Returning a Hard Drive to Monarch

[joshc]

So I ordered a Seagate Barracuda 160 GB w/ NCQ last Monday from Monarch and they said it was in stock but it didn't ship till Friday. Anyways, it's an OEM drive that I paid $107.00 for but now I found a $40 rebate from Seagate for the Retail version of that drive bought between 2/16 and 2/22.

Since I haven't gotten my hard drive from Monarch yet, I am thinking of buying a retail drive from somewhere else so I can get the rebate and then returning the OEM drive from monarch. Can I just return the drive to monarch and get a refund?

 

[imported_Phil]

Why don't you just freaking ask them? :roll:

I'm so fed up with these "help me! I don't know how to live life!" threads. :|

Pick up the damned phone and call them.

 

[joshc]

Because they are closed until tomorrow, their site doesn't have much information I can find about any restocking fees they would charge, etc., and I want to order the drive from zipzoomfly today because my new PC is waiting for the HD so I don't wanna waste anymore time(1st build!).

 

[imported_Phil]

:roll:

Terms & Conditions, maybe?

 

[joshc]

lol, yeah just found that myself...i hate these kind of posts myself which is why i didn't wanna post it at first...friggin 15% restocking fee

 

[imported_Phil]

You do realise that the Retail version of the drive is likely to be $20-$40 more anyway, right?

 

[joshc]

Well actually on zipzoomfly it seems to be $109.99...I didn't realize when I bought the drive that the zipzoom one was retail but looking at the warranty it's 5 years so must be retail. There's a $40 rebate so if I didn't have to pay the 15% restocking fee and shipping it'd be great...but now I don't think it's worth it.

 

[imported_Phil]

Going by Seagate's website, the 5-year warranty applies to all drives:

2. To whom does the 5-year warranty apply?
The 5-year warranty applies to all customers who purchase drives either directly through Seagate (distributors), or through the Authorized Distribution channel. This includes Channel SIs, System Builders, Retail customers, and Bare drive customers who purchase through Distributors. There will be no changes to our OEM/System Manufacturer agreements that purchase product directly from Seagate.

 

[joshc]

Yeah, but there's one at outpost for $109.99 that is confirmed RETAIL anyways so it'd be the same price if I rebought. My OEM one from monarch says it has a 1 yr manufacturer's warranty that's why I figured...

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: joshc
Yeah, but there's one at outpost for $109.99 that is confirmed RETAIL anyways so it'd be the same price if I rebought. My OEM one from monarch says it has a 1 yr manufacturer's warranty that's why I figured...

At most, you'll save $20 once the drive is shipped. Less if you pay the 15% restocking.

 

[Zepper]

You could always try to sell the current one on eBay, etc. First you need to confirm the warranty status on the drive you are getting from Monarch.
. As others have said, most Seagates have a 5 yr. warranty. You need to find out why Monarch is any different (but since you were aware of it up front, I guess you're stuck with it).
. About the only reason is that your drive would have to be gray market. Doesn't make any economic sense to buy a Seagate/Hitachi/etc. w/o the full warranty (shouldn't even be a $10. difference) and it would be harder to resell without it.

.bh.

Add: I sent them a note re. their Seagate warranty statements,
Text:
"I was shopping your site for a Seagate hard drive until I noticed that your drive warranty statements are all over the map and none of which jibe with Seagate's current stated warranty policy - 5 years from mfr date whether retail or OEM.
". The only possible reason for having any difference is for gray market drives. Please help me understand this.
"p.s. I'm also wondering why these forms aren't handled via SSL? You are asking for personal info which can be eavesdropped on if not protected by SSL or similar. That is why I'm using one of my spam-trap email boxes and a false phone number.bh."

etc. Let's see what they have to say...

.bh.

 

[joshc]

Yeah it is really shady. I am not happy with Monarch at all especially because I ordered last weekend and the drive was in stock but they didnt ship until Friday. After I gave them an angry phone call on Friday they said my free ground shipping was upgraded to Fedex 2nd day.

I did some research on the Seagate site about this and it says this(as noted by DopeFiend):

2. To whom does the 5-year warranty apply?
The 5-year warranty applies to all customers who purchase drives either directly through Seagate (distributors), or through the Authorized Distribution channel. This includes Channel SIs, System Builders, Retail customers, and Bare drive customers who purchase through Distributors. There will be no changes to our OEM/System Manufacturer agreements that purchase product directly from Seagate.

http://info.seagate.com/mk/get/AMER_WAR...68101108927269468?_A=12127&_U=31934#A1

The interesting thing is that Monarch isn't listed as one of their authorized distributors/partners and neither is zipzoomfly, newegg, etc. so I'm not sure how that works.

If Monarch tells me it is only a 1 yr warranty I will try and give them hell and get a refund...my PC components are waiting on the damn HD and PSU from monarch!!!

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: joshc
Yeah it is really shady. I am not happy with Monarch at all especially because I ordered last weekend and the drive was in stock but they didnt ship until Friday. After I gave them an angry phone call on Friday they said my free ground shipping was upgraded to Fedex 2nd day.

I did some research on the Seagate site about this and it says this(as noted by DopeFiend):

2. To whom does the 5-year warranty apply?
The 5-year warranty applies to all customers who purchase drives either directly through Seagate (distributors), or through the Authorized Distribution channel. This includes Channel SIs, System Builders, Retail customers, and Bare drive customers who purchase through Distributors. There will be no changes to our OEM/System Manufacturer agreements that purchase product directly from Seagate.

http://info.seagate.com/mk/get/AMER_WAR...68101108927269468?_A=12127&_U=31934#A1

The interesting thing is that Monarch isn't listed as one of their authorized distributors/partners and neither is zipzoomfly, newegg, etc. so I'm not sure how that works.

If Monarch tells me it is only a 1 yr warranty I will try and give them hell and get a refund...my PC components are waiting on the damn HD and PSU from monarch!!!

Monarch, Newegg, ZZF etc will most likely be buying from one of the giant wholesellers such as Ingram Micro, etc.
The wholesalers will be authorised resellers / distributors.

Something to remember - Newegg et al all buy their stock from companies that are further up the chain than they are. None of the consumer-level companies have direct stock lines to the actual companies; there's almost always a few middlemen here and there to cream a few dollars on every component.

 

[Zepper]

Seagate sells OEM drives to the big distributors like TechData, Ingram, Avnet, etc. From which resellers like Newegg can buy them. Those carry a 5 yr waranty. Mfrs like Dell, Gateway and smaller (in the pages of Computer Shopper et al.) can arrange their own warranty terms with Seagate in order to cut unit costs - I would suppose even big accounts like Newegg can do the same. If places like Monarch buy overstock or liquidation from these "mfrs" then the warranty terms from Seagete are the mfr's arranged terms. In which you can also add a 2nd step to the RMA process as warranty claims may have to be filed thru the middleman as well ( can cut the costs farther as Seagate won't have to deal with as many end-users directly-but I suppose Seagate would only alter this for big companies with a history like Dell).

BTW, JoshC, are we talking about the "good" Monarch in Georgia or the "bad" Monarch in California (which is in trouble with M$ for selling counterfeit Win2k)? IAC, there is no room for griping if the warranty terms are posted up-front as they are at the "good" Monarch. Getting a factual response as to why the terms are that way, however, is a customer's right, IMO. Failing to do so prior to purchase is on you - no crying after the fact...

.bh.

 

[joshc]

I guess we are talking about the so-called "good" monarch in GA...There's no crying here, I guess I got taken as a first time PC builder so I didn't realize that monarch had the 1 yr warranty whereas every other place I considered had a 5 yr warranty.

 

[Zepper]

Using the words "I got taken." does not equate with "My mistake, I'll be more observant next time." The world would be so much better if people took ownership of their mistakes instead of playing the victim...

.bh.