Memory vendor under fire for imposing hefty 15% depreciation fee on returns despite skyrocketing RAM value — user expected RMA replacement but gets hit with a loss instead

A Reddit user posted in the PCMR subreddit to complain about the RMA process for their broken Silicon Power RAM. According to u/permanentlytemporary, they had a problem with the 2x8GB RAM sticks, which they bought for $54.97. However, Silicon Power reportedly charged the user a 15% depreciation fee. While they did not mention when they bought the memory modules, the purchase price indicates this was before the memory shortage gripped the industry, likely in the third quarter of last year.

Given the state of the RAM market, the user was hoping for a replacement — it’s unclear what happened after the company received the RAM kit, but Silicon Power reportedly decided to refund the client instead. Unfortunately, the refund is based on the client’s purchase price, not on the kit's current price. With the 16GB (2x8GB) Silicon Power DDR4-3200 RAM kit now priced at $140.97 on Amazon, the Redditor would have to shell out more than 2.5 times the original cost of the RAM. To add insult to injury, Silicon Power slapped the Redditor with a 15% depreciation fee, meaning they’ll only receive $46.72.

Unfortunately, the depreciation fee follows the company’s policy, which states, “If a product is confirmed to be defective under this (sic) our Limited Warranty, we will, at our sole discretion, provide one of the following remedies… A partial refund of the original purchase price. Any refund amount shall be determined by us based on factors including, but not limited to, product availability, length of product use, the extent of damage, or other reasonable business considerations. Cash refunds equal to the original purchase amount are not guaranteed.”

Two other remedies include a full replacement of the defective product or a full refund of the original purchase price, but it’s unclear why Silicon Power did not choose either.

The Redditor has said they’ve already bought replacement RAM, so this move won't keep them from using their PC. However, they said that they were disappointed with the response, especially given that the refund amount will not even buy one 8GB Silicon Power DDR4-3200 stick, which costs $69.97 on Amazon. In the end, the user probably has no choice but to accept this deal to avoid the hassle of dealing with the company’s RMA system again, which they said “felt like it was from 2002.”

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