29 month old, £900 laptop developed a fault.

SeeNoWeevil

neilmcl wrote: »

Whats the laptop?

A Sony VAIO Pro 13. Quite possibly one of my favourite pieces of technology I've ever owned. I'm gutted. The only reason I used a c.c to purchase it was in case of something like this.

pappa_golf

SeeNoWeevil wrote: »

I'm contemplating replacing the SSD but getting a type that the bios recognises is supposedly tricky and if it doesn't work, I've wasted even more money. It's an m.2 ssd so not exactly easy to test.

I'm not after a full refund or an upgrade on the cheap. I just want it repaired without throwing more money away. I've not gone back to the retailer yet. From my experience, suggesting to a UK retailer you have any right to repair after the initial 12 months is equivalent to leaving a dead badger on the floor and walking out. Probably just as efficient in getting the issue resolved also.

you can buy both a m.2 holder and m.2 cards from the likes of scan computers


with the holder/adaptor you can then plug it into another computer to check it .

neilmcl

Even using the CC protection you may still be asked to show proof that the fault is inherent to manufacture. Have a look for a local computer specialist and get them to diagnose the fault.

neilmcl

pappa_golf wrote: »

you can buy both a m.2 holder and m.2 cards from the likes of scan computers


with the holder/adaptor you can then plug it into another computer to check it .

^^This. Always handy having an external HDD dock so it wouldn't be wasted money either.

SeeNoWeevil

pappa_golf wrote: »

you can buy both a m.2 holder and m.2 cards from the likes of scan computers


with the holder/adaptor you can then plug it into another computer to check it .

I have looked at those, but the really cheap ones get bad reviews for being unreliable and the better ones are as much as a new ssd (£50 ish)

wealdroam

SeeNoWeevil wrote: »

The only reason I used a c.c to purchase it was in case of something like this.

OK, so you've obviously planned for this possibility.
What's the next step in your plan?

My suggestion would be for you to read MSE's Section 75 article.

pappa_golf

2 of my machines use m.2 type drives (or cards)n one went faulty shortly after purchase , it simply could not see the card , the motherboard (intel nuc) was faulty


can your bios actually see the drive , and if so what is happening when it boots up




£16.71 from amazon for the m.2 holder https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZTC-Thunder-Enclosure-NGFF-M-2/dp/B00KQ4LNJC return it , if it does not work

naedanger

SeeNoWeevil wrote: »

Either the SSD is dead or its a problem with the main board.

I understand the onus is on me to prove the fault is inherent, but that's the case with all SoG claims after a set time (6 months?). Obviously this is impossible to prove conclusively.

You don't need to prove conclusively, only on the balance of probability. So the burden is not that onerous.

In my experience, if there are no signs of misuse and it wouldn't be considered wear and tear, an engineer would agree the fault was inherent.

It might be worth getting an engineer's report in that case.

The reason I'm asking about the c.c company is I would much rather deal with them than the retailer.

You can certainly take the matter up with your cc company. And there can be significant advantages in doing so. See the link that has been quoted earlier.

Personally I would speak to the retailer first but you don't need to. Also I would not get an engineer's report without first been told it is necessary, e.g. by the cc company. If they do ask for a report I would ask them to suggest an independent engineer, to prevent them questioning the engineer's expertise later (were you to choose your own). Of course the cc company may ask you to pay for the report, but should refund the cost if the engineer concludes the likely cause was an inherent fault of some sort.

SeeNoWeevil

pappa_golf wrote: »

2 of my machines use m.2 type drives (or cards)n one went faulty shortly after purchase , it simply could not see the card , the motherboard (intel nuc) was faulty


can your bios actually see the drive , and if so what is happening when it boots up

The bios recognises the drive but nothing else will. I've tried everything, GParted etc. I can run Ubuntu Live from a USB stick perfectly fine so the rest of the machine is fine.

I've ordered a new ssd. If it doesn't work I need to decide if I want to duke it out with my cc company or just pay the repair (I.e new main board) myself

pappa_golf

if the bios recognises the drive then its unlikely that its a motherboard problem , you did not state what the fault was , at what point does bootup stop?