Compusa warranty trouble with a Toshiba - Page 2

5105 S501 maybe this story is coming to an end

I received a call today from CompUSA. They say they have a replacement video card for my laptop, after nearly a month on back order for the 32 MB version, and nearly 2 months since I first took my laptop in to them. My laptop came with a 32 MB card, and they have a 64MB card of the same model. They are going to try it out, and call me back by 5:00pm to tell me if it works. Hopefully it will. I don't think there are any really comparable laptops to the 5105-s501 out there. Lets hope this gets resolved soon. I have to start my summer research position, and I need this laptop!

64 MB card works, but now PCMCIA slot is not

Got a call as CompUSA told me I would, before 5:00pm. The graphis card works, but after quality assurance testing, before final shipment of the laptop, the PCMCIA slot was not working. They are ordering a new motherboard (From the s901. I have the s501). Hopefully it works. I really like my Toshiba. It has the best sound and highest screen resolution out there. Heres to faith....

CompUSA came through

Just after my last post, I received a call from CompUSA. They gave me a store credit for the entire laptop purchase price, including tax. I was able to choose whatever I wanted fom the store. I chose a Sony VAIO FS570. It has a faster, newer processor, centrino technology, 1 GB of RAM, 100 GB hard drive, and built in wireless. The graphics is not as good as my 5105 was, but it is sufficient for web development. The screen is much, much better than my 5105's.

I am so satisfied. It did take numerous phone calls on my part, and I had to wait for two months. However, CompUSA handled the repair very professionally, very professionally. They called me every couple of days to update me, and told me what the outlook was, and what might happen in case of certain circumstances. I am very pleased.

It's good to see someone with a positive experience relate it on this board. I also work for CompUSA in a certain respect & have seen a number of instances where customers are taken care of above & beyond what the situation calls for. Obviously, they will try to fix the one you have because the assumption is that you really like it, thus you end up waiting at times for parts to come in & what not. I feel for those who have not been properly dealt with & can only tell you to keep working on it through phone calls up the ladder & be patient.

As for the extended warranty argument, I agree that it is not always necessary. That said, I have to seriously disagree when it comes to laptops & HDTV's. These modern technologies suffer from certain usage problems that really require you to get extended service.

First, laptops are a mobile technology. This in & of itself will cause wear & tear most technology will not see. Screen replacement is a must in case the unspeakable happens, but the benefits of total repair of anything from a key to the screen itself make this a viable purchase. Maybe not so much on a desktop, but definitely on a laptop. Also, the newer HDTV's use bulbs to light the screen & they typically burn out within a year or two. The cost of the bulb alone will justify the service plan & having the added protection against other problems is a nice safety net.

The best thing I can liken it to is insurance for your car. If something goes wrong, you call your insurance agency (in this case a CompUSA store) and let them know of your problem. They fix it or replace it & you go on with your life. Sure, some people will be stuck with waiting for periods of time but my guess would be 75-90% get resolved within the first 2 weeks.

For the guy who spilled his beer on his $3000 laptop you got what you deserved, sorry, but you did. For 20 years computer manufacturers have been telling everyone not to put drinks around their computers & yet people still do it. Do I put my sodas on my $4000 Phillips HDTV? Are you kidding me? Would I throw a friend out of my house if he did it? In a heartbeat, he would be fired out my front door & have his beer thrown at his head.

For the guy who said he never bought an extended service in 20 years, you have either been extremely lucky or have been very rude to some store employees at some point in your life. I see these old guys come in all the time & just rant & rave about their problem that we can do nothing about. It's not the employees' fault and you were offered the extended service. If you can afford to buy a brand new piece 12 months later then yeah, the service may not be important for you. If a laptop costing over $1,000 is a big purchase then I have to ask you guys to please reread what I have said in the first few paragraphs.

I have been on both ends of the equations. I helped my father buy his Sony 60" WEGA HDTV & insisted that he buy the service because they watch a good deal of TV. I will do a mathematical rundown for you:

average day of viewing for someone who works full-time:3-10 hours, totalling about 30 hours a week with weekends included.

average year = 52weeks*30 hours=1560 hours a years

bulb life=1,000-2,000 hours on LCD/DLP, some of them get 3,000

bulb cost=$200-$400 a pop

average amount spent on bulbs over 3 years: $750 (from $300-1200 dependant upon said variables)

average service contract for those 3 years: $250-500 depending on the HDTV's price

Do these companies make money on these service plans? Of course they do, if they didn't make money on everything they sold you they wouldn't be in business anymore. Does that mean it is a bad investment? Well my car insurance agent makes more money than I do, does that mean I should cancel my car insurance? It's always going to be a personal choice, but it's worth it for something that costs this much money...even if you ARE rich. Clark Howard isn't always right folks, sorry.

5105-S901 - Toshiba Laptop - I got burned too

I bought a 5101-S901 from CompUSA also but I got the ex warrantee from Toshiba. About 3 1/2 months before my warrantee was up my LCD screen turned red.

They sent a repair person to my office to fix it and HE broke my laptop. The laptop does not work, the LCD's on the front don't work, my keys stick and the machine does not power on now unless you plug it in.

So they send a second person out 3 weeks later, I'm supposed to have same day or next day on-site service. The guy can't fix it because he said he was given the wrong parts.

Still no working PC they make me wait another 3 weeks and I get a call saying the guy will be there at 1:00PM. THE GUY NEVER SHOWS UP.

I call Toshiba, they say "they know nothing". I make 4 more calls and get a person who says none of my parts are in I'll have to wait. They will call me <ROFL> I asked why they made me wait for a repair person that never showed up, they said they don't know what happened.

I write a letter to the President of Toshiba. "No reply".

Another 3 weeks later I get a call, a guy comes in:

• puts the new screen in, (it's the wrong size)
• replaces the keyboard with the wrong one
• fixes the LCDS on the front(got that right)
• Fixes the power
• BREAKS THE WI-FI

I call Toshiba again now my warrantee is almost up in 3 days they say we'll fix your WI-FI we broke it. But the other stuff you have to accept we don't have the parts.

Another week goes by nothing.

I call again, they say "Your Warrantee is up" we won't send anyone out to fix it. I told them that they broke my laptop and they said tough!!! Spoke with managers and they all said the same thing.

I will never buy another Toshiba product again. This was a working cared for product under Toshiba Warrantee and THEY BROKE IT and told me to SHOVE IT!!!.

DO NOT BY TOSHIBA PRODUCTS –
DO NOT GET TOSHIBA WARRANTIES
TOSHIBA DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS

I'm starting a web site for Toshiba repair issues. I work in the broadcasting industry. Remeber the guy who did the movie about his IPOD. We'll just wait!!! TOSHIBA is going to love my little movie.

I must've missed this....


Got a link to it?