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Z690 Hero: Used or refurbished board replaced by Newegg, replacement is refurb too?

NewSlang22
Level 7
Hello, I am new to these forums but I was hoping I can get some advice on how to handle this situation with receiving what appears to be a refurbished motherboard when I bought it as new. So it all started on January 27th when I jumped the gun and bought a Z690 Hero motherboard as soon as I saw it available from Newegg (Sold and Shipped by Newegg). The motherboard was delivered without any problems on January 31st. I recorded my unboxing of the motherboard just in case there were any issues, given the current problems with Newegg denying RMA's and accusing customers of damage that was there prior to the customer receiving the item. Anyways, upon opening the motherboard box, I found scuffs on the plastic sticker covering the VRM LED display, as well as several scratches and scuffs on the brushed aluminum heatsink for the Hyper M.2 card. I didn't think anything of it really and was willing to deal with those cosmetic defects. Upon closer inspection of the motherboard itself I noticed tiny little spots surrounding the CPU socket of what appeared to be dried up liquid.

I spoke with a representative over the phone from Asus, that I received this motherboard with all of this damage prior to me opening it and even stating that I have video and photo evidence of the unboxing showing the physical scratches over the vrm and hyper m.2 card, and additional photos of the dried spots around the cpu socket. I was immediately told that all the damage to the motherboard/hyper m.2 card appeared to them to be "customer caused" damage and as a result, the damage would NOT be covered under the manufacturer's warranty if I so choosed to have Asus repair the motherboard. I was told to submit my video/photo evidence to them via email and they would further advice me on what to do on the matter.

The response from their email team was that I should contact Newegg for a replacement as I am within the window of return. I submitted my RMA for replacement from Newegg on the 4th of February. My RMA for return was approved February 8th 2022. I printed out the RMA label and took additional photos/footage of the motherboard and it's condition on the 9th noting the time. While at the UPS office I took additional video footage of the motherboard once more, showing that there were NO bent CPU pins or any additional damage for that matter other than what has been documented before. I proceeded to ship the motherboard via UPS with the given RMA label and I payed $17 for the "fragile" packaging and handling service from UPS, for which I have a physical receipt of. (Just incase Newegg claims that the motherboard was damaged from poor packaging when shipped). The motherboard was accepted and received on the 10th of February 2022 at around 9:54am PST.

Today February 15th at around 12PM I received my "new replacement" motherboard from Newegg. I recorded my unboxing of it at around 1pm and low and behold as soon as I opened it, I saw even worse residue on this replacement motherboard than on the last. This one has large blotches of residue all around the CPU socket, as opposed to just a bunch of tiny spots sprinkled around it.

I would REALLY appreciate some advice on this... Should I move forward with Asus, stating that the new replacement is in even worse condition than the first? Should I get another replacement from Newegg, or do you think at this point that I would be entitled to a full refund? I really wanted to just get this motherboard new but I realize at this point that the Z690 Hero line is still in recall and there appears to be no new units being sold on the market right now. I appreciate any and all help that anyone can provide on this situation.
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14 REPLIES 14

TZero
Level 7
Same case:


Gamers Nexus

TZero
Level 7
Looks like you're not the only one having issues with NEWEGG.
Take a look at this story told by GAMERS NEXUS:

NewSlang22
Level 7
TZero wrote:
Looks like you're not the only one having issues with NEWEGG.
Take a look at this story told by GAMERS NEXUS:



Unfortunately I bought this motherboard from Newegg prior to the original video's release... The problem I'm having is, who do I really blame? The box for both the originally purchased motherboard AND the replacement was sealed with the "Asus" sticker, doesn't that mean that it was "factory sealed"? The pictures in OP look like flux on the motherboard, but I could be wrong. Would it be possible that Asus is refurbishing these boards and sending them to Newegg as "New"? I just don't know who to ask for help.:(

Chainbold
Level 11
NewSlang22 wrote:
I would REALLY appreciate some advice on this... Should I move forward with Asus, stating that the new replacement is in even worse condition than the first? Should I get another replacement from Newegg, or do you think at this point that I would be entitled to a full refund? I really wanted to just get this motherboard new but I realize at this point that the Z690 Hero line is still in recall and there appears to be no new units being sold on the market right now. I appreciate any and all help that anyone can provide on this situation.


As you purchased the board from Newegg, I think legally, any claim goes towards them.

Actually, I'm speechless. It is beyond belief that they hand out such a clearly used and heavily damaged board as a brand new product. Sometimes such thing happens with companies from mainland China. But Newegg? The "Nexus Gamer" case (linked here) has already made headlines. Very negative headlines for Newegg. Initially I thought, "things happens", single case, a single rogue employee acting badly. But now, seeing that exactly the same is happening again, I think there is a fraudulent strategy at place at Newegg. Considering the well documented and published "Nexus Gamer" case, I think Newegg is in a very weak position about this. They probably will do everything to avoid further negative PR for them, and limit the damage. I would push very hard. Referring to the "Nexus Gamer" case, telling them that they are apparently intentionally defrauding customers, request an explanation, an immediate replacement with a brand new board, or a full refund.

I would also make Asus aware about this. It is not in their interest that their products are misused in such a way by a major distributor.

NewSlang22
Level 7
I appreciate the replies. Would it be possible to get someone from customer support in here? I was wondering if this board is still being actively manufactured. If so, would be possible to get a board that was manufactured in February? The only one's I've seen have been manufactured in January, so maybe they were still suffering from quality control with the Z690 Hero then.

cl-Adrian
Level 8
My name is Adrian from the ASUS Customer Loyalty Team here at our North America Corporate Office. If you would allow, I would be more than glad to help provide a resolution to this case. Please email me with the below details so I can work with related personnel to get this straightened out.

Product S/N:
Complete Shipping Address:
Full name:
Phone#:
Email:

My email is cl-adrian@asus.com.:

cl-Adrian@ROG wrote:
My name is Adrian from the ASUS Customer Loyalty Team here at our North America Corporate Office. If you would allow, I would be more than glad to help provide a resolution to this case. Please email me with the below details so I can work with related personnel to get this straightened out.

Product S/N:
Complete Shipping Address:
Full name:
Phone#:
Email:

My email is cl-adrian@asus.com.:


Thank you for reaching out Adrian! I sent you an email with the details you requested. Hope to hear back from you soon!

NewSlang22 wrote:
Thank you for reaching out Adrian! I sent you an email with the details you requested. Hope to hear back from you soon!


So I haven't heard back from Adrian in 3 days. I did let him know that Newegg approved of my 2nd RMA on the 18th of February and because I didn't get a reply from Adrian I decided to ship the motherboard back out to Newegg on the 19th of February (yesterday)... Don't know what else to do. I appreciate Adrian for reaching out but there doesn't seem to be clear communication on what exactly is going on and what I should do regarding these RMA's.

NewSlang22 wrote:
So I haven't heard back from Adrian in 3 days. I did let him know that Newegg approved of my 2nd RMA on the 18th of February and because I didn't get a reply from Adrian I decided to ship the motherboard back out to Newegg on the 19th of February (yesterday)... Don't know what else to do. I appreciate Adrian for reaching out but there doesn't seem to be clear communication on what exactly is going on and what I should do regarding these RMA's.


Thank you Adrian for getting back to me on February 23rd. I sent additional information to you via email regarding my original purchase of the motherboard as well as video and photographic proof of the state of that motherboard when I received it. I also sent you an email regarding my latest "replacement" (now my second) that I've received from Newegg on February 24th. In short, the motherboard is just like the last two. All three motherboards that I have received have clearly been sealed with the ASUS sticker, but upon opening them I can see clear defects such as scratches on the VRM LED Display as well as dried up liquid spots all around the CPU socket. All three motherboards have factory installed "stickers" over the VRM Display as well as the "cosmetic ROG eye cover" that sits between both m.2 slots. Everything looks factory installed. However, what differs with these motherboards that I've received compared to Z690 Hero's shown in promotional videos is that every single Z690 motherboard that I've received also has the "For Those Who Dare" sticker installed upside down. In the very first photo from my first post on this thread you can clearly see that the sticker has been installed upside down. This oddity is consistent amongst all three motherboards that I've received from Newegg. This makes me think that these are most likely refurbished motherboards but they obviously have physical defects on each and every one of them. Another oddity is that all three motherboards have been manufactured in January 2022. For this 2nd replacement I asked Newegg if I could get a motherboard that was manufactured in February 2022 if possible.

I would also like to note that I simply cannot find the Z690 Hero motherboard in New condition in stock on any online retailer. All major online retailers are apparently sold out of this motherboard yet Newegg apparently still has stock of "New" units. Considering there is very little transparency in regards to the quality control issues with ASUS (aside from their obvious recall of the Z690 Hero) I have come to the conclusion that there are simply no newer production units of this motherboard in circulation period. If that is the case, It would be very helpful to the customer to know that these motherboards are not only recalled but most likely are having their active production suspended until further notice. If I would have known that no new Z690 Hero motherboards exist I would have been able to make the educated guess that the Z690 motherboards sold by Newegg are simply refurbished units (given the recent scandalous behavior exposed by Gamer's Nexus), regardless if it was sold to me as "New" or not. While I do appreciate the transparency that ASUS is providing by officially recalling the Z690 motherboards do to a fire causing physical defect such as the backward capacitor, I believe ASUS should further this curtesy by simply informing the customer that active production of the Z690 Hero motherboard has officially been suspended and that any units of their Z690 Hero line being sold are older and possibly refurbished units. Anyways I apologize for the rambling. It is very frustrating having to deal with so much friction when all I wanted was a new motherboard. I do appreciate you Adrian for reaching out and I hope to hear back from you as soon as possible, thank you.

Attached are photos of the 2nd replacement that I've received from Newegg: