Toshiba declined to replace a failed 20+ TB enterprise hard drive under warranty and instead offered a refund at the original purchase price from months ago—refusing to supply a replacement unit despite the drive being covered. The refusal was due to inventory shortage and a potential year-long wait time for a replacement 24TB model, leaving the customer unable to buy an equivalent drive at today's significantly higher prices. This reflects a broader industry trend where AI-driven chip shortages are forcing manufacturers to cut corners on warranties and support—other companies like Silicon Power have imposed depreciation fees on defective returns that exceed the price difference from when the product was purchased.