MSI Support - another corporation that doesn't know customer service

[ranson.157902e4]

I assume this is the norm nowadays, which is quite unfortunate. Where are the days that a company stands by it's client satisfaction? The RMA process should in theory be a smooth transactional process for any warranty claims. The problem is when that process is flawed, or mistakes are made.

Mistakes happen, don't get me wrong, but why is it, your customer base suffers from these mistakes, and you, (MSI) as a company, do not take ownership for those mistakes?

An RMA was started, and the initial process seemed smooth, but then the troubles began when a lesser product was shipped, and I had to dispute the fact that I had purchased a faster version of the 3090 Ti. I don't overclock, so I paid a premium to get something that is guaranteed to provide an advantage over the base model. So I received the lesser product replacement, and started a chat two weeks ago. I was told I would be contacted by MSI - which they did attempt once, but they didn't catch me, and didn't leave a contact number, so I had to start the process again.

This time, I called in, and the representative said they will expidite the process and write notes that I wasn't happy with the solution (getting something inferior to what I had purchased) and said it would be processed sooner. I called in to check the status on Tuesday as MSI already had the card for three business days, where I was told, they are diagnosing the card... The card in question was fine, but a lesser model. Failure to communicate. I said it was just a replacement I'm looking for, and I don't know why I have to wait for a diagnostic of a good card and that they wouldn't find anything wrong with it. The representative then said they would connect with me the following day, with an ETA and the card... Again, miscommunication or empty promises.

I call today, to inquire again, and now I'm told I have to wait another week before the card is even available to be sent? I was told two weeks ago this would already be in the works. An RMA process, that you claim takes 15 business days, is now taking upwards of 30 business days, because of a bad process, bad decision making or attempt to swindle your clients out of a product that they purchased to save a buck? Do it right the first time. I mean, the supervisor didn't share any empathy, and said that the process takes 15 days. I said sure, but what you are failing to acknowledge is that this SHOULDN'T be treated like just another RMA. It should be escalated or elevated as it was the fault of MSI to begin with, that a lesser product was shipped for the initial repair.

MSI, get your act together, train on empathy, and owning the issue when it's caused by you, your staff, or a process that failed. Learn to care about your clients, not just the bottom line, and do what's right. If that means handling it correctly the first time, then fantastic. If it means doing what is needed to rectify the issue, fine, that is liveable. Don't ignore the issue and pretend it never happened and make your end users pay for your faults.

Needless to say, I will be purchasing a different manufacture's card, now that I've already wasted a month, and you will have lost a loyal client who has been buying MSI for years.

 

[Alan J T]

Umm A 3090Ti is just that the biggest diff between models is not performance that is pretty much within a couple of % points of each other
But with the cooling system and the VRM being more robust
Sounds more like they sent you what was in stock, to prevent you from waiting for weeks for one to be available, if one was going to be available that is, as they could have a Zero Stock of the model you RMA with them.

This seems more like a communication breakdown than a swindle
Someone should have explained to you why the lower model was shipped instead of what you RMA with them
Can you provide what model GPU was RMA and what you received back?
And Regional office you would have communicate with

 

[ranson.157902e4]

Sounds more like they sent you what was in stock, to prevent you from waiting for weeks for one to be available, if one was going to be available that is, as they could have a Zero Stock of the model you RMA with them.

Having worked in retail for 20 years, and providing warranty and replacements of hardware, I would have NEVER provided an inferior product without:
1) Discussing it with the customer
2) Providing alternative options and negotiating what that looks like
3) Reimbursing the customer for the inconvenience, and fact that they are no longer provided with something they originally paid for

This seems more like a communication breakdown than a swindle
Someone should have explained to you why the lower model was shipped instead of what you RMA with them

Definitely, which leads to my original statement: "The problem is when that process is flawed, or mistakes are made"

At no point, with any of my interactions, was it explained, or even discussed, what the solution would be. Instead, I was shipped a product replacement that did not meet the criteria of the original product purchased.

I would have been okay, if MSI called, and explained the situation and provided me with the option to wait initially for a 1 for 1 replacement (potentially adding a week, instead of another 3 to 4 weeks). However, this was not done, and I am now forced to wait an extended time that is what I consider, unacceptable because of all the misses prior. I understand you are a moderator, and are looking at it from MSI's stand point. I ask, you take a step back, and look at it subjectively from a consumer's stand point. - Unfortunately, no business does this well enough, outside of Apple, and even that is fading into the sunset.

Regardless of what is communicated by you, all my points stand true. MSI dropped the ball in various stages, and doesn't own up to it. Not to mention the people I have talked to have shown zero empathy, and just state a process, a process that does not take into account errors, flaws and issues such as this.

Can you provide what model GPU was RMA and what you received back?
And Regional office you would have communicate with

RTX 3090 Ti Gaming X Trio
sent back a 3090 Ti Black Trio
MSI Canada (Ontario RMA location)

Honestly, I will be taking all my business and my employer's business to other manufactures moving forward. I have, up until this point, been a big supporter of MSI, through their laptop, monitor and hardware channels for years. I was in fact about to buy a Studio 14 AI Stealth this past week but this experience pushed me to purchase an Asus Zypherus G14 for work. We develop software and are entering the machine learning segment and require more powerful units at a consumer level. Every workstation has a minimum of dual monitor setups with most running triple. About a third of that was originally MSI monitors and various aspects of hardware. I have never had to deal with MSI directly until now, and let me tell you, it has made me re-evaluate what my priorities are when it comes to hardware acquisition... a relationship between the manufacture and customer, which was not handled well here.

 

[Alan J T]

RTX 3090 Ti Gaming X Trio
sent back a 3090 Ti Black Trio
MSI Canada (Ontario RMA location)

OK so I see yep

But that Black sure is a Nice Looking GPU Just a pity it not an X varient

I understand you are a moderator, and are looking at it from MSI's stand point. I ask, you take a step back, and look at it subjectively from a consumer's stand point.

Nope, they messed up by not explaining the swap better and caused unneeded anxiety to you.

 

[ranson.157902e4]

Alan, there was a glint of hope for some care to be shown by MSI, but it was under false pretense. No word from MSI in any manor of apology or acknoledgement of the issue and still getting the run around.

I don't know if this is limited to the Canadian service department, or MSI as a whole, despite where the operation is located. Regardless, it would have to be poorly managed top down as no one has taken this seriously.

 

[darkhawk]

I mean, again, while we might stand up for MSI (honestly, it's rare that I generally do.....feel free to search my posts as I'm quite critical even though I'm a moderator), and while we are moderators.....ultimately, we are also simply just users like yourself, and we have absolutely as much power as you do when it comes to changing things or helping make things right.
We do our best to pass along whatever info we can to whoever we can, in an attempt to do something, if we can. And, when users are good about it, we really do make an effort. (trust me, we've dealt with some real.....less than savory people, even if it is justified to a degree)
A lot of times, people have this perception that just because we're 'moderators', that we're also MSI directly, and think they can bully us, or push us around, or generally just treat us like crap. Honestly, I don't take it anymore, and just ban them on sight. We're not here for that, we're here to help if we can.

I'm going to be honest. Customer service is junk. It really doesn't seem to matter what company it is anymore. I've had poor service from Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock, Corsair, Razer, you name it. Because it's easier to remove customer service, and save money, than it is to make a product cheaper. Not trying to defend MSI (or any company that does it, honestly....), but that's just the reality of capitalism and competition. That's why you see 1 company start doing it, and then all the others start to follow suit within a few years.

Ultimately....the best I can say is that we'll probably be bringing this up with our contacts, and seeing what they can do or look into. Other than that, we can't really do much more. And we honestly sympathize with you. Because we go through the same or similar issues whenever we have to RMA stuff, even with MSI at times.

 

[ranson.157902e4]

Thank you Alan and Darkhawk.

I ended up calling again, as I am losing revenue being down a workstation, and was put on hold for 30 minutes when I asked to talk to a supervisor. He pretty much played the what do you want me to do game.

I know that I was fighting to get the same spec'd unit back, but the loss of revenue offsets the waiting game, and not knowing when or if I would get another Gaming X Trio led me to requesting the card I sent back (albeit incorrect card) as an expedited return. It's unfortunate that no one from MSI Canada ever reached out, and it was all on me to ensure this was pushed.

I stand true to my commitment about shifting my employers purchasing habits away from MSI, and I myself will never touch another MSI product outside of the ones I already own.

 

[Alan J T]

Alan, there was a glint of hope for some care to be shown by MSI, but it was under false pretense. No word from MSI in any manor of apology or acknoledgement of the issue and still getting the run around.

I don't know if this is limited to the Canadian service department, or MSI as a whole, despite where the operation is located. Regardless, it would have to be poorly managed top down as no one has taken this seriously.

Three Locations seem to pop up for problems USA, and India mainly. and Canada seems to have some problems but this may be due to local regional Laws regarding Warranty service.

Things may be a bit slow out of HeadOffice due to the recent Earthquake.
But I will update you when I hear back as mentioned in the PM

 

[ranson.157902e4]

Alan and Darkhawk, just an update:

After I called on Friday, I received a FedEx tracking number later that evening with no communication from the MSI team (I assumed I was receiving the Black Trio again, as my last conversation was leading in that direction). On Monday, the package was picked up from MSI and reached me on Tuesday.

To my surprise, it was a Gaming X Trio replacement, so same model as my original purchase.

I have to say, it made me feel a little better, but the fact that I had to dispute, and be the one to reach out multiple times still leaves my taste tarnished with the MSI banner. I don't know if I'll actively avoid MSI at this point, or look for alternative options that are competitively priced and only buy MSI if the need arises. I would have really appreciated if someone from MSI even sent an email (a call would have been a level above). Especially seeing as they had a frustrated client. A simple "sorry, we did make a mistake" would go a long way....

Thank you both for the insights. I felt it necessary to share my experience of how the rest played out.

 

[darkhawk]

Alan and Darkhawk, just an update:

After I called on Friday, I received a FedEx tracking number later that evening with no communication from the MSI team (I assumed I was receiving the Black Trio again, as my last conversation was leading in that direction). On Monday, the package was picked up from MSI and reached me on Tuesday.

To my surprise, it was a Gaming X Trio replacement, so same model as my original purchase.

I have to say, it made me feel a little better, but the fact that I had to dispute, and be the one to reach out multiple times still leaves my taste tarnished with the MSI banner. I don't know if I'll actively avoid MSI at this point, or look for alternative options that are competitively priced and only buy MSI if the need arises. I would have really appreciated if someone from MSI even sent an email (a call would have been a level above). Especially seeing as they had a frustrated client. A simple "sorry, we did make a mistake" would go a long way....

Thank you both for the insights. I felt it necessary to share my experience of how the rest played out.

It's nice to see that they fixed it at least, even if the communication is poorly handled.