Got badly burned on gumtree - now seller is harassing me

mollusk

Yes, I've given him an LBA and have done all I can to resolve the matter with him.

tinstar

mollusk wrote: »

I did try to have the OS restored, but it doesn't have a disk drive so I cannot install any disks (I don't have any disks either).

There is a way to do it by installing a new OS from a USB stick - presumably the laptop has at least one USB port?

forgotmyname

A 6 week old computer thats been taken to bits and tampered with. Operating system changed.

The buyer will just say you inspected it upon purchase. Which you admit to and you get to waste even more money.

How come it worked before and now suddenly wont work and needs parts?

You dont need a disc drive to install an OS. I have installed plenty from a memory stick. Or use an external disc drive.
Any decent computer shop should do this for you. If it has a genuine licence sticker i dont see why a shop wont reinstall the OS.
Maybe they see you as an easy target to sell you a disc?

It worked when you tested it. You were happy and paid cash. So thats all the seller needs to say in court.

Oldfatgrumpy

Just a thought, maybe the seller has a stack of identical laptops, one of which works perfectly, which he uses for demos then substitutes a duff one while the buyer's distracted. Or have I been watching too many episodes of Real Hustle?

WelshPaul

Windows 8 machines do not have a certificate of authenticity!

You either pay for the restore discs or buy windows outright.

bris

Your repair men were idiots, foreign computer? All computers use the same components. Download the operating system your comp is licenced for to a USB stick and use the serial number on the sticker to activate it.

Sick_Boy

WelshPaul wrote: »

Windows 8 machines do not have a certificate of authenticity!You either pay for the restore discs or buy windows outright.

Not true.

Laptops with Windows 8 have got COA.
The key is encrypted in BIOS and is easy to recover.

googler

forgotmyname wrote: »

Why is it unfixable? Surely all they need to do is install the operating system again?

... or install another hard disk?

OP, you seem to have done the equivalent of buying a car based on seeing it with the engine running, then going home and finding the starter motor doesn't work. Take this on the chin and write it down to life experience. Next time, you'll reboot it, won't you?

hollydays

You haven't answered the question about what the police said.

mollusk

The police said if is a civil matter so take it to small claims. They also said take it to Action Fraud, because the description of the item did not fit the reality of it.

I've got to pick up the laptop from the repair shop tomorrow, so I can find out exactly what hardware they need to fix it. If it was only an OS that needed replacing, they wouldn't need to find hardware. So that'll be interesting to find out.

I'm all for taking it on the chin, but it's still a fair few bob. The only reason I made such an extravagant purchase is that I've just started an accountancy course which I'm doing alongside working and being a single mum, so it's beyond irritating to have to take it on the chin.

I've now received 500 mailbaits.