NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Sony Notebook Forums › Sony Notebooks › My Sony service nightmare
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

My Sony service nightmare

post #1 of 21
1/19/05 at 6:56pm
Thread Starter 
nt
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 21
1/19/05 at 7:21pm
times haven't changed with their service... I remember shipping my laptop 3 times to get 1 problem resolved and that was about three years ago...
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 21
1/19/05 at 8:36pm
I'm sorry to hear that. Are you sure it's not Compusa who's doing the mess up? because I had so many bad experiences with them. They can lie almost about everything. I'm not saying sony's service is good either. Their service is getting worse everyday.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 21
1/19/05 at 8:39pm
That's just so depressing. I've been itching to get an S Series VAIO but am so concerned about poor Sony service and quality. The form factor is perfect and even if my current laptop is superior in a few areas, the portability and battery life might make up for it. But only if I can count on it working.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 21
1/19/05 at 8:41pm
I would also be blaming CompUSA as they are the ones who are supposed to make sure it is fixed.

Steve
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 21
1/19/05 at 8:48pm
Thread Starter 
i could definitely see compusa screwing it up and then blaming it on sony, but I doubt I could ever find that out. everyone is so shady. the s170 is sweet, but i'm missing that dell service right about now. What I want to know is if there is a way to get Sony to help me out while I wait...I've got to have something to take notes on
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 21
1/19/05 at 9:03pm
Check your warranty agreement to see what the standards are for a turn-around time. If this has exceeded that time, call the credit card company you purchased it with (provided you purchased w/ a credit card) and initiate a charge dispute on the grounds that they failed to provide a service that was included in the price of the laptop and the laptop is physically out of your hands now with no firm date as to when it will be back.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 21
1/19/05 at 9:40pm
wait, so you bought a computer at an internet store, then took it to a retailer to get them to send it to sony? I don't have any idea why on earth they would do that first of all, unless you bought some kind of service through them. Second I hope you all understand that it is FASTER as a customer than a retailer to send things back to most manufacturers, so I would recommend that in the future. When sending a laptop in to a manufacturer for service under the initial warranty the only thing that can happen differently is extra time before compusa ships it out and when they recieve it, as well as an extra amount of time to get approval for various parts due to a middle man and sony will sometimes try to pin blame on a retailer knowing they have a warranty insurance company to pay for such things.

Finally I don't see how this could be CompUSA's fault. If it was an extended warranty and they had anything to do with fixing it I could see them being at fault. However it was sent to sony for service, the only thing compusa did was put it in a box and pack it in a fed ex truck. I hope you didn't pay anything because they didn't appear to have done anything to the laptop.

Someone explain the rational of why it is compusa's fault? I just dont see it
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 21
1/19/05 at 9:45pm
Your 9700 melted??!? I've got one in mine, so I find that somewhat disconcerting..!!

Were you using stock drivers or Catalyst drivers? Did you overclock or anything? Was it on a tabletop & theoretically properly ventilated -- or was it on your lap which maybe resulted in the vents being partly blocked...?
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 21
1/19/05 at 10:01pm
Thread Starter 
No, CompUSA surely didn't do anything to the computer. My point, in response to someone else, was simply that if for some reason CompUSA did something to screw up the overall repair process, and didn't come out and tell me about it, there is no way I will find out differently. So it's not an issue of concern.

As far as my choosing to service the notebook through CompUSA: they offer authorized warranty repair services through most major manufacturers, regardless of where customer's purchase their computers. The CompUSA service department basically operates as a separate computer shop. Further, any service they offer which is covered by a manufacturer is free of charge to the customer. Therefore, not only did CompUSA offer me the remote possibility of fixing my computer on site, they could handle the shipment for me, which is a plus, since I would rather someone else do the work. I agree with you in that overall efficiency is decreased, but me not having to deal with the mess (ideally) is worth the cost in lost time. Obviously if I knew what a huge pain in the ass this event would become, I'd have done things on my own.

So Yino, I hope that answers your burning questions, but I'm more interested in people offering me some helpful advice about what to do next. What I'm really interested in finding is whether Sony might help me get a loaner while they fix their mistakes. Thanks

Mr. T - haha that was a funny list of questions. The drivers are regular ones, and I was playing "Top Dog" from mousebreaker.com while at the library. I don't know if the card actually melted, just that the video board failed. The problem appears more of a random defect than a result of intense gaming or unfavorable conditions.

Calc - thanks for the tip I'll check it out
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 21
1/20/05 at 7:48am
Things with Sony seem to never change, on that note I would ask for a full refund and give them some bullsh*t that your going oversea to study/work in a few weeks time. Stand your ground make notes of who you have spoken to on a given day and keep copies of any mail between parties as this could get dirty.
If theres a know fault with these's units and Sony or even CompUSA are well aware of these problems then they are at fault for selling goods which are no good to anyone. (Sony have done this many times in the past and there was even a big law suite against Sony)
Just thing yourself lucky that it did not cause much more damage (electrical fire through out the house)
As I said in the past Vaio look the part, thats about it from my point of view.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 21
1/20/05 at 10:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbwilder
Sony S170

My fancy 9700 video card melted while playing an internet flash game during law school finals. I purchased the notebook though PCNation.com (great company), but took the computer to a local CompUSA to make use of their warranty service, and they shipped the computer out on December 16. Turns out the motherboard needed to be replaced, a part that naturally was on backorder.

NOW, after waiting over a month to get the thing back, and already sitting through my spring classes with no computer, I get this friendly voicemail from CompUSA:

Just wanted to let you know that we received your computer from Sony. Unfortunately, it appears they didn't repair the laptop, because we are experiencing the exact same problems as before. We shipped it back to Sony for expedited service. Sorry.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is just ridiculous. If you can offer me any advice as to how I should go about dealing with Sony, I'd really appreciate it. I can't handle another week without a laptop, let alone another three weeks. Thanks for any advice and or descriptions of your past dealings with their service.
I could tell you about my experience with Sony, but I won't bore you. Needless to say, it's one of the primary reasons that Sony is no longer on my list of viable business laptops. If they want to sell to unwary consumers, fine go for it; but I consider myself a very shreud buyer because I need my laptop EVERY day 24 X 7. They've proven with experiences like yours and mine that they can provide that kind of support so let someone else throw their money at them... I won't.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 21
1/20/05 at 12:21pm
First, all computer service with all brands is poor. I bought a Sony Vaio and consider myself a shrewd buyer. I even know how to spell shrewd.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 21
1/20/05 at 1:03pm
Just be glad you didnt buy it from sonystyle.com, believe it or not you would of been more screwed.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 21
1/20/05 at 1:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srmz06
First, all computer service with all brands is poor. I bought a Sony Vaio and consider myself a shrewd buyer. I even know how to spell shrewd.
Not all. My bro's business HP got repaired in two days after its motherboard broke down. A HP guy picked and delivered the laptop. Zero trouble for him.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 21
1/20/05 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srmz06
First, all computer service with all brands is poor. I bought a Sony Vaio and consider myself a shrewd buyer. I even know how to spell shrewd.
you know how to spell and yet you unaware of so many people having problems with Sony service/products... have you searched the web before purchasing one? Sony is famous not only because of great looking products, but for their crappy after purchase customer service. It's a risk that you take when purchasing Sony product, if something goes wrong with it you better hope for luck. Oh, and saying that all computer service with all brands is poor... well don't even get me started on this...
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 21
1/20/05 at 2:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tommi
Not all. My bro's business HP got repaired in two days after its motherboard broke down. A HP guy picked and delivered the laptop. Zero trouble for him.
Most, if not all major brands offer business warranties that offer this service. At my work, where we have IBMs and Acers, if something breaks it is usually less than 24hrs before it's fixed or replaced.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 21
1/20/05 at 4:07pm
Anyone that uses personal testimonials on the internet to determine who does and doesn't deliver good service is a fool. Most if not all computer companies use the same generic formula (and most cost effective) for repair and technical support with the same general poor results. I can find thread after thread on Dell,HP,Toshiba,ect repair nightmares. I even had one with a Dell notebook. Anyway, thanks for enlightning me to Sonys worst than all others service. BTW, to the original poster, I had a Dell nightmare and now have a Sony and am not expecting the service to be any better. As with all companies your determination in dealing with service will save the day, but it will remind you of how little these companies care about product service after the sale.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 21
1/20/05 at 4:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srmz06
Anyone that uses personal testimonials on the internet to determine who does and doesn't deliver good service is a fool. Most if not all computer companies use the same generic formula (and most cost effective) for repair and technical support with the same general poor results. I can find thread after thread on Dell,HP,Toshiba,ect repair nightmares. I even had one with a Dell notebook. Anyway, thanks for enlightning me to Sonys worst than all others service. BTW, to the original poster, I had a Dell nightmare and now have a Sony and am not expecting the service to be any better. As with all companies your determination in dealing with service will save the day.
If you read my first reply I mentioned that I've purchased Sony laptop 3 years ago, had hard drive & fan fail within 2 weeks and shipped it 3 times before they got it right. I've had 2 co-workers who had similar experience with Sony service as well, add to that numerous complaints that people posted on the internet and even from some users on these forums.

Dell is not the best in that area either, but I can't say it's as worst as Sony. There was time when I had to replace 3 20 inch LCDs to get the perfect one and even that went pretty smooth.

I've dealt with ChemUSA to get CL56 repaired which was about 8 month ago and it went smooth as well, it did take about a week for shipping though. (They used ground service instead of overnight.)

I know you own Sony notebook and you will be very protective about it, that's fine if you are happy with it then good for you and I wish you best of luck not have to deal with Sony service.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 21
4/22/05 at 4:36am

Sony Still Has Not Changed Still Worst Company To Deal With . Time For A Lawsuit!

[quote=dbwilder]Sony S170


STILL THE WORST COMPANY TO DEAL WITH I SHOULD KNOW I AM SICK OF ALL OF THE HASTLES AND EACH TIME YOU CALL IT JUST GETS WORSE. THE BOX IS ON THE WAY AGAIN AND THE NEWEST USED COMPUTER I HAD TO GET EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A WARRANTY IS THE WORST YET. SONY SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM AS BIG AS THEY ARE BUT THAT CAN BE CHANGED TO WITH ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ANYONE THINK LIKE ME ?I AM FILING A LAWSUIT! I HAVE BEEN BURNED AND EVEN MY DESK HAS BEEN DAMAGED. THAT DOES NOT EVEN PHASE THEM . WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT SONY?
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Sony Notebooks
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Sony Notebook Forums › Sony Notebooks › My Sony service nightmare