That does not help for it being after the fact.
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Has its own thread, will not clutter here and will update the resolution there too.
The seller should take action and provide compensation. They can contact the source to raise the issue. For the buyer, the seller remains the sole point of contact.
Funny how the court of public opinion ruled before the seller was allowed to present their side of things..
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extraordinary evidence of tempered drive so…judgement seems warranted in this one IMO.
Getting the drive shipped back from the buyer to myself, will try out possible fixes.
If all fails, will go ahead with compensation over the drive.
Cuz replacement for a 4tb ssd, in this economy, gonna be crazzy!
Now time for lots of typing
- Yes it was clearly visible in the listings as well as pre shared media about the drives clearly.
However, the SNs were overlooked by both parties (seller as well as buyer), and that alone can’t be blamed as fully for the drive to be a fake drive.
(Will also open it up once received back just to check out what’s on the inside) - For any issues and or mismatches in the item delivered, you should inform immediately (has happened many of the samsung ssd buyers, that they get a diff unit than what ordered, they inform the same day and next day a replacement is sent out)
- Drive showed up on Crystal disk info as a proper Crucial MX500, also showed up on the Crucial Storage Executive, so very less likely for the drive to be a fake one.
However the SN mismatch may be explained as a chassis swap or anything as such in the past during the refurbish (just assuming, I’m also new to this sort of an issue). - Also, the drive broke after a firmware update by the buyer, which ofc if you brick your mobo during bios update, you cant just go blaming the brand for a bad board.
(Not blaming anyone, but yea, its a critical process)
In my defence, drive was “mostly” good, as a tampered / fake / modified unit would work and show everywhere “except the official crucial storage executive application”
Also, anything related with the order, literally anything, even if you get a blank package delivered, please inform about it within the seller warranty period.
Out of that, even the sources’ source surrenders from any service.
Coming to next steps, taking the drive back and testing out stuff.
Later will proceed with compensation over the deal.
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I am sick with viral infection for the past week, got 2 drive from him, one is a new silicon power US 75 , for which he said he will give me bill to claim full 5 years warranty , has been 1 month now still no bill.
The second drive is micron 5300 which will not initialise nor will format via windows disk management. I contacted him immediately, he advised to use easeus partition master, since I am not doing well I left it at that. Need to download a pirated copy and try formatting.
But I would like a drive be formatted by native windows itself at any time and not use 3rd party. I don’t know why windows won’t be able to initialise and format a SSD as any drive should normally be able to.
why firmware update is disallowed? If the drives are GENUINE and not tampered or refurbished , then fw update will not harm official drives.
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I don’t know why you are asking me this as I did not sell him that drive. In this case, the firmware update resulted in the drive being rendered a lemon and as to why it happened, there could be a number of reasons, some of which @rsaeon has already touched upon.
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Just adding a balanced perspective here:
- The drive seems to have worked perfectly for ~2 months, and the issue started only after a firmware upgrade was performed.
- Firmware flashing always carries risk, especially on older/OEM/enterprise drives, and it’s generally not something sellers recommend or support unless explicitly stated.
- Whenever buyers have asked me about firmware updates on drives, I’ve always been clear: do it at your own risk. We provide a warranty on the hardware as-is; no seller can reasonably offer a guarantee if the buyer bricks the device during an attempted upgrade.
- If the product was faulty from day one, that’s a different matter entirely.
- But when a unit works fine for months and then fails only after a user-initiated firmware change, it becomes very difficult to hold the seller responsible.
- Also, many OEM/refurb drives legitimately have mismatched serial numbers (sticker vs controller). A mismatch alone does not automatically make a drive fake.
That said, I’m sure the seller isn’t trying to dodge responsibility; but it’s also fair that sellers aren’t expected to cover issues caused by modifications done later by the buyer.
Hopefully, both sides can handle this civilly and reach a reasonable middle ground.
A note to everyone:
If the SSD or any hardware device is working fine, don’t touch the firmware.
Firmware updates on SSDs should only be done when:
The manufacturer explicitly recommends it
Your exact model + exact batch is affected
The update addresses a critical issue you are actually experiencing
You are willing to risk losing the drive completely
You will not gain anything by upgrading the firmware, but you may lose the drive entirely.
A note to @TechnologyHell:
With SSDs, HDDs, RAM, and most such components, genuine units don’t normally fail within days unless there’s a known defect. That’s why reputable vendors always give at least a 30-day warranty. If someone refuses even that, it usually means they’re just trying to offload problematic stock rather than build long-term trust with buyers.
When you maintain a good rapport with your vendor, they often honour warranties far beyond the normal warranty period. I’ve personally had hardware replaced almost a year beyond the warranty window at no extra cost. Again, that assumes these situations are rare; no seller will repeatedly absorb losses if a buyer frequently bricks hardware through risky modifications.
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As I have been saying, this is key. The duration of warranty offered by the supplier is, in general, a reflection of the confidence they have on the products on offer. 7 days isn’t enough.
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Adding my two cents here
Refurb/ OEM/ Non retail drivers are NOT the same as retail drives.
Support for these drives even from the manufacturer is not on the same tier as retail drives
From purely an after sale support pov, Retail drives are the equivalent of service you will get at a JW mariott over an Oyo hotel
e.g. I cannot for the love of god update the firmware on a 2230 SSD (Micron 2400 ) which i had got at a much lower than retail price from e2zstore. The unit works fine on ntfs (windows) but has intermittent issues with btrfs
The drive identifier shows it as a Lenovo OEM unit .
The SKU code and the identifier on these can be different from the equivalent retail units and the firmware update package will first check the drive identifier before proceeding.
At this point, i can either patch the update package to include the non retail identifier or just let it be .. but if things go awry after update, i will have no choice but to throw the drive in a bin
The onus of this outcome is on me since i opted to get a aftermarket non retail SKU in order to save upfront costs
Also, eg A retail SSD that is sold by Micron in the retail channel will carry a 3 or 5 year warranty while the equivalent SKU sold in bulk to a dell or lenovo will have 1 year warranty which has to be managed by Dell or lenovo .. (The cost of managing warranty is ALWAYS baked into the price for pretty much anything you buy …- a longer warranty = higher upfront price)
Last but not the least, i think the judgment against the seller that seems to be prevalent on this thread seems unfair.
When we buy an OEM/refurb/whatever as against retail, we do it for the sake of a lower upfront price
As with anything in life, this upfront benefit is offset by a higher risk of issues/ failures and relatively lower support availability
As long as the drive itself wasnt fake , the seller really isn’t in the wrong here
Neither is the buyer for that matter - and its more of an unfortunate series of events
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Use some linux live cd and use gparted or similar. Never had any issue with it.
I dont think i have had issue on windows for a new/empty drive, but with existing partitions sometimes yes. I almost always use linux for partition stuff.
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True that after firmware level changes “by the buyer” isn’t anywhere connected to the seller’s provided warranty period.
Since the drive worked before the fw flash, as a seller, I will presume the buyer’s acts has bricked the drive, and should walk out (cuz the drive didn’t just die, but was attempted of service which killed it) → Very much possible due to the fw mismatch cuz the outer case says one thing, while the software reading says the other.
HENCE I CLEARLY STATED THESE FACTS (yesterday) on the primary ssd deals thread.
Coming to the 7day testing, if a NAND based item (ssd / ram) is good, it will last a fortune.
But here, 7days is given to evaluate and confirm drive condition etc, not as a warranty but more like a testing period.
There do exist units i’ve exclusive listed on 1m seller warranty too (check SSD BULK DEALS thread)
Also, the claim for the drive being a fake one, let me see if I be permitted to open the drive up and explore inside.
Anyways, in talks at the source, will get atleast something done for the drive.
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It’s not the buyers responsibility but the sellers to point something like this.
I would consider this a simple slip up in the classifieds but not in the retailer section.
I repeat things like this do happen.
All said, @TechnologyHell a 7-day Window does not inspire much confidence. It creates an artificial sense of Urgency. In other words, even if your products (and YOU) would be trustworthy, the small window lets doubt creep in.
If you want to build long-term trust and confidence, then consider offering 30-days testing warranty. Oftentimes, buyers cannot test within the offered period due to other commitments, emergencies, last-minute work, travel, etc.
What is compelling you (and other sellers) to restrict buyers to a 7-Day Testing Warranty, and what are the risks associated with 30-day warranty? If a product is genuine and works as intended, then ideally, a 30-day warranty window shouldn’t hurt.
Refurbished Product Sellers often give a 180-days (Six Months) warranty.
In other words, a mere 7-day testing warranty forces buyers to doubt You and Your Products (even if unnecessarily).
Coming to this particular Case:
Instead of calling it a “Fake” Drive, let’s call the SSD Suspicious owing to the Serial Number Mismatch. Calling it a “Non-Genuine” drive may open up more unnecessary debate.
In General:
For Buyers from TE Marketplace, a simple word of Caution: DO NOT UPDATE the Firmware of SSD Drives Purchased from TE. As evident from this thread, it is NOT worth the risk. If it works, let it do its job.
For Sellers, TE Marketplace is based ENTIRELY on TRUST. If Shaken/Broken/Eroded, it will weaken Confidence. And once Doubt creeps in, EVERY Seller and EVERY Buyer will be perceived with Suspicion. And that would be disastrous. DON’T LET TE descend into chaos and transform in another OLX.
Was this communicated before the buyer bought this drive? Because I don’t see this anywhere in your sales thread in the start. It was only updated yesterday after this happened. If it was indeed communicated before the SSD was sold then it’s fine to blame the buyer if not it falls on you.
OP shouldn’t have upgraded the firmware of his SSD unless it’s necessary.
I didn’t upgrade my SSD s firmware because there wasn’t any need as my drive was and is working properly.
Normally a bios update for a mobo is recommended only when it’s really needed if and when any problem arises.
Did OP encounter any problems before the firmware upgrade?
Or
The problems arose after the firmware upgrade?
If latter then it’s buyers problem right away.
If it’s before then sellers problem I think.
I don’t necessarily agree. I mean, sure it would be nice, but if the photos are clear, then it’s up to you to see if it’s worth buying. The seller could write paragraphs but what ultimately matters are the photos/images provided so that you yourself can judge.
I’ve ordered the wrong thing plenty of times because I was rushing, excited, or didn’t care enough.
Penne pasta instead of spaghetti. Caramel Latte instead of Regular Latte. Paneer Tikka Masala instead of Paneer Butter Masala.
But that was my own mistake. The seller just sold me whatever I asked to buy from them.
This just appears to be more like buyer’s remorse.
But it’s nice that the seller took responsibility and more importantly, the forum membership has benefited from OP’s experience.
It’s a question of funds being unavailable. I have a 7 day testing warranty because I cannot be certain I’ll have the cash after that period, I’m selling because I need the money elsewhere.
There’s no way I can hold on to a buyer’s payment for 30 days and not (hypothetically) purchase more stock to further the business (if I’m a reseller).
Sure, at some point you’ll be able have that kind of cash flow/reserves but that takes a while to build.
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I think technically, the seller is not at fault since the testing period has passed. However it’s going to put off potential buyers. It would have been better if the new policy was already in place so that people can gauge the risk and decide whether the risk is worth the reduced cost. Anyways it is what it is.
I’m having mixed feelings about the firmware updates though. Normally for retail units, it makes sense to update firmware if available. New releases could improve performance, fix wear levelling bugs etc. For OEM drives, I don’t think it would be drastically different as long as the firmware is the correct one for that particular drive (OEM/ Vendor, batch etc.). In some cases not updating firmware can kill drives prematurely even if they are working fine at the moment. Like the Samsung fiasco with the 980 Pro series. So I think it’s an unfair expectation that the buyer should not have updated especially when this was not mentioned earlier. You cannot make up new rules AFTER the sale.
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