Currys "repair" team wiped my laptop - is there anything I can do?

Mammamaya

unforeseen said:

In the meantime restore your data from the regular backups that you take. 

You do back up your data don't you? 

as i said in the OP, I have the data backed up, but not the software and apps. It just annoying that after getting a broken hinge repaired I need to spend time re-downloading and re-installing the tools I had set up, the games that kids were playing and so on.

Mammamaya

Grey_Critic said:

Why did Curry's not do a backup before starting? It may well be that you have software that they do not recognise but that is no excuse for wiping it.

Have you asked them if they did a full backup before starting>

I haven't asked this, but I have a feeling they would wash their hands over it since in the declaration I signed it puts the responsibility for the back ups on the customer. But surely there shouldn't even be the need for them to be making any back ups for the work they were supposed to do... My point is exactly that the reason for taking it for repair was a broken hinge. I don't think it's fair to expect to be given back wiped computer after mechanical repair since there were no instructions to do anything about the software.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

as it was in for a hinge repair, should they even have pried into your system?

RumRat

Mammamaya said:

GDB2222 said:

When you asked whether there is anything you can do, are you asking for practical help to restore your data? 

Or do you want Curry to compensate you in some way? I don’t think that is very likely, I’m afraid.

Sorry I realise my post is misleading... Unless you would suggest otherwise, I don't think there is really much that I can do to get full content of my laptop back, so I was asking more about what could I do to receive some sort of compensation or at the very least to prevent the company from being so flippant about other people's property. Despite the data back up I have, I need to spend lots of my own time to reinstall the software they have erased and that doesn't seem fair since the repair was not even anything to do with the 'inside' of the laptop, but was mainly about a screw missing. At least I am mostly quite capable to do the installs, but what if this was for example my mum, who is absolutely IT illiterate and while able to use the laptop, would have no clue how to re-install anything on it. She would be fully reliant on someone else to do the finishing job as the 'care and repair' would obviously not do anything about it. Someone could end up with nicely running cleaned up computer, but for example unable to recreate their weekly zoom calls with family because zoom and log-ins would have all disappear. It just seems really incosiderate.

You answered your own question in the OP ..."I have obviously signed the agreement that you must sign before sending it away which says that they don't take any responsibility for the loss of data or software due to the work done and that customers should back up their stuff before they send it away".
As far as they were concerned you had all your backups done.
Perhaps your mum would have asked you to backup her laptop as per the requirements if she had signed the same agreement. So being "IT illiterate" is not really an excuse.
Even the local repair shop will ask you to back up all data.
I would think your chances of getting any compensation would be nil. 

Mammamaya

flaneurs_lobster said:

"non-interest of the shop assistant"?

In Currys?

Blimey, who would have guessed.

I really don't think you will have any luck getting any kind of redress from Currys. They may be a dreadful company to deal with but I bet their T&C are tied down more securely than the iPhones on display in-store. 

You got the PC back, presumably in better nick than it was before. Restore your apps (hard luck about the dodgy ex-works MS stuff) get your data from backup and carry on. 

I don't deal with Currys very often and as any past interactions were without issues, I was unaware they had this kind of reputation... and the MS Office stuff was not dodgy lol, it's a scheme for employees of some organizations... it used to be called HUP - The Microsoft Home Use Programme and its now called the Microsoft Workplace Discount Programme I just don't have the connection to the organisation any more

victor2

Mammamaya said:

Grey_Critic said:

Why did Curry's not do a backup before starting? It may well be that you have software that they do not recognise but that is no excuse for wiping it.

Have you asked them if they did a full backup before starting>

I haven't asked this, but I have a feeling they would wash their hands over it since in the declaration I signed it puts the responsibility for the back ups on the customer. But surely there shouldn't even be the need for them to be making any back ups for the work they were supposed to do... My point is exactly that the reason for taking it for repair was a broken hinge. I don't think it's fair to expect to be given back wiped computer after mechanical repair since there were no instructions to do anything about the software.

But you did also say "and I have mentioned that I would also like to get the yearly health check done", which is what resulted in the clean installation.

What would you have done if the system drive failed? You would have lost everything then. It is a major pain to reinstall all your applications, but such is life. Once you've got everything back to a reasonable state, take an image backup of the system drive, so that in future you have a means of getting things back to something like they were.

I would never pay somebody like Currys a monthly fee for such a service, but do have enough of an understanding to recreate systems I use. I do help friends out from time to time too and the first thing I do is take an image of their current system onto a spare drive I have, but then I just do it for a free evening in the pub, and not as a commercial venture.

Peter999_2

Mammamaya said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

"non-interest of the shop assistant"?

In Currys?

Blimey, who would have guessed.

I really don't think you will have any luck getting any kind of redress from Currys. They may be a dreadful company to deal with but I bet their T&C are tied down more securely than the iPhones on display in-store. 

You got the PC back, presumably in better nick than it was before. Restore your apps (hard luck about the dodgy ex-works MS stuff) get your data from backup and carry on. 

I don't deal with Currys very often and as any past interactions were without issues, I was unaware they had this kind of reputation... and the MS Office stuff was not dodgy lol, it's a scheme for employees of some organizations... it used to be called HUP - The Microsoft Home Use Programme and its now called the Microsoft Workplace Discount Programme I just don't have the connection to the organisation any more

Unfortunately, the second you are no longer employed by the company you no longer have a licence to use MS Office so flaneurs_lobster is correct in saying it is dodgy.  

I'm sorry that Currys have wiped your laptop, but you should always have backups of anything you have just as a matter of course - your hard drive could fail at any second. 

I would recommend you use Macrium Reflect and purchase an external USB drive.   Macrium will backup the entire computer and is quite simple to use (and free for home use).    It's a hard lesson to learn, but I'm sure you won't make the same mistake again.

flaneurs_lobster

frugalmacdugal said:

Hi,

as it was in for a hinge repair, should they even have pried into your system?

If a hinge repair is undertaken it would be necessary to (at least) run diagnostics to make sure there is no damage to connections running to the screen (screen, wi-fi ariel, camera, microphone etc). Is that "prying" into the system?

If running those diagnostics flags up a sickly OS then wouldn't it be legit to try and repair it? Even if this wipes user data (which the user has already agreed may happen)? 

It pains me to say it but I think Currys are in the right here. 

Mammamaya

MattMattMattUK said:

However the biggest bit of advice, cancel the monthly "service", you will have paid many times more than the laptop was worth over the five years to get little to nothing in return.

I went for the subscription becasue my previous two laptops had critical issues after the initial warranty but within 2 years of purchase and since the care&repair offered to fix or replace the laptop it seemed like a reasonable deal. I have been paying less than £9/month and so now after 5 years I am only just about reaching the value of my laptop when new. Of course it's not great that I have been paying that and don't have a new laptop to show for it, but after the previous experience I was semi expecting for the laptop to be fully replaced within 3-4 years... it's just my luck that this one is lasting much longer then the previous two lol

Mammamaya

frugalmacdugal said:

Hi,

as it was in for a hinge repair, should they even have pried into your system?

That's exactly my point. I think the 'service' they had done is an overreach of their access in the view of what they were expeced to do and I am wondering if there is a way to take it up with them...