Seagate support

[MikeM]

Almost 2 weeks ago I returned a Seagate HDD under warrantee. Since
then I have been seeing a number of reports of problems with Seagate
warrantree support, and that when they replace a drive it is with a
refurbished drive. Is this a widely held view of Seagate support.

 

[1932]

Almost 2 weeks ago I returned a Seagate HDD under warrantee. Since
then I have been seeing a number of reports of problems with Seagate
warrantree support, and that when they replace a drive it is with a
refurbished drive. Is this a widely held view of Seagate support.

It`d be the same for most manufacturers.
Sometimes they have stuff returned that only had
`user problems`.
In that case, the unit would be thoroughly tested, and
re-issued.
More to the point, is whether you get a Full warranty
period.

 

[Jeff]

It`d be the same for most manufacturers.
Sometimes they have stuff returned that only had
`user problems`.
In that case, the unit would be thoroughly tested, and
re-issued.
More to the point, is whether you get a Full warranty
period.

If someone knows of a company that doesn't return a refurbished drive, I
would be interested. I've been buying primarily seagate and haven't had much
of a problem. ...just bought 4 $450 SAS drives and 1 went out just after the
period where I could return to the retailer for a replacement. Sent it to
seagate and had a new/refurbished unit in about 4-5 business days. ...wasn't
really happy about getting a refurbished drive in replacement for a drive
that was about 1 month old, but it is working well now.

Jeff

 

[Tweek]

Most manufacturers replacement drives are refurbished or recertified.
Generally it is not economical to repair hard drives so refurbished usually
just means 'used and tested good'. The remainder of the warranty on the
original drive applies to the replacement.

 

[MikeM]

The other point I fogot to mention in my original post was the length
of warrantee. In at least one post I read Seagate said the warrantee
period started some time before purchase, I think it was something
like the time it left the factory. Is it usual for Seagate warrantees
to start from a time other than the date of purchase. Some time ago I
have had Western Digitals replaced with no problems, are they still
goof with returns?

 

[Tweek]

On OEM (bare) drives all of the hdd manufacturers warranties begin on the
date of manufacture. On retail drives it is from the date of purchase. If
you don't have a proof of purchase, then it is from the date of manufacture
just like OEM drives. I buy Seagates whenever I can because of the five year
warranty. I had to return on recently and while it was taken care of without
any issues, Western Digitals RMA process is much easier to deal with. With
WD I can have them cross ship me the replacement (you have to provide a CC
number in case you don't return the defective drive), but I could not find
an option to do that with Seagate.

 

[Jeff]

On OEM (bare) drives all of the hdd manufacturers warranties begin on the
date of manufacture. On retail drives it is from the date of purchase. If
you don't have a proof of purchase, then it is from the date of
manufacture just like OEM drives. I buy Seagates whenever I can because of
the five year warranty. I had to return on recently and while it was taken
care of without any issues, Western Digitals RMA process is much easier to
deal with. With WD I can have them cross ship me the replacement (you have
to provide a CC number in case you don't return the defective drive), but
I could not find an option to do that with Seagate.

I remember returning a Western Digital years ago and do remember that they
sent me a new drive instead of a refurbished unit, but that was because the
old drive was no longer manufactured. I don't think that this is typical. I
don't believe that Seagate offers the cross-shipping, but I was able to get
my replacement quickly (of course the shipping was in-state). I know that I
have returned one other seagate, but don't remember the details. ...perhaps
those 3 over about 10 years and perhaps 20-25 drives that I've used over
that time on various machines.

Jeff

 

[MCheu]

It`d be the same for most manufacturers.
Sometimes they have stuff returned that only had
`user problems`.
In that case, the unit would be thoroughly tested, and
re-issued.
More to the point, is whether you get a Full warranty
period.

Yup. It's not the reliability of the recertified drives that's a big
issue, but rather that some manufacturers truncate the warranty once
they provide you with a replacement. With some companies, the
warranty period on a recertified drive is 90 days, and your warranty
gets shortened to those 90 days upon exchange. BenQ Canada does that
with their optical drives.

 

[MikeM]

Today, 13 days after I took my faulty HDD into the Harvey Normen tech
bay, I waited close to an hour to be told that Seagate had notified
them today that it is ok to send my drive in for replacement. It will
only take another 1 1/2 weeks to get the new one, if they don't
forget to send it away tomorrow and nothing goes wrong. Nearly a month
seems a long time to me for a return.

 

[James T. White]

Today, 13 days after I took my faulty HDD into the Harvey Normen tech
bay, I waited close to an hour to be told that Seagate had notified
them today that it is ok to send my drive in for replacement. It will
only take another 1 1/2 weeks to get the new one, if they don't
forget to send it away tomorrow and nothing goes wrong. Nearly a month
seems a long time to me for a return.

Sounds like your problem is with your local shop and not Seagate.

 

[MikeM]

I thought it probably was but when I rang the Warrantee phone number I
got a message that the Seagate service was not available and suggested
I leave a message so I took it back to the place I bought it. I
couldn't find Seagate in the Brisbane phone book, so I assume they
have no place where I could drop off a HDD for testing and sending
away.

Mike

 

[James T. White]

I thought it probably was but when I rang the Warrantee phone number I
got a message that the Seagate service was not available and suggested
I leave a message so I took it back to the place I bought it. I
couldn't find Seagate in the Brisbane phone book, so I assume they
have no place where I could drop off a HDD for testing and sending
away.

Mike

Seagate does have a sales office in Lidcombe (1-800-609-032). You might
also try emailing them at (e-mail address removed).

 

[MikeM]

Looks like I have to put up with shop service. That's nearly 12 hes
drive from Brisbane. I did email Seagate support, can't remember if it
was that address I usd, before I took it in to Harvey Norman and was
told I should send it in for replacement. The tech told me the email
must have been from the US because we do things a bit diffrently here.
It seems they duplicated my email to Seagate, just took much longer to
get a reply.

Thanks
Mike

 

[spodosaurus]

Looks like I have to put up with shop service. That's nearly 12 hes
drive from Brisbane. I did email Seagate support, can't remember if it
was that address I usd, before I took it in to Harvey Norman and was
told I should send it in for replacement. The tech told me the email
must have been from the US because we do things a bit diffrently here.
It seems they duplicated my email to Seagate, just took much longer to
get a reply.

Thanks
Mike

I've had issues getting seagate support on their drives, but my issues
have taken place after the one year statutory warranty here in
Australia. Computer shops do not want to know you after their 1 year
term, so in order to get hard drive warranty service from Seagate you
can 1) send the drive to them in Singapore or 2) find the local seagate
distributor who originally sold you your drive. In case 2, you may still
be up for a $30 handling fee.

Regards,

Ari


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spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
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http://www.marrow.org/

 

[Rod Speed]

I've had issues getting seagate support on their drives, but my issues
have taken place after the one year statutory warranty here in Australia.

There is no 'one year statutory warranty here in Australia'

You mean the STATED warranty, not the statutory warranty.

Computer shops do not want to know you after their 1 year
term, so in order to get hard drive warranty service from Seagate you
can 1) send the drive to them in Singapore or 2) find the local
seagate distributor who originally sold you your drive. In case 2,
you may still be up for a $30 handling fee.

Legally you arent on that handling fee. The only time they can charge you that
legally is when they didnt import the drive and its a grey market direct import.

 

[spodosaurus]

Legally you arent on that handling fee. The only time they can charge you that
legally is when they didnt import the drive and its a grey market direct import.

Hmmm, I got ripped off then. They were the importer, and just up the
road from the computer shop where the drive was purchased, too!

:-(

Ari

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/

 

[Rod Speed]

Hmmm, I got ripped off then. They were the importer, and just up the
road from the computer shop where the drive was purchased, too!

:-(

Yeah, you should have rubbed their nose in the trade practices act.

The clowns who sold it to you too, they dont get to change the warranty terms either.

 

[MikeM]

Since I posted on this subject I have seen on several user review
sites that a high percentage of the reviewers have had Seagate
pushbutton drives fail in the warrantee period.

Of the 2 I bought for backing up my digital photos one was faulty from
new, the one I'm still waiting for. I haven't seen the same number of
complaints of Seagate drives not in pushbutton housings failing, maybe
I haven't looked enoiough.

Could Seagate be putting lower quality drives in thei pusgbutton
limes? Or could there be something about the housings that cause them
to fail sooner?

Mike

 

[Rod Speed]

Since I posted on this subject I have seen on several user review
sites that a high percentage of the reviewers have had Seagate
pushbutton drives fail in the warrantee period.

Of the 2 I bought for backing up my digital photos one was faulty from
new, the one I'm still waiting for. I haven't seen the same number of
complaints of Seagate drives not in pushbutton housings failing, maybe
I haven't looked enoiough.

Could Seagate be putting lower quality drives in thei pusgbutton limes?
Nope.

Or could there be something about the housings that cause them to fail sooner?

Yep, poor drive cooling.

 

[MikeM]

Another question on cooling. If cooling is the problem the 500 GB WD
My Book that I filled with backups and put away was getting much
hotter than the Seagate on some very hot days we had at the time I was
backing up. Is it likely that the WD drive was transferring the heat
to the case more efficiently than the Seagate? The Seagate looks as
though it is better ventilated but maybe it doesn't work as good.