[sclug] Re: Seagate ST3300831A-RK Barracuda 300GB 7200RPM disk

[Graham]

> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2006 14:26:24 +0000
> From: John Stumbles <john at stumbles.org.uk>
> Subject: [sclug] Seagate ST3300831A-RK Barracuda 300GB 7200RPM disk
> To: sclug <sclug at sclug.org.uk>
> Message-ID: <4409A390.9040700 at stumbles.org.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
> 
> I've been looking for a bigger HDD and just seen that ebuyer are doing 
> these for 70 quid which is the best price/capacity I've seen.
> 
> Seagate ST3300831A-RK Barracuda 300GB 7200RPM
> 
> http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2VsZWN0X3Byb2R1Y3Rfb3ZlcnZpZXc=&product_uid=81597
> 
> Are Seagates any good though? groups.google didn't throw up any horror 
> stories but maybe some folks here have Deeper Clue.
> 
> -- 
> John Stumbles

	ebuyer are cheap, maybe too cheap. I blacklist them.
	Try aria, dabs, microdirect, or local without postage.
	(see below)

	Is it Seagate that have purchased WesternDigital?
	WD drives are high cap, low price, big cache, modern, reliable,
	S are ditto, good price, quiet, reliable.
	Merged, the two companies might keep the best of both, or lose the essence.
	In a new market, anything could change, now or future, better or worse.
	Chances are that as experienced manufacturers, it will be OK.
	Use an older smaller drive to mirror the vital files.

	I have recently had problems with ebuyer. They sold me stock
	that they had no intention of delivering, and did nothing to resolve.

	I had divided the postage cost over a few extra items, which
	were delivered, but I was left with half a useless system,
	the ugliest case, and a DDR266 stick that wouldnt match,
	but I opened it, hoping it would!

	The item in question was a bargain-bucket, integrated motherboard,
	FAN, VGA, ATA133, CPU 1 GHz for 40. Add a stick of DDR226.
	I needed this for my brother to build his own box (with me paying for it!)
	Not the fastest possible, but way above slow.  (google for M789CG)

	They sold it as a loss-leader advert. Fake stock.
	They displayed it as 15-in-stock, but had none.
	They even issued a delivery note saying that they had despatched it all!
	When their overnight picker couldnt find any, they didnt
	pause the order, for the daytime staff to resolve + fix,
	they didnt flag it as an issue to be checked and resolved,
	they shipped the bits they did have, and "re-ordered",
	so I thought it would arrive in a few days.

	At no time, then or later, did any technical person get involved,
	who could have figured out an alternative board, cheap VGA card,
	quick phone call, happy customer and small loss of profit.
	NO! They simply refunded the undelivered item.

	Contacting them was hassle, and took a long time,
	with a 7-day turn-around policy on messages.
	During this time, what should I do? If I planned to send it
	ALL back, I would have to buy duplicates!

	Postage costs, (both ways), would quickly add up,
	as would postage from an alternative supplier.
	They did finally offer to refund the entire purchase,
	and I could have insisted on them collecting (citylink),
	but by then it was too late, I had already visited my brother,
	and some of it had been used, so I walked away.

	Technically, legally there are lots of options, but I didnt
	see the words "sleepless nights" on their web-site.

	In the long run, I will survive my spare box being absent,
	my brother doesnt need to overcome his phobia of screwdrivers,
	and next year, I pick up a 64 bit system,
	but should that be ebuyers decision or mine?

	You could simply buy your way out of it,
	but of you are looking for bargains, try elsewhere,
	ebuyer is a pig-in-a-poke.

	Graham