Is this really true about Seagate???

Wiggins · 18 Sep 2007 at 12:22

I have a 160GB Seagate Barracuda that I have had for just over a year and its decided to fail completely on my wifes PC.

Tried all the usual troubleshooting stuff via dos and not a sausage so I decided to go online and RMA it back them for a replacement.

So I fill in all the details and get to the end bit that asks me to post it back.......Post it back!!!!!!!! My god, whats gotten into them. They used to send a courier and replace it at the door but anyway after seeing this i'm a little disturbed as to wtf they do with the returns that they actually fix. Below is whats stated in the PDF regarding packaging and mailing.

Is this actually true???

Elric · 18 Sep 2007 at 12:38

Tis true. if you're really crapping it because of all the porn on your dead hdd, just stick a hammer through it, put it in the bin and buy a new one.

RaiderX · 18 Sep 2007 at 12:39

if it says so, it most likelly is

Wiggins · 18 Sep 2007 at 12:57

If thats the case then its gonna be a hammer anyway as I dont want sloppy seconds

Amonlym · 18 Sep 2007 at 13:08

thats true of all the hdd makers that i know of. it only changes when your dealing with more returns than they have refurb stock, then they will have to send out new stock.

the refurb drives will be exactly as reliable as new ones tho. they have to be or its not equivelant goods and they would fall foul of god knows how many laws

Mr_Vengeance · 18 Sep 2007 at 16:33

Amonlym said:
thats true of all the hdd makers that i know of. it only changes when your dealing with more returns than they have refurb stock, then they will have to send out new stock.

the refurb drives will be exactly as reliable as new ones tho. they have to be or its not equivelant goods and they would fall foul of god knows how many laws

Yeah all manufactures do this however the refurbished drive certainly will not be as reliable as a 'brand new' drive for the simple fact it's second-hand and already had some serious MTBF time. They normally send out a refurbished drive of a similar age as the one returned.

nickcardwell · 18 Sep 2007 at 17:10

just to add , seagate did a test on all hds sent back under warranty.

40% of all HD's that arrived in under warranty where perfect (ie HD not at fault )

Elric · 18 Sep 2007 at 17:16

Mr_Vengeance said:
Yeah all manufactures do this however the refurbished drive certainly will not be as reliable as a 'brand new' drive for the simple fact it's second-hand and already had some serious MTBF time. They normally send out a refurbished drive of a similar age as the one returned.

I've had reconditioned drives as part of a warranty issue and they're still going strong, years after they should have failed. Conversely, you may find that since it's already had it's major failure, it might actually be MORE reliable as the failed parts have been replaced.

Wiggins · 19 Sep 2007 at 10:38

I understand that they have to adhere to policies regarding the deccomissioning of hardware because if they destroyed ALL hard drives that were sent back, there would be a lot unwanted waste in the environment.

But maybe if they do what many other hardware manufacturers do and that is to sell the repaired stock to distributers at lower rates for refurbished pc's i.e Dell, HP etc or even just as refurbished oem products then surely they would make a bigger profit along with keeping the end user happy in the knowledge that they have a new hard drive returned to them.

IAmATeaf · 19 Sep 2007 at 20:58

The only real thing to worry about is getting a DOA drive as part of the RMA. I had this when I RMA'ed a drive to them but they agreed to pick up the DOA drive and then sent out an upgraded replacement.

basmic · 19 Sep 2007 at 22:05

As far as I know, most (if not all) drive manufacturer's give you a refurbished drive when RMAing your dead drive.

I imagine the process is: Hitachi get dead drive > Check if faulty > Post replacement from the shelf of fixed drives > Attempt to repair the faulty drive > Put fixed drive on shelf

Sinny · 19 Sep 2007 at 22:44

Have you tried putting the hard drive in a sealable bag, pop it in the freezer for 5-6 Hours then plugging it back in so you can back up all your data, or the important stuff.

read it in a magazine and it worked treats for me.

basmic · 19 Sep 2007 at 23:10

Could do what Sinny said above, then setup the fan on top of two 80mm fans blowing towards the center of the drive.

That's how I have my backup drive every month now. Keeps it nice and cool, and I know the data is safer on a cool drive, than a hot drive sat on top of a box.

michaeldt · 20 Sep 2007 at 15:55

nickcardwell said:
just to add , seagate did a test on all hds sent back under warranty.

40% of all HD's that arrived in under warranty where perfect (ie HD not at fault )

This!

Hard drives aren't really repairable. What they mean by factory repaired is, all the drives people sent back that turned out to work just fine.

However, doesn't mean you won't get a dodgy drive. Most of the time they stick the drive into a PC, run their software and if it returns no faults they send it back out. HP do this with the drives you send back to them and we used to get a lot of drives back from them that were 2nd hand and failed the moment we put them in.

Heliospherez · 21 Sep 2007 at 11:59

Yes its true.

And here are 3 other more interesting facts.
1.) Factory refurbs have slightly less chance of failing than new drives. This is due to a tougher testing procedure before shipping & the fact they have been tested twice.
2.) All drives supplied / purchased internally by Seagate (including drives used in the Seagate Office areas on desktop PCs and those attached to machines building those wonderful Seagate Drives) have Factory refurb drives in them. Seagate only supply brand new drives to Seagate offices/factories if there are no refurb drives available. In our factory alone - thats over 3500 factory refurb drives.
3.) I've bought over 600 Seagate drives (internally - and all Refurbs) - as I work there. All bar about 10 are still going strong.

All in all - you're better off with a refurb.

And just out of curiousity - did you try sticking it in the freezer for an hour before you decide to send it off. That usualy fixes the problem if its media/crash related.