Silverstone TJ07 - Serious quality issues :(

[Tigris]

Hi to all the TweakTown community ! Today I would like to share some experience concerning defective Silverstone TJ07 case and communication with Silverstone's european tech. support

About a year ago (in November/December 2011) I decided to replace my black TJ07 with a silver one as I got bored of all-black PC. Since there is no place to get Silverstone products from in my country I had to order the case from Germany. When the package arrived I checked the box from outside but did not open it right away as there wasn't any visible damage and I was too busy at the moment. When I finally got down to rebuilding my computer in June this year and took the new TJ07 out of the box I noticed that the small door in front which covers USB/FW/audio jacks is quite wobbly... On close inspection I found out that 4 screws used to secure the cover's frame from the inside of the case do not hold in place and can't be tightened due to broken or absent thread in corresponding mounting holes. Furthermore, the case has some more blemishes: 3 of 10 screws that hold the top mesh also fall out and there is no way to put them back in place, the surface of the U-profile has some irregularities just above the 5,25" slots, side panels do not slide fully into place leaving huge gaps between them and the front of the case, the edges of side panels are far from perfect. And on top of that, it looks like the U-profile isn't stamped properly - when I unscrew the bottom end of two back struts which hold the ends of the frame together on my black TJ07, the frame unbends a little and the struts go up BUT not sideways as on the last photo.

Pics will tell more:



Having carefully documented all the defects, I contacted the shop which the case had been purchased from but unfortunately they could not provide a replacement as there were no silver TJ07s left in stock and they didn't plan to restock it as silver version is not popular. The only option offered (except exchange against a black version as I already own one) was to send the case back for a refund but I chose not to go this way as shipping to Germany would cost me half the price of the case. Instead, I decided to contact Silverstone Europe and see if they can help me. Silverstone's tech. support replied promptly that my TJ07 is definitely defective and should be replaced by the seller. When I informed them that the shop can't replace the case because there are no silver versions in stock I got an answer that they don't do RMA with end-users. The next day I got an e-mail from the sales department with an offer to buy the replacement parts directly from Silverstone Europe ! Is it OK to offer the customer to pay for the damage made in production ? I think NO - so I emailed Silverstone telling that I will only pay the shipping costs but the parts must be provided free of charge as the case was defective out of the box. They stated that it is impossible for the product with such defects to pass QC at their factory so they suppose that I myself damaged the case... Really disappointing. I never expected this kind of customer "support" from such a respectable company as Silverstone

Is this OK ? What do you think ?

Any advice/comments/suggestions much appreciated :)

[profJim]

Re: Silverstone TJ07 - Serious quality issues :(

I hate to state the obvious, but your position is weak due to the time that has passed since you first received your case.
I wonder if a German customer bought, damaged and returned the computer case before it was shipped to you.

Did the original Silverstone retail box look like it had been previously opened before you opened it?
Was the computer case in a protective plastic bag?
Did any protective foam look damaged in any way, possibly by someone being careless when they might have removed the case?
Search the web for "un-boxing" videos for your case model.
I've seen many un-boxing videos for all types of computer hardware, sometimes from well known websites.
Some review sites have detailed pictures that show how good or bad the packaging is for the product that they are reviewing.

One thing that might significantly help you is to have someone local inspect the case to corroborate your findings. This inspector would need to be qualified to determine how the damage probably occurred and if any of the damage was due to manufacturing defects.

You sound reasonable and it's important that use a firm but polite approach at all times.
Losing your temper won't help you in the long run.

You need to contact any consumer protection agencies where you live, in the city where the seller is located and/or the location where Silverstone is located to see if there is any way that they can assist you. There may be public or private agencies in some of these jurisdictions that might be able to mediate an agreeable solution.

Don't be too quick to negotiate, you want an undamaged computer case.
If needed, you can compromise later.
I don't envy you, you'll be dealing with people from dissimilar cultures.

[Tigris]

Re: Silverstone TJ07 - Serious quality issues :(

Did the original Silverstone retail box look like it had been previously opened before you opened it?
Was the computer case in a protective plastic bag?
Did any protective foam look damaged in any way, possibly by someone being careless when they might have removed the case?

As I mentioned before, the box was in good condition but I can't tell for sure if it had been opened before - at least it looked the same as the carton which my first TJ07 came in. The case itself had protective bag on and the foam was OK

One thing that might significantly help you is to have someone local inspect the case to corroborate your findings. This inspector would need to be qualified to determine how the damage probably occurred and if any of the damage was due to manufacturing defects.

You mean I need to find a qualified expert who can give a professional opinion concerning the origin of the defects ?

You need to contact any consumer protection agencies where you live, in the city where the seller is located and/or the location where Silverstone is located to see if there is any way that they can assist you. There may be public or private agencies in some of these jurisdictions that might be able to mediate an agreeable solution

So far, the only advice I got from local consumer protection agency was to negotiate the possible solutions directly with the manufacturer

Have you tried posting on the FB of either Silverstone or the store you bought it from?

I don't have a FB account...