[annouhMus]

Here is a true story that happened to me, so a little bit more than one year ago I bought an OCZ Vertex SSD 30 GB OCZSSD2-1VTX30G (230 MB/s(Read) 135 MB/s (write) and 85 MB/s (Substained write)).
like on the following picture:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3...sd21vtx30g.png

3 months ago the ocz vertex died, so I went to their website and asked for rma. rma approved, I sent my ssd to them.

Here is what they send back to me, a new OCZ Vertex SSD 30 GB OCZSSD2-1VTX30G. What so lovely to find written on the box the following specs:
Read: 210 MB/s
Write: 75 MB/s
Substained Write: 25 MB/s
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg

Actually a twice less performing ssd.

Without even opening the package I opened a new support ticket on their website saying that they sent me the wrong drive.
Here is their reply:
''Are those just the numbers on the box, or were those the benchmarking results from running ATTO on the drive? I recommend actually running ATTO on the drive'' Despite the fact that on the opened ticket I clearly wrote ''numbers written on the box''

So here is FAIL #1 [thumbdown], so close to FAIL #2 [thumbdown]: as you can see on the following picture http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg numbers on the box are based on ATTO

New reply from OCZ, I quote:
''But did you actually run the ATTO disk benchmark program on the drive to benchmark that particular drive? This is the most accurate way to get the speed of the drive rather than reading the numbers on the box. After running the ATTO program on your drive, what read and write numbers does it give you for your specific drive?''
FAIL #3: [thumbdown] Specs and numbers on the box aren't the ones of the product inside !!!!

Okay... let's open the box, take the ssd, plug it to my test system (Operating System is actually installed on a Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB).
I formated the drive, I ran ATTO, here are the values:
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7025/vertexrma.jpg
200 MB/s Read and 140 MB/s write, ok close to the drive I sent to RMA and far away to what is written on the box where this drive comes from.

FAIL #4: The drive doesn't match with the specs on the box.

Ok so finally I got the right drive it seems ? [dots]

Now start to install my Operating System on it, first try I got a blue screen after 10 minutes during the installation of windows XP, try 2, after 4 minutes try 3, after 17 minutes. Ok let's try to install windows 7 then. Again blue screen after few minutes during the process.
Hum, time to change memory, processor, motherboard. Same, getting blue screens over and over again.
Change the whole setup again, no way blues screen are here. Try to install Windows XP on a Hard Drive, it works, windows 7 too, from the first try.
Ok, back to OCZ Vertex, fail again, blue screen over and over again.
After 38 tries for windows XP, I finally managed to install it on the OCZ Vertex, and 17 tries for Windows 7.

Drive seems defective isn't it ? FAIL #5 [thumbdown]
So I back to OCZ support, here is what they said:
''What error message are you receiving during the installation process? At what point does the error occur? Is this a fresh install or are you imaging/cloning to the drive?''
-Not always the same
-Randomly
-Fresh install

OCZ:
''If the drive has been repeatedly benchmarked it will slow down until it has time to clean itself up. The drive will automatically maintain itself when idle. If you want to reset the drive right away you can do a destructive reset here:
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/st...tary_erase.zip Then from there quick format it with Windows 7 and run ATTO on the drive just one time''

What, I said the drive is defective and that I cannot even install an Operating Sytsem on it and they ask if I have repeatedly benched the drive ?
and to clear/erase it, what the.... the drive is new you just sent it to me, what's so wrong with you. Read my comments added to the helpdesk!!

FAIL #6 ? They do not read your emails ?

Ok so as this one is defective, I ask for RMA and told them that I am away for 2 weeks in vacation and without internet, rma accepted.
Back from vacation I see that they sent me a courier (fedex) when I was away.... FAIL #6 [thumbdown] confirmed. [yes]
First good point for ocz though, they sent me an attached pre-paid shipping label, so they take care of the return of they defective part.
But, when I was in vacation (I took the vertex with me as my only ssd and I needed it), things got worse, sometimes the drive wan't reconized at post nor in the bios. So no way to boot my operating system. Sometimes the operating system just freeze or crash and when I reboot the computer it says ''no bootable device'' I had to turn off the computer and turn it on again, benchmarks like PCMark05, PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 were always failing to compute due to aborted/failed HDD tests.
So as I am back and the support ticket is gone after 7 days, I opened a new one complaining that the drive is getting more and more defective.
I sent them a very long email telling all issues I encountered with their OCZ Vertex and asked that they send them first a new drive so I can move all my operative system and data from drive to drive.
OCZ replied:
''I sincerely apologize for any issues or inconveniences you have been experiencing with your OCZ product. Please provide us with the information requested below as a comment to your Ticket for RMA processing[...]''
then:
''I apologize, please disregard the previous message. Just verify your shipping address for me please''
They moved the status of my support ticket to advanced rma so said ''I set you up for advanced rma, so what’s going to happen is we are going to charge your credit card for the amount of the memory. Then once we get your bad product we will immediately credit your card back. You will be getting further details about the charge in an automated email that will be sent to you from the rma system''
What I understand is that I have to pay something so they can send me the new one, let me move my data and they will pay me back when they got the defective one.
But the defective one is gone for real, no more reconized thru the bios, nor thru the post, windows installer doesn't see it and another computer too.

Drive is 100 % dead.

Time to use the prepaid shipping label, vertex is sent to them and I asked them by email to recover all my operating system and data on the new drive.

FAIL #7: [thumbdown] They didn't do it and even better they did not tell me they were not going to do it.

After 5-6 days, according to TNT Express tracking number they received the defective drive 3 days ago, so I asked for some news, here are the three replies I got from OCZ:
''it will be replaced within 48 hours ''
I replied 3 days after: ''any news ?''
OCZ again: ''for some reason it doesn't look like we received it. please contact supporteurope@ocztechnology.com ''

What ? Tracking number stats you got it one week ago !!!

OCZ again: '' that was my mistake what i ment was when we receive it and process it it will be shipped out within 48 hours. its not in our system for some reason''

Okayyy, they just don't care about you and reply randomly to you, FAIL #8 [thumbdown]
New drive received today, again with the following specs:

Read: 210 MB/s
Write: 75 MB/s
Substain Write: 25 MB/s
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/680/img0214qc.jpg

which is again a twice less performing ssd.

But wait this is just what is written on the box, as from my experience with OCZ products, specs on the box don't match with the product in the box.

Too bad this time it was true, [cursing] I really received the twice less perfoming OCZ Vertex SSD:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7...sd21vtx30g.jpg

FAIL #9 [thumbdown]

just for the record, I quote their own Warranty Policy:
''All OCZ Technology, Inc. (''OCZ'') products are warranted and tested to be free from defects in material and workmanship and to conform to the published specifications.[...]OCZ will repair the product or replace it with a comparable or better unit.''

HAHAHAHAHA What a joke [rofl]

Conlcusion:
OCZ is an absolute joke, you are aware [ban]
True story, I got all emails from them, pics of drives, pics of benchs as proof.

Update 22/08/2011: Ok, after posting on their forum things went really better, the guy know what you are talking about and take care of the situation way much better than using Support Ticket Helpdesk.
They offered to send me a Vertex 120GB, I asked them if a Vertex 2 40GB was possible and they replied that they are going to send me a courier as soon as possible to take back the Vertex they sent me and will send me a Vertex 2 60GB as soon as possible.
For my experience through the forum there is no problem for support/rma/help, they replied very quickly and the guy who your are talking with know what to do and what you are talking about.
Conclusion, as from my experience here, OCZ forum is THE place to ask support/rma, by using the ''helpdesk support ticket'' you will just suffer if you ask technical info or want an advanced rma.

Just to clarify, we do not use a third party for support. Exdesk is the ticket software/hosting company. The people that answer tickets all work for OCZ in San Jose, CA.

[Arbinknit]

OCZ has a bad reputation for a reason. They're not a company I'd ever buy from.

I currently have some of their RAM and a 120GB Vertex, I'd never buy anything else from them.

[Grennios]

Whew! I'm glad we have Newegg over here.

[AblemTee]

OCZ has a bad reputation for a reason. They're not a company I'd ever buy from.

I currently have some of their RAM and a 120GB Vertex, I'd never buy anything else from them.

Yep OCZ are rubbish dont buy from them...

[Skete]

OCZ was the bomb only 5-6 years ago.

Man what happened. [thumbdown]

[ArrereGarhync]

I have an old Vertex 1st gen 60GB that's runnin solid. I also have a Revodrive that's quite the beast. I dunno why so many people hate OCZ. I've never had an issue with their CS or their products.

Close enough to the Max 540 Read 480 Write for me.

[annouhMus]

I don't hate them, the support they provide is just way not professional

[Crilosajsamq]

Try and contact Tony at OCZ, he has sorted out RMAs in the past for me and has been excellent!
Although that was about 5 years ago with some dodgy ram. I have 5 OCZ SSDs and all are great.

[sportbos]

Wasn't it OCZ behind a monster scandal back in the day about rebadging Samsung products?

[investor]

I've had a similar experience to the OP w/ OCZ. I will never buy something from them again. No matter if reviews say it is the superior product.... Their support is horrendous.

[RichardHaads]

I bought an OCZ product once. ONCE. It was expensive high-end RAM. I bought it from Fry's Electronics because they are really good with handling warranties themselves, but I neglected to realize that if something from OCZ fails and you bought it from Fry's, Fry's won't handle the RMA (they have you do it yourself). I soon found out why. I couldn't get an RMA out of them. The number I was given by Fry's put me into endless loops where I couldn't talk to any living person, and multiple requests for an RMA through their website proved fruitless. Never bought another OCZ product again...

[rozalinasi]

I've had fantastic service from OCZ. I did look at your SSD though, and it looks like your version speed doesn't exist? On OCZ' site, it has the speeds that your replacement had. Maybe yours was a product that is no longer available or it had the wrong sticker for speed on it, because I would expect to at least see the speeds still reported on the site whether it was still manufactured or not.

[annouhMus]

I've had fantastic service from OCZ. I did look at your SSD though, and it looks like your version speed doesn't exist? On OCZ' site, it has the speeds that your replacement had. Maybe yours was a product that is no longer available or it had the wrong sticker for speed on it, because I would expect to at least see the speeds still reported on the site whether it was still manufactured or not.

Yes they removed it from their website, because the original Vertex I 30GB was manufactured with 50nm chips and in september 2010 if I am right, they moved to 34nm chips (that's why it's twice less performing). And edited the specs on their website but they kept the same part number

So the OCZSSD2-1VTX30G can be both the 230/135/85 MB/s one or the 210/75/25 MB/s one [ban]

Very nice move from their side if you want to do a RAID with your original 30GB [thumbdown]

[annouhMus]

Update 22/08/2011: Ok, after posting on their forum things went really better, the guy know what you are talking about and take care of the situation way much better than using Support Ticket Helpdesk.
They offered to send me a Vertex 120GB, I asked them if a Vertex 2 40GB was possible and they replied that they are going to send me a courier as soon as possible to take back the Vertex they sent me and will send me a Vertex 2 60GB as soon as possible.
For my experience through the forum there is no problem for support/rma/help, they replied very quickly and the guy who your are talking with know what to do and what you are talking about.
Conclusion, as from my experience here, OCZ forum is THE place to ask support/rma, by using the ''helpdesk support ticket'' you will just suffer if you ask technical info or want an advanced rma.

[Waymninelia]

OCZ''s RMA support is pretty good actually, the problem is that half of the **** they send you is either underperforming or DOA. Be smart next time and don't buy their stuff especially their top RAM modules.