Stay Away from Centrecom - Problems With Parts and Warranty

Ldubzieisme23 on 25/03/2021 - 13:47
Last edited 25/03/2021 - 14:21 by 2 other users

I have been in the I.T Field for 10 years some of which i spent in government,
I have never experience problems like this and i have dealt with Umart, PC case gear,
even MSY, all other Australian providers all of which have followed consumer rights. However i spent over $5000 in multiple systems with Centrecom,

First of all upon inspecting all products i found indications of over 60% of products sent refurbished.

Second the 3090 i ordered was running poorly since i got it in terms of performance, however when running another normal game it produced FPS lag due to temp,
even though the system it was in is worth over $10k with extremely efficient cooling. upon the fps lag the display went black and the fan rpm was stuck at 99%
rpm. at this point the card melted and was no longer functional.

Third the motherboard i had issues with the second it arrived x299 was one of the products that looked refurbished upon installing it correctly i noticed a few
issues which led to multiple sparks and fires. at this point i gave centrecom the benefit of the doubt thinking it was just a simple mistake. I sent back the
product they sent it back with no evidence that they even touched it let alone fixed it. I resume installing it into another simple system to test with working
products it did the same thing if not worse due to the problems it had before. At this point the products from centrecom has damage and/or affected all other
products it was linked to.

Fourth is the most absurd scam attempt ive ever witnessed in this field. I claimed warranty and refund for those faulty parts above specifiying the exact
order numbers and the exact specific information in order of what to refund and what to replace i requested for those faulty parts which caught on fire and
what ever its linked to for refund, then i requested the 3090 to be replaced ande sent back a "new" one at this point someone from centrecom staff team
executed a refund for the 3090 by itsself.. mind you the 3090's have gone up in price since i purchased it at $2k They literally tried to scam me against
my will they tried to refund the 3090 which i advised against. they ignored my instructions and tried to benefit themselves.

Please what ever you do take my story into consideration and shop elsewhere do not let their free shipping fool you its not worth it.

Computing

Related Stores

Centre Com
Centre Com

Comments

  • Drakesy on 25/03/2021 - 14:00
    +21

    Needs a TLDR

    • No on 25/03/2021 - 14:02
      +174

      OP messed up plugging a PC together and set it on fire then centrecom wouldn't warrant his charcoal components.

      • Drakesy on 25/03/2021 - 14:02
        +4

        Bingo

      • brendanm on 25/03/2021 - 14:06
        +3

        Nailed it.

      • ShoeJunkie on 25/03/2021 - 14:09
        +11

        Geez, that was super good! Can you do Aussie politics next? Would love a TLDR.

      • EightImmortals on 25/03/2021 - 14:57
        +5

        How can you mess that up?
        The plugs can only go into the correct connectors can't they?

        (genuine question. :) )

        • Twix on 25/03/2021 - 16:32

          Maybe overclocking too high.

          Yep the connectors only go in one way.

        • SF3 on 25/03/2021 - 21:06

          which i spent in government

          Anyone remember the government’s “home insulation” program linked to hundreds of house fires…

          • Phoenixzeus on 26/03/2021 - 09:48
            +10

            @SF3: Government IT is some of the most useless IT people I've ever met. If someone is working in gov IT it's almost a guarantee they weren't good enough to make it in enterprise where they can get paid 1.5-3x more.

            • lonewolf on 26/03/2021 - 15:52
              +5

              @Phoenixzeus: WOW! Generalise much.

              • Kyorisu on 27/03/2021 - 21:02
                -8

                @lonewolf: It's a safe generalization to make. The bulk of government employees I deal with are brain dead. I'm shocked they are capable of tying their own shoe laces.

            • deadcat on 28/03/2021 - 10:29
              +2

              @Phoenixzeus: Some of us make more contracting in government than we would in private sector.

          • Paul B on 26/03/2021 - 10:57
            +11

            @SF3: Shitty companies broke existing workplace safety laws. Murdoch lied as always

        • Hoges on 26/03/2021 - 08:45
          +2

          Mixing up different brand of modular power supply and cable might do it (there is no standard for the end that connects to the power supply).

          • Antikythera on 26/03/2021 - 11:21
            +4

            @Hoges: TLDR; someone bought a Shaw power supply or similar.

          • Lichen6420 on 26/03/2021 - 22:15

            @Hoges: Accidentally fried a couple hard drives once plugging into a 12v modular port instead of 5v…. I shed a tear that day.

            But yeah OP sounds ham fisted and the shop is well within their rights to issue a refund as opposed to a replacement.

            The have remedied the situation to the extent required by law. Hopefully they also put him on do not sell to this guy blacklist too.

        • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2021 - 14:00
          +1

          I had a mate plug AIO pump into RGB header somehow and fried the motherboard and pump.

          • lltravel on 26/03/2021 - 20:26

            @[Deactivated]: would be impossible, most of the time they are both 12, nice BS story

            • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2021 - 20:30

              @lltravel: Pretty sure he shorted the pump by plugging ground to 12v but this was when RGB header come with motherboard a few years ago.

        • skillet on 30/03/2021 - 12:04

          There are so many ways you can mess up(short circuit) when the computers running. The person probably lazy not to shut it down when trying to secure the screws and a slip of the screwdriver ends the rtx3090 badly.

      • Sxio on 26/03/2021 - 11:56
        +3

        Maybe. I had a similar issue with another retailer though. They literally sent me a refurb mobo with what looked like metal shavings in it. Like, I know computers, have been building for years, but who the heck would expect that out of a brand new mobo?

        So I don't think I messed up, except by trusting the shop. And yes, charcoal components eventuated.

        There are dodgy retailers out there.

        • lltravel on 26/03/2021 - 20:27
          +5

          the people on this forum automatically will blame you even if you tell the truth. I had told a story a while ago and they all tried to blame me so I simply don't post anything negative about companies on here anymore. They can all learn the hardway.

      • lltravel on 26/03/2021 - 20:24
        +3

        I like how this is the highest-rated comment which shows the stupidity of most people here.

        Plugging things in incorrectly isn't going to make things catch fire.
        Overclocking isn't going to make it catch fire
        Mining isn't going to make it catch fire.

        There is obviously an issue with the PCB.

        How can people be so ignorant.
        The OP is telling his side of the story and you automatically think its his fault?

        • No on 26/03/2021 - 22:13
          +14

          OP's initial title was "Stay Away from Centrecom Bad Unethical Illegal Practice". This is the only post they have made on OzBargain and the few details they have provided are pretty vague and don't make a whole lot of sense. The OP may have a legitimate complaint but they needed to tell the story a bit clearer and with more detail.

        • wyrmy on 26/03/2021 - 23:49

          Clearly you never reversed the polarity on a DC device. Worse than people assuming OP is at fault is making statements which actually leads to a fault.
          As others pointed out it's quite possible to cause an electrical fire by mixing modular cables between PSU. Or if you are feeling brave you can just swap the pcie 6+2 and the 8pin (usually 4+4) motherboard power cable.

          • lltravel on 27/03/2021 - 12:20

            @wyrmy: ive seen heaps of builds with things plugged incorrectly. Never seen a fire or sparks.

            The system will simply fail to boot.

            Yes I have never reversed polarity as there is usually only one way to plug in things and its moulded into the plug.

      • Breno785au on 26/03/2021 - 22:26
        +4

        But theyve been in IT for 10 years…. People who start with that.. Gtfo!

      • pinkybrain on 27/03/2021 - 16:28
        +1

        OP has 10 years of I.T Field experience

        Must learnt everything from "PC for Dummies" book

        • RIBBS on 28/03/2021 - 04:11

          "some of which i spent in government"…

          Even "PC for Dummies" readers would have more experience than a government employee.

          • [Deactivated] on 28/03/2021 - 06:03

            @RIBBS: havent got past the first chapter "how to turn your computer on"

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 26/03/2021 - 13:47
      +1

      Naah, OP just needs to be advised that he should have gone to google reviews.

  • Fergy1987 on 25/03/2021 - 14:07
    +48

    "which i spent in government"

    There's your first problem.

    • SF3 on 25/03/2021 - 16:54
      +14

      Plus, the wall of text are like ministers talking.

      • godofpizza on 25/03/2021 - 18:57

        it's the high school essay of compassion during question time speaker.

      • smartazz104 on 26/03/2021 - 07:55
        +8

        Said a lot, but said nothing.

        • MontyMacaw on 26/03/2021 - 11:16

          That will get picked up in Senate Estimates

    • Clear on 25/03/2021 - 20:04
      +14

      Gotta love it when someone who worked IT in government goes to the private sector and discovers they can't visit the coffee shop 3 times a day.

      • Clear on 26/03/2021 - 09:28
        +3

        Negged by 2 government IT workers who just learned the harsh truth.

      • Phoenixzeus on 26/03/2021 - 09:49
        +7

        And in enterprise IT they actually have to think to do their work. Gov IT staff are generally useless.

        • Clear on 26/03/2021 - 09:52
          +4

          Yes in my experience of hiring, Gov IT expect big bucks but their knowledge of things more advanced such as servers is limited. For help desk type work they're usually fine.

          • Phoenixzeus on 26/03/2021 - 10:01

            @Clear: I don't even think they make big bucks from what I've seen when looking around with comparable roles. They are usually 20-40k less in enterprise networking.

      • Wally Simmonds on 26/03/2021 - 12:07
        +24

        Lol, I moved from private to government and I can assure you it works both ways. Lots of crap in private sector as well, particularly MSP's.

        But we all love generalisations hey

        • try2bhelpful on 26/03/2021 - 12:28
          +3

          Absolutely true. Particularly at the pointy end of management. There isn’t, even, an oversight mob to check what is going on in Private Industry. I’ve worked in both Public, and private, and the real difference is you tend to get paid more in the private sector.

        • Clear on 26/03/2021 - 12:46
          -7

          But we all love generalisations hey

          We sure do. Council workers do nothing but stand around all day. Council IT do nothing but visit coffee shops all day.

          • Lord Fart Bucket on 26/03/2021 - 16:13

            @Clear: Yet your council rate invoice still shows up on time. They're doing something right.

            • Clear on 26/03/2021 - 16:14
              +1

              @Lord Fart Bucket: You should look up what a generalisation and stereotype is. Saying a council worker does nothing all day is exactly that.

              It seems /s tags really are needed these days on everything. (/s means sarcasm switch btw)

              • Lord Fart Bucket on 26/03/2021 - 18:15

                @Clear: Perhaps i should have put a /s in as well.

                I work for government, in the area of risk associated with automation.

                edit: wasn't me negging you, btw

                • Clear on 26/03/2021 - 22:27

                  @Lord Fart Bucket: No worries. People are just really stupid lately and don't take jokes. I mean they took Fergy1987's comment well, but someone expanding upon it? Nooooooo way.

                  Oh well if they neg me to -30 I get a badge so that would be a win win for me.

      • pyr0maniac on 26/03/2021 - 19:51
        +2

        As someone who worked in IT in government then moved to the private sector, kinda feels like the opposite; they don't sweat the small stuff as much in the private sector. As long as you achieve the desired outcomes and perform acceptably then you are all good. Then again, I could just be the lucky one to have worked for three different private companies with a great work culture.

        A lot of it comes down to management - in government, managers are just doing things for the sake of doing things so they can justify their existence, whereas in the private sector the managers are focused and driven. But I think I am the one that is generalising too much now, I'm sure there are some excellent managers in government - this is just my personal experience.

        • Clear on 26/03/2021 - 22:21
          -5

          Who knew throwing the stereotype of government IT do nothing joke could trigger people so hard. I'm not naive to the industry I work in 😉 but appreciate the attention.

          I've just been blessed in the private sector (who is also contracted to the public health sector) by having excellent management, pay, working conditions and benefits. As well as working with properly experienced people, allowing us to able to expand nationwide and NZ without sacrificing quality, customer service and 'going corporate'.

          • pyr0maniac on 26/03/2021 - 22:34

            @Clear: Yeah fair point, I just saw all the replies and I thought we were having a serious discussion lol.

            • Clear on 27/03/2021 - 22:16

              @pyr0maniac: Clearly not. People are getting so triggered here.

    • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2021 - 14:01

      Is the OP just mocking the government IT departments?

    • CalmLemons on 27/03/2021 - 00:56
      +2

      Yep, working in the IT field doesn't mean you know about putting pc hardware together, especially if you worked in the government where you basically employ contractors using tax payers money to do all the work for you. Or you know how to order off the Dell or HP catalogue on their website.

      Most likely OP was admin or helpdesk support

      "at this point the card melted and was no longer functional."

      Oh come on ffs.

      How does one tell a motherboard is 'refurbished'? I'm assuming OP means the motherboard static plastic was taped using a sticker - which is always is instead of being vacuum sealed.

      • Zachary on 27/03/2021 - 16:12

        How does one tell a motherboard is 'refurbished'?

        I guess you don't unless they forgot to clean it thoroughly enough to look brand new….such as dust buildup on the south bridge fan compartment shroud that some boards have and some people who can't be bothered to take that apart to clean out? Other signs equal dust buildup, everywhere else that they were too lazy to clean up….or tried to clean up but doesn't go away and so the blemishes left by the dust stays….

      • Harold Halfprice on 28/03/2021 - 13:09
        +1

        I've received a motherboard from MSY many years ago that was clearly refurbished.

        There were handwritten markings on certain parts of the motherboard, presumably done at the factory

        I took it back to MSY and they refunded me

  • Xistn on 25/03/2021 - 14:12
    +30

    My brain just broke, rebooting.

    • JayM on 26/03/2021 - 12:39
      +1

      Operating System corrupt or missing. Please reinstall

      • Breno785au on 26/03/2021 - 22:26
        +2

        Task successfully failed

      • [Deactivated] on 28/03/2021 - 06:04

        cables not plugged in correctly, immediately caught fire

  • jtc13 on 25/03/2021 - 14:17
    +19

    I have bought 2 PC's built by Centrecom for family members. Both have been excellent so far with no issues.

    Can't speak for OPs experience but wanted to show it is not always that way.

    • websterp on 25/03/2021 - 15:18
      +7

      +1 for Centrecom. Every time I've been there the staff had been super helpful. Two weeks ago I purchased a B550 online which needed a BIOS update before paring with a 5600x and while pretty much all other stores would not do it for free unless you purchased parts for a full system, Centrecom as a policy does it for free for all Motherboards bought from them.

      Perhaps OP might want to tell us what his "preferred Computer Store" is…. 😉😉

      • try2bhelpful on 25/03/2021 - 17:56
        +1

        Never had an issue with the stuff I’ve bought from Centrecom either. They were pretty good with price matching as well. Might depend on who the OP dealt with.

        • boozler on 26/03/2021 - 16:53
          +1

          Agreed. Bought a refurbished pc just after Christmas wasn’t happy with it (heavy as a brick) their refund policy was “no change of mind” but they did refund in the end . I wouldn’t shop there again though , the whole operation seem to be stuck in the 90s.

  • michaelsk on 25/03/2021 - 14:17
    +5

    Ordered a A520 M.B last week from centrecom. I also noticed some plastic films attached to the "Brand New" M.B were peeled off before I even touched it. It looked refurbished but still worked. So i didn't bother to contact them.

  • Alan Laz on 25/03/2021 - 14:31
    +14

    Centrecom, no better, no worse than other physical stores, I don't trust any of them.

    Do like buying from the dropshippers and the Bezos sweatshop, they seem to handle returns better.

    • capslock janitor on 27/03/2021 - 12:53

      Centrecom, no better, no worse than other physical stores, I don't trust any of them.

      Not even JB Hi-Fi?

  • jv on 25/03/2021 - 14:33
    +30

    I have been in the I.T Field for 10 years

    So you're relatively new then…

    I've been going to Centrecom for a lot longer than that and never had a problem.

    • Tee Rex Arms on 25/03/2021 - 14:49
      +29

      Dismayed at the lack of bold in your reply

      • jv on 25/03/2021 - 14:52
        +30

        Lent…

        • saywhat on 26/03/2021 - 10:09
          +1

          Lent?? Well get the bold back, JV does not appear right without bold.

        • belongsinforums on 26/03/2021 - 17:48

          Nice

        • slipperypete on 27/03/2021 - 16:29

          Lent…

          maybe my favourite comment this year

          • capslock janitor on 28/03/2021 - 09:42

            @slipperypete: why

            • slipperypete on 28/03/2021 - 13:20
              +2

              @capslock janitor: He always uses bold type. He refrained from using bold type….lent is about abstaining. The fact JV is abstaining from BOLD type during Lent is funny. It was a quick comment from him and made me laugh

              • Tafe on 06/04/2021 - 12:30

                @slipperypete: Just noted it was on 29 votes. +1 jv, cop another badge.

    • try2bhelpful on 25/03/2021 - 18:04
      +3

      I find that sort of comment amusing as well. A group of us got into a phone call with a guy who said “I suppose 5 years in the industry means nothing to you?” I put us on “mute” whilst the three of us, who had at least 40 years between us, pissed ourselves laughing.

      • sheepzpal on 26/03/2021 - 09:50
        +4

        40 years between us? lol you are amusing as well

        • try2bhelpful on 26/03/2021 - 11:12
          +3

          The difference was we didn’t say this to the guy on the other end to justify our stance. Facts need to stand on their own.

      • Zachary on 27/03/2021 - 16:22

        40 years? You guys must be like 60 year old farts!

        • Scrobo on 28/03/2021 - 18:38

          One guy with 39.5 years, the other two with 6 months between them.

  • jv on 25/03/2021 - 14:35
    +44

    They literally tried to scam me against my will

    Why would you even have them in your will ???

    • Techie4066 on 26/03/2021 - 12:47
      +3

      Some customers enjoy the masochistic pleasure of being scammed, it's in their will… You didn't know this?

    • Lichen6420 on 26/03/2021 - 22:23
      +1

      As opposed to willingly being scammed ?? Dumbest thing I’ve ready today…

      • jv on 27/03/2021 - 08:04
        +1

        Dumbest thing I’ve ready today…

        Maybe you’re not ready.

  • dylo on 25/03/2021 - 14:38
    +9

    You waited 5 years and this is your first post?

    I don't see how being given a refund is being "scammed against my will"

  • burningrage on 25/03/2021 - 14:42
    +19

    I see 3 things here.

    1. You bought new and got, in your opinion, "refurbished". If you have evidence of this, you should have tried to refund everything under misleading conduct provision.
    2. You messed with the other items and they are now crooked. See number one.
    3. You melted a 3090 and now you want a new one, are you going to melt that one too? I am not surprised Centre.Com just did a refund on you. See number one.
    • snooksy on 26/03/2021 - 10:16
      +5

      Crypto mining burned his GPU perhaps?

  • Tee Rex Arms on 25/03/2021 - 14:48
    +11

    Can’t wait for the next post in another five years time

    • dasher86 on 25/03/2021 - 15:02
      +1

      they abided by the new user time limit before posting didnt they?

  • Hithere on 25/03/2021 - 15:17
    +10

    I have been in the I.T Field for 10 years

    An ISP Help Desk or Call Centre?

    • dojomojo on 26/03/2021 - 13:04

      Means they used Excel.

  • Porker on 25/03/2021 - 15:43
    +5

    My experiences with Centrecom in Hawthorn, VIC (now relocated to Richmond, VIC) and in Nunawading have been fantastic!

    The Hawthorn crew were by far the best. They took back purchases that weren't suitable and helped me with warranty replacements of GPUs that broke (a year after purchase).

  • Ryanek on 25/03/2021 - 16:22
    +5

    What are the odds of two faulty parts over heating? Hmmm. There may be a pattern here.

  • pharkurnell on 25/03/2021 - 16:42
    +4

    …some of which i spent in government,
    … however when running another normal game

    Hard work

  • Simoneee on 25/03/2021 - 16:47
    +9

    I doubt OP will reply to the comments

    • Plankton on 25/03/2021 - 18:03
      +28

      He can't because he's melted his PC again.

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