I have always trusted Sandisk products. I recently bought a Sandisk product from a shop, Be5t B@rgain (not real name but close) at Sim Lim Square. Be5t B@rgain has always been the place to visit for the best prices for memory products such as RAMs, Memory cards etc., from Kingston and Sandisk. I have always patronized and recommended this shop to friends, but my confidence in them was utterly shattered with my recent incident.
The Scenario
2 months ago, I bought a Sandisk product alongside a few two high capacity hard disk drives amounting to a few hundred dollars. I was pleased since I knew I had scored them at the best prices from Be5t B@rgain.
Recently, the Sandisk product just refused to work when I hook it up to the USB port of any computers. I knew that it was definitely defective and had to bring it for RMA. I then visited Be5t B@rgain to receive my 1 year warranty. I was directed to revisit on another day during office hours to their service counter, which is just beside the shop. I then visited on the next day. After waiting for around 15 minutes outside the counter, which is a small window outside the shop beside Be5t B@rgain, I was still told to wait by other staff. Frustrated, I went into the service centre by the main door and was then served immediately.
I initially thought that I was going to get an immediate replacement on that day, but instead, I was told to wait for their call after 3 weeks and possibly 1 month or more. They mentioned that they need to consolidate their RMA products before sending it to their vendor for "servicing". I was surprised and suggested that they test it out on the spot to verify that it is defective, so that they could replace a new piece from their stock in their shop. But they told me that they do not do testing in "their service centre". After stressing on my urgency of needing a replacement for important assignments/work, and it seems unnecessary to buy another of the same product, they directed me to the retail shop to negotiate my situation. At the retail shop, my friendly tone was greeted by unpleasant comments to brush me off. The people at the retail shop insisted that a 1-t0-1 exchange policy only applies to 7 days post purchasing. I could come to terms with that, but I just do not see why they could not replace me with one piece from their existing inventory, since it is just a matter of time they get their replacement from their vendor. They re-directed me back to the service centre for further negotiations, but they are actually the same entity and just playing 'ping-pong' with me. I then suggested to speak with their vendor, and they gave me a look as if I was insane and mentioned that their vendor is in US, which I believe to be untrue. Prices would not be that cheap if they get their products from the US. After being ignored, I decided that it is not necessary for me to be treated rudely like a fool over a cheap device which I can buy a few hundreds with a months' pay, and left the shop.
The Truth
The fact is that sending a product for RMA does not necessary means 1-to-1 exchange from service centres. However, having a local distributor can speed up the exchange as they can do replacements and testing without having the hassle to ship out. Apparantly, the authorized distributor for Sandisk products is Vector Magnetics Pte Ltd. They operate their service centre at Funan IT Mall. A chat with them mentioned that it is legal for retailers to parallel import and sell Sandisk products, however, the warranty is NOT recognized by Sandisk officially and is solely provided by the retail shop. These products are considered "grey" or can sometimes be fakes (made to look exactly like legitimate products). Sandisk do not guarantee the functionality, efficiency and durability of these products. Vector Magnetics Pte Ltd advised me to purchase their officially distributed product with their official sticker on the case, from authorized retailers for the full benefits of Sandisk products, though at a few dollars more.
I also understood from forums that Be5t B@rgain sells parallel imported Kingston memory products that are NOT warranted by Convergent, local distributor for Kingston products. The shop also pasted a small note on their cashier pointing out this fact.
The Advise
Always buy products from authorized retailers to enjoy the full benefits of these products including warranty. If you are intending to safe a few dollars in getting parallel imports, be prepared that you may not get the full benefits and possibly end up like me, losing precious data and time. Make your choice and spend your buck wisely.
I hope this post shed some light into parallel imports of memory products and help you make a better choice when you need to get some for yourself.
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