Warranty void if removed

I’ve had an itch to buy a desktop system for a while, and I've been debating everything from a Mac Pro Quad Core to a home built system.  All the new stuff seemed so frickin expensive, and I didn’t have any more programming I could pimp out to my wife, so I was reluctant to try to sneak a $3000 charge by her…  Then I remembered a site from which I’ve bought at least three other computers: Dell Financial Services Direct Sales.  I found a 3.2 GHz Intel Dual Core Xeon 5000 with no OS for only $490.  It only had 2gb of ram, but I knew I could get more, and I didn’t need an OS, since I was going to experiment with Ubuntu on it.  So I whip out the ol’ MasterCard and order it.

Enter MemoryStock.com

In the meantime while the MasterCard was still warmed up, I went memory shopping and found the memory i needed at MemoryStock.com.  I verified the memory configuration with Dell and a couple of competing sites and placed an order.  Confirmation emails quickly followed with confidence building shipping notices and tracking numbers.  I’m thinking these guys are obviously well versed in the field of online customer service!

A couple of days later the 4gb of memory arrives, two days ahead of the computer.  Of course, I rip open the fedex package and take a look at the merchandise.  I know what to look for, since the day before I rummaged through the ram graveyard at my company to see if there was any “obsolete” memory I could use.  See if you can spot the signs of a rip-off in the pic:

That’s right – there’s a sticker over the memory model / speed sticker that says “Warranty void if removed”.  This is clearly a sticker with the sole purpose of hiding the model of the memory.  It would have been a bit less conspicuous if the giant word “MemoryStock” identifying the seller hadn’t been there – at least I might have suspected that it came from the manufacturer that way - for a couple of minutes.  The sticker covers nothing else – it is obvious that there could be no other purpose for it.

Something tells me that this is not the PC2-5300 DDR2 667 ecc Fully Buffered memory that i ordered (something beside my x-ray vision).

The next day I initiate one of those online customer support chat sessions with them:

Johnson> Hi, thanks for contacting MemoryStock - How may I assist you today? *** If this conversation ends abruptly (or) if you no longer receive messages from us, please feel free to initiate another chat interaction. You may also send a email to info@memorystock.com and our support team will respond to your queries. ***
Johnson> How may I assist you today?
Crash> i ordered memory from you guys, but ther is a BIG sticker over the model #
Crash> warranty void if removed 
Johnson> yea
Crash> why? 
Johnson> warranty sticker
Johnson> we offer lifetime warrenty 
Crash> i'm shipping it back if i cannot see the model
Crash> and i will call my CC company to charge it back 100%
Johnson> can you please call to our Rma dpt 209-475-0152 exnt#102
Johnson> call after 10.30am CA time
Crash> will do 
Johnson> they will assit you for this matter
Johnson> Thank you for using Memorystock Live Chat Support. It is our great pleasure to serve you. If you need any other memory help or information please do not hesitate to contact us. You may also email us atinfo@memorystock.com.

I call this number at the agreed upon time and left a similar message with instructions to call me back by end-of-business that day.  Later that day I called again and left the same message.  No call.

Worried that I might be mistaken, I check the order confirmation email.  I didn’t check it when it arrived, but when I reread it, the memory model number was not there:

737ms-737-H - Precision Workstation 490 4Gb ddr2 fully buffered kit

so i go back to their website and trace my steps.  1st the memory options for the Dell WS490:

Memory Size	Chip Description	Part Number	Price	OEM Part#
2GB ECC Kit	1024MB-533MHz DDR2-533 PC2-4200, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	688ms-688	$59.95	In Stock
4GB ECC Kit	2048MB-533MHz DDR2-533 PC2-4200, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	689ms-689	$99.95	In Stock
8GB ECC Kit	8GB Kit 533MHz DDR2-533 PC2-4200, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	786ms-786 <	$264.95	In Stock
1GB ECC Kit	1GB kit -667MHz DDR2-667 PC2-5300, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	735ms-735	$29.95	In Stock
2GB ECC Kit	2GB Kit 667MHz DDR2-667 PC2-5300, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	736ms-736	$79.95	In Stock
4GB ECC Kit	4GB Kit 667MHz DDR2-667 PC2-5300, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	737ms-737	$149.95	In Stock
8GB ECC Kit	8GB Kit 667MHz DDR2-667 PC2-5300, 240p FBDIMM, ECC, Fully Buffered, 1.8v	791ms-791	$279.95	In Stock

I ordered the 737ms-737 option – clearly labeled as DDR2-667 PC2-5300, so i clicked on that option again:

4GB PC2 5300 DDR2 667 FULLY Buffered 4 GB Dimm Kit  Precision Workstation 490 Memory RAM, Memorystock Part No: 737ms-737
Description :	4GB Kit of(2pcs x 2GB ) PC2-5300, DDR2-667 667 MHz, Fully Buffered ECC DIMM.. Compatible memory for Precision Workstation 490
We carry many major manfacturers compatible memory upgrades for the selected model  Please choose and order your desired brand memory:
Brand   Sale Price   Qty House-Brand $149.95 Check quantity discount   Hynix $164.95 Check quantity discount

Again, the DDR2-667 PC2 5300 is confirmed.  Not wanting the house brand, I chose the Hynix option, where I see:

Your Shopping Cart

ITEMS:1

Items

Qty.

Price Each

Total Price

Remove Item

Precision Workstation 490 4Gb ddr2 fully buffered kit - 737ms-737-H   Details

$164.95

$329.90

The Details link displays the model number again:

As you can see, the part number in the email sent to me matches the memory model i wanted.  So why would the sticker be there?  Why would they be so quick to point me to the RMA department when all I asked for was to verify the model number?

They must be a rip-off organization…