying this cell phone from me you no longer own your old phone and will not be credited any money back for your old phone. Of course here is where it gets really good. You can recover from Micro$oft and its suppliers only direct damages up to the amount you paid for the software. You cannot recover any other damages, including consequential, lost profits, special, indirect or incidental damages. (Translation Micro$oft is not responsible for any problems with the software that may cause you loss of money or property unless that value is less than the cost of the software) It also applies even if repair, replacement or a refund for the software does not fully compensate you for any losses; or Micro$oft knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages. So Micro$oft gets to be legally negligent with your permission.
So you can see why someone like me or the other Linux users might react the way I did to your return Policy.
Also for your information
Also I have a few suggestions on how to make newegg.com more Linux Buyer Friendly like adding a rating for how Linux compatible an item is and if the user had to use a Window$ driver to make the device (like a wireless card) work or if they had to install a Linux driver or if it just worked out of the box. You should also have something that says what percentage of the components were made in the USA if any and where it was assembled. It matters to some of my customers and it matters to me.
Anyway in conclusion I don’t believe that Newegg.com is practicing fair and just business practices. If Newegg.com can’t change their policy to be considered fair business practice then I will buy locally instead of online as some suggest despite the higher prices. The fact that you pay attention to lxer.com gives me some faith that you will do what is right.
Dear Mr. Breithaupt,
Thank you for contacting Newegg.
I’d like to start by once again sincerely apologizing for any inconvenience, I understand your point and totally agree with the things you have explained in this email. Please give me the chance to make this whole ordeal right. I have went ahead and automatically credited your account in good faith for this inconvenience $200.00, please allow 3-5 business days for this credit to post in your credit card. Also, I would love to speak to you by telephone to talk further about this issue if possible, you may contact me at —- at ext —–. Anytime you have any other issues and or concerns please accept my personal offer to become your personnel agent here at Newegg by contacting me directly and if the issue needs an exception I would give it 110% to doing just that. We here at Newegg try for only the best customer service and hope this one issue doesn’t detour you from shopping with us again and I personally will make sure your shopping expirience with us from here on out goes as smoothly as possible.
Thank you,
John Doe
Customer Service Professional
Eggxpert Moderator
I am sending this message to my uncle because you have refunded the money to his account as far as I understand and I am sure he will appreciate this gesture greatly.
If you want me to call you on the phone please let me know what the best time is to reach you.
You will be rewarded for your actions when I post the results on lxer.com as many are curious as to what is going on between you and me.
Some have suggested that I ask you about Linux vendors (such as myself) being able to sell computers on newegg.com as well as the name brand companies that sell Vista computers primarily. In fact I’ve even thought of a system that would benefit newegg.com even more.
Because some Linux vendors like me buy our parts from newegg.com and resell our computers it might be easier if we saved time by advertising our computers on your site and listing the parts (as a group or kit) that are in the computer. Then Linux users could simply buy the kit from newegg.com and the vendor that is responsible for the hardware being compatible would get commission off of the sales. And further more the buyer could request that the vendor such as myself could build the Kit for them for an extra fee.
I’m sure there are more ways that newegg.com can attract more customers from the Linux community. I want to help out in any way that I can.
Dear Mr. Breithaupt,
Thank you so much for your reply. If possible, can you please put together an email and send it to me with all your information and what you would like us to do so I may pass it on and see what we can do on our end, since we do usually deal with only vendors in that regard. With you sending that email out to me I will be able to further assist you in this matter. If you would like you can contact my via phone at —- ext —– from 8-5 PST.
Thank you,
John Doe
Customer Service Professional
Eggxpert Moderator
The vendor thing was just an idea. Mainly I was thinking of other Linux Vendors that have been in the business longer than I have and have more impressive web sites.
Justin Breithaupt
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PO Box —
1-5————-
1-2————
www.mindblowingidea.com
newegg.com Customer number: ------
Dear Mr. Breithaupt,
Oh I see, let me ask you this. Is there anything else I may assist you with, or do you have any further questions or concerns ? I want to make sure everything is good and you are a happy Newegg Customer 🙂
Thank you,
John Doe
Customer Service Professional
Eggxpert Moderator
The only question I have for you is this.
Are you going to change your policies? Thats what it boils down to.
Dear Mr. Breithaupt,
Unfortunately, we have policies Sir and we are unable to change these policies but are more than willing to make exceptions when need be to assist our customers. Also, we are working with our vendors to do what we can to make any possible changes that will benefit you the customer. I understand your point in regards to our policies but they are legal Sir. We will be monitoring the Lxer sight just in case anyone has any issues or concerns and if able we will be more than happy to help them out. I would love to talk to you via phone if you can Sir, you may contact me anytime within 8-5 PST. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact me personally.
Thank you,
John Doe
Customer Service Professional
Eggxpert Moderator
Conclusion: I recommend my uncle buy a laptop from Newegg.com. My uncle buys it and we are not satisfied with it’s performance or quality. Newegg.com informs me that they have a zero return policy. I complain on lxer.com. Newegg.com Customer Service Professional Eggxpert Moderator contacts me. Newegg.com gives me $200.00 in good faith and tells me they completely agree with everything I said including the part about their return policy being illegal. Newegg.com asks me if I’m happy and if I have any more questions. My last question was if they would change their return policy to comply with US laws. They said no but apparently if you complain here they will be monitoring this site and may make an exception. In the last message it says in regards to our policies but they are legal Sir after saying that he agreed 100% with what I said in my first reply to him.
Result: I won’t be buying anything threw Newegg.com unless I can’t find it anywhere else or I need it in a pinch. You can look at this however you want to. I’m trying to be as positive as possible and still retain the facts without being biased.
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