Returning a Pi to RS

Has anyone had any experience returning a Pi to RS for replacement.

My Pi arrived on 16th May and for a couple of weeks it worked perfectly. Then one day is simply refused to start. The 'Ok' LED would never come on. I have tried two PSU's and three different SD cards. It simply would not start.

I phoned RS (a company I have been dealing with for 30 years) and asked what I could do. The woman said they (the main help desk that is) had nothing to do with the Raspberry Pis. However she kindly sent me a link to the FAQ page which included some instructions on how to return a failed Pi. I sent back my Pi, with documentation and a cover letter, on Friday 8th June.

I have heard nothing since.

I have tried emailing RS twice but not received any response. While I can understand that they may not have any spare to send me, hearing nothing at all is very frustrating.

Anyone else have any experience of this?

(On a general point; what is the position re:warranty? Raspberry Pis have to be subject to ESD and are sold without a case. If this were an 'ordinary' PC motherboard, how strong would your case when asking for a replacement? Clearly many Pis are being operated with minimal ESD protection.)

Mark

I've not had to send my Pi back, but it sounds like you ought to phone them again and ask to get put through to the correct department.

edit: I've read elsewhere that both distributors are keeping a pile of Pis to one side, explicitly for replacements.

Just to conclude this thread.

I wrote to RS about this a total of five times and only got one reply. The reply stated that I should return the faulty Pi to RS. Clearly they had not read my original email properly.

However today a replacement Raspberry Pi arrived, without any warning.

The issue is now resolved to my satisfaction. However the communication skills of the Pi time at RS leave lot to be desired. I can only assume they are overwhelmed with requests.

Mark

I send my Raspberry PI back to RS 15 may.
I did nog get any respons back so I sent 2 e-mails and asked for status.
The only resons I have got is "Thank you. I have forwarded your question to raspberrypi@rswww.com and hope they will get back to you shortly.".
That was a couple of days ago. It would be nice to know if my package arrived to RS.

[texy]

If you expect an urgent reply then PHONE THEM, otherwise it is not urgent and does not require an immediate response.
You don't email the ambulance service do you?

Texy

texy are you a forum troll? Compating RS Components with a ambulance service is stupid.
I have waited 5 weeks! If I send something back to RS I expect that someone confirms when my package arrives.
My first mail was 2 weeks ago. How long is ok to wait without knowing if my package has arrived? 1 month, 3 month, a year?

If you expect an urgent reply then PHONE THEM, otherwise it is not urgent and does not require an immediate response.
You don't email the ambulance service do you?

Texy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uesx85EHRTo

[texy]

texy are you a forum troll? Compating RS Components with a ambulance service is stupid.
I have waited 5 weeks! If I send something back to RS I expect that someone confirms when my package arrives.
My first mail was 2 weeks ago. How long is ok to wait without knowing if my package has arrived? 1 month, 3 month, a year?

Maybe but you've clearly missed my point. If you want an immediate answer then use the telephone.
Complaining in this forum isn't going to get you answer. Try a RS Components forum.
Troll indeed

T.

Mark asked if anyone had any experience returning a Pi to RS for replacement.
I just gave my story.
My purpose was not to get my PI back faster.
I don't expect a "immediate" answer, a week is ok. I also live in Sweden and don't want to call RS UK.
The problem is that when RS get a return + Customer Returns Form (including my order number) they don't get back to the customer.

I emailed them regarding something about my order (after i'd received it) and it took about a week to get a reply.
I'm guessing they are just bombarded with emails, calls and letters and probably not used to the demand of a product.

At least things get sorted in the end

And also, that Youtube video is hilarious