Comet Laptop Fiasco **SORTED**

[shembu]

Bought a laptop from Comet in 2004 for £1300; also purchased their 3 yr Extended Warranty...

Whenever laptop was faulty, I would just have to call Comet and who would send a postage sticker and arrange for a courier to pick up the machine at my convenience. Imagine my surprise when, because my laptop was accidentally damaged and I needed to make a claim, I was told I would have to take the machine to the nearest Comet store, instead of the usual pick up.

I took it in....that was over 3 months ago...

I was originally told it could take 4-6 weeks; after 6 weeks, I called for an update; that was the first of many phone calls...Eventually, I was told that the wrong machine had been picked up for repair and it had taken them the whole of 4 weeks to locate and send off the right machine...

Well, more phone calls; no satisfactory response; then I started writing letters...the initial letter of complaint; the Letter Before Action...stating I was no longer going to be satisfied with just a repair or a new machine; I deserved to be compensated for all the trouble they'd caused me..

Now I've received a letter saying that they were sorry for the delay....basically the matter is out of their hands; they use a third party for their insurance policies and it was up to them to decide how long things would take and what the final decision was. They even had the gall and to say that it was not their "usual" pracitce to accept items for repair, even though the only reason I did that was because they told me to...They are happpy to replace my laptop..oh..but they wont compensate me...

I called the Customer Services Dept. and they basically told me that they were standing their ground and if I was unhappy I should contact the insurance company ( even though the Insurance documentation does not indicate who this is and has Comet stamped all over it ).

Spoke to Consumer Advice group and Citizen's Advice Bureau and they have told me to write them a letter giving them 7 days to reconsider or I will take them to Court.

Out of curiousity, I called the number I had been given to find out what machine they were offering; turns out, they dont have my model anymore; they were offering me an "equivalent" replacement...

I asked for the details of the new model so I could check it out.

It was £500 pounds cheaper and clearly an inferior model. It was still HP and the same size ( screen, disk space) but did not have some of the features of the previous one.

I called back only to be told that "equivalent" means that the new machine should have the same specifications as the old one ( not sure what they which specifications they were referring to) and the cost should not be used as an indicator.

Going to call Insurance Company on Monday to talk to them about it; if response is unsatisfactory, I will consider court action.

We'll see what they say!

[blacksheep1979]

Find the most obscure feature on your laptop and say that you need it because of xyz - ie mine has a full sized firewire port (rare on a laptop). The thing you have to consider is that technology moves v quick - especially in laptops so one that was £1200 2 years ago the equivelent will be less than £800 now, so cash value comparisons don't work you are going to have to play on the needed features card.

[mutzi]

Your contract is with comet, it's their responsibility. I wouldn't let them pass the buck onto someone else like this.

At this point, considering the inconvenience caused following the repair route you could reasonably expect a replacement. An equivalent replacement should be just that, they are right that cost wouldn't be the considered aspect since the same machine today would be less than 2 years ago. However any replacement should be at the same spec or better unless they want to offer you a partial refund as well.

Your problem with compensation is how much. You can't easily put a price on the lost time unless you've hired a replacement or lost earnings.

I would hit them with one last chance to return it and ask what they might consider as fair compensation. If not you could sue for the cost of buying the equivalent replacement elsewhere.

[shembu]

Hey guys! Thanks for all your help advice....

I agree with the points you've raised.

I would give the insurance company a buzz on Monday to see what their response would be and take it from there.

I truly believe it is Comet's responsibility; none of the documentation I received from Comet ever indicated how to contact their "3rd party" insurer, or even what it's called. Definitely a classic case of passing the buck.

While I accept that I the price of technology can change suddenly, anything with the same specifications and features as the last machine I had costs a lot more than the £800 machine they are offering.

I neglected to mention that the original machine had developed a fault late last year and because, according to them, it could not be repaired, they had given me the opportunity to go to the store to get a new one; only they did not have the original model anymore so I was told when I got there to pick a similar model... The closest they had was a £1200 model which I selected.

This happened in January 2006...

So, this is partly why I am unwilling to believe that the same model brand new would have depreciated by £400 in 8 months. Plausible I suppose, but more unlikely than likely in this case....The technology on that machine is still cutting edge...

I'll post an update.

Thanks again for your support!!

[blacksheep1979]

Originally Posted by mutzi

Your contract is with comet, it's their responsibility. I wouldn't let them pass the buck onto someone else like this.

At this point, considering the inconvenience caused following the repair route you could reasonably expect a replacement. An equivalent replacement should be just that, they are right that cost wouldn't be the considered aspect since the same machine today would be less than 2 years ago. However any replacement should be at the same spec or better unless they want to offer you a partial refund as well.

Your problem with compensation is how much. You can't easily put a price on the lost time unless you've hired a replacement or lost earnings.

I would hit them with one last chance to return it and ask what they might consider as fair compensation. If not you could sue for the cost of buying the equivalent replacement elsewhere.

nope your contract with comet is under the sale of goods act etc and this does not cover accidental damage. If you have an insurance policy which is for accidental damage and you need to claim for this it is with this company that your contract is with.

[shembu]

True, my contract with Comet does not cover accidental damage...

However, I purchased Extended Warranty Insurance with the original machine. On NONE of the documentation I have, including the Certificate of Insurance, does it mention what the name of the Insurance Company is...

All documentation has Comet's name on it and if you call any of the numbers indicated on them, they all lead to Comet.

Today, I called the Insurance Company (Aon). There is no direct number available and I had to call Comet's Extended Warranty Line and I was put through to someone who claimed that I was speaking to a representative of Aon (!!!).

I was told that I should call Comet Head Office and ask to speak to a member of the BERT Team (Beyond Economical Repair Team - do they really exist?!?) to tell them I was not happy with the "equivalent" machine they were offering.

So, nothing new there - everyone's is passing the buck again. Comet Head Office told me to call the Insurance Company in the first place. Now I'm being told to call them back.....Will call them tomorrow....

I was also told that if I was asked to go into the store to make a selection, I should mention a procedure called "AA3A". Apparently it is the procedure the Store Manager is meant to follow if the customer is unhappy with Comet's selection.

Let's see what happens!

[shembu]

Hey guys,

Know it's been a while, but here's an update...

I called Comet the following morning to find out what I could do to get a better machine. I was told that according to the records in the Beyond-Economic-Repair Department, there was nothing to indicate that they had communicated with me about giving me a new machine! I was told to go to the store I originally purchased it from/took the damaged machine to they would have all the details on their "system".

I took the morning off work and made my way to the store straight away - I just wanted the situation resolved!

Armed with every document I had been sent + proof of ID, I informed a sales assistant that I was there to pick up a new machine and showed him the relevant letter. I was passed on to a manager, who called the number indicated on the letter, even though I told him I had called and advised to go to the store.

Cut a long story short, I was told that I had already been informed which machine I was being offered and they were not going to change it because they thought it was a close equivalent to my previous model. I explained that I was not happy with it because the processor was very different and I was outraged that they were offering me this machine even though they had machines that had the processor of the original model.

I pointed this out and finally they offered me a Sony laptop, lovely model that was worth £1000... but I was not sure if it had all the details I needed and I felt I was too emotional to confidently analyse the model. So I asked if I could have a model I had spotted and looked at in detail earlier; it was the same price (£1000). Finally, they agreed (!!!).

They then went on to say they would order it for me and it would be delivered at a later date. I totally refused. I went ballistic then...I told them I had been told to go to the store that morning and was not going to leave without my machine considering I had to take time off work...They wouldn't believe me...

What eventually saved me was the fact that I noted the name of everyone I spoke to and when; because they were not going to budge until I named the people I spoke to, especially the one I spoke to that morning. This was enough to convince them that I was there on their advice...

I had to wait for 1/2 an hour for the paperwork to be faxed over from Aon Insurance - but eventually I walked away, completely emotionally drained, but with my new laptop!

My only remaining task is to get an updated Certificate of Insurance covering the new machine...They have made no effort so far to send it, so I am going to have to contact them and request it.

Suffice it to say, I am glad it is over (well nearly!).

Never ever ever buy anything from Comet...or any store that does not have branches conveniently located on the high street, because it makes access more difficult - you main contact will have to be made by phone or mail which makes it easier for them to take their time about it and not offer practical solutions that efficiently meet the needs of the customer.

[Bookworm]

Yaye, another result for the consumer! Well done, you!

Although the way you have been treate really makes you wonder if anyone has actually THOUGHT about the words "customer service"

[JonCris]

Last week purchased a TOM TOM from Comet in Dorset which I later found didn't work because of faulty card.

Complained on phone & told to return it to store & they would send it away to Tom Tom also found out that faulty cards are a known problem. Went even more ballistic.

Now in Wales for the rest of the week so took it to a local Comet it was exchanged for a upgraded model for same price. Installed & working fine.

The moral..... if you can insist the item be checked out & is working before you leave the store.