Don't buy your RAM from MaxUpgrades

[milozauckerman]

I'm not saying their RAM is any worse than other sellers, or more likely to be defective. But their return and exchange policy needs help.

In past experience with various e-retailers, once I put in a return authorization, my replacement was shipped immediately and I was supplied with a mailing label for the return.

With MaxUpgrades, I'm paying to ship back my defective RAM (including insurance on $800), and I apparently won't receive my replacement until it's arrived back in California. Which basically puts my Mac Pro out of commission for a week if I pay $15 for Priority Mail plus insurance.

Lovely.

Buy from a more established retailer with a better return system - if you pay any more, it's worth it.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Yeah, that's not the way to win friends and customers.

Just for comparison, we ship any DOA replacements in advance, with a prepaid return shipping label for the customer to ship back at no charge -- after the new RAM is in and working. Milo, if you are in the US, and want to change horses, I recommend Data Memory Systems, I have torture tested their model of RAM in a MacPro for 24 hours continuous Rember looping, no heat or error problems.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

 

[milozauckerman]

Thanks, I'll probably go that route if this doesn't go smoothly.

I know that when I've put enough away to upgrade the stock 2x512, I'll be going with DataMem or TransIntl.

 

[DXoverDY]

emailed them just now to ask about this as they were going to be my source for an additional 2gigs of ram for my mac pro i hope to order tomorrow.

 

[ljones]

Definitely not the best business practices. With the amount of talk that pushes a customer their way, this will only push customers away. As one of their customers, i'm disappointed with this, because had this been me, i would be extremely pissed and dissatisfied with their handling of the issue.

 

[drm]

For the record...

I am in the exact same boat. I have sent several messages to him asking for an exchange for my defective 2GB modules. I have yet to hear when or if I will be getting an exchange. See my other post for details. I am starting to get annoyed...

Remember that the price from TransInternational is the same as MaxUpgrade if you click on the link from http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/

Good luck all,

Mark

 

[milozauckerman]

I saw your previous posts - so I skipped e-mail and just phoned them this morning. Harder to give you the run around on the phone and all of that.

 

[PowerMike G5]

I highly recommend Data Mem ... I always buy my RAM from them ... excellent customer service as well!

 

[tobyg]

This is just one reason I bought my RAM at the apple store. Sure, it costs a boatload more. But at least if I have a problem with the RAM or the machine with the new RAM installed, I can walk into my local apple store with the RAM and/or machine and say "Here, fix it". No questions asked at that point, since it's all their stuff. It may not be for everyone, but it is nice knowing I won't have to worry about my RAM.

 

[knome]

I had a problem like that from them but it turns out it was my problem. Now i can tell you it is only 1 guy working out of his home. Now i sent mine back and he reimbursed me fro the shipment back. Just call him up and tell him you want a reimbursement for the defective shipment and he will probably give it to you.

 

[Monyx]

Whilst I can't speak from experience on MaxUpgrade's return policy practices, I can say that I promptly received my 2GB Kit from MaxUpgrades shipped to Australia, but shipping cost a little more than quoted at order time (USD28) global express I think it was.

Ram has been running since Oct 4 without an issue. Last night I started Memtest 4.14 it managed about 8 complete tests betwen between 01:30 - 07:15 when I got up for work.

Mark

 

[dogbone]

This is just one reason I bought my RAM at the apple store. Sure, it costs a boatload more. But at least if I have a problem with the RAM or the machine with the new RAM installed, I can walk into my local apple store with the RAM and/or machine and say "Here, fix it". No questions asked at that point, since it's all their stuff. It may not be for everyone, but it is nice knowing I won't have to worry about my RAM.

And how has "paying a boatload" more for your RAM from the apple store given you any more peace of mind than buying RAM from a company that deals ethically, like DMS?

 

[tobyg]

And how has "paying a boatload" more for your RAM from the apple store given you any more peace of mind than buying RAM from a company that deals ethically, like DMS?

I thought I made that clear. I can walk into any apple store with the ram I purchased from Apple still in the machine and basically have a one stop shop for repair. I can't "walk in" to DMS. And then you have the risk of the company that sold you the ram saying its the system causing the problems, or Apple blaming the RAM if there are problems. See what I mean? That's all. This of course is where the extra costs come in, which may not be for everyone.

 

[WildCowboy]

I thought I made that clear. I can walk into any apple store with the ram I purchased from Apple still in the machine and basically have a one stop shop for repair. I can't "walk in" to DMS. And then you have the risk of the company that sold you the ram saying its the system causing the problems, or Apple blaming the RAM if there are problems. See what I mean? That's all. This of course is where the extra costs come in, which may not be for everyone.

That's certainly a valid reason to use Apple RAM if you don't mind the extra cost too much...there's definitely something to be said for that. Most people just find that it's pretty easy to determine whether it's the RAM or the machine that's causing a problem...swap in the stock RAM and see if the problem persists. If yes, it's the machine. If not, it's the RAM. I know it's not always that cut-and-dried, especially for problems that pop up only occasionally, but most people find it worth it to save a few bucks.

 

[tobyg]

That's certainly a valid reason to use Apple RAM if you don't mind the extra cost too much...there's definitely something to be said for that. Most people just find that it's pretty easy to determine whether it's the RAM or the machine that's causing a problem...swap in the stock RAM and see if the problem persists. If yes, it's the machine. If not, it's the RAM. I know it's not always that cut-and-dried, especially for problems that pop up only occasionally, but most people find it worth it to save a few bucks.

True, and generally I am that kind of guy too. But reading all the strange issues people have with ram they've purchased online, dealing with possible returns and exchanges and not even being reimbursed for the cost to mail the possibly bad ram back, it was just easier and for me, safer, at this time to purchase ram from Apple. If the Mac Pro just used standard DDR2 RAM with no special heat sink requirements, I'm sure I would have purchased my ram elsewhere.

 

[CanadaRAM]

True, and generally I am that kind of guy too. But reading all the strange issues people have with ram they've purchased online, dealing with possible returns and exchanges and not even being reimbursed for the cost to mail the possibly bad ram back,..

Just to clarify, there have been zero problems with the reputable vendors that MacRumors members most often recommend, OWC, Crucial, Data Memory Systems. TransInternational has been mentioned, they have been around quite a while, but haven't been mentioned in MR as often as the other three.

Problems have been reported with a brand new vendor with no track record, which is not all that surprising.

 

[drm]

Update

FYI, I have some good news. Syed at MaxUpgrades overnighted me two new 2GB ram modules today. He said that he tested them for two days and received zero errors. He even sent me a screenshot for verification. I will replace my ram tomorrow and test.

I will update everyone when I know more.

UPDATE: My new ram arrived. I have tested for about 20 minutes and everything looks fine (no ECC errors after multiple tests). I will report back if things change or I have have any trouble with the refund on the defective ram.

Later,
Mark

 

[Monyx]

I will report back if things change or I have have any trouble with the refund on the defective ram.

So did you have pay for the 2nd lot of 2x2GB while you're wating for the refund on 1st lot?
Seems a bit rough if you had to pony up 2x the expense even temporarily. I can understand a small, indepnedent seller being uneasy about 2 lots of product out, but he can always charge CC if the return doesn't show, and little point in keeping it if it's faulty.

 

[drm]

I was expecting to pay for it. Oddly enough he only charged me the shipping for the second set of ram. Charging me shipping to send me a replacement for a defective item is rather annoying. I am sending back the defective ram today. When he receives it I will call and "discuss" the $29 extra shipping charge. I have already spent way too much time messing with this.

On a positive note, I have stress tested the crap out of the new ram for 12 hours straight and there are no errors. In hindsight, I likely wouldn't order from them again, but it has worked out well (assuming he gets the defective ram, etc.)

Mark

 

[BackInTheSaddle]

I just exchanged an unrelated item I bought from OWC to buy the 4GB upgrade kit for my Mac Pro. No restocking charges and friendly service. I really like OWC's quality and they way they stand behind everything they sell. It pays to buy from a good seller--you save time and money in the long run.

 

[DXoverDY]

Well that email I sent still hasn't been replied to. Guess I won't be buying ram from them.

 

[milozauckerman]

Received my new RAM today. There was a ding on one of the contacts on one DIMM, but I haven't received any ECC errors yet, while I decide whether or not to go about returning again.

How serious is it for one contact to be messed up?

 

[CanadaRAM]

Received my new RAM today. There was a ding on one of the contacts on one DIMM, but I haven't received any ECC errors yet, while I decide whether or not to go about returning again.

How serious is it for one contact to be messed up?

How serious is 5 dead pixels on a brand new screen?

Don't have any way of knowing if the ding on the contact will make a difference, but if it causes an air gap or allows dirt or corrosion in the contact, the potential is there for trouble.

But it's supposed to be new, right? Why would you have to take the risk?

<Conflict of interest notice> I'm obviously biased on the matter because I am in the business, if not in competition directly, because we don't sell much in the USA. But we would not ship out a piece with even cosmetic damage. And we pay shipping both ways if we ship a dud (it happens - about 1% of modules will DOA). And we ship the replacement in advance. Less than that is less desirable service, in my book.

 

[clutchcargo]

This makes me so nervous having bought 2x2gb from these guys, but I did get prompt shipment. DOA chips from US to Australia would be a PITA!

Anyhoo I'll report back, I know the ram is good (Samsung with big F-off sinks)...

 

[slughead]

With MaxUpgrades, I'm paying to ship back my defective RAM (including insurance on $800), and I apparently won't receive my replacement until it's arrived back in California. Which basically puts my Mac Pro out of commission for a week if I pay $15 for Priority Mail plus insurance.

This is normal. I work in a computer parts warehouse (for an online store).

New Egg is the same way. I bought some RAM from them once, they sent me the WRONG RAM and I had to send it back AND pay for shipping (they said they'd reimburse me for shipping and never did).

I still buy from them though. With thousands of orders a day, these warehouses can get a little confused with orders. We have a guy at our place who specifically watches certain orders to make sure they get done properly, but it's impossible to have someone supervising every single one.