@Staticman
I think that this unfortunate situation resulted because both parties made mistakes. It is sometimes easy for experts to think that a procedure is simple because they find it easy themselves.
As an experienced techie, I would have welcomed the 'easy fix' and would have thanked Eytech for the free upgrade. But I realise that not everyone is in my position.
When the problems persisted and it was found that some "push-in" ROM chips were the solution, you say that you insisted on them undertaking this feat and you say that they agreed to do this but still sent the chip and extraction tool.
There was no obligation for you to attempt the upgrade just because you had the parts. If you were not confident enough then you should have sent it back together with the chip as originally agreed.
The postage could have been shared aswell i.e. you pay one way and they pay for the return.
Another option to save on postage would have been to let someone local that has more experience perform the upgrade.
All this is irrelevant now as you have caused physical damage to the board.
I assume it is still repairable, its worth showing someone to check.
Can you post some hi-res pics of the damage?
To cut your losses you could sell the board to those that have made an offer to you.
To put things into perspective, I doubt that any company would accept goods back in a phsically damaged state. Warranties normally only cover manufacturing defects. But then again not too many companies would let you attempt an arkward upgrade. Most would perfom an upgrade but at a charge.
I can see that you are far from happy. How about letting someone else talk calmly to Eytech on your behalf. They maybe able get a better result. Maybe both parties can agree on an acceptable outcome.
