Corsair lifetime warranty - replacing 4 year old DDR1?

Yellowbeard said:
We'll replace it however, I can't say with what exact module as that is up to Customer Service. The modules you have are long discontinued so we'll have to replace them with something more current.
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But as a Corsair customer buying stuff in 2009, I wouldn't expect the stuff I RMA in a years (or 10 years) time to be replaced with inferior product, simply because that's all you had at the time. In the EU you're offering a long warranty (10 years) but what you're really saying is that you can't stand behind it.

So anyone buying 'special' Corsair RAM today and paying a premium for it has no guarantee of getting anything as good when they RMA it? That's certainly not the impression I had of Corsair's warranty.

I had to send some stuff back to Crucial recently (2 x 1Gb PC3200 Ballistix) and they didn't have any so they sent me 2 x 2Gb PC4000 Ballistix instead. Now that makes me feel warm and fuzzy towards Crucial-Lexar, yes?

I sent an 8800GTX Water Cooled card back to BFG and they sent me a GTX280 H2OC back in it's place. Now I'm a positive BFG evangelist.

When I needed a new PCIe 8-pin cable for my HX620W PSU Corsair sent me a new cable set out, absolutely free of charge. Again, I recommend Corsair PSUs.
 
I've emailed back. I actually remember having the RAM they offered before my 3500LL PRO and I wasn't happy with it, hence paying the premium for the 3500.

I have said I'm a little disappointed with the offer and that I appreciate the hardware is obsolete but asked if there is any alternative as the current offer would significantly reduce the performance of the system which isn't ideal when it's dog slow anyway. Maybe they could give me a voucher or monetary value (which I asked about) so I can maybe think about moving forward and upgrading the computer.

It's my other halfs now and i'm fed up of sharing and having nothing to render on!
 
Well, no reply yet. Seems decent DDR is hard to come by and the machine is still out of commission while I await a better offer from them.

I realise im probably asking a lot but if they are honoring a lifetime warranty, I wanna see something closer to the value and performance that I paid for. Suppose i'll have to remain patient.
 
After a chaser email and a reply, I'm having to settle for the PC3200 C2PT :(

I pushed for a cash alternative but I realise that's not going to happen really. I was offered a DDR2 upgrade subject to my spec (so no, an Asus A8N SLi Premium isn't going to take DDR 2 now). I could have fibbed and taken the DDR2, but it's worth nothing now anyway and I want the system up and running again.

I'll just have to see if I can get a 2nd hand intel Mobo/CPU/RAM bundle on the MM.
 
Corsair website said:
WHAT HAPPENS IF I RETURN A PART UNDER THIS WARRANTY?

The part you return will be tested upon receipt at Corsair. If the part is a good part according to Corsair’s test, it may be shipped back to you, or it may be replaced with an equivalent part. If the part fails Corsair’s test, it will be replaced by an equivalent (or better) part that passes the test.
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I think there are a couple of issues here - the first is that Corsair's lifetime warranty isn't actually legal in the EU (a fact that is recognised by BFG and others in that they limit their warranty to 10 years in the EU) however the second issue is that the have failed to do what they say they will ie. supply an equivalent or better part. You could therefore go back to the place you bought the RAM from and ask for a partial refund based on expected life of the product because you were mis-sold it with a non-existent warranty.

Again, this 'unavailbility of a replacement over lifetime' issue is recognised by other suppliers as a possibility which is why they will sometimes ask for a receipt and they will then refund you against the amount paid vs. the remainder of the warranty life.

So say you paid £100 for your RAM and it was guaranteed for 10 years at least one supplier I am aware of would say, "OK - you spent £100 and you've had 4 years life from the part, here is £60 back in compensation". That's basically what the law says they have to do. I would ask Cprsair if they would consider that instead.

Failing that I have a solicitor in Los Angeles who likes to work on behalf of UK clients. He did some work for me last year and he got me a very satisfactory outcome, except I'm not allowed to talk about it;) I simply don't believe that a company the size of Corsair cannot supply you with PC3500 RAM.
 
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Nice DDR sets sometimes pop up on the MM.
See if Corsair will provide a refund in order for you to replce it that way?

If they offered a Lifetime warranty for replacement of equal or better then they should honour it, if they physically dont have it tho bit of a catch 22 on their side.

Surely they should have ralised that RAM they had for RMA's was getting dangerously low and whacked out a couple of batches, but would this require a different fab plant to those banging out DDR2/3?
 
Well, the guy I have been dealing with says a refund from them is not possible. When I caved in and asked for the 3200 C2PT, he came back and said that is now discontinued and the can only offer me PC3200PT G.

I have expressed my views that I do not feel that is acceptable and asked if they could supply some DDR2 or DDR3 instead and he asked me to call thier tech support in the US. I kindly declinded and asked for an email contact instead and forwarded on the email chain and my main system specs.

I paid £216 for the RAM in 2006 which was top of the line at the time more or less so I really should be asking for a set of top line DDR3 in replacement? I'm not really a pushy guy and usually find being polite and reserved gets me quite far but I'm not happy with Amandas computer being down for this long as it's becoming a strain.

I bought the RAM from a competetor based up here as I didn't know about OcUK then, but I fail to see them honoring any refunds as the RAM is in Corsairs possession if it hasn't been disposed of already.

Normally I wouldn't bother, I've had the RAM a few years and it's now obsolete so arguably out of its lifespan. I have tried to find some equivalent performance DDR RAM for the meantime but it's just not available. I could get some great DDR2 for the price of generic DDR it seems.
 
Dup said:
Well, the guy I have been dealing with says a refund from them is not possible. When I caved in and asked for the 3200 C2PT, he came back and said that is now discontinued and the can only offer me PC3200PT G.

I have expressed my views that I do not feel that is acceptable and asked if they could supply some DDR2 or DDR3 instead and he asked me to call thier tech support in the US. I kindly declinded and asked for an email contact instead and forwarded on the email chain and my main system specs.

I paid £216 for the RAM in 2006 which was top of the line at the time more or less so I really should be asking for a set of top line DDR3 in replacement? I'm not really a pushy guy and usually find being polite and reserved gets me quite far but I'm not happy with Amandas computer being down for this long as it's becoming a strain.

I bought the RAM from a competetor based up here as I didn't know about OcUK then, but I fail to see them honoring any refunds as the RAM is in Corsairs possession if it hasn't been disposed of already.

Normally I wouldn't bother, I've had the RAM a few years and it's now obsolete so arguably out of its lifespan. I have tried to find some equivalent performance DDR RAM for the meantime but it's just not available. I could get some great DDR2 for the price of generic DDR it seems.
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How much ddr are you looking for?
 
Yellowbeard said:
The modules you have are long discontinued so we'll have to replace them with something more current.
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To me that means either current DDR (which it seems you have none of) or current DDR2 or Current DDR3.

Dup is correct that his ram was top of the line when he bought it, and with a price tag to match (which Corsair was happy to relieve him of).

If you can't supply him with the same or better DDR, then you should without a doubt be supplying him with either top of the line DDR2 or DDR3.

The actions of Corsair so far in this are indefensable, so i put it to you Yellowbeard that you get on the phone to whoever you have to, and get Dup sorted out with some TOP NOTCH DDR2 or DDR3.
 
Dup said:
They are offering me a TWINX2048-3200C2PT G kit as above. I had my 3500s clocked to get my Opteron 165 to 2.6GHz but looking around the kit offered doesn't clock too well. Should I just snap their hand off? I appreciate DDR is redundant now but i can't afford an upgrade for this machine but its unusable at stock clocks.
Sounds like more hassle than its worth to me.....
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I sold an Asus A8N Sli-Premium for £70 on a famous auction site.

Not sure how much an Opteron 165 is worth.

1) You could get 4GB DDR2 for around £50 or ask Corsair to replace with Dominator 8500's OR go in the Wanted section of OcUK forums asking for some DDR2 4GB 6400's 8500's for £30ish.

2) You could get a 2nd hand E5300 or similar for around £35 just ask in the Wanted section. (Clocks to 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz on Air) ;)

3) Go in Wanted section & ask for a skt 775 motherboard for around £30-£40 - Abit IP35 Pro or similar spec.

Total cost £90 & you’re selling your gear for at £120 & that’s not including the Opteron 965 & you will have a better system.

Problem solved, besides the ics for the Corsair 3500LL Pro's I bet they are not even in production anymore hence why your not getting them replaced, just do what I recommend it's a lot better.
 
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Well, Ram Guy from tech support (is that an actual person or an alias for tech support as a whole?) has reccomended I use the TWIN2X4096-8500C5D which I'm perfectly happy to take considering the age of what I sent back and that I can use it in my current system I as a little cheeky and asked if they could send the TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF G, and they are :)

So, that's a result for me. I'm going to sell the mobo and chip from the Athlon system as suggested and use my current OCZ Reaper X in line with a potential Q6600 and motherboard which will make Amanda very happy and will give me a better render box too.


Just to point out that Corsair have not been difficult to deal with at any point and have only been following their internal procedures. You have to empathise that DDR is long since dead and obsolete and they were only trying to honor the format as opposed to the value. Something they may need to look into, but it wasn't too difficult to get what I wanted in the end. Very happy considering the age of the hardware.
 
Corsair has a lifetime warranty :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

**** **** **** and **** again.
I lobbed two pairs of faulty extreme XMS 1024x6400 in the bin last week
 
Dup said:
Well, the guy I have been dealing with says a refund from them is not possible. When I caved in and asked for the 3200 C2PT, he came back and said that is now discontinued and the can only offer me PC3200PT G.
.
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All the "G" denotes is that is green or RoHS compliant. It's not an inferior part to the original PC3200.
 
Well things worked out better I guess Dup.

I myself use Corsair XMS Pro PC3500LL in one of my systems and would also be a little unhappy with something which cost less and was of inferior quality (my mobo can use DDR or DDRII but I would be unhappy with some XMS 6400 with a retail of £20!). But what can you do these days if it fails? Haggle with Corsair for a suitable value replacement, then sell it on eBay and pay a not too inconsiderable sum for old DDR memory ? (You could probably sell 2gb of PC3500LL on eBay and end up with enough to buy a good portion of 4gb Dominator PC-8500)
 
I think getting PC3500 replaced with decent DDR2 PC8500 is indeed a good result.

I myself use Corsair XMS Pro PC3500LL in one of my systems and would also be a little unhappy with something which cost less and was of inferior quality (my mobo can use DDR or DDRII but I would be unhappy with some XMS 6400 with a retail of £20!).
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Technically, the XMS 6400 is a far superior product. The PC3500LL is worth more because it's rarer, not because it's better!
 
The 8500 landed yesterday, very quick seeing as it came from overseas and I confirmed it late Friday with them.

I was just going to buy some more DDR and sell whatever I get back from Corsair but I found that there's not much in the way of decent DDR available and it's about time I updated the machine anyway.

I have put the mobo and chip on eBay and they're gathing many watchers already so I'm hopefully I get 3 figures back from them or thereabouts. That'll get me a £90 second hand Q6600 then all I need is a P5Q-E and I can have two almost identical systems for a little extra. Can't argue with that. Also splashing out on a new cooler for my system and two identical cases. Looking forward to building them :D


At the end of the day, they don't make PC3500 and getting a refund on a 3+ year old product is not something many manufacturers will grant and that would lie with the retailer who I would have had to fight with. To get £80 worth of DDR2 in place of obsolete DDR is more than what I could have expected, very happy!
 
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