Faulty Sony Vaio laptop - Comet will not replace

catriona79

Hi All,

I bought a Sony Vaio laptop on 14th May from Comet. Very soon it developed a problem - thin horizontal lines across the screen, with the right-hand side of the screen turning black and white. This happens quite often, pretty much all the time now and the screen flickers.

On the 18th June I took it back to Comet; their techie said it was a ribbon fault, i.e. a hardware problem, which will require a repair. They also said that if I had brought it in a few deays earlier (within 28 days of buying), they would have replaced it with a new one! But they refused to do it then, as it was a few days out. They said I should take it up with Sony.

Later that same day I hand delivered a letter to them quoting the Sale of Goods Act which states that the responsibility is with the seller and not the manufacturer. I gave them 7 days to respond and have not heard back.

They offered to send it back to Sony for a repair, and have it returned to me within 21 (!!!) days. I decided to contact Sony myself and arranged for a repair within 5 days. The service was efficient: they collected it on Friday and I got it back on Tuesday.

However, they have not repaired it! The issue is still there.

I am getting really annoyed as just been through another Sony Vaio chat with them and they said they could only repair and not replace, and the computer is clearly faulty. They haven't been ableto repair it and I am having to be without it again, and it's not even 2 months' old.

Does anyone know if there's anything I can do to get a replacement?

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Thanks

wealdroam

catriona79 wrote: »

Later that same day I hand delivered a letter to them quoting the Sale of Goods Act which states that the responsibility is with the seller and not the manufacturer. I gave them 7 days to respond and have not heard back.

What happened to this bit then?
What did you say would happen when the seven days were up?
Did you carry out that action?

It's back to Comet I'm afraid. Give them another seven days to come up with an answer. Its their responsibility to come up with a solution.

Yes, you have lost the time it was with Sony, but you can't blame Comet for that.

unholyangel

Agreed. And send the letter recorded delivery so you have proof if its required.

And the repair is fine as long as its not of significant inconvenience to the customer.........although from what i've seen on this board, comet can be rather unhelpful to say the least. That being said, it will be down to the manager in charge of the store.

neilmcl

It sounds to me that Comet were being helpful in the first instance, agreeing that there was a fault, yes it's their responsibility to handle any remedy but sometimes it can be quicker in these instances to deal with the manufacturer yourself. Instead of simply asking at the time whether they could deal with it, you decided to go all "official" and write a letter, demanding you rights under the SOGA when a simple conversation with the manager might have got the right result.

JokerDurden

What happens if there is a dispute that the goods were faulty at the time of sale?
If you make a claim for a repair or replacement of faulty goods within six months of purchase its up to the seller to prove that the goods were not faulty when sold to you. After six months you may be asked to prove that the fault has not been caused by accidental damage or wear and tear and you may want to obtain an independent expert’s report to back up your claim. However independent reports can be costly so before you get one it is important to discuss your proposals with the trader and if possible get prior agreement as to who will cover the costs.

• Put your complaint in writing quoting the Sale of Goods Act.
• Send the letter by recorded delivery and keep a copy of the letter you have sent and any letters that you receive in reply so that you have proof of the correspondence.

Freddie_Snowbits

How dare OP do me and my mates work for us. We could easily have descended on said Comet store and got the satisfaction that OP so desired, without any recousre to stupid threatening letters.

I have enuff and offto Dog and Duck for some Rabbit Pie

catriona79

neilmcl wrote: »

It sounds to me that Comet were being helpful in the first instance, agreeing that there was a fault, yes it's their responsibility to handle any remedy but sometimes it can be quicker in these instances to deal with the manufacturer yourself. Instead of simply asking at the time whether they could deal with it, you decided to go all "official" and write a letter, demanding you rights under the SOGA when a simple conversation with the manager might have got the right result.

Neil,

I spent 2 hours in that store having simple and less simple conversations with the manager. All to no avail. They said I had two paths available, either get it repaired by Sony via them (21 days) or without using them as middlemen (5 days), so I opted for going straight to Sony. The laptop was bought because I had important work to complete and I couldn't afford to lose the time.




Comet will not replace the vaio even though they agree the item was faulty (hardware fault, therefore must have been faulty at the point of sale). They keep telling me to go to Sony to pay for the replacement. Trouble is, Sony keep sending me to Comet (and according to the law they are right).

My question is, do I need to bear with them and keep having it repaired or is there any way I could go to Comet and say: Sony had it in for a repair, but it came back still faulty, please replace.

Also, in the letter I asked them to respond within 7 days. I took two copies of it with me, I left one there and had the other one countersigned by an employee to acknowledge receipt. I've kept my copy.

Thanks for the helpful responses.

adam.mt

I would suggest you give Sony/Comet a second chance to repair the laptop, if it still fails after that then you have a good case that they can't repair and you should receive a replacement machine or refund due to the inconvenience caused.

catriona79

adam.mt wrote: »

I would suggest you give Sony/Comet a second chance to repair the laptop, if it still fails after that then you have a good case that they can't repair and you should receive a replacement machine or refund due to the inconvenience caused.

Thanks Adam, I think this is what I shall do. I should get it back end of next week and if it's not been resolved then I'm going to have to go and speak to Comet again.

Comet_company_representative

catriona79 wrote: »

Hi All,

I bought a Sony Vaio laptop on 14th May from Comet. Very soon it developed a problem - thin horizontal lines across the screen, with the right-hand side of the screen turning black and white. This happens quite often, pretty much all the time now and the screen flickers.

On the 18th June I took it back to Comet; their techie said it was a ribbon fault, i.e. a hardware problem, which will require a repair. They also said that if I had brought it in a few deays earlier (within 28 days of buying), they would have replaced it with a new one! But they refused to do it then, as it was a few days out. They said I should take it up with Sony.

Later that same day I hand delivered a letter to them quoting the Sale of Goods Act which states that the responsibility is with the seller and not the manufacturer. I gave them 7 days to respond and have not heard back.

They offered to send it back to Sony for a repair, and have it returned to me within 21 (!!!) days. I decided to contact Sony myself and arranged for a repair within 5 days. The service was efficient: they collected it on Friday and I got it back on Tuesday.

However, they have not repaired it! The issue is still there.

I am getting really annoyed as just been through another Sony Vaio chat with them and they said they could only repair and not replace, and the computer is clearly faulty. They haven't been ableto repair it and I am having to be without it again, and it's not even 2 months' old.

Does anyone know if there's anything I can do to get a replacement?

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Thanks

Hi Catriona79,

My name’s Matt and I’m from Comet.

I was concerned to learn of the problems that you are experiencing with your Sony laptop, and I am sorry to note that it was returned with the same fault.

Although Sony are our nominated repair agents for this particular product, could you please email me your purchase and any repair details you may have so that I can discuss this matter with them so that we can have this matter resolved as quickly as possible for you.

Please email me using the link below so that I can investigate further. I will also require the serial and product number of your laptop.

https://comet.custhelp.com

You will need to register a few details with us to be able to send your e-mail in.


Thanks

Matt

Gunarysarge

Comet_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Catriona79,

My name’s Matt and I’m from Comet.

I was concerned to learn of the problems that you are experiencing with your Sony laptop, and I am sorry to note that it was returned with the same fault.

Although Sony are our nominated repair agents for this particular product, could you please email me your purchase and any repair details you may have so that I can discuss this matter with them so that we can have this matter resolved as quickly as possible for you.

Please email me using the link below so that I can investigate further. I will also require the serial and product number of your laptop.



You will need to register a few details with us to be able to send your e-mail in.


Thanks

Matt

Repair Repair Repair thats all Comet ever want their customers to do no matter what the fault is. You will not get this repair done quick my friend, not if Comet have anything to do with it. After the way I have been treated by Comet when my sons laptop became faulty I would never purchase anything from them. And dont think they will give you a refund or another laptop, read their after sales policies and they will always insist on a repair and 21days is only a guideline so it could take alot longer. As for the anount of time you will be without your laptop THEY DONT CARE!