Ultra Lifetime Warranty in Canada? - Yeah Right.

[Dadi_oh]

I picked up an Ultra X-Finity 600W supply from Tigerdirect.ca in February for my son's machine. Seemed like a good deal at the time for $49. So 8 months later the fans decide they need to run on high speed all the time. Very very annoying. Don't know if the supply is about to go "Poof" so I call Ultra since these things have a lifetime warranty right?

Well the good news is Ultra sends me a replacement supply. They don't make the POC X-Finity supply anymore (wonder why) so they ship me a LSP750 supply. That's the good news.

The bad news is, I am on the hook to pay for shipping the defective supply back to the USA (illinois to be precise). $18 for shipping a defective $49 supply. If I happened to live in teh USA Ultra would have the supply picked up for free by UPS but Canadians have no such treatment. I contacted Ultra support and got the following response:

"Ultra and Tiger Direct are sister companies is all. we are not related. they sell are products. but since you live in Canada and Ultra is based in the United States and not in Canada we can not cover the shipping for this.
if you wish to call Tiger and see if they will cover it since they have an office in Canada you can do that. but Ultra can not cover the shipping or refund said shipping since we are based solely in the USA."

So be warned. If you are Canadian and buying Ultra and relying on the warranty be prepared to shell out for shipping. Something that they won't tell you before you buy.

As for me... Ultra will not get another dime from me for power supplies or any other low end product they sell.

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by Dadi_oh

As for me... Ultra will not get another dime from me for power supplies or any other low end product they sell.

I feel your pain but it's normal since they don't have offices in Canada.

If service and support is important to you, consider buying from OCZ, Corsair and other big names. The premium you pay for these products have some goodwill built into the price.

I had a OCZ PowerStream 420 which had a lifetime warranty start to show signs of failure after 3 years. The OCZ rep and the store I purchased it from were both insisting that I returm it to them I have never experienced that level of service ... well I have to admit that Linksys comes very close in my book.

End result, when it matters or when it's for me, I know who gets my support.

[DarKStar]

That is how it works usually - for any company unless specified otherwise, YOU cover shipping to them, they cover shipping back to you - unless you have a special warranty that specifies that shipping is covered both ways, in which case you would have to pay extra - and to be honest, not worth it for a power supply at that price. It is a pain in the arse, because you have to fill forms, customs declaration, etc. which is why when I buy a product I never look at the warranty :D pointless - especially given parts are cheap now (which might not be the case as our dollar keeps going down the shitter) :D

[Dadi_oh]

Originally Posted by yamawho

I feel your pain but it's normal since they don't have offices in Canada.

If service and support is important to you, consider buying from OCZ, Corsair and other big names. The premium you pay for these products have some goodwill built into the price.

I had a OCZ PowerStream 420 which had a lifetime warranty start to show signs of failure after 3 years. The OCZ rep and the store I purchased it from were both insisting that I returm it to them I have never experienced that level of service ... well I have to admit that Linksys comes very close in my book.

End result, when it matters or when it's for me, I know who gets my support.

Good to know. I have bought a whack of OCZ products over the last year or so...

5 different 2GB memory kits (awesome deal after MIR)
2 X OCZ Vendetta heatsinks (one of the best performance per $$$ heatsinks around)
1 X OCZ Stealth Stream 600W power supply

I think these guys are an up and comer in the PC industry. If their support matches their quality it is an awesome combination...

[Dadi_oh]

Originally Posted by DarKStar

That is how it works usually - for any company unless specified otherwise, YOU cover shipping to them, they cover shipping back to you - unless you have a special warranty that specifies that shipping is covered both ways, in which case you would have to pay extra - and to be honest, not worth it for a power supply at that price. It is a pain in the arse, because you have to fill forms, customs declaration, etc. which is why when I buy a product I never look at the warranty :D pointless - especially given parts are cheap now (which might not be the case as our dollar keeps going down the shitter) :D

Yeah. Maybe I am being unreasonable. Just a little peeved at the moment because we get different treatment than south of the border.

I haven't really had to deal much with warranty that involved shipping products so I guess it was a surprise that I had to pay for it.

I did get defective memory once from Tigerdirect and it took me almost 4 months before they reimbursed me for shipping it back to them.

[Cptn Vortex]

Yeah, I have never seen a company that covers the shipping for defective products.

[Dadi_oh]

Originally Posted by Cptn Vortex

Yeah, I have never seen a company that covers the shipping for defective products.

OK. Sounds like my expectations were too high. In that case I'm just being a "whiny pants" (as my wife would say)

I think I do need to revert to my original practices of paying a bit more and buying quality parts. I knew when I bought the original Ultra that I was straying into the low dollar... low expectation end of the pool...

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by Cptn Vortex

Yeah, I have never seen a company that covers the shipping for defective products.

Except for RMA at NCIX with a VIP account.... :)

[Cptn Vortex]

Originally Posted by sswilson

Except for RMA at NCIX with a VIP account.... :)

Hehe, thats probably precisely why they dont carry the Ultra PSU's, otherwise they would be broke from all the paid Shipping! Lifetime warranty would be a HUGE pain in the butt for them!

[DarKStar]

Originally Posted by Cptn Vortex

Yeah, I have never seen a company that covers the shipping for defective products.

Actually, some companies might offer what is called a reverse RMA, or they might offer something similar with enough insisting :D They charge your credit card for the full value of the product, and send it to you, along with a return package so you can send them your defective part once you receive it, once they get the shipment, they cancel the charge.

Also some companies might claim that DOA or defective products are the result of poor handling at the distributor level or during transit so no proof that the unit came out of the factory defective. Mind you, they might be partialy right, but that doesn't mean you have untested crap coming out of the factory.

The only companies that will cover the expenses both ways and take care of things for you is the places you buy the hardware from - providing they offer an extended warranty and that you read the terms carefuly ! Example, some stores like Microbytes in Montreal offer extra coverage, that will insure your product for an in-store exchange - which means your product goes bad within the coverage period, you bring it back at the store, and they take care of the entire process for you including shipping and all.

Now the big catch in those is that quite often companies will discontinue products very quick - so that good hardware you once liked is no longer available at the time you require the warranty - so they will send you an equivalent - and most of the time newer products are not built as good as older ones, so you MAY get crap in return and in some cases you may get something quite decent....

So when I buy products I try not to make a big issue over warranty - some companies send you refurbs too - that is pathetic..... and I understand your frustration over this, I shouldn't have to pay for a company's shaddy products and poor QC.