Hard Drive failing - OcUK said I can't return until it has failed completely! :(

richb93

richb93

richb93

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Hey all,

I bought a laptop hard disk from OcUK in February and it has been fine up until a week or so ago when it has started making a clicking noise and a single beep. This happens randomly although usually every couple of days or so. SMART data shows "calibration retry count" to be high and HD Tune is showing the drive in a warning state.

Anyway I contacted OcUK about RMAing the drive so I could have peace of mind that my laptop wouldn't just stop working one day; I do backup my data but still as I'm going to Uni soon I would rather not have this drive fail when I need to use my machine. OcUK first told me that I should test the drive with Samsung ES Tools which aren't very useful as they show no SMART information, so I replied back saying this and that other SMART monitoring programs showed the calibration retry count error.

I got a reply back saying that the drive needs to have failed completely before I can RMA it. Is this normal? Considering this drive definitely has a mechanical fault, I would have thought I should be able to RMA it before it stops working completely. :confused:

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sounds dodgy , in my eyes it has already failed. its not doing the job its supposed to be doing in a way that it should be doing it.
 
"andy" said:
sounds dodgy , in my eyes it has already failed. its not doing the job its supposed to be doing in a way that it should be doing it.
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That's what I thought but apparently this is not the case. Would anyone from OcUK that frequents the forums be able to help me out? The drive is only slightly over half a year old and has a 3 year warranty so it's well within the warranty. I'd just like to replace it now before I start University so at least I won't be needing it as urgently than if it were to fail a few months from now when I desperately need to use my machine.

vanandjuanunited said:
Rma it to the manufacturer.
Will prob be quicker
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I would do this but having checked the warranty it appears it's a grey import and as such is out of the service region so Samsung themselves will not RMA it!
 
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Interesting, I just made a thread about return policies and will be following this as well. I want to be sure I am buying from the best etailor with regard to hardware returns and replacement policies and customer service. Surely the above HDD should be considered faulty. I have seen people who were able to RMA even with green smart status due to other reasons like ridiculously high load cycle counts. < ( or something like that, might not have been "load" cycle".
 
As I say I can't, OcUK imported it so when I go to Samsung I get this:

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The original service area for this drive is China and is the only place it could be RMA'd, but I'm not travelling all the way there to do that haha :p

Due to this and the fact that OcUK clearly state a 3 year warranty surely this means the warranty is up to OcUK now and not Samsung?

EDIT:
Samsung RMA page said:
Code 103 The product has been brought in from outside of this service region and cannot be serviced. Please contact your reseller or distributor.
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Ah, I have a similar issue with one of my Samsung HDDs from OcUK. I asked them about it and they said they would honour the full warranty as stated on the website (3 years IIRC). Tell OcUK that it is up to them to honour the warranty if they're using dodgy imports. HDD manufacturers would RMA a drive in that state normally so OcUK should too, in this situation.
 
Surely if you RMA it OcUK are going to run similar test software to test the drive for faults and they should get the same results as you, there is clearly a problem and send you a replacement.
 
Stone22uk said:
Surely if you RMA it OcUK are going to run similar test software to test the drive for faults and they should get the same results as you, there is clearly a problem and send you a replacement.
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This is true, although where the clicking and beeping is at random intervals, though they would see the SMART data reporting the error.
 
Hmm, CrystalMark shows the health of the drive as 'good', although it doesn't appear to check the calibration retry count from SMART data. Moreover the clicking and beeping still doesn't fill me with confidence as it is obviously some mechanical issue happening as you shouldn't hear that from a hard drive!

I feel that if I leave an RMA WebNote again I'll just be fobbed off with some story, although I do believe that I'm entitled to a replacement due to the mechanical problems with the drive :(
 
Well I've sent this to OcUK:

RichB93 said:
If I am warned about it now this means it will fail some time in the future. I am just trying to be pro-active and want to replace the drive before more serious errors do start happening. I believe I am well within the my rights to do so and the warranty should cover this, especially seeing that there the clicking and beeping would suggest a mechanical fault. Samsung themselves would RMA the drive under such conditions but I cannot RMA it through them as Overclockers UK imported the drive meaning that the drive is now out of the warranty service area.

Another person RMA'd their Samsung drive with OcUK over a similar issue and I feel I should be treated no differently. (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=19919934)

While I appreciate that the drive is still in a 'working' condition it still has a definite fault that will cause the drive condition to deteriorate over time. Therefore I believe I am entitled to a replacement as a warranty covers any defects with an item.
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I think it's a well thought out argument and I don't see why I shouldn't be able to get a replacement given the fact that there is an issue and the warranty should cover any defects that may occur.
 
Well I've been told "If it is only clicking once every few days how would we detect it? A smart warning can be caused by the hard drive being knocked in use or unplugged at the wrong time."

It seems like I'm just being fobbed off :(
 
Did the product info page specify it was an import and that all warranty claims had to be made through OCUK?

I wouldn't expect to be sold an imported item without being notified prior.
 
Well I've posted in the customer support section of the forum to see if I'll get a different response. I just feel let down so far as a warranty should cover these kinds of problems. Wish I could just send it to Samsung but I was not aware of the out of service area when I originally bought the drive as it is not referenced on the product page.
 
richb93 said:
Well I've been told "If it is only clicking once every few days how would we detect it? A smart warning can be caused by the hard drive being knocked in use or unplugged at the wrong time."

It seems like I'm just being fobbed off :(
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A critical SMART failure is accepted by manufacturers as evidence of a failing drive. If they didn't, it would rather defeat the object of having the SMART function at all.

You bought the drive "as described" with a three-year warranty, and the warranty forms an integral part of the original contract. The retailer's choice of supply channel is not your problem, or it shouldn't be - if a valid warranty claim is refused, either by the manufacturer or by the retailer stepping in to rectify the manufacturer's refusal, then that retailer is in breach of contract.

In my opinion, you're absolutely entitled to a warranty replacement or, failing that, a full refund. End of. :)
 
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