another unhappy pc world customer

[sekhmet]

Hi everyone.

I paid £450 for a Toshiba laptop in March from PC World.

In August the "k" key popped off, I was going to contact pc world about it but a close relative died so I was more concerned with that and decided to contact PC World after the funeral.

I had not taken out the monthly entended warranty.

A day after I had been to the funeral my son used the laptop and the cd rewriter would not work so that evening I tried to get the cd rewriter to burn a cd and it would not work, the laptop however started to get really hot, and I mean hot so I shut it down and left it on the dining room table.

The next morning I went to turn it on and noticed the screen had a crack.

I am aware that laptop screens are fragile and break easily but no one had been near it since I had shut it down the previous evening.

I took the laptop back to pc world the next day and the sales girl took it to the tech guys to look at it.

 

First I was accused of dropping it! not possible, I have no carpets downstairs in my house and the laptop would of been smashed to bits if it had been dropped.

Anyway tech guys looked at it, they poked and prodded the laptop screen making the crack a lot larger than it had been, they decided it was physical damage and it was tough.

I noticed while at PC World that the laptop lid was a not as stiff as it had been and was opening more than It had before the screen cracked although the laptop was still stiff on opening and pulls a lot, the laptop has always been stiff to open but as I have never had a toshiba laptop before I do not know how tight their screens/lids are.

The tech guys gave me a written quote of £225 to repair the "k" key and refused to do anything about the overheating or cd rewriter.

The laptop was still only 5 months old at this point.

I contacted toshiba who suggested sending the laptop to their repair place for a report, I agreed to do this.

 

The laptop was sent to the company Toshiba use who were supposed to give a full report.

They sent a quote of £330 to repair the screen and said it was physical damage, they ignored the cd rewriter issue,K key, overheating and the stiffness of the lid which I had raised as needing to be looked at.

When I phoned the company to ask why I had not recieived the full report Toshiba had promised I was told that the engineer was not willing to divulge the information on why the screen had broken:confused:

 

In the mean time I have received a letter from PC World who have said they will not repair the k key on the keyboard, or cd rewriter or deal with the overheating issue untill the screen is repaired.

They also say that the screen must of been damaged by me not using the laptop for its intended purpose therefore they will not repair or replace as I had requested.

They have said they may accept a report stating that the screen was cracked by a manufacturing problem but they need diagnostic reports from an independant engineer.

The laptop has not been used since August as I do not want to use it due to the overheating.

 

Where do I go from here?

I have already spent money on the non report from Toshiba. who have refused to say why the screen broke and the tech guys reached their decision by poking and prodding a screen.

Any ideas on what to do now?

[curofone]

All seems a bit strange to me, even if the tech guys think the machine is broken due to accidental damage then they will still normally get the machine picked up and accessed by someone at the workshop.

 

Laptop screen are not that fragile to be honest and if what you are saying about the laptop ie the hinge being very stiff and thoshiba engineering refusing to say what the problem is then it sounds like they might have something to hide. It has been known on many occasions for laptop screens to crack due to over tightening of the hinges, if i was you i would check to see if there is any small cracks on the casing around the hinges as that can sometimes be an indicator of the hinges being too tight.

 

I have to say i can understand pc worlds saying they will not repair any fault until they know that the screen was a manufacturers fault as if you honest listed those faults it does sound like the machine was dropped (and i am not saying that was happen just saying that what someone from another point of view might see)

 

as for the issues of the overheating and the optical drive well just becuase it the optical drive has stopped working does not mean there is a physical fault it so that needs to be looked at more closely as that could be something very simple. The over heating i would not worry too much about as some laptops do get unbelievably hot but they will turn themselfs off before any damage is caused.

 

Personally if i was you firstly i would go to toshiba and ask for the full report that you have paid for, if they refuse then i would get my money back as they have not provided the services you have paid for and i would also get in writing that the engineer is refusing to divulge the information on the screen becuase one might see that as admitting there was a defect with the machine.

 

Then once i had gotten that i would call the techguys call centre directly and cut out pcworld as they normally want nothing to do with customers once they have got your money. If you then get a good agent and explain the situation i am sure the machine would be picked up and accessed by someone more qualified than the instore people.

 

At the end of the day if the machine was dropped and that casued the screen to crack then would more damage to the outer casing of the laptop so it quite easy to prove. If you do manage to get it picked up then make sure that you take a lot of detailed photos of the machine before it goes away so if it comes back with more cracks to the case or screen etc then you have a leg to stand on later.

 

If they refuse after all this then i would be thinking an idependent report would be required and when they agree with you, which they should then you get the privilege of pcw paying for it and they should also pay for the toshiba report as you should have never been put in the situation by pcw where you had to go to the manufacturer

 

I am sure someone who knows more about the law can correct me if i have said anything that incorrect.

 

At the end of the day the machine should never have gone back to toshiba as it nothing to do with them, your contract was with DSGi and I have never known a machine not to be accessed by them even if they think it is acc dam (and i mean at the proper workshop not the instore people). So i do not see you have a problem getting your money back for the report toshiba did

Edited November 20, 2008 by curofone

[Renzokuken]

Curofone is correct on most points, I'll shed a bit more light on the matter.

 

1: The techguys will not repair a LCD screen, they may tell you this, but unless it's an extreme case where they can't get a replacement screen, they'll just replace it, as repairing them is an intricate and expensive process, which is why they're only one of two places in the UK that do it.

 

2: It would be nearly impossible for them to diognose the other faults on your laptop without a working screen, this isn't them being awkward, this is just common sense, if they can't see what they're doing they have no chance.

 

3: LCD screens are hard to damage unless you apply excessive force, which obviously is considered either accidental or purposeful damage, and isn't covered by a standard warantee. PCWorld sells there products under the asumption that they're provided in a retailable state, so any issue with defects resulting in a cracked screen will need to be taken up with toshiba. As PCWorld would have recieved a recall notice had the fault been registerd with them as a common fault by toshiba.

 

4: The machine is everything to do with toshiba, DSG buy computers off them assuming they're in a retailable state, if the goods are defective and the defect is not registered with the company due to toshiba not wanting to lose money, they are entirely at fault.

 

5: If you have limewire or any P2P software on your laptop expect them not to fix the CD drive, or for it to go faulty again soon after. P2P programs have a notorious reputation for changing the buffer values on CD drives on alot of laptops rendering the drive undetectable without going into your registry and manualy altering the values back.

 

6: The overheating problem could be caused by either dust in the vents or a blocked or broken fan, they should take care of either of these problems, you mention you have no carpets so I wouldn't imagine dust to be a major issue.

[Bookworm]

Oh dear god, what a lot of duff advice you're being given on top of you doing things wrong in the first place.

 

1 - Your contract is with PCW, NOT Toshiba, and despite what Renzo said, it is PCW who are responsible in law under SOGA 1979.

 

2 - If the item is less than 6 months old, it is deemed inherently faulty unless proven otherwise, and it is up to PCW to prove that it isn't, not up to you to prove that it is. As the laptop was 5 months old, you should have insisted that they prove that you had damaged the laptop by dropping it and if they couldn't prove it then insist that they repair or replace at no expense to yourself.

 

3 - Instead of doing this, you then went to Toshiba themselves who of course would charge you, why wouldn't they? It's not their issue, they haven't got a contract with you!

 

4 - Seeing the mess that has now been made of what was a reasonably straighforward issue and since PCW are now playing silly buggers, you need to go to an independent engineer (there's pc repair guys all over the place, the chap down the road from me charges £30 for a report) who must say in his report what in his opinion could have caused the screen to crack, and in particular make sure he lists the various possibilities apart from a dropped lappy. Then send that to PCW, with a copy of the receipt for the cost of the report and tell them that you want repair/replacement of laptop + refund of cost of getting report and giving them 14 days to comply.

 

Let's be very clear, for the benefit of anyone reading this:

 

THE CONTRACT LIES BETWEEN BUYER AND RETAILER, NOT BETWEEN BUYER AND MANUFACTURER, THEREFORE IT IS THE RETAILER WHO HAS TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES ARISING FROM A FAULTY ITEM.

 

 

 

.

[curofone]

 

4: The machine is everything to do with toshiba, DSG buy computers off them assuming they're in a retailable state, if the goods are defective and the defect is not registered with the company due to toshiba not wanting to lose money, they are entirely at fault.

 

 

As far as the customer is concered the machine has nothing to do with toshiba and they should never have been put in the position where they had to go back to the manufacturere. As already pointed out the customer has contract with DSGi not toshiba therefore there only port of contact should be DSGi. If it later turns out to be a manufacturers fault well DSGi have a contract with toshiba so it should be them informing them getting in contact with toshiba

 

Oh dear god, what a lot of duff advice you're being given on top of you doing things wrong in the first place.

 

hope you were not calling my advise duff as we basically wrote the same thing.

[labrat]

dont worry if the indepenant engineer cant say whats caused the crack.

 

as long as you can get them to state what hasnt caused it it ussually passes mustard.

 

for example one report from a external engineer simply stated

 

Although the screen has cracked i can find no evidence proving that it has been physicly damaged

 

There is no damage to the keys that would suggest that an object has been left between the keyboard and the screen when closed

 

The laptop lid is extremely stiff this could cause excess strain on the screen and cause stress related cracking.

 

there is no sign of any indentations on the screen or other marks where excess pressure has been applied

 

before the problem occoured the customer reported large amounts of heat from the cd drive area of the laptop this could have caused the damage to the screen to occour due to the expansion and contraction effect heat has on electronic components

 

That sort of thing basicly make sure you get the engineer to print the letter on paper headed with the company logo. and to sign it at the bottom.

 

ring pcworlds call center (dont go into store) say you have an indapendant engineers report saying that the screen does no show any signs of missuse and ask it to be booked to the workshop for an assesment, (ask what code its been booked to and request a U20 that goes to pcworlds own workshop not a random other)

 

include a letter explaining it is under 6 months old and they need to prove the damage is down to missue and a COPY (not the origional) engeneers report.

 

they will ussually weigh up the costs of replacing it against other probible costs and fix it

[Bookworm]

 

hope you were not calling my advise duff as we basically wrote the same thing.

Well, I was mainly referring to Renzo's advice, but I have to say that this comment:"I have to say i can understand pc worlds saying they will not repair any fault until they know that the screen was a manufacturers fault " is somewhat both incorrect and misleading in this instance. Well, not incorrect as yes, PCW will want to know that it isn't down to misuse, but as the laptop was less than 6 mths old, it's up to them to ascertain this, not the customer. The only reason I have advised OP to get the report himself on this occasion is to try and simplify a situation which has been made far too complicated. If OP had been in touch in august with a post saying: "this is what happened, what do I do next?" my advice would have been somewhat different. ;-) In short, if any employee were to tell me: "you've dropped it", my reply would be: "Prove it". After 6 months, however, the burden of proof reverts to the consumer.

[sekhmet]

Thanks for the replies.

Just to be a bit clearer on things the laptop has not been dropped, I have no carpets downstairs as I moved into a house last year and started decorating, we have done upstairs and have nearly finished the stairs, downstairs will not be decorated untill after xmas.

We have concrete floors downstairs, (no point putting carpets or lamanate down untill we have decorated) and the laptop would not of survived if it had been dropped, my son dropped his mobile onto the floor when sitting on the sofa and it was smashed to bits.

The laptop has NO cosmetic damage and the screen still works, We can turn the laptop on , the screen is cracked but it still works, the backlight has not broke.

I sent my first letter to PC World in August and yes it was dated, sent by registered delivery and I have copies.

The tech guys service summary is dated the same day I wrote to PC World customer services, the laptop was still 5 months old then.

 

The service summaryfrom PC World states LCD seems to have taken

physical damage, loose K Key seems to be consistent with accidental damage.

 

I could claim for accidental damage on my contents insurance but I know I have not accidently damaged the laptop, PC World have been trying to fob me off since late August.

I went to Toshiba as PC World staff told me as you have used the laptop Toshiba will not repair it, so I phoned Toshiba and asked if that was true

 

I have not used the laptop for 3 months as I am too scared to due to the overheating problem, not because I cant.

[curofone]

Like i have said before my advice to you and anyone that has got a pc from pcw is is to call the number on the receipt which is the techguys call centre and get the machine up lifted. PCW stores themselfs are generally terrible at after sales and do not normally know their own procedures. The instore techhuys are different to the ones where broken machines are taken. The instore ones tend to only run recoveries, do basic data backup and probably some upgrades. All broken laptops that are uplifted go to a single workshop in mansfield (unless they are busy and some go to third party workshops)

 

Alternatively like has already pointed out you can get an independant report done which should back up what you have said and then ring up the call centre on the receipt and then get it booked in.

 

I really do not see a problem with getting this machice fixed if everything you are saying is correct. You just have to know your rights and you should do as has been pointed out by more knowledgable people than me and you have to go to the right people and that is not pcw or toshiba, go direct to the techguys call centre.

 

Also when you manage to get it booked in make sure that you have taken your own pictures of it for proof of the condition it went away in and also write a note basically saying what you said in your orginal post and place it between the screen and the keyboard as when it is booked in the agent gets a very limited space (1 line) to write down the porblems of the machice and therefore if the engineer saw the machine straight off he might just assume it was acc dam see it has no acc dam cover and send it back

[Renzokuken]

Oh dear god, what a lot of duff advice you're being given on top of you doing things wrong in the first place.

 

1 - Your contract is with PCW, NOT Toshiba, and despite what Renzo said, it is PCW who are responsible in law under SOGA 1979.

 

2 - If the item is less than 6 months old, it is deemed inherently faulty unless proven otherwise, and it is up to PCW to prove that it isn't, not up to you to prove that it is. As the laptop was 5 months old, you should have insisted that they prove that you had damaged the laptop by dropping it and if they couldn't prove it then insist that they repair or replace at no expense to yourself.

 

3 - Instead of doing this, you then went to Toshiba themselves who of course would charge you, why wouldn't they? It's not their issue, they haven't got a contract with you!

 

4 - Seeing the mess that has now been made of what was a reasonably straighforward issue and since PCW are now playing silly buggers, you need to go to an independent engineer (there's pc repair guys all over the place, the chap down the road from me charges £30 for a report) who must say in his report what in his opinion could have caused the screen to crack, and in particular make sure he lists the various possibilities apart from a dropped lappy. Then send that to PCW, with a copy of the receipt for the cost of the report and tell them that you want repair/replacement of laptop + refund of cost of getting report and giving them 14 days to comply.

 

Let's be very clear, for the benefit of anyone reading this:

 

THE CONTRACT LIES BETWEEN BUYER AND RETAILER, NOT BETWEEN BUYER AND MANUFACTURER, THEREFORE IT IS THE RETAILER WHO HAS TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES ARISING FROM A FAULTY ITEM.

 

 

 

.

 

No offence, but your starting to annoy me with your complete disreguard to other peoples views, I've tried to help 3 people, and you've replied with nothing but insulting contradictary remarks I'm assuming because you have a problem with me because I work for DSGi. I'm offering advice that gets the problem sorted as quickly as possible without flouting the law in everyones face. And I'm attempting to show that the empoyees of DSG are not heartless machines that don't give a toss. Yes his contract is with DSG, but if toshiba are aware of an inherent fault (which if it is inherent they should be, after at least 6 months), all he need do is ring them, get a RA number, and show it to the bloke in the shop. No repairs, no quotes, no hassle, he just gets a new laptop. Of course, if it were an inherent fault, wouldn't you return the laptop straight away if the screen were smashed straight out of the box, or if the hinges were so tight you suspected the screen may crack.

 

We could all follow your advice and start quoting SOGA to every shop we have an issue with. Of course, you won't have seen customer service staff crying from fustration from such block headed idiots who believe that because the law states it, they don't have to shift a finger to help the situation. Because we're just a big evil company and the staff don't deserve any cooperation or respect because of the uniform they wair.

 

In short, if the SOGA told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?

[Bookworm]

Well, that's ok, because you've been annoying me for a while with every one of your posts disregarding the law, which last time I checked superseded DSG's policy.

 

Do I have a problem with you because you work for them? Of course not, why should I care who you work for? :-?

 

And yes, if everyone DID follow my advice and quote SOGA when there is an issue which falls under SOGA, then your employers and other companies like yours would then start training their staff to react according to the law and not flouting it at every turn.

 

So whether it causes you offence or not, I don't really care. As long as you keep on giving advice which is denying people their statutory rights, you're damn right I'll keep on contradicting you. You see, this forum is about teaching people to uphold their rights, not a support group for over-emotional retail staff.

 

The fact remains that if the staff did their job properly in the first place, the consumer forum would be empty. The fact that the forum thrives is a sad indication that they do not.

 

As for your last sentence, it is so idiotic that it doesn't even deserve a reply.

[Renzokuken]

Well, that's ok, because you've been annoying me for a while with every one of your posts disregarding the law, which last time I checked superseded DSG's policy.

 

Do I have a problem with you because you work for them? Of course not, why should I care who you work for? :-?

 

And yes, if everyone DID follow my advice and quote SOGA when there is an issue which falls under SOGA, then your employers and other companies like yours would then start training their staff to react according to the law and not flouting it at every turn.

 

So whether it causes you offence or not, I don't really care. As long as you keep on giving advice which is denying people their statutory rights, you're damn right I'll keep on contradicting you. You see, this forum is about teaching people to uphold their rights, not a support group for over-emotional retail staff.

 

The fact remains that if the staff did their job properly in the first place, the consumer forum would be empty. The fact that the forum thrives is a sad indication that they do not.

 

As for your last sentence, it is so idiotic that it doesn't even deserve a reply.

 

Did it ever occur to you that we aren't trained on SOGA because DSGi don't want us to know about it? When I first started working at currys I had no idea what the SOGA was, or how it effected my job. They don't train us on it because they don't want there customers to use it against them and even if we happened to know and told them about it, they'd sack us if they found out and replace us with another unknowing peon because training is quick and employees are expendable.

 

I've mentioned to my boss before that customers are entitled to claim goods as faulty even outside the manufactorers warantee period. But DSGi deliberatly provide no means of us actioning such claims outside of head office just so customers are forced to jump through hoops. He just said that it's just as well because it'd cost the store a fortune in refunds. All the in store managers care about is there bottom line, because being successful is the only thing that keeps the reigonal managers from sacking and replacing them so actioning the returns policy and ignoring SOGA keeps there families fed and roofs over their heads.

 

Here's how the upper management (aka the guys with no risk of being sacked) have it down:

 

100 Customers buy 100 computers from DSG stores:

 

 

• Out of those 10 of them are faulty outside the 12 month warantee period
  

 

• Out the 10, five of them don't think they can claim so buy a new one
  

 

• The other 5 complain to the store and get told they should have taken an extended warantee and nothing can be done (because the customer service staff are never trained on the SOGA and believe that a company like currys would never get away with actioning an unlawful returns procedure or they just fear for there jobs.)
  

 

• Out of those 5 that returned, only 1 of them complains to head office because he happens to frequent these boards or knows of the SOGA, and gets it enforced claiming a repair/refund.
  

1 refund out of 100 PC's ain't bad if your a DSGi CEO, so it's currently paying for them to break/bend the law because it results in fewer returns outside the 12 months, every return inside the 12 months is claimed back from the manufactorers or replaced with a resellable item so they don't lose cash unless you claim SOGA and force them to repair/replace it at the companies expense. And this is scaled down a hell of alot so you can only imagine the cash this is saving them at your expense.

 

But what part do the lower staff play.. they enforce rules they believe to be correct because they trust in there employer to uphold the law, or fear for there jobs (especialy during a looming recession) hardly the actions of someone out to upset customers.

Edited November 22, 2008 by Renzokuken

[curofone]

and in saying all of that you have basically said why i would never buy anything of value from DSGi. The staff are so poorly trained it is unbelievable. The only ones that have any knowledge are those that actually took it too the job in the first place.

 

You are basically admitting that you and other memebers of DSGi staff are lying to their customers, maybe not all staff know they are lying becuse they have not had the training but people like you that do know the laws when it comes to things like this are the ones that should be punished.

 

At the end of the day if a customer came up to you 13 months after purchasing a machine that had gone wrong and you did not toe the company line and said that there is something called the SoGA and i advise that you look it up and contact head office then DSGi can not sack you as you have done nothing wrong what so ever and if they did punish you anyway shape or form then that is what tribunals are for.

 

Just becuase you work for the company it does not mean that you have to be as unethical as they are and treat customers as bad as they are. At the end of the day the amount of refunds outside the first 12 months has no impact on you what so ever as the money would not come directly out of the shops bottom line as they would have to go DSGi head office to get compensation. So by not helping the customer you are being as bad as DSGi

[Bookworm]

Did it ever occur to you that we aren't trained on SOGA because DSGi don't want us to know about it?

Of course it has, it is obvious that even if a %age of employees were not bright enough to understand the basics of consumer law, the majority should still be able to respond properly if trained properly, if they don't, it must follow it's because they haven't been trained properly, no argument from me there.

 

Look, I understand that you are trying to help, but the problem when you quote store policy without then saying: "but this is wrong and this is what you the law says you are entitled to...", a lot of people will then believe that what you have quoted as the policy is in fact the extent of what they can get... This is why I go on and on about SOGA.

 

I forgot to mention that I have never ever shouted at a store employee. I don't need to. If the employee doesn't know any better, then I ask them to fetch the manager, and I quote SOGA to the manager, again without shouting or losing my temper.

 

I also think that until these companies get great big fines for each and every time they breach statutory rights, they will keep on doing this because you are quite right that at the moment, they make more money by ignoring the law than by complying with it, and they have enough of a turnaround that keeping customers happy and coming back is of no importance to them whatsoever. It's a sad state of affairs.

[Renzokuken]

and in saying all of that you have basically said why i would never buy anything of value from DSGi. The staff are so poorly trained it is unbelievable. The only ones that have any knowledge are those that actually took it too the job in the first place.

 

You are basically admitting that you and other memebers of DSGi staff are lying to their customers, maybe not all staff know they are lying becuse they have not had the training but people like you that do know the laws when it comes to things like this are the ones that should be punished.

 

At the end of the day if a customer came up to you 13 months after purchasing a machine that had gone wrong and you did not toe the company line and said that there is something called the SoGA and i advise that you look it up and contact head office then DSGi can not sack you as you have done nothing wrong what so ever and if they did punish you anyway shape or form then that is what tribunals are for.

 

Just becuase you work for the company it does not mean that you have to be as unethical as they are and treat customers as bad as they are. At the end of the day the amount of refunds outside the first 12 months has no impact on you what so ever as the money would not come directly out of the shops bottom line as they would have to go DSGi head office to get compensation. So by not helping the customer you are being as bad as DSGi

Unfortunately any refunds do come out of the stores bottom line, usualy straight off the target of the poor bloke who sold the goods, until they are refunded by the manufactorer, in the case of it being repaired at the expense of the company, that refund never happens and the store has to work very hard to make that cash up and also meet target. And yes you are correct, I do know better and should not be enforcing currys policies and ignoring SOGA, but lets not forget, I have a roof to keep over my head and DSGi pay my wages not the customer, and DSGi will without doubt dig up reason to sack me if I start shouting my mouth off about it. I consider attempting to help people out on here by giving them a insight into the methods and means by which currys will try to swindle you a minor act at redemption that isn't afforded to me at work where I can't remain annoynmous. And if you think that I should be punished.. get this, one of our managers is an ex-trading standards officer.

 

Of course it has, it is obvious that even if a %age of employees were not bright enough to understand the basics of consumer law, the majority should still be able to respond properly if trained properly, if they don't, it must follow it's because they haven't been trained properly, no argument from me there.

 

Look, I understand that you are trying to help, but the problem when you quote store policy without then saying: "but this is wrong and this is what you the law says you are entitled to...", a lot of people will then believe that what you have quoted as the policy is in fact the extent of what they can get... This is why I go on and on about SOGA.

 

I forgot to mention that I have never ever shouted at a store employee. I don't need to. If the employee doesn't know any better, then I ask them to fetch the manager, and I quote SOGA to the manager, again without shouting or losing my temper.

 

I also think that until these companies get great big fines for each and every time they breach statutory rights, they will keep on doing this because you are quite right that at the moment, they make more money by ignoring the law than by complying with it, and they have enough of a turnaround that keeping customers happy and coming back is of no importance to them whatsoever. It's a sad state of affairs.

 

Well we can both agree on that, the main thing is I quote the company policies so people like you can tell others how the law applies to them because as mentioned I was never trained on the SOGA and have only a vague understanding of it, obviously having specific details of how a store will try to fob you off gives you the details needed to plan a devastating counter argument before hand, allowing you to get them to back down quicker. Also the only thing that strikes me as odd about the whole scheme I mentioned, is that keeping customers returning is a massive thing to the company, and about the only thing they extensively train us on. I guess it's just some vain attempt to keep people coming back until they're hit with a faulty item.

Edited November 22, 2008 by Renzokuken

[sekhmet]

I phoned the tech guys first and they told me to take the laptop back to the store which is what I did.

If this had been accidental damage I could claim on my home contents insurance.

I have checked the hinges on the laptop, no damage or cracks although the hinge seems to be misaligned, there is a bigger gap on the left hand side of the hinge than on the right and when closing the laptop lid it has to sort of jump to the right a fair bit to close.

It is hard to explain and yes the hinge is stiff.

[postggj]

renzo

 

dont take bookies advice personel

he has been alot longer on the forum then any of us

i to make the odd mistake which the site team/ bookie correct

 

its the only way we learn and help others

some one needs to correct errors, or iill advised comments will be noted. and that can only go tits up

[curofone]

I phoned the tech guys first and they told me to take the laptop back to the store which is what I did.

If this had been accidental damage I could claim on my home contents insurance.

I have checked the hinges on the laptop, no damage or cracks although the hinge seems to be misaligned, there is a bigger gap on the left hand side of the hinge than on the right and when closing the laptop lid it has to sort of jump to the right a fair bit to close.

It is hard to explain and yes the hinge is stiff.

 

Well that in its self is proof that the training in the call centre is really starting to drop as i believe that they are never meant to refer customer to a store with a pc or laptop. The only time the call centre is meant to refer to store is for items that are not repaired but simply replaced. Apart from that the call centre should either be booking up uplifts or sending out engineers.

 

If the hinges are misaligned then it could again be the cause of the problem as it could be putting stress on one area of the screen.

 

My advice to you is still call the call centre and get the machine uplifted and make sure that you have written a note to go with it explaining it all and take pictures for your own evidence. Else you could get an independant report done and then get it booked in. Either way you are still going to have to speak to the call centre and get the machine booked in, just hope that you actually get agent that knows what they are doing.

[Bookworm]

renzo

 

dont take bookies advice personel

he has been alot longer on the forum then any of us

i to make the odd mistake which the site team/ bookie correct

 

bookie corrects gender too: I am a "she". ;-)

[postggj]

o realy

thought by your comments

that your a bit butch to be a she

[WebFerret]

5: If you have limewire or any P2P software on your laptop expect them not to fix the CD drive, or for it to go faulty again soon after. P2P programs have a notorious reputation for changing the buffer values on CD drives on alot of laptops rendering the drive undetectable without going into your registry and manualy altering the values back.

 

Is this true?

 

Are you sure you mean P2P software and not getting confused with DRM software such as Securom?

 

What has P2P software got to do with reading CD drives? - it is DRM that check drives in an attempt to prevent piracy and can often cause problems in drives not then reading discs!

[Bookworm]

o realy

thought by your comments

that your a bit butch to be a she

:eek:

[labrat]

its itunes that does it mostly not peer to peer

 

and thats only true if its showing in device manager still with a yellow exclamation mark if theres no mark and it still wont read or if its not there at all they ussually change it

Edited November 23, 2008 by labrat
de-personalising

[curofone]

optical drives are the easiest thing in the world to diag, just put a bootable cd in there restart the computer and press the option to boot from the optical drive, if it boots that the drive is fine and there will a software problem with in windows and therefore will not be sent away and if does not boot the drive will be changed simple as that.

 

But i do not think the optical drive is the main concern with this machice and when they finally get round to replacing the screen then they can check this problem out too.

[Renzokuken]

optical drives are the easiest thing in the world to diag, just put a bootable cd in there restart the computer and press the option to boot from the optical drive, if it boots that the drive is fine and there will a software problem with in windows and therefore will not be sent away and if does not boot the drive will be changed simple as that.

 

But i do not think the optical drive is the main concern with this machice and when they finally get round to replacing the screen then they can check this problem out too.

 

Unfortunately if your not a qualifed in store techinican your not allowed to do any laptop testing, no matter how simple. For example most currys and some PCWorld stores don't have technicians. I've been building PC's since I was 13 and probably know more then most technicans, but because I'm not qualified, I can't touch a thing, so customers or store staff end up having to ring the techguys to have them "diognose" (aka look at there list of faults on there terminal and patronise your previous attempts at repair) the issue.

 

It's daft.