Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Multipointe Channel Solutions is refusing to accept Certificates of Destruction (COD) when filing for RMA requests for defective data storage devices.
  
  Often, individuals and companies are bound by NIST guidelines for data destruction and sensitization, which means they are required to sanitize and/or destroy the original device. Most other storage vendors understand this, and will accept a COD in lieu of the original device.
  
  Multiepointe Channel Solutions refusal to honor a COD means that their warranty and RMA services are effectively a lie for a large number of individuals and companies.
  
  I currently have an RMA request pending for a non-functional drive. The drive cannot be secure-erased, as it is non-functional. As per policy, as the contents of the drive are unknown, and it cannot be erased, it must be physically destroyed. I have offered to destroy the drive though a reputable data destruction service, and provide a Certificate of Destruction to Multiepointe, so that the RMA can proceed. They are refusing to proceed with the RMA unless the original device is delivered to them, physically intact.
  
  I would very much like for Multiepointe to accept the COD and continue with the RMA.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/21) */
  As stated to end-user, the physical product must be sent in for our side to have warranty honored as per policy. Yes, most BIG company accepts COD. We are just distributors for this product and handle the RMA's for direct swap/replacement of the defective unit. IF End-user have any sensitive data/information on the drive they must delete or use a 3rd party to delete the information. We do not handle any data deletion process due to the liability of sensitive information. As a one time courtesy we have ask end-user to send in the warranty sticker with serial number of the drive so that we can replace the drive. We have issued********************************** on October 17, 2022.
  
  
  Below is the RMA EMAIL sent to *******.
  
  I will be mailing out the sticker via insured **** parcel tomorrow. My return address is as follows:
  
  ***********************************
  
  Thank you for your assistance in this matter. I greatly appreciate finally having a resolution.
  
  ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
  
  Please send back the Sticker with the courier of your choosing. Also please provide us a shipping address for the replacement drive.
  
  US Warranty Replacement
  
  Your Order/RMA (Return Material Authorization) **********************
  Your Order Reference is*********
  This Multipointe RMA (Return Material Authorization) is valid for 30 days from the issue date below.
  Please verify your name and address to prevent any delay during delivery of your shipment.
  
  Customer Shipping Information:
  *************************************************
  Defective Product Information:
  Product Number:************
  Serial Number:
  Reason: failed
  
  Multipointe HP-SSD Warranty Return Location:
  Multipointe HP SSD
  ****************************************************************
  _________________________
  RMA Number: ***********
  Issue Date: October 17, 2022
  Order Reference:*********
  
  Please note that evidence of the following will result in rejected warranty claims:
  Tampered, Altered or Misused products.
  Electrical Overstress.
  Improper Packaging.
  Out-of-Warranty, or Void Warranty.
  No Trouble Found (NTF). Before returning your product determine the condition of your product and whether it is eligible to be returned under warranty.
  
  Replacement Product Notice:
  Your original product will NOT be returned to you.
  Replacement products are New non-refurbished parts.
  Replacement products carry the greater of original warranty balance or 90 days.
  Delivery is during normal business hours to the address you provided.
  All data and software on your returned product will be lost and destroyed.
  Replacement products arrive in factory default condition.
  Any required data recovery service must be completed on your own BEFORE sending back your RMA to Multipointe
  
  How to ship your product(s):
  Unless covered under a contractual agreement, the following applies to all customer returns:
  Please provide adequate packaging material to protect product from being damage during shipment
  End-users must pay shipping costs for warranty shipments to HP SSD Service Department. Ship your product to the Multipointe address provided in the Order Acknowledgement/Confirmation via the carrier of your choice. Please use a method with ability to trace shipment. Multipointe is not responsible for shipments for which the carrier cannot provide proof of delivery.
  Replacement product shipping fees will be covered by Multipointe.
  You must pay all applicable taxes and duties/customs charges if any for shipments to and from Multipointe.
  Do not enclose any personal notes within your parcel.
  
  When we receive the defective unit, it will take 5-10 business days for us to ship you the replacement. Please email if you have any questions.
  
  Modified Hours & Limited Staff Due to COVID-19 State Policies (To Ensure Health & Safety of our Customers and Employees)
  RMA REPLACEMENTS MAY TAKE LONGER THAN USUAL
  
  Thanks,
  
  Support
  Customer Support Multipointe Channel Solutions
  HP SSD - North America
  Office: 9am-5pm PST
  ******************************
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/31) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  They replaced one of my drives as a "one time courtesy", however, they still refuse to honor the warranty on these drives if the drive is so non-functional that the end-user is unable to erase sensitive data from the drive (as is often the case with dead storage devices, and as was the case with my device).
  
  Multipointe needs to begin accepting CODs for warranty replacement purposes, or their warranties remain effectively worthless for most end-users. They're basically requiring users to ship personal/sensitive data through the mail, or their warranty is only good if the drive isn't used for persona and/or sensitive data (this is not stated int he warranty conditions).
  
  If I have another one of these SSDs die (or if the replacement I've been sent dies) in such a way that it cannot be securely erased, then it sounds like they'll refuse RMA replacement of that unit as well. I don't want to have to complain to the BBB every single time a SSD dies in such a way that it cannot be erased.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/11/10) */
  It is end-user responsibility to monitor the state of the drive. If performance is degrading, data should be backed up and request RMA for defective unit. So that end-user can format/delete any data that is on the drive before sending in to our facility. We do not handle any data that is on the drive. There are many 3rd party software to monitor the health of the SSD.
  
  We need the product sent back because we need to analyze if end-user cause issue or if the product indeed is defective. This is to determine if cause was from end-user or fault from factory. Also to check the usage of the drives. All drives have limitation of how much data can be written and read. If it is over a certain amount there is limitation of warranty of the product.
  
  We have done warranty replacement with many user of the HP drives with no issue of end-user send back the product.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/11/18) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  Multipointe suggests that the end-user is responsible for secure-erasing the drive before it fails. This is a nonsense answer, as SSDs often fail suddenly and without any warning (as was the case with my SSD). This leaves the SSD in a state where it cannot be secure erased, which puts us right back at square one with my original complaint, where a drive may contain personal or sensitive content that cannot be sent through the mail due to industry-standard data security policies.
  
  In short: You cannot require your users to be clairvoyant in order to obtain reasonable warranty service.
  
  Multipointe needs to begin accepting CODs for warranty replacement purposes, or their warranties remain effectively worthless for most end-users. They are basically requiring users to ship personal/sensitive data through the mail. It's either that, or their warranty is only good if the drive isn't used for persona and/or sensitive data (again, this is not stated in the warranty conditions).
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (-5, 12, 2022/11/19) */
  Multipointe Channel Solutions included my full name, business email address, cell number, and street address in their response on 10/21/2022. This information is publically visible, and should be redacted immediately.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2022/11/30) */
  Moving forward please keep the Sticker portion of the drive intact with legible serial number along with the COD and submit to us for RMA# for the drives that failed.
  
  Please note and keep track of the SSD health with 3rd party programs (crystal disk info). If health of the drive starts to deteriorate please back up all the data to a different drive and format (clear/erase) the data from the defective drive and submit for RMA. That way we can test the drive to see what is the underlying cause of the issue of the drive to fail. Issue could be end-user misuse of product or product defect which we need to determine.
  
  No one can predict the future, but to monitor health of usage of a product that is storing sensitive data is end-user responsibility.