Soldato
I don't really know what this thread is about, if it's a cry for help, a rant, if my expectations of a laptop manufacturer are too high or is my luck just bad? Anyway this is my experience with an Acer tablet and their tech support.
There's a summary in the next post if you CBA to read it.
Purchase date: Late September 2004, bought on Parents credit card from an etailer that specialised in laptops and Acer products. Extended 3 year warrenty also purchased.
Initial thoughts: Great laptop for the time, long life, good for working on, creating drawings. Didn't want to use it for gaming so the spec was spot on.
The laptop was used on a regular basis, for school work and uni work. Having the tablet functions made taking notes easier and sketches were simple to make. Easier to organise than a pad of paper.
after 3 months things started to appear a bit off. The sensitivity of the pen input was getting irratic, sometimes it would not pick up the pen around the edges. It still didn't stop me using it and i had some coursework deadlines to work to. In tablet mode it became worse, to the point I had to try and wedge the screen from the base a little to get it to pick up the pen.
I reported the issue to Acer repair (after sitting in a queue for 20minutes) who advised me to send it in for repair. I waited until I had finised with the course, before this happened I was in a classroom when by bag was knocked off a desk to the floor. First thing I checked was the screen and bad sectors on the disk, to which both were fine. I also found out that the tablet functions were working again so I didn't get DHL to come pick it up.
All was fine until a few months into university, where again the tablet functions were getting irratic. I was more dependant on the laptop at this stage for working so I didn't do anything about it, when it came to the summer I contacted Acer again (another 20minute queue) to find out that my warrenty had expired, the extended warrenty hadn't been activated. Luckily as they were both purchased at the same time it was still accepted and activated, but they wouldn't accept the unit in for repair for 90 days. I couldn't send the unit for repair from my halls anyway as the receptionist wouldn't look after parcels for pickup or delivery, so I thought it would be better to wait until I had moved to send it.
Early September 2006 the hard disk failed, luckily it was backed up and I had to send the unit in for repair. All went smooth, new drive installed, new digitizer (tablet) and they losened the hinge too so it was easier to use. In the email I have they said if the issues were software related I would be charged for them. The laptop was repaired October 2006.
I thought it was all good, until again the tablet cut out. Laptop was sent again for repair November 2006 with the same issue, also the dvd drive was no longer writing CD+R's. Again both were replaced.
Once again after a few months of use the digitizer packed in, and the laptop went in for repair again. For some reason I don't have any delivery records for this one in my inbox so cannot confirm the date.
When I got the laptop back, tablet functions working fine, until I hear my laptop beeping whilst the lid was closed, when opening the unit I noticed the clock was opened and nothing else was wrong. This only happened with the tablet functions on, so the digitizer was supposedly at fault again. I hadn't noticed it doing this before in the few weeks I'd been using it, and I couldn't always replicate the fault. By the summer It was starting to draw on the screen without any user input when the lid was closed. It had never done this before the previous repairs, so again in the summer it went in for repair.
This is where it started to go wrong. Surely after 3-4 repairs for similar faults, you would assume that something else is at fault within the unit? I asked them to replace the parts with fully working units, or replace the laptop as it was getting beyond a joke. Again they just replaced the digitizer and sent it back on it's way, still with the same fault.
I called Acer tech support again, and insisted that the unit was replaced, as they couldn't fix it.
Their response: "If the unit could still be repaired we will try to repair before replacing the unit"
Me: "But it's been in for 4 times now with similar issues, all with the digitizer, each time it has been replaced with a new part, which has not fixed it long term."
Them: "It is not our policy to replace the laptop if it is cheaper to repair it (They didn't say cheaper, just explaining that it wasn't cost effective for their company to do it)
Me: "So how many times must I submit my laptop for repair before you will even justify replacing it because you can't fix it?"
Them: "send the unit in for repair and we will fix it"
This circle continued, so I asked to speak to someone higher up in the call centre, apparently no one was available and I was given a postal address to write to to complain. Eventually after days of searching old forums for numbers to call I finally found a fax for their escalations department, and in turn a phone number.
This got me nowhere at all, they couldn't care less that I had a faulty laptop that had been "repaired" 4-5 times (I can't find all the paperwork to confirm the number of times it's been in) and that I wanted a replacement. They told me to send it in for repair again or go to OFT because they knew with only a month of warrenty left I could be kicked away and no loger a financial drain on their company for submitting a laptop to be repaired.
OFT referred me to trading standards, who agreed that this wasn't acceptable... but they told me to go back to the retailer and ask for a partial refund even after 3 years. I thought I'd give the repair one last shot.
I sent the unit in for repair before the deadline they issued (October 2nd) and was contacted by phone by one of their engineers.
Them: We can't find anything wrong with the unit.
Me: What about the tablet issues?
Them: Yes that is a design limitation of the machine.
Me: So you're refusing to fix it?
Them: It cannot be fixed, it is how the machine works
Me: but it never did this specific issue with the tablet with the first few repairs, that was different.
Them: We still can't fix it.
Me: what about when the wireless is off, or the power is not plugged in, in both these cases the problem does not exist, why were you only replacing the digitizer and not other components?
Them: They were replaced because they were faulty.
Me: But I'm reporting the same issues this time after they had been replaced and you're now telling me it's not faulty.
Them: It is a design limitation of the machine and we will not fix it.
Again I went back to the complaints department who gave me the two fingered salute and told me that if I sent the laptop in for repair again I would be charged, unless I had a faulty digitizer which is now covered until december.
What I'm also disappointed at is they stuck a "warrenty void if removed" sticker over the screw hole to get into the laptop, which was never there before. There's a lot more to this but I'm tired, annoyed and I've finally got my laptop back from my parents today (each time they delivered it back to my parents and I had to make arrangements to collect it). I don't know what else to do now as trading standards want me to go back to the retailer, who I know will not want to pay anything for this and quite rightly so, when it's Acer's repair centre screwing me over.
There's a summary in the next post if you CBA to read it.
Purchase date: Late September 2004, bought on Parents credit card from an etailer that specialised in laptops and Acer products. Extended 3 year warrenty also purchased.
Initial thoughts: Great laptop for the time, long life, good for working on, creating drawings. Didn't want to use it for gaming so the spec was spot on.
The laptop was used on a regular basis, for school work and uni work. Having the tablet functions made taking notes easier and sketches were simple to make. Easier to organise than a pad of paper.
after 3 months things started to appear a bit off. The sensitivity of the pen input was getting irratic, sometimes it would not pick up the pen around the edges. It still didn't stop me using it and i had some coursework deadlines to work to. In tablet mode it became worse, to the point I had to try and wedge the screen from the base a little to get it to pick up the pen.
I reported the issue to Acer repair (after sitting in a queue for 20minutes) who advised me to send it in for repair. I waited until I had finised with the course, before this happened I was in a classroom when by bag was knocked off a desk to the floor. First thing I checked was the screen and bad sectors on the disk, to which both were fine. I also found out that the tablet functions were working again so I didn't get DHL to come pick it up.
All was fine until a few months into university, where again the tablet functions were getting irratic. I was more dependant on the laptop at this stage for working so I didn't do anything about it, when it came to the summer I contacted Acer again (another 20minute queue) to find out that my warrenty had expired, the extended warrenty hadn't been activated. Luckily as they were both purchased at the same time it was still accepted and activated, but they wouldn't accept the unit in for repair for 90 days. I couldn't send the unit for repair from my halls anyway as the receptionist wouldn't look after parcels for pickup or delivery, so I thought it would be better to wait until I had moved to send it.
Early September 2006 the hard disk failed, luckily it was backed up and I had to send the unit in for repair. All went smooth, new drive installed, new digitizer (tablet) and they losened the hinge too so it was easier to use. In the email I have they said if the issues were software related I would be charged for them. The laptop was repaired October 2006.
I thought it was all good, until again the tablet cut out. Laptop was sent again for repair November 2006 with the same issue, also the dvd drive was no longer writing CD+R's. Again both were replaced.
Once again after a few months of use the digitizer packed in, and the laptop went in for repair again. For some reason I don't have any delivery records for this one in my inbox so cannot confirm the date.
When I got the laptop back, tablet functions working fine, until I hear my laptop beeping whilst the lid was closed, when opening the unit I noticed the clock was opened and nothing else was wrong. This only happened with the tablet functions on, so the digitizer was supposedly at fault again. I hadn't noticed it doing this before in the few weeks I'd been using it, and I couldn't always replicate the fault. By the summer It was starting to draw on the screen without any user input when the lid was closed. It had never done this before the previous repairs, so again in the summer it went in for repair.
This is where it started to go wrong. Surely after 3-4 repairs for similar faults, you would assume that something else is at fault within the unit? I asked them to replace the parts with fully working units, or replace the laptop as it was getting beyond a joke. Again they just replaced the digitizer and sent it back on it's way, still with the same fault.
I called Acer tech support again, and insisted that the unit was replaced, as they couldn't fix it.
Their response: "If the unit could still be repaired we will try to repair before replacing the unit"
Me: "But it's been in for 4 times now with similar issues, all with the digitizer, each time it has been replaced with a new part, which has not fixed it long term."
Them: "It is not our policy to replace the laptop if it is cheaper to repair it (They didn't say cheaper, just explaining that it wasn't cost effective for their company to do it)
Me: "So how many times must I submit my laptop for repair before you will even justify replacing it because you can't fix it?"
Them: "send the unit in for repair and we will fix it"
This circle continued, so I asked to speak to someone higher up in the call centre, apparently no one was available and I was given a postal address to write to to complain. Eventually after days of searching old forums for numbers to call I finally found a fax for their escalations department, and in turn a phone number.
This got me nowhere at all, they couldn't care less that I had a faulty laptop that had been "repaired" 4-5 times (I can't find all the paperwork to confirm the number of times it's been in) and that I wanted a replacement. They told me to send it in for repair again or go to OFT because they knew with only a month of warrenty left I could be kicked away and no loger a financial drain on their company for submitting a laptop to be repaired.
OFT referred me to trading standards, who agreed that this wasn't acceptable... but they told me to go back to the retailer and ask for a partial refund even after 3 years. I thought I'd give the repair one last shot.
I sent the unit in for repair before the deadline they issued (October 2nd) and was contacted by phone by one of their engineers.
Them: We can't find anything wrong with the unit.
Me: What about the tablet issues?
Them: Yes that is a design limitation of the machine.
Me: So you're refusing to fix it?
Them: It cannot be fixed, it is how the machine works
Me: but it never did this specific issue with the tablet with the first few repairs, that was different.
Them: We still can't fix it.
Me: what about when the wireless is off, or the power is not plugged in, in both these cases the problem does not exist, why were you only replacing the digitizer and not other components?
Them: They were replaced because they were faulty.
Me: But I'm reporting the same issues this time after they had been replaced and you're now telling me it's not faulty.
Them: It is a design limitation of the machine and we will not fix it.
Again I went back to the complaints department who gave me the two fingered salute and told me that if I sent the laptop in for repair again I would be charged, unless I had a faulty digitizer which is now covered until december.
What I'm also disappointed at is they stuck a "warrenty void if removed" sticker over the screw hole to get into the laptop, which was never there before. There's a lot more to this but I'm tired, annoyed and I've finally got my laptop back from my parents today (each time they delivered it back to my parents and I had to make arrangements to collect it). I don't know what else to do now as trading standards want me to go back to the retailer, who I know will not want to pay anything for this and quite rightly so, when it's Acer's repair centre screwing me over.