Isn't that always the rule?
Any progress, or for that matter even mitigation of harm, is thanks to a small number of humans of a rare breed, in spite of humanity.
Sorry to hear. Electronics don't do well in this heat either :/

Wanted to say i'm sorry to hear you feel/felt that way, and hope you feel better soon :)

My solution when I feel down about such things? Reading a heartwarming story about
someone doing some good in the world(even if just on a local level), or going out of my
way to do some small good for someone else IRL to add some positivity back into the world.

It has taken me three full days to shake off the blues. Thanks for reaching out to me. ;) It was a particularly difficult day for me when I posted. Spent the day at work on the receiving end of bitching coworkers (they were justified, nonetheless) and disrespectful customers (totally unjustified); then got home only to witness some dude on a scooter stealing Amazon packages on my street and another woman squatting in a neighbour's flower bed to take a crap (has the pandemic and inflation made the world go mad?). Finally stepped inside my apartment, only to be annoyed by neighbours blasting their shitty music. So, when the time came to log into GOG and "escape" my day, the onslaught of bots in the forums and the community ranting angrily over the server issue (understandably), this switch inside my heart and mind just powered me off. I felt so defeated that day.

Im mad or sad?

I guess my shop i got my board and CPU from is a real scumbag. They say RMA will take 2-6 week, now almost 6 week is over and when i ask "how it looks"... they got actually no clue and not sure i ever get a answer nor the product back. It would be less trouble if the board at least was cheap, but nope... it was 500 coins.

Additionally, lately i noticed (now i am pretty sure, it was difficult to find out because i had to use several boards and RAMs) that my CPU unfortunately took damage (at stock it works properly but the SOC is clearly degraded) as well (along with the board, a side effect of this board voltage issue) and i paid really hard cash for it because i got it at the launch (it was 350 CHF more expensive at launch, so AMD got a lot of coins from me). The problem is, this CPU is from the same shop such as my board. So, if i would turn it in the same trash will happen just like with my board... they say "it takes 2-6 weeks" bla bla bla... and when those 6 weeks are over i may know nothing and nothing will happen... and i have no chance to get my stuff back because they simply say "we have no clue what time it will be back" so in theory i could wait forever!! They simply give zero responsibility on their own and it is basically always the manufacturers fault if stuff is not done... easy world (for them) it seems.

Then i asked, "how long will it take for my CPU to get it back", as always the standard-answer "2 to 6 weeks", but in my RMA notes they even say "how long it take is unknown"... i mean, is this even legitimate? There must be a time limit...

According to law this is not legitimate but, they usually can dodge any law by using a "own warranty-case" or even exclude any warranty by themself. I know this is stupid but they would have the power to do so if they set a own condition (for example: "there is no time limit").

So, i worry i get this CPU not even back anymore and if so... it will take almost forever. Now, the only thing i could actually execute is simply to sell this CPU on this shop (they want 10% for it) and declare it as "good condition" and if the buyer is unable to use EXPO i simply say the same trash such as this shop "EXPO is OC and no warranty it may work, the CPU works great at the intended specs" (which is so far even true, just not sure for how long). However, because AMD made crazy price drops already this CPU is new 550 CHF now, not 800 anymore. And in order to be attractive i have to set the price at around 380 CHF, the shop will take 38 so there is only 342 CHF left, but better than nothing and maybe it works a good while without EXPO (there is never a warranty anyway... i am safe). Not that i really feel happy about this (because i would not want this CPU... without EXPO) but there is still the warranty from the shop for the other customer and maybe, if there is a issue he may not even care waiting forever for the RMA to get it back... People are different, i never will be able to understand them. Because if most people are hating it... this shop should have serious issues already... but most people seems to be happy, except me along with a few more demanding ones...

But of course, i had very bad luck having 2 part that expensive being damaged or degraded. And AMD, at least in the US is surely not causing issues with the RMA (law is on the customers side) but it is unknown how AMD is behaving in Europe.

For sure, i will never use this shop ever again and maybe i can beat them with their own crap.

Wait, if there is a law, how can a store's regulations override it?
Checking now, the law currently in effect here states that the product that failed under warranty must be either repaired or replaced in a reasonable amount of time agreed upon between the parties but which may not exceed 15 days.

What will happen if the shop is exceeding 2 weeks or maybe even 4 or 6 weeks (which is the case in a few days)?

See? You are helpless... or do you want to go to court?

I mean, they are telling us in a regular manner, in my country, that they will need a whole month or even two or more months and almost no one is APPARENTLY becoming upset? How is this even possible? Because the people are bootlickers? I dunno, i just can say it was hitting me hard and i am not happy about. Me alone can change nothing, changes will only happen it the bootlickers are standing up, not any sooner than that.

I mean, i do not agree with this term but do i have another choice? And even if i could personally handle the RMA directly with the manufacturers, i will need some support else i dunno the location. However, this is only valid if the term of "customer handling it directly with manufacturers" has been set up from the beginning. I once had such a "customer handled warranty case" involving the Xbox360: I can tell you.... i got my Xbox360 back, directly from MS... in less than 1 week, no joke; and it was fixed.

And the thing is, the shop in theory can take months, and if the article is back and still not working they can send it in 2 more times (according to the law) and this whole process can take so much time, at the end the warranty is gone. Now, according to the law, the warranty will have to be refreshed, however, this is usually NOT done... and almost no one is upset. No one cares the law... this is the issue here.

I even heard some stories, there was apparently some people (according to reviews) they even was waiting up to a half year in total and the article, when it came back from RMA, was still not working.. and they had to send it in once again, over and over...

I guess there is even a video with the Asus boards issue some of the reviewers got... let me check. Well he had massive RMA issues but AT LEAST he got his stuff back...

https:/.../www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ-QVOKGVyM

Here another one with a awful load of troubles:

https:/.../www.reddit.com/r/MSI_Gaming/comments/xz7b0t/msi_x670e_ace_memory_issues/

Sometimes you start to wonder "how is this even possible"... all this mess, and so many stuff can go wrong, yet they may succeed making everything wrong, for some not lucky ones.

Another time: A least he got something, broken, back.

Besides, so far as i know "only" the Asus and Gigabyte boards had very unsafe Voltage (above 1.4V) and the majority of the CPUs may have barely survived it because not used a lot or simply lucky. So, not everyone is affected but those that are affected, they indeed may have very bad luck.

Regarding the quality issue: Almost no one is innocent here, although, Asus was the worst.

The boards, as a hardware piece, was causing by far the most issues to me. However, it was the first time a CPU has been damaged, although AMD got some responsibility because they should have made it clear to the manufacturers that the SOC will not handle much Volt, but they keep quiet about. The general quality issue is another story... and not a fun one it seems. Half that worse if the RMA WORKs, but this is the true issue.... it does not really work!
!

According to said law, a fine between 5000 and 25000 RON (967-4834 CHF) for the seller. And there is a customer protection agency that is actually pretty prompt in responding to complaints if the problem isn't amicably solved between seller and buyer.

I had a rather weird situation with a mouse, sent it under warranty after scroll wheel failed after a month and never heard back, so after 15 days I sent an e-mail, a couple more days later a message through the contact form, and a week later a message on Facebook, receiving no reply to any. Then I waited for some two more weeks before finding and contacting the service's parent company, mentioning that the next message will be to customer protection, the result being a prompt call back from the department manager who said he looked into it and my mouse had apparently been waiting for me since a week after I brought it in, and they did call to let me know, but if I didn't pick up then they didn't try again, and never sent an e-mail or an SMS, he can't explain why, and he also can't explain why they never replied to my previous messages, apologized repeatedly and told me to ask for him when I'll go to pick it up. So I did, and while the guy at the desk even told me that the warranty period won't be extended with the time I didn't have the mouse, he sheepishly stepped aside when I dropped the manager's name, and when that guy came and I repeated the question about the warranty period, he said it'll actually start from that day, as if I bought it then, just their way to make up for the mess (admittedly, basically just meant an extra month), and the desk guy muttered "oh, I see, a special case" and entered the new date and printed the documents.

Others were more straightforward. Keyboard, space kept double pressing, sent under warranty, get told after a while it can't be fixed and they'll refund me the amount spent, but that had been on a deep sale, didn't do me much good and still left me without a keyboard, so I checked and saw that they still sold that keyboard and asked for it to be replaced, as is my right if it can't be fixed, and they agreed... only for the order I saw appearing in my account listing that keyboard with a discount equal to what I had paid for the old one, so the difference was left and I wasn't going to take the chance of being asked to pay it when I'll go pick it up, so I pointed out the issue and I got an apology and the remaining amount was set to zero, so I got the replacement (still using it).

And there was also my phone, had issues from the beginning, but they got worse with time and I had purchased extended warranty for it, so I eventually sent it in... And got it back exactly the same. So sent it back, problem reappeared days later. So sent it back yet again, along with a message that I can keep costing them money with the shipping (since if you pay for the extended warranty they pick it up and deliver it back for free) if they prefer, but it'd probably be better for everyone concerned if they'd replace it, and they did, the replacement not having that problem (and also still using it).

Or HDD that failed, send it under warranty, they stretch it to the 15 day limit... and the one I finally pick up is DoA. Take that back, eventually another one is ready, that also fails after 3 months. Say I need another solution because something's obviously not working there and it's been technically 3 failures in less than 6 months, so law says I'm entitled to either replacement or full refund and they offered a full refund, which I actually used as a discount on ordering a better HDD and some coolers (the better HDD alone actually costing slightly less than the failed one had cost back when I had purchased it). Still using those too.

No, this is useless... it is totally in favor of the company; those who made it was surely not standing in for "the weak".

For example: The buyer HAVE TO PROVE ANYTHING, while the seller will have to prove nothing.

And if a seller CLAIMS (he do NOT have to prove it, a claim is not a prove) a inappropriate use the BUYER will have to PROVE the opposite. In other words, the entire responsibility is at the buyers direction. Those who made it must really hate "the weak

Some stuff simply can not be proven. For example how do you want to prove a unstable PC?
You cant... the only thing that works is to hand it over to the shop, so the shop will test it and in order to make a test he will demand a lot of cash for you. Then he will be telling you, as an example: The instability could be caused because of the software, and he will install it for 150 coins or so, because not covered by warranty, (the shop involved actually, according to a review, was already doing it) and when it is done, the PC still is running unstable. Now the customer is still in the responsibility to prove something... but he simply cant... so he have to hand it over another time, the shop will again charge money from him for the prove HE CAN NOT DO and the evil circle will start again. Those people making the rule have no clue how reality works...

Reasonable timelimit... NO ONE CAN SAY for sure what it means to have it "reasonable" as this is a strongly relative term... it means almost nothing.

There is another issue: Lets say, a CPU can not be repaired, it would mean there can not be a "repair case"; in this term they have to exchange the CPU instantly. However, no one is usually doing it and you will have no chance to get it done.

This is actually the only entry in favor of the customer, if he actually can move to this spot because the seller can just deny any "failure" in most cases with a lot of arguments. Yet, he will still not exchange it with a new piece and you will be without power.

The relevant bit from there would be
"• The seller delays the repair:

Two situations must be distinguished:

The general terms and conditions only provide for a right to have the goods repaired.

Where no limitation period for repairs is stated, the buyer must first ask the seller to repair the goods (a phone call is sufficient) before setting a reasonable time limit for the repair. If the seller does not act within this time limit, the buyer can give notice to the seller that the contract is cancelled, i.e. by returning the purchased goods and demanding a refund of the purchase price.

The general terms and conditions provide for a right to have the goods repaired and certain statutory rights.

Other statutory rights apply if the repair is not carried out within reasonable period."

However, at https://www.ch.ch/en/safety-and-justice/returning-or-exchanging-goods/#warranty-against-defects I see

"If you discover a defect, notify the seller as soon as possible. The seller has the following options:

to take back the goods and refund the purchase price
to offer a discount
to replace the defective item

Since the law is not binding in this respect, sellers can also specify in their general terms and conditions that defective goods will simply be repaired. More detailed information from the Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau.

In the event of disputes, the consumer organisations and ombudsman's offices can help you."

That "not binding" part is really messed up. Why the heck make a law that's not binding? It's not even worth the bytes it takes up in storage, not to mention any paper it'd be printed on.

it sounds good and all, but the shop does not actually even need to follow the law; he can simply make a own rule and then all those stuff will become useless. On the other hand, there is enough of room in order to circumvent it... and it totally works in the favor of the more powerful.

Yes, it is NOT BINDING, it means... it is just a "hint" how it could be done... not a real law.

But if you drive to fast on the street you will be feeling the law, because this time you got lesser might. Im glad you noticed now how law is working.

The thing is you have actually no working law, the only law is simply the "rule of the more powerful". Yet there is something more powerful, the society... but if it does not stand up and help out each others (even working against each others), this power is no use.

In the US the society, at least in case of customer rights, is helping out each others... reason why they have very strong rights.

I see... nice stories so far.... seems to be a very customers friendly country, at least if you show some guts and you certainly did.

I think it is way harder for me but i will surely not make an easy job for them and i hope it will cost them a lot. I worry my precious time doing all this junk but as long as their time is sacrificed even more, i may win.

I THINK, they are stretching the period on purpose but i can not prove it...

The "customer protection" in our country is almost the same bootlicker such as most of the people... you can not expect much from them... unfortunately, so this "warning" is not very effective here.
What they understand best is "causing costs" and if you are able to cause huge costs in some way... you may win. But of course they will simply drag the RMA to several months and if done at some point your warranty is simply over... this seems to be their tactics but i can not prove it so far.

However, usually in the first 30 days they will replace it because it is difficult stretching the warranty to several months if there is still years left. And if it takes half a year, in a single pass through, even the biggest bootlickers may start to moan.

There is some statistics i find crazy and interesting:

For example the brand Gigabyte apparently, at the time the board is arriving at the service point, it will only take 2 working days in order to get back from this spot. For AMD it will only take 3 working days, according to my statistics. This is telling me that the huge "time stretcher" is actually the shop, but i simply got no power in order to prove it, this is the huge issue i got. If i got any prove... then they can be nailed by law because this sort of behavior is abusive and can be punished.

So any hint, what is going on, is helpful, because i need some prove... else it will be very hard making a move.

But usually, if you got "the edge" as a customer, they may create a "special case" just the way you was able to get it done... This may only work if you really got some muscles and in my country, because of weak customer rights, the muscles you need "on the other end" need to be very powerful.

But, my theory is: Why it takes so long? Because they are simply putting it inside a storage and after maybe 4 weeks they may slowly shipping it with the slowest way possible... and when it gets back to soon, they will once again store it and... if they feel like the time has been stretched enough "give it back" or in case a customer starts to moan in a dangerous way.

Why it is done this way it is hard to tell... in my mind it is the cash (oh wonder!), they simply will save up on cash by reducing the entire process and if the 5% warranty customers make some bad review... not that critical, as long as the non RMA customers are mostly happy. Its all about saving up on cost as much as possible, in my mind, even if it means to have about 5% very unhappy customers.

In a perfect condition i would be able to see any move they are doing, for example what time they was sending in my RMA stuff, but i lack any insight because it is behind closed doors and it will not become opened any easy, which surely got some reasons.

However, this is surely not looking any good (yet they are not allone): https://ch.trustpilot.com/review/www.steg-electronics.ch

Wow, that's quite an awful rating!
About knowing what's really going on though, I guess the one good way would be to find a disgruntled employee willing to spill beans. Otherwise, any discussions among other dissatisfied customers, see if anyone else tracked anything down.

I got the board back today! I was asking several times for it, and weird enough... short time after i was shouting around they say "it is ready".

However, as far as i can say it is the old board that apparently got "repaired". But i have no clue regarding the issue or the repair... at all. All i am able to read is: Defect Reason: E01 ECN...
I was asking what it means, and the shop got zero clue.... they said "they never had anything like this". Of course i was asking Google too: Zero clue! Maybe ChatGPT is able to tell....
Would be nice if they can just talk properly... it would look way more trustworthy to me.

The box of the board was kinda in a bad shape... and they did not even try to "insert the content properly": they just was pulling the content in a bag and the box itself was terribly "overfilled..." i got no clue how this is possible because there was only this board and some material i forgot to take out inside... i will check it out soon how it looks and in what shape the board, inside and outside... seems to be. I worry they was probably not repairing it properly.

However, i already got me another board (the MSI ACE) and i was now ordering me a 7800 X3D CPU today. I will insert this CPU in my new MSI ACE board... it is the better gamer CPU anyway, but not available at release (of the X670E platform).

Then i can finally test out the old returned board with the old 7950X CPU, with my old 1.35 V RAM (because i got me new 1.25 V RAM too... so my 7800 X3D will not explode). The only thing i still need is a cooler and the PSU... i will use the old ones at the time my 7800 X3D is arriving, and as soon as my tests are over i will finish the new build.

Dependable on my findings i will decide what to do with the old board and the old 7950X CPU. Most likely, if it is failure free.... i will sell it on the shop as a used piece with warranty and if it is defective (the CPU in theory YES but EXPO can NOT be granted as given... so it is only theoretical defective, not in the warranty-term, this is the ugly thing here...).

I have 3 choices then:
1. Keep it... no way because i have had enough of it, i want to forget it so.. out of my sight please.
2. Sell it on the shop, troublesome because the conditions are not nice
3. Sell it elsewhere and if there is any issue (the CPU yes in my mind) i will RMA it. Over and over...

The big question is: Will AMD switch out my CPU or do i get "there is no issue and EXPO can not be granted"... comment along with not switching out my CPU at all? I dunno... but i really would like to find out.

Fact is, AMD got up to 50% waver failures, so every second die (in the worst case) have to be thrown away. Yet, not more than 5% of consumers are asking for a warranty, probably even way lesser than this. In my mind it does not really hurt AMD to be nice here but without testing it out i can only guess.

Whats certain: Ultimately i will sell the old board and the old CPU, at a price cut of 50% (according to current market prices).