Western Digital No Longer Honoring Warranties on OEM or Bare Drives.

[Static~Charge]

The way I understand it is:
OEM = Dell/HP/etc. The warranty is for the whole computer and individual components are not warrantied beyond that.
Bare Drive = retailer to user (OEM is Western Digital itself). Only includes the drive.
Retail = retailer to user (OEM is Western Digital itself). Includes fancy box with some accessories (like a cable) and maybe some software.

^ This. A bare drive is not an OEM drive; it is a retail drive minus the box (and plastic endcaps, installation sheet, and bag of screws).

First Western Digital slashes their warranty, then they try to weasel out of honoring it. If they want to drive potential customers to their competitor and to SSDs, they're doing a great job.

Unfortunately, the Seagate drives at work have been dropping like flies lately. The machines that they're in are still under extended warranty, so Dell is replacing them on their nickel.

 

[Jetster]

This is not new. What is new is companies are getting tougher on warranties. All the major manufactures are first saying no. Then if you are persistent they approve the warranty appearing to save the day. Its a bottom line thing and is turning into best practices.

 

[Aquinus]

I've replaced two WD Blacks that were bare drives from NewEgg in the last year and a half without any issue. I've RMA'ed a lot of bare drives from NewEgg over the years without any issues. I would like to think this was a one off case and maybe you just got that new worker that didn't know what he was doing. Either way, I've had too good of experiences with WD to believe that they're trying to manipulate people. I've had nothing but good experiences with WD's RMA process in the past which is better than I can say for many other companies.

 

[R-T-B]

This is not new. What is new is companies are getting tougher on warranties. All the major manufactures are first saying no. Then if you are persistent they approve the warranty appearing to save the day. Its a bottom line thing and is turning into best practices.

This. Warranties in general are starting to feel like "mail in rebates" in that you'll get it only if your persistent.

 

[Jetster]

Bare WD drives are covered for two years

 

[GLD]

Thanks for the 411 newtekie1. I haven't had to warranty a hdd, and mostly bought WD drives. I will be sticking to Seagate SSHD drives in the future. The one I have now has been great! Noticeably faster all around then a reg. hdd.

 

[newtekie1]

I've replaced two WD Blacks that were bare drives from NewEgg in the last year and a half without any issue. I've RMA'ed a lot of bare drives from NewEgg over the years without any issues. I would like to think this was a one off case and maybe you just got that new worker that didn't know what he was doing. Either way, I've had too good of experiences with WD to believe that they're trying to manipulate people. I've had nothing but good experiences with WD's RMA process in the past which is better than I can say for many other companies.

I'd think that it might be a one off case until SuperSoph_WD confirmed this is actually their policy, though he claims it isn't new...

Bare WD drives are covered for two years

Not anymore apparently.

 

[Jetster]

Not anymore apparently.

Ill check. I just bought one about 6 months ago

 

[Jetster]

Bare Drive. Its covered 2 years

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

Now OEM may be a different thing

I just check Newegg and they have OEM drives also. Under the specs it lists the warranty as 2 years. So if they put that there then someones covering it be it NE or WD

 

[newtekie1]

Apparantly you didn't read the thread. My drive registered and claimed it had a warranty too. It was only when I actually tried to RMA it that it wouldn't work, it would not complete the last step and actually generate a RMA, and when I called to figure out why I was told drives not sold in retail packaging were no longer covered by warranty by WD. It doesn't matter what Newegg says, it doesn't matter if the drive registers and claims to have a warranty, WD will not process RMA's on any drive not sold in retail packaging.

 

[95Viper]

WD will not process RMA's on any drive not sold in retail packaging.

Not trying to be argumentative...

I was curious, so I called Customer Service at WD pre-sales, the rep I spoke with knew about the "component drive", RTL (retail box), and OEM drives.

And, stated, after checking with his Supervisor, that the RTL and component drives are covered under the warranty posted on the web site warranty page.
Also, stated, if you put in the serial number and it shows a warranty and date... it is covered. If it states "No Limited Warranty" then it is an OEM drive that is warranted by the OEM.
If they told it was not covered after you got a valid warranty output from the warranty verification page, the rep was wrong.

Try calling the Customer Service dept. for pre-sales (not support) and they would be glad to help.
I called 1 (800) 275-4932 and went through the prompts to the "pre-sales" for internal drives.

 

[Jetster]

Apparantly you didn't read the thread. My drive registered and claimed it had a warranty too. It was only when I actually tried to RMA it that it wouldn't work, it would not complete the last step and actually generate a RMA, and when I called to figure out why I was told drives not sold in retail packaging were no longer covered by warranty by WD. It doesn't matter what Newegg says, it doesn't matter if the drive registers and claims to have a warranty, WD will not process RMA's on any drive not sold in retail packaging.

I read it. Its just not sinking in. Then they need to stop saying it covered. Well no more WD drives for me

 

[newtekie1]

Not trying to be argumentative...

I was curious, so I called Customer Service at WD pre-sales, the rep I spoke with knew about the "component drive", RTL (retail box), and OEM drives.

And, stated, after checking with his Supervisor, that the RTL and component drives are covered under the warranty posted on the web site warranty page.
Also, stated, if you put in the serial number and it shows a warranty and date... it is covered. If it states "No Limited Warranty" then it is an OEM drive that is warranted by the OEM.
If they told it was not covered after you got a valid warranty output from the warranty verification page, the rep was wrong.

Try calling the Customer Service dept. for pre-sales (not support) and they would be glad to help.
I called 1 (800) 275-4932 and went through the prompts to the "pre-sales" for internal drives.

I have no idea what is going on. They've got some people saying they are covered, others saying they aren't. They've got some pages on their website saying they are covered, others seemingly saying they aren't. It is like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing...

Either there is some shady shit going down at WD or the company's internal communication stinks.

I mean, I hate to say it, but this all reminds me of the dealings with BFG right before they went under. Heck I was dealing with an RMA with them when they closed shop. Except I went as far as actually sending the defective card in only to be told they never receive it, then when I produced tracking info they magically found it in their warehouse, then I was told my warranty wasn't valid because the card only had a 1-year warranty(they only sold cards with lifetime warranties), when I showed them a picture of the retail box with lifetime warranty stated on it they never responded and were out of business a few weeks later... I'm not saying WD is going out of business, I'm just saying this shady business reminds me of when BFG went under, and it scares me. The whole thing just gives me a bad feeling, and I'll definitely steer away from WD drives for a while unless they are a super good deal because if they are going to hassle me every time I try to make a warranty claim it isn't worth it considering Seagate drives are usually the same price or just a few bucks more.

 

[R-T-B]

I have no idea what is going on. They've got some people saying they are covered, others saying they aren't. They've got some pages on their website saying they are covered, others seemingly saying they aren't. It is like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing...

Either there is some shady shit going down at WD or the company's internal communication stinks.

I mean, I hate to say it, but this all reminds me of the dealings with BFG right before they went under. Heck I was dealing with an RMA with them when they closed shop. Except I went as far as actually sending the defective card in only to be told they never receive it, then when I produced tracking info they magically found it in their warehouse, then I was told my warranty wasn't valid because the card only had a 1-year warranty(they only sold cards with lifetime warranties), when I showed them a picture of the retail box with lifetime warranty stated on it they never responded and were out of business a few weeks later... I'm not saying WD is going out of business, I'm just saying this shady business reminds me of when BFG went under, and it scares me. The whole thing just gives me a bad feeling, and I'll definitely steer away from WD drives for a while unless they are a super good deal because if they are going to hassle me every time I try to make a warranty claim it isn't worth it considering Seagate drives are usually the same price or just a few bucks more.

Seagate's warranty isn't much better. I mean yeah, they process it, but it stinks to high heavens how they treat you during it (badging your drive "refurb" and subtracting from your warranty period, etc).

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I usually end up just buying a new drive because I refuse to have a refurb. So I usually end up RMAing the failed drive, buy a new one, and when I get the RMA back, sell it.

 

[Batou1986]

I usually end up just buying a new drive because I refuse to have a refurb. So I usually end up RMAing the failed drive, buy a new one, and when I get the RMA back, sell it.

after having an "Enterprise Grade" WD 3.5" raptor fail within 2 years and be replaced with a 2.5" "Enterprise Grade" Velociraptor drive I was pretty happy with WD RMA until Velociraptor died a year later so I agree with your sentiment .
The thing that bothers me is I have plain ole WD 7200RPM IDE drives from 10 years ago that work fine to this day yet modern "Enterprise Grade" SATA drives seem to fail at alarming rates.
Thats another separate issue but the way things are now I'm likely going to need that 2 year warranty at some point so it damn well better be there.
If a manufacturer sells something with warranty and then tells me I have none when I have a problem thats a sure fire way to see that I go out and buy a new one from a different manufacturer.

 

[newtekie1]

Seagate's warranty isn't much better. I mean yeah, they process it, but it stinks to high heavens how they treat you during it (badging your drive "refurb" and subtracting from your warranty period, etc).

The refurb label doesn't really bother me, I've never had them subtract from the warranty period though, never even heard of that.

 

[Aquinus]

The refurb label doesn't really bother me, I've never had them subtract from the warranty period though, never even heard of that.

My refurbished drives that I've gotten back from WD tend to be more solid than the retail/bare drives I buy. I suspect something with WD putting it through more rigorous testing has something to do with it. Anyways, it's not like a refurbished drive is a bad thing assuming they did all the necessary QA. I have yet to have one of my refurbished WD blacks cause an isssue as I've replaced at least two of the four which were DoA (or dead after 5 minutes of use).

@95Viper has probably one of the most constructive replies so far IMHO:

Not trying to be argumentative...

I was curious, so I called Customer Service at WD pre-sales, the rep I spoke with knew about the "component drive", RTL (retail box), and OEM drives.

And, stated, after checking with his Supervisor, that the RTL and component drives are covered under the warranty posted on the web site warranty page.
Also, stated, if you put in the serial number and it shows a warranty and date... it is covered. If it states "No Limited Warranty" then it is an OEM drive that is warranted by the OEM.
If they told it was not covered after you got a valid warranty output from the warranty verification page, the rep was wrong.

Try calling the Customer Service dept. for pre-sales (not support) and they would be glad to help.
I called 1 (800) 275-4932 and went through the prompts to the "pre-sales" for internal drives.

I read it. Its just not sinking in. Then they need to stop saying it covered. Well no more WD drives for me

It should take more than a single incident by someone else, which could have been a hick up with their service. All in all, considering this is the first time I've heard about this particular issue, I would like to think it's a one-off situation. I wouldn't give up years of good luck with WD just because of a single disgruntled consumer (no offense @newtekie1 ).

 

[blobster21]

This thread is a huge gaping wound, the WD rep is sorely missed in this situation.

 

[R-T-B]

The refurb label doesn't really bother me, I've never had them subtract from the warranty period though, never even heard of that.

Just happened to me on my last return. Could be isolated I suppose. Maybe I should ask again.

But if you're looking to resell a drive after a frustrating experience with a series, the "refurb" label (on what is probably a new drive, given mine was manufactured this month) doesn't help things, I assure you.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I actually have the same view as @Aquinus about refurb drives. When they leave the facility, they have had more attention and checks given to them than a new HDD. Mine just keep going and going and going!

 

[R-T-B]

I'd actually be quite surprised if any of these refurb drives are really anything but old shells with new components inside... that and ones people turned in with absolutely nothing wrong with them. I really can't picture anyone actually taking the time to open up a malfunctioning HD and fix it.

 

[newtekie1]

I'd actually be quite surprised if any of these refurb drives are really anything but old shells with new components inside... that and ones people turned in with absolutely nothing wrong with them. I really can't picture anyone actually taking the time to open up a malfunctioning HD and fix it.

Or drives with bad PCBs that have been replaced.

 

[Aquinus]

This thread is a huge gaping wound, the WD rep is sorely missed in this situation.

I'm not exactly sure that's fair. Are you expecting 24/7 support for hard drives? It's worth remembering that it's still the weekend and many businesses operate Monday through Friday.

With respect to the refurbished drives: Regardless of whatever the issue was before, I'm sure they put it under at least the same if not more rigorous testing as their regular drives. I would imagine that if a drive was bad that they would want to make extra sure that it's a-okay before potentially sending yet another bad drive to a client (which would be a fast way to lose a customer.) So the question has to be asked: Do refurbished drives have a shorter warranties if you buy the from the store because they're refurbished and cheaper or because they're more confident that they won't alienate a customer by providing an unreliable drive? I really don't think the folks over at WD are stupid despite that feels that some people may have for them. I have to admit, I haven't lost a refurbished drive from WD yet, that's a lot more than I can say for retail or bare drives.

Either way, I hope it this all gets put to rest soon but, I suspect this was simply a clerical error on their part. It's too bad it resulted in piss poor customer service though.

 

[redeye]

Newegg HDD shipping is a joke!...(for 3.5 inch HDD's)
The packaging on the 2.5 inch drives approaches good packing.

Last time I had to ship back a defective hard drive (to seagate, i think) I was requested to ship it in the box with 2 inches of foam on every side of the hard drive...

and when i received the hard drive back it was packed in a box with 2 inches of foam On all sides.

Speaking of Newegg and the shipping of hard drives have you noticed that with the 3 1/2 inch drives that they ship, they just stick it in the box, throw some paper on top and then ship it to you... where is the protection for the bottom of the hard drive?