🚀 go-pugleaf

In mid-December I bought a CDRW Blaster 8432 (8438E) from Egghead.  About a 
month later, it bit the dust.  Called Creative tech support, got an RMA number 
for a warranty replacement.  The tech said it would take about 2 weeks to get 
a replacement drive.  Ok, I can live with that, so I send off the defective 
drive.  Now, more than a month later, there is no replacement drive in sight.  
I called Creative customer service.  The person on the other end says "It's 
backordered."  I ask, "So when are you going to get more in?"  She replies 
"there's no way of knowing."  I ask "What does that mean?  A month? A year?"  
She says "Not a year.  Maybe a month or more."  I ask "How much more?"  She 
doesn't know.

I look on Creative's web site.  Their online shopping section shows the 8432 
is in stock!  I call customer service again and ask what's up with that?  The 
customer service person says that they will try to find out and they will call 
me back.  They never call.

I get Egghead involved which is where I bought the product in the first place. 
The Egghead rep calls Creative and the answer they get is that the drives on 
Creative's web site are the "full retail version, and I only get a replacement 
drive."  They also say that it will take "several weeks" to get them in stock.

In my opinion, this is absolutely terrible service.  Just for a stinking cable 
and software CD in the "full retail version" I have to wait months to get a 
replacement for THEIR defective product.

I'd like to ask the group and anyone at Creative, is this typical, or did I 
just get stuck with bad luck?  Now I'm faced with probably having to go and 
buy another CDRW (it *won't* be Creative) just to get back up and running.  

If anyone knows the name of address of someone in Creative's management 
chain (preferably at the VP level) who is in charge of customer 
service/satisfaction, I'd love to send them a letter too!  If this is SOP, 
then Creative should make it clear to customers.  In my opinion, this amounts 
to (essentially) no warranty at all!

--HM


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