Have you been in contact with EVGA Europe to find out what happened?
 

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Normally EVGA is good about taking care of the customer and giving a new GPU when it's DOA out of the box. While it's unfortunate that they did sent you a recertified card I am sure that they will take care of you.
 
If it was me I would be reaching out to EVGA about a replacement but I would also be running benchmarks and seeing how stable of an overclock the recertified can reach. If it was in the high side of overclocking I personally would keep it but if it was average or below I would be replacing it. Of course that is just me and would take testing and I know there is something great about knowing it's brand new that is important.

ty_ger07
You are not owed a new card. You are not guaranteed a new card.

Why don't you use it and decide if there is a reason to hate it?

Actually, he is guaranteed a new card if it arrives DOA.  Looks like EVGA is taking care of him.

https://www.evga.com/warranty/graphics-cards/
 

• If an RMA is necessary within 30 days of the original purchase date of a new in box Product, a new in box OEM replacement will be sent to the Original Purchaser in return, subject to availability.

ty_ger07
"subject to availability"

Then the original purchaser can instead request a full refund.  I wouldn't want a used replacement for a product I purchased new and arrived DOA.  I don't know anybody who would find that a reasonable replacement.
EVGA already said they were giving him a new OEM replacement.

ty_ger07
Or, they could just be happy they have a GPU, use it, and find out if there is something wrong with it.
I don't really care what EVGA supposedly said they would do. They are claimed to have offered something they weren't required to offer. If someone says they will do something special for you and then don't for one reason or another, do you get mad at them?
I don't think EVGA is required to give a full refund. What EVGA is required to do is what EVGA has done.

What they've done is acknowledge, here, on this very thread, that they sent him the wrong card and should have sent a new one.  
It's literally right above your posts - EVGA saying, "oops, our bad, we'll fix it."
I don't know what personal investment you have in telling people that they don't deserve what they paid for, but I think you're alone in your view.

I didn't see post #3. Let's pretend post #3 didn't exist. My opinion is unchanged.

the_Scarlet_one
You can throw “subject to availablility” around, but when EVGA says “we have them available and will send it out", and then doesn’t, the customer can expect to get what they were promised.

Many people have had the "subject to availability" clause thrown at them. It's not a guarantee that you will get a brand new replacement.

If it happened to you, what would you do? Try the card out and see if something is wrong with it, or wait many more weeks and pay more shipping and customs fees to get a replacement?

I would try it out and be happy if it works. A refurbished one and a new one has the same value to me if it works. What does the customer care? They have the same warranty and the card behaves the same. The only time it would matter is if you were trying to sell it as a BNIB item.

I don't understand the fuss.

I guess shame on EVGA for making a special promise. See if they try to bend over backwards for someone's unreasonable demands again.

nomoss
It wasn’t a “special” promise. It was the promise made in the warranty. “Subject to availability” doesn’t mean what you appear to think it means. But clearly you have very loose definition of new. OP does not.

Interesting. You know EVGA's stock status? You are assuming that EVGA had a new card at the moment they processed the RMA. Remember, it can takes weeks in Europe for shipments to complete. Supply is very fluid.

My interpretation of the OP is that he begged and pleaded with EVGA to send him a new replacement, so EVGA gave in and said 'fine, we'll hold onto a new one for you which we were going to sell'. But weeks later, EVGA had forgotten and had already sold it, or hadn't received new stock yet that they had expected to have received.

Otherwise, why was he begging and pleading for a new replacement? If it was standard practice, no begging or pleading would be required at all.

We all know what the stock status is like right now; especially in Europe. Getting a refurbished replacement within the first 30 days seems pretty expected to me.

Anyway, good on EVGA for doing their best to salvage this. Serves them right for making a promise. I doubt they will be as likely to make such a promise again. It's crazy for you to expect EVGA to have weeks worth of new cards sitting reserved on a shelf waiting for the dead ones to arrive through customs in Europe; and not expect them to sell the limited supply of new cards like they normally do.

You are not ever guaranteed a new card through EVGA warranty replacement.

What's the big deal with a used card which works as good as a new card and has the same warranty as a new card? Did the OP ever try it? Was there anything wrong with it? Is a working new card not better than the original broken new card?

So what do you do? Wait more weeks for another card? Pay more shipping and more customs fees?

nomoss
You make so many assumptions on everything.

As do you.
Assumption #1: "Actually, he is guaranteed a new card if it arrives DOA.".
Assumption #2: It's a currently manufactured card. There must be stock, right? .. In Europe of all places... EVGA must be able to accurately project RMA quantities for weeks in advance.

Every time this comes up, it's the same argument and assumptions.

Many people have received refurbished replacements from EVGA of currently manufactured cards for cards which failed during the first 30 days of ownership.