I have a board I bought almost three years ago, meaning that the warranty period ends soon. I just changed the thermal paste and noticed that a few of the pins in the bed-of-pins are disturbed (looking from above, it looks like lint is on the socket). I'm sure I accidentally did it when I first built the PC. I'm not saying it is Intel's fault.
I opened a support request and asked if I can pay a fee and trade it in. The agent told me that Intel has Standard and Expedited warranty services. I again explained that it was almost certainly my fault and can I pay a fee. The agent told me that Intel usually accepts claims like mine. But then I read in the canned email sent to me:
"Intel Desktop Board and Sever [sic] products returned with Physical Damage (damage due to product external causes) will not be accepted."
I don't want to waste the $12 or so to ship it, only to have Intel inform me that my board is toast. Should I believe the agent's words or the legalese in his email?
