Where do I stand?

Recon

This day two weeks ago (17th November) I phoned a local computer repair shop to enquire about getting some RAM for an old laptop of mine (a HP Omnibook XE3), the girl on the phone checked how much RAM it could take (512MB) and said she could order it for me and I should have if the week after.

The next Thursday the RAM arrived and I collected it from the shop, went home, put it into the laptop and...it didn't work. I was getting different error messages (which I can't fully remember now) but basically windows wouldn't start. I tried the RAM in each of the slots on the laptop. With the original RAM, without it, with no luck.

The next day I brought it back to the shop, the people there tried the RAM in the different slots (as I had done the day before), them it was taken around the back of the shop and I was told 10 minutes later that the 512 RAM had "corrupted my operating system" and I need to reinstall windows.

I was told that sometimes by putting the max amount of RAM it this can happen (with I think is bull****) and I was refunded for the 512 RAM (€120) and charged €80 for 256 RAM. Apparently all I had to do was reinstall windows and the 256 RAM should work.

Went home, formatted the harddrive and...RAM didn't work, I got the same error messages as with the 512. The next day (last Saturday, the 25th November) I phoned the shop and complained. They said to bring in into them on Monday and they'd give a look at it.

By the time Monday came I was pretty pissed off with them and I said that I just wanted my money back, I got a load of bull**** about how it was a special order and things like that (yet the had the 256 RAM in stock when the 512 didn't work...) but they'd give a look at it during the week. I knew I'd be veyr busy in work this work and won't need it at home so I said why not and handed in my laptop.

I collected it today, the 256 RAM still isn't working with it (the technician doesn't have a clue why) and they're still refusing to refund me my €80. I complained and was told that the manager would call me on Monday. Between now and then I'd like to find out exactly where I stand.

While €80 isn't a lot of money it's still the principle of the matter that's important. As far as I can see I'm prefectly enititled to my money back, I didn't order a specific type of RAM, I ordered something to suit my laptop which it doesn't.

Sorry about having to say so much about what's a simple problem but that's the whole story. What do people think I can do?

Karoma

The RAM is not fit for purpose. They've lied to you as well (Although, this you cannot prove really as it's verbal...)

Address a letter of complaint to their manager and send it via registered post. State your grievances, what you feel they should do to resolve the situation(Refund), and a reasonable timeframe in which you expect them to resolve the matter. Lastly, tell them that you intend on taking it to the small claims court if they don't meet this deadline.


It's not clear from your post (To me at least): Was there working RAM in the laptop already?
Have you tested other RAM in the sockets? Just to rule out that it's not the sockets playing up.

Recon

The laptop had 64 MB of RAM in it that has been working find. There;s two slots in the machine, I tried the new RAM (both the 512 and the 256) in the empty slot, with the 64 still in it's origianl slot, without the 64,in the 64 RAM slot (slot 1) with slot 2 empty and in slot 1 with the 64 RAM in slot 2. Every combination.

..and thank for your reply.

blorg

Installing RAM, wrong or not, does not "corrupt the operating system." That is nonsense.

Do your best to get a refund and consider buying from Crucial who do a money-back compatibility guarantee as long as you use their system scanner or select the make through their configurator. Note from the Crucial page I link to that while your notebook will take 512mb max, there is a maximum of 256mb per slot (e.g. for 512mb you need 2x256mb modules.)

eth0_

Are you sure it's even the correct RAM that they're putting in the machine? If it was incompatible it might cause Windows to refuse to load

Recon

eth0_ wrote:

Are you sure it's even the correct RAM that they're putting in the machine? If it was incompatible it might cause Windows to refuse to load

I don't know if it was the right RAM for my machine, I gave them the make and model of my laptop and said "I'd like RAM for that".


I was supposed to get a call from the manager at lunch today. Of course I never got the call.

I phoned them at 15:15 and was told the manager was on the phone and he'd phone back in a few minutes. I phoned again at 16:00, he's now apparently "on a service call".

Any suggestions?

Recon

After repeatedly phoning the shop and annoying them I finally got my credit card refunded last week. It was just applied to my card yesterday (I checked on 24 hour banking).

What I'd like to know is why did the people in the shop insist on pissing me off so much? They can hardly think now that I'll buy something from them in the future and that I'd say it to anyone I know not to go there. It's bad for them I think, especially since they are a small computer shop which could do with as much good things being said about them as possible. Especially considereing the number of far larger computer shops in and around Cork city.

caff

name and shame

Recon

It was the Cork Computer Clinic on the South Terrace in Cork city, they have a few small vans that you see driving around from time to time.

Tony H

that sounds like them all right , i used them once and never would again
http://www.shop4memory.com/default.asp
the above link is for shop4memory
i have used them a few times and found them very good ,free delivery or you can have it delivered next day by courier for a fiver

Cabaal

blorg wrote:

Installing RAM, wrong or not, does not "corrupt the operating system." That is nonsense./QUOTE]

Indeed it is, telling him to reinstall windows was a fob off and was only going to waste his time
Very poor service..

Recon

All I can say now is that I won't be buying anything from them again, and I'll tell everyone I know who's looking to buy a PC/laptop not to bother going there either.

Saruman

Actually i have had that happen before! Putting in memory screwing up windows.. It would not happen if its the wrong memory i.e. system beeps and does not even try to load windows.

However if he got as far as the windows loading screen then the memory is probably correct but as they said... windows go corrupt... however usually taking out the memory and loading the last known good will sort it... never had to actually reload windows because of it...

I would check out your slots though to be sure...
What laptop is it by the way? Blorg said crucial told indicates your laptop can take so much mem but i did not notice you mentioning a model.

Friend of mine has a dell something or other and every time he put any memory into the other slot it blue screens... memory itself is fine. He had to get a 1gb chip and use it in the one working slot and all is fine.