3 month old PC sent back for repair now lost

kayleighraven

About 3 months ago I bought a bespoke PC from Cyberpower UK. It was fine on delivery. Then I noticed when I plugged something into one of the USB ports the whole thing shutdown like it was an electrical short. I reported this to them 2 weeks ago after it happened again, they said the motherboard would need replacing. 
The guy informed me they would send a box out for me to pack it up then DPD would return the following day to collect it. The box arrived but no sign of the collection so I contacted them and was told what was supposed to happen was the box was delivered, I would pack it up with DPD hanging out on the doorstep and then they would take it away. If I'd known this, I wouldn't have been happy anyway because I have a bad back and had to get my husband to help me pack it. But anyway, the guy who'd booked the original collection hadn't bothered telling me or DPD this and confused the whole process but was now apparently on holiday. Of course.
 
They booked another collection which was supposed to be next day but happened 3 days later due to more miscommunication from Cyberpower. DPD turned up with another box and were very confused to find the PC already packed up. I teach at home and had rearranged my lessons and appointments for the 2 days they'd promised collection but not shown up but couldn't rearrange again so obviously they turned up mid lesson. I try to explain the situation briefly, they faff about with labels and paperwork then take the PC and the second empty box away.
This was last Thursday. On Friday I contact them to double check the PC has arrived. It hasn't.
I leave it for the weekend but when I still haven't heard by Monday lunchtime I contact Cyberpower again. The PC still hasn't arrived. They offer to chase DPD "to save (me) the hassle". 

Tuesday I haven't heard anything so I email again. They say they've contacted DPD but it'll take 3-5 working days to get a response. 
I'm not happy with this so I call DPD myself. Two different managers at DPD state they've not had any contact from Cyberpower and there's no evidence of an investigation raised on their system. Despite it being my property in the parcel, I can't raise an investigation myself because Cyberpower are the account holder.
Cyberpower maintain they ARE in contact with DPD and have no idea why DPD would claim otherwise, but only then do they ask for the DPD reference number sent to me in the delivery notification. 

So.. I'm getting really fed up with this situation now. I ask about a refund or replacement. Cyberpower state I've had the PC for "too long" (3 months) to issue a refund and replacements aren't allowed according to Cyberpower's warranty. They get quite combative and say it's not their fault that DPD lost the parcel (I would argue this!) and that I just have to wait for DPD.
My question is: where do I stand in all this? How long am I supposed to wait around for DPD to find the parcel and what happens if they can't? Or it's been damaged? I need my PC back quite urgently now we're going back into lockdown. Am I within my rights to demand a refund or replacement if I'm not happy with the repair or how long it's going to take? Even if they find it tomorrow and deliver it by the end of the week, between the !!!!!! ups with the initial collection and based on their "10 working days" estimate of how long it would take to repair and get it back to me (which I no longer trust either way) I could be without a PC for more than 4 weeks. And that's best case scenario. 

Would very much appreciate some advice. Many thanks.

KatrinaWaves

If the repair doesn’t work then yes you can request an alternative. However it’s only been four working days since it was sent. There is nothing wrong with them chasing DPD to see where the item is. 

4 weeks isn’t the end of the world. I’m assuming you still have some devices as you are teaching online using something. It’s too early to be demanding anything 

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

kayleighraven said:

About 3 months ago I bought a bespoke PC from Cyberpower UK. It was fine on delivery. Then I noticed when I plugged something into one of the USB ports the whole thing shutdown like it was an electrical short. I reported this to them 2 weeks ago after it happened again, they said the motherboard would need replacing. 
The guy informed me they would send a box out for me to pack it up then DPD would return the following day to collect it. The box arrived but no sign of the collection so I contacted them and was told what was supposed to happen was the box was delivered, I would pack it up with DPD hanging out on the doorstep and then they would take it away. If I'd known this, I wouldn't have been happy anyway because I have a bad back and had to get my husband to help me pack it. But anyway, the guy who'd booked the original collection hadn't bothered telling me or DPD this and confused the whole process but was now apparently on holiday. Of course.
 
They booked another collection which was supposed to be next day but happened 3 days later due to more miscommunication from Cyberpower. DPD turned up with another box and were very confused to find the PC already packed up. I teach at home and had rearranged my lessons and appointments for the 2 days they'd promised collection but not shown up but couldn't rearrange again so obviously they turned up mid lesson. I try to explain the situation briefly, they faff about with labels and paperwork then take the PC and the second empty box away.
This was last Thursday. On Friday I contact them to double check the PC has arrived. It hasn't.
I leave it for the weekend but when I still haven't heard by Monday lunchtime I contact Cyberpower again. The PC still hasn't arrived. They offer to chase DPD "to save (me) the hassle". 

Tuesday I haven't heard anything so I email again. They say they've contacted DPD but it'll take 3-5 working days to get a response. 
I'm not happy with this so I call DPD myself. Two different managers at DPD state they've not had any contact from Cyberpower and there's no evidence of an investigation raised on their system. Despite it being my property in the parcel, I can't raise an investigation myself because Cyberpower are the account holder.
Cyberpower maintain they ARE in contact with DPD and have no idea why DPD would claim otherwise, but only then do they ask for the DPD reference number sent to me in the delivery notification. 

So.. I'm getting really fed up with this situation now. I ask about a refund or replacement. Cyberpower state I've had the PC for "too long" (3 months) to issue a refund and replacements aren't allowed according to Cyberpower's warranty. They get quite combative and say it's not their fault that DPD lost the parcel (I would argue this!) and that I just have to wait for DPD.
My question is: where do I stand in all this? How long am I supposed to wait around for DPD to find the parcel and what happens if they can't? Or it's been damaged? I need my PC back quite urgently now we're going back into lockdown. Am I within my rights to demand a refund or replacement if I'm not happy with the repair or how long it's going to take? Even if they find it tomorrow and deliver it by the end of the week, between the !!!!!! ups with the initial collection and based on their "10 working days" estimate of how long it would take to repair and get it back to me (which I no longer trust either way) I could be without a PC for more than 4 weeks. And that's best case scenario. 

Would very much appreciate some advice. Many thanks.

When I have returned things via DPD, I have found them very efficient. That aside, they did send a box for one item, it was packed by me, and I was told it would only be sealed when they arrived. Duly it was photographed and sealed with the label.

As for any consumer rights, you do say that you teach at home and cannot be without a pc for 4 weeks. I am sorry, but if you run a business, then business continuity must be part of your risk. Due diligence when purchasing business equipment. These are not consumer rights issues, but as you possibly purchased not as a business, then you will not get any same day service.

The company I work part time for has a same day service with their provider, and when one of our office workers pc failed, the replacement was on our site in two hours!

kayleighraven

KatrinaWaves said:

4 weeks isn’t the end of the world. I’m assuming you still have some devices as you are teaching online using something. It’s too early to be demanding anything 

I appreciate your comment but 4 weeks is a long time for me. Rightly or wrongly, I have depended a lot on my PC this year for my mental health. As well as using it for teaching, it’s my main source of entertainment for games and watching tv and films during prolonged isolation. It’s also twice as long as they originally told me it would take and it could take a lot longer. 

My concern here is that 4 weeks is the best case scenario. It took a week just for the PC to be collected. Given that tomorrow is Thursday, it’ll have taken at least another week just to even arrive at the place it’s going to be repaired. And that’s assuming they can locate it today and it isn’t damaged. 

KatrinaWaves

kayleighraven said:

KatrinaWaves said:

4 weeks isn’t the end of the world. I’m assuming you still have some devices as you are teaching online using something. It’s too early to be demanding anything 

I appreciate your comment but 4 weeks is a long time for me. Rightly or wrongly, I have depended a lot on my PC this year for my mental health. As well as using it for teaching, it’s my main source of entertainment for games and watching tv and films during prolonged isolation. It’s also twice as long as they originally told me it would take and it could take a lot longer. 

My concern here is that 4 weeks is the best case scenario. It took a week just for the PC to be collected. Given that tomorrow is Thursday, it’ll have taken at least another week just to even arrive at the place it’s going to be repaired. And that’s assuming they can locate it today and it isn’t damaged. 

What are you currently teaching on? You say they came mid lesson. Is there no entertainment aspect to that device?

Rightly or wrongly, cyber power are not responsible for your mental health. 4 weeks isn’t a long time to be without a PC. Do you not have a smart phone or iPad to entertain yourself with? If you bought as a business then you have business rights, but as you are asking on a consumer forum I assume you did not. You cannot use your work as a way to expedite a consumer purchase issue. 

kayleighraven

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth said:

As for any consumer rights, you do say that you teach at home and cannot be without a pc for 4 weeks. I am sorry, but if you run a business, then business continuity must be part of your risk. Due diligence when purchasing business equipment. These are not consumer rights issues, but as you possibly purchased not as a business, then you will not get any same day service.

The company I work part time for has a same day service with their provider, and when one of our office workers pc failed, the replacement was on our site in two hours!

I didn't say I couldn't be without a PC. I wouldn't say I run a business, I'm just one self employed person with a few students. I didn't purchase the PC solely for the purpose of using it for teaching. I'm not expecting business priority, I'm just asking what rights I have as a person who has bought a PC that was clearly not fit for purpose.

DiddyDavies

In "normal" times, I would say that 4 weeks is just on the edge of what I would class as acceptable but as you know, the current climate is anything but normal and IMO it's not unreasonable if the repair takes a bit longer than this.
The delivery may take longer due to social distancing or reduced manpower in the courier depots and the same might be the case in the Cyberpower workshop.
Depending on where any required spares have to come from, this may also involve another delay.

kayleighraven

KatrinaWaves said:

What are you currently teaching on? You say they came mid lesson. Is there no entertainment aspect to that device?

Rightly or wrongly, cyber power are not responsible for your mental health. 4 weeks isn’t a long time to be without a PC. Do you not have a smart phone or iPad to entertain yourself with? If you bought as a business then you have business rights, but as you are asking on a consumer forum I assume you did not. You cannot use your work as a way to expedite a consumer purchase issue. 

That's not what I'm asking for. I apologise if mentioning that I teach or that I may use the PC for teaching is misleading. I'm not trying to get special service, I'm just asking what my rights are as a consumer. I really didn't expect to have to defend myself for why I bought the PC in the first place, nor did I state the Cyberpower is responsible for my mental health!

KatrinaWaves

This was only said when you decided that 4 weeks was too long because of your mental health.

4 weeks on the whole is not that long. 

kayleighraven

KatrinaWaves said:

This was only said when you decided that 4 weeks was too long because of your mental health.

4 weeks on the whole is not that long. 

Regardless of my mental health, I feel like 4 weeks minimum is too long to wait for a repair of a 3 month old PC but we'll have to agree to disagree. 

KatrinaWaves

kayleighraven said:

KatrinaWaves said:

This was only said when you decided that 4 weeks was too long because of your mental health.

4 weeks on the whole is not that long. 

Regardless of my mental health, I feel like 4 weeks minimum is too long to wait for a repair of a 3 month old PC but we'll have to agree to disagree. 

Currently 4 weeks is an estimate of your own, maybe it’ll be quicker.