Help!!! Repair shop broke my laptop???

DeeRottie

I posted this on the consumer issues forum but I thought there might be some techies on here who might know what kind of game this guy is playing with me ...

Two Fridays ago, the screen on my work laptop broke - the left side of it went blank like a broken LCD. I work from home, so was able to plug the laptop into an external monitor and everything was fine. I informed my boss who said I could get the screen replaced. I called a repair shop who ordered in the new screen.

The following Tues, I brought in the laptop and the guy replaced the screen. He turned on the laptop and everything was fine. I paid €110 and returned home. The following day I turn on the laptop and the screen doesn't turn on at all - it's totally blank. I again plug the laptop into an external monitor and all is well. I ring the repair guy who tells me to bring it back in. I tell him I can't bring it in til the Friday and he says that's fine. For the rest of the week I work with the laptop connected to the external monitor.

On Friday I bring the laptop back to the repair place. I wander around town as the guy says he will ring me when he's done. He doesn't call. I return to the shop and the guy says he doesn't know what's wrong. He says the screen isn't working when he hooks it up to an external screen - I say well I've been using it like that all week with no problem! He holds up a bit of fluff that he says he found it the laptop, that the laptop model is very sensitive and this could be causing probs. I leave the laptop with him and head home.

It's now the following Thursday and I heard nothing from him. I ring and he's not in the shop but says he "hasn't gotten to the bottom of the problem". I tell him I need the laptop, as the programme I use for work is on there. He says he thinks there is a problem with the motherboard. I ask him to ring me back with an update this afternoon. I have no idea why this guy has to even go near the motherboard when this was a problem with the screen!!!

I am now very very worried. I brought in a laptop that was working perfectly apart from the screen. I'm now terrified that I'm going to be left with a laptop that doesn't work at all and €110 out of pocket. Please advise me what my rights are!

Gaz

The screen would be connected to the motherboard, provided there is no issue with the new screen or connecting cable then it would be a motherboard issue.

Buttonitful

Where is the shop?

Garvinho

That is terrible service and where is the shop located?

DeeRottie

Thanks Gaz, that clears things up a bit. Although forgot to mention when I turned on the laptop the screen was receiving power as it lit up, just no picture. I had picture when I connected it via a VGA cable to an external monitor before it was sent in to the shop, which shows that it was deffo a screen problem. And now I'm being told nothing is working at all, which I'm worried means he's gone and broken something on me ... Shop is in the South East, but I guess I better not mention where just yet as hopefully they will come through for me

DeeRottie

Ok I just rang again. Been told that he has taken the laptop apart and that he thinks it's either a problem with the motherboard or processor and that it's a coincidence that this has happened! He said that there was dirt/hair in the laptop that could have caused it to overheat. He said he was looking at getting in a motherboard from China but that it was £100!

What am I going to do? I feel like this guy broke my laptop when he opened it up and is now trying to wiggle out of it! I don't know how I could go in somewhere to get a screen replaced and end up with a completely broken laptop!

joker@

@it ,motherboard to exchange .

Overheal

I say they broke it. You have to on many models of laptop remove the casing from around the motherboard to do the screen repair, it's likely thats what he did. If there was hair in there it could have easily been their own. Sounds like a case of them trying to shed burden of blame by landing a few follicles in there and some dust.

I would not be happy with them right now. Sounds like the onus is on them to cover the cost of the fix at this point, far too coincidental that the screen and the motherboard die at the same time. Not even coincidental, they're related, in that the repair shop was in there fiddling with crap to replace a broken screen. Small claims court?

DeeRottie

Well I am sure there are hairs in there as one of my dogs sheds no end so wouldn't be surprised. But I do certainly feel like the guy doesn't have a clue, as he kept saying on the phone "I don't know where to go from here" - isn't he supposed to be the expert? I'm going to ask for my laptop back and my money as now I'm worse off then when I started and €110 out of pocket and am going to have to pay to have it fixed elsewhere!

carbon nanotube

DeeRottie wrote: »

I posted this on the consumer issues forum but I thought there might be some techies on here who might know what kind of game this guy is playing with me ...

Two Fridays ago, the screen on my work laptop broke - the left side of it went blank like a broken LCD. I work from home, so was able to plug the laptop into an external monitor and everything was fine. I informed my boss who said I could get the screen replaced. I called a repair shop who ordered in the new screen.

The following Tues, I brought in the laptop and the guy replaced the screen. He turned on the laptop and everything was fine. I paid €110 and returned home. The following day I turn on the laptop and the screen doesn't turn on at all - it's totally blank. I again plug the laptop into an external monitor and all is well. I ring the repair guy who tells me to bring it back in. I tell him I can't bring it in til the Friday and he says that's fine. For the rest of the week I work with the laptop connected to the external monitor.

On Friday I bring the laptop back to the repair place. I wander around town as the guy says he will ring me when he's done. He doesn't call. I return to the shop and the guy says he doesn't know what's wrong. He says the screen isn't working when he hooks it up to an external screen - I say well I've been using it like that all week with no problem! He holds up a bit of fluff that he says he found it the laptop, that the laptop model is very sensitive and this could be causing probs. I leave the laptop with him and head home.

It's now the following Thursday and I heard nothing from him. I ring and he's not in the shop but says he "hasn't gotten to the bottom of the problem". I tell him I need the laptop, as the programme I use for work is on there. He says he thinks there is a problem with the motherboard. I ask him to ring me back with an update this afternoon. I have no idea why this guy has to even go near the motherboard when this was a problem with the screen!!!

I am now very very worried. I brought in a laptop that was working perfectly apart from the screen. I'm now terrified that I'm going to be left with a laptop that doesn't work at all and €110 out of pocket. Please advise me what my rights are!

why do people use 'repair shops' and moan on boards after.

DeeRottie

Um because it was a computer repair shop in the city centre and I wanted my laptop repaired? In all fairness this guy had a professional looking website and a shop, it's not like I gave it to some kid to tinker with in his bedroom. Wouldn't you bring your car to a garage if it needed to be fixed? And be totally p**ed off if it came back to you in worse condition?

carbon nanotube

DeeRottie wrote: »

Um because it was a computer repair shop in the city centre and I wanted my laptop repaired? In all fairness this guy had a professional looking website and a shop, it's not like I gave it to some kid to tinker with in his bedroom. Wouldn't you bring your car to a garage if it needed to be fixed? And be totally p**ed off if it came back to you in worse condition?

them shops are a joke, just post up messages here and most folk (like myself) can give you information for gratis on fixing a laptop.

not getting fraped by shops like this.

things like replacing drives, changing screens, inverters, putting on memory modules, even soldering dc jacks are all easily done with some basic skills and patience.

i should write a book. would make a killing

Overheal

carbon nanotube wrote: »

them shops are a joke, just post up messages here and most folk (like myself) can give you information for gratis on fixing a laptop.

not getting fraped by shops like this.

things like replacing drives, changing screens, inverters, putting on memory modules, even soldering dc jacks are all easily done with some basic skills and patience.

i should write a book. would make a killing

Cognitive Dissonance.

Precisely why people get into the business: yes, anyone can, in theory, learn how to do it. Just like I can learn how to fix my own plumbing or do maintenance on my car. Do I have the time to learn every skillset I will potentially make use of? No not really.

Plus no matter how much reading I do I'm really not thrilled about soldering something, or really even overclocking for that matter. The only motivation I had for replacing my own screen was saving hundreds of dollars based on HPs estimate for repairs. They wanted 650, against 200 the cost of the actual broken part.

No need to turn this into a bash on computer shops.

U_Fig

DeeRottie wrote: »

it's not like I gave it to some kid to tinker with in his bedroom.

In fairness I know several people who own computer repair shops who have less knowledge than myself who despite not being a kid does computer repair out his bedroom at a much lesser cost... just because they own a shop doesn't mean they are combatant and know what they are doing.. if i was you i'd go in and say ask for your laptop back and ask for a full refund as under the sale of goods and supply of services act 1980, you are entitled to a full refund as the service they provided was inadequate... then try somewhere else.. it could have been just a loose cable..or even I've had a problem where my laptop screen was just black exactly the same as you've mentioned above... all it was was windows was defaulted to display on the external monitor.. fixed by pressing windows key + p and choosing laptop display..


also replacing a screen is a matter of unscrew and rescrew with a few connections to unplug and replud why he'd have to go near the motherboard is beyond me...

Hank Scorpio

You based in Kilkenny OP? If so I'm fairly sure I know the guy in question, and know of 2 similar incidents in recent times. He still owes my father money for one of them. If you want some info pm me, if your not based in KK ignore this post.

DeeRottie

I didn't bring the laptop to KK to get it repaired, but that was where I was gonna bring it now so if you could PM me who to avoid I'd appreciate it.#

Actually if anyone knows of a decent repair shop in either Kilkenny or Waterford I'd appreciate it.

carbon nanotube

DeeRottie wrote: »

I posted this on the consumer issues forum but I thought there might be some techies on here who might know what kind of game this guy is playing with me ...

Two Fridays ago, the screen on my work laptop broke - the left side of it went blank like a broken LCD. I work from home, so was able to plug the laptop into an external monitor and everything was fine. I informed my boss who said I could get the screen replaced. I called a repair shop who ordered in the new screen.

The following Tues, I brought in the laptop and the guy replaced the screen. He turned on the laptop and everything was fine. I paid €110 and returned home. The following day I turn on the laptop and the screen doesn't turn on at all - it's totally blank. I again plug the laptop into an external monitor and all is well. I ring the repair guy who tells me to bring it back in. I tell him I can't bring it in til the Friday and he says that's fine. For the rest of the week I work with the laptop connected to the external monitor.

On Friday I bring the laptop back to the repair place. I wander around town as the guy says he will ring me when he's done. He doesn't call. I return to the shop and the guy says he doesn't know what's wrong. He says the screen isn't working when he hooks it up to an external screen - I say well I've been using it like that all week with no problem! He holds up a bit of fluff that he says he found it the laptop, that the laptop model is very sensitive and this could be causing probs. I leave the laptop with him and head home.

It's now the following Thursday and I heard nothing from him. I ring and he's not in the shop but says he "hasn't gotten to the bottom of the problem". I tell him I need the laptop, as the programme I use for work is on there. He says he thinks there is a problem with the motherboard. I ask him to ring me back with an update this afternoon. I have no idea why this guy has to even go near the motherboard when this was a problem with the screen!!!

I am now very very worried. I brought in a laptop that was working perfectly apart from the screen. I'm now terrified that I'm going to be left with a laptop that doesn't work at all and €110 out of pocket. Please advise me what my rights are!

Sorry but your laptop is a waste of space, if what you said has been done to it why go around in circles trying to fix it.

What type of a laptop is it.. have you listened to diagnostic beeps when you power it up. Is power even going into it.

If the thing is wrecked just chuck it out. You can get laptops now for nothing.


'repair shops' do f**k all.

laptops cant be fixed as such, the only parts replaceable such as memory and hard drives , anyone can do it.

a bust CPU is unlikely and is also possible to be replace albeit more tricky. I don't think any of these repair shops can diagnose fully wrecked machines, down to mother board level and in any event its more viable to scrap it and buy a whole new machine.

broken screens are the other thing they repair but in many cases they charge crazy fees and in some cases make the machine even worse.

there should be a sticky here with some basic laptop DIY trouble shooting.

DeeRottie

Carbon Nanotube I am a person with limited knowledge of computers and thought I was doing the right thing by bringing to a repair shop. You clearly have a lot more knowledge than me in this area but even if there was a DIY sticky I would be in the same position, as I would not have dreamed of tinkering with my work computer for fear of this very situation arising. I trusted what I thought was a professional - it is only now I'm finding out that this is not the case. Hindsight is a bitch! I'm not in a position to chuck out my laptop and just march in to work and demand a new one - I work for a charity, not some wealthy multi-national.

I will say after he replaced the screen, when I turned it on the following morning, power was going to the screen as it lit up but there was no picture.

Spoke to him yesterday. He said he could get me a new motherboard in 2 week for €150. I started arguing him but he insisted that the fried motherboard is a 'coincidence' because there was hair in the machine and nothing to do with him taking my laptop apart. I told him to put it back together and I'm collecting it Monday - he doesn't open Saturday!

Now I'll have to bring it elsewhere to be fixed and I want the €110 I paid to have the screen fixed back. Considering the screen was never fixed in the first place I don't see how he has a leg to stand on, but I have a feeling this is not going to be easy ... I am raging and so upset by all this.

carbon nanotube

what laptop is this .?

sorry to hear your woes, but computer repair places are a waste of money. im surprised many are still in business.

if what you say is happening it looks like the screen is borked or the gpu is dead.

have you tried power up with an external display?

DeeRottie

Yeah, when the screen was powering up but no pic on the Wednesday morning, I connected it to an external monitor and worked like that until the Friday when I was able to bring it into the shop. The laptop was functioning perfectly all the while. It's a HP ProBook 330. I've personally only ever bought Samsungs myself and never had a problem with them.

carbon nanotube

well if it doesn't power up now with a external monitor its f***ed and probably beyond economical repair.

can you tell if thats the case?

laptops can be got now for 300/400 quid, unless a machine is expensive such as a gaming rig its hardly worth going to the bother of even fixing it.

there are beeps the bios gives out to listen out for when it boots up, you can use these to diagnose problems ie memory etc..

ED E

I'm with overheal on this one.


Log of events as I see it:

1. Screen goes
2. OP brings in to be repaired, new screen fitted
3. New screen either A: dies(cheap aftermarket panel, quite possibe) or B: Connector comes lose(can also happen easily enough).
4. OP brings back
5. Repair centre either A: Dont want to foot the bill for the second repair or B: screw up and fry the board C: VGA surge fries the GPU(odds are against this one)
6. Repair centre BS's the OP.

Nanotube: Doesnt matter what it is, even if a new buy was a better option still not the issue at hand. Anyways, had the OP done it himself say it would have been ~€40 and then if the screen had died same again, still the economical option.


OP. Demand the money back if you've paid more than the oringal fee + the laptop in working order and if he doesnt either A: Formal letter + Consumer Authority/Small Claims Court or B: Light his proverbial ass up on joe duffy.

Overheal

before you pick the laptop back up research your consumer rights. The motherboard was functional when you brought it in. Now it's not. I'm wondering how he found hair in this second visit and not the first.

Carbon Nanotube: despite your opinions, not every consumer has 300-400 to drop on a laptop every time they break, regardless of what the spec of the PC is. Additionally, this is a work laptop, with company software on it: the company is footing the cost of the repair presumably, and relicensing software for a new machine can be prohibitively expensive: We were shopping Quickbooks licenses at one point and it would have cost about $1500 for what we needed, and that was really the only best way given that our current version wasn't supported by Vista or 7, it was woefully obsolete.

Point being you don't know all the particulars of the situation and frankly its rude and presumptive to presume the OP is a numpty or something for trying to have his laptop repaired in a place of business, rather than the lolcat-roaming interwebz. The benefit of using a business is they are licensed and unlike 'my friend's cousin's lab partner who knows about computers' they are fully bound and vested in consumer laws; hence one bad experience does not mean the repair shop has 'robbed' you, it means they have a duty of care to address the issue.

DeeRottie

Thanks ED E and Overheal, esp for the 'lolcat-roaming interwebz' comment, that made my day I am going to ask for my money back on Monday and if this is not forthcoming I will be certainly pursuing the matter further!

carbon nanotube

i didn't say the op should not seek to get money back from the fraudsters, i was just trying to get more help on seeing what was wrong with the laptop

of course the op got raped by the shop and should get money back.

anyway, was this paid for before or after 'repairs'?

Overheal

Ironically tubes, there is no way to really know whats wrong with the laptop in this situation without being physically in possession of it

DeeRottie

When he opened the laptop in the shop right after he replaced the screen and the picture came up I gave him the €150. I did not realise I was paying for a screen that came with the proviso it would be operational for less than 24hrs. Dammit, I should have read the small print lol.

Overheal

Nah he's liable (my opinion only, you need to consult law). Similarly this repair shop that fixed my jeep after I crashed it never fixed the wheel alignment, so they have already tried to fix it once and its still cocked to the left. They can be damn sure I'll be paying them a visit the next moment I have free during bankers hours. Kinda screwed themselves when they told me my repairs were guaranteed for life I'd accept at least a week or two though of being able to steer straight!

Jarren

OP

Contact National Consumer Agency

http://www.nca.ie/nca/complain-to-a-business

DeeRottie

Thanks Jarren, that's a handy link.

I got my money back today and he put the old screen back in. I've now brought it to a place that's been in business for 20yrs and that has been recommended to me so they are having a look at it - but things do not look good at this point ....

Overheal

Well damn, you just let him off the hook, and for all you know now he broke the motherboard so youre now out a broken screen and a broken board, and he got away from paying any damages. Good deal for him.

DeeRottie

Well I couldn't prove anything and he wasn't backing down. If the other guys figure out what happened I can take him to Small Claims, as the Sale of Goods and Services act says I can bill him for repairs.

carbon nanotube

your better off cutting your losses and getting a new laptop.

this will not end well.

i doubt if the laptop can be repaired short of 200quid.

Overheal

carbon nanotube wrote: »

your better off cutting your losses and getting a new laptop.

this will not end well.

i doubt if the laptop can be repaired short of 200quid.

Well no Rottie makes a good point. Depending on consumer law he can very well still win here and not eat the addtl expense. When someone crashed into my jeep 2 years ago a body shop billed out about 2 grand worth of parts and services rendered. When I drove it back to SC though I noticed they never leveled out the hood and so it was shakin around the whole ride home. Took it to a local shop who poked around and realised the first shop didn't do even half of what it billed me for: I still had a broken structure (could have been fatal in a new accident) and they just put in a new horn next to the old one, without attempting to remove the first. And the paint job wasn't matched up right. All in all, the new shop did about another 1500 on my car, that my insurer paid, and I'm sure they took it out of the first body shop's arse for trying to get away with straight up fraud. It didn't matter that I signed off on the first shop's repairs. Consumer law accounts for a lot

carbon nanotube

the low value of this case makes it hardly worth the legal route tbh.

I know that may sound harsh but its my take up on it.

I very much doubt the op will get back money for damages and i very much doubt this laptop is worth repairing or pursuing further.

RUCKING FETARD

carbon nanotube wrote: »

why do people use 'repair shops' and moan on boards after.

:pac::pac::pac::D:D:D:p:p:p

You started a Thread in After Hours a few months back "moaning" cuz your weren't offered Scones with butter at your job interview.


I see you edited the OP.:pac:

carbon nanotube

RUCKING FETARD wrote: »

:pac::pac::pac::D:D:D:p:p:p

You started a Thread in After Hours a few months back "moaning" cuz your weren't offered Scones with butter at your job interview.


I see you edited the OP.:pac:

apt user name is all i can say.

RUCKING FETARD

carbon nanotube wrote: »

apt user name is all i can say.

Lolzzzzzz.:D

BostonB

carbon nanotube wrote: »

..
laptops cant be fixed as such, the only parts replaceable such as memory and hard drives , anyone can do it...

Thats nonsense. You can replace all the parts of a laptop, sometimes, things can be repaired like connections, cabling, screens etc. The only problem is the parts or the labour might be too expensive to make it worth while. So that sometimes it makes more financial sense to sell a broken laptop for parts, or the the parts individually, and use the money you sell it for, towards the cost of new one.

You could even get another broken one ad use the parts off that to fix your own. But taking apart laptops can be quick tricky with lots of small parts and screws. Some are worse than others.

carbon nanotube

BostonB wrote: »

Thats nonsense. You can replace all the parts of a laptop, sometimes, things can be repaired like connections, cabling, screens etc. The only problem is the parts or the labour might be too expensive to make it worth while. So that sometimes it makes more financial sense to sell a broken laptop for parts, or the the parts individually, and use the money you sell it for, towards the cost of new one.

You could even get another broken one ad use the parts off that to fix your own. But taking apart laptops can be quick tricky with lots of small parts and screws. Some are worse than others.

think you answered your own question there.

BostonB

carbon nanotube wrote: »

think you answered your own question there.

One possibility does not preclude the other.

Overheal

carbon nanotube wrote: »

think you answered your own question there.

As already mentioned theres software considerations: sometimes its even more expensive to migrate because of license issues.

carbon nanotube

well i think we are done here

moral of story is keep away from repair shops

mods: a sticky on some routine laptop DIY would be handy.

BostonB

You've more money than sense.

carbon nanotube

carbon nanotube wrote: »

them shops are a joke, just post up messages here and most folk (like myself) can give you information for gratis on fixing a laptop.

not getting fraped by shops like this.

things like replacing drives, changing screens, inverters, putting on memory modules, even soldering dc jacks are all easily done with some basic skills and patience.

i should write a book. would make a killing

I work in one of those "jokes" as you call them. Not everyone can repair a computer or laptop, heck some people can barely turn them on. There's bad eggs everywhere but it doesn't mean you can go tarring all repair shops with the same brush. I love what I do and have a very high standard.

Overheal

carbon nanotube wrote: »

well i think we are done here

moral of story is keep away from repair shops

No its not.

carbon nanotube

im sure the op would have posted back any updates, i would be surprised if the dodge place gave anything.

people wasting money on these shops, what can you say.

dyer

it's possible he did break something along the way.. it's also possible the mobo or at least the gpu was on it's way out and he was just unlucky enough to have it in his care at the time. it could also be something as simple as a short somewhere on the board or the screen after having put it back together.

i used to work in a repair shop myself and also adhered to high standards so i wouldn't agree with them all being useless, not everyone is out to get you or rip you off and some people enjoy doing good work and helping others, i know i did.

at the very least i would have put your hdd into an external enclosure so you could boot it off another laptop or at least access your stuff for work from another computer while i continued to work on the laptop to see if it could be fixed.