When I compare prices of HDDs, I embed a virtual "warranty price" for the costs I'd find if I needed a return (assuming the producer provides more than 2-year EU commercial warranty). Which producer has the lowest ones (for an EU customer)?
The return/RMA policies aren't always clear or easy to find. For instance:
- http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/support/warranty.html + http://www.samsung.com/us/support/supportServiceWarrantySSDODDExchange.do
- http://www.kingston.com/it/company/warranty#procedures
- http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/company-warranty
Samsung is the only one whose policy doesn't explicitly say the costs for shipping to the service centre are on the customer. Does "pack the drive [...] include the completed XRA form, and ship insurance and freight pre-paid to the SAMSUNG address on the XRA form" mean that the XRA (Exchange Return Authorization) comes with a prepaid shipping label, or what? They also have a clause stating that if no issue is found on the drive then the customer has to reimburse Samsung the shipping expenses, but it's not clear which shipping expenses they're talking of.