6 months ago a bought a healthy, top of the line Toshiba laptop. Their
warranty includes a 24 hours on-site repair and that was a big part of
my purchase decision. This laptop broke down a week ago and now
they're telling me the ETA for the part is December 21.

First they had told me 24 hours, then 2 days that turned into 5 days
then a technician finally showed up with a replacement board, after 3
1/2 hours he gave up and declared the new board to be DOA. He ordered
another board and it is in back order until 12/21. Apparently there are
other customers waiting for the same board, given that this is a pretty
expensive laptop they can't be selling that many of them and hence an
unusual percentage must be breaking down. Also they obviously don't put
the systems in place to live up to their warranty claims.

My experience with their customer support is that, while it is pretty
easy to get a first line support person on the line but if that person
cannot solve your problem you're out of luck. If you need to talk to
their "Customer Relation" department you end up on hold for over half
an hour (up to one hour) and in the end, 50 percent of the time you get
a recording asking you to leave a message or call back later, which is
equivalent because they don't return phone calls anyway.

In contrast, I had several Dells over the years, and so did many of my
coworkers, and my experience with Dell has been opposite: It is very
hard to get someone on the phone, but once you do, they'll bend over
backward to get you up and running within 24 hours: they'll send the
part overnight and a technician will be on-site and will replace the
part in minutes. They will even send you a replacement unit if they
cannot pinpoint the problem over the phone.

I'm going to have to buy a replacement laptop because on 12/21 I'll be
out of the country and I can't stay without a laptop until January. Can
I sure them for breach of warranty and get them to pay for the new
laptop? Does anyone has experience doing that?

In any case, the bottom line is this: if you will depend on your laptop
and want to make sure someone will back it up, buy a Dell, not a
Toshiba.

Meanwhile, other people post similar stories about Dell, and the "Gripe
Line" column in inforworld is full of horror stories about HP/Compaq.
And then there is Sony.

I'm not making any excuses for Toshiba, because I've experienced parts
problems also from time to time. This kind of stuff should not happen,
but it does. However, it happens with all of the brands. Do you have
legal recourse? Perhaps, but you need to see an attorney about that, or
pursue it in small claims court.

Also, you didn't say what model it was, but it helps to stay with the
more common models, the ones made in highest quantity.


PatriceBG wrote:
> 6 months ago a bought a healthy, top of the line Toshiba laptop. Their
> warranty includes a 24 hours on-site repair and that was a big part of
> my purchase decision. This laptop broke down a week ago and now
> they're telling me the ETA for the part is December 21.
>
> First they had told me 24 hours, then 2 days that turned into 5 days
> then a technician finally showed up with a replacement board, after 3
> 1/2 hours he gave up and declared the new board to be DOA. He ordered
> another board and it is in back order until 12/21. Apparently there are
> other customers waiting for the same board, given that this is a pretty
> expensive laptop they can't be selling that many of them and hence an
> unusual percentage must be breaking down. Also they obviously don't put
> the systems in place to live up to their warranty claims.
>
> My experience with their customer support is that, while it is pretty
> easy to get a first line support person on the line but if that person
> cannot solve your problem you're out of luck. If you need to talk to
> their "Customer Relation" department you end up on hold for over half
> an hour (up to one hour) and in the end, 50 percent of the time you get
> a recording asking you to leave a message or call back later, which is
> equivalent because they don't return phone calls anyway.
>
> In contrast, I had several Dells over the years, and so did many of my
> coworkers, and my experience with Dell has been opposite: It is very
> hard to get someone on the phone, but once you do, they'll bend over
> backward to get you up and running within 24 hours: they'll send the
> part overnight and a technician will be on-site and will replace the
> part in minutes. They will even send you a replacement unit if they
> cannot pinpoint the problem over the phone.
>
> I'm going to have to buy a replacement laptop because on 12/21 I'll be
> out of the country and I can't stay without a laptop until January. Can
> I sure them for breach of warranty and get them to pay for the new
> laptop? Does anyone has experience doing that?
>
> In any case, the bottom line is this: if you will depend on your laptop
> and want to make sure someone will back it up, buy a Dell, not a
> Toshiba.
>

"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4578f6be$0$10988$4c368faf@roadrunner.com
> Meanwhile, other people post similar stories about Dell, and the
> "Gripe Line" column in inforworld is full of horror stories about
> HP/Compaq. And then there is Sony.
>
> I'm not making any excuses for Toshiba, because I've experienced parts
> problems also from time to time. This kind of stuff should not
> happen, but it does. However, it happens with all of the brands. Do
> you have legal recourse? Perhaps, but you need to see an attorney
> about that, or pursue it in small claims court.
>
> Also, you didn't say what model it was, but it helps to stay with the
> more common models, the ones made in highest quantity.

Too bad most people doesn't have the knowledge to fix their own laptops.
I never purchase anything based on warrantees. In fact, laptops (and
virtually everything else)are far cheaper without one. For example this
Gateway MX6124 laptop was a refurbished laptop that only came with a 3
month warrantee. Fine with me, I saved a bundle. <grin>

--
Bill

I had a Toshiba laptop, never again. The same thing happened to me, screen
problems
and it needed a new screen. Waited over month for a new screen so I bought a
Dell to use in the mean time. That was almost 3 years ago. Still running the
Dell, sold the Toshiba. The thing the pissed me off was Toshiba should have
a screen in stock.
"PatriceBG" <patrice@Bremond.us> wrote in message
news:1165553804.920030.133030@l12g2000cwl.googlegr oups.com...
>6 months ago a bought a healthy, top of the line Toshiba laptop. Their
> warranty includes a 24 hours on-site repair and that was a big part of
> my purchase decision. This laptop broke down a week ago and now
> they're telling me the ETA for the part is December 21.
>
> First they had told me 24 hours, then 2 days that turned into 5 days
> then a technician finally showed up with a replacement board, after 3
> 1/2 hours he gave up and declared the new board to be DOA. He ordered
> another board and it is in back order until 12/21. Apparently there are
> other customers waiting for the same board, given that this is a pretty
> expensive laptop they can't be selling that many of them and hence an
> unusual percentage must be breaking down. Also they obviously don't put
> the systems in place to live up to their warranty claims.
>
> My experience with their customer support is that, while it is pretty
> easy to get a first line support person on the line but if that person
> cannot solve your problem you're out of luck. If you need to talk to
> their "Customer Relation" department you end up on hold for over half
> an hour (up to one hour) and in the end, 50 percent of the time you get
> a recording asking you to leave a message or call back later, which is
> equivalent because they don't return phone calls anyway.
>
> In contrast, I had several Dells over the years, and so did many of my
> coworkers, and my experience with Dell has been opposite: It is very
> hard to get someone on the phone, but once you do, they'll bend over
> backward to get you up and running within 24 hours: they'll send the
> part overnight and a technician will be on-site and will replace the
> part in minutes. They will even send you a replacement unit if they
> cannot pinpoint the problem over the phone.
>
> I'm going to have to buy a replacement laptop because on 12/21 I'll be
> out of the country and I can't stay without a laptop until January. Can
> I sure them for breach of warranty and get them to pay for the new
> laptop? Does anyone has experience doing that?
>
> In any case, the bottom line is this: if you will depend on your laptop
> and want to make sure someone will back it up, buy a Dell, not a
> Toshiba.
>

"BigJim" <woody10277********.com> wrote in message
news:Y9GdndMVL9a34OTYnZ2dnUVZ_oidnZ2d@comcast.com
> I had a Toshiba laptop, never again. The same thing happened to me,
> screen problems
> and it needed a new screen. Waited over month for a new screen so I
> bought a Dell to use in the mean time. That was almost 3 years ago.
> Still running the Dell, sold the Toshiba. The thing the pissed me off
> was Toshiba should have a screen in stock.

Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I believe
this is what they call as progress. <sigh>

--
Bill

"BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> writes:

(snip)
> Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I believe
> this is what they call as progress. <sigh>

): Will Toshiba at least let you upgrade to a 3-year carry-in warranty
or something so they at least have you treat you badly in person instead
of remotely?

-- Mark

I have already purchased the extended on-site warranty, silly me! I am
trying to get them to send me a refurbished unit, but they don't seem
willing to do that either. Of course they never volunteer a call and to
call them means on average one hour on hold since half the time you
don't get anyone anyway.

Patrice

Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
> "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> writes:
>
> (snip)
> > Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I believe
> > this is what they call as progress. <sigh>
>
> ): Will Toshiba at least let you upgrade to a 3-year carry-in warranty
> or something so they at least have you treat you badly in person instead
> of remotely?
>
> -- Mark

Barry Watzman wrote:
> Meanwhile, other people post similar stories about Dell, and the "Gripe
> Line" column in inforworld is full of horror stories about HP/Compaq.
> And then there is Sony.
>
> I'm not making any excuses for Toshiba, because I've experienced parts
> problems also from time to time. This kind of stuff should not happen,
> but it does. However, it happens with all of the brands. Do you have
> legal recourse? Perhaps, but you need to see an attorney about that, or
> pursue it in small claims court.
>
> Also, you didn't say what model it was, but it helps to stay with the
> more common models, the ones made in highest quantity.
>
>
> PatriceBG wrote:
>> 6 months ago a bought a healthy, top of the line Toshiba laptop. Their
>> warranty includes a 24 hours on-site repair and that was a big part of
>> my purchase decision. This laptop broke down a week ago and now
>> they're telling me the ETA for the part is December 21.
>>
>> First they had told me 24 hours, then 2 days that turned into 5 days
>> then a technician finally showed up with a replacement board, after 3
>> 1/2 hours he gave up and declared the new board to be DOA. He ordered
>> another board and it is in back order until 12/21. Apparently there are
>> other customers waiting for the same board, given that this is a pretty
>> expensive laptop they can't be selling that many of them and hence an
>> unusual percentage must be breaking down. Also they obviously don't put
>> the systems in place to live up to their warranty claims.
>>
>> My experience with their customer support is that, while it is pretty
>> easy to get a first line support person on the line but if that person
>> cannot solve your problem you're out of luck. If you need to talk to
>> their "Customer Relation" department you end up on hold for over half
>> an hour (up to one hour) and in the end, 50 percent of the time you get
>> a recording asking you to leave a message or call back later, which is
>> equivalent because they don't return phone calls anyway.
>>
>> In contrast, I had several Dells over the years, and so did many of my
>> coworkers, and my experience with Dell has been opposite: It is very
>> hard to get someone on the phone, but once you do, they'll bend over
>> backward to get you up and running within 24 hours: they'll send the
>> part overnight and a technician will be on-site and will replace the
>> part in minutes. They will even send you a replacement unit if they
>> cannot pinpoint the problem over the phone.
>>
>> I'm going to have to buy a replacement laptop because on 12/21 I'll be
>> out of the country and I can't stay without a laptop until January. Can
>> I sure them for breach of warranty and get them to pay for the new
>> laptop? Does anyone has experience doing that?
>>
>> In any case, the bottom line is this: if you will depend on your laptop
>> and want to make sure someone will back it up, buy a Dell, not a
>> Toshiba.
>>

I will say that if this newsgroup is any indication, that notebook
computers have become far more electronically and mechanically reliable
than even a couple of years ago. Most of the posts here are for
notebooks that were new three or more years ago. Horror stories about
recently purchased notebooks are minimal.

Q

PatriceBG wrote:
> I have already purchased the extended on-site warranty, silly me! I am
> trying to get them to send me a refurbished unit, but they don't seem
> willing to do that either. Of course they never volunteer a call and to
> call them means on average one hour on hold since half the time you
> don't get anyone anyway.
>
> Patrice
>
> Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
>> "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> writes:
>>
>> (snip)
>>> Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I believe
>>> this is what they call as progress. <sigh>
>> ): Will Toshiba at least let you upgrade to a 3-year carry-in warranty
>> or something so they at least have you treat you badly in person instead
>> of remotely?
>>
>> -- Mark
>

If you are in the US or Canada, you might do a google search on Toshiba
authorized service centers. Barry would know, but I think you will have
much better service through direct contact with a contract repair center
near you.

Q

"Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
news:Wr-dnedQZ-bwZuTYnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@comcast.com
> PatriceBG wrote:
>> I have already purchased the extended on-site warranty, silly me! I
>> am trying to get them to send me a refurbished unit, but they don't
>> seem willing to do that either. Of course they never volunteer a
>> call and to call them means on average one hour on hold since half
>> the time you don't get anyone anyway.
>>
>> Patrice
>>
>> Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
>>> "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> writes:
>>>
>>> (snip)
>>>> Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I
>>>> believe this is what they call as progress. <sigh>
>>> ): Will Toshiba at least let you upgrade to a 3-year carry-in
>>> warranty or something so they at least have you treat you badly in
>>> person instead of remotely?
>>>
>>> -- Mark
>>
>
> If you are in the US or Canada, you might do a google search on
> Toshiba authorized service centers. Barry would know, but I think
> you will have much better service through direct contact with a
> contract repair center near you.

Why would Barry know? Does he live in both countries? ;)

--
Bill

"Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
news:Wr-dneRQZ-Y2Z-TYnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@comcast.com
> I will say that if this newsgroup is any indication, that notebook
> computers have become far more electronically and mechanically
> reliable than even a couple of years ago. Most of the posts here
> are for notebooks that were new three or more years ago. Horror
> stories about recently purchased notebooks are minimal.

Oh and this is unexpected?

Someday people will learn that! :)

--
Bill

I think he said that because I service a lot of Toshiba laptops. But I
don't work for a Toshiba certified repair center.

From what I know and have seen and heard, I'd rather send an
in-warranty laptop back to a Toshiba factory center or major regional
repair depot. A lot of the other "approved service centers" are just
CompUSA or other similar local stores. The quality of the technicians
and the work varies over a huge range, not all of it acceptable, and
on-site parts availability is spotty at best; stories of people waiting
weeks or months for parts are more common than they should be. At the
factory or major national service centers, the quality is more uniform
(and higher, I think) and the availability of parts already available
on-site is better (although a specific part may still be unavailable).


BillW50 wrote:
> "Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
> news:Wr-dnedQZ-bwZuTYnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@comcast.com
>> PatriceBG wrote:
>>> I have already purchased the extended on-site warranty, silly me! I
>>> am trying to get them to send me a refurbished unit, but they don't
>>> seem willing to do that either. Of course they never volunteer a
>>> call and to call them means on average one hour on hold since half
>>> the time you don't get anyone anyway.
>>>
>>> Patrice
>>>
>>> Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
>>>> "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> writes:
>>>>
>>>> (snip)
>>>>> Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I
>>>>> believe this is what they call as progress. <sigh>
>>>> ): Will Toshiba at least let you upgrade to a 3-year carry-in
>>>> warranty or something so they at least have you treat you badly in
>>>> person instead of remotely?
>>>>
>>>> -- Mark
>>>
>>
>> If you are in the US or Canada, you might do a google search on
>> Toshiba authorized service centers. Barry would know, but I think
>> you will have much better service through direct contact with a
>> contract repair center near you.
>
> Why would Barry know? Does he live in both countries? ;)
>

BillW50 wrote:
> "Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
> news:Wr-dneRQZ-Y2Z-TYnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@comcast.com
>> I will say that if this newsgroup is any indication, that notebook
>> computers have become far more electronically and mechanically
>> reliable than even a couple of years ago. Most of the posts here
>> are for notebooks that were new three or more years ago. Horror
>> stories about recently purchased notebooks are minimal.
>
> Oh and this is unexpected?
>
> Someday people will learn that! :)
>

Well, what is your point?

Q

BillW50 wrote:
> "Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
> news:Wr-dnedQZ-bwZuTYnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@comcast.com
>> PatriceBG wrote:
>>> I have already purchased the extended on-site warranty, silly me! I
>>> am trying to get them to send me a refurbished unit, but they don't
>>> seem willing to do that either. Of course they never volunteer a
>>> call and to call them means on average one hour on hold since half
>>> the time you don't get anyone anyway.
>>>
>>> Patrice
>>>
>>> Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
>>>> "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> writes:
>>>>
>>>> (snip)
>>>>> Well there was a time when Toshibas were good computers too. I
>>>>> believe this is what they call as progress. <sigh>
>>>> ): Will Toshiba at least let you upgrade to a 3-year carry-in
>>>> warranty or something so they at least have you treat you badly in
>>>> person instead of remotely?
>>>>
>>>> -- Mark
>>>
>>
>> If you are in the US or Canada, you might do a google search on
>> Toshiba authorized service centers. Barry would know, but I think
>> you will have much better service through direct contact with a
>> contract repair center near you.
>
> Why would Barry know? Does he live in both countries? ;)
>

Why not refrain from posting until you have something of value to offer
the readers?

Q

"Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
news:8Pydnam2q-VbuOfYnZ2dnUVZ_sfinZ2d@comcast.com
> BillW50 wrote:
>> "Quaoar" <quaoar@marcabfleet.com> wrote in message
>> news:Wr-dneRQZ-Y2Z-TYnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@comcast.com
>>> I will say that if this newsgroup is any indication, that notebook
>>> computers have become far more electronically and mechanically
>>> reliable than even a couple of years ago. Most of the posts here
>>> are for notebooks that were new three or more years ago. Horror
>>> stories about recently purchased notebooks are minimal.
>>
>> Oh and this is unexpected?
>>
>> Someday people will learn that! :)
>
> Well, what is your point?

Point is that technology improves overtime. You haven't noticed that? I
have. :)

--
Bill