Warranty , am i being unreasonable [from laptop thread]

colinuk · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:11

Got a Laptop, cant say who due to compo rules i guess, but anyway, here is the question.

If you had a NEXT Business day warranty, your laptop broke the thursday before new year, when would you expect it to be fixed?

The next day - Friday...
Monday - after the weekend as we know sat/sun dont count as working days!
Wednesday - the day after new year??

Would you be happy if it was fixed on the wednesday knowing you had paid an extra £200 for the next day fix and it took 3-4 working days for it to be fixed?

Should they infact make sure to employ people who can cover the work load over the holidays?

Or, as some people say, am i being unreasonable in my demands to have it fixed next wroking day no matter what time of year it is?

<CoiN>

paradigm · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:14

Should have been the Friday, and any other day was NOT what you had signed up to as a service contract.

I'd be kicking up a stink right now, along with claims that I've been incapacitated in a professional manner, and as such am down on earnings.

z0mbi3 · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:15

paradigm said:
Should have been the Friday, and any other day was NOT what you had signed up to as a service contract.

I'd be kicking up a stink right now, along with claims that I've been incapacitated in a professional manner, and as such am down on earnings.

What he said.

colinuk · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:22

I agree, but some have said i am being unreasonable, and instead of talking it out int he laptop thread [didnt think it was a right palce for it] brought it to GD to get more views.

Maybe i am being unreasonable, i didint think so as it states next working day, not next convienant day..

Still, maybe i should give them extra time as its Xmas???? - nah - HUMBUG!

ColiN

stoofa · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:31

Hve you thought that it might actually take more than one day to fix a faulty laptop?
I'm assuming you haven't returned it because of a software fault - so the quick and easy restore to factory preset cannot be done.
This means there is a faulty piece of hardware somewhere.
Trying to first find what piece of hardware is at fault and then fitting the new part before probably factory resetting it and then getting it sent out to you in a day.
Even with parts on hand, a simple mainboard swap in a laptop isn't quick and easy.

Maccy · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:33

OP - did they try and do anything about it on the Friday, or was the first you heard/saw them was today (Wednesday)?

If today was the first time you saw them then I'd kick up a fuss as last Friday was a normal business day and you've paid for next business day warranty.
However, if they tried to see you on Friday then that'd be a different matter...

[TR]SweetSpotOz · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:36

stoofa said:
Hve you thought that it might actually take more than one day to fix a faulty laptop?
I'm assuming you haven't returned it because of a software fault - so the quick and easy restore to factory preset cannot be done.
This means there is a faulty piece of hardware somewhere.
Trying to first find what piece of hardware is at fault and then fitting the new part before probably factory resetting it and then getting it sent out to you in a day.
Even with parts on hand, a simple mainboard swap in a laptop isn't quick and easy.

Then they shouldn't offer a NEXT business day service. A laptop repair company should be able to replace a mainboard within a couple of hours, if that.

Indy500 · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:36

stoofa said:
Even with parts on hand, a simple mainboard swap in a laptop isn't quick and easy.

3-4 hours at most. Thats how long it took me, and that was stopping to read the manual as well.

m4cc45 · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:38

markyp23 said:
Then they shouldn't offer a NEXT business day service. A laptop repair company should be able to replace a mainboard within a couple of hours, if that.

Agree with everything he said. Ideally they should have spare laptops on standby and just send a replacement out while they fix the original. If it's next business day then it should be done the next business day not several days later.

M.

colinuk · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:41

rang thursday morning at 9am... on hold for 30 mins, got to indian helpdesk, on hold again for xps helpdesk, go to helpdesk, they said ok, will send an engineer out tomorrow 1st thing. We left it at that, after explaining the fault of course.

Friday - nothing.... lunch time we rang them again, they said they are having issues sourcing the parts, the laptop is only 16months old. Told the engineer is on the way and shall be here before 5:30pm.

5:15pm, I rang again, got told the engineer never left the building as they dont have the parts. Also no comment on the log that we had rung at lunch time. Told the boss willl ring me 5:30-6pm Friday night to make sure all is going ok and to let me know what is going on.

Nothing...

Monday - rang at 9am, little anoyed but kept a civil tounge. told enginner didnt get to us in time as he had the post code down as starting with a N, this is for Manchester and he couldnt work out to replace the N with a M... hmmm, do i really want this guy looking at my 1800quid laptop! hmmm...

all in all, i end up talking to 3 people, to get to the point, they hadnt got the parts in yet, it was a 3rd party firm doing the fixes and the post code was wrong and the next day warranty only counts if they have the man power and parts to do it... EHH! what is the point of a NBD warranty if it doesnt mean NBD! - i asked in a slightly anoyed tone of voice...

all in all, works out they will come today - they did, 9am, and fixed it in 10 mins...

We did all the ringing and chasing... thats what anoyes me the most.

Rotty · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:41

You should have had a response on the next business daywhich is normally any day except weekends and bank holidays, some do exclude company fixed holidays too ( generally the 3 working days between Christmas and New Year )

I respomse does noy usually guarantee a fix though and can often be defined as the start of phone support

of course the T+C's of your agreement should explain the definitions

Maccy · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:44

Glad you got it sorted, if you're still not happy then perhaps write to the company in question?

Samtheman1k · 2 Jan 2008 at 13:58

It depends on if the delay is due to circumstances beyond their control. I would assume that the engineer would come with a number of parts to solve common problems that that likely to cause your fault, but if their supplier/wholesaler of parts was closed due to xmas, then it really is out of their hands. (I doubt they hold much parts themselves, it just doesn't make business sense to do so). I guess they cover themselves in the T&Cs regarding this, although IMO they should make it clear. If however, it was due to staff shortages, then that is unreasonable I think.

I would follow this up with complaints etc. & ask for a part refund as I don't think that it was unreasonable to get them to turn up on Friday or Monday at latest.

BoomAM · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:14

If you've payed for next day, then it should be fixed next day.
Unless the T+C's specify for Xmas/New Years/holidays, they have no excuse.
We have engineers who come in from companies at work, who replace 90% of a laptops parts and get the system fully working in under an hour and a half.

ScarySquirrel · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:33

I think you have every right to be annoyed.

I would write to them detailing all of the above and see what happens.

meghatronic · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:34

As above, I'd complain like crazy.

lordedmond · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:48

the part not available is thier standard excuse

from the OP coment its the same company I had a desk top from them and the HDD died they tried to tell me that the replacement HDD was not made any more . a bog standard IDE HDD

needless to say i played up stink then the found taht they had some on stock :eek:

ChrisJSY · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:49

I have to deal with people like you......who DO NOT HAVE A NEXT BUSINESS DAY Warranty! and they kick up a stink... now that's anoying

Like they have some right of way past everyone elses repairs and treat me like some second rate human.

But yeah, i'd expect next day if it indeed was a business day (they are open for business) or at most two.

z0mbi3 · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:53

The annoying thing that I see is that first they've told him the part isn't in stock, then that the engineer didn't come out because he had the post code wrong and then finaly that the part still wasn't in stock.

Did they not have the part or could the engineer not find the address? I'd be complaining about being lied to.

edit:

In case I have the order of things wrong, shouldn't they have called you as soon as they realised there was a problem over the address ??

colinuk · 2 Jan 2008 at 14:55

Iw as nice and polite to the guy on the phone. Well i think i was, i didnt shout or swear at him, told him i know he is only doing a job and has his hands tied to what he can do, but that i was not happy to be told it is going to be 6 days before they can fix it. Now i find, from other webs sites, that the fault is well known to them and lots, and i mean 100's have reported this error to them and all they do is replace 80% of the laptop - all we have from the origianl is the HDD and the case... simpler and faster to give us a new one?

I was fair to the guy on the phones, treated him as a human being as i said before, i do 3rd line, so i know what its like on the phones, started off doing it, so i tried not to hassle him too much, but still, NBD is NBD and not next 5 buss days....

The fact we had to do the chasing and ringing also anoyes me greatly.

Least its working now, but we wont buy another one from a place that sounds like you can get water from.

<ColiN>