Shipping & RMA Policy

SUPPORT

1. Purpose

Core Systems has established the following guidelines to provide our customers the best support and shortest turnaround time possible.

2. Warranty

2.1 Warranty Period

Standard products manufactured by Core Systems are covered by a 2 year global warranty from the date of shipment. Products covered by extended warranty and cross-region repair services against defects in design, materials, and workmanship, are also covered from the date of shipment. All non-Core Systems’ products such as LCD, outsourcing products, and peripherals will be covered by the original manufacturers’ warranty and the time period shall not exceed 1 year of coverage through Core Systems.

2.2 Repairs under Warranty

It is possible to obtain a replacement (Cross-Shipment) during the first 30 days of the purchase if the products were purchased directly from Core Systems and the product is DOA (Dead-on-Arrival). DOA Cross-Shipment excludes any customized and/or build-to-order products. The Cross-Shipment agreement signed by customers is required for initiating/releasing cross shipment with Core Systems confirmation and verification.

The only conditions for Cross-Shipment are:

  1. The return must not be damaged, altered, or marked.
  2. All parts and accessories must be included as originally shipped; and
  3. Proof of purchase must be included.

Any returns that do not meet mentioned requirements above, or any wrong user settings/configurations, will be denied or subject to additional handling/service charges as determined by the Core Systems’ Repair Service Department. For those products, which are not DOA, the return fee to the Core Systems’ repair facility will be at the customer’s expense. The shipping fee for reconstructive products from Core Systems back to customer’s site will be at Core Systems’ expense.

2.3 Exclusions from Warranty

The product is excluded from warranty if:

  • The product has been found to be defective after expiry of the warranty period.
  • Product or part identification labels have been altered or removed.
  • The product has been misused, abused, or subjected to unauthorized disassembly/modification, placed in an unsuitable physical or operating environment, improperly maintained by the customer, or failure caused which Core Systems is not responsible whether by accident or other cause. Core Systems will determine such conditions at its sole unfettered discretion.
  • The product is damaged beyond repair due to a natural disaster such as a lighting strike, flood, earthquake, etc.
  • Other products and accessories originally assembled into Core Systems’ products but not manufactured by Core Systems are limited to the warranty provided by the original manufacturer. Examples of such products and accessories include LCD matrix and inverters, RAM, HDDs, FDDs, CD-ROMs, CPUs, fans, and so on.
  • Product updates/upgrades and tests are requested by customers who are without warranty.

3. Repair Process

3.1 Obtaining an RMA Number

All returns from customers must be authorized with a Core Systems’ RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number. Any returns of defective units or parts without valid RMA numbers will not be accepted; they will be returned to the customer at the customer’s cost without prior notice.

An RMA number is only an authorization for returning a product; it is not an approval for repair or replacement. When requesting an RMA number, please access Core Systems’ RMA web page and download the RMA Authorization form. You may email or fax the form to the Core Customer Service Department.

You must fill out basic product and customer information and describe the problem or problems encountered in detail in the “Problem Description” section. Vague entries such as “does not work” and “failure” are not acceptable.

If you are uncertain about the cause of the problem, please contact Core Systems’ Customer Service Department. They may be able to find a solution that does not require sending the product for repair.

The serial number of the whole set is required if only a key defective part is returned for repair. Otherwise, the case will be regarded as out-of-warranty.

3.2 Returning the Product for Repair

It is recommended to send cards without accessories (manuals, cables, etc.). Remove any unnecessary components from the card, such as CPU, DRAM, and CF Card. If you send all these parts back (because you believe they may be part of the problem), please note clearly that they are included. Otherwise, Core Systems is not responsible for any items not listed. Make sure the “Problem Description” form is enclosed.

European Customers that are located outside European Community are requested to use UPS as the forwarding company .We strongly recommend adding a packing list to all shipments.

Please prepare a shipment invoice according to the following guidelines to decrease goods clearance time:

  1. Give a low value to the product on the invoice or additional charges will be levied by customs that will be borne by the sender.
  2. Add information “Invoice for customs purposes only with no commercial value” on the shipment invoice.
  3. Show RMA numbers, product serial numbers, and warranty status on the shipment invoice.
  4. Add information about Country of origin of goods.
  5. Please attach an invoice with RMA number to the carton, then write the RMA number on the outside of the carton and attach the packing slip to save handling time. Please also address the parts directly to the Customer Service Department and mark the package “Attn. RMA Service Department”.

All products must be returned in properly packed ESD material or anti-static bags. Core Systems reserves the right to return un-repaired items at the customer’s cost if inappropriately packed. Besides that, “Door-to-Door” transportation such as speed post is recommended for delivery; otherwise, the sender should bear additional charges such as clearance fees if Air-Cargo is adopted.

Should DOA cases fail, Core Systems will take full responsibility for the product and transportation charges. If the items are not DOA, but fail within warranty, the sender will bear the freight charges. For out-of-warranty cases, customers must cover the cost and take care of both outward and inward transportation.

3.3 Service Charges

Core Systems will charge for repairing products if:

  1. The product is repaired after expiry of the warranty period.
  2. The product is tested or calibrated after expiry of the warranty period, and a No Problem Found (NPF) result is obtained.
  3. The product, though repaired within the warranty period, has been misused, abused, or subjected to unauthorized disassembly/modification, placed in an unsuitable physical or operating environment, improperly maintained by the customer, or failure caused which Core Systems is not responsible whether by accident or other cause. Such conditions will be determined by Core Systems at its sole unfettered discretion.
  4. The product is damaged beyond repair due to a natural disaster such as a lighting strike, flood, earthquake, etc.
  5. Product updates/upgrades and tests are requested by customers who are without warranty.

If a product has been repaired by Core Systems, and within three months after such a repair the product requires another repair for the same problem, Core Systems will do this repair free of charge. However, such free repairs do not apply to products which have been misused, abused, or subjected to unauthorized disassembly/modification, placed in an unsuitable physical or operating environment, improperly maintained by the customer, or failure caused which Core Systems is not responsible whether by accident or other cause.

For all out-of-warranty repairs, we will send you a pro forma invoice (P/I) with the repair charges. When you remit the funds, please reference the P/I number listed under “Our Ref”. Core Systems reserves the right to deny repair services to customers that do not return the DOA unit or sign the P/I. Meanwhile, Core Systems will scrap defective products without prior notice if customers do not return the signed P/I within 3 months.

3.4 Repair Turn around Time (TAT)

The definition of TAT is as follows:

TAT = Core Systems Received Date ~ Core Systems Shipped Date

For products manufactured in-house by Core Systems, the TAT is as below.

  1. One shipment of up to 40 pieces, the TAT is approximately 5~7 working days.
  2. One shipment of 40~80 pieces, the TAT is approximately 10~12 working days.
  3. One shipment of more than 80 pieces, the TAT is approximately 15~17 working days.

We will send products which are not manufactured by Core Systems to the original manufacturer for repair. This approximately takes 10 ~ 20 working days.

The TAT may be delayed if the customer:

  1. Does not sign and return the P/I within 48 hours.
  2. Fails to pay the A/R within the due date.
  3. Gives an insufficient error description, such as “does not work”, or “failure”.
  4. Has modified the original design of the Core Systems’ product.
  5. Delays a reply or fails to reply to a Core Systems’ request for further information, such as application environment and configuration.

3.5 Repair Service for Phased-out Products

Core Systems offers a continuous repair service for one more warranty period after the date of announcement of the product phase-out. Product upgrades (no upgrade charge, inherit the warranty of old product) or partial credit (depends on remaining warranty) will be taken into consideration if an unexpected situation happens and Core Systems can not fix the defective unit within warranty.

3.6 Repair Report

Core Systems returns each product with a “Repair Report” which shows the result of the repair. A “Repair Analysis Report” is also provided to customers upon request. If the defect is not caused by Core Systems’ design or manufacturing, customers will be charged US$60 or US$120 for in-warranty or out-of-warranty repair analysis reports respectively.

3.7 Custody of Products Submitted for Repair

Core Systems will retain custody of a product submitted for repair for one month while it is waiting for return of a signed P/I or payment (A/R). If the customer fails to respond within such period, Core Systems will close the case automatically. Core Systems will take reasonable measures to stay in proper contact with the customer during this one month period.

3.8 Shipping Back to Customer

The forwarding company for RMA returns from Core Systems to the customer is selected by Core Systems. Per customer requirement, other express services can be adopted, such as UPS, FedEx, etc. The customer must bear the extra costs of such alternative shipment. If you require any special arrangements, please indicate this when shipping the product to us.

4. Service Product

Core Systems provides some additional customer services based on applications.

  • On-Site Service- Core Systems provides on-site customer support as an optional service that is charged depending on the service level and the contract period. Single or project-basis on-site service will be provided.
  • Extended Warranty- Extended Warranty Services can be provided for up to an additional 3 years at sales discretion. Extended Warranty Services offer the same level of service provided by the Core Systems standard or 2 year limited warranty given at the time of purchase. Extended Warranty Services include parts and labor. The extended warranty can be ordered at any time within 90 days of purchasing the product. The Extended Warranty takes effect once the standard or 2 year limited warranty expires.Replacement parts will be, at our preference, new, rebuilt, or non-original manufacturer’s parts that perform to the factory specifications of the product. If a part is no longer available, we will replace it with a part of equal or better quality. We will not renew or honor an Extended Warranty after it expires.
  • Technical Training- Under certain circumstances, Core Systems provides technical training including hardware and software. This includes setting-up configuration and troubleshooting.
  • Logistical Service- Core Systems provides logistical services, called spares depot service. Core Systems will stock and manage customer owned inventory, either at Core Systems, or at strategically located sites globally. With the proper logistics plan, Core Systems can deliver spares in less than 24 hours to any location in the world.
  • Analysis Service- Core Systems provides a product defect analysis service in order to inform customers of defects for better customer satisfaction. The content in DAR (Defect Analysis Report) includes Product/Problem Information, Field Inspection Outcome, Suggestions/Actions, and Follow-ups.
  • Replacement Service- Core Systems provides shipment of replacement products within 24 hours of request. The replacement products will be shipped out before received repair items.
  • Flat Rate Service- In addition to paying an initial fee, the customer will pay a flat rate for each repair item, regardless of the complexity of the repair.