I have an LTO-1 tape drive that I use for all my full backups, which I run in rotating sets every couple of months (with weekly differentials and nightly incrementals to a separate device). It's big, fast and nasty — fast enough that I have to back up four machines at the same time to keep it streaming optimally. But tapes don't last forever, so a few weeks ago I ordered four new Verbatim 100GB (uncompressed) LTO-1 tapes from BackupTapes.
Two weeks later, the Verbatim tapes are still on back-order. So they contacted me today. Actually, it turns out that the price on the Verbatim tapes was what it was because they are reconditioned tapes, a detail which had escaped me. But the main problem was they were still on back-order.
"So," they told me, "since they're still back-ordered, what we'd like to do is fill your order with new Maxell tapes instead, at the same price. If that's OK."
Sure, I said. (Oddly, I have no problem with getting four brand-new 100GB tapes for the price of reconditioned ones.)
"OK then," they said. "We'll get those out to you today. You should have them tomorrow."
Nice work, guys.
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