NV5 and NCIX = PaperWeight RESOLVED by Arctic Cooling

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GlassMan
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NV5 and NCIX = PaperWeight RESOLVED by Arctic Cooling

Post by GlassMan » Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:18 am

Edit: The Arctic Cooling North America Distibuter (arctic-distribution.com) has promtly responded and we are arranging the RMA. My thanks to you all for motivating me to try again.
NCIX gets no credit for resolving this. It would have been so easy for them to refer me to the distributer, even if they are to lazy to do it themselves. Which is no surprise as the only phones they answer are sales lines.

I enjoyed my Arctic Cooling NV5 on a 6800GT until the fan started failing this year. No problem I thought, it has a 6 year warranty. I checked the ArcticCooling website, http://www.arctic-cooling.com/service.php and it looked like no problem, so I e-mailed NCIX, my retailer.
After no response for a couple of weeks, I tried to phone, with only a message for company, that increased the wait time as you held. Unreal. Anyway, a week or so later they finally e-mailed me back, stating that their warranty was one year and they were so sorry. I e-mailed back with the above Arctic Cooling website, and an offer to pay reasonable shipping costs. I also jumped the hoops and e-mailed Arctic Cooling. NCIX in a couple more weeks said so sorry, ArcticCooling still (2 months) has said nothing.
At any rate, I'll never buy from NCIX again, and if you want to risk an Arctic Cooling product, make sure your retailer will support the product for the 6 years Arctic Cooling promises, as they are your only hope of support.
Mean while I have a new paper weight.

edit Added arctic cooling name to subject, then moved to fit in resolved
Last edited by GlassMan on Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:35 am, edited 2 times in total.

qviri
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Post by qviri » Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:38 am

I don't really understand what NCIX has to do with this. Surely you didn't expect them to jump up and down at the prospect of replacing something you've bought from them over a year ago? From my understanding, you should have qualms with Arctic Cooling for not living up to their warranty...

Thomas
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Post by Thomas » Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:59 am

According to AC's web-site, the dealer is supposed to handle warranty issues; http://www.arctic-cooling.com/service.php

It's hard to judge if AC forgot to tell the dealer, or the dealer is the bandit.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Sun Jun 04, 2006 9:35 am

As you can see, http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php? ... %20Cooling NCIX promotes the 6 year warranty for the product. As my post says, that is worthless if the retailer doesn't support it. I don't call it jumping through hoops to back your word. So yes, I am madder at NCIX
Arctic Coolings website implies that they make it easy for the retailer, by sending out fan units to the distributers w/o charge for just this problem. When I e-mailed Arctic Cooling, I sent full documentation, so if they cared NCIX wouldn't be selling 22 of their products today, or one of the other would have contacted me to back the product. So yes I feel let down by Artcic Cooling
I may never buy another Arctic Cooling product, but I don't know their business agreements with their distributers. Sending one fan from Switerland does sound like jumping through hoops. If they did, my post would be different, but wouldn't change my opinion of NCIX, as they advertise but don't back the product. Like I stated, you should confirm with the retailer before you buy despite what they post on their webpage. I do know that NCIX doesn't support what they say.

I didn't start this thread out of anger, I have been trying to deal with this in a satisfactory way for months. So much purchasing is done online, in this case dealing with 3 countries on 2 continents. The only defense we really have to being screwed is if the retailer takes responsibility for what they state in their promotions. In NCIX's case, they promote a 6 year warranty, and only back one year. I'm caught in the middle, and I've let you know they cannot be trusted. If you want to buy from them, at least you are informed. Also, if you want to buy an Arctic Cooler product, and the 6 year (or more than 1 year) warrantee is important, you had better know ahead of time who is going to back it.
At any rate, I'll never buy from NCIX again, and if you want to risk an Arctic Cooling product, make sure your retailer will support the product for the 6 years Arctic Cooling promises, as they are your only hope of support.
As you can see I didn't spare Arctic Cooling either.

justblair
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Post by justblair » Sun Jun 04, 2006 10:12 am

In my experiance of computer retail (I worked 8 years in the industry) a prolongued warranty like that is a manufacturers warranty. The retailer will have responsibility for repair or replacement for a statutary period (1 Yr in the UK) and then the manufacturer takes over. Ususually on a user pays RTB arrangement.

I would chase the manufacturer for this, the retailer is probably working within their rights.

The main questions are.

Was it advertised at the time you purchased it with the longer warranty? Manufacturers are free to start a policy like this without applying it to previous purchased components.

Is the prolongued warranty limited by a fair useage policy? (ie not for commerce, no modding, void if removed stickers)

Was product registration required to open the prolongued warranty? (though in many regions this practice is illegal)

Did you buy the retail boxed version? This is important. If you buy a brown/no box version of the product the manufacturer is absolved of responsibiltiy for warranty or support (hence the noticibly cheaper price of components sold in through this channel) The retailers own terms and conditions apply.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Sun Jun 04, 2006 11:01 am

justblair wrote:In my experiance of computer retail (I worked 8 years in the industry) a prolongued warranty like that is a manufacturers warranty. The retailer will have responsibility for repair or replacement for a statutary period (1 Yr in the UK) and then the manufacturer takes over. Ususually on a user pays RTB arrangement.
As stated, I don't know Arctic Cooling and NCIX's business arangement, just that no one is covering my NV5. Arctic Coolings site makes clear that they consider it the retailers responsability, and how they support the retailer. How truthful they are being I have no way of knowing, as NCIX just states they will not honor any warrantee over 1 yr. they do not argue that the warrantey is 6 yrs and they are not responsable, just they won't do anything. If they considered AC as the responsable party, they would have said so and supplied contact info. In your experience in PC retail, how many customers came back after you told them to go away, not my problem. I'm sure you assisted them as much as you could, and didn't just blow them off.
I would chase the manufacturer for this, the retailer is probably working within their rights.
I did, and I have informed you of the results, which was none. Something you should consider if you are thinking of buying their product(s)
The main questions are.

Was it advertised at the time you purchased it with the longer warranty? Manufacturers are free to start a policy like this without applying it to previous purchased components.
Yes, thats how I knew of it.
Is the prolongued warranty limited by a fair useage policy? (ie not for commerce, no modding, void if removed stickers)
Not stated, but none of those apply.
From AC's site
High Service Life (L10 at 30°C: 274000h)
Our ARCTIC Ceramic Bearing (alloy bearing and Ceramic shaft) provides our fans with an outstanding service life.

6 Years Warranty
Was product registration required to open the prolongued warranty? (though in many regions this practice is illegal)
No
Did you buy the retail boxed version? This is important. If you buy a brown/no box version of the product the manufacturer is absolved of responsibiltiy for warranty or support (hence the noticibly cheaper price of components sold in through this channel) The retailers own terms and conditions apply.
Yes

And yes I know I'm stuck with a paperweight. The trouble to deal with it and maybe get a new fan is not worth the time to research the various consumer organizations, (Even if only one country was involved.) I did contact both parties.
I have informed you all of my experience, that's the only real power I have. What you do with it is your business.
We have a saying here in he US,
Fool me once shame on you,
Fool me twice shame on....
I think you understand.

cyberknight
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Post by cyberknight » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:12 pm

it's ridiculous to expect the retailer to offer support for 6 years of the warranty. it should obviously go to the manufacturer.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:18 pm

I suggest you stay away from Arctic Cooling products then, as they provide RMA service only through the retailer.

JazzJackRabbit
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Post by JazzJackRabbit » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:56 pm

It depends on the laws of particular country. In some countries laws require retailers to honor warranty for as long as manufacturer has specified. Meaning that if arctic cooling says the product is warrantied for 6 years, you can exchange it at the place you bought it during 6 years since you bought it (even so some retailers fail to follow the law). In other countries there are no such laws, so you're stuck with whatever warranty your retailer offers. After that you have to go through the manufacturer. An example would be newegg in US, you have 30 days to replace the hard drive through newegg, but after that you have go through the manufacturer to exchange your hard drive.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:20 pm

That method would be fine with me Jazz, but what if WD or Seagate wouldn't accept warranty items except through the retailer, and NewEgg refused to help in anyway, while still offering the items for sale with a 1 or 3 yr warranty listed?

My whole point, regardless of fault is that my Cooler is a paper weight, not to mention that my Video card warranty is theoretically voided.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Sun Jun 04, 2006 6:37 pm

Update, I found the North American Distributer's web site at the Arctic-Cooling.com I dropped them a line, so I will wait to see if there are any positive results. I'll let you know if or when they get back to me.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:40 am

I am pleased to report that the distibuter responded the next day, and we are arranging the RMA.
No Thanks to NCIX who remain Ixnayed in my book. They could easily have directed me to the distributer.
My thanks for all your comments, it motivated me to try again, and soon my Silencer will no longer be a paper weight :D

justblair
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Post by justblair » Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:12 pm

Glad to hear you got the result you deserved.

GlassMan
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Post by GlassMan » Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:34 am

Thanks Blair,

The distrubuter is in Canada, and seamlessly handed me over to the US distrbuter [email protected] They have shipped me an NV5 rev.2 for a replacement, no mention of returning the old one.
I don't know if the US site responds directly, so if you have to, use the North American address listed in the edit of the first post.

I would like to say that once I got contacted Arctic Cooling (not by the website e-mail of course), the customer service was OUTSTANDING!!!!!. They always replied the next business day, including the handoff.

edit: The new cooler (V. 3 )arrived same day as the e-mail, usps outdid themselves.
Last edited by GlassMan on Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

BrianE
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Post by BrianE » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:46 pm

Wow, that's good to know. Thanks for the update, and I'm glad that your problem is being well handled by AC now.

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