WD RMA nightmare...

[Kilgore65]

Last year, I bought a 200GB Western Digital HD, only to have it fail a month or so ago. I RMA'd the drive to WD and they sent me a 'recertified' drive - a freaking refurb! Pissed off, I went ahead and installed the refurb, and sure enough, now I am getting SMART warnings that the drive is about to fail. (Fortunately, I was able to get all my data off.) Should I try to RMA this drive back to WD or just go ahead and get another drive, preferably another brand? (I'm afraid that WD is going to keep sending refurbs.) What do y'all recommend as the best brand of drive other than WD?

 

[mrbios]

I'd just RMA the drive. Although, just so you know, it doesn't matter what hard drive company you buy from, unless the drive failed within 30 days of purchase, you're going to get a refurbished drive. Most of the refurbs that I've ever got have worked as good as new, so the fact that it got refurbed is generally not a big deal.

 

[chocoruacal]

You're acting too dramatic about this. Every drive I've ever RMA'd has been replaced by a refurbished drive. You sent them a used drive, so I'm not sure why you expect a new one in return. Go ahead and buy another brand if that will make you feel better, but be prepared for the same scenerio.

Just RMA the drive they sent you!

 

[DaveSimmons]

Most companies replace most RMA returns with refurbs. That's life.

 

[boomerang]

Get a Seagate. 5 year warranty.

 

[Kilgore65]

OK, thanks boom

 

[JBT]

Why do you even care about a warrenty though? If it dies ever in that 5 years you will still get a refurb. Since that seems that all you really care about.

Refurb drives are fine IMO.

 

[erwos]

Boomerang, the issue wasn't that it wasn't under warranty - it's that they replaced his more or less new hard drive with a refurb. Seagate most likely would have done the same - warranty length wasn't the problem here.

In any event, I recently RMA'd a hard drive to WD and got a refurb back, too. Thankfully, the one I shipped back was a lot older (rather close to the worthless "one year warranty" being up, too). They were fast in turning it around, too. If you discount the "get refurb back", it's a pretty good system they have.

 

[UnheardEcho]

If anything, be glad you're getting a refurb as refurbished products of any type are all individually inspected, while most factory fresh products are 1-in-10 spot checked for quality, so there is less of a chance for a refurb to fail than a new one

 

[PCHPlayer]

Originally posted by: UnheardEcho
If anything, be glad you're getting a refurb as refurbished products of any type are all individually inspected, while most factory fresh products are 1-in-10 spot checked for quality, so there is less of a chance for a refurb to fail than a new one

Do you have any data to back up this bold claim?

 

[LTC8K6]

Last year, I bought a 200GB Western Digital HD, only to have it fail a month or so ago

That's not a "more or less new drive", erwos.

 

[xylem]

I'd be irritated too, not because they sent a recertified drive, but because the replacement was apparently. Yes, a recertified drive should be fine, but the fact that the replacement you received died in about a month hints strongly that this recertification program leaves something to be desired, in your case. I would personally insist that they pick up all shipping charges this time, since their replacement drive lasted an unreasonably short amount of time. Shipping charges and time investment are legitimate factors when a hard drive fails, not to mention the inconvenience of having to use, possibly buy, another stand-in drive during the RMA process. If they refuse to pay shipping, I'd make as much a stink about it as possible while investing as little time in doing so as possible =), and maybe even go with a different brand.

And, in his case, warranty length is certainly a factor, if WD deems it appropriate to replace his drive with what has proven to be an inferior product. They may do so again.

edit: I cut the first sentence off, should read, at the end ... apparently a defective unit ...

 

[Kilgore65]

Yep, it's really irritating to have gone through the whole process of copying all my data to the refurb'd drive only to have it fail a few weeks later...

 

[UnheardEcho]

Originally posted by: PCHPlayer

Originally posted by: UnheardEcho
If anything, be glad you're getting a refurb as refurbished products of any type are all individually inspected, while most factory fresh products are 1-in-10 spot checked for quality, so there is less of a chance for a refurb to fail than a new one

Do you have any data to back up this bold claim?

Only common sense. A refurb must be inspected to make sure that it can be resold/redistributed. New drives are assembled by the hundreds of thousands and are not individually checked because it is assumed there are no manufacturing defaults and are only 1 in w/e checked to make sure they are getting assembled correctly

 

[LTC8K6]

Limitation of Remedies

Your exclusive remedy for any defective Product is limited to the repair or replacement of the defective Product.

WD may elect which remedy or combination of remedies to provide in its sole discretion. WD shall have a reasonable time after determining that a defective Product exists to repair or replace a defective Product. WD's replacement Product under its limited warranty will be manufactured from new and serviceable used parts. WD's warranty applies to repaired or replaced Products for the balance of the applicable period of the original warranty or ninety days from the date of shipment of a repaired or replaced Product, whichever is longer.

 

[xylem]

The OP was obviously disappointed that he received a recertified drive in replacement of his broken one, but this post wouldn't be here if that recertified drive was of quality, and didn't die in a ridiculously short period of time. WD says that they use "serviceable used parts." Fine, but the important part is that those parts are, in fact, serviceable. He received a replacement hard drive that lasted a month, and, IMO, deserves exceptional treatment in regards to the RMA process, to make up for it.

I'm looking forward to hearing how he's treated by WD customer support/relations.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: erwos
Boomerang, the issue wasn't that it wasn't under warranty - it's that they replaced his more or less new hard drive with a refurb. Seagate most likely would have done the same - warranty length wasn't the problem here.

In any event, I recently RMA'd a hard drive to WD and got a refurb back, too. Thankfully, the one I shipped back was a lot older (rather close to the worthless "one year warranty" being up, too). They were fast in turning it around, too. If you discount the "get refurb back", it's a pretty good system they have.

He's also asking for advice for a new, replacement drive.