However, we have heard a lot of RMA horror stories this year as RAM and SSD prices skyrocketed. Many vendors have started providing refunds instead of replacements, citing limited or no inventory, as their intent appears to be to sell the product for a much higher margin.
We have seen how companies like Crucial and Samsung have straight-up refused to honor the warranty claim despite agreeing to the replacement initially, offering only a refund, which is only a fraction of the current cost of the product
I don't see how that claims that refund also fulfills the terms of the warranty. In fact, looking at the G.SKILL RMA policy there is never a mention of a refund option, only a return and replacement.
If the claim is that these companies are able to bend or hide the terms of their RMA policies then this is an issue with the legal system itself for allowing this. In fact, I would wager that a fight in small claims court would see the customer win any dispute.
Are you reading something I'm not?