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When "Lifetime Warranty" Memory... Isn't
InakaBoyJoe asks: "What do you do when memory with a 'lifetime warranty' fails? You send it back to the dealer of course -- if they're still around. But when I called The Chip Merchant, they refused to honor the warranty, citing a change in ownership. But they also claim on their website to have been doing business since 1985, and are still using the same name, domain, and phone number as before. So it seems the new owners are trying to reap all the benefits of a connection with the old company, while incurring none of the liabilities. How convenient! Instead of an apology for the months of headaches caused by the bad RAM, I got the runaround and was told to contact some guy in San Diego. The policy is also mentioned here. This means that anyone who bought 'lifetime warranty' memory from The Chip Merchant before April 19, 2004 is SOL. Given the popularity of this vendor, I think this is a pretty big deal. And what these guys are doing sounds vaguely illegal. What recourse do we have when companies pull a fast one like this?"
Yaknow what, I live in "America's Finest City", a.k.a. San Diego, and live no more than 5 miles from the offices of The Chip Merchant. Try contacting Michael Turko at KUSI News (Non-affiliated television station with a penchant for doing consumer fraud news stories).
Funny thing is, KUSI's studios are less than a 5 minute's walk to The Chip Merchant's San Diego offices (they are pretty much in the same office park).
As I walk through the valley of death I fear no one, for I am the meanest sonova bitch in the valley!
The solution is to buy memory that comes with a lifetime MANUFACTURER warranty. Kingston (Think Kingston Value Ram and Kingston HyperX) memory comes with a lifetime warranty, and you deal directly with the RAM manufacturer, not the vendor/store.
I had a SODIMM in my laptop test as faulty, so I gave Kingston a call. It wasn't much trouble to get replaced, they didn't care about when I purchased it, and they even cross-shipped me a replacement. Much more reliable than a small computer store that might not be around tommorow.
The easiest way to handle a matter of this nature is to file suit where the defendant is located. This is because you only have to get your judgment and then, after a certain period has expired (varies according to local law), have the court issue a writ of execution on the judgment. Under the writ, a local constable will tell the judgment debtor to surrender sufficient assets to be sold at auction to satisfy the judgment or to pay up in cash. Never underestimate the ability of someone big, not too smart, and bearing a badge and gun, to collect a debt.
If you decide to go the stubborn way and sue in your own local court you could well find your case going all the way to the US Supreme Court before you have a collectible judgment. Trust me, IAAL, suing in the defendant's locale is the easy way to handle small claims.
utter rubbish
When my wife and I bought our first car together the dealership kept jerking us around, after all the papers were signed. After about a week of "we need you to come over and re-sign stuff again" my wife filed a complaint with the BBB and the next day the manager of the place was ready to clean her shoes with his tongue.
So, I suspect you're just being a naysayer. But, either way, it costs nothing to file a complaint, and it may have positive results.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.