Laptop charger... Not charging!

macman

Just check the ouput from the charger with a £10 multimeter, if OK, then it's the charging block in the lappy, the twisting force has loosened or broken the contacts to the mobo. It's probably the most common problem on any laptop, and an independent repair shop (no, not PCW) will fix it for around £100. The part costs peanuts, but the lappy has to be stripped down to get to it. I'd be amazed if they fixed that under warranty, becuse it's clearly impact damage and user inflicted.
If Tosh want more than £120 to fix , it to an independent, since it's now out of warranty.

ironman1

But as soon as Toshiba take it away and assess it, even if we DONT want to pay them to repair it, we still have to give them £40 to send it back to us, even without touching it. Which is a waste of time and money. Thats why i'm confused as what to do about it.

macman

That is a perfectly reasonable charge for 2 way courier and inspection.
An independent will charge you the same fee (about £25 if you take it in) if you don't then proceed with the repair.
It's not going to be £40, the very least would be £90 if it's the charging block.

estelle123

If you have accidental cover on your insurance you should be able to claim on that.

ironman1

I understand why they have to charge £40 to courier it, but that doesn't make it any less easier to give them it if they charge 50 or so more than a local repair shop. It's only 40 quid but who wants to pay 40 just for them to look at it and charge more than someone else? You're then looking at paying another repair shop £100 odd on top of the £40 you pay Toshiba to 'test it'.

ironman1

As I said though if we use another charger later which works, the predicament then is whether to buy a new charger and hope it lasts a while or send it back to Toshiba and face a big bill for it.

I used to do electronics etc at college but give me a laptop and I haven't got a clue. All I know is i've checked other sites and notice so many Toshiba satellites have this problem. How can they charge for repair when it's a common fault?

Usually i'd just swallow and pay up but these days I cant. If there is a way around it i'll do what I can!

macman

ironman1 wrote: »

As I said though if we use another charger later which works, the predicament then is whether to buy a new charger and hope it lasts a while or send it back to Toshiba and face a big bill for it.

I used to do electronics etc at college but give me a laptop and I haven't got a clue. All I know is i've checked other sites and notice so many Toshiba satellites have this problem. How can they charge for repair when it's a common fault?

Usually i'd just swallow and pay up but these days I cant. If there is a way around it i'll do what I can!

I've already advised you how to check the existing charger for a tenner, or for free if you can borrow a multimeter for 5 mins. I think your college training will have covered using a multimeter. You're prepared to buy another charger which is probably unecessary, yet you begrudge a perfectly reasonable collection and inspection fee?
If you think that there's a chance that Tosh will fix it under warranty, then send it off, otherwise get it done elsewhere. The charging block is a weak point on every laptop (apart from Macs, as Leopard mentioned), if you trip over the cable a few times it will fail. It's not reasonable to expect a warranty repair for accidental damage.

ironman1

I'm not buying one. I'm borrowing one off a mate later just to test it. What I meant was Toshiba said to replace the fuse etc and ring them back. If it's a charger fault the fella said they'd probably send a new one out.

If it's a problem with the charger what would be the point in sending the laptop in for a service? If there is a point then fair enough. But i've had broken Nokia charger's before. I've replaced them rather than send the phone off for repair!

I'm sure laptops are a bit different but you get my point...

macman

Fine, then that is the best way to proceed then. But my bet is still that the charging block is broken.

ironman1

Charging block as in the big brick like bit that connects the lead to the charger?

I'd be happy if it was that. I would rather buy a new charger or get one sent than lose the laptop and/or have to pay a repair bill.

This site is about money saving after all. I wont feel guilty about getting out of a repair bill issued by someone like Toshiba. I've bought enough products off of them, including a £450 laptop a year ago. To have to pay £100+ to repair it a year later is best to be avoided if possible isn't it? From what i've read on here and other sites, the laptop I have is known for this fault, user inflicted or not.