Stay Away from Centrecom - Problems With Parts and Warranty

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.

Related Stores

Centre Com
Centre Com

Comments

      • +5

        He's off driving to a shopping centre internet cafe give him half an hour !

        • +6

          Need not stress. He'll be back in 5 years time…

  • I wouldn't say they are worse or better than any other computer stores. Generally computer stores have a bizarre infatuation of denying customer service despite employee time being wasted over something quite immaterial, so it is normal to expect Centrecom would do those things.

  • +2

    they sent it back with no evidence that they even touched it let alone fixed it

    Still char grilled?

  • +3

    Mate, sounds like you had a bad run with the system. On top of that, the component shortages at present are allowing opportunities for retailers like centrecom to either shaft you by providing a refund and making you pay again for higher amount or using second hand components. Both can be true in this regard. The best way it should of been handled is to simply take photos / videos of the issue as soon as it occurred then going down to centrecom with the system for them to test.
    Pre built systems unfortunately don't arrive with original boxes so there's no telling if the components are brand new.
    Keep fighting until centecom fix the issue.

  • Our office has been around the corner from a centrecom branch for the last 4 years. As such, we buy nearly all our IT equipment from them.

    I've never had an issue with them.

    Their customer service is typical of the industry - they all have a don't give a fk attitutude. But I've never had issues when making warranty claims.

  • +8

    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.

    So … you returned a board because it had multiple sparks and fires, and when you got the board back in a state which you determined had been untouched and unfixed, you decided, in all your IT wisdom and experience, that it would be a good idea to use it again in another system?

    And you seem surprised it did the same thing as before?

    It's people like you that give retailers a bad name!

  • +16

    "i noticed a few issues which led to multiple sparks and fires"

    Think you need to find a new hobby, capacitors might blow or the system may not boot at all but what kind of issues lead to sparks, let alone fires.

    Did you water cool the entire case using a garden hose?

    There has to be more to this story.

  • +3

    Did you turn it off and turn it on again?

    • +1

      if that doesnt work, update adobe

  • +14

    Your grammatical ability probably aligns with your IT skills and alledged experience with Centrecom. 100% trolling IMO.

    • +2

      Or a competitor on a mission to tarnish their reputation. Not saying Centrecom is the best out there but my personnel dealings with them had been positive till now so not sure I'm the only one smelling something fishy specially when the OP is no where to be seen after the first post.

    • *alleged.

    • Similar one post in Reddit…

    • does the ozbargainer go to such great lengths to troll?

      • Maybe a competitor?

    • on point for a government employee but.

      durrr how to spell name

  • +2

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

    Then why didn't you flag this before use?

    Also curious what were the indicators of refurbishment?

    • That's what I don't get either

      If the motherboard shows signs of damage surely someone with even an ounce of IT knowledge would not be installing the board and hoping for the best

  • what were the indicators of refurbishment?

    multiple sparks and fires.

  • -4

    A normal game would not even trigger the fan of 3090 a lot. For example CS:Go, the fan of 3090 would not even start. The only condition I can think of that will use 100% performance of the card would be bitcoin mining.

    • CS:GO isn’t particularly demanding on the GPU. Recent AAA titles can definitely max out a 3090 at high refresh rates and/or resolutions

      • What he said is a normal game.

      • but does it run crysis on full graphics

    • The only condition I can think of that will use 100% performance of the card would be bitcoin mining.

      Why do people keep sprouting this obvious nonsense. Mining is all about efficiency, most cards used for mining are run in extremely cool environments with huge amounts of airflow, underclocked by a good 30 - 40% on their core clocks and running at as low as 50% of their TDP.

  • OP could be truthful and just unlucky.

    It's fair enough for people to say that they've had good experiences with Centrecom, but it's kinda nasty to blame it all on OP based on probability or the way his post is worded, rather than evidence.

    • +2

      the way his post is worded, rather than evidence.

      Since the OP provided no evidence, one could only respond based on the available information.

    • You put too much faith in 50% of ozbargain commenters here to stick to logic, some of them throwing out shitty opinions and strawmans, then following up the rest of their comment like as if it were irrefutable fact

  • +6

    If you believed they sold you refurbished in the first place, why didn't you just return it day one?

    Why the (profanity) would you continue to use it, If i paid full price for these item marketed as Brand new. I would have walk back in store next day for a replacement/refund and shop elsewhere.

  • I've never liked Centrecom

  • +1

    I once tried to get a refund on a faulty dp cable from centrecom. Had to argue with them for the refund as it was the weekend and they couldnt test it to see if i was telling the truth.
    Seriously?

  • +5

    Customers gets replacement instead of a full refund = complain
    Customers gets full refund instead of a replacement = complain

    Retailers ???

    • Retailers burning themselves at the stake as we speak.

  • They literally tried to scam me against
    my will

    Mate, I'm going to hazard a guess here that pretty much all scamming happens against the will of the victims involved. Nobody is like, "Ah, you'd like to scam me? No worries mate."

  • +1

    Yeh nah mate.

  • 10 years experience? Come back and tell me about it once you have 20 years experience.

    • tell OP to come back when he has 30years experience and an addiction to coffee to match it

  • +1

    Just tell us the name of your shop OP.

  • +2

    BRO if they're refunding you back in money thats okay.

    AT LEAST THEY DIDNT REFUND YOU BACK IN GIFT CARDS. goddayum. Still gobsmacked by Bing Lee when they tried to pull a fast one.

    • op has a point, he now has to pay more for the card.

      • +2

        Centrecom has a point. OP will burn the new replacement as well and ask for another one, which has gone up in price.

    • +5

      Bing Lee sold me a faulty laptop and tried to brush me off.

      I filed a PayPal complaint with proof of the fault, and they had the audacity to message me asking me to "close the PayPal complaint" if I wanted a refund. I stopped corresponding at the point and got my money back through PayPal and sent the laptop back to them (PayPal paid for the returns postage).

      Bing Lee = thieves.

    • +1

      I've had nothing but bad experiences with Bing Lee.

      1) Once went in with intent to purchase fridge/tv the whole shebang for my new apartment. As I was negotiating pricing the rep as a 'tactic' sat down with his hands behind his head and began watching one of the TV's on display (??)

      2) Had to return a product (completely sealed & unopened) and the guy opened it to inspect and then had the audacity to go 'sorry we can't refund you as it was opened' (???)

      Bunch of muppets working at the joint.

  • +8

    Its not just centrecom. bought my EVGA 3080 from scorptec. Brought it in for RMA. The guy at the desk said it might not be possible to replace because EVGA isnt in Australia, well EVGA is pretty (profanity) famous for their global warranty so I tell him to check. A week later, without any option or permission, they take my card and give me STORE CREDIT for the 3080. They don't put me on a short list to get a new card, they don't fix it, they dont mail it off to EVGA, they take it, claim that the card cannot be replaced and give me store credit. (profanity) joke of a business.

    • +3

      not sure why you had a neg but it seems people on this forum dont care for you to tell the truth.

      • Yep. If I was struggling like Scorptec because of Covid, why wouldn't I ripoff a customer. They have no alternative and no other vendor to go to with stock.

        I'd legally fulfill my obligations to the customer as per the law, and also make a profit by selling the next batch of cards to a new customer at increased markup.

        Surprisingly, lying to OP about replacements isn't illegal lol

  • +2

    I like how everyone is trying to blame the op

    10 years is somewhat a long time. It's not exactly rocket science to put together a pc.
    Also the op mentioned that some of the time he spent in the government, not all.

    • Almost impossible to plug in the graphics card incorrectly. If it's plugged into the wrong port on the PSU it simply won't work. Not enough power etc
    • It's already been proven that mining BTC or any other coin isn't going to "degrade" your card. In fact a used 3080 vs a new 3080 will do the same thing. The cooling on these cards is pretty amazing. How do i Know? I have been mining since I got my card and not a single issue yet.

    Given the shortages of cards etc, I wouldn't be surprised if the company did give him refurbished crap.

    Things just dont catch fire unless theres an actual issue on the PCB or a short. Plugging stuff in incorrectly isn't going to cause sparks. You cant plug a 20 pin into the 10 pin etc.
    Overclocking beyond the cards means it simply wont turn on or crash, not catch fire.

    Given the current demand most companies wont care as they can simply pass it onto the next customer

    Goodluck op, i dont think you did anything wrong. Ignore the people here, you've warned them and when something bad happens they will know.

    • +7

      10 years lol. He can't even surge protect psu's. I think he is full of it. He sends a motherboard away and it gets returned nff from the manufacturer then has a sook. Card could of been sent away but screams immediate resolution or vcat etc.

  • +2

    If 'new'products showed signs of wear and tear someone with IT experience should have been able to quickly pick this up and send said items back

    Then to allegedly get the same now fire damaged components back and try again to use them in the build is again something anyone with any general computer knowledge would know not to do

    As for not giving OP a new 3090 card a quick look online at Centrecom shows zero stock of 3090 cards so how exactly do they send a replacement when they don't even have anything available ?

    Refunds rather than replacements for new graphics cards is a global trend at the moment due the the shortages being experienced and long wait lists for replacement cards for those who decide to wait

    • If 'new'products showed signs of wear and tear someone with IT experience should have been able to quickly pick this up and send said items back

      A lot of people and businesses don't meticulously inspect parts as they come through the door for such things unless it was super obvious. In the event of the failure OP experienced, they have reason now to retroactively inspect the part to see if it was a refurb, AFTER it failed.

      Worse, if the department doesn't even have facility or employees or time to perform this, with large volume of deliveries.

      • +1

        OP clearly states they inspected all products….

        • For IT parts in particular (there are many other parts I've worked with over the years) I can assure you inspecting it = using your eyeballs.

          As an example PSU failure is impossible to pickup without plugging it in. And even if you plugged it in, you'd need to stress test that PSU and maintain power load so it didn't blow up.

          Motherboards are impossible because the components are 1-2mm.

          I can go on and on for different components, and it's entirely possible OP might have just used something simple like if the box wrapping / sticker / manufacturing dates are consistent.

          This is the only concession I can give, short of OP being a liar and troll

          • @Blitzfx: Hmmmm….Just had a look at Centrecom, there isn't an x299 motherboard to be found on their site, not even sold out stock (there's plenty of sold out graphics cards still listed so they aren't hiding unavailable items)

            • -1

              @AJ73: Centrecom are doing something dodgy, I'm not sure what. Here: https://i.imgur.com/f42XpmN.png
              They delisted the x299. This means they had it some time in the past, and now they don't have it. And the story OP is telling us is that this is in the past.

  • +3

    "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."

    That's not just Centrecom, that's almost global. Computer retailers will out right just refund people on high-end video cards instead of RTM/and order a replacement, because there is NO replacement and they could be out of stock for 12 months or more.
    Reality Bites!

  • +2

    Your fourth point is not a scam practice. They literally have no replacement parts to give you back due to supply shortage.

    Saw this was discussed in jay’s latest vid as well

  • Yet another post where OP complains, then they ghost us.

  • +1

    All of my recent interactions with Centre Com (including warranty claims) have been outstanding.

    I ordered dozens of HP Z1 G5s last year for work when Centre Com were practically giving them away for $2,000 ex. GST, which was an absolute steal for a high-spec enterprise workstation (i7 9700K, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD/1TB HDD and an RTX 2080) with a 3-year, on-site warranty and possibly the best pricing I've ever seen on HP Z-Series workstations to date in terms performance-per-dollar.

    I had a warranty issue with one of them (DOA GPU) and they sent out a new card within days. Had some other minor issues with the warranty start dates showing as commencing a few months before we purchased them on HP's website and they sorted that out quickly too.

    No complaints here.

  • Woah toxic thread… 10k system? I'm assuming liquid cooling? I guess the test was whether you installed the dodgy components or had the patience to send them back.

    • empty case with a gold bar inside = 10k system

  • +2

    Hang on. The 3090 refund, so you wanted them to refund you the purchase price our the new market price?

    • +3

      Yeah, that was the first thing I saw. He wanted to be refunded new market price as opposed to what he paid for it. Lol. Makes me so glad I'm not in retail and don't have to deal with people like this.

    • +2

      I think OP wanted a replacement rather than refund and was pointing out that prices have risen since original purchase.
      It does suck for OP but Centrecom probably couldn’t get a replacement so they had to refund

      • I had to read it a few times although you can easily take it the other way.

  • "government" says it all

  • I just ordered a custom pc build through centrecom, all AMD build, just paid on Friday so waiting for them to build it. The only thing I don’t like is that you can’t talk to your actual system builder (guy/girl that will be building it) so I had to send in a couple of tickets just to outline how I wanted it built. I felt kinda stupid sending the tickets with my ideas but as I couldn't physically speak to my system builder like ai could with Scorptec a few years ago I wasn’t sure how competent centre com system builders are.

    I’ve heard good things about centre com custom builds and judging by images on their website their ready to ship PC’s look quite good so I took a chance and dumped 5k into a custom gaming rig with them so I hope it all turns out ok.

    Iif anyone has had a custom rig built through them let me know how it went?

    • One good indicator you can check is if the cables are routed neatly, and out of the way. That's a pretty good litmus check. For $5k, I expect perfect PC assembly.

      • Yeh, I heard their cable management was quite good, I ordered an extension sleeve pack as well, I built my last pc so I’m sure their cable management is better than mine :). I had scorptec do my pc for me before that and they were ok as well. I figure there’s only few ways a pc can be put together so should be ok.

        • Oh I just remembered, the liquid cooling might also be worth watching out for (among other things) . not sure if you got one in yours. There's a good and bad way to assemble it.

          https://youtu.be/BbGomv195sk?t=1076

          • @Blitzfx: Yeh I’ve sent a ticket regarding how I want everything installed, I saw that vid as well but thanks for the heads up. Based on their ready to ship system photos they always to my surprise install their liquid coolers the right way with the rad at the top of the case and not the front or any other weird position, just check out centrecom prebuilts gaming system ready to ship page.

            This is my build.

            1 x AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 4.70GHZ 8 Cores 16 Threads AM4 Desktop Processor
            1 x MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk Wi-Fi AM4 ATX Motherboard
            1 x G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3600MHz Desktop RAM
            1 x Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe PCIe SSD - MZ-V7S1T0BW
            1 x Samsung 870 EVO 2TB 2.5" Internal SATA SSD
            1 x Fractal Design Meshify S2 Black Tempered Glass Case
            1 x Lian Li SL140-2 UNI FAN 140mm ARGB PWM 1500RPM (2 Pack) Black with Controller
            1 x Lian Li SL140-1 UNI FAN 140mm ARGB PWM 1500RPM (Single Pack) Black
            1 x Thermaltake TtMod Sleeve Cable - Blue/Black
            1 x Corsair HX850M 850W 80 Plus Platinum Modular Power Supply
            1 x PC Assembly Labour
            1 x NZXT Kraken Z63 - 280mm AIO Liquid Cooler with LCD Display
            1 x ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT 16G Founders Edition Graphics Card
            1 x Microsoft Retail Windows 10 Pro (32/64 Bit) - P2 USB BOX

            • @CheetoJesus: When I asked them if they allow build notes, they told me they don't.

              • @czd: Yeh they said to me to send an email so I did, just I couldn’t physically speak to the builder over the phone. Did you have yours built through them?

                • @CheetoJesus: I haven't got one built yet, I'll currently trying to decide who the best people to go with (PCCG, Scorptec, Mwave, Centrecom).

                  When I messaged Centrecom, they said they don't accept any build notes full stop. So that's weird. Maybe I just got the guy who had no idea :D

  • +1

    …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…

    You are entitled to either a replacement or refund, and they've got the right to choose to refund you, even if you request for a replacement.

  • +1

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

    I’d love to know how you got to that % so accurately? You sure it wasn’t 10%? Also I want the glasses you wear so I may also see indications at such great accuracy when I’m choosing my lotto numbers.

  • +2

    Time to watch the Ozbargain “OP blame” “me know all” bandwagon people go to work on this story

    I see a large mob holding torches screaming a la Verge style

    Grabs popcorn …….

    • +1

      Yeah, there's a lot of assumptions, accusations and even putting words in OP's mouth.
      Though this OP's only post and has zero comments (ever) which doesn't lend much credibility

  • Just did a search for x299 motherboards on Centrecom and they have nothing at all in their listings, not even like graphics cards or other sold out items that still appear in searches despite not being in stock

    Scorptec's x299 range is all sold out as well but still appears in search results so hmmmmm

    OP is obviously angry that they got a refund for their 3090 and not a replacement but to me rest of the story not adding up

  • We had a problem with a GPU. Returned it - they tested and agreed it had a fault. RMA with Gigabyte handled by them. New card was returned and tested. All good and not an ouce of fuss by the Frankston store.

  • +1

    Your problem is in the first line of your post lol.
    "I have been in the I.T Field for 10 years some of which i spent in government,"

    IT in government are useless, waste of taxpayer's money.

    • IT in government are useless, waste of taxpayer's money.

      Don't say that. I've been getting a lot of hate mail from triggered government IT workers for saying that as a joke.

      • Haha, they need to learn to take a joke.

        But with every joke, there's a grain of truth. Like a few years back, ATO workers were kicking up a stink because their work hours on their contract will now say 9-5 instead of 4:51pm. So stupid. I have worked in the private sector all my life and in addition to the work hours, there's always a line that says "plus reasonable hours in addition to the specified hours" and I've never just worked 37.50 hours a week. I think if my contract said 9am-4.51pm, I'd laugh haha. Do people really do walk out at 4:51pm on the dot? Their complaining suggests so…haha

        https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/ato-staff-refus…

        Shenanigans like that help create the perception that government workers don't do much…

        Just to clarify, my comment was a joke, so you government IT worker don't get triggered.

        • you only need to open the paper any day in the past 12months to prove ………yep the government workers are useless, overpaid idiots

          probs an "IT specialist" with the NBN, cant even get a fukn internet connection to work

  • +3

    I am not sure if any one remembers MSY when it was in that small Auburn shop and it got the queues on the Saturday. There was one guy, the youngish little guy with glasses, he had an attitude without saying anything. You know the guy. Not sure if anyone remembers Fluidtek, they had queues too on Saturday. Take the attitude just for the cheap prices.

    • +1

      line up 2 hours just to find out there’s no stock 😂 yep

    • +1

      I remember haha, good times lol

      • Yeah I remember lining up at MSY, there were quite a few who had zero customer service skills but as mentioned above the savings were worth the wait times and lack of good customer service

  • +1

    A product went up and in price and you wanted a refund higher than you paid?

    And once again on Ozb, a first post and no follow up. Welcome to the real world and toughen up princess. 5 year old account though.

  • OP "10 year IT" claim reminds me of the generic jock reposts on 4chan /b/………

  • +2

    I love these forums lately, OP come and posts, gets absolutely trashed to the point they dont reply, not even once. Lol.

    • +1

      We need a forum flair that tells us if the OP is active in their own thread!

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