9600XT with the voucher- I didn't get one.

Petabyte

Petabyte

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Hello, this is my first thread so go easy on me please.

A couple of months ago, when I asked the guy at best buy if this card (my 9600 xt) came with the free half-life 2 deal, he said it did. That just confirmed what I saw on the internet about a free coupon for half-life 2 that comes with certain ATI cards (9600 xt included). So I bought it. Now, the reason why I got this 9600 xt was because of this "deal". I payed $200, which I could have used on a 9800 pro, which I hear is much better. But I didn't, because the 9800 pro didn't come with the voucher. I took it home installed the card, and stuffed the box in my closet, forgetting all about the "coupon", checking out how smooth the card ran all my games.


Then, about a month and a half later, I checked the box and found that there was no coupon. I checked it out on the net and found out only some ati cards had the deal. I thought my ati 9600 xt was included in the deal. I also heard stories of people who had bought 9600 xts, getting the coupon!
Is there any way I can prove I bought this graphics card (like a serial number or something) and get my half-life 2 coupon (and counter-strike source beta)? Or is the deal over?

Sorry about the long post, I'm kind of angry. If this doesn't work I guess I have to contact Valve. Has anyone had a similar experiance? Can anyone help?

thanks.
 
go to the ati website and email them. never take no for an answer.
 
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Does it say on the box that theres a card inside? If not then its probably not going to get you the deal...
Im one of the ones that got the card with my 9600 xt and its written all over the box so meh.
 
If you get the coupon, you get it. If it wasn't included, then it doesn't have it.

Not all vendors chose to pack the coupon with the card. *Generally,* the 9600XT and 9800XT cards have it. Other cards such as the 9600SE sometimes came with it as well.

Contacting ATI is useless, unless your card was _built_ by ATI and the box indicated that HL2 was included.
 
If the voucher was really supposed to be in your box, it would look like this one: http://www.teamhardware.com/upload/news/25-02-04/xt9600box.jpg
see the bottom right logo that says free Half-Life 2 Game? Thats what you need to get. I got this with mine a while back, and i had the logo.

Im thinking if the guy told you that it came with one, that you should demand a voucher. That is, if your box doesnt say it comes with one. If the box says you get one, and you didnt, ATI will cover for you.

Sorry to hear that though, but dont worry, 9600xt will run hl2 fine, even if you cant get it back for the 9800. :thumbs:
 
Steven Q Urkle said:
they stopped putting them in like almost a year ago
Click to expand...

They did? I wasn't aware of that.

McFly said:
but they dont know when he bought it.........
Click to expand...

Heh. Good point. Alwase be an optimist!

Idonotbelonghere said:
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Does it say on the box that theres a card inside? If not then its probably not going to get you the deal...
Im one of the ones that got the card with my 9600 xt and its written all over the box so meh.
Click to expand...

Hmm... I don't think so. I'm on vacation right now so I coudn't tell you. The box is back home.

BigNamek said:
Also, are you sure it's the 9600XT made by ATI? The box should look like this one here.

BigNamek...
Click to expand...

Thats the one! That is exactly it. Yes my card is built by ATI.

JPack said:
If you get the coupon, you get it. If it wasn't included, then it doesn't have it.

Not all vendors chose to pack the coupon with the card. *Generally,* the 9600XT and 9800XT cards have it. Other cards such as the 9600SE sometimes came with it as well.

Contacting ATI is useless, unless your card was _built_ by ATI and the box indicated that HL2 was included.
Click to expand...

Yep, built by ati. It says ati all over the box and is the same one shown here (thanks Bignamek!)

Any ideas? If I do contact Valve, what should I say? Who should I email? I don't want to piss them off. Gabe might come to my house and rape me.
 
I wish I had bought a 9800 Pro instead of my 9600XT too, mine didn't come with a voucher either :p
 
ManHacks said:
If the voucher was really supposed to be in your box, it would look like this one: http://www.teamhardware.com/upload/news/25-02-04/xt9600box.jpg
see the bottom right logo that says free Half-Life 2 Game? Thats what you need to get. I got this with mine a while back, and i had the logo.

Im thinking if the guy told you that it came with one, that you should demand a voucher. That is, if your box doesnt say it comes with one. If the box says you get one, and you didnt, ATI will cover for you.

Sorry to hear that though, but dont worry, 9600xt will run hl2 fine, even if you cant get it back for the 9800. :thumbs:
Click to expand...


Thats great to hear, thanks man(hacks). That raises my spirits very high. I really do hope I run it well, I have an AMD 3000+ processor and a 512 stick of ram. I think I should be ok. I didn't have that logo, but my box says "Half-life 2 Preferred Graphics" with a picture of Gordon. And some half-life 2 screenies on the back.
I really do hope valve covers for me. They're good people.
Just not good with release dates.
 
o ya youll be fine spec wise. Sadly though, your 9600xt doesnt include a hl2 voucher. But it bugs me that the guy told you it would. Was he looking at the box when you asked him?

BTW, welcome to the forums! :cheers:
 
Thanks for the welcome. I called best buy and asked him and he said yes. He looked straight at the box and said yes. That guy haunts me in my dreams to this day.

Stupid best buy, they don't know a thing when it comes to gaming. They think they know but they don't.
I really hope valve helps me out...
 
-Frosty- said:
I wish I had bought a 9800 Pro instead of my 9600XT too, mine didn't come with a voucher either :p
Click to expand...
You do know you can return the graphics cards right?
Assumeing you did not wait over month to see if the cupon was in it.

Oh and I baught a 9800xt 256mb and it came with 6 games + HL2 cupon.
It came in a PowerColor Box.
 
You can always try to return it, the BestBuy up here is weird about their returns, making up things as they go, and proving it by showing me a sheet that the person pulls out of the blue. Im just glad i got my 9600xt at circuit city, you would think they would be worse, but they were very helpful and told me if anything was wrong, or i needed to upgrade to return it before 30 days and they would exchange it. I also like their pricematch thing, i got my 9600xt for 150 (50 dollar rebate), and it included a hl2 voucher, which i sold online, i want to buy it in the store :p Good luck with what ever you do.
 
Well, I would return it and get a shiny new 9800 pro, which was also $200 btw, but its just too late. Plus there's no way in hell I could find that receipt. Even if I did, it has been almost 2 months. Maybe more. I really just don't know what to do. Even if I did contact valve and they wanted to help, what could they do? where is my proof? I doubt they would just "hand over" half-life 2. I would need some type of serial.
Now that I think about it... The receipt is in the box. But damn the card is already running in my pc and I doubt Best Buy would care.
 
I dont think you are supposed to have the voucher. Yes he said its supposed to have one in, but theres quite a few variations on that 9600XT at different speeds, mbs, and other deals. I think the guy at the shop got his wires crossed. Yes you have the picture about HL2 on the case, but the one with the voucher on actually says 'free HL2 voucher' did yours? I dont think it did. In that case, you cant do anything really.

You got a good card that will run HL2 good at around 30 fps im told, mine is currently travelling to my house. Try and focus on the fact that your card still good, and you wont have to wait ages to d/l HL2 through steam, you can just install it quickly if you buy it!
See, every cloud...
 
So Petabyte, if it is the same box, does it say HL2 on the front like the box picture that I linked to?

BigNamek...
 
Petabyte said:
I doubt they would just "hand over" half-life 2. I would need some type of serial.
Click to expand...
Well, knowing Valve, they just might.

Don't take my word for it though. Just saying Valve is very trusting and generous.

You E-Mail them and they are like, "Hey why don't you come down to Valve!"

There's gotta be proof somewhere that your bought the card...
 
I too purchased a 9600 at Best Buy, I knew the box only said "recommended card for HL2" but the best buy tag for the card underneath stated it came with HL2. Granted the box didn't say anything, is it possible to make some sort of argument at Best Buy for their ad?

I would feel terrible trying to get away with HL2 for free but it was false advertisment on Best Buy's part.
 
if it doesnt say on the box that theres a freehl2 with it then you wont get a coupon in the box. im sure you know what gordon freeman looks like, theres a picture of him in the bottom right corner. no gordon, no HL2.
 
Hectic Glenn said:
I dont think you are supposed to have the voucher. Yes he said its supposed to have one in, but theres quite a few variations on that 9600XT at different speeds, mbs, and other deals. I think the guy at the shop got his wires crossed. Yes you have the picture about HL2 on the case, but the one with the voucher on actually says 'free HL2 voucher' did yours? I dont think it did. In that case, you cant do anything really.

You got a good card that will run HL2 good at around 30 fps im told, mine is currently travelling to my house. Try and focus on the fact that your card still good, and you wont have to wait ages to d/l HL2 through steam, you can just install it quickly if you buy it!

See, every cloud...
Click to expand...


Hmm, Isn't there only one 9600 xt? Even if there is, they said 9600 xt. That is my card. Built by ati. I've tried looking on the bright side for a long time now. But it really still gets to me no matter how hard I try to forget it. Good points though!



BigNamek said:
So Petabyte, if it is the same box, does it say HL2 on the front like the box picture that I linked to?

BigNamek...
Click to expand...

yep, the one you linked me to. This one: CLICK .

vegeta897 said:
Well, knowing Valve, they just might.

Don't take my word for it though. Just saying Valve is very trusting and generous.

You E-Mail them and they are like, "Hey why don't you come down to Valve!"

There's gotta be proof somewhere that your bought the card...
Click to expand...

Well think about it: If they did that everybody could run around claiming they purchased a 9600 xt, 9600 pro, 9800 xt or whatever and demand
Half-Life 2/Counter-Strike:Source beta. Maybe I could scan my receipt? But then they can just say- "How do we know thats not yours...." etc etc. I wish Valve was reading this now.


acme420 said:
if it doesnt say on the box that theres a freehl2 with it then you wont get a coupon in the box. im sure you know what gordon freeman looks like, theres a picture of him in the bottom right corner. no gordon, no HL2.
Click to expand...

There is gordon... And no Half-Life 2? This is my box.. <I'm supossed to have Half-Life 2 aren't I?



hegele said:
I too purchased a 9600 at Best Buy, I knew the box only said "recommended card for HL2" but the best buy tag for the card underneath stated it came with HL2. Granted the box didn't say anything, is it possible to make some sort of argument at Best Buy for their ad?

I would feel terrible trying to get away with HL2 for free but it was false advertisment on Best Buy's part.
Click to expand...

I also forgot to mention it said on the tag that it came with half-life 2. We obviously live in different areas and went to different best buys (unless by some weird coincidence we didn't) so this is not a mistake. Your right, its definatly false advertising which has alwase pissed me off. I don't think it was that guy. I think it was best buy as a whole. I would also feel bad getting off with Half-Life 2 for free, but thats one of the main reasons I bought the card. I mean, why woundn't I just buy a 9800 pro (same price-better, newer, chipset) which is a more powerful card? because of this "deal".
There is even a note in ATI's Half-Life 2 section which states
"Certain cards purchased after October 1, 2003 are eligible." Mine is one of those cards, isn't it?
We really should contact Valve.
 
I should probably post this in a new thread but is a 9700 Pro better than a 9600XT?
 
well this is really tricky lol. Your not supposed to get the voucher in the card you bought, becuase it isnt one of the ones that has the deal. BUT if bestbuy advertiesed it, and said that it does, then you really need to demand it from bestbuy. Maybe find the ad if you can find it? Bestbuy prob doesnt know that there are 2 different types of these 9600xt's, and they prob figured that they all have the voucher inside, so they sell them all as if they did. You just got unlucky and didnt get the right one. When i bought my card at circuit city, they had both versions of the card, one with the voucher and one without. I asked them if they knew that there was a difference, and they said yes, we are aware. Maybe that bestbuy just didnt know :/
 
Well Petabyte, it seems your in a pickle.

I would suggest first calling the Best Buy you purchased the card from and ask to speak with the manager about your situation. If this doesnt work out.

ATI Contact Info:

http://www.ati.com/companyinfo/contact/index.html

ValvE contact Info:

http://www.valvesoftware.com/contact.htm

Also, to be prepared, you should locate your serial and part #'s.

This info comes straight from ATI's website.

Product Number:

Built by ATI product owners please note that the Product Part# will be required for product identification and future warranty requests. By including the part number with your registration you ensure that this information is available for reference. The product number for your BUILT BY ATI product will appear on a white sticker on the front or back of the product.

Serial Number:

Built by ATI product owners check your retail box, packaging, or the front or back of your product to obtain the serial number.

Notice that when it says on the front or back of the product this means physically on the actual card, you may have to open your case and possibly even remove your card to get to it.

Hope this helps. :thumbs:
 
dart321 said:
I should probably post this in a new thread but is a 9700 Pro better than a 9600XT?
Click to expand...

Actually I was wondering myself.

ManHacks said:
well this is really tricky lol. Your not supposed to get the voucher in the card you bought, becuase it isnt one of the ones that has the deal. BUT if bestbuy advertiesed it, and said that it does, then you really need to demand it from bestbuy. Maybe find the ad if you can find it? Bestbuy prob doesnt know that there are 2 different types of these 9600xt's, and they prob figured that they all have the voucher inside, so they sell them all as if they did. You just got unlucky and didnt get the right one. When i bought my card at circuit city, they had both versions of the card, one with the voucher and one without. I asked them if they knew that there was a difference, and they said yes, we are aware. Maybe that bestbuy just didnt know :/
Click to expand...

I don't know if I can "demand it". I'll look for some ad or something, What could they do? they're probably out of half life 2 vouchers. But I bet thats what happened.

*_-SpAcKeL-_* said:
Well Petabyte, it seems your in a pickle.

I would suggest first calling the Best Buy you purchased the card from and ask to speak with the manager about your situation. If this doesnt work out.

ATI Contact Info:

http://www.ati.com/companyinfo/contact/index.html

ValvE contact Info:

http://www.valvesoftware.com/contact.htm

Also, to be prepared, you should locate your serial and part #'s.

This info comes straight from ATI's website.

Product Number:

Built by ATI product owners please note that the Product Part# will be required for product identification and future warranty requests. By including the part number with your registration you ensure that this information is available for reference. The product number for your BUILT BY ATI product will appear on a white sticker on the front or back of the product.

Serial Number:

Built by ATI product owners check your retail box, packaging, or the front or back of your product to obtain the serial number.

Notice that when it says on the front or back of the product this means physically on the actual card, you may have to open your case and possibly even remove your card to get to it.

Hope this helps. :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Thanks for all that info! I will try to get a hold of best buy when I get a chance. I really hope its on the card itself... I think I threw out the clear packaging the card was wrapped in and it could have been on there. Opening the case and checking out the card is not a problem. I'm out of town now, so I'll have to do that when I get home. But I'm a little nervous about speaking to the manager of best buy, I don't think he/she would be easy to explain all this to.
I think I would be more comfortable contacting Valve or
ATI themselves.
 
its up to you, as long as your nice to them at best buy, there is no reason why they wont be nice back. Im not sure if he will know of what your talking about, but its worth a try.

PS. If the manager is a jerk, just let us know, we will get your voucher! :LOL:
 
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