Seagate warranty reduction to 3 years

[JonathanM]

Seagate just jumped the shark in my book. I had no better reason than the 5 year warranty to use their drives, and now that's out the window unless you carefully select a 5 year product.

 

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/warranty_&_returns_assistance/product_warranty_matrix/

 

The SV35 series is still 5 years, so that is an option. Retail kits include crap I don't need, and don't want to pay for.

 

I think I'll start investigating the WD drives.

[snsumner]

Seagate just jumped the shark in my book. I had no better reason than the 5 year warranty to use their drives, and now that's out the window unless you carefully select a 5 year product.

 

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/warranty_&_returns_assistance/product_warranty_matrix/

 

The SV35 series is still 5 years, so that is an option. Retail kits include crap I don't need, and don't want to pay for.

 

I think I'll start investigating the WD drives.

 

You have until Jan 9, 2009 to get the 5 year warranty before the changes take effect.  I purchased 6 1.5TB HD just recently with the 5 year warranty. 

[jimwhite]

The sales on Seagate drives at Outpost/Frey's are almost always retail box...

 

[NAS]

Terrible marketing move. Anyone that knew it was 5 years and hears of the drop immediately and naturally assumes its because the products fail to much to support 5 years.

[rhubarb9999]

Does the refurb they send you as a replacement still only have the 90 day warranty?

[JonathanM]

Warranty replacement drives have always had the original drives warranty period in my experience. Drives sold as refurb only carry a 90 day warranty. I've always had good luck with warranty service, it just sucks that they decided on a vote of no confidence on their own product.

[SSD]

Warranty replacement drives have always had the original drives warranty period in my experience. Drives sold as refurb only carry a 90 day warranty. I've always had good luck with warranty service, it just sucks that they decided on a vote of no confidence on their own product.

 

I guess we all hoped that Seagate's 5-year warranty "across the board" would have encouraged WD and others to do the same.  WD only offers the longer warranty on more expensive drives.

 

So Seagate has to ask itself if the extra 2 years of warranty is providing a competitive advantage.  I guess their research shows it does not - or at least does not commensurate with the extra cost of honoring the warranty for 2 more years.  This only affects OEM drives which they have much less control of (packaging not nearly as good) than the retail versions.

 

Three "good news" points that may make you feel better about a shorter warranty:

1.  Seagate may be able to further reduce prices on OEM drives.

2.  Drive failures usually happen early in a drive's lifetime.

3.  If technology keeps marching forward, in 3-5 years you'll view a 1T drive in much the same way you view a 160G-250G drive now.  If one failed you'd likely not feel a huge sense of loss.