MSY targeted by ACCC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges warranty rights violations against part retailer MSY.

Amongst serious PC upgraders and hardware tweakers, MSY has a reputation for both unbeatable prices and at times poor service. Following the announcement today that the ACCC has begun legal proceedings against the retailer, it might soon be possible to attach the term 'outright dodgy' as well.

Known as a cut-price national retailer of computer parts, the ACCC alleges that MSY has "made a number of false or misleading representations" in regards to warranty rights. This has happened across multiple stores, on in-store promotional items, and on customer receipts.

The case will go to court for an initial hearing on the 16th of November this year, and the ACCC is seeking injunctions, civil penalties and that MSY institute a trade practices compliance program, amongst other things.

We're currently seeking comment from MSY, but in the meantime, any Atomicans out there ever been stung by warranty issues when dealing with MSY purchases?

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76 Comments

jdog Nov 1, 2010 11:01 AM	now this is why im going with umart for my xmas build.... i dont want to buy something and the shop to be gone in 6 months...like a learnt with my current build...
Bundy 2.0 Nov 1, 2010 11:03 AM	MSY has always been fine for me but I know of other parts dealers that mislead. 53g of Trade Practices Act is a common breach you see everywhere it can be as simple as a sign or notification of "no refunds" that breaches this part of the act.
smadge1 Nov 1, 2010 11:04 AM	I've only had one issue, and I was out of pocket $40 over it. I wanted to RMA a faulty 2.5" HDD I'd purchased for my laptop, and determined to be faulty. They said they tested it and it was fine, yet I couldn't install Win7 on it, and determined the issue to be Faulty Firmware. I had to apply for the RMA myself through WD and ship the drive, registered to Malaysia.
Bundy 2.0 Nov 1, 2010 11:04 AM	jdog I don't think you will have to worry about MSY being gone in 6months and even if you were your warranty is still valid with the manufacturer of the individual parts.
2SHY Nov 1, 2010 11:05 AM	I have stopped using MSY for a number of reason mentioned in this article. There are number of good e-retailers around in any case.
smadge1 Nov 1, 2010 11:05 AM	Oh, other than that, I haven't had any other issues, might be a case of buying brand-name products that are of ok quality.
mohawk Nov 1, 2010 11:10 AM	Never had a problem with MSY and warranty in fact, I have found them to be one of the better ones.
tunksy Nov 1, 2010 11:12 AM	haha I'm not surprised, its been a long time comming. but now most of the old expensive computer stores are dead and closing up (A&R for example). They just never competed price wise and thougth giving better customer service would save them, it seems people in the short term just want to save a buck until they get stung.
jdog Nov 1, 2010 11:27 AM	if this was scorptec that comment would be rather funny.... ill stick with umart or some other company...
nesquick Nov 1, 2010 11:44 AM	Umart is still just as bad Jdog, they sting you 20% restocking fees if you decide you don't want something, surely a flat fee would be more suitable like 20% restocking fee on a $500 video card... come on it doesn't cost $100 to put an item back into their warehouse.
Karmicfloss Nov 1, 2010 11:47 AM	Have heard generally good things about MSY, I've dodged them cos their website has got to be the shittest I have ever seen..EVER! I have been stung twice now by retailers have a product listed as in stock and then getting a message after payment that they actually don't...FAAAARRRKKK!!!! A phone call or email before payment is now my standard practice :(
Ekythump Nov 1, 2010 11:48 AM	I haven't had any problems with MSY either myself. But then again i havent had to take anything back. I know someone who did and he didn't have any problems with them either.
tunksy Nov 1, 2010 11:50 AM	@ nes, thats just bullshit. hmm theres a reason pccg and scorptech
Opy Nov 1, 2010 11:51 AM	Was there a couple weeks ago. The guy claimed that none of their motherboards had both SATA and IDE. I so wanted to laugh at him.
TheFrunj Nov 1, 2010 11:56 AM	nesquick, the restocking fee is because they have to buy the product from the distributor to then sell on to you. If you change your mind they've gotta deal with the product - I don't know if they get a refund or have to hang onto it until it sells - but that's how the process works to my knowledge.
tantryl Nov 1, 2010 11:56 AM	Every single time I buy something from my local MSY they tell me it has a one year warranty, regardless of the manufacturers warranty length. I've told them a couple of times they can't do that, in a friendly manner suggesting I didn't want them to be investigated, and sent them an email of what happened to mwave. They nodded understandingly and promptly ignored me. :(
jdog Nov 1, 2010 12:08 PM	thats high....damm why do i live in brisbane...theres no good PC stores.....that have good stock and good price/warranty..... MSY has some good prices,but low stock choice and no existant service... two thinks i dont like...
spyder Nov 1, 2010 12:18 PM	I just bought a heap of stuff off MSY on Saturday for a new build. Wish I knew about this before then :-) Still everything I bought is running fine, so I guess things may be okay. Wi8ll watch this with interest.
tantryl Nov 1, 2010 12:19 PM	@spyder - from the description this looks like it's basically the same issue as mwave, who are much smaller than MSY and powered on through. So I wouldn't be too worried.
ShiroKage Nov 1, 2010 12:25 PM	I had a good(ish) warranty-return experience with MSY just recently. My logitech mouse which had a 3 year warranty died after 2.5 years, and I still had the receipt filed away. I took the faulty mouse with the receipt in to MSY and they organised the shipping etc with logitech. In the end I got a $50 refund, which I thought was pretty good considering the mouse was well used. Only minor compliant was they said they would call me when they heard back with something, and they didn't (I had to call them).
stollies Nov 1, 2010 12:44 PM	MSY are OK if you dont mind standing in queues that lineup out the door at any time of the day and then when you get to the front, they dont have what you were after followed up by shitty service, no advice and blank looks. Cant complain about their prices too much though
strifus Nov 1, 2010 12:46 PM	You know, there are always other places to purchase computer equipment apart from MSY and Umart. Seriously, these guys have been around for as long as I can remember, as well as Concord and another company the name of which escapses me atm. I am not saying that MSY isnt dodgy. What I am saying is that if you know they are dodgy, dont buy from them. The same goes with Umart or whatever company it may be. As far as re-stocking fee is concerned, well, if you bought it and then returned it because you didnt want it, then you didnt do your homework before buying it. Sorry Nesquik >.<
nesquick Nov 1, 2010 12:50 PM	Frunj- Umart has 98% things on hand so it goes into their warehouse in Brisbane, they don't dropship like other places so if you don't want it and its unopened they just put it back into circulation.
nesquick Nov 1, 2010 12:53 PM	strifus- I know enough about hardware to know to do my homework but sometimes things just don't go the way you plan, personally I have only had it happen once and that was because the item lacked description as to it not using a standard sata power interface but a cut down version, neither sony nor umart had this documented on their website and I got slogged a 20% restocking fee because the slim dvd burner I ordered mose well have been a $78 paper weight.
nws Nov 1, 2010 1:54 PM	some months ago, MSY were originally going to bundle a 1 year Aust-wide high priority same day on-site warranty with instant parts replacement by NWS (National Warranty Services, ie us) on all systems (ie pcs, noteboooks, servers), which would of course repace the existing 12 month RTB. However they subsequently decided not to go ahead with that strategy as not adding enough value, and instead only offer our warranties as an upsell from the RTB. fyi, seeing they didn't see any value in adding just a 12 month same day on-site with instant parts replacement to replace the RTB (mistake do you think?), we are still negotiating with them to bundle a THREE YEAR warranty same as above (at great pricing) as an even better value-add. PS from posts here and WP, it seems to me that there are not huge numbers of complaints about MSY service, and actually quite a lot of positive ones. I gathered in passing that CPL are one of worst offenders :-)
GhostFaceKilla Nov 1, 2010 2:21 PM	FYI - re warranty issue with MSY. the issue that MSY are being give n a rap over is a common one that a lot of shops indulge in. Ot goes a little something like this . . . You buy a hard drive. You get receipt (in Australia every product you buy is automatically covered by 12 month warranty in addition to anythign else the manufacturer puts on top). Under our law if the product s faulty, or does not do the job it was described as supposed to be able to do you are entitled to an exchange, instore credit or indeed a full cash refund. The choice is yours. This is not negotiable. Secondly it is the STORE which must meet this warranty obligation. Ok back to scenario. You bring back hard drive. It is not starting. It is clearly faulty. MSY (or insert other) says " ok well not my problem i will just send it back to the manufacturer and see what they say". Here is the rub. When you purchased the hard drive (with the receipt you kept) you entered into a contract with the retailer (in this case MSY) and not the manufacturer (ie Seagate). The shop is responsible for replacing the harddrive or giving your a refund (YOUR CHOICE). Not the manufacturer. If the product is faulty, the Retailer gets a refund from the Manufactuer. himself. After all they have contracted with them. Now sometimes they get around the law by saying - " well we have to asses the product as actually being faulty by qualified staff". Load of rubbish. the court will quite clearly say "you work in a computer shop - arent you qualified to turn it on and see if it broken?". of course this may be valid on occasion which leads to the second problem for MSY and othes the return polkicy and warranty policy must be shown clearly on premises and official tax reciepts. IT MUST conform to the current legislation. MSY does not. The implication from their wording is that if you dont bring it back in 7 days then we dont want to hear about and you just go and deal with the manufacturer yourself in future if there are problems. gain - you contracted with MSY for the duration for the duration of the STATUTORY warranty period. You have statutory rights. You CAN demand then a refund or exchange ON THE SPOT if that hard drive is faulty! This is a risk that is borne by the retailer and manufacturer. Note I am talking here about a genuine fault. Not you changing your mind Head over www.choice.com.au - they have some more basic info on this. if you really want check out the Trade Practices Act over at Austlii.
GhostFaceKilla Nov 1, 2010 2:22 PM	God I hate typing on this stupid apple mac keyboard. Bloody awful.
GeekyTalon Nov 1, 2010 2:24 PM	Whahaha serve them justice! Avenge my friends and make this store proper. My friend couldnt get a good warranty out of a tp link router from msy. They told my friend to go call the tp link helpline so pretty much they said GTFO. My friend couldnt get the warranty because tp link doesnt do the rma number service and says it stays with the store. T_T Bastards needs punishment. The store can be so much more. -_-
Fabian2k Nov 1, 2010 2:39 PM	MSY NOOOOOO!!!! sorry guys im a fan always bought parts and even when returning faulty goods i never had any issues...
panto Nov 1, 2010 3:29 PM	MSY has been good for me. Never had to return anything though. I imagine manufacturer warranty is all you need - a bit longer turnaround time but it works. MSY has forced the prices down on all the other overpriced computer stores in this area so I'm grateful for the healthy competition it has created.
Fabian2k Nov 1, 2010 3:53 PM	LOW PRICES IS ALWAYS GOOD!!!
Aktavite Nov 1, 2010 4:01 PM	GFK, can you confirm: "Under our law if the product s faulty, or does not do the job it was described as supposed to be able to do you are entitled to an exchange, instore credit or indeed a full cash refund. The choice is yours. This is not negotiable." I think Tantryl would tell you otherwise.
Aktavite Nov 1, 2010 4:02 PM	Edit for the above post: Not Tantryl, but Juggalo Scrub.
GhostFaceKilla Nov 1, 2010 4:28 PM	Oh now. The law is correct (yes I work in the legal field - you would be surprised to know where). I can find the relevant statute and case law for you but then I would have to send you a bill :-) Basically if you buy a product, take it home and through no fault of your own, such as through normal usage, the product is broken OR the product does not do what it is advertised as supposed to do then you are entitled to a full refund, exchange, credit, repair and so forth. Of course there can be variations to this depending on circumstance and using common sense. But I am afraid that it IS YOUR CHOICE. Now of course a retailer does not have to give you a refund if you want to exchange because YOU made an incorrect choice or because YOU broke the item. Check this: http://www.choice.com.au/Reviews-and-Tests/Money/Shopping-and-Legal/Shopping/Refunds/Page/Refunds.aspx If the retailer says to you that they will repair that new stereo that you got home to find that it was broken you can tell them NO I want a full refund please. If they refuse they are breaking the law.
Aktavite Nov 1, 2010 4:38 PM	Long and convoluted story but: http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au/index.php?showtopic=18182&hl=CPL Ultimately I had to accept the store credit.
m_a_g_e Nov 1, 2010 4:51 PM	purchased heaps of gear (6+ systems) over the years, but thats not a sign of warranty service, just that I use them. I have had 2 things fail, a 1T HDD they re[placed on the spot and a Asus MB they refused to replace. It was a clearance item and I asume it was faulty to start with and they didnt want it back. Didnt have the time to follow up $60 worth of MB. I now use Scorptec and PCCG. Scorptec is a much more pleasurable buying experience, I even get emailed a copy of the receipt so I dont need to keep the original
GhostFaceKilla Nov 1, 2010 5:03 PM	Mm. Juggs may have some slight errors/misconceptions in some of the stuff he is saying - What is important to note about consumer purchases is that your contract is with the retailer. The retailer is obliged to ensure that any product they sell is of merchandise able quality. Again your contract is with the retailer not the manufacturer per say. Unfortunately the practice of defering all the risk on to the consumer is rife in our country. I note in your story that Logitech actually told the shop that you were supposed to go through the shop and not deal directly with the manufacturer. Bravo Logitech. Of course what can you do? Litigation is expensive. I suggest making official complaints to the relevant bodies. This is what has happened in MSY's case. Enough people have complained about specific breaches of the Act forcing them to do something. Ultimately with consumer issues the adgage remains - "buyer beware".
GhostFaceKilla Nov 1, 2010 5:11 PM	Oh btw Aktavite, one of the problems in your case (and I know Juggs mentioned something about this) is that you had already used the product for a period of time. Clearly though your warranty was not void though as the fault emerged during normal usage. A full cash refund would not have been appropriate perhaps. But personally I dont know why they couldnt get the speakers repaired if that is what you wanted. A hypothesis is that the shop NEVER actually bought the speakers from Logitech directly or via an authorized wholesaler in the first place!! In which case the shop would have no paperwork/records to provide to Logitech and thus they couldnt get your speakers repaired officially under warranty. Interesting. Ultimatley I still think you were pretty lucky to get back the full amount even if it was just store credit (I actually did comment on your issue back then).
Aktavite Nov 1, 2010 5:20 PM	Lucky? No. They had to give me the full amount. Why? Because as the distributor told me "CPL on requested a credit notice". It would have been illegal for them to request a credit on a full set of speakers still under warranty and only offer me a percentage of the credit.
discoInferno Nov 1, 2010 9:52 PM	It's great news that retailers who don't honor manufacturers warranties are finally being brought to account - or at least this one is. I remember being told by Gamedude in Brisbane that even though my XFX card was still within its two year warranty period, they would not take the card back for repair/replacement as they only had a 12month warranty store policy. I ended up having to go through the QLD distributor to have my warranty honored. Dodgy dodgy dodgy... This also shows that if you think you've been hard done by with a warranty return, don't just sit there and take it. Contact those who have the power to do something about it and they may just be able to help.
jdog Nov 1, 2010 10:15 PM	so whos left who isnt dodgy?....
Rory K Nov 1, 2010 10:42 PM	PCCG, never had a single problem with them, never heard a bad word against them. Very reasonable shipping on large orders too.
fredzfrog Nov 1, 2010 10:51 PM	Cpl in melb is good, msy are.. Well msy. Cpl is msy + service..
Aktavite Nov 1, 2010 11:07 PM	Fredz, if you have a chance, read the link I posted on the previous page. I primarily shop at PCCG and Scorptec.
Karmicfloss Nov 2, 2010 8:38 AM	GameDude@baddies. Abrupt customer service, shite coms.
jdog Nov 2, 2010 12:18 PM	i wish PCCG had a shop in brisbane...my local pc shop has great service...but cost alot $$$....
Athiril Nov 2, 2010 4:04 PM	AS far as umart goes, I had a faulty HD that got worse progressively, but umart said no refund because its outside their 1 month return policy, even though by law its their respnosibility.
natemans Nov 2, 2010 4:25 PM	I'll have to wait and see with this one. i put my Asus p5q pro in for warranty about a month ago. They did say it would take 5 to 6 weeks so I'm still waiting for them to contact me. What i found interesting is that on the Asus website it says the warranty lasts for 3 years and at MSY they say its 12 months. but i did take my motherboard back 1 months past the 1 year MSY warranty and they did show leniency. so i will just have to wait and see if or when i get my motherboard back.
RaRaDawg Nov 2, 2010 6:32 PM	Well I've stopped using MSY - after I called them to find out if they had a Hyper 212+ Cooler in stock - like 3 months back, but they didn't pick up, so I walked to the branch and stood in the line for half an hour in Ultimo after Uni to get the answer, and that answer was "No" =.="
Ndks Nov 2, 2010 6:37 PM	restocking fees are badass. You gotta remember that as soon as a product is taken out the front door by a customer its considered second hand.. So for example if a computer retailer has a 15% profit margin they would lose all their profit for a product that's been returned due to the fact that they'd have to sell it on cost price so they have to get that 15% back from somewhere. Most places pretty lenient if you don't open the box..
matt110 Nov 2, 2010 9:32 PM	I only use PCCG now. Their website is great, and their customer support/service is great too. Postal tracking is really handy.
Hubbo Nov 2, 2010 10:10 PM	Well, well, well... Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks statutory warranty covering a "reasonable time period" is not confined to 7 days. And on that note, and my final reply - Bite Me :P
Athlonite Nov 3, 2010 12:49 AM	Well atleast your ACCC has some teeth our own version the Commerce commission sucks arse they're a toothless mongrel dog that shakes if you say hey boy to it short story long,.... 14 months ago my partner buys an HP DV6 laptop has only used it on battery 5~6 time and the battery is now fawked HP wont replace it under warranty even though the ComCom say it should be able to last an reasonable amount of time 5 yrs if you ask them... now she's stuck with a lappy that can only be used on mains power and an cost of 289 bucks for a new battery
Metasynaptic Nov 3, 2010 10:03 AM	When I was in tech support, we said that batteries should last 1-3 years, and hard drives 2-5. Should was the operative word and variance does exist.
SquallStrife Nov 3, 2010 11:41 AM	@GFK: "You get receipt (in Australia every product you buy is automatically covered by 12 month warranty in addition to anythign else the manufacturer puts on top)." It's not 12 months. It's a reasonable amount of time, considering the type of product, the price paid, and other factors. It is worded as such, so that you cannot return an el-cheapo 60w light bulb that has blown after 6 months, but you might return a $6000 TV that has failed within 13 months.
GhostFaceKilla Nov 3, 2010 2:15 PM	I was being general - Acts dealing with motor vehicles expressly state 12 months for a new car and 3 months for a second hand car. Home builder legislation provides similar fixed statutory warranty terms for example. Statutory (or 'implied') warranties are also determined by common law and what a 'reasonable amount of time' measn. So yes common sense will prevail. The point though is that Every product sold has to conform to a minimum standard. So if that light globe pops when you get it home you are still entitled to a replacement etc. Check the box. If the manufacturer has made a statement saying that the the globe is guaranteed against defects etc for 3 or 6 months then they have to honor that.
qwakqwak Nov 3, 2010 5:28 PM	ROFL AT THIS COMMENT WAR... It really comes down to a matter of you get what you pay for, if MSY want to run their business solely on being the cheapest it results in them making as little as 40 cents profit on a product. If you run a business that makes such little profit (margin) you can't afford to have a flashy website, technical staff or any of the other bells and whistles you would get from a typical bricks & mortar retailer or e-tailer. If you buy from MSY you are doing so because it's cheap...If you have hassles with your products down the line and it causes you headaches maybe next time you should consider buying elsewhere. MSY are going to be the new ACCC whipping boy for a couple months and it will be very public, this scare tactic is easier than the ACCC doing their actual job and chasing down all offenders. RRP is for suckers but there is such a thing as fair value...
Pimps_2000 Nov 4, 2010 8:44 AM	I would like to jump the the defence of MSY in waverly rd Malvern melbourne. I setup a whole system and was working fine. installed windows 7. I then decided to swap video cards. and in doing so one of the cables was not plugged in properly. this resulted in some power surge. Boooom. Beeb beeep. the thing wouldnt start. the powersupply short out.. and i sent it back to MSY. They took it back were embarassed and they fixed everything. They claimed it was nothing at all the wires werent pluggged in properly and all the parts were all good. But i know for a fact the pwoersupply got rooted by my experiment. SO MSY ARE GOOD and were more than willing to help me out. GOd Bless MSY and i hope they survive this !!
SquallStrife Nov 4, 2010 2:59 PM	"I was being general" Heh. For being general, you were pretty specific: "...every product...automatically...12 months..." Yes, it's nitpicking, but eh, I would fully expect to be called out on something like that.
Nich... Nov 4, 2010 3:35 PM	I've never had an issue in returning faulty items at my local stores. I've also never had any issues with customer service in general. It's pretty easy to overlook store-by-store variation in such things, just as it's easy for some people to expect a full service store with such cheap prices.
Periander Nov 5, 2010 6:27 AM	ACCC is one thing, I'm waiting for the ATO to audit MSY or Umart; that's when the shit will hit the fan.
Ringers Nov 5, 2010 4:22 PM	Yeah i got stung by them, bought a motherobard and took it home found it had a dodgey capacitor and didn't work. took it back and they refused to replace it or give me a refund. Had to buy another one.
pizzle Nov 6, 2010 9:59 AM	Just built a machine with parts from 6 vendors - "...eggs in one basket...". Whilst warranty issues may have indeed brought MSY unstuck, they are by no means the only crowd out there who do it. To my mind a bigger issue is the repeated deonstration of vendors advertising components as "in stock" and then allow you to make an order against this and TAKE YOUR MONEY before telling youi moments later "awww schucks we're sorry - you can always embark upon the extremely complex refund policy to get the money back for stock we never had in the first place...". Remember 6 suppliers? 30% emply this tactic where the website clearly indicates items as being in stock. Surely this is misleading and deceptive (disclaimers - also close to illegal - notwithstanding). If you control your stock by computer you have no excuse for this behaviour. MSY = never go online. Walk in, chat to the guys, they're one of the betters in an industry where shysters outnumber the good guys.
funnybugger Nov 6, 2010 6:33 PM	i havent had any problems with msy warranty
ihateH Nov 6, 2010 6:51 PM	I used to be their customer but just prior reading this new I decided to "avoid" them in the future. Basically I was mislead 2 times by MSY's dodgy staff. First time: Coolermaster case which box advising it having a 500W PSU, I opened it but instead there was the 460W version PSU. I returned the case, the dodgy MSY guy "our customers never had any problem with this PSU"! Got full money back after 4 weeks after a verbal fighting, the dodgy guy "you don't want it? We'll sell it anyway"! Second time: Creative "Audigy Value" sound card sold to me as the "Audigy2 Value". "You're lucky... this is the last one"! I paid it and while he was printing the invoice I looked more carefully at the package. Nope I said, this is too old and so I want the Audigy2 Value! The incompetent guy still tried to play around, "look at the computer screen..... "Audigy Value" yes the item they stocked was "Audigy2 Value"! I told him "you cannot sell this card as "Audigy2 Value". Short story..... he returned with a form and asked me to sign (refund form), no any word, no feedback, no apologies, end of story. MSY "never" replayed at my e-mails nor I was able to talk to someone on the phone. I remember MSY's long queues but it seems no more..... only 3 customers waiting.... see the boomerang is back to you MSY, good luck!
phill360 Nov 8, 2010 9:48 AM	MSY have always had the worst service of any retailer ive used. I stopped shopping there a long time ago and have not regreted it, i much prefer centrecom these days as there service is much better and there prices almost match.
osama_bin_athlon Nov 8, 2010 12:34 PM	I've spent heaps at MSY over the years, travelling gmiles to their Auburn shop, and then much more conveniently, their Ultimo shop. I have never had a bad experience with them. warranty replacements/repairs have always taken just 2 weeks, they replace faulty HDD's on the spot without any hassle, refunds aren't a problem either - in those regards, and with their pricing I find them brilliant! my only gripes are: there's sometimes a lengthy wait (after public holidays, and around lunchtime) they too often run out of stock on popular items. they are my prefered supplier of parts, wherever possible I try to get everything there.
darren42 Nov 8, 2010 11:54 PM	I haven't had to ever return anything for warranty so I haven't any experience with the warranty service from MSY. I mainly shop at the chipping norton store and most of the time they pick up the phone when I call them. The queues at that store are pretty much non-existant when I go there. The customer service may be lacking but it doesn't really bother me, I go there for the cheap prices.
kulgan Nov 11, 2010 10:02 AM	I tried to purchase an OEM copy of Win7 along with a Motherboard, HDD and graphics card as I had done at they're Morningside store many times. However they wouldn't sell it to me unless I bought a CPU and RAM as well. Considering it was my 5th OEM build this, and usually just a HDD and MB or CPU was enough in the past, I think they were just trying to up sell. Later I found out that they didn't have any copies, but wanted me to go on a list for pre ordering. I did have issues with a couple of noisy HDDs, to which MSY replaced without much trouble on the first visit. However after swapping 2 other noisy HDD within weeks, they requested that I fill in the RMA on the WD website. Annoyed with increasingly slow service and inconsistent product knowledge, I now go elsewhere.
darklife41 Nov 11, 2010 2:37 PM	I've been saying the same thing about MSY for years. People think they're saving heaps, and IF they don't have problems - they are saving a bit. But if/when problems happen, the slightly more expensive retailers have much more value as they honor their warranties (PCCG FTW). Poor service is one thing, and to be expected to some extent (price lists are never accurate, no one answers phones and when they do they say things are in stock that aren't, etc.) but not honoring a warranty is dishonest. :-)
20GOTO10 Nov 11, 2010 5:06 PM	I had fantastic sales service and warranty from norlane branch of MSY. The really nice sales guy there RMA'ed my 5770 card with NQA and I had a shiny new one in 2 weeks. And he was really NICE about it. A far cry from other branches I have used...
20GOTO10 Nov 11, 2010 5:09 PM	I must add tho that I now only but from pccasegear.com. Unrivalled delivery times and prices are sometimes cheaper than MSY!
osama_bin_athlon Nov 12, 2010 1:21 AM	I've only ever waited 2 weeks for MSY to do a warranty replacement/repair I've waited much, much longer at shops offering 'service' - they can stick their service up their collective arses.
Guset Nov 13, 2010 1:07 PM	GhostFaceKilla: Spot on mate! I am one of those who reported MSY to the ACCC after I had some st service and some bol*s thrown at me while I was there (specific store) regarding a faulty motherboard still under warranty. I asked to speak to manager who tried to give me more grief, so I just never went back there after my issue was resolved. But I did take photos of their "No refunds" labels and some other dodgy stuff and reported them to the ACCC. Finally after 2 years, justice is being served...
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alexdagr8est Dec 23, 2010 2:36 PM	I have never had a problem with MSY, and I have built 7 PC's from their store. 1 graphics card had a problem ATI HD5870 was broken ($580 at the time) and I took it back with the friend I was building it for (this would have only been 3 months ago or so) and they exchanged it on the spot. I am very concerned about this news as there are very few cheap storefronts anymore that you can just "go in, get what you want and walk out" if MSY (and other cheap retailers for that matter) goes out of business due to this, it will be a sad day for the majority of people who don't want to wait a few days to a few weeks for shipped products to arrive at their doorstep and pay for the shipping fees.

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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 137 | June, 2012

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.

What's in this issue?