Brand new ACER 7535G laptop goes bust!!

[jagbirs]

I wish to share my experience of owning an ACER 7535G laptop for a fleeting few weeks. I bought it from Currys on 9th August 2009 for £599.99, because my other laptop was getting kind of old. I work as a software developer so I needed to install all my development software on the new one. Because of this I could not even use it for the first 2 weeks because I did not find time to get everything on it (taking out Windows Vista and installing Windows XP being one of those). Eventually I started using it regularly about 3 weeks after I had bought it. Then exactly 5 weeks after I had bought it, it died on 13th September 2009!

 

It froze when I was working on it. The screen became garbled although I could still read the last thing I was working on (this to me suggested something wrong with the GPU, or its driver). I had to do a hard reboot by pressing and holding the power button. The next time it froze again before the windows login dialog was displayed, and there were a few pixles on the screen glowing psychedelically, and this time there was also some sound of static coming from the speakers. I tried to hard boot it again and after that nothing ever came up on the screen. The power and other lights do come on, but other than that it is completely dead.

 

The real shame about it was that it happened exactly 5 weeks after I had bought it. I took it back to the currys that I had bought it from and all they could do was send it back to Acer. They say that if it had happened a week earlier they would have offered a replacement or a refund, and obviously I would have gone for the refund because after this I do not have any confidence in the quality of Acer products.

 

Now I can only hope they will replace the laptop instead of repairing it. I really really do not want to be owning a repaired laptop just 5 weeks after spending £599.99 on it.

 

I will post the updates about the situation with my "new" laptop here when I have any but I would definitely not recommend this product to anyone, in fact I would advise to actively avoid it.

[dx100uk]

all very well and good

but it can happen to any laptop

not just acer ones.

 

i would think the beasty will be replaced under the 'unfit for purpose' SOGA rule

 

dx

[Renzokuken]

So basically what your saying is that people should stop buying this model because you received one faulty model out of an entire batch? Maybe if we had several people on here, or a pile of broken laptops behind the customer service desk with faults you'd be justified in saying "don't buy this" but seriously, it's like pulling a wafer out of a box and saying, "This is broken I'll never buy these again".

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Topics like these are a waste of time and should be banned.

[jagbirs]

So basically what your saying is that people should stop buying this model because you received one faulty model out of an entire batch? Maybe if we had several people on here, or a pile of broken laptops behind the customer service desk with faults you'd be justified in saying "don't buy this" but seriously, it's like pulling a wafer out of a box and saying, "This is broken I'll never buy these again".

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Topics like these are a waste of time and should be banned.

 

All I want to do is share my experience about this Acer model and level of support that Curry's and Acer give to their customers. It is still not complete as I said in my initial post I will update when I know more. But, if at this point of time, one of my friends asks me if I recommend this particular Acer model, then I cannot really say "It should be OK... go ahead buy it even though mine broke when it was still practically brand new" can I? They would even wonder if I was a friend at all. For me this "one faulty model" is 1 out of 1 i.e. = 100%. And I have owned 5 other HP/Dell/Compaq laptops in the past. I have got just as much right to my opinions as you have got to yours but common sense makes a difference. Its not common sense to compare laptops to wafers.

 

You think this thread falls in one of the categories of topics that according to you should be banned. If this is one of the inappropriate topics, I would like to know what according to you would qualify to be posted on a site called "Consumer Forums"? (Check out the top left corner of this page in your browser).

Edited September 16, 2009 by jagbirs

[angry cat]

So basically what your saying is that people should stop buying this model because you received one faulty model out of an entire batch? Maybe if we had several people on here, or a pile of broken laptops behind the customer service desk with faults you'd be justified in saying "don't buy this" but seriously, it's like pulling a wafer out of a box and saying, "This is broken I'll never buy these again".

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Topics like these are a waste of time and should be banned.

 

Shocking comment!

 

So, what are you saying?

 

should magazines like which? be banned, because they disclose;

best buys and;

don't buys.

 

If consumers are prevented from posting up their experiences regarding certain makes and models, there would be no point in having consumer forums!

 

AC

[Renzokuken]

Shocking comment!

 

So, what are you saying?

 

should magazines like which? be banned, because they disclose;

best buys and;

don't buys.

 

If consumers are prevented from posting up their experiences regarding certain makes and models, there would be no point in having consumer forums!

 

AC

In all the magazines, websites and general reviews I've read, I've never once came across a review about a faulty product.

 

Electronics go wrong occasionally, it's a byproduct of the consumer electronics market, there's nothing us or the manufacturer can do about that, short of doing everything they can to make decent products, and put things right when they do go wrong.

 

The whole "don't buy this because I got one that was faulty" outlook only leads to consumers steering clear of product that would otherwise be perfect for them under the assumption, and extremely unlikely occurrence that theirs might go wrong too.

 

In short, this is less of a review and more scare-mongering to spite the manufacturer and possibly the store, in my opinion.

[jagbirs]

Its been 10 days now. I still haven't heard a word from Currys/Acer. I am going to wait for a few more days before I call them.

[dx100uk]

10 days....

i think they have 28 days .

 

dx

[labrat]

yep currys counts 28 days as reasonable repair time, 7535g is the one with the subwoofer, surround sound, think its got tuba printed on the back isnt it. they are desgined with a seperate graphics card rather than built in, so it could be either the graphics card or mainboard (passing through etc).

 

mainboards are easy to get hold of harder to fit... the graphics cards are harder to get hold of but easyer to fit...

 

tbh my guess is that they have ordered a graphics card and are waiting for it to come into stock, if you phone the call center and ask them to look up the job number ask them to look at the 09 not the 40 number they (should) know what you mean, off that they should be able to tell you what parts have been ordered and if they are in stock, if they are not sure what the letter codes mean then they havent been there long, if its F next to the part its been fitted if its A its in stock just waiting to be fitted, or if its O then they are awaiting a delivery

[jagbirs]

Status Update:

The current status: Its been over 28 days and no word from Curry's. I called them and the only thing thay can tell me is that it is still with Acer. This is absolutely unacceptable and I think Curry's/Acer should be ashamed of having a customer who paid 600 pounds and never got to use the product.

 

I wonder what Mr Renzokuken has to say now. He had accused me of trying to spite the manufacturer/store. I hope now this topic is not in the category that should be banned in his view.

[dx100uk]

uH..

if it was 10 days on the 23rd it's only 'just' 1 calender month today

 

calm down dear boy.

 

dx

[glenkay]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to second the thread starters words on this particular thread and am curious as in how this saga ended for him.I purchased the same model on the 2nd October 2009. The laptop lasted only 2 days before the harddrive started making loud clicking noises and packed up altogether leaving just a blank screen after 2 weeks. They(PC World) exchanged it for anew one on the day.The new one made loud clicking noises from the first day and packed up 7 weeks later with just a black screen. There has been Boot failures on both the Acer 7535g that I have had and am currently waiting for an outcome since the latest laptop has been sent to acer..2 weeks have passed and I have not heard from anyone.I totally understand the thread starters frustration having spent over 500 pound on this laptop.A close friend of mine has had an acer for over 4 years now so I know the brand does make very good laptops...just seems there are still teething problems with this particular model.

[Ex DSG Man]

Sorry to say folks but for the two faulty laptops of 5 and 7 weeks old you should have stood your ground and demanded a replacement. There is no law about faulty products being repalced within 28 days as Currys go by. The law states a 'reasonable' period.

 

You have to keep your cool and be pretty demanding as its totally down to the store to exchange - especially for brown goods as they just get fixed by Mastercare and resold by the store.

[Renzokuken]

Sorry to say folks but for the two faulty laptops of 5 and 7 weeks old you should have stood your ground and demanded a replacement. There is no law about faulty products being repalced within 28 days as Currys go by. The law states a 'reasonable' period.

 

You have to keep your cool and be pretty demanding as its totally down to the store to exchange - especially for brown goods as they just get fixed by Mastercare and resold by the store.

 

There isn't a store in the country willing to take a hit like that on their bottom line. You can argue with them as much as you like, but eventualy they'll just have you removed from the store.

 

I'm not saying thats the right thing to do, I'm just saying, that's what will happen.

[Conniff]

In all the magazines, websites and general reviews I've read, I've never once came across a review about a faulty product.

 

Electronics go wrong occasionally, it's a byproduct of the consumer electronics market, there's nothing us or the manufacturer can do about that, short of doing everything they can to make decent products, and put things right when they do go wrong.

 

The whole "don't buy this because I got one that was faulty" outlook only leads to consumers steering clear of product that would otherwise be perfect for them under the assumption, and extremely unlikely occurrence that theirs might go wrong too.

 

In short, this is less of a review and more scare-mongering to spite the manufacturer and possibly the store, in my opinion.

 

I'm not sure it is scaremongering. I just done a Google search for 'Acer Problems' and it came up with this:

 

Results 1 - 10 of about 22,100,000 for acer problems.

 

Not exactly a one off.

[Renzokuken]

I'm not sure it is scaremongering. I just done a Google search for 'Acer Problems' and it came up with this:

 

Results 1 - 10 of about 22,100,000 for acer problems.

 

Not exactly a one off.

 

You realise that search would bring up all indexed websites containing the words acer and problems seperately, not to mention multiples of the same webpage.

 

C'mon if you wanted to try and trump me with such a mundane use of a search engine, you'd have at least searched with quotation marks around the search string, so it only looked for the words acer and problems together.

 

Results 1 - 10 of about 4,130 for "Acer Problems".

 

The first result was a topic on these forums, the second was a problem with a flower called a japanese acer on a tree care website.

 

Good job there mate.

[Michael Browne]

I'm not sure it is scaremongering. I just done a Google search for 'Acer Problems' and it came up with this:

 

Results 1 - 10 of about 22,100,000 for acer problems.

 

Not exactly a one off.

Try Conniff problems:

 

Results 1 - 10 of about 50,500 for Conniff problems.

 

Not quite in the same league as Acer, but then not exactly a one off either :grin:

[patrickq1]

ACER 7535G - Google Search

 

I BELEIVE IT IS A GRAPHICS CARD PROBLEM WHEN YOU INSTALL XP IT GOES KAPUT......

[Conniff]

You realise that search would bring up all indexed websites containing the words acer and problems seperately, not to mention multiples of the same webpage.

 

C'mon if you wanted to try and trump me with such a mundane use of a search engine, you'd have at least searched with quotation marks around the search string, so it only looked for the words acer and problems together.

 

Results 1 - 10 of about 4,130 for "Acer Problems".

 

The first result was a topic on these forums, the second was a problem with a flower called a japanese acer on a tree care website.

 

Good job there mate.

 

Ok, so I cheated a little that time. But do a proper search and the problems come up in there 10s of thousands on geek, help sites and forums, so don't try and make out this is the only Acer laptop to ever fall to bits.

 

The main problem isn't with the laptop itself, it is with the retailers, mostly of the Pc World, Currys, Dixon ilk. They just wont obey the regulations and continually palm customer off with the manufacturer.

[Renzokuken]

Ok, so I cheated a little that time. But do a proper search and the problems come up in there 10s of thousands on geek, help sites and forums, so don't try and make out this is the only Acer laptop to ever fall to bits.

 

The main problem isn't with the laptop itself, it is with the retailers, mostly of the Pc World, Currys, Dixon ilk. They just wont obey the regulations and continually palm customer off with the manufacturer.

 

With all due respect, unless you actualy work for the retailer you have no idea if they're being palmed off or simpily don't have a choice.

 

By law the retailer has to give the manufactorer the chance to repair his goods. Also by law the retailer has a duty of care to the customer should their goods go wrong. How exactly is it palming them off when the staff are stuck between a rock and a hard-place when the manufactorer insists on dealing with the customer directly as acer and samsung so frequently do?

 

And at no point did I say anything about acers track-record or relyability. I was simpily stating that getting a faulty laptop in a batch is akin to geting a broken wafer in a box of 30. Some of them are bound to be faulty or damaged it's a natual side-effect of mass manufactoring. Telling people not to buy a model of laptop simpily because you pulled the short straw and got a faulty one is again nothing short of scaremongering to spite the shop. This applies to all consumer electronics, how about we go around telling people not to buy anything electronic because there's a slim chance it might be faulty?

[Conniff]

With all due respect, unless you actualy work for the retailer you have no idea if they're being palmed off or simpily don't have a choice.

 

By law the retailer has to give the manufactorer the chance to repair his goods. Also by law the retailer has a duty of care to the customer should their goods go wrong. How exactly is it palming them off when the staff are stuck between a rock and a hard-place when the manufactorer insists on dealing with the customer directly as acer and samsung so frequently do?

 

And at no point did I say anything about acers track-record or relyability. I was simpily stating that getting a faulty laptop in a batch is akin to geting a broken wafer in a box of 30. Some of them are bound to be faulty or damaged it's a natual side-effect of mass manufactoring. Telling people not to buy a model of laptop simpily because you pulled the short straw and got a faulty one is again nothing short of scaremongering to spite the shop. This applies to all consumer electronics, how about we go around telling people not to buy anything electronic because there's a slim chance it might be faulty?

 

Can you supply a link to the 'law' that says the manufacturer 'must' do the repair. No I didn't think so.

 

With all due respect back again, just the mention of the word 'manufacturer' to the customer is palming them off. The maker cannot 'insist' on dealing directly with the customer, and if he should, the customer does not have to have anything to do with the manufacturer.

There is only one point of contact for the customer and that is the seller. The contract is between the seller and the buyer and no one else.

Where the seller choses to send the goods for repair is up to them, but the customer should not be told to contact the manufacturer or anyone else. It is up to you, the shop that sold it, to accept it, arrange repairs and return it to the customer and to chase it up should there be longer than a reasonable amount of time before the customer receives it back.

 

I think you had better have a read of the regulations and not listen to the misinformation that your employer is indoctrinating into you, but be careful, if you offer the customer the rights they are entitled to, you will probably end up at the job center.

 

Although someone else didn't, I rather liked your comparison to wafer biscuits.

 

Maybe if we had several people on here,....

 

Try doing a search on this site and you will be blessed with at least a hundred calls for help, and even more on the shoddy and unlawful customer service of DSGi plc.

[Ex DSG Man]

There is only one point of contact for the customer and that is the seller. The contract is between the seller and the buyer and no one else.

Where the seller choses to send the goods for repair is up to them, but the customer should not be told to contact the manufacturer or anyone else. It is up to you, the shop that sold it, to accept it, arrange repairs and return it to the customer and to chase it up should there be longer than a reasonable amount of time before the customer receives it back.

 

Hey Conniff if you have landed back from the moon I would like to put my penny's worth in

 

What you say is pretty much spot on and the letter of the law - just not what many retailers including DSG stick to and on a daily basis and get away with.

 

The reality of the 'law' and what actually happens is miles apart on many occassions.

 

As for Acer laptops.....well its a four letter word and I could think of many similar four letter words to describe them mmmmmmmmm sh** cr** pi** enough said.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Ex DSG Man

[Conniff]

The reality of the 'law' and what actually happens is miles apart on many occassions.

 

Only because customers don't know their rights, you can't demand what you don't know..

[Ex DSG Man]

Only because customers don't know their rights, you can't demand what you don't know..

 

Very true, but if most people on here could know exactly how the retailers such as DSG work (their own policies) then there would be a much higher number of people getting the results they are looking for - play them at their own game.

 

If I had a pound for everytime someone quoted SOGA I would be a rich man. I can also assure you most managers are well trained in twisting this to suit their own needs ie. ' how can you argue that fault x,y,x isn't wear and tear and not a manufactiring fault'

 

In this thread I would look at a way of getting a replacement machine and not just the black and white of the law.

[Renzokuken]

Very true, but if most people on here could know exactly how the retailers such as DSG work (their own policies) then there would be a much higher number of people getting the results they are looking for - play them at their own game.

 

If I had a pound for everytime someone quoted SOGA I would be a rich man. I can also assure you most managers are well trained in twisting this to suit their own needs ie. ' how can you argue that fault x,y,x isn't wear and tear and not a manufactiring fault'

 

In this thread I would look at a way of getting a replacement machine and not just the black and white of the law.

 

Something I've been trying to explain to the people on here for quite a while, but unfortunately they're too occupied with pushing consumer rights, and not so much with getting results quickly.

 

For example, we as a branch are now under instructions from our manager to not speak to anyone quoting SOGA in an agressive way. We've been told to use the line "Sorry but I'm not authorised to speak to you about legalities as I'm not a member of the litigation department, you'll have to speak to them at head office."