Monitor Repair Help

JimJoeRooney · 7 Jun 2019 at 11:15

Hi,

I'm just looking some advice, I purchased an acer Z35p back in January and managed to knock it off my desk and damage it about a month ago. The screen had strange colouration on the left side like damaged pixels or something but was not cracked, everything else was fine.
So I contacted acer and requested a repair, they advised me this was not covered by the warranty and that I would have to pay £40 for them the postage and them to have a look at it to provide me with a quote.

I paid the money and sent the monitor off to them and received contact this week.

They have advised me that the LCD needs replaced and will cost £815.89.
I've asked for a breakdown on costs, labour etc but they refuse to provide me with anything and simply state that is the price for the repair or they can post it back for £50.

Considering the monitor is currently on sale on the acer website for 679.99 and could be have for 599.99 through various other sites.
Am I completely crazy in thinking this is a wild amount of money to expect for a repair?

bremen1874 · 7 Jun 2019 at 11:22

It’s high, but most of a monitor’s cost is the panel. You’re then having to pay for said panel to be installed.

Who does their repairs?

JimJoeRooney · 7 Jun 2019 at 11:27

I did ask, They told me if was their own repair centre so I assume Acer themselves. Another agent I'd spoken to said they were replacing the casing and the stand which makes no sense as they were both undamaged.
So I got the feeling they are just trying to send me a new or refurbished monitor and charge the higher amount.

bremen1874 · 7 Jun 2019 at 11:54

I'm not sure how they can justify the repair cost or the shipping charges (unless that's an Ireland thing).

If a monitor panel is damaged it's usually going to be an insurance job or a write-off. As you're already in this situation I'd be trying to push my complaint up the food chain. I wouldn't be buying Acer products again either.

JimJoeRooney · 7 Jun 2019 at 22:09

Well I am actually based in the UK so it wouldn't be to do with Ireland, and if parts and labour were this expensive then it would mean they are selling the monitors at a loss.

I did actually ask for a manager on the phone which they refused a number of times before putting me on hold and then what sounded like the same guy came back on stating he was a manager and couldn't help me with a breakdown or explanation
for the reasons behind the costs. I also emailed them and the same agent responded back to my email that I had spoken to on the phone.

Their customer service seems very lacklustre.

Apone70 · 9 Jun 2019 at 10:22

Have you got accidental cover with your home insurance? My wife smashed her new phone screen (Samsung wanted over £300) and we got it repaired through our home insurance and it cost the £50 excess. I was expecting the renewal to go up but it never did.

Legend · 9 Jun 2019 at 14:02

I would look into your home insurance. You may even have coverage with your bank account... some accounts do have that as bonus features, although you'd probably know as you'd be paying for it every month.

Failing that, I think at this point you'd have to bite the bullet and get a new monitor if you couldn't live with the broken one. Look at this way... even if Acer dropped their repair cost down to £700, you could get a BRAND NEW monitor for that! A repaired/refurbed one is inherently worth less. It almost sounds like they're actively discouraging you from even going down this route.