Repairing the Plextor SSD

A while back I wanted to play Vanquish, so I dug out the old Plextor 128M6G I’d retired to make a Windows To Go drive. Turns out it was dead.

Specifically, the thing wouldn’t format and wouldn’t partition. Pretty sure it was gone.

I’d originally planned to just grab some no-name SSD like a KingSpec, but I’m too broke for that, so I checked and the warranty on this thing was still valid.

If it’s still under warranty, might as well use it, right?

Looking into it, Plextor’s warranty process is a little weird. According to their official steps, you’re supposed to call first, and once they confirm there’s a problem they tell you to fill out an RMA and go from there.

In practice I just filled out the RMA directly and it went fine…

The RMA form asks for the product code on the SSD, the PN I guess, and checks whether you’re still within warranty. Then it gives you a text box for describing the problem. Write it carefully and keep it tight, no need for fluff.

If you qualify, it generates a printable sheet. Print it out, stick it on the outside of the package, and ship it off.

Side note: Plextor recommends SF Express, and it’s cash on delivery, so you don’t pay anything.

A week after I sent it, a returning SF Express package showed up in the tracking. Got it today, tested it, everything works — looks like they just sent a new one. Complete silence the whole time, nobody called to bother me, and the problem got solved. Honestly I like this approach. Thumbs up.

One other company with after-sales like this that I remember is Microsoft, except their brain-dead courier always says they’ll pick up the package and then nobody ever shows up.