Some factual findngs about Intel's warranty in regards to OEM, Reseller, Retail models

So I purchased an OEM Intel SSD 320 for a good deal and later found out that there was a possibility it would not come with Intel's 3 year warranty. What!? So I went on a mission to find out the truth about warranty coverage as described by the very confusing and loose description on Intel's site.

First, if you don't know the difference between the usually 3 different versions (OEM, Reseller, Retail) of Intel's ssd for sale, check out this info:

http://www.silica.com/fileadmin/02_.../Intel/SSD_Product_Selection_Guide_Jan_11.pdf

I first contacted the retailer that sold me the product and I was transferred 3 times because no one knew what the warranty coverage was for the drive. After the third time, they promised me someone would get back to me within 24 hours with the info. They did get back to me the next morning and the person told me that Intel should be covering the warranty and if they didn't then I could return the product back within the 45 days allowed. What? Not very reassuring.

So I contacted Intel about warranty coverage on OEM ssds but they couldn't give me factual information without the SA# on my drive. I didn't have this number because the drive was still being shipped to me.

I received the drive and contacted Intel again with my SA#. She checked it and told me that it does come with Intel's 3 year warranty! She actually told me that my ssd 320 is the retail version. I was confused so I told her that it came in a brown box with no warranty info. And she told me:

"the SSD do not need to be registered, with just the proof of purchase you would be able to claim the warranty ( the ones that do not have a warranty through Intel(R) are the Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM) 310 mSATA SSDs)"

So all versions sold by retailers like Buy.com, Amazon, Newegg, etc including the ones labeled as OEM are considered "retail" as long as it comes in a box. The only one that is not covered by the warranty is the OEM version of the msata ssd 310 regardless of where it came from. And any OEM drives that comes from wholesalers like Lenovo, Dell, HP, Apple, etc are not covered by Intel either, whether they came in a box or installed on a system.

"if you get an SSD from Apple, or Lenovo those are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and the warranty would go through them"

Here's the whole transcript of the chat:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Intel '
Intel : Hello. Thank you for using the Intel Customer Support chat service. We are glad to be of service.
How can I help you today?
Me: Hi. I purchased a ssd drive from buy.com and they told me it comes with Intel's
3 year warranty and wanted to check for sure if it does
Me: The SA# g12345-678
Intel : Hello Dan, allow me a moment to check for you,
Intel : Thank you for waiting, the one that you are looking at is the INTEL 320 SERIES 120GB SSD, that one is a retail drive, it does have the 3 year warranty through Intel.
Me: Ok. I was just concerned because when I received the package it came in a brown box with no warranty information or anything so after asking around I heard that there was a possibility that it didn't have the warranty.
Me: How can I register my product with Intel?
Intel : the SSD do not need to be registered, with just the proof of purchase you would be able to claim the warranty (the ones that do not have a warranty through Intel(R) are the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) 310 mSATA SSDs)
Me: So all the other OEM ssd drives such as the x-25, 320, and 510 come with the warranty?
Intel : as long as they are an actual retail version you would be safe, if you get an SSD from Apple, or Lenovo those are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and the warranty would go through them,
Me: Ok. Thank you for all your help.
Intel : A pleasure assisting you, Dan,
Intel : Thank you for using chat. We value your suggestions and would appreciate it if you would take a moment to complete our survey. The survey will appear when you click "Close'' to close the chat window.
Have a nice day.
4/4/2011 Chat Window
sales.liveperson.net/hc/56727252/?cm… 1/2
4/4/2011 Chat Window
sales.liveperson.net/hc/56727252/?cm… 2/2

I hope this information was helpful.

 

Right, bare drives from retailers have always been warranted by the manufacturer at least based on my experience. That's the thing, there's "bare drives", "retail", and "OEM".

But it's always a good idea to verify if you're not sure. I just wish Intel had a way to input your serial number and check status of warranty like many other vendors do.

 

Might want to remove the name on the transcript.

Another reason why you want to buy an SSD after the fact, and not through the manufacturer.