Laptop problems

AfterGlow

My mum called me a week ago telling me her laptop needed to be factory reset but she was unsure how to do it and I didnt have a clue because Im on a different operating system etc.

She took it into the local computer repair place, asked them to factory reset it and left it with them.

Tonight she calls me to tell me they still have her laptop a week later, she asked if it was done, and the guy told her there had been a problem, and that he took the hard drive out, snapped something off, and soldered it back on. (His words)

Mum asked if the laptop works, he didnt answer, she asked when she could pick it up, again he wouldnt say.

She has decided to just go to the shop tomorrow and ask about it, and also try and find out what happened and if it still even works.

They are charging her £80 for the reset and back up of her files.

Where does she stand if the laptop does turn out to be broken?

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I didnt know where else to put it.

omen666

A laptop hard drive is not a permanent fixture and therfore will not be soldered back on.

Can only assume they meant they broke the connection and soldered that back on either way

Would also say £80 for the backup of data and factory reset is extortionate

GalmOne

Was there any paperwork signed when the laptop was handed over? Was anything signed regarding what the shop can and will do, and whether there is anything they feel themselves not liable for? As for the charge of £80, that's down to the shop but they may be charging for an external storage device for the data. They would have transferred the data to something before wiping the laptop, and am pretty sure it's illegal under the data protection act for it to be stored on any of their own systems (unless agreement was signed). So they would take a device off the shelf, use it, add it to the charge and hand it over when the jobs done.

AfterGlow

They still have the laptop, and it still isnt fixed, they now keep making excuses about why they still have it, they dont phone when they say they will, she did go in, but was told they are really busy and could not get it done right now.

She has a written reciept from the shop, saying that it went in for a factory reset, that is all it says on it, there are no terms and conditions on the reciept anywhere.

It has now changed from snapping "something off the hard drive" to there was a problem with the battery and they soldered it back in place and when they turn it on there is a balck screen.

When my mum phoned the owner of the shop did say that it was in working order when she brought it in, mum said that she wants a working laptop back and they said it was her word against theirs that it wasnt faulty when she gave it to them.

CoolHotCold

She should go back to the shop and ask for it back in the same condition that it was in.

If it was just a system restore back to factory settings then it would take about a hour to a few hours depending on the model of the system. At no point should the hard drive be removed from the system for a system restore.


You seem to be missing some points in your post, did she bring it in for a system restore only? or a data backup and a system restore.

If it was the system restore only, why now are they charging her to backup her files when I assume she either doesn't have anything on there she minds loosing or has it backed up already, or did she not understand what a system restore will do?

If the destructive restore didn't work then that would indicate a physical fault (usually the hard drive) and before any work would be done I would expect a phone call first to say its not possible to restore as there is a fault with the system, and then the repair shop would list her options, (they might of done a hard drive test on the system before phoning just to double-check (but again it doesn't require any removal of any parts).

Except for physical faults, there is no reason to start disassembling the laptop.

If they can't do the job, take it to someone who can/will. If they have further damaged the laptop either they fix the faults/replace the parts.

fluffnutter

If she doesn't know much about laptops (which it appears she doesn't) why did she think she needed a factory restore in the first place? Who or what told her that? I'm just wondering because there might have been other problems with it.