Advice need over service issue

[NSWGR_46Class]

What would you do if this happend to you ??

Took my Acer laptop back to the reseller to be serviced under warranty as it kept shutting down all the time, when it went into service it had 2X160GB the first split into to 2X80 GB partitions and the second one as the full 160GB

The company rang and said they were going to reformat the boot drive as they felt it was faulty and than I had to pay a fee for them to back up my data, would have backed it up myself but the Computers failed to be able to run for more that 20 minutes with out shutting done and there fore unable to be backed up was one of the faults it was sent in with.

They other option was to pay an extra $279 this was for them to replace the old 180GB drive with a 500GB drive and then put the old drive in a external caddy and also preserving my data. I could have not paid the fee had them just replace the 180GB drive and lost all my data.

Low and behold the fault was not the drive and after it was replaced and the factory image installed the computer still crashed and then had to be sent back to Acer head office to have the mother board replaced, this laptop in now on its third motherboard in under 18 months. The original one was replaced last November when it caught fire.

Picked up the laptop today and it seems too run ok until I went into my computer and then noticed that now had only 2 drive partitions not 3. The whole second HDD is missing, not even detecting in bios. It seems they have ripped out both drives and replace with the one 500GB drive.

Yes ok I have the all the data as they gave me on the boot 160GB but the whole second drive is just not there and neither is all its data.

 

[johnwhelan]

I think it's called learning by experience.

Consumer protection laws vary round the world. Canada and the US have rather weaker ones than elsewhere.

Check locally.

Your data files on the second disk are probably lost forever simply because the old second disk is not available. Even if the laptop died after 20 mins you could have backed up the data files to an external drive via the USB port. Burning them to CD or DVD would have added to heat inside the case.

I think you have a reasonable case to go back to the store and say you had two physical drives when it went in, you may have to produce the receipt for the second drive, and you expect to have two physical drives after the repair. The reason for this is your data is important to you and you want to be certain if a disk crashes that you still have a copy of the data.

Realistically I'd stay with the 500 gig drive. Computers have always been performance limited by heat. Overclocked cpus don't last as long. Cooler means more reliable.

It sounds like you are having heat problems so having two drives will aggravate the problem. I suspect you may have more than the base amount of memory this will add to the heat inside. A graphics card to run Trainz will again add to the heat problem.

If you've been playing games such as Trainz on the computer these will use 100% of the cpu, typically for browsing or taking notes you use about 2% of the cpu. Acer are at the lower end of the price spectrum where every cent counts, so they will typically be designed to cool the cpu when running at about 10%, covers 98% of the users.

Trainz is best on a desktop with lots of cooling. Laptops are designed for running on a battery, you pay extra for special parts that are slower and consume less power compared to a desk top, so they aren't intended for running flat out.

Traditionally Dell have a good reputation for reliability even here I'd be looking for one that said gaming on it.

Cheerio John

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

Sound advice John

It does state on the sales bill when sold to me it had twin HDD's.

Going to take the line with them that I paid for a full back up on top of what was warrenty repair and only got half a service.

Also going to want answers why the local guy did half a fix that I ended up paying for before he decied to send it back to Acer itself?

Your right Acers are Cr@p

 

[dougtrain]

Hi Bearcat
John is right about different consumer laws around the world but I found this link for you that is consumer laws and rights for Australia and it is a government web site as well! You should find some assistance or back up from that I think, when you read through it. There is a link to "how can we assist you" in the consumer rights section.

The link is : http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/ForConsumers

I think you have been given the run-around on this one. 3 motherboards!!! In England we have a "fit for purpose" law and by now we would have a new machine or a full refund. I have no idea if you can do the same in Australia but have a go.

Best of luck anyway and let us know how you get on. Consider what John said about a well ventilated desktop for Trainz at least.

Regards Doug

 

[big_b]

I'd be ringing the Dept of fair trading.By rights looks like you shoulsn't have had have to pay anything as it should have been covered under warranty anyway.

if it was me I'd be aftewr a new laptop.

Dave

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

What peeves me the most is it all my gmax files that seem to be missing ----:'(

Spoke to ACCC and fair trading today both now on the case was also refered to the Australian Federal Police Computer Crime squad who are also now going to do a bit of digging as it seems that is not the first aussie case of missing data and HDD's while PC in for a service but what makes my case intresting is I do have a proven paper trail and documents.

Somebody is up to no good as I did not notice until pointed out to me by the AFP is that the serial plate off bottom of laptop is now missing, it was on there when it was booked in as it was checked with my sales invoice to make sure I was not trying to pass off another lappie.

Also been told that the serial number in the BIOS does not match the invoice ???

 

[seeseeme]

This is not a very good situation to be in bearcat, at least though there are others who think something is wrong with the whole thing.

I hope this all gets sorted out as fast as possible for you, but by the sounds of it you have already lost a lot of data which is very sad.

Best of luck and I keep watching.

Craig

 

[FootplatePhil]

What woud I do ?

Bin it. Or give it to someone you don't like very much! You know its going to fail again!

Had a somewhat similiar problem, as you know. My 18 month old A%%r desktop was 6 months out of warranty, when, after repeated issues which were never completely resolved, I gave up on it. Sometimes you've just got to cut your losses. Its not worth the stress!

I have concluded that hard Trainz usage (ie, 12 hrs continual running for days at a time!) is quite tough on cheap configs where corners have been cut. When I shopped for a replacement config I tried to build in a greater 'safety margin' (cooling, power, etc)

Phil

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

Using the things current rate of sheding its load as a guide, Its due to drop dead and need another motherboard just as the warrenty ends and at that stage its right into the bin.

Working on the idea at present that while its still under warrenty going to keep returning it so I have the pleasure of letting @cer know what I think of there product and letting them share some of the fun. I have noticed that @cer no longer offer 3 year warrenties on there hi end laptops anymore - wonder why.

Its amazing how quick both the service agent and @cer got in touch once the AFP started to ask questions with both claming the other is at fault over the missing Second Hard Drive but neither can supply any answers as to where it is now but both agree it was threre.

And now the buck passing starts.

 

[dougtrain]

Dodgy gear

Hi Bearcat, just to toss another firework on your barbie -- Have they gone off with the keycode for your XP - Vista as well??

Glad you got the link to work and be able to make something usefull out of it...

Doug

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

Well Doug in this case you never know, the missing serial number is a result of what the car world calls rebirthing. I Think what @cer has done is rebuilt my lappy out of a few diffrent ones to try and get the its lemon working.

But this monkey has sort of not fallen for the con.

Missing serials number, stange bios ID's, missing HDD and also have noted that the dead pixel that was on my screen is now gone.

In this case it all smoke and mirrors the only problerm being is once you let the magic smoke out of a laptop they seem to not work anymore.

I am now waiting, as I know its coming, to be told that the laptop is being used for purposes that it was not designed for, and there for is my fault not the products that it fails

If you going to put red stripes on and item and call it a ferrari, and not except some one to push it to its limits thats just crazy.

 

[nbrettoner]

Hi Bearcat,

I have the 'inverse' problem you mention at the bottom of your post, with the same symptoms (only anti-clockwise).
My left one is shorter than the right one!. :hehe:

Just a thought (which may have been proffered previously by profeteers):-
Have you shared any of your GMax files with friends/anemones?.
Perhaps if so, you may be able to 'recover' at least some of your files.
I know this is a difficult question (which I at times have found embarrassingly difficult), have you backed up any of the GMax files elsewhere?.
Do you have the original failed HD?.
If you have the originally failed HD it may be possible to extrapolate to another drive, deleted files?.

This morning I did a very stupid thing, when downloading driver updates.
I downloaded a driver for the mouse, which was 'unsigned'. Ended up with my PC not operable by either of two installed OS (XP Home) on different drives!. I couldn't get the mouse to move. Not even in safe mode.
Fortunately I was able to start in the last known working setup, from the boot sequence. And fortunately a recent restore point was at hand.
Phew!. Don't use unsigned drivers!!!. Especially the mouse!. :'o:wave:

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

Have you shared any of your GMax files with friends/anemones?.

Yes I did and have asked that person to please return files but so far not alot of return faith has happened -

I was told on the phone this morning at 10:30am by the service agent that the matter will be all fixed by COB today - its now 6:20pm and heard no more so think theres not much chance of that happening.

The service agent has offered to replace the missing HDD in the way of an external drive, which is nice but I also asked for a 1/2 refund on the back up fee charged as they only did half a job.

They tell me today that they did not touch the second HDD as it tested fine for them and are claming that @cer are the ones at fault.

 

[Johnk]

Wait a minute......

Sorry to interrupt guys, but I've never heard of any laptop, especially ACER having TWO internal hard disks. I don't think there is any room inside the box for one, but maybe I'm wrong - again!!!!

Can you supply a model number so that I can check?

Edit: Somehow I think the data can be recovered. I just need some accurate information to work with and I'm happy to help.

 

[Johnk]

Another A?er story to keep you amused. A customer (I used to repair computers) had purchased a brand new Ac?r and a "you beaut" Canon printer/scanner/coffee maker. She took everything home and all worked fine for two weeks, then the coffee maker wouldn't work. She contacted me, I checked the thing out and all seemed normal, but no coffee!

I asked her to contact A?er and they told her she had to bring the whole show back to the service department because it was under warranty. Against my wishes, she did just that. Eighty dollars later she came back with a smile on her face. Everything was working perfectly. I was furious, and here's why:

A?er had supplied her with Windows SP1, even though SP2 had been out for yonks. When she connected to the Internet on dialup, SP2 began downloading without her, or my knowlwdge. When it installed itself, the drivers supplied with the (also outdated) new Canon printer just stopped working. All our friends at A?er did, was replace the free 'updated' drivers and slug the poor old pensioner $80.

 

[UP5521]

Another A?er story to keep you amused. A customer (I used to repair computers) had purchased a brand new Ac?r and a "you beaut" Canon printer/scanner/coffee maker. She took everything home and all worked fine for two weeks, then the coffee maker wouldn't work. She contacted me, I checked the thing out and all seemed normal, but no coffee!

I asked her to contact A?er and they told her she had to bring the whole show back to the service department because it was under warranty. Against my wishes, she did just that. Eighty dollars later she came back with a smile on her face. Everything was working perfectly. I was furious, and here's why:

A?er had supplied her with Windows SP1, even though SP2 had been out for yonks. When she connected to the Internet on dialup, SP2 began downloading without her, or my knowlwdge. When it installed itself, the drivers supplied with the (also outdated) new Canon printer just stopped working. All our friends at A?er did, was replace the free 'updated' drivers and slug the poor old pensioner $80.

Man,that is a bad situation to be in and from what I was reading, I think you should be furious and I would be too, if the sp2 started downloading without your permission to that computer why if I wanted it to download all it had to do was ask for permisson to do so,which is a smart move,what is not however, downloading on its own!

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

The model is Aspire7520G

I have been told by the service agent that acer pulled out the second HDD and binned it as it was faulty, but some where it was just assumed that since that the boot drive was also being replaced with a larger one that I did not need the second drive anymore anyway.

It was also assumed that since I had paid the service agent to back up the drive there was no issue at all with chucking it.

I have been informed today that there is no chance of the drive been found or the data recoved..

We have come to the following agreement, that I will be given a 160GB drive by acer, which will be external. The service agent is to refund half the fee charged for the backup. Plus if the laptop fails again, which I rather think it will, before the warrenty ends next December 2010. The laptop will be replaced with a new one that is equal to the purchase price and not based on specs as is often the case.

I am lementing the loss of my gmax files and do have some older backups.

At first I was a bit miffed that the person who I had assited with gmax files has not returned files as requested but also saw the need to pass some of them off as his own work on the DLS, but by this mis adventure some of my gmax work lives on.

The service agent has said the will now change there work flow so it does not happen again and acer will thye could not give a stuff.

Now if you got a few hours to spare will tell you the story or my acer destop is almost as bad - then then there is Footplate Phil acer story........

After many years of owning acers its the end of the line for me.

 

[Johnk]

Okay, you got me. There's not much on the net about that model, but from what I did read, they were all single hard disk drives. Then out of the blue, there was a review for one with 2 hard disks. I've never heard of it before, and hopefully I never will again. Why put two hard disks in a machine to create extra heat and extra cost is beyond me. I think the only off-the-shelf PC with two hard disks is an HP. External hard drives are far better for laptops. Oh, and buy yourself one of those stands with fans under them.

Well you certainly did get the shortest end of the stick. After all that crap, you now have a machine that isn't up to specs, even though it's still under warranty. I nice little project for Consumer Affairs me thinks. I wouldn't worry about the other mobs, it's not really a federal case.

Document it all, send off a claim and ask for $10,000 retribution for all your lost work. Let A@er and the agent work out who pays what. You'll probably find it's a case for the Small Claims Court but someone will advise you. In the meantime don't tell anyone you agreed to anything.

I can't believe they threw the disk out regardless of what they thought. Reputable dealers always return all damaged parts, mainly to prove the work was actually done.

And now for my story. On behalf of another customer, I rang that mob and asked if they could supply a spare copy of a lost user guide. The girl at the other end asked me for my credit card details. I said, "How much does it cost?" She replied, "I don't know, I'll putting you through to a technician and it cost $80 for the first 20 minutes". I think her ears will still be ringing.

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

Then out of the blue, there was a review for one with 2 hard disks. I've never heard of it before, and hopefully I never will again. Why put two hard disks in a machine to create extra heat and extra cost

From what I know this model was sold only by one group and was only ever aimed for sale to the high end multi meida market. It was sold to me as the best laptop for my purpose of 3D modelling and for video editing. When it runs it, runs trainz real neat for a laptop.

Yes I now have one of those fan mats, when it was sold to me I was told that it was not really idea to use as a laptop due to its size and it would produce some heat, bit more as a portable desktop. Was never told that it could set itself on fire lol.

Now its just a matter of waiting to hear from acer, which I sort of think is not going to happen to quickly.

 

[Johnk]

Snippet: Now its just a matter of waiting to hear from acer, which I sort of think is not going to happen to quickly.

Just have your credit card number handy