Ativa - DVD Drive / Defective drive
Ativa - www.ativaproducts.com
On 5/15/07 I bought one of the Office Depot Ativa private brand internal lightscribe DVD Burners ( item 198098).
On 7/10/07 the drive stopped working. I called Ativa for support on the drive. After going through troubleshooting steps with the service representative it was determined that the drive was defective, and I would be sent a refund for the cost of purchase after sending them by fax a copy of my receipt. I was assigned a case number of 68846.
I asked the representative what I should do with the drive, did they need the drive returned? He said "I can do what ever I want with the drive." Since the drive didn't work, I discarded it.
I faxed my receipt (order #[protected]) to Ativa on 7/10/07. Confirmed with them that they got it, and I was told to expect a refund a few weeks.
I called on 7/30/07 to inquire on the status, and was told there was backlog, and it would take another 4 weeks. I called on 8/30/07. and was told it would be two more weeks. I called 9/10, and was told it would be another week.
On 9/25/07 I received a call from "Lori" who said she was in the legal department. She told me my claim was denied because refunds can only by issued by Office Depot, and that the drive can only be exchanged. Lori stated that the CSR didn't follow proper procedure, and that Ativa would not honor the verbal contract that the CSR made.
Since "all Ativa products are sold exclusively through Office Depot stores."* I feel that Office Depot shares liability for selling poor quality products made by a a company that obviously has poor quality control, poor staff training, and poor managerial oversight.
I would like a refund for the $81.18 we wasted on this drive, and Office Depot should really consider the damage that Ativa will do to the Office Depot brand image, since Lori let slip that she is calling MANY customers to tell them they are not getting refunds.
I have shared my issues with Office Depot's Ativa products and support with my peers in the information technology industry.
* http://www.ativaproducts.com/about.html
Sincerely,
Brad Falk
Date
Truth of the matter is that the drive you purchased is made by Philips. It is a Lite-On Drive, the same OEM parts found in MANY off shelf computers you purchase.
I have a very similar story to the original poster's. I bought the drive at Office Depot a year ago and it just died. My only consolation is that I paid only $50 for the drive and proceeded to burn over 600 movies, er, I mean blank dvd-r's in the span of a year. I suppose it goes to prove that you get what you pay for. I just shelled out a bit more and got a Pioneer burner. We'll see if money buys longevity! Cheers.