Sager Customer Service Experience

I'm sure there are several threads on this, or similar topics, so I apologize for the repeat. However I recently just got blown off by Sager (again) and I wanted both to vent and hear some feedback from other members here.

Here's my tale of woe:

-Purchased a Sager NP9750 (the one in my sig) in April of 2006. Upon arrival it crashed 3-5 times a week.

-Reinstalled everything probably 5 times. System still crashed like clockwork. I could hardly browse the internet, let alone game on the machine.

-Contact Sager, they give me the run-around. I leave the country for several months and leave my laptop behind.

-Get back Stateside and begin problem solving trying to get my $3500 paperweight working.

-Sager finally gives me an RMA after months of claiming it was user error.

-Sager "works" on my laptop for almost 4 months. Sends it back claiming nothing was wrong with it.

-My warranty is now expired. Crashing continues while I continue problem solving running test after test with software. Finally conclude it must be a faulty CPU. About that time my GPU fries.

-Sager charges me about $350 to refurbish my GPU, which has never seen a gaming application in its short, pathetic life.

-I get back my laptop within 4 weeks- not bad. Unfortunately Sager didn't pack the PSU in any bubble wrap and it was damaged in shipment (I assume).

-Contact Sager and get an RMA for my PSU which does not work now. They charge me $100 to send a "loaner" PSU while mine is being repaired.

-(EDIT) A power issue arrises at this time. My notebook can no longer run on battery (not that the battery life was ever GOOD on this model). The instant you unplug the power supply, the laptop dies, even though Windows assures you that your battery is 100% charged. Upon reboot, Windows says your battery is completely dead (and charging). It takes anywhere from 3 to 10 DAYS for the battery to become "fully charged" again.

-LCD inverter dies shortly after.

-I buy an LCD inverter online and install it myself (at that time I converted my boring Sager case into an Alienware). I also buy a new CPU which fixes my crashing problem.

-I again leave the country and leave my laptop behind.

-5-6 months later Sager still has not shipped my PSU back. I contact them. They claim they were waiting for me to confirm my mailing address (which has never changed) before shipping the PSU. They never emailed me.

-Yesterday I got the PSU. It was held together by bright yellow tape wrapped both legth-wise at the seam and around at both ends. I take the ridiculous tape off and secure the casing with superglue as the screws are stripped. I plug it in. It still doesn't work. No green light on the power brick and no power sent to the laptop- the same as when I sent it in.

-Get ahold of Sager today wanting my $100 back. They claimed the PSU was working when they shipped it to me and that they will only refund $50. I tell them that is unnacceptable due to the fact THEY broke it, took 6 months to "repair" it with tape and promised me I would get my $100 deposit back. They accuse me of lying about the whole ordeal and tell me I can either take the $50 or take nothing at all.

---

So, next time I deal with Sager or any other company, I will be taking "before and after" pictures and documenting EVERYTHING. Unfortunately we live in a world where companies can treat their customers like crap simply because every other company does too, so there's no fear that they might lose your business. But you can bet your bottom dollar I'll never buy a Sager again. Ever.


Any feedback, thoughts or personal experience is welcomed.

 

Yeah... well I'm sorry that this happened. But what can a customer do but try to spend a lot more money and go for a lawsuit but honestly you probably won't win, if you're even taken seriously.

Hope everything works out for you!

 

I heard lot of stories regarding m7700 mobo issues.

 

1. Did you buy it directly from Sager, or if not, from which reseller did you buy it?
2. What are your RMA numbers. I would be happy to look into this for you. For confidentiality please email them to me. My email is in my signature.

 

Sorry to hear this,hope it comes out well.

I always had positive experiences with Sager.

 

Well thanks for your sympathy guys, lol. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau regarding the power supply brick as well as gotten in touch with Donald from powernotebooks.com.

I was surprised to see that Sager currently has a "D" grade with the B.B.B. Of course I have no ther company to really compare that grade to, but it still sounds bad...

Thanks again everyone.

 

Ya its a bit weird the OEM has such a low rating wheras the resellers xotic and PNB have so much of a higher rating.

 

Never would have guessed Sager has a "D" rating. Even Buy.com has a "BBB" rating.

 

Sager had a C less than a month ago.... they are fluctuating due to their volume of systems that they sell... and the volume of complaints that have not gotten responded to yet.

The BBB will increase their grade when they resolve the unanswered issues.

 

I am sorry to hear about your travails with Sager; and appreciate the fact that you posted. While it's certainly very cold comfort to you, I don't believe that there are too many postings of this nature, although the fact that there are a number of unresolved BBB complaints outstanding suggests that Sager is having some unfortunate hiccups in the service department area right now.

In terms of your choosing not to do business with Sager again, that, too, is understandable; after all, many of us are here because we got fed up with being treated like mushrooms by the national brands, so one can hardly fault you for doing the same with Sager. More than most other people, I think most of us here would agree that you should never sit still for being treated like dirt; that is one of the things that constantly amazes me about the resellers here (unfortunately, Sager doesn't seem to have its own self-identified rep on NBR) - particularly Xoticpc, Powernotebooks, and now Kobalt computers - the level of attention that they give to both their customers and anyone else who takes the time to post on here.

My only question on that would be: is it possible that your misfortunes have more to do with your particular model than with Sager/Clevo in general (I understand that Clevo has had one or two lemons - Clevo Edsels or Pintos, if you will - in the past; as have most companies, of course)? Perhaps those with more experience regarding Clevo models could chime in here and set me straight, if need be.

Lastly, I think your point about documenting your system before you send it off is pure gold. It is, and always was, a good idea to protect ones' self by taking pictures and what-not; however, nowadays, with digital cameras as cheap as they are, it's becoming almost inexcusable for people to not at least take a couple of quick shots before sealing up the box and sending it off. I am very sorry that you had to learn that lesson the hard way; hopefully, the rest of us will take your story to heart and learn the lesson the easy way.

Good luck, and best wishes with your next system.

 

Shyster1,

I do think that part of my problem has been the model of laptop I purchased (Clevo D900k) as I have heard quite a few horror stories regarding this model. I know I bought a lemon (unfortunately I was not aware at the time of purchase- otherwise I wouldn't have purchased it), there's no question about that. Unfortunately lemons are out there. However, companies ALSO know that lemons are out there and that THEY even produce a few of them. Therefore I should not have to pull their teeth out trying to get the company to take action. That is the real frustration for me. I've worked with technology long enough to know that it can cause more than a few premature grey hairs, but what is absolutely maddening is when the company who sold you that expensive paper weight won't do anything about it and even claim the problem is YOUR fault. That is the attitude that I have encountered with Sager (particularly David Liu of the tech department). It's just sad that a class action lawsuit is about the only way to get companies to take responsibility for a faulty product. Granted it is ultimately Clevo who designed the product in question here, but the warranty was offered through Sager. Company warranties are like insurance providers- they offer a lot on paper, but when push comes to shove, they want to dodge every claim they can to maximize profits.

As for the documentation/photography of items before being shipped off, unfortunately I did learn the hard way. But honestly it never even crossed my mind that it would be necessary. I never thought that Sager wouldn't package my product correctly or even if they didn't, that it wouldn't be covered either by UPS or by Sager. The thought never even crossed my mind that they would try to dodge the bullet by accusing ME of lying about how the item was damaged. I'm just an honest person by nature and I don't get accused of lying or trying to scam people everyday, lol. But even with before and after pics, Sager could still just claim that I mishandled the product after I received it. They can always deny responsibility. They claimed they fixed my PSU and that it was working when it left their shop. It clearly WASN'T working when I got it back, so who's fault is it and who should take responsibility? It's always going to be one person's word against theirs. They will always win, and they know it. Companies can bully customers around and we just have to deal with it. If it's a serious enough case, we can go to court, but guess who has more money to throw at lawyers? It's a no win situation.

Truth is few companies are looking out for their customers, they're just looking out for their bottom line. There are a few exceptions, such as a few of the companies who have reps on this forum. I think some of these guys truly support and are a part of the community that they are selling products to and they have both a vested interest and a true understanding of the issues. Unfortunately these reps don't handle the warranties as they are acting as middle men in every sense of the phrase. There's a reason Clevo and Sager don't have active members in forums like these, lol. Big companies make more money if there is a certain degree of separation from and calousness toward their customer base. Sympathetic employees would effect their profitability


Wow, I must sound like a depressed, cynical pessimist right now, lol...

 

You are right, the D900T/K series had problems in the beginning, even Gophn had his GPU replaced .

But that has changed, the D901C is a solid rock, and there`s no doubt about it, that laptop is the fastest yet.
Also,there`s the M570TU and the M860TU coming up and they`ll pretty much eliminate the competition in terms of performance and pricing.
Leave it to uneducated custommers to come and say AW makes the fastest laptops,little do they know.
I am very sorry about your situation, and I advise you to keep pushing to at least get some compensation for the lemon you got,for indeed it was a

 

I had my D900K's GPU replaced... because it was my fault (now that I look back)... I OC'ed and did not know jack about overheating due to dust clogs... so it permanently damaged the videocard after 4-6 months of use without dusting.

That is why I am so adamant about notebook cooling now (especially for gaming notebooks)... and will lecture people about their system if they are complaining about overheating.

Learn from your mistakes.

My notebook is still rock solid after more than 2 full years of heavy usage.

 

I purchased my Laptop [D901C] from Targa Computers. So I was pleased that Sager offered to Sager Laptop pricing to upgrade to the 8800 SLI m/b setup. Above average business ethics noted. Turnaround and communications were good. I supplied the original packaging, which they returned and handled better than I had.
Unfortunately the returned Laptop was defective as received, having a issue with the indicator lights. The Hard Drive and Media Read Lights stayed on, while caps/numlock/Scrolllock didn't function. Additionally, I ran into the BSOD within two days.
They quickly issued an RMA and handled the second service within days. But they claimed that the Boot Hard Drive had a bad sector, removed the Drive and returned the Laptop without a booting Drive0. Rather strange. As I was planning to move to a SSD anyways, this was a minor issue for me. But I can see that this could be a large problem for a novice.
I am sure that the Drive removed has a Driver conflict, not bad sectors. I have purchased a NexStar SX Sata External Enclosure [NST-285S2-BK] for this same Drive, for easy access to files that I might need.... BTW the NexStar Enclosure is a really nice package.
Overall I think that Sager did a nice upgrade job, but their lack of technical skills regarding 1) testing the first m/b and 2) getting the device drivers correct do raise some questions....

 

Just an update on the story...

Donald from powernotebooks.com did indeed step in and very unexpectedly offered to pay the $50 remainder that Sager refused to reimburse me.

He also pointed out that Sager took only 2 1/2 months to return my laptop rather than the 4 months I stated in this post, apparently frustration leads to exaggeration


If I've learned nothing else from all of this, it's to act swiftly on problems rather than letting them slide and to never go directly to Sager for support.

Thanks to all who have posted and especially to Donald for going above and beyond the call of duty. Hopefully the remainder of this Clevo D900K's life will be sweeter than its previous few years...

 

Sager resellers are awesome

 

Now that's customer service... especially since you weren't a PowerNotebook customer in the first place!

Next time I buy, I'm buying from them.

 

heck yeah way to go donald. i have to say the resellers here are awesome. xotic and powernotebooks imo are the best there are..

 

Thanks Friar, but as it turns out he did originally buy it from PowerNotebooks.com.

However after some initial contact with our 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Support he started dealing directly with Sager instead of keeping us in the loop. As he says in his post above, he understands the advantage of always keeping us in the loop so that we can make sure issues get resolved in a reasonable fashion.

 

Who knows maybe without the resellers sager might have turned into dell and alienware for rep for CS

 

Well, great job anyway, Donald. I'm still heading your way next time I need a notebook.

 

Thanks Friar...we will be here to serve you whenever you are ready

 

I think that's absolutely correct. Sager should thank its lucky stars it has such good representation from its resellers.

Also, some kudos should go to spartacusmagnus for having the decency, the honor, and the courage to back down off of the cliff of what could have become a nuclear rant-n-rave. It takes a lot more courage and mettle to know when to settle one's differences than it does to just go nuclear.

 

Lol, thanks Shyster1