So, I make the mistake of ordering a XFX 6600GT AGP card. Monarch’s happy to take my cash, even though I later learn that at least one of the support representatives there is familiar with how often they’re RMA’d. That card shows up and is, of course, dead. For $6 I send it back for a replacement. That XFX 6600GT is dead on arrival, too. I send that back for $7 for a store credit.

Meanwhile, to move things along in good faith, I order another card, this time an eVGA, from Monarch Computer. Bad move. Of course, the eVGA works great. However, the known bad XFX cards Monarch has been sending out is going to cost me a 15% restocking fee if I want it converted to cash. While I had been happy with my service with Monarch and might have purchased from them in the future, I really wanted my money back and credited to my card. However, only a store credit is available unless you plead for a refund. The latter comes, of course, with a 15% restocking fee.

So, my final cost for an eVGA 6600GT from Monarch is going to be nearly $200. For $200 I could have bought a decent 6800 from, say, eVGA, or BFG, or whoever.

XFX cards are simply crap.

But Monarch’s betrail is simply appalling. They won’t be getting my money or — as they’re a lower tier OEM — any recommendations on my behalf for server purchases for businesses. They’ve lost potentially tens of thousands of dollars and not merely just my business.

Oops.

Update, September 13th. After multiple phone calls to Monarch I finally spoke with a manager that understood what I had done and was willing to assist me. He explained what I had done is essentially an expedited replacement, but that it’s best done in exceptional circumstances (like mine) through the RMA staff. By placing a new order, I confused the system.

The short of it is, he was happy to refund my money.

My opinion of Monarch Computer has increased, although I am disappointed it took so many phone calls to reach someone who was able to assist me. In the future I am going to simply wait for a credit to be issued before creating a new order. I rarely buy hardware that’s DoA, let alone DoA twice, so this was certainly an exceptional circumstance.