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OCZ RMA is an absolute joke

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Christian Ney

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2011
Here is a true story that happened to me, so a little bit more than one year ago I bought an OCZ Vertex SSD 30 GB OCZSSD2-1VTX30G (230 MB/s(Read) 135 MB/s (write) and 85 MB/s (Substained write)).
like on the following picture:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3618/oczssd21vtx30g.png

3 months ago the ocz vertex died, so I went to their website and asked for rma. rma approved, I sent my ssd to them.

Here is what they send back to me, a new OCZ Vertex SSD 30 GB OCZSSD2-1VTX30G. What so lovely to find written on the box the following specs:
Read: 210 MB/s
Write: 75 MB/s
Substained Write: 25 MB/s
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg

Actually a twice less performing ssd. :mad:

Without even opening the package I opened a new support ticket on their website saying that they sent me the wrong drive.
Here is their reply:
''Are those just the numbers on the box, or were those the benchmarking results from running ATTO on the drive? I recommend actually running ATTO on the drive'' Despite the fact that on the opened ticket I clearly wrote ''numbers written on the box''
So here is FAIL #1, so close to FAIL #2: as you can see on the following picture http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg numbers on the box are based on ATTO :shrug:

New reply from OCZ, I quote:
''But did you actually run the ATTO disk benchmark program on the drive to benchmark that particular drive? This is the most accurate way to get the speed of the drive rather than reading the numbers on the box. After running the ATTO program on your drive, what read and write numbers does it give you for your specific drive?''

FAIL #3: Specs and numbers on the box aren't the ones of the product inside !!!! :confused: :clap:

Okay... let's open the box, take the ssd, plug it to my test system (Operating System is actually installed on a Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB).

I formated the drive, I ran ATTO, here are the values:
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7025/vertexrma.jpg

200 MB/s Read and 140 MB/s write, ok close to the drive I sent to RMA and far away to what is written on the box where this drive comes from.

FAIL #4: The drive doesn't match with the specs on the box. :facepalm:


Ok so finally I got the right drive it seems ? :screwy:

Now start to install my Operating System on it, first try I got a blue screen after 10 minutes during the installation of windows XP, try 2, after 4 minutes try 3, after 17 minutes. Ok let's try to install windows 7 then. Again blue screen after few minutes during the process.

Hum, time to change memory, processor, motherboard. Same, getting blue screens over and over again.
Change the whole setup again, no way blues screen are here. Try to install Windows XP on a Hard Drive, it works, windows 7 too, from the first try.

Ok, back to OCZ Vertex, fail again, blue screen over and over again.

After 38 tries for windows XP, I finally managed to install it on the OCZ Vertex, and 17 tries for Windows 7.

Drive seems defective isn't it ? FAIL #5 :bang head

So I back to OCZ support, here is what they said:
''What error message are you receiving during the installation process? At what point does the error occur? Is this a fresh install or are you imaging/cloning to the drive?''
-Not always the same
-Randomly
-Fresh install

OCZ:
''If the drive has been repeatedly benchmarked it will slow down until it has time to clean itself up. The drive will automatically maintain itself when idle. If you want to reset the drive right away you can do a destructive reset here:
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/staff/ryderocz/misc/sanitary_erase.zip Then from there quick format it with Windows 7 and run ATTO on the drive just one time''

What, I said the drive is defective and that I cannot even install an Operating Sytsem on it and they ask if I have repeatedly benched the drive ?
and to clear/erase it, what the.... the drive is new you just sent it to me, what's so wrong with you. Read my comments added to the helpdesk!!

FAIL #6 ? They do not read your emails ? :sly:

Ok so as this one is defective, I ask for RMA and told them that I am away for 2 weeks in vacation and without internet, rma accepted.

Back from vacation I see that they sent me a courier (fedex) when I was away.... FAIL #6 confirmed. :attn:

First good point for ocz though, they sent me an attached pre-paid shipping label, so they take care of the return of they defective part.

But, when I was in vacation (I took the vertex with me as my only ssd and I needed it), things got worse, sometimes the drive wan't reconized at post nor in the bios. So no way to boot my operating system. Sometimes the operating system just freeze or crash and when I reboot the computer it says ''no bootable device'' I had to turn off the computer and turn it on again, benchmarks like PCMark05, PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 were always failing to compute due to aborted/failed HDD tests.

So as I am back and the support ticket is gone after 7 days, I opened a new one complaining that the drive is getting more and more defective.
I sent them a very long email telling all issues I encountered with their OCZ Vertex and asked that they send them first a new drive so I can move all my operative system and data from drive to drive.

OCZ replied:
''I sincerely apologize for any issues or inconveniences you have been experiencing with your OCZ product. Please provide us with the information requested below as a comment to your Ticket for RMA processing[...]''
then:
''I apologize, please disregard the previous message. Just verify your shipping address for me please''

They moved the status of my support ticket to advanced rma so said ''I set you up for advanced rma, so what’s going to happen is we are going to charge your credit card for the amount of the memory. Then once we get your bad product we will immediately credit your card back. You will be getting further details about the charge in an automated email that will be sent to you from the rma system''

What I understand is that I have to pay something so they can send me the new one, let me move my data and they will pay me back when they got the defective one.
But the defective one is gone for real, no more reconized thru the bios, nor thru the post, windows installer doesn't see it and another computer too.
Drive is 100 % dead. :mad: :bang head
Time to use the prepaid shipping label, vertex is sent to them and I asked them by email to recover all my operating system and data on the new drive.

FAIL #7: They didn't do it and even better they did not tell me they were not going to do it.

After 5-6 days, according to TNT Express tracking number they received the defective drive 3 days ago, so I asked for some news, here are the three replies I got from OCZ:
''it will be replaced within 48 hours ''
I replied 3 days after: ''any news ?''
OCZ again: ''for some reason it doesn't look like we received it. please contact [email protected] ''
What ? Tracking number stats you got it one week ago !!!
OCZ again: '' that was my mistake what i ment was when we receive it and process it it will be shipped out within 48 hours. its not in our system for some reason'' :blah:

Okayyy, they just don't care about you and reply randomly to you, FAIL #8 :temper:

New drive received today, again with the following specs:
Read: 210 MB/s
Write: 75 MB/s
Substain Write: 25 MB/s
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg

which is again a twice less performing ssd.

But wait this is just what is written on the box, as from my experience with OCZ products, specs on the box don't match with the product in the box. :rolleyes:



Too bad this time it was true, I really received the twice less perfoming OCZ Vertex SSD:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7739/oczssd21vtx30g.jpg

FAIL #9 :eh?:

just for the record, I quote their own Warranty Policy:
''All OCZ Technology, Inc. (''OCZ'') products are warranted and tested to be free from defects in material and workmanship and to conform to the published specifications.[...]OCZ will repair the product or replace it with a comparable or better unit.''

HAHAHAHAHA What a joke :facepalm:


Conlcusion:
OCZ is an absolute joke, you are aware

True story, I got all emails from them, pics of drives, pics of benchs as proof.


Update 22/08/2011: Ok, after posting on their forum things went really better, the guy know what you are talking about and take care of the situation way much better than using Support Ticket Helpdesk.
They offered to send me a Vertex 120GB, I asked them if a Vertex 2 40GB was possible and they replied that they are going to send me a courier as soon as possible to take back the Vertex they sent me and will send me a Vertex 2 60GB as soon as possible.

For my experience through the forum there is no problem for support/rma/help, they replied very quickly and the guy who your are talking with know what to do and what you are talking about.

Conclusion, as from my experience here, OCZ forum is THE place to ask support/rma, by using the ''helpdesk support ticket'' you will just suffer if you ask technical info or want an advanced rma.


RyderOCZ said:
Just to clarify, we do not use a third party for support. Exdesk is the ticket software/hosting company. The people that answer tickets all work for OCZ in San Jose, CA.
 
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Only OCZ product I've ever bought was a 6gb set of RAM.
Had like 130k in errors in Memtest.
RMA'd it and sold what they sent me ASAP.

Won't buy from them anytime soon.
 
That really blows. OCZ was pretty good a few years ago. Never had any problems with them. The only thing I have of theirs is a PSU. Bought it because of the good reviews and the major price fubar on Amazon. Nothing like a 1225 watt PSU for under a $100.:D
 
I've RMA'd things to probably all major PC hardware companies and the two times I went through OCZ it was fast, smooth and better than average.

I'll admit I stopped reading halfway through the massive "FAIL" filled story but if you really expect a marketed product to perform up to it's box advertised numbers (except in hand-picked synthetic situations) you probably return a LOT of products :p
 
I've RMA'd things to probably all major PC hardware companies and the two times I went through OCZ it was fast, smooth and better than average.

I'll admit I stopped reading halfway through the massive "FAIL" filled story but if you really expect a marketed product to perform up to it's box advertised numbers (except in hand-picked synthetic situations) you probably return a LOT of products :p

The main thing is that I sent to RMA a 230MB/s/135MB/s/85MB/s drive and I received a 210MB/s/75MB/s/25MB/s drive aka a twice less performing drive. And the support they provided is way not professional.
 
You aren't the first, OCZ's response has been terrible so far.
If I recall correctly their supplier stopped making 32nm flash chips and switched to 25nm, unfortunately the 25nm are a lot slower.

That, at least, was the most anybody I know of managed to get out of OCZ on the matter.


On a total sidenote, Welcome to OCF! :D
 
Terribly sorry about the experience. I sincerely hope you stick around this website and participate a bit instead of signing up solely to post a rant on a previously well known issue. :)
 
Oh yes, and that's why *I* at least want you to stay!
I like your approach to things :rock:
 
Update 22/08/2011: Ok, after posting on their forum things went really better, the guy know what you are talking about and take care of the situation way much better than using Support Ticket Helpdesk.
They offered to send me a Vertex 120GB, I asked them if a Vertex 2 40GB was possible and they replied that they are going to send me a courier as soon as possible to take back the Vertex they sent me and will send me a Vertex 2 60GB as soon as possible.

For my experience through the forum there is no problem for support/rma/help, they replied very quickly and the guy who your are talking with know what to do and what you are talking about.

Conclusion, as from my experience here, OCZ forum is THE place to ask support/rma, by using the ''helpdesk support ticket'' you will just suffer if you ask technical info or want an advanced rma.
 
One is public, the other is secret.
That pretty much explains everything IMO.
 
they are a joke i had a failed psu and there support sucked i tried to send in a unit on 3 occasions and different reasons were sent to me why it wasn't accepted after the final attempt i got through. Happy ending to bad story though.
 
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