I'm hoping to get some perspective from people who have more experience with NAS drives and RMAs than I do.

This was actually my first hard drive warranty claim, and honestly the whole experience has left me pretty discouraged.

A few things up front because I want to be fair.

I understand hard drives are extremely fragile.

Looking back, I probably should have packaged it more aggressively, such as using a rigid box with significantly more cushioning, and I also should have made sure the shipment carried a declared value matching the drive.

I'm not trying to avoid responsibility for that.

My frustration is that I relied on Seagate's published RMA instructions because I assumed they reflected an acceptable way to return a drive.

Timeline

• Purchased a brand-new Seagate IronWolf Pro.
• The drive developed a problem while still under warranty.
• Opened an RMA through Seagate.
• Followed Seagate's return instructions.
• Packaged the drive in an antistatic bag inside a bubble-wrap envelope because that was one of the options specifically listed in the instructions.
• Sent the drive back.

A few days later Seagate informed me the drive had sustained severe physical damage during transit and denied the warranty claim.

I completely understand why the warranty excludes physically damaged drives.

That's not what I'm arguing.

They advised me to pursue UPS.

I contacted UPS and learned something I wasn't aware of:

The shipment only carried $100 declared value.

So even if UPS approves the claim, I'll recover approximately $100 on a drive worth several hundred dollars.

I also asked Seagate for photos of the shipping package because I assumed UPS would want to see the condition of the package.

They told me the only evidence available is a photo of the damaged drive itself.

At this point I'm left in a situation where:

• I followed Seagate's published RMA instructions.
• The drive was allegedly damaged during transit.
• The warranty was denied because of that damage.
• UPS's maximum liability is approximately $100.
• I'm responsible for the remaining loss.

Again, I recognize there are things I would absolutely do differently now.

If I had known how much financial risk I was assuming, I would have:

• Used a rigid box with substantially more padding.
• Asked about increasing the declared value or purchasing additional shipping coverage.
• Probably gone well beyond the minimum packaging guidance.

But this was my first experience shipping a hard drive, and I relied on Seagate's published instructions because I assumed they represented an acceptable return method.

I'm currently asking Seagate if they'll consider a one-time goodwill accommodation. I'm not asking them to ignore their warranty policy.

I'm mostly posting because I'm trying to understand whether this is simply how HDD RMAs work or whether there's another avenue I should pursue.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with Seagate or another manufacturer?

I'm hoping to get some perspective from people who have more experience with NAS drives and RMAs than I do.

This was actually my first hard drive warranty claim, and honestly the whole experience has left me pretty discouraged.

A few things up front because I want to be fair.

I understand hard drives are extremely fragile.

Looking back, I probably should have packaged it more aggressively, such as using a rigid box with significantly more cushioning, and I also should have made sure the shipment carried a declared value matching the drive.

I'm not trying to avoid responsibility for that.

My frustration is that I relied on Seagate's published RMA instructions because I assumed they reflected an acceptable way to return a drive.

Timeline

• Purchased a brand-new Seagate IronWolf Pro.
• The drive developed a problem while still under warranty.
• Opened an RMA through Seagate.
• Followed Seagate's return instructions.
• Packaged the drive in an antistatic bag inside a bubble-wrap envelope because that was one of the options specifically listed in the instructions.
• Sent the drive back.

A few days later Seagate informed me the drive had sustained severe physical damage during transit and denied the warranty claim.

I completely understand why the warranty excludes physically damaged drives.

That's not what I'm arguing.

They advised me to pursue UPS.

I contacted UPS and learned something I wasn't aware of:

The shipment only carried $100 declared value.

So even if UPS approves the claim, I'll recover approximately $100 on a drive worth several hundred dollars.

I also asked Seagate for photos of the shipping package because I assumed UPS would want to see the condition of the package.

They told me the only evidence available is a photo of the damaged drive itself.

At this point I'm left in a situation where:

• I followed Seagate's published RMA instructions.
• The drive was allegedly damaged during transit.
• The warranty was denied because of that damage.
• UPS's maximum liability is approximately $100.
• I'm responsible for the remaining loss.

Again, I recognize there are things I would absolutely do differently now.

If I had known how much financial risk I was assuming, I would have:

• Used a rigid box with substantially more padding.
• Asked about increasing the declared value or purchasing additional shipping coverage.
• Probably gone well beyond the minimum packaging guidance.

But this was my first experience shipping a hard drive, and I relied on Seagate's published instructions because I assumed they represented an acceptable return method.

I'm currently asking Seagate if they'll consider a one-time goodwill accommodation. I'm not asking them to ignore their warranty policy.

I'm mostly posting because I'm trying to understand whether this is simply how HDD RMAs work or whether there's another avenue I should pursue.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with Seagate or another manufacturer?