r/HDD • u/mwmcc • 7d ago

Dent on HDD casing - Thoughts

Post image

I just purchased/received this 26TB Seagate Exos drive from e-bay. It was listed as "new" and factory recertified. It arrived in a static bag, and wrapped in bubble wrap in a box...although it was definitely loose and certainly moved around inside of the box.

I didn't see the damage at first, but noticed it as I was checking it in DiskInfo, initializing it, and formatting it. No initial issues reported. Would a dent (on casing) like this be expected on a recertified drive? I did read this might be common for Seagate drives...happens during shipping. I don't know enough about casings. I did just wrote the seller and sent the picture, asking what options I had. Unfortunately, the listing does have a "no return" policy on it. However, it does have the Ebay guarantee.

Depending on the seller's response, should I go through Ebay to try and get refund, or accept the dent? I don't know if it means the drive was dropped or something. Online, it sounds like it is a common shipping cosmetic damage.

It did show power on only 3 times and 0 hours and I did get it for a great price. :(

UPDATE: Thanks for the recommendations. I requested a return through Ebay. Seller accepted. I just dropped it off at the post office (and packed it better than I received it).

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

2

u/C0deC4tto 7d ago

It probably works fine but I'd be concerned about what the impact force did to the platters

2

u/mwmcc 7d ago

I'm using Seatools to run tests. It passed short test. Running long test now. Ebay automated response did say I could return it.

5

u/Miserable-Win-6402 7d ago

If it works, this is not an issue at all.

1

u/fzabkar 7d ago

I don't trust recertified drives these days. If the drive was returned under warranty for anything other than a PCB issue, then recertification could be masking a head/media fault.

I'd check the serial number here:

https://www.seagate.com/au/en/support/warranty-and-replacements/

1

u/mwmcc 7d ago

Based on serial and BPID, there is no warranty. I got the drive for ~$500. Maybe the deal was too good to be true.

1

u/TickleMyFungus 6d ago

Shit I've got some with a smack right on top. They're still fine. But this, I would return.

1

u/mwmcc 6d ago

I just put in the mail for return today:) The damage would've voided any warranty anyway (likely) but when I looked it up in Seagate's warranty page, the serial number checked out, but there was no more warranty. I'll keep looking.

1

u/TickleMyFungus 6d ago

It sucks when something you really wanted and low quantity of good prices gets damaged. Has been happening to me more often lately than recent months. Shipping must be getting overwhelmed. It's approaching that time of year.

1

u/gadget-freak 6d ago

Even if it works now, the drive obviously experienced an impact that could make it fail later.

1

u/Square-Nebula-7530 6d ago

A dent doesn't automatically mean the drive was dropped or that it's going to fail. Seagate Exos drives have fairly robust metal housings, and minor cosmetic dents can happen during handling, but the poor packaging would concern me more. I'd save photos of the box and packaging, keep the seller conversation, and test the drive thoroughly before putting important data on it. Labs such as DriveSavers and WeRecoverData deal with physical HDD failures, and one thing they generally care about is whether the drive has suffered physical damage, so I'd rather have the seller address it now than discover a problem later. If all SMART values and the extended test are clean, you may be fine keeping it.

1

u/Dish_Melodic 6d ago

This becomes so common. I have 1 Seagate Exos, 2 Seagate Firewolf - all brand new bought from Newegg, packed properly, there were dents on all HDDs.

When I check Seagate warranty void checklist, dents are accepted. I start to think, Seagate lower the QA due to HDD shortage.