Acer Laptop Fault and Warranty.Please Help.

cruickgl

Hi everyone, could I have some advice please as to how to proceed with this one. I purchased an Acer Spin Laptop from Tesco at Bursledon (nr Southampton) on 26/10/17. We have been using it lightly for surfing the net at home. The week before Christmas we noticed an issue with the left hand hinge which appeared not to be moving in line with the right hand one. It was putting pressure on the outer case it was contained in. Within the day the mounting completely detached from the case and came away. I took it back to Tesco and was firmly told that as it was over 30days old and Tesco do not hold the warranty I had to return it to Acer for an in-warranty repair. (There is another thread on this forum from a couple of years back with exact same make of laptop/exact same shop with this issue). I took the decision to return it to Acer for repair (we liked the laptop).It was packed up securely and we sent it off between Christmas and New Year. I have just had a call to from Acer to state that the laptop has been assessed and the pin is broken and it is in their opinion as a result of accidental damage and this is not covered by the warranty. They are demanding a fee of £46 for a repair. I refuted this claim as I told them that the laptop has not been dropped, there is no evidence of cracking to the outer case and it has only been lightly used. They have told me the decision will not change. I then asked them to return the laptop to me and was told that as it had been assessed then I should pay a fee of £37 to get the broken laptop back. It would appear that they have me over a barrel even though I have asked for proof from them that the laptop has been mistreated if they are to demand a fee for a repair. They have told me that they do not need to provide proof of ill-treatment and that the technician assessment is all they need to charge me a fee. As it stands I have told them to hold the laptop until I can get advice for how to move forward. It seems to me that the warranty therefore is not worth the paper it is written on (theoretically speaking) as they could just charge for every job that comes back to them. I want to get the laptop back and I want to return it to Tesco and claim a full refund as I believe that if the pin on the hinge can break easily with light use then the laptop is not fit for purpose. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

cruickgl

Just to update, I have been on the telephone to CAB and have been informed that with the age of the item I am entitled to a repair or replacement.....that Tesco should have dealt with it and not fobbed me off...and that with the issue as it now stands that I am in dispute with the warranty repair organisation and to follow through using their supplied template letters. Ultimately, it will be up to Acer to prove that the hinge pin broke as a result of accidental damage, not for me to prove that it did not.....which is the crux of the issues....just means I am without a laptop for the foreseeable future.

theonlywayisup

When you took it back to Tesco you should have made it clear you were not willing to claim under the warranty but under your consumer rights.

cruickgl

Correct. Hindsight is a wonderful thing don't you think ?? If Tesco had sent the laptop back for repair...I am sure there would have been no charge for potential "accidental damage".

cruickgl

Anyway, I have called Acer and informed them we are now in dispute and have asked for a senior manager to contact me. Surprisingly, they are all currently in meetings and so one will contact me within 48hrs. I have put my case to the agent I spoke to....we will see how it goes.

theonlywayisup

cruickgl wrote: »

Anyway, I have called Acer and informed them we are now in dispute and have asked for a senior manager to contact me. Surprisingly, they are all currently in meetings and so one will contact me within 48hrs. I have put my case to the agent I spoke to....we will see how it goes.

If you are claiming on their warranty - which is sounds like you are - then you will need to read the T&C of said warranty and see if you have grounds for a dispute.

CardinalWolsey

Makes you wonder, or at least it does me... repair fee of £46, or numerous telephone calls / escalations with Acer where the people time will cost far in excess of £46. It would be better (read "cheaper") for Acer, having been rebuffed, to just carry out the repair.

cruickgl

Also correct, the CAB agent told me to use their template letters and quote my consumer rights to them and see how it goes...ultimately I have been told that obviously I can go as far as I want to but ultimately it may not be worth it. Lesson learnt is that I should have stood my ground in Tesco and not accepted that I had to deal with Acer directly....I know that now. The CAB agent told me that in this respect Tesco have behaved poorly. Unfortunately, this issue is now between me and the Acer repair centre (or probably the agent they use). To me though...and knowing honestly that we have not been responsible for damaging the laptop this is just an excuse for extortion. A hinge on a laptop should not fail under general use in 7 weeks. It has and I believe I am entitled to a warranty repair. However, this is the last time I buy anything electronic from Tesco...and positively the last time I buy anything with an Acer badge on it. I am really angry about this.

BoGoF

Your consumer rights are not with Acer however.

theonlywayisup

cruickgl wrote: »

Also correct, the CAB agent told me to use their template letters and quote my consumer rights to them and see how it goes...ultimately I have been told that obviously I can go as far as I want to but ultimately it may not be worth it. Lesson learnt is that I should have stood my ground in Tesco and not accepted that I had to deal with Acer directly....I know that now. The CAB agent told me that in this respect Tesco have behaved poorly. Unfortunately, this issue is now between me and the Acer repair centre (or probably the agent they use). To me though...and knowing honestly that we have not been responsible for damaging the laptop this is just an excuse for extortion. A hinge on a laptop should not fail under general use in 7 weeks. It has and I believe I am entitled to a warranty repair. However, this is the last time I buy anything electronic from Tesco...and positively the last time I buy anything with an Acer badge on it. I am really angry about this.

You seem to be confusing your consumer rights and the warranty.

Your consumer rights (in this instance) are with Tesco. Your consumer rights are protected by legislation.

The warranty you have initiated a claim on, is with the manufacturer. The warranty can have whatever T&C the manufacturer wishes to include.

You seem to be claiming under warranty. Therefore your consumer rights are irrelevant.

takman

cruickgl wrote: »

Correct. Hindsight is a wonderful thing don't you think ?? If Tesco had sent the laptop back for repair...I am sure there would have been no charge for potential "accidental damage".

In this case it didn't require hindsight to know that the correct course of action would have been to pursue your consumer rights with Tesco instead of opting for a warranty repair with Acer. All the information explaining this is available online and on this very site.