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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?"
Are you telling me my computer is going to go senile and there's nothing I can do about it?
Speaking of senile, I wonder if god will give me a refund on grandma...
When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
Lifetime refers to the life of the chip.
Disclaimer: IANAL. However, a lot of my family are, and I was talking to them about a related issue, and this was their solution.
File suit. No, not a big-money high-powered attorney type lawsuit; head on down to your local Small Claims court.
Why is this good? Well, small claims courts have a maximum damages amount of ~$5000-$10000, depending on where you live. However, you don't need to be a lawyer, you can argue your case yourself. And the filing fees are reasonable for the rest of us: where I live, the cost is $7.
All you need to do, to file, is say that you have exhausted all other measures in dealing with the company: so, sounds like you've called them. Write one letter, telling them that you intend to sue, and send it by certified mail. Give them 15 days, and on the 16th, file.
You can file locally to you, not them, even if they're in another state. The court notifies them of the trial date. And then, come trial day, you go, argue your case (again, no lawyer necessary), and-- they don't show up, usually. So the judge rules in your favor, and gives you a judgement-- which is *incredibly* fun to have against a company.
So this approach gives you everything you want, including the pleasure of revenge, and you get your money back. Happy Hunting!
Fire, lots of it. Burn their offices down. And see if you can find my stapler while you are there, it is red!
I used to buy my stuff from the Chip Merchant, but when they sold out the character of the operation changed remarkably. I was probably one of their earliest customers - I found them in MacWeek, and remember hearing a woman and child in the background when placing an order. They guy was probably working out of his house at the time.
It's sad to see a company that used to be trustworthy turn to the dark side like this. Needless to say I am no longer one of their customers.
BUT as far as changing owners, they have no right to just blow you off. You have a contract with them. Contact the BBB in the area they are located, as well as the State Attorney general. A lot of companies try to screw people knowing that they just will not be persistant enough to complain. When they start getting letters from the Attorney General it will get their attention. I have done this in cases where the company tried to stiff me on a rebate. It usually works.
thechipmerchantsucks.com is currently available. ;)
ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
Your waranty was issued by a corporate entity, and as such, is a contract with that entity. It doesn't matter how many times the ownership of the company changes, as long as the company exists, the company has a stable timeline.
Short answer, what they are doing is not legal, nail them for breach of contract.
-- Crutcher --
#include <disclaimer.h>
I hate to make a simple, shameless plug, so I'll just give my reasoning.
I pretty much always buy my memory from (Company X) because they're owned by (Company Y) who actually makes memory chips. I figure they own it, they built it, they tested it, their name goes on it, and there's no dilution by being able to point the finger at someone else. I also like the fact that I can buy from a memory maker, rather than some reseller or DIMM builder.
I recently had a DIMM from (Company X) go bad. I called them up, told them my story, and exchanged the bad one for a new one, no problems or hassles at all.
It had a lifetime warranty, and was about 1.5 years old.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
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.