Acer PC damaged in transit DHL - help please

samblack

Hello,

I brought an Acer pc last December (2009) and a few weeks ago the optical drive broke, as it was under warranty I called up and was advised to send it back. At this point I was told not to return the PC in the box it came in as Acer immediately through them out without checking the contents, I was also advised to wrap it in bubble wrap - so it was at least 5cm thick. I put the PC in a box and used 12m plus of bubble wrap and put labels sayings 'Fragile' on all 6 sides of the box. I also used lots of brown tape to secure the box shut. The PC was sent on Acers account with DHL on Friday 01st October and should have been received by Acer on Monday 04th. I received an e mail from Acer on Tuesday 5th saying the item had been received and they would let me know the moment they had an update. As they should return the PC fixed within 7 working days I called up today to find out if it had been sent back to me. I was advised that the PC had been insufficiently packaged and was damaged in transit and I'd need to pay £342 to have it fixed. I've seen photographs of the damage and the screen is cracked and the casing is smashed, obviously from being dropped. When I spoke to Acer to book in the repair I specifically asked if the delivery service was insured and was told that it was.

Please can someone tell me where I stand? Who is liable for the damage / fee? I really don't think it was me as I used the best box I could find and ALOT of bubble wrap. If the packaging was damaged on delivery to Acer do they need to mark the delivery form stating that?

Thank you for your help. I lost money to crown currency this week and really can't be doing with this as well.

dori2o

They say they have sent you pictures, do the opictures show the state of the packaging when received- i.e. before they opened it? Can they prove it was damaged upon being delivered?

Also, you say the screen was cracked, was this a desktop or a laptop?

samblack

No the pictures are from after it was open as far as I can tell - not all the pictures show the top of the box.

It's an all in one pc (Acer AZ5610).

Thanks for your reply. Any help is gratefully received!!

samblack

Does anyone know where I stand in this situation?

deanos

Who paid for the postage ?

samblack

Acer did, I booked the delivery through dhl but they told me to and they paid for it.

misssarahleigh

Ring them and explain the package was packed well. If DHL have broken it then they chase DHL for the cost of the repair, not you as you helpd up your side of the bargin by following the instructions they gave you. Be firm but not aggressive.

custardy

misssarahleigh wrote: »

Ring them and explain the package was packed well. If DHL have broken it then they chase DHL for the cost of the repair, not you as you helpd up your side of the bargin by following the instructions they gave you. Be firm but not aggressive.

well that depends on whether it was
wrapping in bubble wrap doesnt mean it is
OP,you say you put it in "a box"
i assume it wasn't the original box?
when sending that type of item it should be packaged sufficiently to survive drops
was it tight in the box ir did it have movement?
did you package around the unit with papaer,chips etc? or was it just the bubble wrap?

samblack

I didn't send it back in it's original box as I was told they recycle them without checking the contents so I must not do that. The pc didn't have room to move around but wasn't packed tight all the way around, then again I wasn't told that there couldn't be any space at all in the box. I've tried calling them and saying that I feel it was packaged adequately but they just say it wasn't but they won't tell me what I should have done instead. I've spoken to consumer direct and have written a letter to them today. Acer also sent me an e mail saying even if I don't pay the money I owe them £50 for the quote they gave me to repair it! Slightly out of order considering they did all that before telling me it was damaged anyway.

misssarahleigh

custardy wrote: »

well that depends on whether it was
wrapping in bubble wrap doesnt mean it is
OP,you say you put it in "a box"
i assume it wasn't the original box?
when sending that type of item it should be packaged sufficiently to survive drops
was it tight in the box ir did it have movement?
did you package around the unit with papaer,chips etc? or was it just the bubble wrap?

If the box had fragile stickers all over it, was wrapped in bubble wrap inside and was secured with tape a personally don't see how that could have been improved upon. I can't say I'm surprised. When I go the the post office they don't even wait still I leave to throw my parcels in the bag behind them like tossing a paper ball at the bin.

Op, I would try one more time. Explain as they cannot prove the parcel was not packed correctly they should be contacting dhl for all related costs. It's not for you to prove that you packed it right. If they were nice enough to take pictures for you to show the damage, ask why they never took pictures of the box to make a claim to dhl, ask who made the decision it was not packed right, how did they come to this conclusion etc

I personally write down the questions I want to ask so I don't forget! If they cannot answer your questions ask how they find it your fault when they cannot provide questions. If they fail to give basic information tell them you find it unacceptable and explain you will pursue this further.

Oh, good one. If it was damaged in transit why did they still give you a quote before telling you!

dori2o

I find it bizzare that they didn't think to photograph the damaged packaging before opening it.

I have always been told to never sign for anything if the packaging is damaged. I got an item of fishing equipment once from an online store and when it arrived the packaging was in an awful state, I refused to sign for the item until I had opened the package to check it was not damaged. Luckily for me it wasn't. The parcelforce guy wasn't to happy at having to wait around, but had I signed for it and checked later I doubt I would have had any comeback, plus would have had to return the item to the store at my own cost.

Personally if I sell anything on ebay (the only time I really send parcels) I photograph the item packaged so I have a record of how it was sent. if it arrives in any state worse than it was sent (especially if the item is broken), then it's RM's problem.