Sold a Used Computer Today via Facebook. Worked fine when pickup but Buyer Possibly Fried The System and Wants a Refund

Lelvislj on 25/04/2019 - 23:33
Last edited 25/04/2019 - 23:35

A couple picked up the system from my house today. its a i7 3930k box with gtx 560ti. they were intending to play games on it. We tested the system everything worked when they picked up.

Tonight they claimed after playing a game the system shut down and never wake up again. they have tried many means the box just does not light up their screen anymore.

I am not sure what to do. they seem genuine and who knows what went wrong during transport.. by their diagnostics I suspect the motherboard or cpu is now dead. The system is 6 years old and never had any issue before. they paid $700. I asked them to bring it back to have a look. but i know someone is going to lose $700 and most likely its me.

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  • MagicMushroom on 25/04/2019 - 23:54
    +8

    I asked them to bring it back to have a look.

    That threw I'm not responsible option out of the window

    • Scrooge McDuck on 26/04/2019 - 09:19

      Computers are not suitable for frying. Buyer beware!

  • pinchies on 26/04/2019 - 00:01
    +13

    My suggestion:

    1. Make it clear to them that it worked at pickup, and since you can't possibly know what has happened since, that you are not taking responsibility for this.
    2. Then, offer to diagnose the system, and work out which part has failed. The system shutting down during a game sounds like a heatsink may have come loose, causing something to overheat and shut down. It's unlikely to be the cpu - the intel cpu's are good at thermal throttling and not killing themselves under scenarios like that. So, I would bet it is the GPU.
    3. If it starts up with the gpu removed, but doesn't with the gpu installed, then it sounds like the gpu is fried. If I was in your shoes I would probably offer to replace the GPU with an equivalent model or to refund them $100.
    • if you unplug the psu from the motherboard and GPU you can see if the psu starts up using the green pin paperclip trick
    • if you unplug the gpu and ram, you can try start up with just cpu and motherboard and see if you can hear the POST beep at least
    • if you have another gpu you could try swap one of those in and see
  • elvislj on 26/04/2019 - 00:17
    +8

    thanks. they just knocked my door at mid night so i refunded them anyway. don't want to disturb family.

    after checking the system, the graphics card power connectors are not connected. reconnect - fine now. i can see the games they installed. they were saying if it's fine they will comeback to pay again but..

    • p1 ama on 26/04/2019 - 00:20
      +7

      after checking the system, the graphics card power connectors are not connected. reconnect - fine now. i can see the games they installed. they were saying if it's fine they will comeback to pay again but..

      If they come back, then that's no problem.

      If they don't come back, sell the system to someone else. They weren't the sort of customers you want anyway. Basically, you're no worse off than you were before you met them.

    • Axelstrife on 26/04/2019 - 00:21
      +17

      i see what's happened, they bought tried some games, realised the fps wasn't as good as they hoped/wanted. so they unplugged the gpu and acted dumb saying it's not working and wanted a refund.

      Plugs don't just fallout after it's confirmed working.

      • ChillBro on 26/04/2019 - 00:34

        Then this would be strange:

        they were saying if it's fine they will comeback to pay again but

        • Axelstrife on 26/04/2019 - 00:39
          +6

          idk a 4/8pin power cable just falling out of the GPU inside a closed PC case would certainly be more strange especially after they got home and installed some games meaning the car ride didn't cause it.

        • Seraphin7 on 26/04/2019 - 09:03
          +8

          Because people knocking on your door at midnight expecting you to look at their second hand computer can be trusted in everything single thing they say.

    • Ughhh on 26/04/2019 - 04:00
      +9

      thanks. they just knocked my door at mid night so i refunded them anyway. don't want to disturb family

      Another reason to never meet buyer at your house. You can be forced to refund and provide after sales service.

    • Belv on 26/04/2019 - 07:06
      +8

      And why didn't you punch him in face for knocking on your house at midnight . Soon as a scumbag did that to me he would have a broken nose and a bent PC box though his car. guy seems like scumbag

      • Ti-au on 26/04/2019 - 11:35
        +4

        perhaps it wasn't literally at midnight, and secondly they know where you live - so why would you punch them in the face? So they could damage your car or your house? Additionally they could charge you with assault. (I would charge you with assault and when your sitting in the police station damage your car hehehe).

        Repeat after me upvoters - "I like having my car damaged and being charged with assault"
        Now do that for as many upvotes as the post has.
        This advice has been provided by IHatePeople. Your Welcome.

    • whooah1979 on 26/04/2019 - 08:48
      -1

      i refunded them anyway.

      +1
      Good man.

    • foxmulder on 26/04/2019 - 09:46

      If that power to video card was off, isn't the system making loud beeping sound? The beep is unique thus it could be very obvious it's the video card issue.

      Not good idea to meet up at midnight.

    • alvian on 26/04/2019 - 14:28
      +1

      Don't sell it back to the same buyers! They'll just keep coming back at midnight for refund and free service when another problem pops up.

  • dcep on 26/04/2019 - 00:30
    +7

    selling pc stuffs are like private car sales

    no warranty and refund after tested working on pickup

    put that on your listing

  • [Deactivated] on 26/04/2019 - 00:30
    +1

    Is the person who returned it the person who used it? Maybe their child hustling the parents to return it?

    I'd definitely be checking the event log trying to see if they installed drivers for other hardware.

  • Gamer Dad Reviews on 26/04/2019 - 07:41
    -1

    Just take it back, fix it, and sell it to someone else. Yeah, massive hassle. But if we would all follow Jesus' golden rule and treat others how we would want to be treated too, then ultimately society would be better for everyone.

    • fantombloo on 26/04/2019 - 07:57
      +2

      The golden rule is universal. No need to taint it with a specific religion.

      • Donaldhump on 26/04/2019 - 08:12
        +2

        Which specific religion did he associate it with

        • elgrande on 26/04/2019 - 08:19

          Umm derr, its obvious it was the tribal religion of the noorble people of east west Cretoria.

          • bloom on 26/04/2019 - 08:20

            @elgrande: Live life like dickmojo

          • Donaldhump on 26/04/2019 - 08:23
            -2

            @elgrande: So Jesus is only in one religion? Please tell me which one you think that is

            I mean here is a few that reference Jesus in some form

            Islam
            Christianity
            Judaism
            Baha faith
            Realism
            Scientology
            Buddhism

            You should have a look in the mirror and repeat your first two words

            • elgrande on 26/04/2019 - 08:52

              @Donaldhump: You should have saved that response for somone who actually took your bait.

            • Amaris on 26/04/2019 - 09:08

              @Donaldhump: Mmm, Buddhism was 500 years before Jesus and does not talk of time travel.

              • Cave Fire on 26/04/2019 - 22:17

                @Amaris: There is a theory that Jesus was a Buddhist monk. The miracles involving people were actually just application of medicines widely available in the east.

            • fantombloo on 26/04/2019 - 11:37

              @Donaldhump: Yep, all those specific ones, and any other specific ones you can think of too.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 26/04/2019 - 08:20
    +3

    Tell the buyer - bad luck.

    They bought the system "as is" with or without warranty.

    And besides, the most important principle applies (and the law is 10000000% on your side) when it's a private / personal sale ——- caveator emptor.

  • myusername on 26/04/2019 - 08:33
    +1

    did you happen to mention the pc was sold "AS IS" ?

    if yes the check ya!

    they probably tried to overclock it and fried it

  • Cheeper on 26/04/2019 - 10:18
    +1

    On receipt… get the buyer to sign that they are aware …
    The item is used and is a private sale with NO warranty given or implied. No return or refund.

    The trouble with computers is that monkeys can buy them :-(

  • Cave Fire on 26/04/2019 - 10:26
    +2

    so many red flags… they could have swapped out your hardware for faulty ones. Or they could have had second thoughts and unplugged the connector themselves. I'd check the components to make sure.

  • spackbace on 26/04/2019 - 13:16

    I wonder if OP marketed it as a "gaming pc" and as previously mentioned, they weren't happy with the fps it pulled from the modern games?

    • moar bargains on 26/04/2019 - 18:47

      Tomorrow someone posts in the forum:
      [Hack]: Here's how to try second hand PC for free, return if no good.

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