Sent laptop to acer for screen repair, harddrive wiped.

I'm really angry about this. Apparently they performed a "Full Recovery" which basically meant they wiped all my hard.

Now before you go blaming me for backing it up, I was in a rush to get it repaired and it was entirely a hardware issue. Nowhere did they caution me to back up my files, or tell me if they'd back them up for me.

I am extremely angry over this. What is the point of sending a laptop to repairs if they do more damage than good? I could put up with the dodgy screen. I have months of work, musical compositions etc. stored on that laptop. This is a disgrace and I can't imagine what would possibly compensate for it. I'll have to see what I can get off my old laptop that I gave to someone else and look through my emails for stuff I sent people.

 

Well...technically, unless you are sending your machine only for an assessment of problems, you should always presume that the vendor will always return the machine to you in a factory condition. Don't get me wrong...I completely empathize with your situation, but Acer would probably work on the assumption that you have made copies of your files before you sent it to them for repair. OTOH, if they were going to reset your machine to factory defaults, then I would expect them to at least ask you (or tell you) about it before doing it. But would they do a backup for you prior to doing all this? For a fee, maybe!

 

Sorry to hear it but there are a lot of posts here that warn this happens when laptops are sent in for repair.

 

I am really sorry to hear that this happened to you, and trust me when I say that I understand the need to vent. With that being said, this part of your post I felt should be touched upon directly.

Legally a computer company normally provides several warnings to back up your HD before sending it in. If you look through your paperwork concerning the warranty you'll find it. This releases them from responsibility for the loss of any information, so there will likely be no compensation.

I say try to recover what you can, mourn the loss of what you cannot, and then move forward.

 

This is inexcusable. I'm sorry, but I can't move on from this incompetence. Let me advise you that any advice to the ends of letting this go with me is absolutely futile. Regardless of technicalities, the machine has not been fixed to a satisfactory standard and because of that I should have a case. Can someone recommend a course of action to recieve full compensation or force the stupid little dip that damaged my property to restore it because I am not wasting my free time doing so myself. I am NOT going to move on and forget and will ignore any posts suggesting this course of action, nothing is more futile than doing nothing.

I don't have a copy of the warranty, I'm unsure I even got one, can someone send me a copy of the 6920G warranty?

I did not have the means to perform a full system backup at the time.

 

Live and learn Kitty.

Acer will not compensate you for wiping your hard drive and restoring it to Factory Default.

The only legitimate complaint you have is that they have not fixed the screen issue problem properly.

That's it.

Cheers

 

Sorry, didn't hear you.

The only things I would find helpful right now are recommendations for how to get my data back, and a copy of the warranty so I can find a loophole in it.

 

Your data is gone forever using normal recovery methods.

You can however take the HDD to specialists in data recovery and pay the money. Big money and big lesson learn't.

And no, there is no loophole.

That's it

Cheers

 

Did someone fart in here.

Honestly it's not even so much the lost data, it's stuff like all the optimisations I did on it - I hate doing that. Undervolting takes hours. If someone could tell me the exact values to use for the 6920G in the CPU utility, then that'd help loads.

They said they wiped the C drive, is it likely they wiped my D drive too? Is this part of the system restore? That's where a lot of the data was. If it's only the C drive then it's a bit more understandable.

 

TJ we got your point yeah lesson learnt. And by the way, if the hardware failure the laptop had had nothing to do with the HDD in my opinion Acer shouldn't have touched it. Nevertheless I'm pretty sure they will have some disclaimer or something to cover their butts in cases like this one.

Kittie I'm afraid that a big part of the data might be unrecoverable already as part of the hard disk was overwritten. There is no way to find out if I'm right but it's a possibility.
As for the warranty - I'm not sure but if I recall correctly when you get your laptop some of the eSoftware remind you to register it in the Acer system using you serial number right? I guess from there you can download a copy of warranty but again - I'm not sure.

 

I found this:

Source: http://www.acer.co.ae/acer/service....attN2B2F2EEF=1038&ctx1.att21k=1&CRC=884888249

These a general terms which I believe apply to all Acer products...


Edit: D'oh, this is for Middle East and Africa, will try to find a copy for Europe.

 

Well if I'm correct wouldn't only a small amount have been overwritten? As overbloated as Vista is, it doesn't take up all the C drive.

Do you think it's possible the D drive is unaffected? I'd still loose my My Documents folder etc. which makes me rage but I might eb able to live with that and whatever I can salvage.

I'm wonderng if there is some way to pressure Acer into acting though. Surely if they have a disgruntled enough customer, they stand to loose more money through sales? If I punch on a bunch of sites like 4chan saying how incompetent their repairs are, it'll put at least half a dozen people off, easily more money lost for them than is worth the hassle of just not ing erasing people's data for fixing a screen problem. It annoys me when corporations are not only greedy, but arrogant. With legal action at least they can have bigger, better lawyers, but with a really angry determined customer and the wonders of the internet. they are going to loose money. There's no way about this.

 

Drive D: is not affected by the recovery process so it should be intact. If something has happened to D: then it's Acer fault.

 

Basically what Acer is saying is this:

Once they have your lappie in their workshop they are entitled to use "any means" available to them to sucessfully repair the item.

Once again, that's it.

Kittie has only one way out. And that is to request Acer to fix the screen problem. Properly.

Cheers

 

A member of NBR sent to Acer his laptop for a screen replacement and they didn't touch his HDD. So in my opinion if the problem had nothing to do with the HDD they shouldn't have touched it...

 

Look...understandably, you are mad about this. But I don't think there is any point in becoming irrational about it.

1. It MAY be possible that your D Drive was not touched. In which case you have at least some of your data.

2. You want to complain on the internet about Acer's services? They'd say...go right ahead...they are the third largest computer manufacturers/ sellers in the world (some say they are 4th). Do you really think you can fight such a behemoth unless you operate on the basis of a class action suit which, based on your situation is probably not on the cards...though who knows.

3. If you look around on some of the Acer threads, you will find folks complaining about Acer's services...but then as others have pointed out, such problems also afflict other computer manufacturers and their service points.

 

No, but I could easily cause them enough damage through loss saels, spamming my story on 4chan and active boards like that, for it to cost them more than restoring my lost data(a couple of hundred at the most, versus a couple of dozen lost sales).

Here's the email I just sent acer:

I think I have a good point with regards the system restore. It doesn't say they were going to perform it, even if theey are covered against lost or damaged data, the actual action of running a system restore is not covered, as I may not agree with that method of repairing the laptop, regardless of lost data.

I think that's very rational. Yes, it's a silly technicality, but so is half of what these corporations use to save their asses from all kinds of legal trouble. Honestly if they do stuff like this without permission, it should be illegal no matter what.

 

Acer tech's have the tools at their disposal. If D is gone, so be it.

Not Acers fault. They will do what they deem is necessary to get the computer working again. And so blame canno't be laid at Acer's door.

So, D is is good before you send the comp to Acer.

Comp comes back from an Acer and D is gone. Too bad. Not their problem.

Maybe they put a new HDD in??

Cheers

 

Deleting a partition won't fix ANYTHING I guarantee you that. So there is actually NO point of doing it.

Also, all Acer laptops come with C:\ and empty D:\ partition so again, there is no point to delete it.

 

TeeJay, I am sorry to say this as it makes me look like a git, but please leave my thread if you are not going to be of help. I don't appreciate your "help" because it's nothing more than corporate apologism. This is the exact opposite of helpful since it's the reason we have little power over our contracts to begin with. You're part of the problem.

Even if it is not legally Acer's fault, they are still at fault for taking inappropriate action to fix a broken screen without my consent. What they deem is necessary could be to hit it with a sledgehammer, it's irrelevant. I'm not talking about legal technicalities here, but actual ethics and logic. Even legally, they do not state that they will specifically run a system restore so even if they are not responsible for lost data, the action that led to the loss of data is still questionable. But big corporations tend to win out over small disabled people unfortunately. At least I'm not giving up at the first hurdle like most people.

 

If you're tired of me, then keep out of my threads honestly. Next post from you and I'm putting you on ignore.

 

Hi Kittie, perhaps instead of arguing with us perhaps you should use all your energy on Acer. You've been given good advice now please take it and use it, nothing can be changed by this futile anger towards those who try to help you...
Chris

 

chriscatt, ATG is certainly being helpful, but how is Teejay being helpful? My aggression is directed towards him because he is part of the reason people have little power in these kinds of situations. It would be just as wrong to focus all my anger on Acer.

Just because he's telling me what I don't want to hear, doesn't mean he's being helpful. If you get me. Harsh advice isn't automatically good advice.

 

TJ if you have something to say ON TOPIC then you're welcome to do so. Otherwise just don't post. I'm getting tired of monitoring this thread and deleting posts.

 

I think that Kittie certainly has a case to go to town on Acer - possibly get some kind of financial compensation, or improved hardware (CPU upgrade? :3). A screen upgrade should NOT have involved a restore to factory default, although I wouldn't be surprised that it's standard operating procedure over at their service center to ascertain it's a hardware issue, as opposed to something the end user gunked up.

But I honestly think you're not going to get far with Acer until you lawyer up, and that is because they will probably respond with the same thing I thought when I first read this topic: why on earth don't you have a backup? Acer obviously feels that it is the end user's responsibility to ensure that their data is secured on their end, right or wrong. I'm actually kind of surprised that they didn't ask you to do a restore to factory default yourself before sending it in (which might be something with which to smack around Acer in court).

Still, regardless of whether or not it was just for a screen update, you should have done a full backup of your crucial documents exactly BECAUSE you were sending it in! As much as I trust those techies, there is some sensitive stuff I don't want their eyes to see on my system.

I would just consider this a lesson going forward, especially to other users reading this topic. If you do not have a backup system set up - either online, to DVDs, or an external hard drive - you are ASKING for this kind of trouble.
Kittie, I sympathize with your situation, but please tell me you're going to set aside some scratch and invest in a decent external hard drive.

 

TeeJay, there's having a sense of humour, and there's being mean to someone who's just learned a lesson the hard way.
Some things just aren't worth posting, y'know?

Although I will say that Kittie thinking she should post about Acer's repair woes on 4chan got me chuckling. That site truly is the armpit of the Internet, for better or worse.

 

Since the thread has gone further OT and has started to end its usefullness, sp it is now closed.

Kittie,

I also sympathize with your situation... be persistant but don't lose your cool(nothing productive ever happens when you lose it). Also, as mentioned, do frequent backups/invest in an external storage(a simple flash drive goes a long way)