You realize they will replace your laptop if it didn’t come back in the same condition.

Your first step would have been to check it in the store when you got the laptop.

You people are idiots.

Left by JLRetro on June 22nd, 2010

not going to comment on the state your laptop was returned in, that sux

Only keep in mind that just like cell phones the manufacturers of laptops also put in “litmus’ (not sure on spelling) strips that change colour when they come into contact with water (liquids). they can also change colour in very humid conditions as well, above 80% humidity (which is above operating/storage threshold by specifications).

unfortunatly all computer repair depots (manufacturer or retailer) go by the code that if the litmus strip has changed colour no repair will be performed until the owner is made aware that no warranty will cover this and repair is out of pocket.

how many people have spilled water on their laptops waited a week or so till it dried and ‘claim’ they have no idea what could be wrong with the laptop is astounding!!!!

keep in mind with ever decreasing profits in the computer market manufacturers are just trying to protect themselves from fraudulent claims of innocence. if it were your product, company and profits you would too.

this is in no way to be taken as an ‘i don’t trust you’ type of response.
it is mearly an explaination as to the roadblocks repair service people cannot get past.

Left by ConradKeller on July 3rd, 2010

At the FS I work at the policy is to have the desk tech fill out a pre-printed work order form the back of which has pictures of a generic laptop in it’s open position (front) and top (with sides and back/front edges showing). This is where any visible damage MUST be filled in and marked as per FS sop. You also sign off on this paper on the bottom.

Go back and ask to see that work order and get a photo copy of that picture if it shows no damage marked (ie. when it was accepted by FS). Also, go in the evening on a weekday, usually closer to closing time, as the lead tech will rarely be working that shift (if he is, then keep coming back until he’s not there), and you will probably get the setup guy (ie. non-tech) who’s just part-time and isn’t up-to-date on everything. Do not (ever) threaten legal action until you have absolute proof because that is the cue word and all the store will ever do for you is refer you to their legal department from then on.

If the work order does show damage to the screen, check the color of the pen ink used. Chances are that if it was filled in later (to cover their butts) it will have a different color pen (we went through oodles of pens, though mostly black or blue) or a different pen line thickness. Usually people don’t carry pens with them (okay, mostly guys) and the tech accepting the work order will usually give you his to use. Part of that form has to be filled out by the tech (namely, the description of the issue in the center of the form and his identification and date of acceptance in the top right corner). If the pen is identical in everything but the damage description/notations on the backside (where the pictures are) then you may have a case that the damage description was added after you signed it off and FS accepted it. Then any damage incurred would be their fault, or the couriers, or the service center that took it, and not yours.

Now as for water damage, it is hard to spot in most situations just by looking at the outside of the case. Sometimes you can tell by the tactile feel of the keyboard keys (ie. they don’t spring up like they should – and believe me, after handling hundreds of laptops and especially the models that FS sells, sets up and services, many techs will be able to tell if the keys stick or feel different). Not conclusive but it just comes with experience and can trigger hidden damage issues. In such a situation I would bring up the fact that the keys seem a little sticky (or whatever) and make a mental note of the customer’s response. After dealing with hundreds of customers, you’ve pretty much seen all the scams. But having said that, usually water damage is not visible until the system is physically opened up, and that is usually done at the service center (depending on the brand). Liquid damage leaves residue behind (stains, corrosion, burnt spots on circuits, etc.). Water damage is harder to spot as it rarely leaves a stain. Usually the service center will take photographs and email them to the FS techlead as proof.

I’ve been around long enough to know that all kinds of shenanigans go on at even the best of places, and that people are not saints. However, at least in my shop, the techs are honest and try to do a good job within the limitations of FS’s SOPs and the warranty of the product. Most people in service centres do the same thing, I’m sure, just like most people do honest work and pay their taxes (etc., etc., etc.) But I have seen situations where blatant damage was done after FS shipped it out as well (not by FS, though). Also, many tech rooms are run on a shoe-string with next-to-nothing hours for the techs and more productivity expected and more work dumped on them. Same thing happens in repair centers I bet.

My fellow techs usually go the extra mile in providing customer service (although the fact that often we don’t even get a thank you from a customer or management takes its toll and it’s not difficult to understand why seasoned techs become hardened after a few years and just work-to-rule).

If your screen is cracked, then that damage SHOULD have been marked on the work order in the general area of the crack when the laptop was accepted by FS.

Hope this helps and good luck!

ps. (and this is just fyi for whoever out there) NEVER believe everything the salesperson tells you. 99% of the time they are not computer techs and they are under pressure to make the sale, and to make as much commission as they can on the extras, like warranties and cases (many extended warranties are marked up by roughly 50%, although I’m not sure how that is split between the store and the salesperson). And if that doesn’t put enough pressure on salespeople, if they do excellent and meet all their FS-generated artificial goals, then at their next review they will have their ante raised and will have to do even better to stay employed. There is no real employee recognition for a job well done at FS. You are just a cog in a wheel. BTW, the markup on computers is not much. Maybe $40 canadian on most models, although the higher-end ones are probably marked up a bit higher. It’s a real cutthroat business out there among computer sellers and the profits are cut to the bone. The real money for the stores is in the accessories. Sometimes you get a real deal on a bundle at the time of sale, or the salesperson can sweeten the deal a little, but they have limits and if you put too much pressure on them they will lose interest in you and try to get rid of you to go on to a customer that is willing to buy something. Remember that any store is in business to make money. Period. A salesperson is not your personal “rent-a-friend”. They go through 50-60 customers on a slow shift and you are just a face in an ever-changing crowd to them. As a really simple and not 100% accurate example to get a point across, and not counting all the costs of business that FS incurred to get the product to the shelf to sell to you) let’s say that you may be out $700 for a low-end (according to FS classifications!) laptop and another $300 for an extended 2-year warranty for a net total of $1000 (plus the government’s cut, I mean, tax, of approx. 14%) which brings the grand total to $1140 for you, Futureshop gets maybe $650 of that prepaid expense back for the laptop (remember all products in-store are pre-purchased from the manufacturer), leaving only $50 profit for the store, and FS gets maybe $20-$30 on the $300 extended warranty ($120-$130 goes to the salesperson as a bonus for selling it, and the remainder of $150 actually goes to the warranty carrier, so whoop-de-do if the extended warranty carrier doesn’t seem to care a whole lot for your (to you) $1200 laptop!) and the government gets $140 for doing what it does best: nothing and tax you for it, and then spend it on fake lakes for G20 summits. So for all of your $1200 of hard-earned money, FS makes maybe $70-$100. Yup, that makes you a truly valued customer to them! (not). Places like FS and Best Buy make their money on sales by volume. As an example, they only make about $2 to $3 dollars on most xbox/ps2/computer etc. games. The manufacturers have already pocketed most of the money you spend at the store (ie. FS already paid them for the product and now it’s selling it to you at a profit), but guess who gets the blame if something goes wrong? Is it HP/Dell/Acer/Sony/Apple etc. who made that particular POS model in the first place (I say particular model because most models are just fine but every manufacturer turns out lemons from time to time – see iPhone4 as a current example)? Or is it FutureShop? Also bear in mind that the latest and greatest products may not show defects for weeks or months, or, in the case of battery recalls by Sony, even years. (Sony outsourced the manufacturing of those batteries, btw, but they got the blame and the lawsuits.)

—Sorry for the semi-educational rant—

If you have any questions about what your warranty covers, then read the fine print in the warranty when you get the product home. You have 14 days to return a computer and get your money back in full. If the salesperson promises you that the extended warranty covers bazooka damage and a year and a half later your laptop sustains that damage (just a loopy example that popped into my head) and you bring it back to the very same store for service, be aware that that same, nice salesperson, who had your best interests at heart and had such an honest face and smiled as he/she took your money, probably quit a few months after you made the purchase and has since moved on, and you are stuck with what is WRITTEN in the warranty. Even if the salesperson is still working there, it will be your word against theirs, and the unwritten (and sadly, proven all too often) rule amongst those who accept returns and products for servicing is that “customers lie.” Well, the bad apples do. And even the best ones sometimes stretch the truth, especially to emphasize a point. Just fyi.

Finally, it’s always buyer beware. Don’t believe the hype. Research that particular model on the internet before you buy. It’s not hard. Just go to Google and type “computermanufacturername model xyz review”, ie. ” sony zze3100 review” (a totally non-Sony-related example, as I’m not picking on Sony or anything), and you will get lots of results. Don’t believe everything you read, though, as manufacturers will often fake excellent reviews on independent sites, so if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is and you need to do more research. And as a general rule, and my disclaimer, don’t believe everything you read or find anywhere on the internet (just like in real life) and any suggestions that I have made in this post, or any other posts on this site or any other site are meant as very general examples and make no warranty whatsoever as to their effectiveness or results and I take no responsibility for whatever actions anyone takes or refuses to take based on any understanding of whatever it is I said or wrote (for further clarification of my disclaimer read any Microsoft EULA and substitute my username where it says “Microsoft”)

Just my 2 cents worth…

Left by themoonisblue on July 4th, 2010

“Only keep in mind that just like cell phones the manufacturers of laptops also put in “litmus’ (not sure on spelling) strips that change colour when they come into contact with water (liquids). they can also change colour in very humid conditions as well, above 80% humidity (which is above operating/storage threshold by specifications).”

This is where I got screwed by Apple on the laptop I bought. The problem it was having had nothing to do with moisture and I never let water near the thing. They said I would have to pay $800 to have it fixed even though I spent nearly $300 on your their Apple Care. This has long been a scam of cell phone and laptop manufacturers and repair centers. Studies have shown that a great many things can cause the “water indicator” to change in color, including many cases that don’t effect the product at all. Heck, I’ve even seen apply water to make the color change when they didn’t want do a repair. It’s downright criminal and essentially stealing from the consumer.

Left by deagle7000 on November 1st, 2010