Definition of repairable?

StarshipUK

I work as a IT Technician (I am VAT Registered) . If you are in Essex I can probably repair it for you for much less.

Do you know the Laptop Make and Model and I will see what I can get parts for.

And to answer the other persons question I do not charge to diagnose a hardware issue and do not charge if it is not repairable, and many other companies have the same policy. I can do this as I have less overheads being a one person company. If it was a software issue that would be chargeable for time spent.

I can't see why they had to take the laptop and send it off, if the known fault was a cracked laptop case and therefore the laptop would need no diagnostics - Just a quote to supply and fit a new case.

Sounds like PC World are trying to fleece you a bit here, but does not surprise me as I have heard quite a few stories of them overcharging, as they can sometimes get away with it.

In the end with the amount of time and hassle it would take you (if you were to go through small claims court) I think you might loose and technically they could be right and can charge this fee - Did you sign anything which has T&Cs stating the charge? Does it mention anything about economical repairability on those T&Cs? Profit margins on laptops are so stupidly low (sometimes less than £5) I can see why they would not deduct £50 off the price of a new £200 laptop, so they would rather loose your custom and sale than loose a whole load of money. They make their money on hard selling extras such as insurance, virus software, laptop bags, etc... I have personal experience of this and wrote a complaint to the group regarding their hard sales tactics.

At the end of the day you might just have to pay this if you want the laptop back. Then never go to or buy anything from the PC World\Currys group again and tell all your friends about the bad experience you had.

If in Essex contact me, or find a good local reliable PC repairer, support a local business and save money in the long run.

Leo2020

macman wrote: »

I think in this instance, even a PCW 'techie' (sic ) would be able to do the diagnosis. A cracked body around the hinge is fairly obvious and the only repair is to replace the broken body, which of course involves a full stripdown and rebuild-hence it's not worthwhile.
OP, don't ever take things to PCW/DSG for repair,because mostly they don't have a clue. They can't do most laptop repairs in house anyway, which was why it was sent off elsewhere. PCW just add their considerable cut on top.
£50 is at the top end of the charge for diagnostics, but not outrageous- independents would probably charge around £30. Or take one look at it and say: 'that's not economic to repair'.
The terms are fair, because what is 'economic' to one person is not to another. If they quoted a repair cost of say £100, that might be acceptable to some, but not to others. They're entitled to recover their reasonable costs.

Their repair centre is owned by DSG. The laptop won't have been sent to a company outside of DSG.

I agree about the definition of repairable, it is repairable just not really worth getting it repaired.

Although I can understand the OP's attitude of I will buy another laptop that won't cover the cost of the repair as although the repair centre is owned by DSG it is still separate from PC World. So PC World would profit but the repair centre would lose out by £50, which is why the repair centre aren't prepared to waiver the fee.

neilmcl

Zandoni wrote: »

I'd expect them not to take the repair when it would easily cost more than the laptop is worth

But the point is somebody would have done that upfront work to work out exactly what is to be repaired and the parts involved, which would obviously be covered by the service charge, no different to the sort of charge you'd be asked to pay by any independent regardless of the cost of the final repair.

Zandoni

neilmcl wrote: »

But the point is somebody would have done that upfront work to work out exactly what is to be repaired and the parts involved, which would obviously be covered by the service charge, no different to the sort of charge you'd be asked to pay by any independent regardless of the cost of the final repair.

Not at all, an independant repair place would take one look and told the OP that the repair would be expensive, it's obvious that a new case wouldn't be cheap and Currys should have pointed that out. But in fact they done the opposite they said it would be £60 to £80.

To charge £50 to do that is immoral, which is a very good reason to give places like Currys a wide berth

Zandoni

There's no obvious mention of keeping the £50 on their web site.

If we need to send your laptop to our repair lab, we will let you know about any additional costs for parts as soon as possible. If you want to continue with the repair we take payment over the phone, or if you would prefer not to proceed we’ll send your laptop back to the store you took it to.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/laptop-repairs-375-commercial.html?gclid=CJ-Lwfzq58kCFcE_GwodPbMD9A&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~Laptop+Repairs+General+~Repair~Exact&mc!!!!!gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!47263315899!p!!g!!laptop%20repairing&ef_id=Vk6zZQAAAJLuX-Du:20151219113750:s

naedanger

Zandoni wrote: »

There's no obvious mention of keeping the £50 on their web site.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/laptop-repairs-375-commercial.html?gclid=CJ-Lwfzq58kCFcE_GwodPbMD9A&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~Laptop+Repairs+General+~Repair~Exact&mc!!!!!gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!47263315899!p!!g!!laptop%20repairing&ef_id=Vk6zZQAAAJLuX-Du:20151219113750:s

Good spot:

No matter where you bought it, simply bring your laptop into a PC World or Currys with a Knowhow service bar and we’ll give you a free consultation to determine what the problem is. If you are unable to come into store you can call our Knowhow team on 0344 561 1234.

If the laptop can be repaired we’ll attempt to fix it in store, but if it needs parts we’ll send it off to our specialist repair lab. We offer a fixed price for labour and delivery if it needs to be sent off. In the unlikely event that we’re unable to repair your laptop, it will be returned straight away and your fee will be refunded.

So if I was the op then I would certainly be asking why I had not been given a fixed price as advertised.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptop-repairs-171-commercial.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAndSzBRDp5P232v-qtHkSJABw-VdtXD8rurBCqqBQWy9QXVDGPOvfJFicCN--35W1BTP9gRoCn_3w_wcB&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~Knowhow+%28UK%29+Laptop+Repairs+General+%5BS%5D~Repair~Exact&mc!!!!!gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!69643854655!p!!g!!laptop%20repairing&ef_id=Ug1e4QAAAA7A3zH4:20151219152634:s

Fosterdog

naedanger wrote: »

Good spot:

No matter where you bought it, simply bring your laptop into a PC World or Currys with a Knowhow service bar and we’ll give you a free consultation to determine what the problem is. If you are unable to come into store you can call our Knowhow team on 0344 561 1234.

If the laptop can be repaired we’ll attempt to fix it in store, but if it needs parts we’ll send it off to our specialist repair lab. We offer a fixed price for labour and delivery if it needs to be sent off. In the unlikely event that we’re unable to repair your laptop, it will be returned straight away and your fee will be refunded.

So if I was the op then I would certainly be asking why I had not been given a fixed price as advertised.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptop-repairs-171-commercial.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAndSzBRDp5P232v-qtHkSJABw-VdtXD8rurBCqqBQWy9QXVDGPOvfJFicCN--35W1BTP9gRoCn_3w_wcB&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~Knowhow+%28UK%29+Laptop+Repairs+General+%5BS%5D~Repair~Exact&mc!!!!!gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!69643854655!p!!g!!laptop%20repairing&ef_id=Ug1e4QAAAA7A3zH4:20151219152634:s

It only says a fixed price for labour and delivery, nothing about no extra costs for parts. It also wouldn't really matter what is advertised and described on the website as OP took it into a store and was offered a service for £50 plus parts and that is exactly what OP is getting.

Have they said what parts it needs and why it is so expensive? Have they possibly found further faults upon examining the laptop and are quoting for parts for a total fix rather than just the hinge casing?

Zandoni

Fosterdog wrote: »

It only says a fixed price for labour and delivery, nothing about no extra costs for parts. It also wouldn't really matter what is advertised and described on the website as OP took it into a store and was offered a service for £50 plus parts and that is exactly what OP is getting.

Have they said what parts it needs and why it is so expensive? Have they possibly found further faults upon examining the laptop and are quoting for parts for a total fix rather than just the hinge casing?

The link mentions taking it into a store so it matters a great deal.

It does mention a fixed price for labour but there's no mention of a diagnostic fee.

naedanger

Fosterdog wrote: »

It only says a fixed price for labour and delivery, nothing about no extra costs for parts. It also wouldn't really matter what is advertised and described on the website as OP took it into a store and was offered a service for £50 plus parts and that is exactly what OP is getting.

Have they said what parts it needs and why it is so expensive? Have they possibly found further faults upon examining the laptop and are quoting for parts for a total fix rather than just the hinge casing?

If I understand you correctly, you think the £50 was the fixed price for labour and delivery, and the remainder (£310) is the cost of the parts.

If that is PCWorld's position, and £50 covers the labour and delivery, then why are they charging for labour when it is not now required? (The consultation was free, and the delivery is presumably not more than £10, leaving around £40 due to the op.) Plus, like you, I would need to be convinced the price quoted for the parts was correct.

I hope the op does provide updates. I am already wary of buying from PC World/Currys and would be even less inclined to use them if they don't uphold the op's complaint or provide some reasonable justification for their stance.

Leo2020

http://currys.cdn.dixons.com/grafx/gb/uk/promotions/pdf/tv-computing-one-off-repair.pdf

"3. You will pay an “up-front” service charge that covers carriage and
diagnostic services. This service charge is non-refundable unless we
can’t repair your product."

As much as I can understand people not liking PC World/Currys, I don't think charging £50 for diagnostics and carriage is unreasonable. Would you expect an independent repairer to not charge for diagnostics? Most will charge you, which is fair enough because it takes their time to diagnose the fault.