[flypenfly]

Cliff:
OWC wants me to pay an extra $30 to replace memory that is defective 8 months later.
______________________________
Late in 2008, I purchased 4GB of SODIMM DDR3 RAM for my new Unibody Macbook Pro from OWC. The total was $140 + shipping.

4GB PC8500 DDR3 2GBx2 SO-DIMM Kit 4.0GB(2x2.0GB Kit) PC-8500 DDR3 1066MHz SO-DIMM 204 Pin Memory Upgrade Kit for Late 2008 MacBook, MacBook Pro Models with nVidia Graphics Chipset. Lifetime Warranty. OWC8566DDR3S4GP

The RAM seemed to work fine in the high power 9600M GPU mode but switching to Energy Saver mode in 9400M seemed to cause random crashing. The 2gb of OEM memory seemed to have no trouble in either mode. Hey no worries, lifetime warranty, I should be fine right?

Late in 2008, I was moving from Socal to NYC, and my life was pretty hectic with finding a new job and settling in to NYC so I didn't have a chance to send the memory in for repair. I just ran it in 9600 mode and all was well.

Now that I have some time, I finally called about 2-3 weeks ago to get this situation fixed. I spoke to a tech support guy, he had me mail him my system profile XML and he immediately concluded that he needed to send me a newer DIMM that employed Samsung chips. Well I didn't have the OEM memory on me because of the move. It was in storage in California.

That's okay, lets just do an advance replacement the tech guy says. Okay, I've done that before with IBM and it worked out fine for a deathstar hard drive back in the day. I pay in advance and they send me the device, I return the defective item and they refund me all the funds. No problem.

First, they sent me just 1 2gb DIMM instead of 2 2gb DIMMs. Okay fine, people make mistakes sometimes, I call and get someone on the phone pretty quickly and they overnight me the second DIMM. I send them back the defective memory.

About a week later, they refund me some of the money through paypal. But it isn't the same amount that they charged my credit card.

I send them a few emails, don't hear anything back. Finally, I email them again yesterday and CC the main support email address. I get this back:

Dear xxxx,

If you would like a direct replacement for the OWC memory chips that you returned then we will need you to return the Samsung memory chips that you were Advanced Exchanged to you. The OWC memory chips you returned only carry a value of 64.99 and the Samsung memory you Exchanged these for a pair are $85.98
From my reviews it was thought you had wanted the exchange to the Samsung memory and it was clear when we expressed we needed a credit card that you were being charged for the new samsung memory and a refund would be issued once returned. This Exchange for a different item is not done at no cost customers are responsible for the difference in cost. If you want a simple exchange for the same exact chip you had original purchased that can be done at no cost but the move to Samsung chips from OWC chips is at your expense.

Do you wish to return the Samsung chips for the original purchased OWC chips in exchange again Please let us know

Sincerely

xxxx
Call Center Leader
Other World Computing, Inc.
2650 Bridge Lane
Woodstock, Illinois 60098

They first, sold me defective RAM. They acknowledge it's defective and send me a working replacement. They mess up in sending me the right number of replacements. They charge my credit card a total of $97. They refund me $65. When I ask what's up, they indicate I wanted to upgrade my memory. Why the hell would I upgrade the same 4gb for just Samsung chips if the memory worked fine in the first place? WTF?

I sent them an email saying this is unacceptable, it's been about 24 hours and they haven't responded yet. Either way, I don't really care about the $30, not that big of a deal in the long run but I will definitely not be buying from them in the future and wanted to share my experience.

It just seems incredulous to me when the memory was advertised to work specifically with my laptop (it didn't) and now they're charging me to upgrade to memory that does work. That seems very deceptive to me.

[SSharon]

Sorry to hear about your ongoing experience with OWC.

This is one of the reasons that I like buying from newegg even if they are a few dollars more expensive (and they are usually cheaper anyway). I have always had good experiences with their customer support.

[besson3c]

Yeah, NewEgg kicks ass all over the place. Never a bad experience with them, and I've bought tons of junk from them and have had to return all sorts of things for various reasons. Smooth sailing.

[flypenfly]

Newegg didn't have it yet at the time or were out of stock the day I was ordering. I've spent well over 10k at Newegg over the years from system builds since they were a startup.

[besson3c]

flypen: I didn't mean to insinuate that you hadn't heard of NewEgg, I of course didn't know either way, I wrote what I wrote for anybody reading the thread.

I'm sorry you had those customer service problems, I know how frustrating those sorts of things can be. I wish more companies were like NewEgg, who I literally think has the best customer service out of any company I've ever done business with in any area. It probably costs them more, but I figure that they must offset this by the number of customers that remain loyal and rave about them.

[turtle777]

Did you pay with a credit card ?

You should file a claim with them.

These kind of things get handled by Amex w/o a problem. That's why I always use Amex for all my electronics purchases.

-t

[flypenfly]

Sorry didn't mean to imply that you were implying I didn't know

[SSharon]

Just send OWC a link to this thread so they can see for themselves that people still care about customer service. Apple users especially.

I check out their site from time to time looking for G4 upgrade cards or video cards, and stories like this are what keep me from buying there.

[mduell]

Sounds like par for the course with OWC. IMO they exist as a leech on the Mac community with unjustified markups on commodity items.

[angelmb]

Well, I for once haven't had any issue buying from OWC. Can't say the same thing from other US seller which refused to let me return a defective RAM module cause I was located out of the USA… I still have that faulty 'hynix' 1 GB RAM module for the original 17" PowerBook G4 here.

[flypenfly]

Larry (I believe the owner of OWC) has clarified to my satisfaction why that was posted and we've come to a mutual satisfactory understanding. As far as I'm concerned, this matter has now been fixed and I would like to commend Larry for personally investigating the problem and producing an equitable solution.

[turtle777]

Well, that's an unexpected turn. The owner gets involved personally, and makes things right ?
Not bad...

-t

[Mrjinglesusa]

No offense, but I don't see what was so "terrible" about the CS. It seems to me they were very supportive and did everything to try and make this right.

1) You bought 2 2GB OWC RAM chips in 2008

2) Said chips were defective and they sent you replacements

3) You returned defective chips

4) They charged you for "upgraded" chips and refunded the cost of the chips you returned

5) When you indicated this was not what you wanted to do, they offered to send you the originally purchased OWC chips, which I assume would result in no cost to you at all (i.e., a straight replacement)

Appears to me to be a simple misunderstanding that they tried to rectify. They even overnighted the second DIMM when they were made aware they only sent one in the first place.

I don't understand what was so terrible about the CS. Am I missing something here?

If you want a simple exchange for the same exact chip you had original purchased that can be done at no cost but the move to Samsung chips from OWC chips is at your expense.

Do you wish to return the Samsung chips for the original purchased OWC chips in exchange again Please let us know

Why would you send them an email saying this is "unacceptable?" Do you expect to get better chips for nothing? They offered to do a simple exchange for the same chip you originally purchased at no cost to you. Why was this unacceptable to you?

[Langdon]

Originally Posted by mduell 

Sounds like par for the course with OWC. IMO they exist as a leech on the Mac community with unjustified markups on commodity items.

That sounds about right.

Back in days when Spymac was around the moderators banned a couple of OWC employees from posting there because they posed as members unaffiliated with the company and pushed OWC merchandise and put up their reviews of said items. There's one or two people on the Apple boards now who coincidentally happen to be from the same small area as OWC HQ's who are a little too enthusiastic about getting people to buy from Macsales at every opportunity as well. So I take praise for this company with a grain of salt every time they come up for discussion.

[hyteckit]

I never had an issue with OWC or macsales.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Langdon 

Spymac

LOL. He said Spymac.

-t

[besson3c]

What's the point of buying from any other online tech retail company other than NewEgg anyway? I know that sounds like a leading question, but I don't necessarily mean it that way.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

What's the point of buying from any other online tech retail company other than NewEgg anyway? I know that sounds like a leading question, but I don't necessarily mean it that way.

Better price.

See, I might sound like a broken record, but I'm not very sensitive to bad CS since I use Amex.

One call, and things get fixed by a nice Amex rep.

-t

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Better price.

See, I might sound like a broken record, but I'm not very sensitive to bad CS since I use Amex.

One call, and things get fixed by a nice Amex rep.

-t

Better prices on what? All Apple stuff is pretty much priced the same anywhere, save a few dollars. Most of the sorts of gadgets that people get seem to be in the sub $100 range, so again, any savings would be minimal. Is saving a few dollars worth the hassle of going with anybody other than the dominant and consistently good NewEgg?

Besides, I usually find that they have the best prices anyway...

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

What's the point of buying from any other online tech retail company other than NewEgg anyway? I know that sounds like a leading question, but I don't necessarily mean it that way.

From Neweeg Shipping FAQs:

Does Newegg.com ship internationally?
Newegg.com does not currently ship internationally; we only deliver to locations within the United States and to Puerto Rico.

OWC MacSales does.

[Salty]

Indeed, Newegg.ca is not nearly as nice as newegg.com though I did get a really nice Firewire HD enclosure and HD from them

[besson3c]

Ahhh... didn't know that. I wonder when NewEgg will branch out to include non US customers?

[jonasmac]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

From Neweeg Shipping FAQs:

Does Newegg.com ship internationally?
Newegg.com does not currently ship internationally; we only deliver to locations within the United States and to Puerto Rico.

OWC MacSales does.

Yeah I'd love to use NewEgg, but shipping to Puerto Rico and NOT to Guam is not only inconvenient, it's also ignorant.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Well, that's an unexpected turn. The owner gets involved personally, and makes things right ?
Not bad...

Bad that the situation ever existed requiring owner intervention instead of being handled by the normal customer service process.

I never had a problem with OWC/MacSales - I'll always buy RAM from them.

One thing I like I can find out the right RAM just by clicking the Mac model - I don't have to check to see what kind of RAM my machine takes, or make sure the speeds are correct - I just click the Mac model on the OWC site - it's fast and the prices are good.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by mduell 

Bad that the situation ever existed requiring owner intervention instead of being handled by the normal customer service process.

Well, I guess it's the old glass half full / half empty adage.

-t

[Langdon]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

One thing I like I can find out the right RAM just by clicking the Mac model - I don't have to check to see what kind of RAM my machine takes, or make sure the speeds are correct - I just click the Mac model on the OWC site - it's fast and the prices are good.

That is not really unique.
Crucial.com and Kingston.com among other web retailers offer that same selection interface. And with them the return/RMA process is straightforward and doesn't take 8 weeks like it sometimes does with OWC.

[OWCLarry]

Originally Posted by Langdon 

And with them the return/RMA process is straightforward and doesn't take 8 weeks like it sometimes does with OWC.

First off - I have personally been in contact with the original poster, to whom I have apologized. Prior to any knowledge of this or his other forum threads, the difference in cost was refunded last Friday. Following that, communication I had with the poster provided additional understanding of what actually went wrong and I believe that this matter has been resolved to his full satisfaction. A human error, a misunderstanding/miscommunication did occur and was honestly the fault of the OWC rep involved. We made a mistake and we have corrected it.

The original purchase in this matter was from October 18th, 2008. The RMA was requested this past month and rather than a standard cross ship replacement, an exchange for a different product was provided. Our rep thought that this is what the customer was requesting and that he had communicated the difference in cost for the exchange. The difference originally billed was the difference in the current listed price for the two different items. Supporting an exchange from one item to a different item for just the difference in current cost is not to the benefit of OWC – we support such exchanges for the benefit of our customer and customer relation and is typically at the request of the customer where circumstances support. In this case, a failure in how our rep communicated turned this into an unnecessary debacle. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/OWC_Guarantee

Providing our customers with the best possible customer service and support is an absolute cornerstone of Other World Computing. In providing such, we also try to be flexible and accommodating as to meet the needs, requirements, and wants of our customers. Our team is based at our headquarters in Woodstock, IL and is currently available by phone from 8AM to 8PM M-F and 10-4PM CT on Saturdays. In addition, hours for LiveChat extend as late as 10PM and emails can be submitted to support 24/7 with typical response times of just a few hours. In addition – we also have an extensive and ever growing online tech center that includes a wide and growing variety of installation videos to further support the products we offer:
http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm

We currently ship about 30,000 orders per month. OWC has built and continues to grow a team that is exceptionally dedicated and capable team when it comes to the personal involvement in providing a high level of customer service and product technical support. This team is here to assist not just before and during a transaction, but for the lifetime of the product after the transaction as well. We are human, and – as in this matter that resulted in this thread – it is extremely disappointing when the best of intentions result in an unnecessary failure in terms of outcome and expectation. While such an error is extremely rare, it still not an excuse for it to have occurred and such an occurrence is broken down and becomes part of our ongoing training program so it doesn't occur again.

---

To address comments made by Langdon – RMAs are handled as a top priority at OWC. Memory is backed by a lifetime advance replacement warranty – should a replacement be needed, the day the RMA is set up is typically the day the new memory ships out (or the next day if after shipping cutoff/not on a day shipments are occurring (sat/sun, etc)). Within 30 days of a purchase – we also offer a hassle free cross ship replacement on virtually any item we sell. While OWC can’t guarantee the the brand new and factory sealed ‘Brand ABC Whizbang Product’ is 100% of the time without issue, we do offer an immediate cross ship replacement + a return label to cover return shipping in the rare case where a product does arrive DOA – this is without extra fees, etc – this is a standard part of the service we provide. On bare hard drive mechanisms (2.5” and 3.5” HDs) - should a new drive fail within the first 90 days, instead of our customers having to go to Seagate, Hitachi, WD, etc – and go through a MFR warranty process to get a factory refurb/replacement, OWC provides a brand NEW drive from our inventory instead. It's typical of most merchants to refer customers to the MFR warranty as well as for tech support, etc- from the point the product has been opened. OWC is very different in this respect. Standard RMAs where product is sent back without cross ship are turned over typically within 24 hours and often within the same day as received. The need for a product return is of a very low incidence, but like you – when I personally have to return something for replacement, it is already an inconvenience – with consideration to such, priority is given so that time for a replacement to be provided does not become an unnecessary additional inconvenience.

The other suggestion made is just off base and without foundation. But on that note, we’re now in our 10th year with Bizrate – the last 5yrs in a row recognized with their ‘Circle of Excellence’ for our level of customer satisfaction – and comments submitted via Bizrate going back to 1999 can be viewed on our site here:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Service/Comments.cfm

----

I tend to be pretty long winded and perhaps go into more detail to the point of being too much. In summary, we’re here because of you and providing you with the best products and support is at the core of what Other World Computing is. I started OWC over twenty years and no different today than then, I remain personally involved and available to make sure OWC fulfills the vision and expectations that are core to foundation.

As always – I welcome your emails with feedback, questions, or concerns via the email address [email protected]. Suggestions and comments can also be submitted the web via:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Service/suggestions.cfm

In either case – I personally read and respond to all such emails and feedback and appreciate all – as over the years it is such feedback that has and always continues to contribute to the products, services, and policies of OWC. OWC is here because of you and the team and I very much recognize and appreciate this. As such we do listen as we always work to earn and remain your solution provider of choice. We know that you have choices and we appreciate such choices being the very reason OWC is here and continues to grow today.

Thank you
- OWC Larry
email: [email protected]
Founder, Other World Computing

[rickey939]

Wow, well said Larry.

I am a big fan of OWC, as I work in Roselle, IL and we always use OWC for our Mac needs as they arise. Since we are so close, I always get the product the very next day as well.

The few times we've had to return something, it was about as painless as possible.