Was the laptop repaired?

Merch

Ok, heres the story
My Mams laptop (its a dell from around 2005) had a bluescreen, brought it to a computer shop to get repaired or at least to try and find out what was wrong with it,
left it with them and they called back to say the harddrive was knackered, they said they had one in stock.
I was going to order a hardrive and install it myself but my Mam wasn't so sure and wanted the laptop as soon as possible so she went with the option of getting it done by them.

She paid for it to be done, we gave them the original recovery discs to reload the OS.
After getting it back, the laptop was still slow and now (only a few months later) it has slowed to an impossible speed for use.
Also I asked her to get the old HDD back and asked specifically for them not to do anything to it, they gave it back a HDD with two holes punched in it.
I didn't check the serial number on the HDD as the shop had the laptop and also as I didn't want to automatically jump to the conclusion that they would try and pull the wool over our eyes, but I was and am suspicious that they could source the same capacity hardrive (at 60GB) I have never seen one with that low a capacity.

Is there anyway to tell from a utility in the laptop what the original HDD serial no was? I'm taking the HDD out to have a look for the S/no and to see if it looks new.

Maybe there is something else wrong with it now but I feel suspicious as when my mam was dealing with them it would be apparent she would have almost zero computer knowledge.

Merch

Ok, even though it is too soon to have expected to have a reply, I just took the HDD out

It says Dec-05 on it,so if that means December 05 then this is not the original HDD (i think? but not sure, it seems unlikely that means anything other than the date) the laptop was easily purchased in early '05, I will confirm that with my mam when I see her.
She was told she would be getting a new HDD, I am thinking this is either
the original HDD that they have done something to just to get it working and get paid or a replacement second hand one
any opinions?

stuff.hunter

what's the make of your Ma's laptop

Merch

its a dell inspiron

stuff.hunter

well, check the old-broken hdd for small Dell labels (eg Dell spare part number), original hdd should have at least one

Merch

Ok, will do.
I need to confirm the date of purchase but I am sure it is before DEC-05
so I'm inclined to think they replaced the HDD with a second hand one

duckysauce

odd they drilled holes in your original one , fair enough if they were giving it someone other than the owner

stuff.hunter

Merch wrote: »

Ok, will do.
I need to confirm the date of purchase but I am sure it is before DEC-05
so I'm inclined to think they replaced the HDD with a second hand one

... if they replaced 'broken' hdd , could be just re-formatted .
let me know, whats the story with labels

Saruman

Merch wrote: »

but I was and am suspicious that they could source the same capacity hardrive (at 60GB) I have never seen one with that low a capacity.

That says it all right there. There is no reason for them to even try and source the same capacity hard drive as that is too much trouble. Much easier to buy in the cheapest current hard drive. They could have got an 80gb easily enough but there is no way the manufacture date would be 2005 on any new hard drive bought in.

12 element

If you go to the manufacturers web site and go to check warrenty status and type in the serial number it will usually tell you that it isnt covered because it was bought as part of a computer not on its own.
Worth a try!

Merch

will do, just backing up the limited amount of info on her laptop,

Merch

duckysauce wrote: »

odd they drilled holes in your original one , fair enough if they were giving it someone other than the owner

especially as they were asked to just return it??

Saruman wrote: »

That says it all right there. There is no reason for them to even try and source the same capacity hard drive as that is too much trouble. Much easier to buy in the cheapest current hard drive. They could have got an 80gb easily enough but there is no way the manufacture date would be 2005 on any new hard drive bought in.

I will confirm the date of purchase, (so the date is the date of manufacture, didnt know what it was representing but probably obvious)
Whatever they did, they said they had it in stock and it was done or claimed to have been done straight away. I was suspicious but as I didnt have time to look at it before or after, my mam was happy to have her laptop back and it was working, albeit slower than before the repair.

12 element wrote: »

If you go to the manufacturers web site and go to check warrenty status and type in the serial number it will usually tell you that it isnt covered because it was bought as part of a computer not on its own.
Worth a try!

Id say its well out of warranty now, but I might try that to see if they have any other info, just taking out the HDD again now

Merch

stuff.hunter wrote: »

... if they replaced 'broken' hdd , could be just re-formatted .
let me know, whats the story with labels

Ok its a HITACHI with Travelstar written under it, It has no dell labels, (I dont have the one that was claimed to be the original/had holes drilled in it now, I think my mam has it somewhere) Its possible it was the original but this one is a 60GB, I'm suprised they had a new 60GB drive, if this is a replacement they actually had it in stock, but I have not seen a 60GB drive available anytime I looked, so makes me think this is a replacement second hand one

I was hoping there was a way that I could tell from some utility what the original serial no. items were when it was shipped, ie she bought it new

Saruman

Dell might keep a record of the serial numbers of each part. I know from calling dell to get replacement laptop hard drives under warranty that they ask for the part serial number. Whether they match that to a single system or just know what serial numbers are likely to have been shipped with that laptop I don't know.

Not sure what you can do about it anyway after so much time has passed. Unless you can prove the drive in there is the same one that was shipped with the system, you have no way to prove they gave you a second hand part and charged you for a new part.

Merch

Saruman wrote: »

Dell might keep a record of the serial numbers of each part. I know from calling dell to get replacement laptop hard drives under warranty that they ask for the part serial number. Whether they match that to a single system or just know what serial numbers are likely to have been shipped with that laptop I don't know.

Not sure what you can do about it anyway after so much time has passed. Unless you can prove the drive in there is the same one that was shipped with the system, you have no way to prove they gave you a second hand part and charged you for a new part.

My issue isn't actually with Dell, Its with a computer repair shop that it was brought to to be fixed after it went to a blue screen, it was fine till then, the shop did a diagnostic on it and said it just needed a HDD. It was brought to them in April and my mother said that when she got it back off them it was significantly slower than before she left it in for the repair, she told me that within 2 months it had gotten a lot worse until the last few weeks where it was unuseable, so 4 months since the "new" HDD was installed the laptop has become unuseable.
dell has no liability here, but my mam was quoted a figure to repair the laptop by this shop which I think was too much (but certainly justified new parts) and she was quoted for a replacement part, there was no mention of it being a second hand part.
I just confirmed with my Mother and she is unsure if she still has the original HDD as she said bits were falling out of it due to the holes drilled/punched in it, which was contrary to what we requested.
And also confirmed she says she bought it late in 2004, the HDD has Dec-05 printed on it, she never had any repairs done on it before, so it looks quite certain they replaced the HDD with a second hand part, I find it unlikely they had a HDD sitting on the shelf for 5 years, so it must be.

It was a perfectly running laptop, she doesn't need to spend the money on a brand new one for what she uses.
I have another laptop that was gotten in 2003 that has no wireless and the only things I did to that were replace the HDD and RAM.

I'm going to reload the OS and see if the drivers can be updated, I planning on going to the shop and pull them up on the second hand HDD

stuff.hunter

well, looks like they fitted 2nd hand hdd and charged for new...

Saruman

Merch wrote: »

My issue isn't actually with Dell, Its with a computer repair shop

Umm yes but Dell sold the laptop and like I said might have a record of the original drive. Then you know if the drive in it or sent back was the original or not.

Merch

Saruman wrote: »

Umm yes but Dell sold the laptop and like I said might have a record of the original drive. Then you know if the drive in it or sent back was the original or not.

oh yes, I will look into that before approaching the shop, I tried to put in a code they (Dell) request from a sticker on the laptop but it didn't get me what I was looking for, I believe my Mam has all the receipts and that might have some of the spec from when she ordered it so will look at that too.
I thought you were meaning I could go to Dell for a warranty claim or something like that

She's urgent to get her laptop sorted, but her follow up with getting me the info to deal with it is slow so i have to get her to dig out the old HDD if it is still around and the paperwork from when she ordered it so I can have a look over it, plus the receipt from the shop.
She'd normally be happy if it just did what she needed, but now its become unuseable.

It might be a while before I follow up, but Im interested to see how they explain about it, I'm hoping they wont just try fob me off.

Merch

stuff.hunter wrote: »

well, looks like they fitted 2nd hand hdd and charged for new...

Thats what I suspected but I wanted to throw it out there into the ether to see did anyone else think it too or was I just being suspicious

x in the city

why do people give laptops and the like to 'computer shops'? the biggest load of crap and 9 times out of 10 you will get screwed more than lindsay lohan.

just an idea but why not a sticky for people willing to repair/check up/diagnose laptops and so on on boards for a nominal fee


different regions could be accounted for and i would be more than willing to help out folk in cork/kerry once my studies are done.

stuff.hunter

x in the city wrote: »

why do people give laptops and the like to 'computer shops'? the biggest load of crap and 9 times out of 10 you will get screwed more than lindsay lohan.

just an idea but why not a sticky for people willing to repair/check up/diagnose laptops and so on on boards for a nominal fee


different regions could be accounted for and i would be more than willing to help out folk in cork/kerry once my studies are done.

you're right, loads of good people here ... no needs to goto 'screw' shops

Merch

x in the city wrote: »

why do people give laptops and the like to 'computer shops'? the biggest load of crap and 9 times out of 10 you will get screwed more than lindsay lohan.

just an idea but why not a sticky for people willing to repair/check up/diagnose laptops and so on on boards for a nominal fee


different regions could be accounted for and i would be more than willing to help out folk in cork/kerry once my studies are done.

True, if I'd had the time to look at it myself at the time and my Mam wasn't urgent to get it sorted, this wouldna happened, not something I would recommend
At worst I'd have had the serial no or have seen early on that the HDD wasn't new,

Saruman

A lesson in future for those who bring computers to computer repair shops would be that before you agree to purchase parts that they are aware you want the box the part came in and a receipt. Even if its an OEM box, it will still have a label with the details of what was inside.

I don't think its fair to say all of these repair places will screw you but I think there is a mentality that if they have a working part, there is no need to see it go to waste and will sell it on. Ultimate recyclers as they charge full price for the recycling

Merch

Well a follow up
Laptop was brought back to the shop, the mother didnt want me to go in as she thought I might get annoyed at them and we agreed that would get us nowhere, so I told her what to say, essentially her saying what she was told was wrong with it, they'd know she'd be no expert as she mixes basic technical stuff up, not that I'm an expert myself.

The guy initially didnt admit a second hand part was used but then said he was sorry that she hadn't been informed a second hand part would be used.
I think he was just backing out by saying that as he knew they had been caught so they have replaced the hard drive and its new. In fairness he was apologetic, he runs the shop, another guy does the repairs, so I think he had to look into it before coming to any conclusion.
It's working fine and hopefully another few years will be gotten out of it.
So I think the outcome overall was good
Thanks to anyone that provided some pointers/advice

stuff.hunter

...good to hear some 'good news'