SK hynix is defaulting to purchase-price refunds for failed SSDs after running out of replacement stock, leaving owners shortchanged as drive prices double.
Tom’s Hardware reports that the company’s warranty service now tells customers with defective drives that no replacement units are available, so it will refund the original purchase price instead. With SSD prices roughly doubling over the past year, that refund buys far less storage than the drive being returned.
The policy leans on a fine-print clause in SK hynix’s warranty terms that permits a refund when replacements are unavailable. Consumer complaints describe wait times stretching for months before the refund offer arrives.
The move echoes a broader pattern across the memory industry. Samsung has faced legal threats over similar SSD refund offers, and Micron’s Crucial brand drew criticism in August for reimbursing customers at original MSRP after RAM prices surged. As AI demand absorbs manufacturing capacity, replacement inventories at every major maker have thinned.
SK hynix has not commented on the reports. Regulators in South Korea and elsewhere have been watching warranty practices closely as memory prices hit record highs.
