Hey Lifehacker, I recently bought some parts to upgrade my PC including motherboard, RAM and CPU. I’m no IT Pro but I’ve put a number of PC’s together before including an almost identical one on the same day that is working great.
Long story short: the first motherboard failed after testing myself and the shop testing. They replaced the board with a new one. The second one worked when I put it back together, but the following night it stopped working again. What are my ‘rights’ with regard to this? I’m concerned when I take it back to the shop they are going to tell me that it’s my own fault seeing it’s the second one and they won’t replace the part. Thanks, Hard Times With Hardware
Motherboard picture from Shutterstock
Dear HTWH,
Your plight is similar to an Ask LH query we answered last week. Like we said then, you’re certainly within your rights to request a replacement for a faulty product, even on the second or third go-around. Australian Consumer Protection Laws state that all goods must be of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose they were designed for.
Products must also remain functional for a “reasonable time” after sale — two days is not reasonable by anyone’s definition. When a product has a major defect, it must be replaced, repaired or refunded by the manufacturer.
The bottom line is that a motherboard which stops working after one day is clearly defective and you’re entitled to a replacement. Since the store established a fault in the first one, it would be difficult for them to blame you for the same exact issue this time. Our advice would be to be polite, but stand your ground.
On a final note, you may want to check your power supply and the air flow inside your PC before installing your third mobo — just to be on the safe side. Check out our guide to building a computer from scratch for some general motherboard hints ‘n’ tips.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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