MSY & Warranty, is this acceptable?

blazer on 20/02/2014 - 11:04

I purchased a Sandisk Extreme I SSD from MSY but it has failed on me within the warranty period.

Took it back to MSY and they want to replace the Sandisk with a Samsung SSD instead, as their supplier no longer supplies the Sandisk Extreme I originally purchased.

My other option is to receive a refund and pay the $20 difference for the Sandisk Extreme II.

Is this acceptable? I would have thought they send the SSD back to sandisk ? This might sound stupid but when I purchase Sandisk I don't expect to be given a Samsung replacement, even though the two may function the same.

What would you do?

Poll Options

  • 18
    Take the samsung
  • 55
    Take the refund
  • 3
    Contact the ACCC
  • 1
    Other?
Computing

Related Stores

MSY Technology
MSY Technology

Comments

  • lewcianci on 20/02/2014 - 11:08

    Well, its a major failure (if you knew it was going to die you wouldn't have bought it), so your options are refund, repair or replace. This is at YOUR discretion, not theirs.

    You shouldn't have a product break and then have to pay money to get it fixed… thats not on

    EDIT: Wait I read it wrong, they are offering you the refund. Well, still, I think you still have an option of repair/refund/replace, at your discretion. I think you are legally able to say no, I want the exact same one, or that you want them to repair the one you have. I think. I could be wrong.

    • jv on 20/02/2014 - 20:47
      +16

      I think you still have an option of repair/refund/replace

      how can you have the option when the drive cannot be replaced or repaired.

      they offered a refund, what's wrong with that?

      • lewcianci on 21/02/2014 - 15:27

        Nothing wrong with it per se, just the option is still up to the consumer.

        Personally if I was OP I'd take the refund

        Also JV thats the first comment I've seen of yours where not word is bolded ;)

  • c64 on 20/02/2014 - 11:13
    +2

    if they can't repair or replace it then i think they should offer a refund.

    if they offer an alternative (sandisk -> samsung or sandisk1+$20 -> sandisk2) then it is up to you to decide, but again i don't think it can be forced on you.

  • ozhunter on 20/02/2014 - 11:24
    +11

    Acceptable? I think it's great that they offered you a refund on the spot. Definitely get the refund or the Samsung SSD. Why would you want to wait for it to be repaired?

    • blazer on 20/02/2014 - 11:36

      @ozhunter, maybe my circumstances are different. We prefer to keep them in batches of the same brand/type since we buy them in bulk.

      http://i.imgur.com/qqKW9O6.jpg (batch of sandisk ultras)
      http://i.imgur.com/8cJU3xl.jpg (batch of samsung 840s)

      • iseenya on 20/02/2014 - 11:45
        +4

        You've got a serious SSD habit there! ;-)

        • scrimshaw on 20/02/2014 - 13:48
          +1

          The obvious answer then is to get a refund. MSY probably don't intend to stock the Extreme 1 anymore as they often refresh their inventory with the latest versions of items. And they don't have a very large quantity of each items either.

  • scotty on 20/02/2014 - 11:30
    +5

    I'll think Samsung SSD 830/840 is better than SanDisk Extreme? Free upgrade!

    • blazer on 20/02/2014 - 11:50
      +1

      We have so far purchased SSDs in the following batches (Sandisk Extreme I, Sandisk Ultra Plus, Samsung 840, Samsung EVO). To be honest, the Sandisk Extreme I seemed to be the quickest in my boot time test (highly inaccurate since i'm only judging how quick the windows flag shows from multiple reboots and also how long it takes to image a single SSD.)

  • skyva on 20/02/2014 - 11:52
    +3

    They have offered you a good deal in my opinion. You can take the refund or you can get an equivalent device with no cost. I don't think branding makes a difference, and I run a couple fo samsungs without issues, and many sandisk sd cards. Both are good brands. Alternatively if you really want to keep a sandisk, you could try to rma it through sandisk directly. I did that with a MB as I didn't want to change brands as signficant features change on them. I cannot see any signficant reason to stick to sandisk ssd's.

    • blazer on 20/02/2014 - 11:53

      Oh, I didn't know it was possible to RMA directly with sandisk. This sounds like a good idea.

      • Gina Rinehart on 21/02/2014 - 03:37
        +4

        RMA with sandisk would be much more of a hassle than simply getting a refund straight away from MSY.

        Why bother with an overseas company who really is going to take a long time with postage, email delays, etc when you can just walk out of MSY with either a brand new SSD, or the price you paid, and go buy the one you want elsewhere?

        I would NOT go anywhere near sandisk RMA when you have the perfectly good option of a brick-and-mortar refund. Nothing against sandisk RMA, they are probably fine when it comes to RMA, just compared to getting a simple refund is pretty silly if you ask me.

  • ode1online on 20/02/2014 - 11:59
    +1

    If you deal with the manufacture direct they should replace it anyway.
    However they will probably have you pay for freight to send it to them ….!

    Id take up the offer of the Samsung ,

    • Kempe on 21/02/2014 - 18:06
      -2

      You cant deal with the manufacturer for an Australian Consumer Law claim, it must be with the retailer

  • ESEMCE on 20/02/2014 - 12:30
    +2

    As they no longer stock the item, I can't see what else they could do..

  • bobz79 on 20/02/2014 - 12:54
    -6

    It is a pain to return to MSY anyway. I bought a new DLINK 2880 AC1200 Router/Modem couple of days back and went today to return it with all packaging and accessories in a re-sellable state. I found the wifi range/strength not enough for my large apartment with 15+ wifi networks around me. I can't get a steady signal to my 2nd bedroom even after upgrading firmware and tuning. The old router I was trying to replace was in fact slightly better. They insist that I have to get an RMA from DLINK to return, even though their receipt (bought from store) says - "Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure"

    I think I should go for an Asus RT-N66U or a Netgear WN2500RP wifi extender instead.

    • hangdog on 20/02/2014 - 13:35

      "They insist that I have to get an RMA from DLINK to return…"

      Yes, this is dodgy. It may well be the case that things will be handled better or faster if you go straight to DLINK, but your contract is with the place you bought it from, so they can't palm you off to their wholesale supplier and pretend that is your only option.

      • ESEMCE on 20/02/2014 - 15:28
        +2

        Legally they can if there's nothing actually wrong with the item.
        Which this case appears to be.

        • hangdog on 20/02/2014 - 17:05

          Fair enough, any defect in this case seems like it would be hard to prove. The shop's still responsible for assessing any warranty claim, but they can just deny the claim and invite the customer to take it up with the wholesaler (or the shop can do it on the customer's behalf).

        • ESEMCE on 21/02/2014 - 09:02
          +2

          It'd be easy to prove an actual defect.. take it into the store, plug it in and say "try connecting to the WiFi on this device"
          If they can connect, then clearly the device is not at fault and something else must be..
          The fault in this scenario lies with the customer's unreasonable assumption that just cause the router is newer and expensive that it will have better range than an older model.
          I guarantee you that the store didn't recommend him the router guaranteeing that it'd have better range! It's MSY, they don't recommend anything!

    • ESEMCE on 20/02/2014 - 15:27
      +2

      And your example doesn't fall into any of those categories.
      You're returning it cause you've changed your mind.
      You pay cheap prices, you get minimal service.

      • bobz79 on 20/02/2014 - 21:11

        "goods fail to be of acceptable quality" - if the wifi signal is weaker than my 2 year old router, can't I claim the $160 device is not of acceptable quality! Anyway I managed to get RMA from DLINK and returned it finally.

    • paulojr on 21/02/2014 - 21:16

      yeh, I've heard this dodgy story from a few places, RMA from manufacturer is not stated in Australian Consumer law as a requirement. P.S. Don't touch the ASUS RT series! They are total rubbish.. Probably better off with that dlink unit.

  • p1 ama on 20/02/2014 - 13:11
    +26

    "Acceptable"?

    I absolutely love this thread. There are people out there who can't get their product fixed, refunded or replaced when under warranty and are being screwed around by dodgy stores.

    We have a buyer here who is complaining because he is offered a replacement OR a refund. I don't even understand.

    • Miami Mall Alien on 22/02/2014 - 14:02

      I'd love to upvote you another 15 times.

      Naturally people who were predisposed to having a highly negative view of MSY (whether rightly or wrongly) who simply skim this post or see the title in a sidebar somewhere, will think to themselves "Bah, typical dodgy MSY" and see it as more affirmation of their, often, misguided opinions (or more correctly: outdated opinions, everyone seems to be stuck in 2008 with their opinions on MSY, just like they are with Seagate hard drives).

      Reminds me of that absolute cretin who accidentally damaged a custom PC from CPL himself and then tried to claim it was damaged during transit and forced CPL's hand into replacing it by unleashing a torrent of unadulterated whinging and butthurt on OzBargain; which made a bunch of lemmings go and neg the living daylights out of every CPL deal. People still keep bringing it up in CPL deals as of late.

      The title is absolutely deceptive, perhaps even as deceptive as MSY's old warranty policy.

      • p1 ama on 22/02/2014 - 14:35
        +1

        Completely agree with you here buddy.

        On top of that, I can completely understand why stores can be complete jackasses now. When they actually do that right thing, offer a refund or a suitable replacement and they get badmouthed on a public forum, that really is a slap in the face.

        Yeah, I remember that too, the neg votes on CPL deals were completely unnecessary and by the looks of things CPL has posted less and less deals on here, looks like it was a loss for the community really.

        On top of that, I don't think that one particular situation, especially where we don't even have the full story, is an accurate representation of a store and their level of service.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2014 - 12:26

      Except his not complaining his question the opinion of people on ozbargain on their thoughts on his situation and what they think would be a good thing too (looking for ideas).
      Reading his post 3 times, it doesn't sound like a complaint, it sounds like a question.

      Also, his situation and reasoning for question is different and is explained.

      Communicating with Sandisk directly sounds like the best option for the OP as in his situation, it works best when the drives are kept in batches which explains why he was look for alternative options and would like to see if anyone had ideas about this.

      • p1 ama on 25/02/2014 - 09:12
        +2

        The fact that there is an option for "Contact the ACCC" makes me laugh.

  • nevbuster on 20/02/2014 - 13:53

    If Sandisk is so good, it shouldn't died on you. Maybe the Samsung is better ?

  • leonheart1 on 20/02/2014 - 13:56
    +2

    Other=bikies

    It's the only way.

  • LiamF on 20/02/2014 - 14:00
    +2

    From your other posts, you're buying these in serious quantities - is this for commercial use?

    Because if it is, you may not be covered by the statutes that you can normally use (as a consumer) to force the store you purchased the items from to deal with you.

    Sandisk's warranty states:

    To make a warranty claim please contact SanDisk at the telephone number in the table or [email protected] within the Warranty Period and provide proof of purchase (showing date and place of purchase and name of the
    reseller) and product name, type and number. You may return the product after first obtaining a Return Material
    Authorization number and following any other guidelines listed. For further information see www.sandisk.com and select “support”.

  • tiggyspawn on 20/02/2014 - 22:50
    +2

    If you don't WANT their Samsung replacement, don't take it! Just take your refund, and buy the model you'd prefer!

  • chill on 21/02/2014 - 03:50

    I voted for the ACCC!

    seemed like a serious poll??

    I mean a refund is just unacceptable considering that computer hardware depreciates faster than the TVM.

  • lplau on 21/02/2014 - 09:48

    Hmmmm,
    Why don't you just get it fixed yourself? LOL

    http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5232/~/return-material-authorization-(rma)-process

    Why waste time asking about it here?

    Here are the options:
    Take the samsung - Isn't bad, quick and instant fix.
    Take the refund - Pretty good depending on how long it has been and drive probably dropped price since then.
    Contact the ACCC - Waste your precious time waiting on the phone and explaining everything to the operator… (potentially lose approximatly $50-80 equivalent of time)

    Contact Sandisk and RMA it: Not hard to do, simply lodge a form and get a number then send it in. However this would also waste time.

  • xyned on 21/02/2014 - 09:59

    Few options here

    1. Pursue replacement with sandisk - quicker
    2. Cite Fair Trade rules to MSY to get them to handle this. Outcome below
      2.a They will pursue replacement with supplier - should be slow and painful
      2.b They will only offer refund. Well within their rights to do this. choosing this option also make it clear to them that customers cannot be bullied into other brands just because they chose to exclude a major industry player sandisk
      3.Take the Extreme 2 for $20 difference.
    3. Samsung. They perform well. But I doubt their long term reliability. Sandisk never failed me. I currently have 2 Samsungs, an old sandisk and a plextor M

    Regards

    Kazi

  • annoynimous on 21/02/2014 - 12:32
    +6

    rubbing my eyes

    wow MSY is providing fantastic options there, can't believe it :O

    • paulojr on 21/02/2014 - 21:20

      they've provided him with a legal option. Refund. (as long as its a full refund)…. Forget the Samsung junk, forgot the hell of RMA's something (which you could do regardless of what they say). Get your money back. As the device is no good your no worse off from accepting that option so I think they are fully in compliance with consumer law here.

  • xsacha on 21/02/2014 - 13:14
    +2

    It looks like MSY handle their warranty far better than every other company I have ever dealt with.

    Are you getting special treatment because you buy in bulk quantities? Or should I be shopping with MSY more?

    • p1 ama on 21/02/2014 - 13:42
      +1

      MSY have really upped their game since they got investigated and had to pay a pretty hefty fine.

      It really depends which sales rep you get and stuff. But generally, I've had things sent back to the manufacturer as well as replaced on the spot.

      • cheng2008 on 21/02/2014 - 16:15

        I reckon it was when all these stores popped up based on the MSY model of cheap hardware in a barebones store. All of a sudden MSY was no longer the cheapest store in town and people left in droves, forcing them to up their game in service.

        • p1 ama on 21/02/2014 - 18:19
          +1

          To be honest, MSY is still very good in terms of pricing.

        • cheng2008 on 21/02/2014 - 19:20

          That's true, but they are no longer the clear choice. For example, 5 years ago I always went to MSY Broadway to buy stuff. These days, if I can't get something from MSY Auburn I'll walk across the road to PCDIY and their prices are just as good.

        • tomwood on 22/02/2014 - 03:33

          For products that they stock, they are generally still the best price.

  • KingstonTheNotSoWise on 21/02/2014 - 21:25

    It depends on the fault, if it was something that could have been fixed, they would have sent the device off to Sandisk but you would have had to wait for Sandisk to repair (if it was a discontinued model). If it's something that couldn't be repaired and it's a dicontinued model, then yes offering the customer alternatives regardless of brand is normal. If you want the samething and aren't willing to pay extra, ask them to send it off if they can. Just be prepared to wait 4-8 weeks. In all honesty, I'm surprised MSY offered a refund lol It's really up to you in this case. $20 more for a better SSD might be an alright idea? It seems MSY have changed their ways as I can't see any options that really put you at a major loss, all the options are pretty reasonable.

  • umoddbro on 22/02/2014 - 01:16

    Wow… MSY providing you the option of a refund? What are you complaining about here?

  • bigticket on 22/02/2014 - 02:01

    Go the rma route - get a refurbished second hand one with possible postage charges and a long wait.

    Get a refund - your money back in your pocket with your all options open to do what you choose and a fresh new warranty period.

    Hmmm…. I know what I'd choose.

  • tomwood on 22/02/2014 - 03:34
    +1

    Get a new Samsung it'd be way better anyway!
    This thread is really a positive for MSY…

  • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2014 - 15:45

    MSY have come a long way on their refund policy compared to before ACCC intervention but as recently as 2 months ago I have had issues trying to return something clearly majorly defective within warranty period and only bought 30 days prior, but they would not even look it until after Christmas saying that it could a 'minor fault' (only obligated to refund/repair/replace for 'major') even though the whole thing was dead. I avoid MSY Malvern now.

    • tomwood on 23/02/2014 - 07:26

      Erwin has just moved there from Cheltenham and is a really nice guy I'm sure if you go back he'll give you great service ;)

      • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2014 - 15:58

        It actually happened at Cheltenham, but I noticed that the staff swapped so now I say avoid Malvern. I don't think it was Erwin

  • Tech5 on 23/02/2014 - 11:39

    Just take the refund and run. Taking the replacement is actually better for MSY. Refund = import cost + profit lost for MSY, while replacement = import cost lost (of the samsung SSD)

    • p1 ama on 23/02/2014 - 12:18

      Who cares what is better for MSY?

      Take what is worth more to you. If the refund is $100 and the replacement is $110 and you are going to buy the replacement anyway, then how does it make any sense to take the refund?

  • Matego on 23/02/2014 - 14:43

    I say take the samsung because it is better.

  • jason101 on 23/02/2014 - 18:10

    The exact same thing happened to me at MSY with a faulty video card - purchased day 1, returned day 2 for an exchange - the difference was a different box type / packaging (exactly the same product) except $20 dearer due to being "new stock" - I put up a small protest but then let it go knowing it wasn't worth the pain…………….Take the Samsung…..if they wanted to be real pr%cks they could ask the item be returned to the manufacturer for testing (or kept by them for 1-2-3 days prior to offering the refund - I was 1/2 expecting that with the video card, $20 down the drain but sorted on the spot is sometimes the way to go, even if you know you are getting bent over.

    • p1 ama on 23/02/2014 - 21:34

      Are the models exactly the same, as in like, are you sure you're not getting an overclocked edition or anything?

  • demiurge on 28/02/2014 - 11:25

    What do you want them to do? Magically conjure up something they no longer have? Some people…

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