Need to vent against Sony

[unbiased]

Needed a laptop, decided on ASUS (reliability is a big plus for me), could not get the ASUS i was searching for, bought a SONY with three years warranty(first time) from a sony authorized dealer (translate: paid more for perceived reliability). This was a confirmed first and last time for me that I buy anything Sony.

Why?

Because the charger/adapter failed within a month and when I took it back to the dealer, he said Adapter and Battery were not covered by the warranty and I had to pay relatively very high price for a new adapter.

Comparing with my three year old Acer which is still going strong, that is a terrible quality control lapse on Sony's part. When you consider the premium they charge, it is really not acceptable.

So No Sony for me, ever. No laptop, TV, Camera, whatever.

 

[nobb]

That's ridiculous, why would the battery and charger not covered under warranty? I can understand that the battery is usually only covered for a year but the adapter is part of the notebook.

I would say to try to contact Sony customer support directly, or go back to the store and talk to someone else. Different employees usually give different answers on warranty issues.

 

[wirednuts]

sony isnt that great of a company....far from it. they make microsoft seem honorable.

 

[DaveSimmons]

My guess is the dealer is wrong / lying about failure of the adapter being covered, and if you contacted Sony directly they would take care of you.

What generally isn't covered in warranties by anyone is the battery holding a full charge over time. Most batteries lose capacity as they age, so there is usually a disclaimer to stop you from trying to get a fresh battery 2 years later.

 

[TC91]

I would agree with this, Sony are absolute fuckers, specifically the Canadian computer division. Ordered a fully spec'ed out vaio Z just this past september, and it shipped with a loose screen bezel, a power button that would make cracking sounds everytime I push it to turn the laptop on, creaky palmrests, and an uneven left hinge. Noticed these issues the first day I got it.

Had it sent out multiple times but Sony refused to acknowledge any issues at all and the supervisor I ended up talking to told me to just ignore these issues if they bugged me and if I filed any complaints they would end up on his desk and he'd just throw them out. They also sent the machine back completely covered with oily fingerprints that time... They wouldn't even let me get an exchange even though their website says its possible for custom computers within the first 30 days, and would only repair yet they refused to repair anything. Will also never purchase another Sony computer ever again.

 

[RavenSEAL]

sony isnt that great of a company....far from it. they make microsoft seem honorable.

?

What are you talking about? SONY has top notch costumer support.

Their laptop brand(VIAO) is shaky though, they need more quality control on that side.

 

[Lanyap]

You should have told him to show you where it says that in the warranty verbiage.

 

[Theguynextdoor]

First off. As someone who sells new and refurbished electronics for a living, I would like to say yes, Sony's VAIO division offers TERRIBLE customer service. Have had to RMA computers through them for myself and customers a few times. Pain in the butt. Ridiculous wait times on the phone, untrained tech's (even second tier).

Second that dealer is possibly LYING to you. (I'll Explain in part 3). Sony's warranty is the same as any of the other brand's warranty. The AC adapter is covered under the same warranty as the rest of the parts in the laptop. The battery is covered against DEFECTS for 90DAYS.

Here is the limited warranty card: http://www.docs.sony.com/release/VAIO_Warranty_2-586-738-02-USA.pdf

This is the same policy they have had since 2005 (same as all the other brands pretty much with a few exceptions).

The dealer is probably trying to bank off of you. The adapters are not anymore expensive then any of the other brands. But regardless they should be replaced if DEFECTIVE.

Third, I think there is something funny about your story. I don't know what you might have left out in the information and we don't have the dealer's side of the story. From my experience I get chodes that come in with self-induced physical damage or "PEBKAS" and expect me or X brand to replace or fix the problem for free. When I don't they go on a baby rampage and some even start shouting in my store NOT TO BUY HERE BECAUSE WE WON'T FIX PROBLEMS. That is low, unnecessary and to be frank those type of people are the reason companies are so strict about their policies.

Either way call Sony and get your adapter replaced.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[unbiased]

Thank you all for taking time to help me out. I took the warranty card to the dealer and he showed me the text. Accessories (like Battery) are not covered under this warranty. He says the adapter is an accessory and the warranty is only on the notebook. Any ideas whom to approach to find out if he is lying?. I am not very pleased and will try to follow it up.

 

[unbiased]

So much for the follow up. Just called their support, and was confirmed that the charger and battery are not under warranty. It appears the bastards already know that they are supplying substandard product and that is why they have not covered them under warranty.
So beware any prospective buyers. You may take it as a lesson learned (the hard way fro me). I would never suggest to buy a Sony.

 

[Emulex]

their support division has no concept on how to treat business customers(ie i bought 5000 of your laptops for fleet deployment) they do no get it that i expect to be treated with 2 tiers of support higher instantly. this is their flaw. they do not have the apple store experience in enough coverage - and they lack the business class customer support ability.

which is their downfall. apple has the consumer side on lock down. hp has the business side pretty well done (if you play the game carefully and use carepacks always).

Sony really needs to be bought out but i'm not sure their way of doing things fits into either parties mentality.

 

[unbiased]

Third, I think there is something funny about your story. I don't know what you might have left out in the information and we don't have the dealer's side of the story. From my experience I get chodes that come in with self-induced physical damage or "PEBKAS" and expect me or X brand to replace or fix the problem for free. When I don't they go on a baby rampage and some even start shouting in my store NOT TO BUY HERE BECAUSE WE WON'T FIX PROBLEMS. That is low, unnecessary and to be frank those type of people are the reason companies are so strict about their.

I assure you if it was a matter of self inflicted damage I would not be wasting my time here venting my anger. Also the warranty card I have is different from what you have shown. I admit my mistake of not reading it before purchase. But it was an eye opener for me that the adapter/charger is also not covered in the warranty.
Lesson learnt the hard way. Hence the anger.

 

[StrangerGuy]

their support division has no concept on how to treat business customers(ie i bought 5000 of your laptops for fleet deployment) they do no get it that i expect to be treated with 2 tiers of support higher instantly. this is their flaw. they do not have the apple store experience in enough coverage - and they lack the business class customer support ability.

which is their downfall. apple has the consumer side on lock down. hp has the business side pretty well done (if you play the game carefully and use carepacks always).

Sony really needs to be bought out but i'm not sure their way of doing things fits into either parties mentality.

Apple single-handledly destroyed the premium, lightweight niche Sony used to filled up in the laptop market. But, at least they have Bluray drives right? LOL.

 

[vbuggy]

Apple single-handledly destroyed the premium, lightweight niche Sony used to filled up in the laptop market. But, at least they have Bluray drives right? LOL.

With what? The piece of shit Air?

I'm also not buying this AC adapter stuff. It's covered. Where did you buy it from?

 

[Theguynextdoor]

I assure you if it was a matter of self inflicted damage I would not be wasting my time here venting my anger. Also the warranty card I have is different from what you have shown. I admit my mistake of not reading it before purchase. But it was an eye opener for me that the adapter/charger is also not covered in the warranty.
Lesson learnt the hard way. Hence the anger.

My apologies. I can possibly be of assistance if you post me your exact model number (should be on the corner of the front of the screen somewhere) . Also have you registered your warranty under your name? If not can you PM me your SN and info with a picture of the AC Adapter?

 

[fleshconsumed]

I find it funny that adapter or battery would be considered accessories. IMO accessories is something optional, something laptop can do without, such as mouse or a carrying case. A battery or an adapter are not optional, a laptop will not work without those, so I cannot see how they can be considered an accessory.

 

[unbiased]

My apologies. I can possibly be of assistance if you post me your exact model number (should be on the corner of the front of the screen somewhere) . Also have you registered your warranty under your name? If not can you PM me your SN and info with a picture of the AC Adapter?

Thanks for the offer of help! I will do that. I bought the Laptop in Saudi Arabia where I am presently working. The model is Sony VPCEB26FA/B (the main draw was full HD screen). The adapter is also Sony make but made in china.

I will send you the pictures of the adapter and also the page of the warranty card which says that "any accessories supplied with VAIO are not covered under this warranty"

Thanks you all for chipping in with the helpful information.



T

 

[akugami]

Thanks for the offer of help! I will do that. I bought the Laptop in Saudi Arabia where I am presently working. The model is Sony VPCEB26FA/B (the main draw was full HD screen). The adapter is also Sony make but made in china.

I will send you the pictures of the adapter and also the page of the warranty card which says that "any accessories supplied with VAIO are not covered under this warranty"

Thanks you all for chipping in with the helpful information.



T

Keep in mind foreign countries have different warranty policies.

I still think the power adapter being considered an accessory is BS. Seriously, how the hell am I suppose to use my laptop without this necessary piece of equipment? I can see with external optical drives, flash drives, or docking stations but the power brick? WTF?!?!?

And this is why I hate extended warranties. While they do help some people, most of the time you don't need it. The rest of the time they'll try to weasel their way out of providing support.

 

[sxr7171]

Sony adapters are way overpriced. $90 for the Vaio-X. Lenovo for the Thinkpad X-series charges $35. Thankfully I haven't had a need to contact Sony service and I knew about how horrible it is before I bought it. Nobody else makes anything like the Vaio-x unfortunately. For support nothing has been good to me like Lenovo. IBM handles their support and the call center is in Atlanta.

BTW, as for Air haters, the Air has one thing no Windows based ultraportable has: 6 hour battery life. There is no other 2.3lb class machine with that battery life or anything close to it.

 

[unbiased]

Feel like kicking myself. Thinking that may be the adapter problem with the previous laptop was an isolated one, bought another Sony laptop against all my wise counsels becasue of an adamant niece for whom this machine was bought. Lo and behold the same shit happened again. Three days into service the adapter failed while being used inside a train (accepted that in the trains power supply fluctuates a little but the sony adapters are super bad quality because the same power source was used for another Dell laptop without any problem). Thankfully this time it was not in Saudi Arabia and the power adapter was replaced under warranty. But another adapter of the same rotten quality will last how long.... It is anybody's guess.
Now definitely no sony laptops as long as they keep supplying the garbage adapters.

 

[mikeymikec]

Thank you all for taking time to help me out. I took the warranty card to the dealer and he showed me the text. Accessories (like Battery) are not covered under this warranty. He says the adapter is an accessory and the warranty is only on the notebook. Any ideas whom to approach to find out if he is lying?. I am not very pleased and will try to follow it up.

I advise taking this up with whoever does the job of the Trading Standards Institute in your country. The idea of a battery/charger being an accessory for a portable item is laughable.

Sony service is a joke (wrt laptops, but that swears me off any of their other products). I've had quite a few experiences with them, I certainly wouldn't voluntarily buy their kit.

I like the idea of longer warranties, but the warranty concept is being warped by many manufacturers. The manufacturer of our fridge/freezer appliance is Hotpoint. We went with their product because it allegedly had a 5-year warranty. You have to register for that warranty, fine, we sent off the card. Then a year later we received a letter saying would we like to buy a 5-year warranty to cover the labour for any repairs. Umm, that's what a warranty is (parts + labour). Otherwise you can say that the cost of labour covers the cost of the parts as well.

- edit - I just noticed the age of this thread, I assumed it was a new one

 

[unbiased]

- edit - I just noticed the age of this thread, I assumed it was a new one

It was not new but needed tp share my second experience which was very much like the first one (failure part) except this time the adapter was under warranty, but this does not take away from the fact that the adapter quality is rubbish.

 

[wirednuts]

?

What are you talking about? SONY has top notch costumer support.

Their laptop brand(VIAO) is shaky though, they need more quality control on that side.

so, their laptops, home a/v equiptment, car audio gear and portable electronics all suck. but their tv's are still ok i guess? i mean if emerson can make decent lcd tv's then it means a lot that sony can make something like that work too

sony has been on a steady decline since the early 90's. samsung has really taken their place, but they too do a lot of the same bullshit. at least samsung still produces quality products