OCZ RMA is an absolute joke

[Christian Ney]

Here is a true story that happened to me, so a little bit more than one year ago I bought an OCZ Vertex SSD 30 GB OCZSSD2-1VTX30G (230 MB/s(Read) 135 MB/s (write) and 85 MB/s (Substained write)).
like on the following picture:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3...sd21vtx30g.png

3 months ago the ocz vertex died, so I went to their website and asked for rma. rma approved, I sent my ssd to them.

Here is what they send back to me, a new OCZ Vertex SSD 30 GB OCZSSD2-1VTX30G. What so lovely to find written on the box the following specs:
Read: 210 MB/s
Write: 75 MB/s
Substained Write: 25 MB/s
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg

Actually a twice less performing ssd.

Without even opening the package I opened a new support ticket on their website saying that they sent me the wrong drive.
Here is their reply:
''Are those just the numbers on the box, or were those the benchmarking results from running ATTO on the drive? I recommend actually running ATTO on the drive'' Despite the fact that on the opened ticket I clearly wrote ''numbers written on the box''
So here is FAIL #1 , so close to FAIL #2 as you can see on the following picture http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg numbers on the box are based on ATTO

New reply from OCZ, I quote:
''But did you actually run the ATTO disk benchmark program on the drive to benchmark that particular drive? This is the most accurate way to get the speed of the drive rather than reading the numbers on the box. After running the ATTO program on your drive, what read and write numbers does it give you for your specific drive?''

FAIL #3 Specs and numbers on the box aren't the ones of the product inside !!!!

Okay... let's open the box, take the ssd, plug it to my test system (Operating System is actually installed on a Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB).

I formated the drive, I ran ATTO, here are the values:
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7025/vertexrma.jpg

200 MB/s Read and 140 MB/s write, ok close to the drive I sent to RMA and far away to what is written on the box where this drive comes from.

FAIL #4 The drive doesn't match with the specs on the box.


Ok so finally I got the right drive it seems ?

Now start to install my Operating System on it, first try I got a blue screen after 10 minutes during the installation of windows XP, try 2, after 4 minutes try 3, after 17 minutes. Ok let's try to install windows 7 then. Again blue screen after few minutes during the process.

Hum, time to change memory, processor, motherboard. Same, getting blue screens over and over again.
Change the whole setup again, no way blues screen are here. Try to install Windows XP on a Hard Drive, it works, windows 7 too, from the first try.

Ok, back to OCZ Vertex, fail again, blue screen over and over again.

After 38 tries for windows XP, I finally managed to install it on the OCZ Vertex, and 17 tries for Windows 7.

Drive seems defective isn't it ? FAIL #5

So I back to OCZ support, here is what they said:
''What error message are you receiving during the installation process? At what point does the error occur? Is this a fresh install or are you imaging/cloning to the drive?''
-Not always the same
-Randomly
-Fresh install

OCZ:
''If the drive has been repeatedly benchmarked it will slow down until it has time to clean itself up. The drive will automatically maintain itself when idle. If you want to reset the drive right away you can do a destructive reset here:
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/st...tary_erase.zip Then from there quick format it with Windows 7 and run ATTO on the drive just one time''

What, I said the drive is defective and that I cannot even install an Operating Sytsem on it and they ask if I have repeatedly benched the drive ?
and to clear/erase it, what the.... the drive is new you just sent it to me, what's so wrong with you. Read my comments added to the helpdesk!!

FAIL #6 ? They do not read your emails ?

Ok so as this one is defective, I ask for RMA and told them that I am away for 2 weeks in vacation and without internet, rma accepted.

Back from vacation I see that they sent me a courier (fedex) when I was away.... FAIL #6 confirmed .

First good point for ocz though, they sent me an attached pre-paid shipping label, so they take care of the return of they defective part.

But, when I was in vacation (I took the vertex with me as my only ssd and I needed it), things got worse, sometimes the drive wan't reconized at post nor in the bios. So no way to boot my operating system. Sometimes the operating system just freeze or crash and when I reboot the computer it says ''no bootable device'' I had to turn off the computer and turn it on again, benchmarks like PCMark05, PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 were always failing to compute due to aborted/failed HDD tests.

So as I am back and the support ticket is gone after 7 days, I opened a new one complaining that the drive is getting more and more defective.
I sent them a very long email telling all issues I encountered with their OCZ Vertex and asked that they send them first a new drive so I can move all my operative system and data from drive to drive.

OCZ replied:
''I sincerely apologize for any issues or inconveniences you have been experiencing with your OCZ product. Please provide us with the information requested below as a comment to your Ticket for RMA processing[...]''
then:
''I apologize, please disregard the previous message. Just verify your shipping address for me please''

They moved the status of my support ticket to advanced rma so said ''I set you up for advanced rma, so what’s going to happen is we are going to charge your credit card for the amount of the memory. Then once we get your bad product we will immediately credit your card back. You will be getting further details about the charge in an automated email that will be sent to you from the rma system''

What I understand is that I have to pay something so they can send me the new one, let me move my data and they will pay me back when they got the defective one.
But the defective one is gone for real, no more reconized thru the bios, nor thru the post, windows installer doesn't see it and another computer too.
Drive is 100 % dead.
Time to use the prepaid shipping label, vertex is sent to them and I asked them by email to recover all my operating system and data on the new drive.

FAIL #7 They didn't do it and even better they did not tell me they were not going to do it.

After 5-6 days, according to TNT Express tracking number they received the defective drive 3 days ago, so I asked for some news, here are the three replies I got from OCZ:
''it will be replaced within 48 hours ''
I replied 3 days after: ''any news ?''
OCZ again: ''for some reason it doesn't look like we received it. please contact supporteurope@ocztechnology.com ''
What ? Tracking number stats you got it one week ago !!!
OCZ again: '' that was my mistake what i ment was when we receive it and process it it will be shipped out within 48 hours. its not in our system for some reason''

Okayyy, they just don't care about you and reply randomly to you, FAIL #8

New drive received today, again with the following specs:
Read: 210 MB/s
Write: 75 MB/s
Substain Write: 25 MB/s
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg

which is again a twice less performing ssd.

But wait this is just what is written on the box, as from my experience with OCZ products, specs on the box don't match with the product in the box.



Too bad this time it was true, I really received the twice less perfoming OCZ Vertex SSD:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7...sd21vtx30g.jpg

FAIL #9

just for the record, I quote their own Warranty Policy:
''All OCZ Technology, Inc. (''OCZ'') products are warranted and tested to be free from defects in material and workmanship and to conform to the published specifications.[...]OCZ will repair the product or replace it with a comparable or better unit.''

HAHAHAHAHA What a joke


Conlcusion:
OCZ is an absolute joke, you are aware

True story, I got all emails from them, pics of drives, pics of benchs as proof.

Update 22/08/2011:

Update 22/08/2011: Ok, after posting on their forum things went really better, the guy know what you are talking about and take care of the situation way much better than using Support Ticket Exdesk.
They offered to send me a Vertex 120GB, I asked them if a Vertex 2 40GB was possible and they replied that they are going to send me a courier as soon as possible to take back the Vertex they sent me and will send me a Vertex 2 60GB as soon as possible.

For my experience through the forum there is no problem for support/rma/help, they replied very quickly and the guy who your are talking with know what to do and what you are talking about.

Conclusion, as from my experience here, OCZ forum is THE place to ask support/rma, by using the ''Exdesk support ticket'' you will just suffer if you ask technical info or want an advanced rma. Seems OCZ is using an third party compagny for support ticket aka exdesk which appeared to be incompetent.

Just to clarify, we do not use a third party for support. Exdesk is the ticket software/hosting company. The people that answer tickets all work for OCZ in San Jose, CA.

[Trouffman]

Sad story...
in the end they need (by they own warranty policy) to replqce the drive by a same or better one.. you can play on this and get a new one too>

[Christian Ney]

haha, don't you think I already tried

[zanzabar]

i would try to get this back
http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-ver...i-2-5-ssd.html

its got the new firmware and u should have been checking the drives to see if they support turbo or FTL firmware as those make them way quicker than the stock crap.

[th3pwn3r]

That sucks but at least they are trying to make things right by sending replacements. I realize the replacements are faulty too or not up to par BUT other companies might not even provide you the service OCZ did. Hopefully your issue gets resolved, good luck.

[EniGmA1987]

Ive never had a problem with an OCZ RMA, and when I needed a SSD replaced this last time I was given a choice of which drive I wanted to be my replacement. Great service if you were to ask me.

[eBoy0]

Must be the OCZ in Europe, they always gave me excellent service here in the US. Those might be all fails on account, but you have to look at it this way, atleast they put in the effort. Some companies, which I will not name and which are probably now out of business, but lets just say DFI, had absolutely ridiculous RMA, you sent them a mobo and you had no idea when you might be getting a replacement, or any update emails. One day you get home and there's a motherboard sitting outside, lol.
Sad story indeed, but hope it gets resolved.

[WhiteFireDragon]

based on the location in your profile, this is OCZ in europe?

[Christian Ney]

Ive never had a problem with an OCZ RMA, and when I needed a SSD replaced this last time I was given a choice of which drive I wanted to be my replacement. Great service if you were to ask me.

Have you asked submitting a support ticket on they website or directly on their forum ?

Some companies, which I will not name and which are probably now out of business, but lets just say DFI

based on the location in your profile, this is OCZ in europe?

Yes, I am in France and I had to send my drives to OCZ NL ( Nederland )

[Ao1]

How can you have the same part number, but different specs?

[Christian Ney]

how can you have the same part number, but different specs?

ocz ?

[Ao1]

Out of interest when you got the lesser performing replacement was the formatted capacity the same? The drop in specs relates to a change in the nand geometry (3x to 2x nm), which reduces the amount of channels by 50%, hence a 50% reduction if write performance. If the formatted capacity is the same on the lower performing drive it would imply that RAISE was disabled, which would be an interesting development. Judging by the replies you got from OCZ support it looks like you could get either a 3x to 2x nm drive using the same part number, but they cover themselves by only specifying the lower performance specs on the box.

[RyderOCZ]

Christian, can we work in 1 place please and not the 20 forums you posted this on? My email address is eryder at ocztechnology dot com. I will get it sorted out.

Ao1, there is no transition from 3xnm Nand to 2xnm on a Vertex drive. That would be Vertex2.

The 30GB drives he is dealing with did have a Nand change, but they are still 50 or 34nm. The newer Nand in a 30GB was slower for the same reasons as what we saw in a Vertex2 though, channeling, etc. We changed the spec when we made the change, if you get more speed than what is on the box, how is that a bad thing?

Thanks.

[Ao1]

Ah, I didn't realise that the same issue occurred on the first gen Vertex drives. I wasn't implying it was a bad thing, but it's easy to see how it could create confusion.

The drives when new would have been reviewed and the general public might mistake the performance demonstrated in a review with one that has significantly reduced performance.

Although the specs provide the "correct" (ATTO) performance on the box, how do retailers know to update the advertised specs, if the part numbers are the same. eRetailers are quite bad at changing specs after the product has been launched. (For the better or worse). Overclockers for example are currently still showing the higher write speeds.

Newer gen drives have better controllers to mitigate lower P/E cycles. Changing from 10K P/E to 5K P/E on the same controller is a big jump.

The differences seem significant enough that a new product number would help avoid confusion. Just an observation, not a dig.

[Andrea deluxe]

Generally..... in RMA situation... the product will be replaced with one of equal or superior characteristics .... not less!!!!

[Christian Ney]

Update 22/08/2011: Ok, after posting on their forum things went really better, the guy know what you are talking about and take care of the situation way much better than using Support Ticket Exdesk.
They offered to send me a Vertex 120GB, I asked them if a Vertex 2 40GB was possible and they replied that they are going to send me a courier as soon as possible to take back the Vertex they sent me and will send me a Vertex 2 60GB as soon as possible.

For my experience through the forum there is no problem for support/rma/help, they replied very quickly and the guy who your are talking with know what to do and what you are talking about.

Conclusion, as from my experience here, OCZ forum is THE place to ask support/rma, by using the ''Exdesk support ticket'' you will just suffer if you ask technical info or want an advanced rma. Seems OCZ is using an third party compagny for support ticket aka exdesk which appeared to be incompetent.

Just to clarify, we do not use a third party for support. Exdesk is the ticket software/hosting company. The people that answer tickets all work for OCZ in San Jose, CA.

[trans am]

I almost flipped when I saw this thread because OCZ rma support is one of the best if not the best in the industry but I also live in the us and not sure how things go elsewhere. Be careful about threads you make like this because it can severely damage a companies reputation. There is no better ssd support than ocz ssd forums section and to make a thread like this about them is out of line. If you ever run into something like this just call them or contact someone like Ryder or Tony first before making a thread. Your problems or woes but the internet lasts forever and kids reading this thread that don't know ocz amazing track record might just pull the plug and tell everyone they know not to buy an ocz product because of your rare issue. they can lose thousands of sales for something so stupid. I'm no ocz fanboy or biased I'm just speaking from experience going way back to the powerstream 520w and the EB ram and the ddr booster days. Ive had 2 gens of ocz ssd's and they have been nothing but gentlemen in the rare instances I had to actually send a product back. They are far and beyond the best support out of all the boards and ram and other computer crap they have always stood out in my mind as the highest example of customer service. This just pissed me off and I had to say something. sorry guys.

[EniGmA1987]

Have you asked submitting a support ticket on they website or directly on their forum ?

Both. THis last RMA where I was given a choice of some drives I wanted as replacement was just a regular support ticket for an RMA

[Christian Ney]

I almost flipped when I saw this thread because OCZ rma support is one of the best if not the best in the industry but I also live in the us and not sure how things go elsewhere. Be careful about threads you make like this because it can severely damage a companies reputation. There is no better ssd support than ocz ssd forums section and to make a thread like this about them is out of line. If you ever run into something like this just call them or contact someone like Ryder or Tony first before making a thread. Your problems or woes but the internet lasts forever and kids reading this thread that don't know ocz amazing track record might just pull the plug and tell everyone they know not to buy an ocz product because of your rare issue. they can lose thousands of sales for something so stupid. I'm no ocz fanboy or biased I'm just speaking from experience going way back to the powerstream 520w and the EB ram and the ddr booster days. Ive had 2 gens of ocz ssd's and they have been nothing but gentlemen in the rare instances I had to actually send a product back. They are far and beyond the best support out of all the boards and ram and other computer crap they have always stood out in my mind as the highest example of customer service. This just pissed me off and I had to say something. sorry guys.

Seems OCZ is using an third party compagny for support ticket aka exdesk. Thru their forum there is no problems at all

[RyderOCZ]

Just to clarify, we do not use a third party for support. Exdesk is the ticket software/hosting company. The people that answer tickets all work for OCZ in San Jose, CA.

[Hondacity]

finally some good news

good for you christina

[Christian Ney]

finally some good news

good for you christian

Yeah, thanks to Ryder (OCZ Forum)

[trans am]

mod should change the thread title to "OCZ support is 2nd to none"

[th3pwn3r]

After the ordeal he went through I disagree, title may be a bit extreme but I can see why it was created as so.

[Hondacity]

it should be like, ocz is like katy perry, hot n cold