€220 euro laptop from Argos

L-M

How do, my mother recently purchased one of these (Spur of the moment, didn't ask for advice etc.) and it's a disgrace. Just normally using the internet on it, it pauses, stalls and then a message comes up saying "Warning, too much memory usage, Internet explorer"

Surely this isn't acceptable? I assume returning it is out of the question?

The ignorant looking for a bit of advice here.

cackhanded

Take it back, Argos usually offer a no quibles refund - anything I've returned to them has been refunded on the spot, no questions asked.

L-M

cackhanded wrote: »

Take it back, Argos usually offer a no quibles refund - anything I've returned to them has been refunded on the spot, no questions asked.

They said "There are no returns on electrical goods!"

corkonion

Limerick man wrote: »

cackhanded wrote: »

Take it back, Argos usually offer a no quibles refund - anything I've returned to them has been refunded on the spot, no questions asked.

They said "There are no returns on electrical goods!"

Don't except that, tell them that it's "not fit for purpose" and that it's faulty it freezes and crashes and gives memory error messages while browsing the net.

L-M

corkonion wrote: »

Don't except that, tell them that it's "not fit for purpose" and that it's faulty it freezes and crashes and gives memory error messages while browsing the net.

That's what I had in mind, but I wasn't so sure. I'll get cracking and let ye know, thanks.

Busi Girl

Ya definitely take it back, just say its not working properly, there usually fairly reasonable about returns...

Jarren

What to do
You should return the faulty item to the seller as soon as possible and explain what the problem is. If you think it might be useful, print out the page and bring it with you. If you have a complaint about faulty goods, shop notices such as "No Refunds" or "No Exchanges" do not limit your rights. Some shops display these notices, particularly during the sales, but this does not take away your rights under consumer law if the goods are faulty

http://www.nca.ie/nca/faultygoods

L-M

Ok, they took it and said they're going to "fix it" and it's going take a month?

They won't return it due to some data act of 1988 or some ****e, how can they fix it if it's just generally a very bad product?

BostonB

It would depend on exactly how long is was bought. If it was used.

But in general even the worst laptop you can buy should be able to browse the internet, you'd need to be more specific about the model of the machine and the spec. When you google that error you get nothing. Which suggests its the not the correct wording of the error.

L-M

This hunk of junk,

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5085903/c_1/1|category_root|Office%2C+PCs+and+phones|14418968/c_2/3|cat_19780850|Laptops+and+netbooks|14419039.htm

She bought it on the 8th of November and tried bringing it back about 2 days later but they wouldn't accept it. She has barely used it since.

dudara

I would take it back (along with proof of purchase) and state that it is not suitable for the purpose intended, i.e. it freezes and crashes, even when doing the simplest of tasks.

If they refuse to listen to you, write a registered letter to the store manager and Argos Head office. Outline your issues and give them XXX business days to resolve the issue. Inform them that failing any resolution, you will be lodging a claim in the Small Claims Court (costs E15 and you don't need a solicitor).

jor el

That's a pretty standard spec for a netbook, so it should work fine. It should be fixable, especially if it's a software issue. If it's hardware then they'll probably replace it. She might not get her money back, but if it's fixed or replaced then it there shouldn't be an issue, right?

L-M

dudara wrote: »

I would take it back (along with proof of purchase) and state that it is not suitable for the purpose intended, i.e. it freezes and crashes, even when doing the simplest of tasks.

If they refuse to listen to you, write a registered letter to the store manager and Argos Head office. Outline your issues and give them XXX business days to resolve the issue. Inform them that failing any resolution, you will be lodging a claim in the Small Claims Court (costs E15 and you don't need a solicitor).

Thanks.

jor el wrote: »

That's a pretty standard spec for a netbook, so it should work fine. It should be fixable, especially if it's a software issue. If it's hardware then they'll probably replace it. She might not get her money back, but if it's fixed or replaced then it there shouldn't be an issue, right?

It's not the money issue, she does want it, but it's horrendously slow. I mean, if I had boards open and a youtube video on, it would freeze, and this little warning message would come up stating that it's lacking in memory etc.

I think it's fair to buy a laptop and the least thing for it to do would be to browse the internet. I can't imagine how slow it would be in a years time.

Edit: I should say, they have offered to fix it, but they want it for a month? With no replacement while it's gone.

Cuddlesworth

Limerick man wrote: »

It's not the money issue, she does want it, but it's horrendously slow. I mean, if I had boards open and a youtube video on, it would freeze, and this little warning message would come up stating that it's lacking in memory etc.

I think it's fair to buy a laptop and the least thing for it to do would be to browse the internet. I can't imagine how slow it would be in a years time.

Edit: I should say, they have offered to fix it, but they want it for a month? With no replacement while it's gone.

Sounds like your mom got a virus. With one gig and most likely a two gig paging file its highly unlikely you would ever get a warning about your virtual memory being low. And Windows won't give you any other memory message.

BostonB

This is a single core atom netbook with 1GB of ram. Its not intended to be used for heavy multitasking, like a ram intensive browser, and streaming video at the same time.

partyatmygaff

As others have said... this sounds more like a software issue than a hardware issue. Netbooks with single core Atoms and 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 aren't known for their speed and responsiveness but even so it should still be able to do something as basic as have two tabs open at the same time.

ejmaztec

I would have gone with the Asus for another €30, and it's dual core.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5086115.htm

BostonB

Well for starters this is a netbook not a laptop.

I've never used a netbook myself so I have no idea what its like to use performance wise. But the reviews of this unit are universal in being critical of its performance its called sub par, mediocre. Saying its only good for light tasks, and not good for video, HD flash video (youtube) was specifically mentioned as being problematic. Perhaps other people with netbook could advise what kind of performance you should expect.

Note from the link, that this product has this on it " Please note that this product is excluded from our 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. This does not affect your statutory rights." I don't know how that works.

As others have said I would be surprised it is faulty, perhaps its configured badly. So I would doubt that a "repair" is going to fix it. But they are entitled to try and fix it. You should ask them how many times they will attempt to fix it before replacing it. Perhaps there is an issue and it will be repaired.

The basic issue was a netbook was bought thinking it was a laptop. If you just go to the small claims court the shop might just do a refund as it easier than the hassle of going to the court.

declan remo

cackhanded wrote: »

Take it back, Argos usually offer a no quibles refund - anything I've returned to them has been refunded on the spot, no questions asked.

argos dont do refunds on laptops

BostonB

or netbooks

Appleblossom42

To be honest it is a single core processor and I really don't think it could handle You Tube and Boards.ie together. These netbooks are extremely basic and really not intended for video streaming. This is the reason I went with a dual netbook.

McLoughlin

Limerick man this is not a Laptop it is a netbook and is not designed for the functions that it is been used for there is no fault with the item Your mother bought the wrong item explain to Argos this and maybe they will understand and allow you to swap it for a laltop that fits the needs of your mother.

jor el

Appleblossom42 wrote: »

To be honest it is a single core processor and I really don't think it could handle You Tube and Boards.ie together. These netbooks are extremely basic and really not intended for video streaming. This is the reason I went with a dual netbook.

It's a single core processor yes, not a Pentium 1 75Mhz or anything. A netbook with that spec can easily handle Youtube and Boards at the same time.

McLoughlin wrote: »

Limerick man this is not a Laptop it is a netbook and is not designed for the functions that it is been used for there is no fault with the item Your mother bought the wrong item explain to Argos this and maybe they will understand and allow you to swap it for a laltop that fits the needs of your mother.

If the laptop is broken, they will send it for repair. If it's not broken, she's stuck with it. Argos do not accept computer returns under change of mind, so they will not swap it for a better machine. The only way they'll take it back is if it is broke.

BostonB

jor el wrote: »

It's a single core processor yes, not a Pentium 1 75Mhz or anything. A netbook with that spec can easily handle Youtube and Boards at the same time....

What are you basing that opinion on?

Viewing BBC iPlayer or YouTube streams at full screen on the U135 consumes all the N450 has to offer. Aside from mediocre video playback performance, ....other netbook tasks may be dispatched with ease, viewing Flash videos won't be.
Source: The Inquirer (http://s.tt/14eox)

From pocket-lint.com

YouTube HD for example, doesn't play acceptably. You can just about play 720p footage from a camcorder, but you will drop a lot of frames. If you plan to use your netbook to preview footage you've shot in HD, then you'll want to step-up to a machine that offers more on a graphical front, with the likes of an Nvidia ION chipset, accepting that it will cost you more money.

Agent_99

I have a netbook, emachines it has a N450 Intel Atom Processor bought it last year for €250 including cover mouse and flash drive from HM for Uni and I can have multiple tabs, Facebook Youtube and of course Boards.ie running at one time. I have never had any issues with it crashing or freezing when running many programs. It is of course slower than my Desktop at home but other than that it does exactly the same functions as my Laptop