Thank you Tiger Direct - Rant

[Locutus]

So a couple weeks ago I walk into Tiger Direct because my roommate is looking to purchase a new case, and he doesn't get what he wants but finds something he will settle for...whatever.

 

I am there too so I'm looking at stuff, so I buy a new Graphics card since I'm buying some parts (they came today, computer is up and running just gotta reinstall windows)

 

I get home with this card (XFX Radeon HD 5450 1GB) and open it, and it's got a freaking HIS heatsink on it. Red flag, but okay whatever. So I go to put it in my friend's computer and it isn't working...I figure maybe his parts (which had been lying around) were dead, so whatever.

 

Get my new parts today, put the computer together, fight with it for like 2 hours, friggin nothing. No signal from the GPU. We put another one in and the other one works. Okay, so I have a dead GPU.

 

I have a dead GPU that isn't branded the same as the brand, even though it was in a sealed box. Great. SO I take it back to Tiger Direct and they tell me that it didn't come like that, that I didn't purchase it like that. Like I want to steal a 15 dollar graphics card and return a broken one? The lady (Heather) tells me to "Contact Radeon" because she's (insert slurs) and doesn't deserve a job at a computer company.

 

They tell me that if a product is returned and is still sealed they "send it back to the warehouse."

 

So now I get to call XFX and figure out why they would package this card, or if it was actually Tiger Direct's fault.

Edited August 20, 2014 by Locutus

[Disparaitre]

...

Edited September 20, 2014 by WARDOZERX

[Locutus]

I guess that's what I get for going to a B&M, I guess I'll just try to get the MIR so that I only lose 20 bucks on it instead of 40. 

[bishop245]

Tiger direct screw my cousin over on an Shuttle mobo way back when and it was doa he called them they said call shuttle he called shuttle they said call tiger direct ect... I will never own a part bought from tiger or a piece made by shuttle after that happend

[IVIYTH0S]

Never had that problem with them but it sounds pretty strange...like how would a freshly sealed box have that if it wasn't "refurbished" or open box?? THAT part is kind of suspect.

 

Just don't back down until you get your money back, obviously it is their fault that they didn't properly label it as an open box (and even more so that they looked the other way instead of thoroughly inspecting the box's contents in the first return.

 

Sadly ONE incompetent employee is giving a whole company a bad name, and sadly (for you) this other employee is not incompetent. Unless you specifically brought the card difference to their attention.

 

Good luck!

Edited August 21, 2014 by IVIYTH0S

[cchalogamer]

Based on my way back when experience at Circuit City, I can EASILY make a box look factory sealed with the right equipment.  We did it back then because DVD cases had a tendency to get messed up depending on how they were delivered and we wrapped open box items to help reduce the people who would pop open the box then leave it in the middle of the floor unable to get a product back inside.  

 

Having seen people return things like an external HDD box filled with a bag of rocks, a printers with no ink, computers with no ram/cpu/memory/hdd etc nothing surprises me.  One option would be to walk in at a time that employee ISN'T workign and just straight return it with the reason "I just don't need it." In the case of someone like me, they find the wrong card you're no worse off once you explain what's happened (be sure to have evidence backing that up such as this post on a smartphone in the event you get caught).  The rule I told my cashiers when I was a retail manager (after CCity closed) was if it's electronic and the box has a serial number you had better check to see that the product matches, if you're unsure get a manager. 

 

On a totally unrelated note, I DID one time get a Seagate 1TB hard drive in a 500GB drive box.  Came out of a case of retail HDDs with intact seals and the box was factory sealed as well.  I was the ONLY person to handle it in store and at first thought I had messed up and grabbed the wrong box of drives out of lockup.  In other words sometimes packing mistakes CAN happen, but another company's product in your box is a no go.

[SpikeSoprano]

Sounds tome like the first time it was sold the person just put his old bad card in the box, rewrapped it and took it back, and you got stuck with it. Lucky it wasn't a $200.00 or more card.

[gebraset]

I've never actually ordered from TigerDirect, if I remember correctly. However, every single person that has ordered something from them has not had one positive thing to say. It's a shame really, lol. Newegg has been great to me over the years, even with returns, as has Amazon.

[AkakmanH]

I know that there are people that have had great experiences with Tiger Direct. But, I am not one of them. I quit buying from them years ago because of bait and switch tactics. They would advertise a product and then when I tried to place an order, it was always sold out. The reps would then try to "upsell" me to a more expensive product. Unlike Fry's and Newegg I have always found Tiger reps to be short on product knowledge.

[phil69]

I buy from TigerDirect, NewEgg, and Micro Center according to who offers me the best deal. I have returned two products with no problems and one was a TV that was past the stated return date. The Chicago area stores are always courteous and easy to deal with. TigerDirect also provided me with the fastest Rebate time when I bought my CPU, one week. However in defense of Locutus if I got screwed I wouldn't shop there either.

[potatochobit]

EDIT: HOLD ON

you said 5450?

 

ok I happen to have experience with this so I hope you are not trying to use this in an old computer

a 5450 may not work in anything older than a phenom II

let me know exactly what you are trying to do

 

 

 

___________

the problem is you are trying to make excuses for why this could happen

 

next time, go to the store and tell them the wrong item was in the box when you opened it and you want an exchange

they can figure out what happened themselves

 

contacting the manufacturer will do you absolutely not good

go back and talk to the manager

 

 

EDit:

interesting thing, in the news before people would return iphones and gameboys that were still sealed but they actually had been opened and rocks were placed inside and the store was reselling them.

 

I also bought an xbox game once from walmart and when I got home it was empty inside. 

I think they sold me the package they opened for the demo display.

Edited August 21, 2014 by potatochobit

[Locutus]

EDIT: HOLD ON

you said 5450?

 

ok I happen to have experience with this so I hope you are not trying to use this in an old computer

a 5450 may not work in anything older than a phenom II

let me know exactly what you are trying to do

 

 

 

___________

the problem is you are trying to make excuses for why this could happen

 

next time, go to the store and tell them the wrong item was in the box when you opened it and you want an exchange

they can figure out what happened themselves

 

contacting the manufacturer will do you absolutely not good

go back and talk to the manager

 

 

EDit:

interesting thing, in the news before people would return iphones and gameboys that were still sealed but they actually had been opened and rocks were placed inside and the store was reselling them.

 

I also bought an xbox game once from walmart and when I got home it was empty inside. 

I think they sold me the package they opened for the demo display.

I have a Phenom II x6. The card is dead, doesn't work in my roommate's computer either. I just have a really bad taste in my mouth after this whole thing and honestly feel betrayed by a company that I've been shopping with for 7+ years.