Problem with Macbook Pro and John Lewis

[ajlennon]

Hi all,

This is a question about a laptop which was damaged while in the care of the retailer...


I bought a Macbook Pro from John Lewis as a Christmas present for my wife at the end of last year. Recently we noticed the power supply wasn't working properly and so we took it back for them to take a look.

They said that there was a problem with the power cable on the external power supply (a 'MagSafe') as it had pulled out of the main power block. They then said they didn't think this was covered under the 1 year manufacturer's (Apple's) warranty. (!)

I've bought items from John Lewis in the past primarily on the basis of their guarantee/warranty and a perception of their good customer service so this was disappointing...

They said they had to send the Macbook off to the repair centre (3rd party company) to see if it was covered under warranty or not and we agreed on the basis that no work would be undertaken without contacting us first.

Two weeks later we heard that it would be around £110 to fix. As a new power supply is only about £35 we thought this was ridiculous and asked for the return of the laptop.

A couple days later we got a call from the John Lewis people to pick up the laptop. My wife and I went in and *luckily* I decided to check the laptop out before taking it home.

We unwrapped it from its packaging and it was in a truly dreadful state. Lots of dents and scratches on the external case and also on the internal casing. The side is partially pulled away and we later discovered the CD drive doesn't work any more (!)

Clearly it has been fairly seriously abused. It looks to have been taken apart and put together in a very amateurish way.

We complained and (to cut a long story short) they agreed that we hadn't left it with them in that condition. They have now returned the laptop to the repair company as it is 'procedure' and we're waiting for a response.

We do have a piece of paper from them they printed off when we left the laptop originally. One section says 'condition of goods' and there's nothing about the dents/scratches, so I think we're in a good position to assert that the laptop was damaged in J-L care.

So here's the question... Given the dreadful state of the Macbook my wife wants a replacement. We've had it 6 months and it was in very good condition when we left it with them. J-L are talking about repairs but in my mind it's very likely this level of damage will have caused other internal problems and possibly a reduction in the overall lifetime of the components.

Can anybody out there help me to understand what our position is here?

Thanks!

Alex/

[tiglet]

Bump

[BankFodder]

How unusual to get a complaint about John lewis.

Anyway, the rules are the same.

I suggest that you send them a letter to their customer relations manager - phone them for a name. you really want the CR director.

Outline what has happened and that you want a replacement. Give them 14 days to respond positively or you will sue.

I shall be amazed if it doesn't get sorted by a manager very quickly on receipt of your letter. It will never get to court but keep us informed.
If you sue, you will have to sue for the value of a new one.

I don't expect that John Lewis will cause you any trouble.

they aren't stupid like DSG, for example.

Don't forget, you aren't interested in the Apple warranty. You are after your statutory rights.

Don't accept any dealys and only make these threats of you are serious about keeping them. Otherwise don't bother to start.

[bmoynihan]

Also speak to Apple and tell them what has happened. They have been very helpful with a problem I had with a macbook, even beyond the 12 month warranty.

[ajlennon]

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback to my question. I took the advice and wrote a letter to their head of customer relations. I'm not sure that it had an effect as I certainly didn't receive any response from him.

Their position seemed to be that this wasn't their fault as the repair centre (which I assume Apple mandates they use) caused the damage. My position, of course, was that I left it in their care in great condition and received a damaged laptop back from them.

After three visits, a great deal of stonewalling from their electronics after-sales department and a lot of stress, we finally got to speak to a more senior member of the team (who happened to be passing by...) I was able to convince him of our point of view and he agreed to replace the laptop for us. A problem here was that they don't sell the original laptop and the replacement is quite a bit more expensive.

So a happy ending to the story, but I must admit JL have gone down in my estimation over this. I expect that kind of treatment from PC World but not a company that markets the premium you pay to them as a premium for quality and after-sales service....

Thanks again for the advice.

Alex/