Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a pre-built gaming PC from Maingear in November of 2022 with a 3 year warranty.
  Approximately 10 months later, in September 2023 I began to have issues with the computer crashing at random intervals of time with no apparent cause or pattern.
  I first took the PC to a local repair shop, The ******** in ****, **, who could replicate the issue, but failed to fully diagnose or repair it through reinstalling Windows and performing a clean install of drivers. This process took about a month with 2 separate appointments with that repair shop. It was determined to be a hardware issue of some kind, though it was unclear what exactly, and they recommended I contact the original manufacturer.
  
  I contacted Maingear in October to let them know about the issues. After paying for a shipping label myself and returning the equipment, it took approximately 2 weeks for them to be unable to diagnose the issue, replace the part they felt was most likely to cause the issue (the graphics card) and ship it back. This seemed to mitigate or resolve the issue only temporarily, as less than a week later the issue returned.
  
  I contacted Maingear again. We spent a few days trying some things like running a memory test, double checking power in my home (even though The ******** was able to replicate the issue as well at their own location), and showed them error logs from Event Viewer on my PC to confirm that the issue was still happening. I was then asked to go through the RMA process a 2nd time, was not made to pay for the shipping label. I shipped on December 15th. I did not receive it back until January 20th, over a month later. They were still unable to diagnose the issue which continues to persist.
  
  I have contacted Maingear again and they have requested me to go through the RMA process again, to re-build the PC and stated that my request for a refund was off the table. Having spent 3 months waiting, I do not feel I should have to extend it to 4 for a resolution.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2024

  As per our terms of sale, no refunds are issued after the first 30 days, or on any order over $5000, which this order is. The terms of sale were accepted by *** ******* at checkout when he completed his purchase. As is the case with any of our systems that should experience issues, customers are responsible for shipping costs to us and we're responsible for the repair and shipping costs back to the customer. These processes and policies are also outlined in our terms of sale, which Mr. ******* did review and accept. Furthermore, we did not advise Mr. ******* to bring his system to a local repair shop and did not authorize the work they performed on the system, which did nothing but delay the repair process. We are not responsible for the work performed at third-party repair shops, and unauthorized modifications may even impact warranty coverage. Still, we've offered Mr. ******* warranty coverage and repairs. We apologize for any issues Mr. ******* is experiencing with his system, and we are happy to perform repairs on it within the guidelines of our standard warranty, but we'll require the PC to be shipped back in order to do so. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/23/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  While I understand that Maingear’s normal policy is not to provide refunds on systems over $5,000, this is not a usual circumstance and an exception should be made. I was told that the current offer to rebuild the PC is also not something that is normally offered, and I fail to see how my request for a refund is any less reasonable a solution. The rebuild should have, in my opinion, been offered the 2nd time I shipped the system back and the team was unable to diagnose the issue, instead of just replacing parts at random and hoping for the best. While I cannot hold Maingear responsible for the first month, I feel like my time has not been valued or respected and this response only cements these feelings further.
  
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* *******

  Business Response

  Date: 02/02/2024

  We stand behind our products and the options we've extended. We're happy to repair/replace your system, cover all shipping costs, and expedite services, but this order would not be eligible for refund. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* *******