Recently, Hong Kong tech media outlet HKEPC received a complaint from a consumer, Mr. Cai. He had purchased a Toshiba 16TB high-capacity hard drive, which subsequently malfunctioned and could not be used as intended. When Mr. Cai sought warranty replacement or refund services from the Hong Kong agent, Kwong Yuen Hong, he was informed that a replacement was not possible and that only a refund at the original purchase price would be offered.

Mr. Li, who is in charge of Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) affairs at Kwong Yuen Hong, clarified that the authority to process warranties rests with the original manufacturer. Agents, such as Kwong Yuen Hong, can only submit relevant materials for authorization, with the final decision being made by the manufacturer.

Mr. Li further revealed that Toshiba's original warranty policy underwent adjustments at the end of March this year. Initially, the policy of refunding at the original price was applied only to specific high-capacity models, while most other models were still eligible for replacement. However, over the past two weeks, the vast majority of RMA applications have been forcibly converted to refunds at the original purchase price.

Mr. Li stated that agents are even more reluctant than consumers to proceed with refunds. This is because refunds mean returning the sales profits earned that year. Moreover, given that current hard drive prices have surged to two to three times their original levels, refunding only the original purchase price would severely tarnish the agent's reputation.