OWC SSD "Upgrade" 2012 Macbook Air - Buyer Beware

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by Medic

What do you think Apple's return policy is like? From my experience OWC are more speedy and fair in refunding than Apple itself!

I've had nothing but exceptional service from Apple, before and after purchases. Apple has never questioned a return that I've requested and has always processed the credit within a couple of days.

I've never purchased anything from OWC (may never after following this thread), but the OP reported excessive delays, denials, and resistance from OWC before he was able to return his SSD. I think that even OWC-Grant would acknowledge that is unacceptable customer service.

[adcurtin]

now that I have my stuff patched together enough to at least work, here are some speed tests: http://imgur.com/a/JlH22

The first is my stock 2010 Air drive.

The second is my stock 2012 Air drive (tested over USB3, but didn't see much / any change in speed from internal).

and the third is the OWC drive.

Write speed improved, but only a little bit. Read speed almost doubled though, that's a worthy upgrade.


I still gotta recommend not buying this until the issues are fixed, though.

[OWC Grant]

Originally Posted by adcurtin

I just got my SSD and envoy today. Verdict: STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT. Both the SSD and the Envoy had / have issues, and not just QC issues, but design issues. I will update with further info when I get home and do some more diagnosis. I have also email OWC to tell them to pull the product (fat chance, but they need to).

Dear adcurtin:

We are indeed sorry to hear of your experience. It is disappointing for everyone when things don't work out as planned.

I'll break down the two topics separately so the explanations and resolutions are clear.

On the Aura Pro fit concern, we took a new from inventory Aura Pro SSD for the 2012 MacBook Air and installed it into one of our machines to replicate a current, in the field install. As the attached picture #4572 shows, it does indeed fit.

As the next picture (#4574) shows, if the SSD module is not pushed completely into the Air's drive connector, the Aura module will appear to be too long as you and several forum members have experienced.

To visual confirm proper board length relative to the connector, we placed the Aura module on top of the connector and the attached picture #4576 shows everything lines up and should fit properly.

But regardless of it working here, if our customers are not satisfied with the fit, we have taken immediate steps to provide additional clearance of the Aura Pro module so that any installation difficulties of a tight fit are alleviated.

On the Envoy design, when the case is not closed and properly tightened down by the two screws, it does appear - and as our picture #4582 shows - the resistors could make contact with the Envoy housing right where the mylar insulation strip ends.

What's not apparent is that the internal posts of the housing create a lift of the board when the two halves of the enclosure are assembled and fastened together. It is impossible to provide an internal picture of such. However, to prevent any concern over the resistors touching, even if the Envoy is used outside of its expected assembly requirements, we are installing additional mylar insulation to the housing to alleviate any concerns of resistor contact. It is worth noting the 2012 Envoy design is nearly identical to the 2010-2011 design which has had thousands shipped without a return related to this concern. Additionally, we just began shipping the 2012 Envoy two weeks ago and have not to date had one returned. Again, though, customer satisfaction and confidence are our primary objective and we feel this additional insulation resolves the matter.

We do greatly appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention and trust our immediate consideration and modifications meet with your satisfaction. I understand our customer service team is working directly with you to ensure your complete satisfaction.

Sincerely,

OWC Grant

[OWC Grant]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

I've had nothing but exceptional service from Apple, before and after purchases. Apple has never questioned a return that I've requested and has always processed the credit within a couple of days.

I've never purchased anything from OWC (may never after following this thread), but the OP reported excessive delays, denials, and resistance from OWC before he was able to return his SSD. I think that even OWC-Grant would acknowledge that is unacceptable customer service.

Hi ScottJ:

If you read my original and first post on this thread, not sure where there was any "delay, denial, resistance from OWC":

"We're sorry for the experience you had, mediacomposer. We did try reaching out to you directly via phone and email, but our contacts went unanswered.

On 10/10, we did issue a credit for the remaining balance and thus you have received back 100% of your purchase and shipping expenditure."

Not sure how any better resolution could have been achieved. Sometimes there is just going to be a delay for unforeseen circumstances on either party's behalf that prevents an immediate conclusion. We do try to certainly provide and are sensitive to the need for immediacy, but sometimes there is some investigation on the matter that needs to occur. To be sure though, we'll communicate nearly immediately if contacted directly via email, live chat or our 800#. Trouble with social media, forums, and the like are that those forms of communication are not direct and while we'd like to monitor all sources for any OWC mention, that truly wouldn't serve our customers as promptly as a direct contact does.

I do invite you, ScottJ, to try us out. We're just entering into our 25th year of operation and have earned the trust and loyalty of customers around the world that are still with us from those earliest days.

Take care!

OWC Grant

[adcurtin]

Originally Posted by OWC Grant

On the Aura Pro fit concern, we took a new from inventory Aura Pro SSD for the 2012 MacBook Air and installed it into one of our machines to replicate a current, in the field install. As the attached picture #4572 shows, it does indeed fit.

As the next picture (#4574) shows, if the SSD module is not pushed completely into the Air's drive connector, the Aura module will appear to be too long as you and several forum members have experienced.

To visual confirm proper board length relative to the connector, we placed the Aura module on top of the connector and the attached picture #4576 shows everything lines up and should fit properly.

Ok, so you tested a single drive and it fit. I tested a single drive and it didn't. A sample size of 1 is not a large enough sample for you to say they're all OK.

But, beside that point, no, mine did not fit. I placed mine on top of the connector as well, and it looked like it would fit (there is no way you can eyeball a 1mm difference over the 6cm? length of the SSD). Also, I checked from the part where the connect meets the rest of the PCB (the little shoulder thing) butted up against the connector in the computer, and the other end of the SSD cleared the battery. No eyeballing there, and that supports my theory that the v-groove on the end of the connector is the primary issue.

This is not the first time in this thread you have come in here saying everything is OK, when it clearly is not.

Originally Posted by OWC Grant

On the Envoy design, when the case is not closed and properly tightened down by the two screws, it does appear - and as our picture #4582 shows - the resistors could make contact with the Envoy housing right where the mylar insulation strip ends.

What's not apparent is that the internal posts of the housing create a lift of the board when the two halves of the enclosure are assembled and fastened together. It is impossible to provide an internal picture of such. However, to prevent any concern over the resistors touching, even if the Envoy is used outside of its expected assembly requirements, we are installing additional mylar insulation to the housing to alleviate any concerns of resistor contact. It is worth noting the 2012 Envoy design is nearly identical to the 2010-2011 design which has had thousands shipped without a return related to this concern. Additionally, we just began shipping the 2012 Envoy two weeks ago and have not to date had one returned. Again, though, customer satisfaction and confidence are our primary objective and we feel this additional insulation resolves the matter.

OK, this is where you piss me off. That is a flat out lie. A few of that, actually. First, an easy one: you did not begin shipping the 2012 Envoy two weeks ago. I ordered it the first day I saw it was available, which was the 23rd of Dec. I was checking fairly often, I know it was not available on the 21st of Dec. That's 1 week ago, and you weren't shipping it then. (here's a comment from OWC Michael on the blog that proves it wasn't for sale on the 19th: http://blog.macsales.com/14528-owc-a...#comment-61965 ) Lie number 1.

second, those are capactiors, not resistors. You don't have 2 large resistors like that from 3v3 to ground. I called them capacitors, but you somehow switched to resistors? Why? Do you know what you are talking about?

Third, those capacitors missed the insulation by a couple mm. It's not a small thing. If you look at the pictures I posted, you can see the insulation is barely wide enough to even span between the two capacitors, and doesn't even cover all of them (you can see this in your picture). But it was off by a couple mm in the other direction (the long dimension of the case).

The second lie is that my screws weren't tight enough. (If I had gone any tighter, I probably would've stripped the screws or screwdriver, because of the relatively large size tolerances of at least one of those) Look at how the board mounts: the board is on angle, and when you put the cover on, it pushes those caps toward the housing (because of how the SSD is mounted).

The additional insulation does not resolve the matter, that is my crappy stopgap solution that I can do in 30 seconds so my drive at least works minimally. That is not a professional solution by any means.

I have now caught you in a solid lie. I found a significant problem with your product, and you try to blame me for not being able to put it together right. You can't even fully admit the problem is OWC's fault. Shame on you.

Originally Posted by OWC Grant

We're just entering into our 25th year of operation and have earned the trust and loyalty of customers around the world that are still with us from those earliest days.

You keep saying that, but you aren't really backing that up in this thread.

This is not how you do PR. You do not lie to customers, ever. You do not blame the customer for your own faults.

DO NOT LIE TO THE USERS OF THIS FORUM AND TO ME.

[OWC Grant]

Originally Posted by adcurtin

Ok, so you tested a single drive and it fit. I tested a single drive and it didn't. A sample size of 1 is not a large enough sample for you to say they're all OK.

DO NOT LIE TO THE USERS OF THIS FORUM AND TO ME.

Unfortunately and with my apologizes, I did mis-state the ship date in my haste to reply to you promptly. We invoiced our first Envoy for the 2012 MBA on 12/20. With the holiday, it does feel like two weeks went by when it's truthfully been eight days.

Our reply and pictures about the Aura fit speak for themselves as does our promise to provide additional clearance to resolve any fit concerns.

And right you are, those contact points on the Envoy are actually ceramic capacitors and not resistors. I do apologize for the terminology mix up. But again, the resolution we've proposed...and to be clear....the mylar insulation will cover the width area as well, thus preventing any possibility of those capacitors from making contact with the metal housing.

The rest of your reply, honestly, don't know how we can reply to such. You were not accused of anything, were complimented in bringing this to our attention, and were given prompt feedback as to how we're immediately addressing these two concerns.

Again, as I stated earlier, I understand you are working with our customer service team directly and if you still have concerns over either product, we will gladly refund your money.

[adcurtin]

Originally Posted by OWC Grant

On the Envoy design, when the case is not closed and properly tightened down by the two screws, it does appear - and as our picture #4582 shows - the resistors could make contact with the Envoy housing right where the mylar insulation strip ends.

That's not technically asscusing me of anything, but you are trying to imply that the screws weren't properly tightened down.

Keep in mind I had this issue with a fully closed and screwed together case.


Here is another picture: http://i.imgur.com/yYQSR.jpg

That's of my electrical tape solution after 1 day. You can clearly see the indentations from the capacitors on it (on the left there are 2, you get both ends of the cap. On the right, there's just one, and that's only the 3v3 side of the cap).

You can see that there is a fair amount of pressure on that when the whole thing is closed up and screwed down properly, and how easy it would be for those caps to touch the metal housing when it is screwed down properly. This is why simply adding insulation (and the mylar insulation in there is thicker and less flexible than the electrical tape I used) is not a sufficient solution.

Also, I have no doubts that you can put in mylar wide enough, I was saying that the mylar that is currently in mine is not wide enough to cover both capacitors entirely

I feel that the pictures I posted of the Aura not fitting speak for themselves. I regret that I didn't take a picture of the full SSD, to clearly show that the connector was pushed in all the way, but I can assure you that it was.


I understand that you want to get this fixed as fast as possible, but you also need to fix it properly. To be honest, I'm amazed no one has had this issue before, with the older envoy enclosures. Maybe the PCB layout was different in those (the connector for the SSD itself is different, isn't it? It's not compatible with the older ones).


Lay me clear some things up for you: I am upset that I had these issues in the first place, but that is forgivable if they are properly handled. I understand that mistakes happen, and it's a normal part of business. I can get over this part

However, what is really unacceptable is refusing to admit there is a problem (with the SSDs), or trying to make excuses for the problem, or justify it. This looks shady, and casts significant doubt upon my trust of OWC, and the likelihood of me returning as a customer.

If this was handles properly, that would increase the likelihood of me returning as a customer, because I know that if there are any issues, they will be handled appropriately. In saying this, I highly doubt I speak for just myself. Others in this thread have expressed dissatisfaction with the way you have handled this.


One last question: Will you still be willing to refund my money in a year or a few if this Envoy breaks due to the excess strain on the components?

This is an SSD enclosure, as in no moving parts. It's got USB3, so it'll be reasonably fast for a long time. I fully expect this product to have a useful life of 10 years.

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by OWC Grant

Hi ScottJ:

If you read my original and first post on this thread, not sure where there was any "delay, denial, resistance from OWC":

"We're sorry for the experience you had, mediacomposer. We did try reaching out to you directly via phone and email, but our contacts went unanswered.

On 10/10, we did issue a credit for the remaining balance and thus you have received back 100% of your purchase and shipping expenditure."

Not sure how any better resolution could have been achieved. Sometimes there is just going to be a delay for unforeseen circumstances on either party's behalf that prevents an immediate conclusion. We do try to certainly provide and are sensitive to the need for immediacy, but sometimes there is some investigation on the matter that needs to occur. To be sure though, we'll communicate nearly immediately if contacted directly via email, live chat or our 800#. Trouble with social media, forums, and the like are that those forms of communication are not direct and while we'd like to monitor all sources for any OWC mention, that truly wouldn't serve our customers as promptly as a direct contact does.

I do invite you, ScottJ, to try us out. We're just entering into our 25th year of operation and have earned the trust and loyalty of customers around the world that are still with us from those earliest days.

Take care!

OWC Grant

I was responding to another poster's claim that OWC is more speedy in issuing refunds than Apple. I said that I'd always had exceptional customer service from Apple. I said that I'd never purchased anything from OWC, but that the OP (not you) had reported excessive delays, denials, and resistance from OWC.

Delays. I don't know the details of the OP's experience other than his report that he initially had received a partial refund for his SSD purchased at least 3 weeks prior to his 10/1 post. Five weeks later, you posted that he'd been issued a full refund as of 10/10. Why the delay in issuing the full refund?

Denials. The OP reported that he'd posted negative comments regarding the drive on your web site, but his comments had never been published. I just checked and the drives, after all the comments posted in this thread, STILL have a perfect 5-star rating. Why continue to deny that there have been problems with these drives?

Resistance. The OP reported that he initially received a refund of only $130 of his initial $170 purchase price, AND he Had to pay return shipping. The interesting thing is that the only reason why he posted the initial message in this thread is that his review on OWC's web site was never posted. Why resist the free exchange of concerns?

[iMacC2D]

Originally Posted by Johnny Alien

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the Toshiba SSD using Sandforce? The one that is stock in tons of MBA's? I have a Toshiba drive and have had no difficulties at all. Especially not full on failures such as you had.

In Apple's service channels, the Toshiba / SandForce Driven SSD is more likely to fail than the Samsung unit, which uses a proprietary controller developed by Samsung and is most commonly used in their 830 line. The Toshiba will begin throwing unrepairable errors or simply fail to detect entire, necessitating a replacement of the SSD.

I opted for a Samsung SSD (which meant purchasing 256GB or larger) when I configured my MacBook Air for this reason. That and the extra capacity certainly helps.

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by iMacC2D

In Apple's service channels, the Toshiba / SandForce Driven SSD is more likely to fail than the Samsung unit, which uses a proprietary controller developed by Samsung and is most commonly used in their 830 line. The Toshiba will begin throwing unrepairable errors or simply fail to detect entire, necessitating a replacement of the SSD.

I opted for a Samsung SSD (which meant purchasing 256GB or larger) when I configured my MacBook Air for this reason. That and the extra capacity certainly helps.

You have a source for this? I have not seen one, single report of a 2012 MBA Toshiba SSD failure.

I am not particularly a Sandforce fan either, but the OEM Toshiba used by Apple seems to be stable.

[cgk.emu]

Originally Posted by OWC Grant

I think its important to clarify not fitting versus tight fit. Since some time has lapsed since first replying to this thread, only 10 modules have been returned to us as not being able to fit. Of those, upon investigation, only 2 were deemed to be too thick to fit regardless of pressure used to install. Hope you can appreciate can't divulge the number sold for business reasons...but just two is an incredibly low number to be deemed truly defective based on physical characteristics.

With any custom designed module, there is going to be +/- variances. This is not a matter of deficient QC...this a matter of expectations for a fit that perhaps are unfounded.

Regarding the worry about damaging machine by applying too much pressure during module install...can only share what we know...in that we have not done such ourselves nor been informed of such out in the field.

Come on guys....from day one nearly 25 years ago, OWC has been about honesty, integrity, transparency. Not likely at this stage we're going to offer a product that will damage your machine.

Can I say 100% of all Auras will fit? Can't based on production variances. But can say for certain that we're QCing these even more so to prevent even those two referenced above from getting into a customer's hands.

Hope those with an MBA will have have some faith and try an Aura. It IS after all, the ONLY internal upgrade you can make! For whatever reason, the various media reviewers (which we DON'T advertise with) have had no trouble or concerns fitting the Aura module in. Some have stated it's a tight fit...but moved on from such and successfully tested and compared to the factory flash module.

Dunno what more I can say to assuage your concerns. Hope this resolves the issue.

Thanks!

It's unfortunate OWC has to defend themselves on a forum like MR. I've been lurking for years (since 2005), and this group is notoriously loud mouthed about things that either don't matter, are unrealistic, or is clearly the posters fault. Any product is going to have some number of defective units. I don't think users as a whole appreciate what goes into mass producing a product. I've been using OWC for years, never one problem. True story: I bought a Radeon 5870 for my Mac Pro. The fan started to go on it. I contacted OWC just to see what we could do...they sent an entirely new graphics card to me in 3 days. That's customer service. Okay, okay, there are going to be some trolls out there claiming I'm affiliated with OWC or something, yeah right. Go check my previous posts. Not a word about them, and lots of negative feedback from...ahem...less enlightened tech users than I when I call them out for being ridiculous, but I suppose that's off topic. Bottom line, OWC is a very reputable company with nothing short of stellar products and service. If you have a REAL issue, they'll solve it. Have a phone conversation with them, they are pleasant and don't waste your time. I have a sneaking suspicion that those claiming to get nothing but grief from them aren't telling us the whole story.

----------

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Why continue to deny that there have been problems with these drives?

You know nothing of statistics, do you? Out of hundreds of thousands of units, a couple get sent back...the percentage impact on the rating is insanely tiny. It'll still show 5/5. It would take many thousands of negative ratings to drop the score. So...math classes are in your future?

[throAU]

Originally Posted by cgk.emu

It's unfortunate OWC has to defend themselves on a forum like MR. I've been lurking for years (since 2005), and this group is notoriously loud mouthed about things that either don't matter, are unrealistic, or is clearly the posters fault.

Whilst I agree that this place can be filled with whiners at times, imho this thread is not an example of that.

Several users have reported real problems, and posted pics of said problems, posted potential solutions to problems with the OWC supplied hardware and still, OWC has yet to acknowledge there is an actual problem.

Looks like a QC problem on the SSDs to me.

As to the external enclosure, i'd agree that it has a serious design problem. And it's not like it is limited for space - it is an external enclosure....

[adcurtin]

Originally Posted by cgk.emu

lots of negative feedback from...ahem...less enlightened tech users than I when I call them out for being ridiculous, but I suppose that's off topic.

I would think I have clearly demonstrated that I an not "less enlightened". I posted a video showing one of the issues, and pictures of all of them. I completely explained all the issues, and even why they are issues. This is pretty solid evidence. Yet you come in here and claim nothing is wrong, sounds just like OWC to me.

You had a good experience with OWC, 3 years ago. No one in this thread said OWC customer service is always terrible. We're saying it's not always the best (though I'm not really saying that, the customer service seems alright to me). Also, a lot can change in 3 years (not saying it has, but saying it can).

The big issue I have here is with the product not being quite right, and them refusing to admit there are issues (they admitted a single issue), and refusing to properly fix the issues.

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by cgk.emu

You know nothing of statistics, do you? Out of hundreds of thousands of units, a couple get sent back...the percentage impact on the rating is insanely tiny. It'll still show 5/5. It would take many thousands of negative ratings to drop the score. So...math classes are in your future?

Let's see... OWC shows the drives as having a 5 star rating based on 2 reviews (one based on a 5-star review of the 180 GB product and one based on a 5-star review of the 240 GB product). Assuming the OP had submitted a 0 star rating in his review, this would have resulted in a total score of 10 stars. (That's 5+5+0 stars) This should have produced a rating of 3.33 stars. (That's 10 stars / 3 reviews.) Instead, OWC refused to post the OP's feedback, leaving the feedback rating at 5 stars. That's a difference of 33.3%. ( (5 - 3.33) / 5). Statistics not needed - only simple algebra.

[adcurtin]

I just submitted a review for http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDAP2A6K240/

which currently has no reviews. We'll see if it shows up.

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Let's see... OWC shows the drives as having a 5 star rating based on 2 reviews (one based on a 5-star review of the 180 GB product and one based on a 5-star review of the 240 GB product). Assuming the OP had submitted a 0 star rating in his review, this would have resulted in a total score of 10 stars. (That's 5+5+0 stars) This should have produced a rating of 3.33 stars. (That's 10 stars / 3 reviews.) Instead, OWC refused to post the OP's feedback, leaving the feedback rating at 5 stars. That's a difference of 33.3%. ( (5 - 3.33) / 5). Statistics not needed - only simple algebra.

Update: OWC has recently authorized a third 5-star review (apparently not the OP's review, however), so the math has changed. Assuming that there are a total of four reviews (three published 5-star reviews and one unpublished 0-star review), the current rating should now be 3.75 stars rather than 5 stars. This is a difference of 25%. Again, no statistics, no magic - only simple algebra.

[Miat]

An alternative to the Envoy enclosure. (Only for the 2012 Air SSD, and I have no idea of its quality, etc):

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/17-7-pins...#ht_500wt_1314

[OWC Grant]

Originally Posted by adcurtin

I just submitted a review for http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDAP2A6K240/

which currently has no reviews. We'll see if it shows up.

Unfortunately, you did not follow the listed rules/guidelines for posting a review on our site. We do not allow external links to be posted in a review to protect a viewer in the event the link changes, contains objectionable content. etc. Many sites, forums, etc. require such.

We certainly welcome you to resubmit your review provided it follows those guidelines

Additionally, as I have stated now three times in this thread, the OP's review was not posted on our site because it specifically stated the fix to any tight fit was to modify the internal structure of the MacBook Air. By approving that comment, it could be misinterpreted that we endorsed such a modification.

To ScottJ...please go back to the beginning of this thread and see that I did reply to your concern of "denial" and "resistance" early and now here. Free exchange of ideas we wholeheartedly support. We cannot appear to support any modification to an Apple device that we haven't test proven and offer ourselves (like our Turnkey iMac program and new model DIY kit for examples)

----------

Originally Posted by ScottJ

I was responding to another poster's claim that OWC is more speedy in issuing refunds than Apple. I said that I'd always had exceptional customer service from Apple. I said that I'd never purchased anything from OWC, but that the OP (not you) had reported excessive delays, denials, and resistance from OWC.

Delays. I don't know the details of the OP's experience other than his report that he initially had received a partial refund for his SSD purchased at least 3 weeks prior to his 10/1 post. Five weeks later, you posted that he'd been issued a full refund as of 10/10. Why the delay in issuing the full refund?

Denials. The OP reported that he'd posted negative comments regarding the drive on your web site, but his comments had never been published. I just checked and the drives, after all the comments posted in this thread, STILL have a perfect 5-star rating. Why continue to deny that there have been problems with these drives?

Resistance. The OP reported that he initially received a refund of only $130 of his initial $170 purchase price, AND he Had to pay return shipping. The interesting thing is that the only reason why he posted the initial message in this thread is that his review on OWC's web site was never posted. Why resist the free exchange of concerns?

Dear ScottJ,

Thank you sincerely for your honest feedback.
We could certainly understand how you feel and we are very sorry if we have caused you any frustration.

To clarify on the original post, the OP sent an e-mail to OWC on 9/10/12 advising of their drive speed issue and fit and for a request for a return.
Our customer service team processed the request on that same day (9/10/12).
Our support team acted quickly and within 24 hours of the original e-mail.

There were no delays in our actions and as far as we know, the OP had no problems in returning their unit in a timely fashion.

The product was received back to OWC on 9/12/12. Testing of the returned product was completed on 9/12/12. The unit passed tests.

A restocking fee was applied as standard in these type of situations. No other contact from the OP was received.

On 10/08/12, OWC was first made aware of the OP's concerns via this forum. Understanding the OP's dissatisfaction, our support team responded and reached out to the OP that same day.
No response was received. Also, our support team attempted to contact the OP on the next day with no success.
At this point, a full refund was processed for the customer on 10/08/12. A detailed e-mail was sent to the OP.

I can assure you that our customers overall satisfaction is our number one goal. OWC understands that sometimes things do not go as intended. Our support team is here to assist and always very happy to do so. If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Robert Boris
OWC Call Center Manager
rboris@macsales.com
815-333-5098

[184550]

Rather incredulous that OWC would take the time to respond to someone who admittedly hasn't purchased (and thus not returned) anything through OWC.

But I'm sure this special someone will find something wrong with the actions of the above.

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by NathanMuir

Rather incredulous that OWC would take the time to respond to someone who admittedly hasn't purchased (and thus not returned) anything through OWC.

But I'm sure this special someone will find something wrong with the actions of the above.

Thank you for calling me a special someone, but no - I don't have a problem with OWC Grant's post. It's clear that OWC values their special relationships that they've developed with customers over the past 25 years. They've invited me to try them out, and I just may do that - though probably not with this product.

Even though it sounds as if they've increased the SSD clearance (haven't heard from any end users on the new clearance yet) the price point for the drive doesn't work for me. Because of the initial posts on this thread, I ordered a MBA with a larger SSD straight off the bat rather than upgrading the drive later with an OWC drive.

OWC should be commended for coming on this forum to respond to customer (as well as former and potential future customer) concerns. That says a LOT about the company.

[adcurtin]

This time I only linked to my youtube video, which is suggested in the review page. It would have been nice to have a warning or something if there were links in the text box, but there is a box to the right that says no links.

Also, I would like to clarify that I have not had any issues with OWCs customer service at all. They have been responsive and quick. I asked about the warranty on the Envoy, and they have extended mine to 3 years. I feel that even though the design of the Envoy isn't the best, if it's gonna break, it'll likely do it in the first 3 years (or at least show significant signs of future breakage).


Lastly, as I said in my review, now that everything is working, it's rather nice. The external SSD is really fast over usb3. I copied 7.3GB of data, and the first estimate finder gave was "under a minute remaining". It probably took less than 45 seconds. This made me realize how ridiculously slow USB2 is.

edit: one more question: Grant, when you tested the SSD for fit, did you try multiple airs, and multiple SSDs? I wouldn't be surprised if there were small differences in the size of the airs as well. If I can find my calipers, I can measure both the SSD and the distance from the connector to the battery housing, to see if my air has tighter dimensions than others.

[Edge]

Originally Posted by adcurtin

DO NOT LIE TO THE USERS OF THIS FORUM AND TO ME.

I have dealt with OWC (having items shipped from Australia) since the late '90s and have never had a problem with their customer service. Even when I received an SSD with issues, their chat service immediately helped me work through the possible solutions. My 15 years of regular custom says a great deal more than your pathetic, argumentative, disagreeable whining.

You, adcurtin, are exactly the kind of customer no business should ever want. It would not matter how well they responded, or how quickly, as all you want is to be a rude, nitpicking disgrace.

Show some class.

[adcurtin]

Originally Posted by Edge

I have dealt with OWC (having items shipped from Australia) since the late '90s and have never had a problem with their customer service. Even when I received an SSD with issues, their chat service immediately helped me work through the possible solutions. My 15 years of regular custom says a great deal more than your pathetic, argumentative, disagreeable whining.

You, adcurtin, are exactly the kind of customer no business should ever want. It would not matter how well they responded, or how quickly, as all you want is to be a rude, nitpicking disgrace.

Show some class.

Se because you have never personally had problems, no problems can exist? Also, I have repeatedly said that I have not had any issues with customer support. Your post has a very strong "I am better than you" attitude.

I, and others in this thread, have shown proof of our issues, and offered to help. I admittedly didn't do it in the best way possible, but I was also rather upset (and rather justifiably) that my brand new enclosure **sparked** multiple times when I plugged it in. It could have fried my almost brand new laptop's USB port, the original SSD, or done other damage. Look at my most recent post: I offered to do some more investigating to help them, and determine exactly what is causing the issue with the SSD. Grant continues to deny that there is an issue with the SSD and it fitting into computers. I would classify that as a lie, given the evidence in this thread.

They extended the warranty on my Envoy, which seems rather fair to me. It's not all the fixes that I wanted, but it's probably the best I'm gonna get (and honestly if any issues are going to arise in the lifetime of the product, there will likely be at least some sign in the 3 years). Their customer service has been excellent throughout this whole ordeal, and this last bit is enough to satisfy me. Would I recommend this product to a friend? Only with a lot of caveats and forewarning, and only to a semi technical friend. Would I recommend OWC to a friend? Probably.

I would suggest you take your own advice, and show some class yourself. Your post doesn't really contribute anything to the conversation, other than your condescension.

[willgreene99]

I just ordered the 480GB replacement SSD for my 2012 11" Air. The expected ship date is sometime after the 6th or 7th. I'll update when I receive it and take some photo's to show the installation. I'm hoping to have a good experience since I need the extra space. The performance boost is a plus.

[Rob.G]

Originally Posted by willgreene99

I just ordered the 480GB replacement SSD for my 2012 11" Air. The expected ship date is sometime after the 6th or 7th. I'll update when I receive it and take some photo's to show the installation. I'm hoping to have a good experience since I need the extra space. The performance boost is a plus.

I look forward to your writeup about it.

I'm holding out ordering one til the 2013's specs are out. If there's a minimal improvement as I expect (CPU only), I will likely keep this one and put the bigger SSD in it. I just wish OWC would do a 512gb version instead of 480.

Rob