- Jul 11, 2001
- 40,434
- 9,942
- 136
A few weeks ago I got the idea to check out doubling the RAM in my everyday desktop computer, Beauty in my sig. It's a Windows 2000 system that had a stick of 512 MB DDR, Samsung Original that cost me about $200 4 1/2 years ago, in September 2002.
So, I go to eBay and find a stick of RAM that looked virtually identical whose auction was closing in 5 hours:
"NO RESERVE" SAMSUNG 512MB DDR 333 MHZ Memory PC2700
Immediately beneath the title for the listing was a summary line that said this:
"NO RESERVE" M368L6423DTM-CB300 512MB DDR Memory PC2700
I based my thinking that this was a good match for my RAM on that summary, because my stick is:
M368L6423DTM-CB3 <-- my stick
M368L6423DTM-CB300 <-- his stick
Granted, they aren't identical, but probably in actuality they are the same RAM. I was concerned because my desktop doubles as an HTPC and people familiar with my HDTV card say that mismatched RAM tends to cause crashes with the card and software (MyHD 120).
Now, at the bottom of the listing is a question and answer that the seller made public and it made me wonder because it referred to a different part number at Samsung's technical pages. However, it was getting close to the end of the auction and I doubted I could get an answer from the seller and anyway, I figured I had to assume that the item summary specification was the correct and specific part description and that the other one was for broader technical details. I bid and won the part, but when it came to me I found out it was this: M368L6423ETN-CB3
I email the seller and ask why and he emails me back saying he doesn't understand the problem and a few minutes later emails again and says he's really embarrased and offers to refund my money. I say that so far the stick seems to work OK in my box, and timings are OK, no crashes so far. I say that I will monitor the situation for a few weeks and if nothing bad happens I will consider the situation OK and keep the stick. I tell him that in any case, I will not leave him negative feedback.
He emails me a couple of days ago and I tell him I had one crash but am uncertain if it means there's a problem with the RAM and will continue to monitor the situation.
Today he sends me an email:
I really would prefer if you return it now and let me close this
transaction out on a good note. If you wait for weeks there is the
possibility that you might damage the merchandise and hand me a loss on
both ends. While it is working I could have it relisted and sold in these
two weeks and you could have purchased the one you really wanted. It just
doesn't serve me any useful purpose to sit and wait for you to conclude two
weeks of testing and still return it at the end. I am trying to be fair and
I expect the same from you.
What would you do? I just composed him an answer, but haven't sent it yet. Is this cool?
Message:
- - - -
I think it highly unlikely that the stick of DDR RAM will be damaged by virtue of my testing. I am not handling it. I carefully inserted it into my desktop computer and have no intention of touching it again unless I become aware that there is an incompatibility with my other RAM stick. In that case, I will carefully remove it and send it back to you. If I knew where I could get a match for my former stick (I already posted you the item description, but here it is again:
M3 68L6423DTM-CB3 ) I might well go get it. However, I have found it difficult to find it. I thought your stick was the same part number, and that's why I bought it. Funny thing is, 4 hours before your auction closed, a matched pair of Samsung 512 mb DDR sold on ebay for a good price. I would have bid on it, but I thought your stick would be fine, so I didn't bid.
Look, I don't think you should be nervous. Why don't you just sit tight? You have my money, I have the stick. If I'm happy with it, there should be no problem. If I have a problem I'll let you now before April is done and we can do the refund thing. Why is that bothering you? What is the "loss on both ends" you refer to? What do you mean by that? You are afraid that I will return a damaged RAM stick? Highly unlikely. Why would my running it in my box do it any damage. Seriously, you should be extending ME courtesy here, not I you. It was YOU who made this ridiculous mistake. I don't want a pound of flesh or any of your teeth (I said this because inone of his emails he said "Let me know how you would like to have this resolved without pulling too many teeth."). You should just relax. I think this arrangement entirely fair.
- - - -
So, I go to eBay and find a stick of RAM that looked virtually identical whose auction was closing in 5 hours:
"NO RESERVE" SAMSUNG 512MB DDR 333 MHZ Memory PC2700
Immediately beneath the title for the listing was a summary line that said this:
"NO RESERVE" M368L6423DTM-CB300 512MB DDR Memory PC2700
I based my thinking that this was a good match for my RAM on that summary, because my stick is:
M368L6423DTM-CB3 <-- my stick
M368L6423DTM-CB300 <-- his stick
Granted, they aren't identical, but probably in actuality they are the same RAM. I was concerned because my desktop doubles as an HTPC and people familiar with my HDTV card say that mismatched RAM tends to cause crashes with the card and software (MyHD 120).
Now, at the bottom of the listing is a question and answer that the seller made public and it made me wonder because it referred to a different part number at Samsung's technical pages. However, it was getting close to the end of the auction and I doubted I could get an answer from the seller and anyway, I figured I had to assume that the item summary specification was the correct and specific part description and that the other one was for broader technical details. I bid and won the part, but when it came to me I found out it was this: M368L6423ETN-CB3
I email the seller and ask why and he emails me back saying he doesn't understand the problem and a few minutes later emails again and says he's really embarrased and offers to refund my money. I say that so far the stick seems to work OK in my box, and timings are OK, no crashes so far. I say that I will monitor the situation for a few weeks and if nothing bad happens I will consider the situation OK and keep the stick. I tell him that in any case, I will not leave him negative feedback.
He emails me a couple of days ago and I tell him I had one crash but am uncertain if it means there's a problem with the RAM and will continue to monitor the situation.
Today he sends me an email:
I really would prefer if you return it now and let me close this
transaction out on a good note. If you wait for weeks there is the
possibility that you might damage the merchandise and hand me a loss on
both ends. While it is working I could have it relisted and sold in these
two weeks and you could have purchased the one you really wanted. It just
doesn't serve me any useful purpose to sit and wait for you to conclude two
weeks of testing and still return it at the end. I am trying to be fair and
I expect the same from you.
What would you do? I just composed him an answer, but haven't sent it yet. Is this cool?
Message:
- - - -
I think it highly unlikely that the stick of DDR RAM will be damaged by virtue of my testing. I am not handling it. I carefully inserted it into my desktop computer and have no intention of touching it again unless I become aware that there is an incompatibility with my other RAM stick. In that case, I will carefully remove it and send it back to you. If I knew where I could get a match for my former stick (I already posted you the item description, but here it is again:
M3 68L6423DTM-CB3 ) I might well go get it. However, I have found it difficult to find it. I thought your stick was the same part number, and that's why I bought it. Funny thing is, 4 hours before your auction closed, a matched pair of Samsung 512 mb DDR sold on ebay for a good price. I would have bid on it, but I thought your stick would be fine, so I didn't bid.
Look, I don't think you should be nervous. Why don't you just sit tight? You have my money, I have the stick. If I'm happy with it, there should be no problem. If I have a problem I'll let you now before April is done and we can do the refund thing. Why is that bothering you? What is the "loss on both ends" you refer to? What do you mean by that? You are afraid that I will return a damaged RAM stick? Highly unlikely. Why would my running it in my box do it any damage. Seriously, you should be extending ME courtesy here, not I you. It was YOU who made this ridiculous mistake. I don't want a pound of flesh or any of your teeth (I said this because inone of his emails he said "Let me know how you would like to have this resolved without pulling too many teeth."). You should just relax. I think this arrangement entirely fair.
- - - -
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