14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, reports started emerging saying that a number of customers that had ordered Intel Core i7 central processing units through Newegg had received fake plastic replicas instead of the actual products. Needless to say, this stirred a rather strong response on the part of end-users and put significant pressure on the online retailer, especially considering the fact that Newegg has a rather good reputation as a hardware seller. Newegg subsequently stated that not it, but one of its suppliers had shipped what were called ‘demo units.’ Predictably, these demo units turned out to be counterfeits after all.
Later on, Intel itself got involved in the investigation, especially after the HardOCP team reported that it was D&H that was behind the shipment of no less than 300 fake CPUs. D&H got rather upset about the report and demanded a public apology, and it seems that the aggravation was justified, now that Newegg has finally gotten to the bottom of the issue. According to a company statement, it was a different supplier, known as IPEX, that was behind the entire mess.
“Initial information we received from our supplier, IPEX, stated that they had mistakenly shipped us ‘demo units.’ We have since come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier. Contrary to any speculation, D&H Distributing is not the vendor that supplied us with the Intel Core i7-920 CPUs in question,” the statement reads.
Newegg also reaffirmed its commitment to a flawless customer service and support and is putting effort into resolving the situation as soon as possible, by sending replacement units and collaborating with both Intel and the authorities on fully investigating the incident.
“Newegg's top priority is to proactively reach out to all customers who may have been affected to ensure their absolute satisfaction. We have already sent out a number of replacement units and are doing everything in our power to resolve the matter promptly and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers,” the statement adds. “We have always taken pride in providing an exceptional experience for each customer, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers. We take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.”
Any affected purchaser may contact Newegg's customer service and notify the company of the situation.