Custom flash drives are a great way to showcase your business and help brand your company’s image, but only if you get quality products. CFGear, an industry leader in custom flash drives, warns consumers against scams and rip offs that are, sadly, common in this particular industry.
In order to see what is available in the industry, CFGear regularly takes the time to test the flash drives of their competition. They purchase or order samples from companies of all shapes and sizes, and run the products against their own similar products. This has shown them that there are, sadly many companies out there who do not take the time to offer quality products.
One of the first things you can do to avoid buying low quality drives is to understand the various classes of flash drives. They may be labeled by “class” or “tier.” Class A flash drives, or Tier One, have the highest quality chips inside. The chip will have a unique serial number and be engraved with the manufacturer’s name. These typically have a lifetime warranty on the chip, and thus the seller can offer a warranty as well.
Class B or Tier Two drives are mid quality drives. These are typically a bit cheaper, and are found in 128 MB or smaller drives. If you are looking for affordability and do not mind sacrificing just a little on speed and quality, these could work, but the price difference is only about 10 percent, so you might end up being better off with the higher quality option.
The third class, Class C or Tier 3, is best avoided. The quality and speed are so low that they are not going to give the right impression about your business. These have a 30 to 40 percent failure rate after about 10 cycles. The reason for this is the fact that they contain recycled or reused chips, and the chips could come from anything from old cell phones to children’s toys.
How can you avoid falling prey to a company offering Class C drives? Chances are they are not going to advertise their drives as “Class C.” Instead, look for a company selling drives for 20 to 30 percent less than the competition. Remember, the basic price of these drives is not going to change. If a company is selling for significantly less, there is a reason, and that reason is a compromise in quality.
Another clue that you are working with a company that is better avoided is extreme shipping charges. This is a clear indication of a company working from an overseas location, and these are not known for their quality products.
Finally, make sure that the company is going to send the entire drive, the chip, circuit board and assembly. Sadly, some of the scams out there offer “flash drives” but only send the memory chips. This would not be useful to you. Do your research before you buy, and you can avoid falling prey to these common scams.
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