WD refused to answer our questions about its self-wiping SanDisk SSDs

Eleven days ago, we sent these questions to Western Digital’s head of PR and published them publicly on The Verge:

We have now received a response from Western Digital head of PR Robin Schultz, but nothing about the company’s stance has changed. Schultz repeatedly refused to answer any of our questions. Her statement doesn’t even contain an acknowledgment of the issue and has no specific timeline for any real answers.

The only reason we’re printing Western Digital’s statement is so you can see it for yourself:

In response to recent reports of concerns about specific Western Digital portable SSD products, we want to assure our valued customers that we are taking all measures necessary to address any product-related issues. We understand the significance of our products to our customers and we take these matters very seriously. We are conducting a comprehensive review to gain a thorough understanding of the issues.

After getting the statement, we asked Schultz three times whether Western Digital would answer our questions. Each time, she deflected. She also wouldn’t provide any idea of when the company might share its conclusions — if ever.

There is one possible reason Western Digital is finally speaking up and yet saying nothing: the company just got sued. As The Register reports, California resident Nathan Krum has filed a prospective class action lawsuit, citing breach of contract, fraudulent and unfair business practices, and many other claims. Krum is suing over both the SanDisk Extreme drive itself and damages for any data lost. You can read the full complaint at the bottom of this story.

And that’s just lawsuit number one: Ars Technica reports there are two more. Three SanDisk SSD lawsuits in total, each seeking class-action status for the same failures.

I won’t be buying a Western Digital or SanDisk product anytime soon.

Update, 12:25AM ET: Added that there are actually three lawsuits, not just one, against WD.