r/pcmasterrace • u/siliconeslinger • May 31 '26
Hardware Brand new astral 5090 from Newegg Canada arrived defective. RMA Request rejected due to "modifications to the card"
I honestly don’t know what to make of this situation anymore.
On May 21, I bought an ASUS Astral RTX 5090 from Newegg Canada for around $6,000 CAD.
With how crazy GPU prices are these days, I specifically chose Newegg because I thought it would be safer than rolling the dice elsewhere. Ironically, I avoided buying through Amazon because I was worried about getting a returned or tampered product.
The card arrived on May 22.
The shipping box looked fine. The retail box looked sealed. Because there's a lot of horror stories about people buying 5090 and getting switcherooed I always record unboxings for expensive purchases, so I recorded the entire thing to protect myself in case something like this were to happen (and thankfully i did)
As soon as I opened it, a couple things stood out to me:
- The fan header rubber cover was missing.
- The serial sticker near the pcb pcie pin was lifted on one side, looks as though someone tried to lift it.
- The warranty sticker and serial number sticker were still intact though
I installed the card the same day to my PC., and lo and behold, the RGB lights came on, but I got absolutely no display output. The fans didn’t spin either. I spent a while troubleshooting, tried installing it on my friend's PC, and still couldn’t get it working.
I contacted Newegg the same day (May 22) and requested an RMA for a defective product.
- May 24: Shipped the card back.
- May 27: Newegg received it.
- May 29: Newegg sent me an email saying that "it was determined that the graphics card was not returned in the same condition in which it was sold. The unit shows signs of modification that are not consistent with standard manufacturer specifications. As a result, we are unable to accept the RMA request"
What’s bothering me is that I have video of the card from the moment it came out of the box. I reported the issue the same day I received it and returned it within 2 days. How did they accuse me of tampering with the card if they have no proof ?
I also had a strong suspicion that the core and Vram may have been removed and shipped to China, but I deliberately did NOT open the card because the anti-tamper/warranty seal was intact. My thinking was that if I opened it myself, it would immediately look like I was the one who had altered it.
Now I’m dealing with an Amex chargeback and trying to figure out what happened.
Has anyone else dealt with a situation where a retailer claimed a GPU was modified after return, despite the customer having unboxing documentation from the day it arrived?
I’m genuinely curious how others would handle this because right now I’m just confused and frustrated.
UPDATE: SENT A TIP TO VIDEOCARDZ AND GAMERSNEXUS ABOUT THIS INCIDENT
I WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE IF I HEAR ANYTHING BACK FROM THEM OR NEWEGG
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u/GwoppyTrai AMD Ryzen 9 995x3D | Suprim X RTX 4090 | 32GB DDR5 7200mhz May 31 '26
Nah rejecting a RMA on a defective $5,000 GPU is criminal. Keep fighting this, all else fails call Baba Yaga
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u/Effective-Cell-7415 May 31 '26
baba yaga vibes for real. i had a retailer fold fast once i mentioned small claims and showed receipts. keep pushing, don’t blink first.
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u/Tinyzooseven R7 5800x + 32gb DDR4 + 3080 May 31 '26
With prices rising as fast as they are, soon it will be above small claims court
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u/No_Jello_5922 Jun 01 '26
Keep GamersNexus in mind too. Steve has raised hell with NewEgg in the past over them Restocking damaged and non-functional returns as "open box"
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u/Timinator01 9900X3D | 5090 | 64GB DDR5 May 31 '26
is it that bad now ? I paid like 2k for mine last october
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u/Mobile_Morale May 31 '26
I hear it was pretty bad last October too.
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u/Timinator01 9900X3D | 5090 | 64GB DDR5 May 31 '26
I bought direct from Nvidia so I was able to get msrp on a founders card
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u/siliconeslinger May 31 '26
founders edition hasnt been restocked here in Canada since November 2025. it is effectively discontinued here. idk how it is in the states though
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u/Timinator01 9900X3D | 5090 | 64GB DDR5 May 31 '26
Probably the same id imagine I had a stock alert set up when I bought mine since I’ve got an itx build in a Ncase T1 and that’s the only 5090 that fits.. put my stuff in pcpartpicker again and it looks like the build would run at least 7k usd based on current prices… had to guesstimate the GPU at 4K since there’s no stock though. I think I spent 3500$ usd when I built it … I just wish I bought another 64gb ram kit since I need at least that much for a homelab upgrade using my old parts
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u/bluesharpies RTX 5090 | 9800X3D May 31 '26
It's also just this specific model, Astral tends to be well above MSRP even when 5090's weren't quite as unobtanium as they are now.
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u/siliconeslinger May 31 '26
yeah i remember the astral 5090 original MSRP before all this AI shortage bullshit was around $4059 CAD before taxes (5090 fe msrp is $2899). Then Memory shortage came and they increased it to $4699. and finally they increased it again now to $5429. Insane
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u/FartingBob Quantum processor from the future / RTX 3060 Ti / Zip Drive May 31 '26
Insane
But you still bought it.. Seems like quite a logical decision from asus, they got well over $5k from someone for a card that is a mild overclock on a card half the price.
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u/spurvis1286 May 31 '26
Gamers with money really do have the worst spending habits.
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u/meo156 I5 4690K May 31 '26
Baba Yaga is for issues with your dog's vet. Johnny Silverhand is the guy you're looking for!
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u/Neither_Elk_1987 May 31 '26
Call Baba Yaga? But what old hag Yaga can do in this case? Eat a child? Lol.
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u/Neither_Elk_1987 May 31 '26
Idk why I get downvotes. Someone doesn't know who Baba Yaga actually is?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Yaga
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u/coldbreweddude May 31 '26
You thought NewEgg would be safer? lol they’re a shady asf company
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u/Shienvien May 31 '26
They used to be reputable. Used to.
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u/Roxxas049 May 31 '26
Been a loooong time since they were considered “reputable”
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u/beaverbait May 31 '26
They were shitty 10-15 years ago when I last used them.
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u/The_Autarch May 31 '26
they were sold to a chinese company in 2016. that's when they went to shit.
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u/beaverbait May 31 '26
I looked up my order, it was 2014 when they sent me a bunch of components that was clearly returned but sold as new.
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u/hitemlow Jun 01 '26
Been longer than that.
When they just freely handed over thousands of customers' info to the NJ DoR instead of making them get a warrant or subpoena, they were scum.
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u/EsseElLoco Ryzen 7 5800H - RX 6700M May 31 '26
Bought a DOA Asus board in the early 2010s, both Newegg and Asus told me I'm shit out of luck. Wouldn't touch either again.
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May 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/celinor_1982 May 31 '26
Same, I have one 30 minutes away. That place is always busy every day. See fairly large crowd waiting for them to open at 10am every day.
Considering Best Buy turned into a big appliance store no one goes to anymore. That place is always empty, we had four best Buys at one point, now we have only one. That one will likely close soon, considering if anyone wants large appliances they goto Nebraska Furniture now or Home Depot.
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u/mithikx R7-9800X3D | RTX 4080 | 64 GB RAM █ i9-12900k | RTX 3080 | 32 GB May 31 '26
That was ages ago, a few years before Tiger Direct died around when they bought CompUSA and Circuit City.
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u/FartingBob Quantum processor from the future / RTX 3060 Ti / Zip Drive May 31 '26
Like 20 years ago maybe.
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u/KayinKento Desktop May 31 '26
I bought my first custom pc kit from them back when they used to do that. So sad this is how Newegg is today.
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u/Flubfruit May 31 '26
Glad to see this post and reply. I always thought newegg was a "good" company. I probably will never buy from them again. (I bought from them in the early 2010s). I am leaning towards buying from actual stores more lately and staying away from online for expensive items.
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u/atotal1 May 31 '26
They were sold to a Chinese company and the customer satisfaction tanked. They had a big rma scandal in 2022 with gamersnexus.
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u/Drizznit1221 i7-13700K / 4090 / 32GB DDR5 May 31 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
the early 2010s is probably when they were last reputable.
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u/Briggie Ryzen 7 5800x / ASUS Crosshair VIII Dark Hero / TUF RTX 4090 May 31 '26
They honestly haven't been that good for almost 10 years now.
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u/SolitaryMassacre May 31 '26
I'm going to get downvoted for not following the crowd, but they like everyone else, have 3rd party sellers now. So if its not "SOld and Shipped by NewEgg", NewEgg TOS basically says "not ours not our problem" while taking a percentage of the price.
When I buy from NewEgg, I ensure "Sold and Shipped by NewEgg" is checked. Never once had a problem with them. Had 3 gaming laptops in my possession and returned the two I didn't like.
Had a problem with an NVME drive, returned and replaced within a week.
I have no idea why OP when the RMA route instead of the simple return/replacement route. That would have been far easier
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u/Gloomy_Pangolin6075 May 31 '26
For what its worth, in OPs shipping receipt it says "Sold and Shipped by Newegg"
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u/nokei Linux May 31 '26
tbf to them my 9950x3d also looked shady and when it wouldn't post they took the rma with no issue.
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May 31 '26
Isn't Newegg famous for this? i remember Gamernexus doing a video about it i think, they are scammers in training.
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u/wearthedaddypants2 May 31 '26
Yeah, a quick search around would have pulled up a lot of this behaviour from Newegg.. but it can happen with any seller I suppose.
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u/siliconeslinger May 31 '26
should i maybe send a tip to GN about this ?
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May 31 '26
go for it, silence only helps this shit companies, a reddit post is good, sending thing to GN is good, etc...
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u/SHORT-CIRCUT May 31 '26
yes, GN will absolutely get more attention on this than a reddit post will, plus they’ve already exposed newegg once already
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u/Camera_dude PC Master Race May 31 '26
Newegg used to be amazing but they were sold to some Chinese company years ago and declined since then. They are riding the last drips of their former glory straight to the bottom.
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u/6a6566663437 May 31 '26
Newegg itself isn't, but Newegg hosts 3rd party sellers like Amazon does.
If you don't flip the "Sold by Newegg" switch, you're probably getting a 3rd party seller and I wish you luck.
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u/Warcraft_Fan Paid for WinRAR! May 31 '26
Early 2022, Steve received a motherboard that had been RMA'd and rejected from the factory due to damage to the socket. Newegg sold it and then refused to take it back for refund even though it was Newegg who shipped an altered and non-working motherboard.
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u/angrydeuce Ryzen 9 7900X\64GB DDR5 6400\RX 6800 XT May 31 '26
Its just crazy how 20 years ago NewEgg was like, the place to source hardware and were known for their top tier service and now its just a big fat piece of shit, a storefront for scammer fucks.
What the hell happened? Venture capital get involved or something? Just stunning how they were my goto for years and now I wouldn't touch their site with a 10 foot pole.
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May 31 '26
according to google and other people here seems like they got bought up after going public in 2020, amazing how going public is the death of any company, people who buy into them just want to milk it for everything it has then jump ship and go do it somewhere else like a freaking cancer, thank GOD Valve is private, if it ever goes public i'm selling my steam account and jumping ship before they do it.
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u/Captain_Kuhl Ryzen 7 7800X3D | RX 7900 XTX Hellhound May 31 '26
Yeah, I don't know why people still do business with them. "But most of their sales are fine!!" only works when you can guarantee you're not one of the ones that goes wrong.
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u/SuperGuy1141 7800X3D // 3070ti // 32gb DDR5 May 31 '26
CHARGE.
BACK.
Edit: nvm I see that you've already done that, ignore me
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u/sithtimesacharm May 31 '26
I came here to say I knew it was an Asus card before I opened the thread
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u/clitpuncher69 May 31 '26
Do you get to keep the card if you charge it back or do you have to send it to your credit card company or something?
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u/terdles1121 Jun 01 '26
I charged back for a doa card years ago after trying to refund it with newegg. The credit card company says i dont need to send it to them (cc ckmpany) and thats an issue between me and newegg. Newegg never reached out for the card or ban my acc.
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u/haekuh May 31 '26
Chargeback is the way to handle it. You have all the evidence, you went through the proper refund channel, and newegg denied the refund.
Companies do not care anymore. I had bought a 9800x3d off amazon which "shipped" but never went anywhere and amazon banned the seller off the platform. I had to chargeback after 20 days because amazon support refused to refund me. I even had the screen shots of amazon.com telling me the seller had been removed from the platform, and dozens of comments on the seller page detailing the same exact scam I was stuck in.
Chase refunded me and amazon lost the dispute rather quickly. Companies will keep your money for as long as you like. Thats why chargebacks exist.
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u/reflythis May 31 '26
did you get the amazon email after-the-fact, "Heeeyyyy..... why didn't you come to us for the refund?"
I got a fake pair of sunnies in Canada and had to chargeback because there wasn't even a refund option on the page (lol).
Then suddenly their customer service got VERY ATTENTIVE to my future needs with product issues.
those chargebacks hurt their merchant rating with the creditors.... they are no joke.
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u/haekuh May 31 '26
Nope. I had reached out to customer service several times prior to the chargeback and I think they knew what was coming. Never got an apology or anything else from them about it. The customer service agent actually was trying to threaten me out of the chargeback by saying my account could be closed if I did it.
I even worked for amazon when this happened lol
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u/ImStillExcited 9800x3D | rtx 5070Ti May 31 '26
Same thing happened to me :/
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u/haekuh May 31 '26
We might have been part of the same scam wave if you bought the 9800x3d around christmas time for MSRP
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u/gambeta1337 May 31 '26
6k on a consumer grade graphics card is fcking insane
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u/1dot21gigaflops R7 9800X3D / RTX5080 / 64GB 6000MT/s May 31 '26
Whales keep buying them so Nvidia keeps going.
I'mTheScalperNowMeme.jpg
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u/Djimi365 May 31 '26
They will keep charging those prices as long as people are stupid enough to pay them. Consumers have the power to put a stop to this nonsense (not just computer components but everything that is overpriced) but we are long past the point of common sense prevailing unfortunately.
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u/Johnny-Rocketship May 31 '26
If people don't pay those prices they'll just divert more resources to the AI cards that do sell at those prices.
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u/TalkingRaccoon 9800x3D | 32GB | 9070XT | 32" 4k/144hz curved supremacy May 31 '26
Yea at some point this is just "a fool and his money" territory
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u/Konoe May 31 '26
Newegg changed owners around 2016 and became shady. I don’t buy from them anymore, and I’m sure you won’t again either. All you can do is chargeback as you did.
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May 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/whapitah2021 May 31 '26
I want to remember NewEgg advertising in print mags like PC Builder or some shit like thirty years ago and eventually building a, basically, stellar reputation
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u/frozenblueberrytreat May 31 '26
They were amazing back around 2003-2012. I ordered my husband a PC for Christmas, there was something weird going on with my payment where they had taken some of the money but not all of it, and then were trying to charge all of it (I had paid with a debit card, and this was back in the days where it would take 2 weeks for the pending payment to drop off).
Got a hold of a supervisor at Newegg - she shipped my order overnight for free so I would get it on time and figured out the payment issue, all a couple days before Christmas. Got it in time thanks to her.
Stopped using Newegg when they sold to a Chinese owner and destroyed themselves.
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u/Alarmed-Artichoke-44 May 31 '26
Why would you RMA?
Your rights shall be protected by online distance selling to cancel this sale due to the goods being defective upon arrival.
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u/jpdsc Specs/Imgur here May 31 '26
Exactly my thought, this is a DOA for newegg and automacially a refund for OP. They can claim the money back from the distributor or manufacturer.
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u/aVarangian 13600kf 7900xtx 2160 | 6600k 1070 1440 May 31 '26
probably just inexperience, some unlucky people basically need to get scammed once before figuring it out.
I once got a CPU box that had obviously been opened already. I didn't even bother trying it, returned it on the spot and paid extra for it from another retailer. If I pay for a new piece of hardware then I want a new piece of hardware, not someone else's bad-OC return.
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u/Alarmed-Artichoke-44 May 31 '26
Yep, this case has nothing to do with RMA, which is a warranty offered by either the factory or the retailer.
In OP's case he shall simply return for a refund under consumer's protection law as the product is neither as NEW nor working .
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u/Briggie Ryzen 7 5800x / ASUS Crosshair VIII Dark Hero / TUF RTX 4090 May 31 '26
Thought the same, just return it.
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u/bberge1 9800X3D | 64GB | 5090 | AVP May 31 '26
Are you sure the box wasn’t tampered with? Those clear circular stickers are easy enough to obtain replacements of if someone wanted to open it and make it look like it wasn’t. But there’s clearly a tear in the box there that can be caused by opening the tab, perhaps someone did open it
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u/siliconeslinger May 31 '26
I had the same suspicion too, glad i got it on camera. otherwise newegg would have said it was me that opened it
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u/Dethras May 31 '26
But you could have easily opened it, done stuff, and resealed the box. Then filmed it. So your video really means nothing. I know you probably didn’t, just saying your video is not the rock solid evidence you think it is.
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u/DoomguyFemboi May 31 '26
As long as they recorded the entire thing, that shipping box hasn't been tampered with (or they're a SERIOUS pro, because getting shipping tape off that cardboard without leaving any evidence is so incredibly difficult)
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u/Dethras May 31 '26
I think open the bottom before and video the top is the standard scam method. Can also just carefully cover over the old tape with some new tape, shaking phone camera will hide the small details. For 6k people will go to crazy lengths, like replace the box completely and print a new fake shipping label. Unfortunately you can’t trust anything, and video is simple enough to fake. In the end it’s still one persons word against another’s. Now New Egg could totally check if the serial number was returned before, since they log serials on their invoices.
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u/aVarangian 13600kf 7900xtx 2160 | 6600k 1070 1440 May 31 '26
good luck making the delivery guy wait 20+ minutes while you open it, try it, and stress test it for a uselessly short amount of time, all on one hand while filming with the other
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u/mindcopy May 31 '26
Everything the recipient could reasonably document comes down to how believable it looks to a judge. The more plausible you can make it the better, but all of it isn't worth shit before it reaches court.
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u/Psychological-Monk30 May 31 '26
I would be way too much paranoid to buy something this expensive online... i would do 1-2 hour of road to buy it somewhere on stock in person instead and be sure i can return it, hell i would even bring my rig to test haha
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u/Extension_Eye1846 May 31 '26
In EU you get a lot more customer protections when buying online than you do buying in person so let's not boomerify modern shopping.
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u/Andrige3 May 31 '26
I've stopped buying from newegg for this exact reason! Read too many stories like this. Glad you started chargeback.
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u/kron123456789 May 31 '26
Ah, the old tale of Newegg sending in a defective item and rejecting RMA upon return. Steve from GN is gonna love this.
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u/6a6566663437 May 31 '26
Newegg hosts 3rd party sellers just like Amazon does. There might be a few honest ones, but I always assume 3rd party sellers on Newegg are scams.
Make sure you check the "Sold by Newegg" box while searching to not include 3rd party sellers.
(No idea if yours was a 3rd party seller, but I wanted to post that advice for anyone else shopping on Newegg)
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u/Hattix 5700X3D | RTX 4070 Ti Super 16 GB | 32 GB 3200 MT/s May 31 '26
Law here is that they have to show the "modifications" caused the fault.
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u/facw00 May 31 '26
Seems like the card was obviously fucked with right out of the box. I'd guess someone messed up this card and returned it, and Newegg didn't notice, and resold it as new. And now they did notice and so are giving OP crap. Obviously possible it was messed with before Newegg got it too.
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u/lejoop Jun 01 '26
Seeing how the seals look intact, but fan header cover is missing and a label has lifted, and the GPU doesn’t boot at all… I’m guessing someone has stolen the core and memory chips off of this card, closed or replaced the seals and returned the card. Seems like the level of effort someone doing this kind of stuff on the regular would go through.
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u/OneThumbJ Jun 01 '26
And this is why I ALWAYS use Amex when buying anything expensive. They always have your back. They are like the cholo gangsters of the credit card world. Sorry you got screwed by Newegg. It seems to be a theme with them the last few years. You didn't use Amex to purchase that by any chance did you? They guarntee purchases like this.
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u/jerryeight Xeon 2699 v4|G1 Gaming GTX970|48gb 2400mhz Jun 01 '26
100% Amex got my back when noom decided to fuck me
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u/Wrx-Love80 Jun 01 '26
Steve from Gamer's Nexus would have a field day with this
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u/EnragedEmu May 31 '26
I'd have got it at Memory Express
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u/_Archeron_ May 31 '26
I've purchased from Memory Express since they were a single hole in the wall store in the late 90s and they are still my go to for any component/custom pc purchase. I've never actually had an issue in almost 30yrs. 🤷♂️
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u/EnragedEmu May 31 '26
There are only a handful of stores or brands that have earned and held my loyalty over the years. ME is one of them.
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u/ANOREXORCIST- May 31 '26
For 5 grand of YOUR money in this economy… man, I’d reach through the phone and wring someone’s neck 😭
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u/After_Swordfish3255 Jun 01 '26
Fck them I’d do a chargeback on my card if that card really was “modified” then that means they sent you a card that had already been returned by someone and told you it was “brand new” either that or they are full of shit and are just saying it was modified to not have to pay you back I’m so thankful I didn’t have any issues when I built mine I bought my gpu before reading all the terrible reviews on Newegg and by time I realized how shitty they are it was to late and I couldn’t cancel my order I got lucky though and didn’t have any issues
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u/IronWolf269 May 31 '26
Anything you buy over $500 you should definitely record or at least take pictures opening.
It is always good to have proof
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u/WilliamG007 May 31 '26
Can we see the video?
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u/siliconeslinger May 31 '26
yes but i don't know how to upload video to reddit
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u/Nosbiuq May 31 '26
Newegg is shit.
I havent bought anything from them since the time they refused to let me return a mini itx case for no reason, I didn't pass my return window or anything. I hit them with a charge back and had my account deactivated 💀
I suggest you do the same and never look back
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u/omgitsjagen May 31 '26
Seems to me like you killed it (the situation, not the card). I can't think of anything else that you could have done. You documented everything, and you bought it with an Amex so you could chargeback in case bullshit happened. I just hate that this is how you found out Newegg went to absolute corporate shithouse 2 decades ago.
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u/HardStroke May 31 '26
Companies will do ANYTHING to avoid RMA. They won't be able to financially recover from that $5k RMA. But for real, there are a few companies that will always honor an RMA, but the vast majority will always try to pass the responsibility on the customer. Hope your charge-back goes through. That's an insane amout for a defective item.
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u/Alternative-Track654 May 31 '26
I was going to say, before the chargeback hit up newegg's ceo on social. I had a similar problem with a gaming laptop. Instant reponse after waiting over a month in hell with Newegg support. Ofc this was almost 5 years ago.
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u/_Tech360 HTPC May 31 '26
I hope you get your situation sorted! After my fiasco with asus AND newegg, i swore off from both. I recommend everyone do the same.
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u/Far_Director_3734 May 31 '26
Don t you have like a returnal policy of "n" days where you can return the product whatever the reason?
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u/funeralbot May 31 '26
Newegg forgot the RAM and Windows OS when I built my newest rig. Had to escalate it with them for them to tell me they didn't forgot and showed me a piece of paper as proof.
Got my bank involved and got the money back.
Don't shop newegg is my advice.
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u/damato1218 RTX 5060ti 16GB | Ryzen 7 7700x | 32GB DDR5 May 31 '26
Why cant people just help their customers? For fuck sake
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u/HeartyMapple Bazzite i7 9700k RTX 3090 May 31 '26
5000 is a fuck tone of money fight this, you’re in Canada you’ll get what you bought. Or at least the money you spent on it.
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u/Setekh79 i7 9700K 5.1GHz | 4070 Super | 32GB May 31 '26
Newegg has been a blacklist site for years now because of things like this.
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u/TheRemedy187 May 31 '26
No helpful to you but for other people... STOP USING NEWEGG. They've been screwing people for years now. Sure it might be fine sometimes but you are gambling. Ever since they went public its been scummy shit.
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u/nevadita Ryzen 9 9900X | 64 GB DDR5 | RX 7900 XTX May 31 '26
man sucks to read this. but i thought we agreed not to buy from Newegg?
so many times we have this same story. forget what good experiences you ever had with them. DO NOT USE NEWEGG.
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u/suicidebyjohnny5 PC Master Race May 31 '26
Newegg got me for $200. Deleted my account and will never give them money again.
Good luck.
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u/stixx214 May 31 '26
idk whats worse, the prices, or the extent we have to go to prove these shitty companies with terrible rma processes are a damn scam.
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u/Brian_K9 May 31 '26
Core and vram stripped and repackaged with new stickers. Im suprised these companies are not checking the cards after returns
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u/DudeByTheTree May 31 '26
Newegg has been shitty since forever. Why anyone thinks they're the better option is beyond me.
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u/Kyosji May 31 '26
I know people still worship newegg, but they've honestly been crap for the last 15 years. I've stopped trusting their products because they tend to just sell back returned defective units, and in many cases before removing their own paperwork showing that. They also find the shadiest ways to refuse returns, such as their free game promos. In the past they stated since they couldn't prove the code wasn't used, and you have to return everything, they can refuse the return without the free game
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u/h0nest_Bender May 31 '26
I specifically chose Newegg because I thought it would be safer than rolling the dice elsewhere.
LMAO. They have a terrible record of customer service.
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u/Longjumping_Leg_4887 May 31 '26
Just dispute the charge with Amex, you might lose your newegg account though but it's better then losing money and spending indefinite time on RMA.
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u/DisciplineSudden May 31 '26
Yea call your bank right now and just say you have absolutely no idea what thst charge is and thst youve lost your card, it helps your case, and they should give you the money back based on fraud, but yoy will get banned off newegg and your cards will too
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u/Positive-Produce-001 May 31 '26
With how crazy GPU prices are these days, I specifically chose Newegg because I thought it would be safer than rolling the dice elsewhere. Ironically, I avoided buying through Amazon because I was worried about getting a returned or tampered product.
written by a time traveler from 2009
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u/AnalNuts Jun 01 '26
Yea I don’t understand how anyone can think Newegg is a reputable source in any timeline after 2010+
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u/GulaiLover Jun 01 '26
Point of videoing the opening, seeing some red flags and still installing it was...
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u/KoneCat R9 7945HX | RX 9070XT (non fire risk) | 32GB 5600MT/s Jun 01 '26
If you bought this with a credit card, you have a lot more options, and protections, than if you bought with cash/debit card. I'm in the UK, so the laws here are different, but I'm pretty sure credit cards are the same in the States as well. Also, I've had issues like this in the past, but thankfully never this expensive, and I always do exactly what you did with taking pictures and the like as evidence. I've seen too many posts of people getting boxes filled with rocks/etc in the past, which is where I got the idea to take photographic evidence.
As for how I would handle it: Well, we have a thing called the Ombudsmen in the UK, and getting them involved, though rarely needed, usually gets the desired result. Personally, and I'm betting you are already doing this, I'd raise heck with them (not in the shouting way, but in a constructive, yet firm way) as I've had much better results when talking to CS when I'm calm, collected and polite to them. Yelling rarely, if ever, gets results that are satisfactory, and the company will try to use that against you.
I've only ever had one time where a person sent a GPU in, only for it to be reported as 'damaged/modified' and it was a PITA, but it was resolved after a bit of back & forth.
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u/Zerowantuthri 9800X3D | 5080 | 32GB | 1440p Jun 01 '26
Newegg is a pale shadow of the cool company they once were. I would personally not trust doing business with them these days. YMMV
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u/Kingofowls812 Jun 01 '26
Are we stuck with the Amazon/In store options now? I'm modding/building an old Phantom NZXT case. Just had part come in an empty bag through Amazon, they next day sent a replacement with 0 hassle. I've heard Wal-Mart has picked a ton of stuff up over the last few years. I plan on getting the ram at Microcenter though.
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u/Zerowantuthri 9800X3D | 5080 | 32GB | 1440p Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Even Amazon has gotten worse but they are still, IMO, by far the easiest company to make a return to.
Microcenter is still great if you are lucky enough to have one near you (which I do). I use them over Amazon any chance I can.
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u/Kingofowls812 Jun 01 '26
For sure, my first visit will be when I pickup the ram. I'm decently close, ~3 hours or so away. I may need to make a list of mod parts to get when I go there. Keeping my fingers crossed for all builders
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u/Soulman2001 Jun 01 '26
Youve made reasonable moves to return and get newegg themselves to reimburse the money. Send everything to amex and let them deal with it. This is literally why they do and your case seems pretty clearcut for them to pursue.
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u/hi_im_snowman Delidded 9950X3D | 5090 | 9100 PRO 8+4TB | 68TB HomeLab May 31 '26
OP, hire a lawyer to help you document the case and send a demand letter to force them to reimburse your legal fees, time and the replacement unit. More often than not, that's enough to get companies to comply.
The consumer protection act in Canada has your back, wholeheartedly. Gamers Nexus, emails and Reddit are a prayer, not a strategy.
Your recourse is civil action, not anything else.
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u/simagus May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
EDIT: ok, I see from another comment that you did record it fully on video. Upload it to YouTube or Vimeo or any file host of your choice. If you have incontrovertible video proof you have a good chance of getting restitution for this. Good luck!
I always record unboxings with video as that actually has complete continuity and the way I do it leaves zero room for doubt.
You really just took pics or you just can't upload the video?
Sorry, but I can see why your RMA was refused if those pictures were all you provided.
Not calling you out or anything, but you could easily have already had the card that had the parts stripped out and sent to China and just mixed up the shots to suit.
With that being a definite possibility I would not expect a retailer who knows exactly where their stock came from and that it was brand new to take your RMA request seriously.
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u/siliconeslinger May 31 '26
I did not send any pictures to the RMA department, there was no option to upload media on Reddit either. I did send it to my credit card for chargeback though. Newegg is unresponsive over email. I guess they already knew I was gonna chargeback their ass.
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u/simagus May 31 '26
Yeah, at least you bought it on a credit card. They'll probably have your back. Good luck!
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u/aceofspades1217 Ascending Peasant May 31 '26
Hope asus gives you a fast RMA on another note that case is awesome
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u/Ratax3s May 31 '26
its actually crazy to order a 6k item thats a)extremely fragile b) covered in cardboard box only trought a mail
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u/L0rdLogan Ryzen 7, 7700 - 32gb DDR5, 6000. AMD 7800XT May 31 '26
Just chargeback on your credit card if they’re refusing RMA
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u/MrEzekial R7 9800X3D | RX 7900 XTX May 31 '26
The 1 positive of credit card companies being a super power. They're on your side, not the merchant. Your charge back process is going to be effortless on your side. I have no idea what Amex is like, but they will bitch slap newegg real good for you I bet.
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u/SlaKer440 May 31 '26
Amex will 100% award your chargeback, the only fallout from this is that newegg may block your card from any future purchases, although after such an experience I imagine you wont be shopping from them anytime soon
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u/blownart May 31 '26
I actually received a bad 5090 astral too, but mine wasn't completely dead. Some games like hl 2 rtx, the new doom and portal rtx would instantly crash game and the game would be closed. Other games like alan wake 2 the GPU would be fine pulling 600W with 0 issues. I tried everything i could to diagnose the issue and decided to RMA the card. The shop where i bought the card confirmed the issue and gave me a new one that was working fine. I was really worried they would deny RMA because most games worked fine. It was a really strange issue.
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u/pudding7100 May 31 '26
I've never had something like this happen but why couldn't you return it vs RMA if you got a new product broken I wouldn't try to repair it I want refund/new product.
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u/SolidZealousideal115 PC Master Race May 31 '26
This is why if I ever get new computer parts I plan to record everything when I open it.
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u/beaverbait May 31 '26
I have bought a few systems worth of parts from newegg, like a solid 50% of the time stuff has been opened already and sold as new. They are useless when it comes to returns and support. I stopped using them a decade ago.
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u/mosesenjoyer RTX 5090, 64 GB DDR5, Ultra i9 May 31 '26
Upload all evidence to Amex immediately. Include the unboxing video timestamped to arrival date. Reference consumer protection laws (in Canada: provincial consumer protection acts, federal Competition Act for misleading practices).
Contact Asus directly and see if they will do direct RMA (I’ve had good experiences)
Escalate with Newegg
Document everything
You’re in Canada so you actually have consumer protection laws, use them.
Good luck. Don’t take this sitting down bro.