Need Advice on RAM replacement debacle

SHIRK · 10th October 2005

Back in January I bought 2Gigs of RAM (2 matched 1 Gig pieces) fo my G5 Dual 2.5Ghz machine. I purchased the RAM from Memorytogo.com...a place that I have purchased RAM from many times before...in addition to referring many friends and customers there.

Well a week or so ago, one RAM chip went bad. It is covered by a lifetime warranty...so no worries right? So I call Memorytogo...thy tell me to send in the RAM (both chips) and and a copy of the original sales receipt. They would not give me an RMA number. SO I put the two pieces of RAM in static bubble wrapped sleeves, put them in another bubble wrapper envelop and then ship it to them via FedEx 3day Express Saver in a FedEx envelop. The package arrives at MemoryToGo last Wednesday (Oct 5). On Thursday they call me and tell me that they only received one piece of RAM. Not a pair...like I sent. They said the FedEx envelop looks fine and that no foul play on the shippers part seems possible. I packed this item myself and double checked it before I sealed the FedEx envelop. The RAM (2 pieces) were in there. I'll swear by it. I went to the FedEx location where I sent it from just to check and see if maybe it somehow slipped out while I was sealing the envelop. They never found anything.

After about 30 mins on the phone with Memorytogo CS I was unable to resolve the situation. The manager was yelling at me and was completely insulted that I would accuse them of possibly misplacing the RAM when the package was opened. He said he could only send me a replacement for the one piece of RAM...and that I would have ot buy the other piece somewhere else. (Which renders both pieces useless right...don't I need a matched pair to operate correctly in a Dual Processor G5?) The conversation ended when he told me "I think you need to hold on to your horses and think about what I am doing" and then he hung up. There was somewhat of a communication gap as he speaks broken english.

I don;t know what to do here. Any ideas. In the end....It's about $100 that I'll have to eat....if I decide to go ahead and buy another 1GB piece of RAM from them. Not a huge hit...but it's just prustrating!

SUPA FROST · 10th October 2005

I had a simllar situation a few years back with another product and company. I would strongly suggest that when you're buying anything of value that you should buy it in person/in store whenever possible. That way whenever you have to make a physical return, you won't be subject to the BS that these people are putting you through.
Good Luck!

theblue1 · 10th October 2005

Oh, I've had hassles with people in person, too.

(And actually, the last time I had a hassle with an online purchase was about a decade ago when I was dumb enough to buy a high-end Turtle Beach sound interface. They were still trying to act like they made decent products and had much of the tech press fooled, as well. But the unit I bought was absolutely -- by design -- not up to its published spec and there were ancillary issues [a single thread at gearslutz with both the words 'debacle' and 'ancillary' in it... a red letter day, I'd say]... design flaws that made the unit almost unusable. I finally got an RMA from TB, but not until after the sales manager had insulted and derided me in their forums, even publishing one of my private emails [I told him I wasn't going to take any more b---s--- from him... I guess he thought that would embarrass me, somehow... what a clueless F he was]... Anyhow, it did my heart good to see Turtle Beach knocked off their pretty little pedastal and reduced to selling bad SoundBlaster knockoffs within a few years. Business kharma.)

Unfortunately, your case comes down to a he said/she said (we've got to come up with a new phrase for that concept) between you and their manager.

Danger sign one, of course, was when they wouldn't issue you an RMA. That's pretty fishy, right there.

I'd say the second to last and then last recourses are t hese:

Write a long, detailed (dates, etc) letter recounting your basic transaction with them and the problems you encountered. Include a restrained and careful recounting of your conversation with the manager [keep in mind that he may even be the owner or CEO]. Find the name of the owner or CEO if you can and send it to him.

If that doesn't work, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They have an online arm. They don't, of course, have any real enforcement mechanism short of 'demerits' or eventual exclusion from their rolls (if the business is even a member) but they do keep lists of complaints and even non-members, as I recall, will try to avoid inclusion on such a list. At least sometimes.

And, if you don't get satisfaction, make sure you tell your friends and take ever opportunity, when the subject of mail order memory vendors comes up, to tell a brief version of your story (briefer than my semi-off-topic diss of Turtle Beach, for instance) to make sure others are warned.

cdog · 10th October 2005

My only question is why didn't you use FedEx insurance?

SHIRK · 11th October 2005

What would FedEx Insurance get me? The FedEx package was said to have arrived in perfect condition..."no sign of tampering.", the manager I spoke to (Issac) said that exactly. He mentioned that if I filed a claim with FedEx, that is how he would explain it to them as well.

I'm basically SOL. This "hasn't ever happened to him since he's been managing" Memorytogo / Componex so he says...and to him that makes it impossible??? He's not about to give me an extra RAM stick just because I say that I sent 2. He said they only found one and that's all they'll replace. Funny thing is...the one that they can't find is the defective RAM stick. The one they have is a good one...basically proving that I am not trying to scam them. Why would I keep the bad stick and get a perfectly good one replaced. I need a matched pair to work in a G5 Dual processor machine.

When I threatened to spread the word about this poor customer service...he said it didn't matter. "We are not some mom and pop shop....", "...we are a major wholesaler catering to much larger clients.." than myself and others like me in the audio community.

After a little more googling...I found that MemoryToGo.com is known for having poor credit card security and exposing their clients personal information online. Great!

I am completely done with these clowns and will never work them again. To resolve my situation as best I could, today, I proposed that MemoryToGo sen me two 512MB RAM sticks so I can at least put them to use. One RAM chip is useless to me. The manager agreed to take the $15 hit for the difference in cost, plus the shipping fees. In the end, I'm still getting hit for aroun $100. Totally sucks...but it's time to get back to work. Sometimes you just have ot know when to cut bait....

Maybe I could take further steps by reporting them to the better business bureau, etc...but I don't have the time.

10th October 2005	#1
SHIRK Gear addict Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 359 Thread Starter	Need Advice on RAM replacement debacle Back in January I bought 2Gigs of RAM (2 matched 1 Gig pieces) fo my G5 Dual 2.5Ghz machine. I purchased the RAM from Memorytogo.com...a place that I have purchased RAM from many times before...in addition to referring many friends and customers there. Well a week or so ago, one RAM chip went bad. It is covered by a lifetime warranty...so no worries right? So I call Memorytogo...thy tell me to send in the RAM (both chips) and and a copy of the original sales receipt. They would not give me an RMA number. SO I put the two pieces of RAM in static bubble wrapped sleeves, put them in another bubble wrapper envelop and then ship it to them via FedEx 3day Express Saver in a FedEx envelop. The package arrives at MemoryToGo last Wednesday (Oct 5). On Thursday they call me and tell me that they only received one piece of RAM. Not a pair...like I sent. They said the FedEx envelop looks fine and that no foul play on the shippers part seems possible. I packed this item myself and double checked it before I sealed the FedEx envelop. The RAM (2 pieces) were in there. I'll swear by it. I went to the FedEx location where I sent it from just to check and see if maybe it somehow slipped out while I was sealing the envelop. They never found anything. After about 30 mins on the phone with Memorytogo CS I was unable to resolve the situation. The manager was yelling at me and was completely insulted that I would accuse them of possibly misplacing the RAM when the package was opened. He said he could only send me a replacement for the one piece of RAM...and that I would have ot buy the other piece somewhere else. (Which renders both pieces useless right...don't I need a matched pair to operate correctly in a Dual Processor G5?) The conversation ended when he told me "I think you need to hold on to your horses and think about what I am doing" and then he hung up. There was somewhat of a communication gap as he speaks broken english. I don;t know what to do here. Any ideas. In the end....It's about $100 that I'll have to eat....if I decide to go ahead and buy another 1GB piece of RAM from them. Not a huge hit...but it's just prustrating!

10th October 2005	#2
SUPA FROST Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 154	I had a simllar situation a few years back with another product and company. I would strongly suggest that when you're buying anything of value that you should buy it in person/in store whenever possible. That way whenever you have to make a physical return, you won't be subject to the BS that these people are putting you through. Good Luck! __________________

10th October 2005	#3
theblue1 Gear Guru Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 15,095	Oh, I've had hassles with people in person, too. (And actually, the last time I had a hassle with an online purchase was about a decade ago when I was dumb enough to buy a high-end Turtle Beach sound interface. They were still trying to act like they made decent products and had much of the tech press fooled, as well. But the unit I bought was absolutely -- by design -- not up to its published spec and there were ancillary issues [a single thread at gearslutz with both the words 'debacle' and 'ancillary' in it... a red letter day, I'd say]... design flaws that made the unit almost unusable. I finally got an RMA from TB, but not until after the sales manager had insulted and derided me in their forums, even publishing one of my private emails [I told him I wasn't going to take any more b---s--- from him... I guess he thought that would embarrass me, somehow... what a clueless F he was]... Anyhow, it did my heart good to see Turtle Beach knocked off their pretty little pedastal and reduced to selling bad SoundBlaster knockoffs within a few years. Business kharma.) Unfortunately, your case comes down to a he said/she said (we've got to come up with a new phrase for that concept) between you and their manager. Danger sign one, of course, was when they wouldn't issue you an RMA. That's pretty fishy, right there. I'd say the second to last and then last recourses are t hese: Write a long, detailed (dates, etc) letter recounting your basic transaction with them and the problems you encountered. Include a restrained and careful recounting of your conversation with the manager [keep in mind that he may even be the owner or CEO]. Find the name of the owner or CEO if you can and send it to him. If that doesn't work, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They have an online arm. They don't, of course, have any real enforcement mechanism short of 'demerits' or eventual exclusion from their rolls (if the business is even a member) but they do keep lists of complaints and even non-members, as I recall, will try to avoid inclusion on such a list. At least sometimes. And, if you don't get satisfaction, make sure you tell your friends and take ever opportunity, when the subject of mail order memory vendors comes up, to tell a brief version of your story (briefer than my semi-off-topic diss of Turtle Beach, for instance) to make sure others are warned. __________________ day job \| A Year of Songs \| music and social stuff \| mutant pop on facebook \| roots acoustic on facebook

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10th October 2005	#4
cdog Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2003 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 3,559 3 Reviews written	My only question is why didn't you use FedEx insurance?

11th October 2005	#5
SHIRK Gear addict Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 359 Thread Starter	What would FedEx Insurance get me? The FedEx package was said to have arrived in perfect condition..."no sign of tampering.", the manager I spoke to (Issac) said that exactly. He mentioned that if I filed a claim with FedEx, that is how he would explain it to them as well. I'm basically SOL. This "hasn't ever happened to him since he's been managing" Memorytogo / Componex so he says...and to him that makes it impossible??? He's not about to give me an extra RAM stick just because I say that I sent 2. He said they only found one and that's all they'll replace. Funny thing is...the one that they can't find is the defective RAM stick. The one they have is a good one...basically proving that I am not trying to scam them. Why would I keep the bad stick and get a perfectly good one replaced. I need a matched pair to work in a G5 Dual processor machine. When I threatened to spread the word about this poor customer service...he said it didn't matter. "We are not some mom and pop shop....", "...we are a major wholesaler catering to much larger clients.." than myself and others like me in the audio community. After a little more googling...I found that MemoryToGo.com is known for having poor credit card security and exposing their clients personal information online. Great! I am completely done with these clowns and will never work them again. To resolve my situation as best I could, today, I proposed that MemoryToGo sen me two 512MB RAM sticks so I can at least put them to use. One RAM chip is useless to me. The manager agreed to take the $15 hit for the difference in cost, plus the shipping fees. In the end, I'm still getting hit for aroun $100. Totally sucks...but it's time to get back to work. Sometimes you just have ot know when to cut bait.... Maybe I could take further steps by reporting them to the better business bureau, etc...but I don't have the time.