Faulty laptop screen, Sony's draconian 'not faulty' fee - need advice!

maty_2

Okay, so I bought a VAIO laptop about 10.5 months ago - so still within warranty.

Recently the screen started to go - first one pixel, then a few more, and gradually more and more.

Currently there about 4 utterly dead pixels (as is black/off), most on the bottom 1 inch of the montior.

However, also along the bottom of the screen are somewhere in the region of 20+ of what I assume to be dead sub-pixels. They aren't black like the others, rather varying shades of grey of varying intesity. They are definitely faulty pixels and they're rather distracting when watching films (particularly as this laptop is loaded with Blu-Ray). Its a sort of scattering effect of pixels that are stuck on grey. The grey marks sit exactly where pixels are and not randomly like you would expect dust to, for example.

I've done some research, and there's nothing specific on the problem. Dead pixels are black, stuck pixels are one colour. Nothing about stuck-on-grey pixels.

Still, its irritating, definitely part of the LCD panel itself and there is a heck of a lot of them. And I really want to get it repaired. I'm a games designer, bit of a film buff too and having so many speckles on the picture isn't acceptable.



So, I checked the faulty pixel policy for my laptop - which is 7 defective pixels. Now, I count all the pixels I see as defective (numbers into 20-30+ total) but there are only 4 that are clearly defective until closer inspection.


I gave Sony a call and they said Wednesday DHL would come pick it up and take it for repair.


Great - except if they deem it as "not faulty" they want to charge £150 to send it back to me unrepaired?! Thats pretty mad considering they haven't even examined it themselves.


My worry is, is that the defective pixels, as in the grey ones, might be caused by dust somehow getting in or similar (which no consumer could fix anyway) and Sony wont consider them "defective", only counting the black/dead ones. As that totals 4 and not 7 - its not classed as "faulty".


If there's no way for an expert to come and examine the screen from Sony to verify it for me, if I post it off, I might get whacked with a bill I cannot afford to pay just to get it back.


Is the £150 enforcable? What are my rights here and if I need to give Sony another call, what should I say/ask?

Thanks!

neilmcl

Get the retailer involved, after all you contract was with them not the manufacturer. They should be responsible for any repair, replacement, providing it is an inherent manufacturing fault. Speak to them first to see what they have to say. You may need to pay for an engineers report to prove that it is a manufacturing fault but if it is you should get this cost back.

maty_2

Righto, I'll head to the retailer tomorrow before work .

Anihilator

At most the retailer will pack it off to Sony with the same condition if its not found to be faulty.

Waste of time imo and an extra stage to lengthen the process.

neilmcl

Anihilator wrote: »

At most the retailer will pack it off to Sony with the same condition if its not found to be faulty.

Waste of time imo and an extra stage to lengthen the process.

I'm not so sure.

maty_2

I actually called the retailer (PC World, probably serves me right buying from then).

Followed the extensive "Press 1 for..." until eventually

"Press 8 for Sony Vaio Lpatops"


*presses 8*


".. For Sony Vaio call 08(premium rate line...)"

They just fobbed me off to Sony. I'll go in store and moan at someone tomorrow before work.

Anihilator

neilmcl wrote: »

I'm not so sure.

About what.

At best the SOGA will mean they have to send it off to Sony directly. If it comes back with no fault then its entirely fair to charge the OP the cost of such.

At worst they refuse to do anything at all without an engineers report given its now over 6 months.

the OP really needs to make a decision, its either faulty in his mind or it isnt.