Abysmal customer service
Avoid this company’s products if possible because their customer support is non-existent and if you have a fault with one of their products you won’t be able to get it fixed.
My experience with their abysmal service is as follows. I bought a Seagate Ultra Touch 2TB HDD on 4th July from Amazon to be used for Time Machine backups of my Macbook Air.
The product worked ok for a couple of weeks, but then the disc started powering down and disconnecting every time a backup was completed, creating an error message, with no drive shown in Explorer. It then reconnected each time the next backup started, leaving my screen full of error messages, especially after overnight backups. I checked the backups when the disc was connected and fortunately, they’d been recorded successfully.
I ran the Mac Disk Utility app and it said there were no faults on the HDD. I checked the Time Machine app and there are no settings for auto disconnect.
The only support service offered by Seagate on the contacts page on their website is a webchat facility. This is accompanied by a note that says “As of June 30, 2023 our support options have changed. Please take advantage of our online chat support for a faster response or self-help options listed below.”
A fast and supportive response from their team is vapourware based on my experience.
I contacted the webchat support service and after 30 minutes, and some tests with the agent, the cable shipped with the drive was identified as faulty.
The agent then said I was being transferred to a colleague who would read my transcript and continue the call. The second agent told me that the cable was out of warranty as it was over 90 days old, even though I registered the product on the 5th July 2023!
I had to provide proof of purchase, and after another 30 mins, the agent said that I was being transferred to another colleague. However, this time I was returned to the virtual assistant and had to connect to the webchat service again!
The third agent challenged that the cable needed replacing but finally accepted it was faulty. After 30 minutes, making 1½ hours in total on the call, he checked the accessory was in stock and typed “I have requested a sales order to provide you with a new USB cable, you should be contacted in the next 24 to 48 hours with an update to the next step”.
As I felt that the process had taken far too long, and had involved far too many agents, for such a trivial issue, I asked for the email address of their customer services department so I could make a complaint – and was told there was no email address, but I could leave a comment at the end of the chat!!!!
I then asked for the address of their Head Office and after being kept waiting for another 30 minutes, and therefore wasting 2 hours of my evening, the agent disconnected!
I’ve not heard anything from Seagate since the webchat, so I’ve had to buy a replacement cable from Amazon. This is the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced, and it feels like they’re defrauding unsuspecting customers. Their website says: “We honor our people’s craftsmanship, take great pride in successfully collaborating with our partners, and care deeply about our customers and their data.” The one thing they don’t do is care deeply about their customers so avoid buying their products if possible.
August 1, 2023
Unprompted review