Popular Right to Repair activist Louis Rossman is threatening to take Samsung to court for not replacing his personal 4TB 990 Pro SSD that failed within the drive’s warranty period. In a YouTube video, Rossman shared back-and-forth emails he had with Samsung support in his attempt to get the drive replaced under warranty, which ultimately failed. Instead, the SSD maker offered to refund him the original $330 he paid for the drive, citing a lack of stock despite the drive being listed on Amazon at Samsung's own store for $949 with plenty of stock. Rossman demands that Samsung replace the drive itself instead of forcing him to pay nearly three times the original cost he paid for the drive to get a replacement, and is now suing to force the matter.
Samsung's 990 Pro SSD warranty policy is a scam; I'm taking them to court. - YouTube
Rossman says that the drive was anything but abused, making his circumstance all the more unfortunate. The 990 Pro was reportedly operating under a heatsink with two 80mm fans attached to it to ensure the heatsink remained cool. The only good news in this story is that the 990 Pro was part of a RAID 1 array, so Rossman did not lose any data on the drive.
Rossman sent all necessary information, including error logs proving his 990 Pro SSD was dead, and Samsung responded to Rossman affirming everything he stated in his email and agreeing that the drive appeared to be dead according to the logs he provided.
However, Samsung responded to Rossman after testing the drive, with test results showing that the drive was healthy and working properly. Samsung then ghosted Rossman, and in another email, sent him a tracking number for his own drive. After getting the drive back, Rossman tested it again on his own testing equipment and found the drive was still not functioning correctly.
Rossman then threatened to take the SSD manufacturer to court in Austin, Texas, if a new 4TB 990 Pro is not sent to him within 60 days. Samsung ultimately replied and offered him a cash refund of $330, the original price of the drive, citing a lack of stock to replace the drive. Rossman found the drive in plentiful supply on Samsung's own Amazon store for $949, meaning he would have to pay three times the amount for a replacement drive.
Per the terms of many warranties, companies do have the option to repay the original purchase cost of a product if the company cannot repair or replace the product. However, Rossman asserts that since the drive is in stock and readily available at the higher price, Samsung is therefore compelled to issue him a replacement drive.
The wording of Samsung's warranty seems to support this conclusion:
"{...}during the limited warranty period, and subject to the conditions and exceptions stated in this Agreement, Samsung will, at its option, either: (1) repair or replace the Product with new or refurbished Product of equal or greater capacity and functionality; or (2) refund the then current market value of the Product at the time the warranty claim is made to Samsung if Samsung is unable to repair or replace the Product." [emphasis added]
Now it will be up to a court to decide. Rossman plans to take Samsung to court in Texas over the matter immediately after the statutory 60-day wait time.
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