Western Digital RMA Rant

[evelmunkey]

So...my drive starts clicking and my comp freezes. I know its a bad drive! I RMA it, fairly impressed with the easy online RMA process. Fairly quick getting the drive to me. So far so good. Open the drive and it is a refurbished drive!!!!! Maybe I am the stupid one, but one would think that if I send in my DEFECTIVE NEW drive, I would received a NEW drive back! I have sent a few emails, only to be told "yeah, thats our process." My Western Digital loyalty has ended!

 

[Snake-Eyes]

Ouch. Sorry to hear about that. Definitely puts a dent in my WD trust, as well. Seagate loyalty +1. Lol!

 

[Harper]

So...my drive starts clicking and my comp freezes. I know its a bad drive! I RMA it, fairly impressed with the easy online RMA process. Fairly quick getting the drive to me. So far so good. Open the drive and it is a refurbished drive!!!!! Maybe I am the stupid one, but one would think that if I send in my DEFECTIVE NEW drive, I would received a NEW drive back! I have sent a few emails, only to be told "yeah, thats our process." My Western Digital loyalty has ended!

evelmunkey,
There is 2 type of Warranty Returns.
1. DOA. - Dead On Arrival
2. RMA - Return Materials Authorisation. Some times know as RA for Return Authorisation

DOA is consider Brand New has gone faulty. And normally people like Western Digital (or what ever manufacture) will tell you to take the unit back to where you purchase it from, and they will swap it over for you for another new item.
The DOA period is determined by the manufacturer. Normally it's 7 days to 1 month month after the end user purchase.

RMA is when it's exceed the DOA period. And there they will either repair the unit or give you back a remanufacturered/ or refurbished.

Like I am sending hard drive back all the time. If it's NEW and within the DOA period, it back to the person I purchased it from as I normally want a quick turn around, and I want a new unit supplied. However I make sure I call up the manufacture first, and get myself a DOA Number. Not an RMA number.
Otherwises, it's off to the manufacture which is a typical 1 to 2 week turn around.

Now why does the manufacturer rarely deal with DOA?
Because things like hard drives and other computer componants can be stuck in the distribution channel (Manufacture --> Importer --> Distributer --> Wholesaler --> Retail Shop --> End User) for up as long as 6 months. This is the period of time that you it leaves the factory to when it's been purchase by an end user.
And because of this, they will issue an DOA number and then tell you to take it back to the place of purchase if it fails with in the DOA period.

And if the place of purchase does not give you an on the spot replacement (with out reason), you do have every right to go LEGAL on them.

2 Questions to the orginal poster?
1. Was the hard drive that you purchased died within the manufacture's DOA period?
2. Is Yes, why didn't you take it back to place you purchased it from?


BTW, I have been working RMA for 8 years now, so I know how the process works.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

It does state on most warrantys that they will either repair the product or send a refurbished item or send a brand new one at there own descretion... Hope I said that right... Get used to it, it happens.

 

[Harper]

It does state on most warrantys that they will either repair the product or send a refurbished item or send a brand new one at there own descretion... Hope I said that right... Get used to it, it happens.

You got that right there. However it needs to exceed the manufacturer's DOA period. This period is normally 7 to 14 days. However I have seen it got a long as 3 months. However normally that is a exceptionally good ZERO DEAD PIXEL policy on a TFT monitor.

I have noticed of lately that hard drive manufactures are making it crystal clear that the hard drive is refurbished. Eg. Seagate returns normally have a GREEN label on it. This does slow down the amount of monkey business where some one is selling off refurbished times as brand new.
Eg. Computer store send a faulty Seagate 120Gb Hard Drive is returned as a Refurbished 160Gb as 120Gb has not been discontinued.

Option 1. Computer store give customer back another 120Gb thinking that he can sell off the 160Gb hard drive as brand new at a higher price.

Option 2. Computer store give tells customer that 120Gb has been discontinued, however upsells them a 160Gb hard drive for the price difference between 120Gb and 160Gb. And then sells them back their returned 160Gb.

PLEASE NOTE, I DO NOT DO ANY OF THESE PRACTICES, HOWEVER I HAVE SEEN IT DONE LOTS OF TIMES.

 

[evelmunkey]

Yeah...I know it is policy....but it SUCKS!!! Although, I haven't had any problems from the "new" drive.

 

[Harper]

Yeah...I know it is policy....but it SUCKS!!! Although, I haven't had any problems from the "new" drive.

Well, you are going to hate the rest of the computer industry then, because the same thing happens everywhere else?
Seagate, Asus, MSI, Maxtor, WD, Gigabyte, Iomega, etc. etc.

If you get replace with a new replacement for RMA that is not under DOA replacement, consider yourself lucky.

Sending good in for RMA has never ment that you get a new replacement.

Bad enough when I get idiot walking in my door thinking that I am going to get them a new warranty too along with there returned refurbished rma goods.