EVGA Step-Up Program: How Does It Work?

[RAID]

EVGA’s Step-Up Program: Review
By RAID


When you are in the market for a video card, you have many options. There are several excellent manufacturers and they each provide various levels of cards that fall under different price ranges so you are sure to find one that fits your budget. A couple of months ago, I was starting my wish list for my upgrade and I came across this decision. At the time the best card on the market was the 8800GTX and that was my target but which vendor would I choose? BFG, XFX, PNY, Asus… the list goes on. Then I recalled that EVGA offered a program called Step-Up that allowed you to trade in your card for a better one and all you had to pay was the difference. That is definitely something to think about when you are paying a lot of cheddar for a top of the line card.




As some of my fellow HL members have pointed out, EVGA has a reputation for great customer service and excellent warranties. Click here for official information on their lifetime warranty. Keep in mind that you must register your product within 30 days of purchase to receive the lifetime warranty and your card must be registered to participate in the Step-Up program.



EVGA’s Step Up Program

Click here for the link to the official FAQ page from their site. I’ll go over a few highlights.

-Anytime within the first 90 days of your video card purchase, you can step up to a brand new graphics card of greater value. (You can’t choose a less expensive video card and get a refund.)

-The request to step up has to be made in the 90 day window.

-You only pay the difference between how much you paid for your card and the price of the new card plus shipping costs. (It doesn’t matter if the price of your card went down, EVGA will go off the price you paid from your invoice. Also, the price of the new card you want to step up to through EVGA might not reflect the current price on various online retailers. It will probably be a little higher since they go off the retail price of the card. And you pay for shipping both ways.)

-Your current card must be registered through EVGA and must be working

-You can only step up once per card (So once you participate in the program, you cannot step up again from that particular card. If you purchase another card at full price, then you would be able to step up again.)

There are several details that I haven’t listed but these are the main points. As you can tell, this program is great for people who want to stay cutting edge or want to have the option of getting a better card if they aren’t completely satisfied with their purchase.


Getting Started

When I purchased my original 8800GTX, I went online and registered the card through EVGA’s website. You fill in all the usual information you would in a registration process and once completed, you are able to access the “My Products” page.



This page has all the information you submitted about your card. It shows the date of purchase, model#, serial#, and where you bought the card. It also shows you how many days you have left to step up. To start the process, click on the “Start New Step Up” button.

This will take you to a new page where you need to input how much you paid for your card, where you purchased the card and the date. This info may already be displayed. But keep in mind, put the original purchase price of your card before the tax and shipping.



Also, this page allows you to choose the new card you would like to step up to from a drop down menu. If the card you would like is not in EVGA’s inventory, it will show that it is backordered. After choosing the card, you also have to choose which type of shipping you require.



The summary page shows you how much it will cost you to step up to the new card after the tax and shipping cost are applied. You can go through this process up to this point without actually paying and using the program. This is a good way to see how much it will actually cost. But after this page, you will officially make the step up request and start the process.



My Experience

I bought the 8800GTX Superclocked and was happy with the card. But a few weeks later, NVIDIA and its vendors released the Ultra version. The original price of the Ultra was astronomically high but it decreased enough for me to consider stepping up to it after a few more weeks. I paid $599.99 for my GTX and EVGA lowered the retail price of the Ultra to $699.99. Considering my window to step up was closing and one of the reasons I chose EVGA was the opportunity to step up, I pulled the trigger and started the process. Here is a time line of my experience:

June 18th – Started the Step-Up process through EVGA’s website and immediately received a confirmation e-mail for the request.

June 19th – I received an e-mail stating my new card was ready and I needed to fax or e-mail my invoice to them. I chose to e-mail my invoice from Newegg. I just made a jpg of the receipt and sent it attached to an e-mail. You are also able to upload your invoice through the "My Products" page.

June 19th – Later that day, I received an e-mail stating that my invoice had been approved and that I would see the next steps on the website soon. At first this confused me but I figured out that it meant that the “My Products” page would update and allow me to go to the next step.

June 21st – After a couple of days, I received an e-mail saying my invoice had been approved (again) and to go to the website and submit payment. I went to “My Products” page and the option to submit a payment was there. I ended up paying $117 to step up to the Ultra from the Superclocked GTX.

June 21st – I received an e-mail later that day verifying my payment. Then I received another e-mail with packing instructions and an attached pdf file which I was to use as my shipping label. The label included my address, EVGA’s address and my RMA number.

June 22nd – After packing my original card with the original manual, cables and connections it came with, I included a sheet with my RMA number inside the box. I shipped it in the morning using USPS priority mail. It cost about $8.

June 25th – Using USPS’ online tracking, I verified that EVGA received my package. Later on that day, the “My Products” page updated and showed that the card had been received.

June 26th – EVGA sent me an e-mail stating that they shipped my new card. It included the product and serial # of the card. The “My Products” page updated and verified that the RMA was complete and included the UPS tracking number.

June 27th – The UPS guy rang my doorbell around 5pm and I finally had the new Ultra in my hands.



Conclusion

The entire process went by quickly. The first few days consisted of the paperwork / administration side of the program and once I shipped the card, EVGA only took one day to ship my new card to me. Since I also live in California, it got to me the next day. The card I received was brand new and sealed in the original retail packaging. Throughout the process, I received several e-mails and never had any questions on where I was in the process. So basically, you start the request, send your invoice, make your payment, send the card and then receive your new card. Quick and simple. I think its catered to the enthusiast who wants to stay current on their video card and wants the option to upgrade within the first few months after making the purchase. Who doesn't like options? Every vendor should offer a similar exchange program. I am completely satisfied with EVGA and the Step-Up Program they offer and will likely stay with EVGA when I buy my next graphics card.

Coming Up Next: Guide to Overclocking the 8800 Ultra

[Capper]

Great job Matt..... thank you for sharing your experience with everyone.

eVGA is a favorite company of ours because of the quality of their products, as well as their customer service and warranties.

[Hitman]

I have used the EVGA step-up program twice now. It's a great program, the only issue I had was the card I wanted was back ordered so it took a little longer then normal to get my card.

My only suggestion is that you post some screen shots from the website.

Edit

Never mind, you hosted the pics at photobucket, and those images are blocked at work. I noticed they were there when I got home from work.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

I would make an end note saying that all eVGA cards must be registered within 30 days of purchase to maintain the lifetime warranty... otherwise you'll be left with a year warranty, possibly even cut from the step-up program.

[Yellowhello]

Hmm, GREAT JOB MATT!!!! I always look for warrenties and such, but maybe EVGA's step-up program is worth a look.

BTW, you have to register with EVGA to take advantage of the step-up?

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by yellowhello

BTW, you have to register with EVGA to take advantage of the step-up?

Yes, you do. You basically register the card anyway when going through the step-up program process anyway.

[garetjax]

Sweet as hell guide bro! Very well done! Having just bought my first EVGA videocard awhile back and registered it within 30 days, this guide will definitely come in handy if and when I decide to use EVGA's Step-Up program. Awesome article! =)

Also, it is worth noting that you can upload a copy of your invoice (in .jpg format only) of your videocard purchase if you are the kind of person that misplaces or forgets where you put the documentation of your computer component purchases.

[RAID]

thanks for the comments. i've taken on everyone's suggestions and made some changes to the review.

[Leviathan]

Sweeet i always woundered how it worked. :)