Cracked LCD, ACER won't help me

So about 2 days ago, I woke up, went to turn on my 2 month old Acer 2002LCI and bam. The LCD is cracked. I have never dropped it, stepped on it or anything. Today I called ACER support, and the jerk on the phone tells me I have to pay $900 to get it fixed. I just paid $1300 2 months ago for this notebook. I kept telling him, I haven't dropped it or applied any pressure to the screen, but all he could say is that it wasn't covered under the warranty and I could hook it up to a monitor.

Does anyone know what I am to do? I seriously have NO money to put into this, am I completely screwed?

 

Hi Chiefy,
I think your out of luck on this one, I'm sure that a cracked LCD is not covered under the warranty; it is one of if not the most expensive part of a notebook. There are only two things can break the LCD, high temperature and physical pressure. Did you leave it in a hot car or perhaps someone else had access to the notebook (like a child) and dropped it. Sorry to tell you but either way your going to have to foot the bill on the repair. I think I would just buy another one, cause for $400 more you get the whole machine and may be able to part out the rest of it and get some of your money back.

I know hind sight is always 20:20, but it would be a good idea to get a personal articles insurance policy on your next one so that you will be covered.

One last thing you could do is search the web and see if other Acer owners are having the same problem, if there are alot of people with new notebooks that the LCD just broke all by itself, together you may be able to get them repair the units. I guess there is a very small probability that the LCD way installed or the shell designed in such a manner to cause stress pressure on the LCD.

Good Luck
Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Thanks for the reply. All I can say is that the night before I found it cracked, I lifted the notebook by the LCD screen, but it wasn't like I bent it or twisted hard. I am absolutely completely disappointed with this product, I realize that most of the time a broken LCD is result of one of things you mentioned, but it's not like i've even had this thing 2 months.

Unfortunately, I don't have money to buy a whole new notebook, I am a poor freelancer, and this was a huge investment to me. I have now owned 5 desktop machines and never had luck like this.

I got a quote from blisscomputers.net to replace the LCD for $350, has anyone here dealt with them?

 

Picking it up by the display is never a good idea. Even the slightest pressure in the wrong spot could crack the LCD.

A couple last ditch things to try. Did you pay with AMEX? They offer extended warranties and depending on what card you have, they might replace it for you. If not, check with your credit card company to see what they offer. Also ask the retailer if they offer any protection like this...you can tell them you think the product is deffective and ask for a replacement. They can only say no.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Brian

 

Hi chiefy,
let us know how the repair goes cause you never know who this is going to happen to next.

Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Chiefy,

Normally, this kiind of damage is not covered by any company. But there have been situations I have come across where the LCD was replaced under warranty by the manufacturer. When I was repairing Toshiba's, I remember a user who brought their unit in for repair for a cracked LCD. Normally, we'd say that they'll SOL, but on closer inspection, there didn't seem to be any "impact" points on the screen. Usually when an LCD cracks there's usually a point of impact to indicate where the damage occured. This unit didn't have any "impact" points, Toshiba was contacted, the unit shipped to them and it was deemed a stress crack possibly from an overtightend screw. So, if your LCD doesn't look like it has any "impact" points, you could try to argue that it could be a manufacturing defect. But, if there are ANY points where more than 2 cracks spider from, that'll be considered an "impact" point and therefore, no replacement. Your only option would be to try to get another notebook, or try buying the LCD from eBay or something and replace it yourself. If someone has it for sale on eBay, I'm sure you'd be able to get it for less than a new LCD from Acer.

Good Luck!

-Vb-

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>So, if your LCD doesn't look like it has any "impact" points, you could try to argue that it could be a manufacturing defect. But, if there are ANY points where more than 2 cracks spider from, that'll be considered an "impact" point and therefore, no replacement. Your only option would be to try to get another notebook, or try buying the LCD from eBay or something and replace it yourself. If someone has it for sale on eBay, I'm sure you'd be able to get it for less than a new LCD from Acer.<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Thanks VB, but there's a big-a@@ "impact" point, but I still can't understand how I did this.. here's a picture, I guess I'm going to try this place in Bergen, NJ for $360. :sigh:

 

Hmmm your link doesn't seem to work. Well, since you said that there's an "impact" point, then there's no way Acer will replace under warranty. Could it be possible you forgot something on the keyboard when you closed it? This is usually the thing that causes the LCD's to crack. If you can get the LCD for $360, that's WAY cheaper than spending $900 from Acer. Just make sure the LCD works before you buy it. Oh and check to make sure it's for your unit, since the connectors may not match if it's not.

Good Luck!

-Vb-

 

Link seems to work now...anyway, that picture makes me sick. That's almost wrong to post something like that on this site. [} ]

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

I want to see that picture, but the link wont work.

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Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
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DAMN!!!! That's BAD! [:0] I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. I've seen cracked LCD's, and have seen the liquid crystal spill out like that, but NEVER to that extent. Looking at the picture, there doesn't seem to be an "impact" point. Usually,on an impact, the glass in the LCD would be cracked and both small and larger cracks will spider out in all directions from that point. I don't seem to see that on the picture. It's possible that it's because I don't have the unit in front of me, but I don't see it. Also, since the LCD splits straight down from top to bottom, "impacts" normally don't do straight lines like that. It's very likely from what I'm seeing, is that this is a manufacturing defect and not user error. You may want to try getting an Acer rep to actually look at the unit and see if they can do something for you.

You're right Brian, I'm feeling a bit queezy right now. [xx(]

-Vb-

 

Now that the link works for me I saw the picture, and cringed.

*******************************************************
Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
*******************************************************

 

I think after reading the post that picking it up by the screen caused the break. I agree with the rest that under a normal warrenty most company's will not cover it because 99% of the time its because the user physicaly damaged it. The weight of the notebook probably caused the pressure in the middle of the lcd to break it. LCD are very expensive repairs....Maybe you could get a lower model of the same notebook and pull come parts from your broken machine like the hard drive, cpu, ram....I know with lots of machines the lowest model is much cheaper so if you can put those parts in it could get you much closer to the system you hard. I know thats kinda crazy but its just a thought. Like they said do some research to see if others have had this problem, its not likely but probably your only real chance for a free fix.


Compaq R3000T (CTO)
P4 Desktop 3.0GHz w/HT
1 X 512MB RAM
Radeon 9600 128MB
60GB 5,400 RPM HD
AquaMark3: 24,257, 3DMark03: 3,115

 

http://www.portablecomputer.com/repair/broken.asp Ran across this website which may give you another option. They offer to buy your damaged laptop from you. They say that they will offer you a fair market price.(who really knows what that means!) Anyway, since you say your notebook is only a few months old, i think its worth a try to let them know what you have and just see what they might offer you. Hope this may help you. Now I'm paranoid about my Acer 2025. I paid big money for it. Made me sick to see that pic. Goodluck.

 

Thanks for all the help, guys..
here's a more static link to the picture for those who missed my horror story.

Anyhow, I am going to give ACER one more try, and then I'll see if I can sell it. I am seriously out of money right now and I don't have any to repair it at the time being. I really still feel jipped, I seriously was never abusive to this laptop, and I would totally admit it if I had done something. I am going to write a note to ACER to let them know how disappointed I am with their product and I will steer anyone who asks me away from this company. They were quite rude to me on the phone the last time.

I just spoke with someone and I am going to send it in for eval. I am not holding my breath, but I can tell you I am going to raise all the hell I can with these people before spending another dime on this thing.

Thanks again everybody..

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by chiefy

 

Damage like this would normally not be cause by just opening the LCD. It's usually lift the unit up via the LCD. That would cause enough pressure to snap the glass in the LCD screen. Just try not to apply too much pressure on the LCD in any way and you should be fine.

-Vb-

 

yikes, that is a nasty photo...it almost naseates me more than broken limbs (which on second thought, is a little sad i must admit)...

my heart goes out to you chiefy, i feel for you.

now that i'm scared sh**less of doing the same or similar to my own notebook, can someone please answer if by 'opening it up by the lcd', one means applying direct pressure to the screen in order to lift the lid, or is it possible to afflict such carnage by opening with hands and fingers on the monitor casing?

dealing with a case of instant paranoia,

todd

 

Hey, I thought I'd post a followup, after what seems like years, ACER called me back, and informed me that the crack was my fault, and that repair would cost $485. I guess they felt bad or something, since they originally quoted me $900. Anyhow, I argued with a tech guy for a while, but it really got me nowhere. I got my laptop back last week, and with a new LCD. I just hope this one isn't defective too, so far so good. I've learned my lesson, and I will never buy an ACER product for the rest of my life.

 

Hey Chiefy,

I'm happy to see that you got your notebook back with the screen repaired, but a bit sad that they didn't repair under warranty. Although it was repaired at 50% of the original cost. That's still WAY cheaper than buying a new notebook or even getting one online from eBay. You can try buying their 3 Year Extended Warranty package, I think it also comes with Accidental Damage Protection. It costs approx $280US.

https://secure.tx.acer.com/findsystem/ExtendedWarranties.aspx

Try not to discount the entire brand because of 1 incident. Normally cracked LCD's would not be repaired under warranty from any company. Also, in most cases, other companies probably wouldn't give you 50% off the repair cost either, so Acer did go a bit above and beyond in customer service.

If you don't want to get Acer's extended warranty, you should be able to get a home articles insurance policy that should cover damages like this in the future. There were a few users talking about this type of policy, I think one was Bootleg2go.

-Vb-

 

looking at ur incident makes me feel that,LCD is a very very fragile thing, especially evident now as i feels that my 1681's lcd panel is made of some sort of plastic. it seems like it couldn't withstand pressure... previously i thought laptop's LCDs are suppose to be thougher than normal LCDs...

i hv 2 questions though:
1. if i place my laptop LCD downwards n the base face upwards during charging, will it affect my LCD? (Generally, i mean flipping over the laptop with the LCD closed.)

2. I keep my laptop in the bag about 90% of the time at home as i m using a desktop. i place it horizontally inside the targus bag that came with the laptop. However, this time, the laptop is in it's natural position where base is down n LCD is up. But, I keep the power adapter and mouse in the compartment above the LCD. Will it apply pressure to the LCD underneath and cause damage in the long run.... ?
p/s: after going through this thread, i hv resorted to storing the laptop bag vertically to avoid pressure.. but that makes the laptop standing all the time...

 

Xenothrix,

The LCD screens are made of plastic and glass. The top layer is plastic, while the under later is glass that has the liquid crystal sandwiched between. It's the glass the cracks and then the liquid crystal spills out (the black stuff in the pictures). It's best not to apply pressure to any one point of the LCD. When you close the LCD, make sure you close it holding the middle (where the latch is located) so you don't apply pressure to one side of the LCD and cause the screen to torque.

When charging, make sure the system is sitting upright and not flipped upside down (underside of the unit facing upwards). This puts pressure on the LCD cover and may case the screen to crack if it sits in a bad position. That's why the base is the strongest part of notebooks.

You may want to turn your notebook around so the the LCD is towards your body while the bottom of the notebook faces away from you. This way any hits the bag gets from a bump will only hit the underside of the unit, not the LCD. This is what I normally do with my system when I travel with it, but my bag is just wide enough so the adapter/cable sits just to the side of my notebook. There's a removable pad that seperates the notebook and adapter so it fits perfectly.

-Vb-

 

oh well...
i hv removed the power adapters... n let the laptop sitting horizontally on my table.
the free targus is just wide enough to house the widescreen 1681... no more space beside even though there's the removal pad u mentioned. now i apply the removal pad to protect the upper part of the laptop, but just a part of it since the sticky pad is within the right area.

i came across the shock resistance shinza storage. however, couldn't find it in malaysia.

thanks for ur suggestion...

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Venombite

 

The fact is that we don't know if you "didn't do anything to cause the LCD to crack". I would've been very upset myself if I were you. So I fully support you. But I think that it's a bit unfair to extrapolate your particular problem on all of the Acer. If you are the only one with self cracked acer notebook the acer support have all the rights to be suspicious. And you should've asked them to do technical expertise and determine the cause of the crack.

Do you think that IBM, Sony, HP, Dell, Asus, Toshiba etc would've replaced the LCD at no cost? I think that you know the answer.

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by chiefy
The fact is that I didn't do anything to cause the LCD to crack, and ACER treated me like a liar from start to finish. It's not so much the product as the way that the company handled it, and me as someone who used my money to purchase their product for my business. They have let me down in many ways, and I will continue to tell people to steer clear of this company.
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

 

Hi chiefy,
I'm really sorry to hear about your notebook, but have to agree with vr5. I think your being too hard on Acer, no other notebook manufacturer would have replaced the LCD for free. It sounds like when they replaced the LCD they only charged you their cost for the LCD; they were very fair with you. Like I think I said back when you 1st posted, if you could find some other cases on the internet of Acer LCDs just breaking by themselves, then you would have a case against them for a manufacturing or design defect. I'm sure you would have known it if you had broken it, but if anyone else had any access to the notebook, then they could have accidently broke it and not told you. It is also possible that something happened to it in the day or days before it was destroyed to cause a small crack and in time it grew. If you put yourself in Acer's shoes and look at it from their angle you would probably have done the same thing. For instance say you sold someone your 1 year old notebook for $1000 and he checks it out, it works, he pays for it and take it home. Then a couple of days later then same thing happens to his screen and he says he did'nt do anything to it, it just happened and he wants to give the destroyed notebook back and get his $1000 back...What would you do? I know they are probably a billion dollar company and $450 for an LCD does not hurt their bottom line like it does yours, but they are selling many thouands of these a month and I'm sure they get many of these calls with broken LCD or other problems and they have to draw the line somewhere.. Oh well I'm just rambling on now it's getting late. My point is that I think Acer did what any other company would do and I'm am really sorry that this had to happen to you.

Hope you have a good weekend
Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Just saw this thread when looking for info re: Acer warranties.

Does anyone know whether the "Accidental Damage Protection" from Acer cover LCD breakage?

My LCD screen broke on my last notebook ( not an Acer), likely due to the pressure inside my laptop bag (from overpacking). But I believe that the build quality did have something to do with, because the only new variable when I began using the laptop was the laptop itself (ie: my packing habits hadn't changed from my previous laptop, a Dell). I think some manufacturers screens are better built, and the tightness of the screws around the screen could have something to do with screens cracking (despite all - not just Acer - manufacturers' saying that any LCD screen cracks are due to "user error")

 

Just saw this, so answered my own question:

3 YEARS TOTAL NOTEBOOK PROTECTION BUNDLE

1)THIS SERVICE CONTRACT MUST BE REGISTERED WITH ACER WITHIN 15 DAYS OF PURCHASE OF COMPUTER
2) SEE WWW.ACERPANAM.COM FOR MORE DETAILS
3)CUSTOMER MUST CALL ACER TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR DIAGNOSTICS FIRST
4)COMPUTER MUST BE CARRIED IN OR MAILED IN TO AN ACER OR ACER AUTHORIZED REPAIR CENTER
5)SHIPPING PAID BOTH WAYS DURING EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD
6)ADDS 2 YEARS TO STANDARD MANUFACTURER WARRANTY
7) 3 YRS TOTAL PROTECTION INCLUDED
8)DAMAGES AS A RESULT OF MISUSE OR ABUSE ARE EXCLUDED

I'm skipping the extended warranty and going with Bootleg2go's advice about the home insurance policy, because I agree that it is likely that anything that would break (not due to "misuse or abuse"), would do so in the first year.

 

I could never actually figure out what the "total notebook protection" warranty covers beyond the regular warranty.. With IBM and Dell it is pretty obvious, they even say things like drops and spilling coffee on it are covered (as long as it isn't purposeful - but then how can they tell?) whereas the acer one has that clause #8 that can let them reject pretty much any of those causes.. So how exactly is it better than the regular ($124) extended warranty? Perhaps I missed something, but even scanning their T&C doesnt clue me in..

 

Hello
Today I found my Travelmate 2200 display cracked without me dropping it or abusing it in any other way.
It will be interesting to see if I can get it repaired for free. If not, I will go to the national consumer board and complain including a printout of your case.
Thank you very much for spreding the news of the problem. This has been most helpfull.
Best regards
Klaus D. Nielsen

 

Ibm Is A Lot Better... I Would Buy Ibm Over Any Product Anyday!

 

many MasterCards have extended warranties as well, even on debit cards. many people don't know they have these benefits or know they exist:
Extended Warranty:
"Extended Warranty doubles the original warranty time period and duplicates the coverage of theoriginal manufacturer’s (or U.S.store brand) warranty up to a maximum of twelve (12) months on most items you purchase.", covered up to $10,000
Purchase Assurance:
"MasterCard cardholders can benefit from the security and safety offered through Purchase Assurance Coverage.If something you bought with your MasterCard card is damaged or stolen within ninety (90) days of purchase,you may be eligible for benefits under this coverage. Purchase Assurance is an insurance program.", covered up to $1000

I also have Satisfaction Guaranteed (money-back on auction purchases for 60+ days after purchase) up to $250, RoadAssist (pay-for-usage roadside assistance), Travel Assistance, and Global Service, all on my free checking account's debit card and my free PayPal debit card.

 

Hi
My acer Travelmate with a cracked LCD has been evaluated in Acers German repair centre, and they refuse to repair it under the warranty (big surprise )
They claim that the damage is caused by "external influence", which is not true.

As documentation they have sent me two pictures, which I am happy to share with you:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IbtGzZq0YsXHg

So the big question is: Can anyone understand what the Germans see in the pictures, which proves bad external influence, because I can not?
Best regards

 

Janeway, not sure about that, I've had both of my last two laptops die around the 1 and a half year mark, both of them motherboard failures (probably due to overheating and slowly causing issues) one wasn't under extended warrenty ($600+ to fix) the other I had got the warrenty so it was free.

I recommend the warrenty, it may be $120 for another two years, but that's $60 a year to protect a multi-thousand dollar investment (at least in my case).

 

Hmm that's interesting... I really don't understand what the point of getting a warranty is then... cause I mean... even if it was a manufacturer defect... how could you prove it was 2 years from now anyways? hmmm.. I'm gonna e-mail them today...