Zepto's support, WTF?

"Recently" a friend got a problem with his 3415W, details here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=234449 , or in short, we sat in a room in our school when he rebooted from a DXDIAG error and it ended up like this: http://i25.tinypic.com/24yd75t.png we sent in his computer to Zepto, and today, he got THIS reply;

(Translated from Swedish)

---------- Vidarebefordrat meddelande ----------
From: Zepto Computers AB <***********@kundservice.zepto.se>
Date: den 29 april 2008 12:08
Subject: Re: Död pixel på skärmen [eTrackNr:656500] (Dead pixel on screen, a OLDER issue that got fixed, what the heck did they send this as subject back?
To: *****[email protected]

Hello Viktor

It seems like when our technicians checked your computer we found traces of liquid. Due to this we are voiding your warranty. I've attached a price for this to the email

You can contact us whether or not you want us to fix this for a price or if you want us to send it back.


Vänliga hälsningar / Best regards
Peter Frank
Customer Care

Zepto Computers AB
Baldersbuen 38,
DK-2640 Hedehusene
Phone: 040 - 601 31 10
www.zepto.se


This is quite frankly one of the biggest BULL****S I've EVER encountered with a company, this is unacceptable, we sent it away sealed via UPS to Denmark, the day the screen broke it was absolutely dry outside, there is no possible way liquid came into the computer from where we sent it via UPS, and if it would have been liquid that had caused it, it would have been fried would it not, the day it broke it was sunlight outside for gods sake! If you connected an external monitor to it, it worked perfectly!

Seriously, what the hell? This makes me furious, we sent away a defect computer to get it's screen fixed, a month later we get this email?! Any liquids would have vaporized in that time!

EDIT: Not only that, the cost for them fixing it is roughly 410€, that's almost half the cost of the laptop, a cost we shouldn't have to pay, since we did nothing wrong!

 

To me it sounds like a load of bollocks and they replied to the wrong title, that was my first issue with a dead pixel on the screen.

They didnt give me much information about the liquid either and i really dont understand what has happenend.

And now they want half of what i paid for the computer to repair it wtf... so i have to pay for a misstake that someone else did?

Well thanks for that...

 

Just to confirm it, Viktor Foderus is the actual owner of the laptop, and one thing is sure, if this don't get resolved, I'm not going to buy anything else from Zepto.

 

If this dont get resolved I am not buying anything from zepto again either.

 

First, I have edited the email addresses out of the post in order to save the spammers the pleasure of picking them up.

I think there's more to understand about what liquid, where and how it causes the problem you have linked to. I presume the "broken" screen is the 6 small displays that you have linked to. I would expect the cause to lie on the motherboard.

The liquid may no longer be wet but could have left a deposit on the motherboard if it had entered around / though the keyboard. Any sugary drink is rich in carbon and carbon is a good conductor. Coke is acid as well. However, unless there's been corrosion then it should be able to clean the muck off and not make a replacement.

John

 

Why are you both posting the same problem. I understand you are upset at being accused of spilling liquid in the notebook, but as you have gone to extra lengths to state it could not of gotten any liquid in it when you sent it you failed to state that it had no liquid spilled on it in the past.
No a notebook would not necessarily fry anything at the time. I once spilled a large glass of wine all over a notebook, turned it off immediately by pulling the power cord and popping out the battery out, it's still working to this day as my wifes notebook (about 6 months after the accident). The biggest cause of liquid damage to electronics is the residue left behind (especially if it is a sweet drink) as most people simply disconnect all power sources in the event of an accidental spill and leave it to dry before attempting to power it up again.
There is a distinct possibility that this may have happened in this case and you are simply trying to pass the blame to Zepto. It of course may not be the case as well.
No need to go so overboard on the post though.

 

Well still, there have been no liquid close to it (Not even coke), so yeah, what kind of liquid really?

Your point is valid, but seriously, if we look at what happened when the notebook broke down, we where going to check his DXDIAG, I can't remember the reason why exactly, and it crashed and all applications in Vista started to crash upon start, thus he rebooted the computer, and voila, upon boot it was like on the screen, if it was liquid damage, wouldn't it have come earlier, or did it just so happen to time exactly on reboot?

 

I would start by having them document this with photographs. Perhaps some
visuals of the 'trace liquids' will help shed light on the problem.

Just my 2 cents, good luck!

 

I reserve judgement until I see more of Zepto's findings.

I also recall in the past a friend coming to me with his notebook because it had a keyboard problem. It took some interrogation to find out that there had been a recent encounter with some gin and tonic. On that occasion we took the keyboard out and bave it a good bath. After drying it worked OK (and the next time the same problem happened my friend fixed it himself).

I would also want to be satisfied that that possible presence of liquid or deposit is related to the display problem needing to be solved.

John

 

Let me say this:

I have never spilled any liquid on my computer as long as I have had it.

 

Which leads me back to getting them to shoot a photograph of it, which
would tell you exactly where the liquid is and perhaps what kind of liquid
they found.

Luck!

 

I guess we need Zepto's input on this as well, we'll try to get a hold of their phone support...

 

I have sent the photos to your email, if you want to discuss this you know how to contact me.

 

Could anyone else have? Younger brothers or sisters?

 

He don't even have a brother or sister...

I haven't had chance to look at the pictures, but I'll return when I have...

 

Oke i just got some pictures, I still don't believe them because there is no proof in those pictures that those pieces of hardware belongs to my computer, if it is i am speechless because i have no idea of how this could of happened.

http://www.freewebtown.com/Trite/DSCF5988.jpg

http://www.freewebtown.com/Trite/DSCF5989.jpg

http://www.freewebtown.com/Trite/DSCF5990.jpg

 

No go, can't see them.

 

Now you can.

http://www.freewebtown.com/Trite/DSCF5988.jpg

http://www.freewebtown.com/Trite/DSCF5989.jpg

http://www.freewebtown.com/Trite/DSCF5990.jpg

 

Now there is one chance that this would of happened.

Someone else spilled some sort of fluid on my computer without med knowing it when i was on a LAN party, and it scares me because thats probably it.

But it doesnt matter because it wasnt the fluid that made my screen go wild and i think that zepto should repair it because it just randomly broke.

You just want to break the warranty so i have to pay.

I wont buy stuff from zepto anymore its /goodbye from now on i think its bad style.

 

And before there are any conspiracy's about "revelations after pressure" I'll just go ahead and say that I was the one that suggested that, because it's the only time I could ever think of it not being guarded, strange though, if that's all that takes to void the warranty I'll have to remove my keyboard and see if there is anything like that there if I'm going to send in my 3415W due to the audio connector to the laptop being play.

And another thing, why do picture #1 look like a fingerprint to me?

 

Removing the keyboard may also void the warranty.
Any interaction with the hardware inside will have the same outcome.
I suggest you leave this to the technicians.

 

Strange, because when I called Zepto's support before I got my laptop I made ****ing sure I could remove it if I needed, I was also assured that if I wanted to I could change the CPU as long as I don't break anything in it, and I'm also quite sure that I've got it recorded, I'll try to find it for sure.

 

Couldn't find any recordings, seems like I recently wiped my telephone folder, anyway, some guy named Magnus something at the phone support promised me this, I'm interested now, because this is quite good for me to know if it was a "lie" or what not.

 

I want to know too.

 

Please mind your choice of words.

We've debated the keyboard removal issue previously. If you break anything or leave visible evidence that you have been inside then Zepto can use it as evidence.

However, given the propensity of gaming machines to suck up dust and get clogged cooling systems then Zepto should either provide detailed instructions on keyboard removal and cooling system cleaning or provide free lifetime maintenance.

Now, going back to original topic: Liquid in the computer. I see this model also has a ventilated keyboard (as on 6x24W and 6625WD). While this helps the airflow it also makes it very easy for anything else to pass though the keyboard and get to the motherboard. So, by design, an accident waiting to happen (as the expression goes). On most notebooks it's the keyboard that gums up and stops working but on this model the liquid can pass through unnoticed and cause subsequent havoc.

My next question would be whether a cleanup job is an alternative to complete motherboard replacement?

John

 

Fair enough, I was quite a bit angry when I wrote that, as for cleanup job, think that'll do it really? Though perhaps it would, because if we connected an external monitor to the laptop, it worked just fine, no six small screens then.

 

Which suggests that the problem lies somewhere close to the connector to the internal display. I had previously assumed that the GPU had gone neurotic.

Over to you and Zepto to discuss and agree the way forward.

John