topic Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY in PCs & Accessories

VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

flybouy — Tue, 23 May 2006 11:50:38 GMT

Am a pilot and got my vaio SZ1HP which is supposed to be one of Sony's top model. Well as I was on a trip I didn't get a chance to open my vaio till I got back. When I did after working on it for 5 good minutes a black spot appeared on my screen and became a line. Eventually the screen died on me. Now the screen is all white when I try switch the computer on......

As it is outside 14 days I cannot get it exchanged and sony will only replace it with a refurbished one or put a refurbished screen on it (terms of the warranty).

Now why should I have to put up with a refursbished product when I paid for a new one? I may be stuck with a vaio but will tell all my friends never to venture near one.

I compared the build quality with an apple and a dell. The sony in the interest of lightness have a much inferior product and I would like to warn any one not to buy a vaio model without having seen it in real life to see how well it is built.

Prefereably after my experience, just DON'T buy it.

I know this sounds like a gripe and a hinge but seeing SOnY's attitute towards the whole thing, please don't be surprised.

Does any one have any tips as to what my rights are??????

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

lazybones — Tue, 23 May 2006 12:11:35 GMT

depends upon where in the world you are. if in the uk, goto www.computeractive.co.uk and browse around until you find rights. i subscribe to their magazine and they have helped several people solve warranty, repair and return issues to the satisfaction of the buyer.

i, too, have a sony vaio and the only linux i can get to install on it is suse 10.0, which will only then connect to the internet, not my lan and then only in the gnome window manager interface.

i have acquired a dell laptop, upon which i have been able to install pclinuxos with no trouble.

the sony is 2.8 ghz and i upgraded to 1gb ram. it is still slower than all my other machines, which are all rated slower and with less ram. it's a hideously noisy beast. the dell whispers. i can hardly hear it.

sony aint all it's cracked up to be.

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

flybouy — Tue, 23 May 2006 12:18:14 GMT

Thanks lazybones....I am in the UK and will look at the website to see what my rights are? I still have my old DELL latitude LS which I have had for over 5 years and runs like a charm.

Sony quality is shoddy to say the least in comparison. My Dell has travelled with me all over the world and never even sneezed. SONY is another story.

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

Thalamus. — Tue, 23 May 2006 13:26:33 GMT

Hi Flybouy,

Welcome to Club Vaio,

Sorry to hear of your troubles..:smileysad:

If you bought your Vaio from SonyStyle you could also contact adam_dorrell for assistance..

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

kee-lo_ — Tue, 23 May 2006 14:01:45 GMT

You COULD take it to a small claim's court but it's not 100% garunteed that you'd win. They'd probably agrue you agreed to the warranty when you opened the box, but then you could pleed that the warranty details were not outlined so opening the box was the only way to read them, but I don't hold much hope for that. They usually never send anyone to these courts as it's too costly for them to send a lawyer

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

quizmasteer — Tue, 23 May 2006 21:19:31 GMT

Same over here. I bought a Vaio 12 months ago. Type is VGN-S3HP fot about 2000 euros. After one month two pixels died. No warranty. After 3 months my battery was dead. No warranty. Now after 12 months the fan is making noise. Don't know what's wrong but it sounds like that fan is worn out. Called the Vaio service centre in the Netherlands. Minimum costs are 300 euros without vat, that's about 207 pounds without vat! This ain't funny anymore.

This also my last Vaio. Never a Sony again.
Before the Vaio I had a Dell Latitude. Had one problem after 2,5 years. The lcd screen was defect. The next day it was fixed without any costs! This is what I call service.

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

munkie — Wed, 24 May 2006 03:44:03 GMT

If you bought the machine in the UK, you are protected by statute law. If there is a fault due to bad manufacturing in the first 30 days, then the retailer must exchange it for an equivalent model or offer you a refund. After 30 days but within a year, the retailer must refer you to the manufacturer for a repair, and if that repair takes longer than 30 days you are entitled to a brand new machine.

When you buy your appliance from a shop you are protected by Sale of Goods legislation, if the appliance is not of satisfactory quality or fit for its purpose. This law only applies if the appliance had something wrong with it when you bought it, although the fault may not be obvious at the time.

This is why I now have a Vaio - I pestered PC World when my Packard Bell broke down, and paid the extra £100 to get a better model.

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

kee-lo_ — Wed, 24 May 2006 18:14:05 GMT

Yes good point, tell them you know your rights, then they'll stop this charade!

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

FFOCIain — Thu, 25 May 2006 23:51:35 GMT

Under S14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and S1 Sale and Supply of Goods 1994 there are implied terms that the goods offered for sale will meet the standard regarded as satisfactory by a reasonable person.

Handy being a law student.:smileygrin:

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

FFOCIain — Thu, 25 May 2006 23:53:06 GMT

At least I think...I'll read up on it tomorrow and come back with a more definate answer. But it's pretty obvious these goods are not fit for the purpose!

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

flybouy — Sun, 28 May 2006 20:58:25 GMT

Well I am pushing PC world now to somehow get this laptop replaced.......possibly with a mac....I hear they are solid machines...inside out.

If that doesn't work I still would want a replacement rather than a repair from Sony. I don't understand why Sony have a problem with replacement when the laptop in question was brand new. I paid for a brand new one so why shouldn't I get a brand new one?

They would keep far more customers happy if instead of spending millions on marketing focussed on customer service.

Lets see what happens.....but thanks guys all this advice has been invaluable.......

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

kee-lo_ — Mon, 29 May 2006 13:25:37 GMT

No problem

I agree with you 100% - they should replace new for new, specially as it's nearly 2 days old when it died!

Re: VAIO Stops working in a day.....ONE DAY

flybouy — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:03:56 GMT

Here is an update.....

Finally decided that couldn't deal with the stress so told sony to pick it up and repair it with whatever screen they can.....refursbished or new.....

Then they read me the fine print.....if they decide that there is damage with the screen it is deemed out of warranty and I will have to pay them for a brand new screen....550 squid + VAT.

I said that no damage is visible to the eye but they said it is up to the tech department to decide. I said fair enough if it is damaged then I will give PC world hell.....and Sony can send me the laptop back...

This is where it got funny....if I then decide to get the laptop back without repairs it will still cost me over a 150 squid in logistic costs.....

So either way I am screwed.

So I cancelled my pick up and have decided to sue PC world and take them to the consumer court.........The laptop is a month old and the hassle it has given me is second to none....

I don't know who to be cross wth anymore........