Sure beats the 2GB USB stick Acer sent me as compensation for the faulty NV 8600 GPU that took a class action lawsuit to only barely remedy. Good on Corsair for getting out in front of the problem and doing the right thing.
I was without work for 6 months when my former Co-worker finally recommended me to start freelancing from home… It was only after I earned $5000 in my first month when I actually believed I could do this for a living! Now I am happier than ever… I work from home and I am my own boss now like I always wanted…Everytime I see someone like that I say START FREELANCING MAN! This is where I started. WWW. iⅭash68.ⅭＯⅯ
It's telling that part supplies for a product can change in the middle of a product's life without a model number change or any other type of notification to distinguish the difference.
A bad batch of components from a supplier, or a faulty assembly machine on the production line could cause a batch of bad products with no reason to change a model number or even a revision code. I tend to suspect the former in this case because it would be a self-rectifying problem without Corsair or their production company having to do anything to have made the issue go away with more recent production.
Changing the model number with every part delivery would render the model number useless. This is why there's a lot number. So you can identify which of several identical devices were made with the batch of defective transformers or counterfeit capacitors.
The WD issue (all HD makers) is far different, there was no fault involved.. they simply labelled a class of drives inaccurately and for a purpose for which they were not intended(NAS rather than archive). And for anybody who thinks there isnt a cabal on pricing etc , isnt it amazing that all the mfrs did the same thing? Does this go on elsewhere? Dram, ?
The problem was caused by a bad batch of insulator sheets (like those thermal pads you see on video cards) that sit between a high voltage component (the PFC diode) and a heatsink. That insulator sheet absorbed humidity over time from air and started to not be conductive near a hole through which a screw went and locked the part the heatsink.
So it's basically that bad batch of thermal transfer/ insulator material coupled with excessive torque of the screwing tightening the component too much (squeezing the insulator material) that causes the insulator to break and conduct electricity. When this happens, the AC shorts and you get the fuse blown but nothing bad happens on the secondary side, the components are never at risk. RMA is easiest because being a SFF power supply everything is compact, hard to reach and people don't have soldering skills to replace diodes and insulators and heatsinks to fix their power supplies. If I were in Corsair's shoes, I'd probably just replace the psus with new SFF power supplies and repair the returned units and then use those repaired units as replacement parts for other modes sent to service.
Yes, because no company has ever had to issue a recall on a product that has a reputation of being high quality. Products can fail, it's how the company handles the recall that matters.
I'm kinda' curious how does exactly a product of high quality gets to fail more than a product with lower quality or is it that the product with presumably "high quality" was not a high quality product .... yeah
"And of course, shipping costs in both directions are being picked up by Corsair."
That's interesting. I stopped buying Corsair products a few years ago after I had a PSU die just outside the 30 day return window for the retailer, who directed me to Corsair for warranty service. Corsair initially denied warranty service and told me to take it up with the retailer, and when I pushed them on it they said they would honor the warranty but I'd have to pick up shipping on both the dead unit to them and the replacement back to me. $35 total shipping paid by me for a $45 power supply didn't sit well, so I just wrote it off as a loss and have avoided the brand since.
I'm glad for their current customers they appear to be improving on that front.
From experience, most of the time you cover sending the bad product back to the company and the company covers shipping back to you. I don't think that's unreasonable.
Guess you missed this part - "I stopped buying Corsair products a few years ago after I had a PSU die just outside the 30 day return window for the retailer"
Even if you make your own products, it is still a risk. Unless you make every part of your product (and no company on Earth makes power supplies from scratch) you have no way of knowing you won't receive a bad batch of capacitors from an outside supplier. ... Heck, even if you make your own everything you might have a batch of seemingly-good parts that don't hold up over time.
Cut rate OEMs aren't the real problem, since they did spec (at least their review units) to be built well.
I suppose an OEM can slip a bad batch of subpar components through, though, and Corsair can only catch it in the RMA process (as happened this time).
The problem is market addressability: the recall here is for a SFX PSU. Not many that hit the high marks of performance and silence like the SF series from Corsair. They cost more than any similar PSUs, and you can bet I paid that premium.
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PeachNCream - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
Sure beats the 2GB USB stick Acer sent me as compensation for the faulty NV 8600 GPU that took a class action lawsuit to only barely remedy. Good on Corsair for getting out in front of the problem and doing the right thing.hopearhodes30 - Thursday, June 11, 2020 - link
I was without work for 6 months when my former Co-worker finally recommended me to start freelancing from home… It was only after I earned $5000 in my first month when I actually believed I could do this for a living! Now I am happier than ever… I work from home and I am my own boss now like I always wanted…Everytime I see someone like that I say START FREELANCING MAN! This is where I started. WWW. iⅭash68.ⅭＯⅯmooninite - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
It's telling that part supplies for a product can change in the middle of a product's life without a model number change or any other type of notification to distinguish the difference.DanNeely - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
A bad batch of components from a supplier, or a faulty assembly machine on the production line could cause a batch of bad products with no reason to change a model number or even a revision code. I tend to suspect the former in this case because it would be a self-rectifying problem without Corsair or their production company having to do anything to have made the issue go away with more recent production.eek2121 - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
It wouldn’t hurt to tweak the revision code or model number slightly. Look at the current WD lawsuit for reasons this should be regulated.Lord of the Bored - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
Changing the model number with every part delivery would render the model number useless.This is why there's a lot number. So you can identify which of several identical devices were made with the batch of defective transformers or counterfeit capacitors.
dromoxen - Friday, June 5, 2020 - link
The WD issue (all HD makers) is far different, there was no fault involved.. they simply labelled a class of drives inaccurately and for a purpose for which they were not intended(NAS rather than archive). And for anybody who thinks there isnt a cabal on pricing etc , isnt it amazing that all the mfrs did the same thing? Does this go on elsewhere? Dram, ?DigitalFreak - Friday, June 5, 2020 - link
Pretty sure it does go on in the RAM market as well. Didn't Samsung or someone else get sued / fined for doing that a few years ago.mariush - Friday, June 12, 2020 - link
From what I read...The problem was caused by a bad batch of insulator sheets (like those thermal pads you see on video cards) that sit between a high voltage component (the PFC diode) and a heatsink.
That insulator sheet absorbed humidity over time from air and started to not be conductive near a hole through which a screw went and locked the part the heatsink.
So it's basically that bad batch of thermal transfer/ insulator material coupled with excessive torque of the screwing tightening the component too much (squeezing the insulator material) that causes the insulator to break and conduct electricity.
When this happens, the AC shorts and you get the fuse blown but nothing bad happens on the secondary side, the components are never at risk.
RMA is easiest because being a SFF power supply everything is compact, hard to reach and people don't have soldering skills to replace diodes and insulators and heatsinks to fix their power supplies.
If I were in Corsair's shoes, I'd probably just replace the psus with new SFF power supplies and repair the returned units and then use those repaired units as replacement parts for other modes sent to service.
zmeul - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
yes yes ... high qualityso high that you have to RMA to fix it
megadirk - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
Yes, because no company has ever had to issue a recall on a product that has a reputation of being high quality. Products can fail, it's how the company handles the recall that matters.zmeul - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
I'm kinda' curious how does exactly a product of high quality gets to fail more than a product with lower qualityor is it that the product with presumably "high quality" was not a high quality product .... yeah
jonnyGURU - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
Typically, a higher quality product doesn't tend to fail more.In this instance, the failures are limited to a particular lot code range and the reason for failure has nothing to do with build quality or design.
megadirk - Friday, June 5, 2020 - link
Couldn't have said it better.kaidenshi - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
"And of course, shipping costs in both directions are being picked up by Corsair."That's interesting. I stopped buying Corsair products a few years ago after I had a PSU die just outside the 30 day return window for the retailer, who directed me to Corsair for warranty service. Corsair initially denied warranty service and told me to take it up with the retailer, and when I pushed them on it they said they would honor the warranty but I'd have to pick up shipping on both the dead unit to them and the replacement back to me. $35 total shipping paid by me for a $45 power supply didn't sit well, so I just wrote it off as a loss and have avoided the brand since.
I'm glad for their current customers they appear to be improving on that front.
olafgarten - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
It's pretty standard to charge shipping for an RMA, I imagine most PSU brands will do the same.lioncat55 - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
From experience, most of the time you cover sending the bad product back to the company and the company covers shipping back to you. I don't think that's unreasonable.eek2121 - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
If the product is defective, I should not have to pay for shipping, especially since they get better rates than I.I have only ever had to pay shipping on an RMA once, thankfully.
supdawgwtfd - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
You only pay for shipping if you have to ship it.But from a brick and mortar store and you can drop it off for free
DigitalFreak - Friday, June 5, 2020 - link
Guess you missed this part - "I stopped buying Corsair products a few years ago after I had a PSU die just outside the 30 day return window for the retailer"RSAUser - Friday, June 5, 2020 - link
I'm in south Africa, I've never paid for rma as long as the item was shipped to that location originally.hubick - Thursday, June 4, 2020 - link
Phew, thanks for the heads up!I just built up my new SilverStone CS381 NAS box with a Corsair SF750 _last_night_!
I order from Amazon.ca on May 24th, and mine is thankfully *newer* than March!
I guess it pays to buy from a retailer w lots of turnover :-)
Techie2 - Friday, June 5, 2020 - link
This is part of the liability when you outsource production and just put your name on a product.Lord of the Bored - Saturday, June 6, 2020 - link
Even if you make your own products, it is still a risk. Unless you make every part of your product (and no company on Earth makes power supplies from scratch) you have no way of knowing you won't receive a bad batch of capacitors from an outside supplier....
Heck, even if you make your own everything you might have a batch of seemingly-good parts that don't hold up over time.
cmdrmonkey - Sunday, June 7, 2020 - link
Corsair power supplies have been trash for years. They use cut rate Chinese OEMs. I switched to Seasonic a long time ago.jeremyshaw - Monday, June 8, 2020 - link
Cut rate OEMs aren't the real problem, since they did spec (at least their review units) to be built well.I suppose an OEM can slip a bad batch of subpar components through, though, and Corsair can only catch it in the RMA process (as happened this time).
The problem is market addressability: the recall here is for a SFX PSU. Not many that hit the high marks of performance and silence like the SF series from Corsair. They cost more than any similar PSUs, and you can bet I paid that premium.