Earlier this week, Western Digital issued a firmware update for its SanDisk Extreme Pro portable solid-state drives that were found to be critically broken after they were wiping data all by themselves. However, there is no mention of any fix for the 2TB model, which is alarming considering the company has been downplaying the issue for months while continuing to sell these drives at a steep discount.
Reports suggest that the 4TB model was still on sale and was not actually being recalled, despite evidence of its issues. The situation became serious when reports emerged of the 4TB model disappearing video clips. It was discovered that the files had started disappearing one by one when the user attempted to add them back into the system. When the customer support agent was contacted for help, they revealed that the 4TB model was being recalled. The user managed to work out a deal to swap it for a pair of 2TB units instead.
Unfortunately, the 2TB model may be susceptible to the issue as well. Lee Hutchinson, editor at Ars Technica, reported having two of the 2TB Extreme Pros die on him, with their entire file system wiped. There have been similar complaints online, indicating a widespread problem that Western Digital has tried to hide.
The issue is more serious when you consider the company’s misleading actions. It is not right for a tech company to sell such a product despite knowing it has problems and to offer a steep discount without fixing the issues first. When contacted about the issue in March, the company told the press that only a small number of reports had been filed and that they were actively investigating it. This response clearly shows that Western Digital was trying to downplay the problem.
The situation has become concerning, and the company should take immediate action to fix it. Selling discounted, faulty products and making efforts to cover up the issue is unethical and unprofessional.
A tweet from Vjeran Pavic, the supervising producer at Verge, warned customers of the issue. Upon noticing that Western Digital had started putting the drives on deep discount, he tweeted a warning to followers. He also reported that the company had put the drives on sale, despite knowing about their issues.
At this point, customers should not buy this drive without independent third-party testing to ensure that the problem is resolved. It’s important for buyers to research and ensure that the product they are purchasing is of good quality and safe to use. The company must take responsibility and be transparent about the issues with its product.
In conclusion, Western Digital must take steps to rectify the situation. It is unacceptable for a technology company to continue selling a product that it knows is faulty, and efforts must be made to correct the situation and regain customer trust. Only then can Western Digital hope to restore its reputation and continue to operate in the industry.
