Faulty laptop..

dreamcatcher73

I bought a laptop from Comet 11 months ago and it has started to just turn itself off every so often.

I looked on the internet for a reason as to why this might be happening and found some info that seems to suggest it's a common problem with Acer laptops as they seem to overheat really quickly and shut themselves down.

My question is what rights do I have? On the Comet website it says I have to go to Acer and they will try to repair the fault or replace the laptop if they can't.

As the laptop is under a year old, can I just take it back to Comet and ask them to change it for another model?

£$&*"($£&(

No you have to give them the opportunity to repair it. You can take it back to Comet and insist they sort it out as it is their responsibility but they will probably try to fob you off and tell you go to Acer direct.

dreamcatcher73

Thanks, I shall ring Acer in the morning then

djb215

EDIT: I was a bit slow at typing and you were the only poster at the time lol, but my reply basically supports the others...

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After 11 months use a repair sounds reasonable as you have had use out of it for a reasonable amount of time so far, however it is Comet's responsibility to arrange/repair your laptop, you do not have to go to Acer yourself despite what Comet's website says.

Having said that, you may find it to be the "path of less friction" if you contact Acer yourself, usually they are very good and are usually quicker than Comet.

I'd go with arranging it yourself with Acer by phone (unless it is a premium rate number, in which case I would get Comet to do it), but if you prefer you could legally insist that Comet arranges it.

Comet probably won't exchange/replace/refund after 11 months use as you have had it for a reasonable amount of time and are entitled to get it repaired.

Hope this helps a bit
Keep us informed

PS for extra reading research the Sale of Goods Act...
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jimsmum

I have the same problem with mine.
It's an Acer aspire 5520. The fan has also melted the wire on the charger as the charger main is too close to the fan. have had it sent back once, took around a week to come back but have now started to have the problem again.

dreamcatcher73

it seems it is a common Acer problem, mines an Aspire 7720.

This is part of my question really, although I didn't explain myself properly! As it seems to be a common fault of Acers, I really don't want to have it replaced with another Acer as I'm sure the same thing will happen again, or as jimsmum is finding, having it repaired and it constantly going wrong.

How many times can they "repair" something before they have to replace it?

djb215

If you've not had the item repaired yet i'd give it a shot and see what happens.

To be perfectly honest I'm not sure about if it has been repaired multiple times. If it has been repaired multiple times for the same problem then you may have grounds to ask for replacement maybe, but if for example it was being repaired for different problems then I'm not sure if you could ask for a replacement.

I'd wait to see if maybe Tozer or hudsonj read this thread they are more Sale of Goods Act-wise than me :rotfl:

dreamcatcher73

I shall make contact with Acer tomorrow and see what they say.

Thanks to everyone for their replies

scarletjim

Have you spoken to them yet? Were they helpful?

A friend of mine has a similar problem, her laptop won't boot up, her's came from PC World and predictably they say speak to ACER directly. I've tried various recovery disks etc, it seems to be a hardware problem according to my brother (who fixes certain laptops for a living, but unfortunately not ACERs).

jimsmum

Mine is just out of the 12 month warranty :mad:

but again its the laptop charger wire that has melted and now wont charge. surely they should do something about the fan getting that hot that it melts the wire or im going to be buying new chargers every 6 months. I took it into a computer shop and the bloke said I was right that it is getting that hot that the hot air from the fan is burning the wire.
What should I do?

Any luck with Acer OP?

whitegoods_engineer

Are you finding that it shuts down only when placed on a bed or furniture? I ask because mine also shuts down due to overheating if I leave it on a settee as the laptop sinks into the fabric and blocks the air vents.

Simply placing the laptop on a tray or hardback book and then on the settee or bed or whatever, cures the problem as the air vents can do their job!

Shutting down is the computer's protection from overheating kicking in!