Seagate IronWolf Pro 12TB ST12000NE0008 NAS Festplatte

I would like to start by saying this review will be edited (if possible) given more updates in the future but if you want to know what it's like to buy HDDs from here, please read.

June 2025:
4x 12TB HDDs bought.
Delivery took a bit longer than I expected but not technically against their delivery times listed (it's working days, even though this is not explicitly stated)

June 29th:
One drive is already showing problems.
I was asked to send pics and proof, which was provided.
They sent out the new drive, I asked how the process works and they said just sit back and wait for the new drive to arrive - Amazing!

I was never asked to return the drive and since it was dead, I got rid of it

Aug 19th:
Same again
New Drive shipped out, didn't ask for the original drive to be sent back so I never did and again, got rid of it.

Bit annoying for 2 drives to die so close together but hey, the response makes up for it so the review here would stay at a 3-4/5

Nov 7th:
3rd drive died.
This time they asked for the drive to be sent back - I expected this before but they didn't want me to so I was a bit confused as indicated in my reply to them aswell as them asking for it to be sent to an address in Manchester. They made a fuss about sending the drive first but this is for a NAS so I insisted they send the drive to me and then I'll return the old one.
Tracking number by Nov 16th and I received the drive by Nov 28th
Holiday period, unfortunately I never got a chance to replace the drive and so everything remained as it was with the drive still in the packaging until 17th Jan.
I went through the full replace process only to find the drive wasn't showing up in TrueNAS. Then Windows, it doesn't show there either and its making a beeping noise so it's definitely just entirely dead...
I went out and had the drive (the original one agreed) be sent back so that's currently, as of the time of writing, on its way to them.
At this point I'm extremely frustrated so I send a message to them to which they replied:

"
I'm sorry, [...] We will return all remaining hard drives to the supplier, as we believe it is a batch quality issue. [...]

The replacement hard drive was shipped randomly.

However, I assure you that I wouldn't intentionally ship faulty hard drives. This was a batch purchased from the supplier, and this is the first time we've encountered multiple faults.

I apologize for this.

We will refund you for one hard drive [...]
"

I stated I wanted a replacement and NOT a refund. After a bit of back and forth they replied:

"
Yes, as we mentioned before, the previous hard drives didn't require returns. However, the faulty hard drive you just received needs to be returned. If you can return the faulty hard drive, we can fulfill our promise and issue you the RMA after you pay the original order price again. However, you'll need to wait for inventory updates.

Frankly, we prefer things to be simple and don't want to always have serious discussions about terms and conditions. We treat our customers like friends.
"

To this I suggested a solution:

I agree - I would rather have a painless process [...]. Here is what I am looking for:

1 - The original drive from this conversation is on its way. Do you want the 2nd drive that was sent to me that is completely dead too to be returned? Yes or no.
2 - I do NOT want a refund, I want a REPLACEMENT. I understand what you've said so far but I'm making this clear as you're forcing a refund on me that I do not wish for and goes against your own terms and conditions.
3 - If you do force a refund on me, I still need a drive to be sent out. Can I have a 12TB HDD drive that is currently on the site as a stopgap then, I'll pay for it and then have it refunded if/when you have the inventory to send me the drive I wanted in the first place (Note: This is an extremely weird way of doing things but it's A solution that will appease both sides even if I think you should just send a replacement rather than going through all this)

(NOTE: At this point, I went on the site and noticed suddenly the total drives available went from 1 to 0 - Coincidence?)
They say: Recently, all suppliers have experienced inventory shortages, so our inventory system may be inaccurate for some products. We will confirm with our customers if there are any issues.

Refund was sent to my account
I have sent the drives back stamped to an address of Jas Jason Chan in Manchester and now I'm awaiting them to allow me to re-purchase a drive at the agreed price.

Took a few days but new drive is now being sent to me!

Drive seemed in very good condition and arrived very quickly. Great job.

Fantastic service!

I was initially a little cautious. We've all been taught "if its too good to be true, it probably is" but I did a little research and thought I'd give it a go (ordering on the credit card so I had protection if there was a problem).

I ordered four 12TB refurbished Seagate Ironwolf Pro drives. They arrived just under two weeks after ordering as they had to be shipped from abroad. All four drives were packaged in what appeared to be the original manufacturer's anti-static bags, still sealed. Each drive was completely encased in thick foam and secured inside a cardboard box with no movement. This was completely wrapped in watertight plastic. I honestly don't think I've ever seen packing this good!

I checked all the drives over before putting them in my NAS. There were no marks in the slightest on the drives, not even slight scratching on the SATA ports leading me to believe they'd never been used. I put the drives in to my NAS and ran a SMART check which showed that all the drives had 0hrs power-on time. They were clearly brand new but likely old stock. All but one were still in the manufacturer's warranty and Robert Electronics provides an additional warranty - given their quality packing and reliable service, I believe they will honour this but I am yet to test it.

All four drives were added to a RaidZ1 (ZFS) array and perform absolutely exceptionally! Drive speeds aren't an issue and storage appears to be spot on (I've got about 8TB already loaded on the drives) - these are definitely genuine drives.

Contrary to my initial hesitations, I am absolutely over the moon with my purchase and have already recommended friends to purchase their drives here. I will certainly be buying future drives and any replacements through this company. The UK has a shortage of refurbished drives compared to markets like the US, it seems that Robert Electronics has found their niche hence the excellent pricing and service.

Hesitated to purchase initially but couldn't be happier now that I have it. Amazing drive, price, delivery, service. If in doubt, buy :⁠-⁠)