Sony charges you $100 just to get a repair quote from them...

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fuzzybabybunny

Moderator<br>Digital & Video Cameras
Moderator
Jan 2, 2006
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UPDATE:

I got the repair quote and I'm glad that I talked to them on the phone instead of just approving it via email.

1. They were originally going to charge me a whopping $375. I had to remind them that I paid a $100 fee for the "shipping and diagnostic" that gets applied to that amount. They corrected it to $275.

2. They said that they were going to replace the motherboard, the HDD, and the CD-ROM drive. I took the CD-ROM drive out before sending it out. There's nothing in the bay because I use it for a second HDD using a CD-ROM caddy. So they thought I needed a new drive. The HDD is a SSD that *I* bought. And they wanted to replace it?! I told them emphatically to not touch the SSD. Now I'm worried that I'll get back my computer with my $180 SSD missing...

Oh, and these changes did not affect the price of the repair. Still $375 in total.

Damn, I'm glad I talked with them on the phone. Just because of this BS alone I'm scared to use Sony again.
 

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
81
UPDATE:

I got the repair quote and I'm glad that I talked to them on the phone instead of just approving it via email.

1. They were originally going to charge me a whopping $375. I had to remind them that I paid a $100 fee for the "shipping and diagnostic" that gets applied to that amount. They corrected it to $275.

2. They said that they were going to replace the motherboard, the HDD, and the CD-ROM drive. I took the CD-ROM drive out before sending it out. There's nothing in the bay because I use it for a second HDD using a CD-ROM caddy. So they thought I needed a new drive. The HDD is a SSD that *I* bought. And they wanted to replace it?! I told them emphatically to not touch the SSD. Now I'm worried that I'll get back my computer with my $180 SSD missing...

Oh, and these changes did not affect the price of the repair. Still $375 in total.

Damn, I'm glad I talked with them on the phone. Just because of this BS alone I'm scared to use Sony again.

Geez, $375 to fix that... you would've been better off buying a for parts laptop on ebay and doing it yourself.

Not to mention, $100 for a diagnostic and they still think they need to do a complete system overhaul (motherboard and HDD). Goes to show you that they didn't do any diagnostic at all, they plugged it in, couldn't figure out the problem and decided to replace everything.

In the future, always revert the product back to its original state if you're going to send it in for warranty. Place the optical drive back and place back the original hard drive, and wipe it clean. Don't trust the techs with your data, and don't expect them to keep the original data, either.

Sorry, these techs are a joke. $100 and all they come up with is to replace everything?

FYI, look into American based companies, I think the support you'll get will be better. And if you're paying $1600 for a laptop, you might as well get the extended warranty. I would actually start looking into Alienware for laptops, you'd be surprised how good their CS is (and I've owned Sony and Asus computers as well).
 

fuzzybabybunny

Moderator<br>Digital & Video Cameras
Moderator
Jan 2, 2006
10,455
35
91
Geez, $375 to fix that... you would've been better off buying a for parts laptop on ebay and doing it yourself.

Not to mention, $100 for a diagnostic and they still think they need to do a complete system overhaul (motherboard and HDD). Goes to show you that they didn't do any diagnostic at all, they plugged it in, couldn't figure out the problem and decided to replace everything.

In the future, always revert the product back to its original state if you're going to send it in for warranty. Place the optical drive back and place back the original hard drive, and wipe it clean. Don't trust the techs with your data, and don't expect them to keep the original data, either.

Sorry, these techs are a joke. $100 and all they come up with is to replace everything?

FYI, look into American based companies, I think the support you'll get will be better. And if you're paying $1600 for a laptop, you might as well get the extended warranty. I would actually start looking into Alienware for laptops, you'd be surprised how good their CS is (and I've owned Sony and Asus computers as well).

Goddamn it. I paid it. Now I'm regretting it. But it really was a solid system though - great screen, fast at photo processing with an i5 580M, and really quick when paired with an SSD. But dammit it.
 

jihe

Senior member
Nov 6, 2009
747
97
91
Most laptop repairs specifically tell you to remove your HDD before sending if you want your data safe.

UPDATE:

I got the repair quote and I'm glad that I talked to them on the phone instead of just approving it via email.

1. They were originally going to charge me a whopping $375. I had to remind them that I paid a $100 fee for the "shipping and diagnostic" that gets applied to that amount. They corrected it to $275.

2. They said that they were going to replace the motherboard, the HDD, and the CD-ROM drive. I took the CD-ROM drive out before sending it out. There's nothing in the bay because I use it for a second HDD using a CD-ROM caddy. So they thought I needed a new drive. The HDD is a SSD that *I* bought. And they wanted to replace it?! I told them emphatically to not touch the SSD. Now I'm worried that I'll get back my computer with my $180 SSD missing...

Oh, and these changes did not affect the price of the repair. Still $375 in total.

Damn, I'm glad I talked with them on the phone. Just because of this BS alone I'm scared to use Sony again.
 

lakedude

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2009
2,543
254
126
I'm a technician and I'm really glad that I don't need to deal directly with John Q.

For the type of equipment I work on figuring out what is wrong is the hardest part of the job. Actually fixing the problem is easy (usually). Swapping a board out or fixing a broken wire is easy compared to figuring out which board or which wire.

But no one cares about this, not customers and not supervisors. People hate to pay a technician for sitting around thinking, like we are on break or something! We often end up changing parts rather than actually troubleshooting because it looks better to the supervisors. It looks like we are working that way.
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
I'm a technician and I'm really glad that I don't need to deal directly with John Q.

For the type of equipment I work on figuring out what is wrong is the hardest part of the job. Actually fixing the problem is easy (usually). Swapping a board out or fixing a broken wire is easy compared to figuring out which board or which wire.

But no one cares about this, not customers and not supervisors. People hate to pay a technician for sitting around thinking, like we are on break or something! We often end up changing parts rather than actually troubleshooting because it looks better to the supervisors. It looks like we are working that way.


hahaha, wow you just explained my job as a tech! when i was hired, i started for a higher wage because i convinced the boss that i was good at troubleshooting. we agreed that was the most important part.

3 months in, and hes worried when i spend 3/4 of the job researching and testing and only 1/4 actually physically fixing the machine. he wanted me to 'cut down' my troubleshooting time to get more done. i couldnt believe it, because i was still getting the bills done under time, but that didnt matter. if i wasnt using a screwdriver i wasnt really working.

i had enough of that in short order! im not even looking for a new company to work for, im getting a shop and going on my own.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
3 months in, and hes worried when i spend 3/4 of the job researching and testing and only 1/4 actually physically fixing the machine. he wanted me to 'cut down' my troubleshooting time to get more done. i couldnt believe it, because i was still getting the bills done under time, but that didnt matter. if i wasnt using a screwdriver i wasnt really working.
Dude, convincing your boss that you are "good at troubleshooting" meant (from the perspective of management or the owner) "I can do more computers per day on average."

These are practically throw-away computers, not cars or trucks or 100K+ machines. It is not cost-effective to employ "good troubleshooters/diagnosticians" for practically throw-away equipment. Fast troubleshooters, yes. Good troubleshooters, no.
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
Dude, convincing your boss that you are "good at troubleshooting" meant (from the perspective of management or the owner) "I can do more computers per day on average."

These are practically throw-away computers, not cars or trucks or 100K+ machines. It is not cost-effective to employ "good troubleshooters/diagnosticians" for practically throw-away equipment. Fast troubleshooters, yes. Good troubleshooters, no.

i worked on $20,000+ broadcast equiptment...........................
 

fuzzybabybunny

Moderator<br>Digital & Video Cameras
Moderator
Jan 2, 2006
10,455
35
91
Another Update:

I finally picked up the laptop. Says they replaced the motherboard. Took it into my car, powered it on, and within 5 minutes the same fucking thing happened. The entire computer just shuts down and refuses to turn back on.

Great.

Thanks.

What the hell am I paying money for again?
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
Interesting. A family member's 2 y.o. Sony VAIO is basically doing the same thing. Microcenter said the hardware was fine (automated diagnostics), it was the OS that got hosed/corrupted and needed reinstallation (which isn't covered by Microcenter's extended warranty). So he's shipping it to me. We'll see when it gets here. BTW, Microcenter waived the diagnostic fee because he had purchased the extended warranty.
 

fuzzybabybunny

Moderator<br>Digital & Video Cameras
Moderator
Jan 2, 2006
10,455
35
91
Interesting. A family member's 2 y.o. Sony VAIO is basically doing the same thing. Microcenter said the hardware was fine (automated diagnostics), it was the OS that got hosed/corrupted and needed reinstallation (which isn't covered by Microcenter's extended warranty). So he's shipping it to me. We'll see when it gets here. BTW, Microcenter waived the diagnostic fee because he had purchased the extended warranty.

But how can the OS do this? It doesn't even boot into BIOS... It doesn't even POST
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
I guess his does POST and gets a BIOS screen but then halts when looking for a boot sector, so its not quite the same. My bad.
 

lakedude

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2009
2,543
254
126
Regarding the laptop that has a likely bad OS.

Try using Puppy Linux to differentiate between hardware and software issues. If the thing runs Puppy just fine the issue is most likely software (or HD) related. If the laptop has trouble with both Windows and Linux the cause is almost certainly hardware.

Puppy is a tiny download. It will load itself completely to RAM so it is very fast and fully functional with no need to be installed on the HD.
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
fuzzybabybunny- im sorry for your experience. you have every right to complain now, you got ripped off. I mean, sometimes things happen, but by your explination I think its clear the repair dept was lazy and incompetent.

I would send it back, even if you have to pay for the shipping, but no way in heck would I spent a dime more until you get answers.
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
Interesting. A family member's 2 y.o. Sony VAIO is basically doing the same thing. Microcenter said the hardware was fine (automated diagnostics), it was the OS that got hosed/corrupted and needed reinstallation (which isn't covered by Microcenter's extended warranty). So he's shipping it to me. We'll see when it gets here. BTW, Microcenter waived the diagnostic fee because he had purchased the extended warranty.


my mom's hp would turn off suddenly for no reason, and wouldn't come back on for hours. it was a little frustrating, because I tried swapping ram with everything else of course. turns out, it was the ram not making good contact even though it was fully inserted. contact cleaner immediately fixed it and its been running for months since.
 

Anonemous

Diamond Member
May 19, 2003
7,361
1
71
Ouch, I hope you used a CC so you can dispute the charges. On another note, I got the warranty claim from my credit card company a month after filing the claims. Just had to spend $90 in diagnostic fees but Discover cut me a check for the original price of the 1.5 year old laptop so I'm pretty happy. Thought the laptop/money was gone but luckily Discover doubles the 1 year manufacturer warranty. :)
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Ah well there goes my ASSumption, eh?

You made a bad assumption in the particular case, but in general you are correct as far as electronics, and appliances are concerned, unless you have a very high end model.

For instance most laptop/desktop repair shops in my area charge 100 to 150 dollars for diagnosis. They will then do the rest of the repair for no charge except parts, but it usually does not make sense to spend that much up front, with no guarantee of success when you can purchase a brand new one for 400.00 or so. Same for home appliances, 80.00 or so just to get a tech out, plus parts and more labor. If it cant be fixed, you are just out the initial charge. Again usually better just to replace the item.

Not to say I dont sympathize with the OP, especially since the repair was unsuccessful. I am just saying that the system basically sucks, and Sony is not the only one that does it.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
Wow, didn't see that coming...Good luck with your VAIO.
Yeah thanks for the tip but as you can tell by my attitude, the last few times I've messed around with a Linux distro or even a Live DVD, it was a lot more bother than anything.

As for the Vaio, it was all software, somehow the OS got trashed. Funny thing, I used an MSDN/Technet image of Windows 7 Professional SP1 (media refresh) and it accepted the OEM key from the COA sticker on the laptop, even activated online without a problem. No messing with the ei.cfg file on the installation image, nothing. I did install without the product key at first, then input the product key during activation later, after the OS was installed.
 

akugami

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2005
5,644
1,829
136
Yeah thanks for the tip but as you can tell by my attitude, the last few times I've messed around with a Linux distro or even a Live DVD, it was a lot more bother than anything.

As for the Vaio, it was all software, somehow the OS got trashed. Funny thing, I used an MSDN/Technet image of Windows 7 Professional SP1 (media refresh) and it accepted the OEM key from the COA sticker on the laptop, even activated online without a problem. No messing with the ei.cfg file on the installation image, nothing. I did install without the product key at first, then input the product key during activation later, after the OS was installed.

Yep, the keys on the COA stickers are not just for show (they're not on the Win8 machines anymore though). I've re-installed more than one trashed OS using the keys on the COA stickers for activation.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
Yep, the keys on the COA stickers are not just for show (they're not on the Win8 machines anymore though). I've re-installed more than one trashed OS using the keys on the COA stickers for activation.
There had been conflicting accounts or statements about whether the 'retail' installation bits would work with royalty OEM product keys, hence the numerous posts or articles on deleting or modifying the ei.cfg file, someone even released a utility that will do it for you. The installation media mattered for Windows XP (and previous OS, too, all the way to Win 95), but it was just a single file that could easily be edited (setupp.ini) to accept retail or OEM keys.

I had not yet tried it myself with Windows 7, so I decided to give it a try using the official images released by Microsoft through the Digital River download servers. I half expected it to reject the OEM key but it activated!
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
253
126
On edit: I just realized all that ei.cfg business was relevant only when attempting to use a retail upgrade media to perform full clean installs, not OEM v. retail! I'll have to keep that straight from now on!