Please help with my bust cd/dvd drive

sprouter

ok, this is what i posted on techguy http://forums.techguy.org/t397997.html.

as i got nowhere, i read some advice on this site and sent an email to the manufacturer, i.e.:-

"My CD/DVD drive has stopped reading all disks. Please refer to the message I posted on a PC help website as follows:-
http://forums.techguy.org/t397997.htmlI've only had the laptop about 18 months and I really can't afford expensive repairs.
I've been told that I should have some protection under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and Supply of Goods to Consumer Regulations 2002 but I really just want my laptop fixing.
Can you please help!?)"

Their finally responded as follows:-

"Greetings, firstly I'd like to appologise for the late reply. Due to some unexpected issues we were unable to respond to your email within the usual period of time. Unfortunatly your machine is out of warrenty by several months, the sales of goods acts do not apply to a manufacturer as we do not sell anything to the public, only retailers come under these laws and guidelines. If this machine has to be repaired you can contact our technical call centre to book a chargable repair, there will be a minimum charge for £35+VAT for shipping costs, the quote will then be issued by an engineer for the cost of labor and spares which you can agree to pay for or not. If you do not wish to pay for the repair after seeing the quote then we can return the machine to you for no additional charge however the machine will not be repaired. Alternatively you may contact a local independant laptop repair centre and see what they would charge to fix the unit.".

I really can't afford expensive repairs so is it worth me pursuing with the retailler or does anyone know any decent reliable, reasonable repairers in the northwest?

Thanks in advance

Andrew

BobToo

It's worth trying the retailer but if it's out of warranty they don't have to fix it and they probably won't. You could try and convince them that the problem has existed for a while or they might be aware of the issue and know a quick fix.

Is it possible that somebody's posted something into the drive? Small children are notorious for this and a penny would stop the mechanism working properly. Shake the laptop (gently) and see if it rattles.

If you post the exact model of laptop somebody might be able to point you towards a cheap replacement but they do tend to be rather expensive. If it was a desktop system I'd just say buy a new drive at £30.

sprouter

Cheers BobToo - there's definitely not been any kids near it and I'm quite careful so I really just think it's some fault. Didn't know if it was worth pursuing with the retailler but always knew it'd be a long shot. I think I've found a couple of websites which sell aftermarket cd/dvd drives for about the price you mention but don't know if I have the technical capability myself. I'd probably just like to find a decent local repairer and ask them to sort? Thanks very much for your assistance - I'll keep you posted!

PS. It's an Acer Aspire 1501LMi, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 60GB, DVD-Dual Drive.

leeparker123

I experienced a similar problem with my LG drive, a look around some of the techie forums highlighted this is a known problem with some manufacturers. I've just bought a new 16x drive in the end.

MoneyMonkey

I had to have my laptop (Compaq Presario 900) DVD/CDRW replaced. I should warn you that it did end up being quite expensive to have the proper compaq part fitted. I think it ended up being about £175 for the part (£125 inc VAT) and the fitting. Although compaq computers are quite notorious for having bespoke parts.

If I were to do it again, I would be tempted to have a go myself :eek: . It doesn't actually look that difficult. You should bear in mind that my laptop is now a few years old, so I have less to lose!

Hope that helps a little.

MM.