$60 to keep the HDD?

Question

My <1 year old Dell 660 Desktop failed it's "Smart Short Self Test" last week. It said "hard disk failure is imminent". I clicked the button to post the error report to Dell and within minutes they had a new hard disk coming! Good deal, I thought. 2 days ago a 3rd party tech was sent to my door to install the drive! I was shocked. New drive is installed but it took me 2 days to reload all my programs and copy data from my external backup drive. 2 days down the drain. I bill for my time. Dell requires I send the bad drive back or they will charge me $60 for the new one even though it was under warranty! I do not want to return the old drive because it contains gigabytes of personal information and now that it's out of the computer I of course have no way to wipe it! Dell suggested I contact a 3rd party of some sort to wipe it for me. I live at 10,000' in the Rockies and it's snowing. Why should I have to pay money to wipe a drive that is known to be defective? It's going in the Dell scrapheap somewhere I'm sure. All I get is "that's the policy". I've been a Dell customer since they started business. If I have to pay for this new drive it will be the last money I ever spend with Dell! Maybe this is why they are laying off 15,000 people? Hopefully Dell might read this and cancel the requirement to return the bad drive!
Ed Haskell, Colorado, USA

zbestwun2001 · Answer

If this was me, the first thing I would have done when I got that error message, "failure is imminent" is back up my data to either an external hard drive or DVD's. Usually when a tech installs a new part, usually they will take the bad part with them and send it back to Dell. That is why people are told to always keep their data backed for situations such as this.You are responsible for returning the old hard drive.

zbestwun2001 · Answer

You are not responsible to pay for the return shipping.

All you need to do is contact a Customer Care rep, give then the dispatch number so they can verify it and your address.

You can also use this form to request one but I would call.

Z.............................

theflash1932 · Answer

That is and always has been the 'policy', with Dell, HP, IBM/Lenovo, Acer ... you name it.  You do NOT get to keep defective hardware with ANY OEM. Dell does have a Keep Your Hard Drive warranty that you can purchase for those with sensitive data or internal policies that prevent them from sending the defective drives back.   If you have personal data on it, then you SHOULD wipe it before returning it.  If it is too inconvenient to send it back or your personal data is too sensitive to risk DoD-rated wiping software being too ineffective, then you can keep it.  The cost of doing so is $60. Frankly, what you expect is unreasonable, given the policies of EVERY computer manufacturer out there.  Even if you purchase a retail Seagate drive (or name your drive mfg) for a custom-built computer, if the drive dies and you claim a warranty replacement, guess what?  You will be required to return the defective drive. I live in the Rockies too (although at around 5000' - you must live in CO), but I'm not sure why that's relevant ...

DELL-Chris M · Answer

Dell is not responsible for the data on your drives. It is your responsibility to back it up.

If this had been a "parts only service", we would have sent you a return waybill for the old hard drive. Because this was an onsite service, we did not provide a return waybill. The onsite technician should have taken the old hard drive with him and they then send it back to Dell. That is a Dell requirement of all our onsite providers. It sounds like you would not let the onsite technician have the hard drive. That goes against your purchased Dell warranty.

You must return the hard drive to us or we will have to charge you, no exceptions.

Since the hard drive is "somewhat" working, install it in any desktop computer as the slave. Then use the operating system to format it. Then send it back to Dell. Contact Customer Care Support. Give them the dispatch number. Ask them to email you the return waybill.

efhask · Answer

I said I had to restore programs and data from external hard disk. Tech left me a label & box! I live 30 miles uphill from nearest computer store. I don't have a SATA cable or I would wipe it myself! 30 miles in winter in Rockies + whatever store would charge me to wipe it! See why it makes more sense to just keep it?

efhask · Answer

Send me a free SATA cable and I'll be happy to reformat it and send it back to Dell. Tech DID leave me a label and box! Even showed me how to use a sata cable and install it in 2nd drive bay. Also mentioned a usb cable option but I'm not sure how that would plug into drive or power it.

zbestwun2001 · Answer

efhask

I'm a customer also, I'm always right too... and you're wrong.

This question has been dealt with and you have got your answer:emotion-56:.

Whatever decision you chose to make is your business.

Personally, I'm done with this thread.

Z....................................

efhask · Answer

I would be happy to return the thing - after it is wiped! No, I don't trust it after it leaves here. Any geek could figure out how to read it.

Rockies is relevant because it's 30 miles each way to a city in winter + what a computer store would charge to wipe it!

I'm a customer hence I'm always "right". I don't really give about their "policies". I care about right and wrong. Returning a drive that is useless is wrong! It serves no purpose and only inconvenience me.

RoHe · Answer

Well, if it hasn't failed completely, you could always put it back into this system, using one of the other hard drive bays, and transfer the SATA and power cables from the new drive to it.

Then boot from a bootable CD or DVD and reformat the old drive or use DBAN (free), burned on a CD or DVD, to nuke it. By disconnecting the new drive, you avoid accidentally wiping that one clean. :emotion-5:

And be nice to people who try to help you, for free...

theflash1932 · Answer

'+ whatever store would charge me to wipe it! See why it makes more sense to just keep it?' No. There is a never-ending number of utilities online you can use to do this yourself. 'Send me a free SATA cable and I'll be happy to reformat it and send it back to Dell.' Use your existing one, boot to any number of CD/DVD/USB utilities capable of wiping the disk. 'Also mentioned a usb cable option but I'm not sure how that would plug into drive or power it.' http://www.amazon.com/USB-SATA-5-25-Cable-Adapter/dp/B000YJBL78 'I'm a customer hence I'm always 'right'.' Wrong.  That is one of the biggest myths/lies in business today and saying it or believing in it doesn't entitle you to anything.  By doing business with a company, you agree to their terms of business.  You don't like them, you choose another company with whom to do business ... but I will tell you right now, you will NOT find an company that conforms to your uninformed and unreasonable expectations.

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$60 to keep the HDD?

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