Out of warranty laptop

Steve212 said:

I bought a fujitsu siemens xi 3650. The warranty was for one year and began on the 27/06/2009. In the time that the warranty covered it, it was sent back twice for over heating issues and now it has started again. I have seen the gpu at 102 degrees Celsius which makes it more than uncomfortably hot to the touch. The problem isn't with dirt and dust, it's pretty clean inside.

The cooling system seems inadequate to deal with the hardware they've fired in there and now I'm wondering if it could be considered not fit for purpose?

My question is, is the responsibility to fix it rest with me now? It has basically had this problem from a few weeks after I got it and could have sent it back for repair more but it is in Germany and it's a big inconvenience not to have it.

Sorry for the big rant and wall of text but the problem is so bad I can't play mario on a snes emulator without it getting to 90 degrees + which is what brought me here.

Thank you in advance for any help

Click to expand...

hi mate

ok i run a small IT business on the side i have got all my customer claims under things like this

first thing to do is go to a computer shop and get a independent report done by a VAT Reg'd company (normailly £20)

secondly contact the company you bought the laptop from and tell about this and tell them you have the report

thirdly as long as the report doesn't say you have done it (which it wont) then the company should then offer a refund/replacement/exchange and also they will give you the money back for the report

if you need further advice regrading this
email me: liverpool_1999 @ hotmail . com (remove the spaces)

Hi Steve,

Regardless that your warranty is out of date does not remove your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act whereby under 'Satisfactory Quality' , a product must be durable. Which sounds like it is not.
I would personally advise NOT to get an Independant report at this time as it is simply not required.

You need to contact the company you purchased it from with your complaint, requesting a free repair. Due to the time you've owned the laptop, you can either request a repair or a partial refund - to account for the time you've had it. A replacement is out of the question really.
Depending on their response: you may need to write a letter to the company with your complaint so that it is handled 'officially'.
This letter needs to be sent by recorded means to ensure delivery, and keep a copy of the letter for your own records.

Just to further state: an Independant report is NOT yet required, this is only if they refuse to handle your complaint.

If you require any more help,
Let us know.

Hi folks, I've just joined this forum to see if I can get any help with my problem. I spotted this thread which is very similar so thought it would be best to pose my questions on the same thread.

I bought my Toshiba laptop in November 2010 so it's just over a year old and out of warranty. I was using it a couple of days ago when it just packed up, no power, nothing. I took it to a very reputable local repair company, they have now told me that the problem is a circuit level issue on the mother board and also a failing hard drive. They are able to recover my data, thank goodness, but the computer itself is would cost almost the price of a new one to attempt a repair and they don't recommend it anyway.

I bought the laptop from PC World, my question is, do I take it back to PC World as they were the company I had the contract with? Or do I contact Toshiba and push it with them? I bought the laptop on my credit card which I believe offers some further protection. Any tips on this please?

The repair shop told me that they have found similar problems with Toshibas on many occasions. Wish I'd known before I bought it!

I don't want to wait ages to get a new laptop, is it advisable to shell out for a new one and then wait to see what response I get from PC World/Toshiba, or just wait?

I do hope you can help me, I'm really fed up about this.

With the age of the laptop and hearing the number of complaints I have about PCW, I suspect you may be in for a battle.

The Sale of Goods Act is quite clear that a manufacturers warranty or guarantee means vey little, it is the price and so assumed quality/type of the item that any claim is based on, you can't expect a £10 etch-a-sketch to have the same durability as a £500 laptop, although with PCW you can expect the same functionality!!!

The best you can hope for is a repair, if this is not viable because of the cost, you should request a refund but they are entitled to make a deduction for the use you have had of the item.

It's a while since I was at uni but we were told the expected life span of a computer was 3 years, both in function and technological advances which would make it obsolete, no doubt others have a more current opinion on this.

If you take this as the case, you could expect 2/3rds of the original value in the form of a refund.

I have no doubt that PCW will have a different opinion, if you get nowhere, they COnsumer Direct (No at the top of this page).

Thanks for your reply, the repairers said pretty much the same thing about PC World. I would be happy for them to make a partial refund, I have after all had a year's worth of use but would certainly not expect it to have only lasted this long.

Into battle with PCW it is then! Thanks again.

A further question - should I take the laptop into PC World on a busy Saturday afternoon and kick up a stink if I don't get anywhere, or is it best to write to them (recorded delivery)?

It's totally up to you, you can go down the informal route to open comms with them, and hopefully the monkey manager will sort it there and then (though I think you should take a present of crayons for him/her),

If this fails, send a letter by recorded means giving the full details, stating the law (s.14 SOGA) and what you expect to be done, and give a date by which you want to be contacted back by (usually 10 days max).

And then go from there, but if you want an expansion on this answer, just ask

FYI I'm currently at uni (Bsc Trading Standards) , Laptops £1-199 are given 1+1/2 years , £200-499 are 2-3.5 years , £500+ generally 4-6 dependant on the actual price + the use it's had.

Thanks for the info, sounds like you don't have a lot of faith in PCWorld!
Can't see I like them there, they're darned rude but it has the biggest selection in the area. I'll probably go and choose a new one there and then order it from elsewhere on the internet. Not sure if they'd be worth tackling even in a busy shop, I might write instead.

I know everyone has different experiences but I always buy my computers and parts from ebuyer.com, never had a problem with them, their returns policy is excellent are prices are good.

Thanks for that, have never used them but will certainly have a look

Yeah I can concur, Ebuyer and Aria (although some people i have seen on this site have problems with them) are really good and ive never had any problems with either.

Reporting back with latest developments!

I bought a new laptop, opted for a Samsung, very pleased with it. Just have to pay the credit card bill off now.

I sent a recorded delivery letter as advised, I used a template from the Which? website. I got an email within two days from someone at the KnowHow Contact Centre. To cut a long story short, when I spoke to them they said that they acknowledged that under the European Directive (or law or whatever) they have to repair/replace, in practice they would pay a reduced amount to take into account the use I'd already had from it, which is fair enough. They said I would have to have the laptop checked for the fault and it would cost £50. I said I already have a report on it and they asked me to send it in.

It all seems very nice and straightforward - in my experience, if it seems too good to be true it usually is! Anyway, I'll send off the report and see what happens next. Watch this space!

Thanks for the update, glad you're sorted with a laptop if not a refund (yet)