Sager, Powernotebooks.com, and the NP2096

Hello everyone,

I purchased a Sager NP2096 from Powernotebooks.com. It arrived late afternoon on Wednesday, 8/13/08. Unfortunately it had hairline scratches on the back of the screen ranging from 1/2 inch to 4 inches long . Also, a few keys on the lower left hand side were making very noticeable clicking noises .

The following morning I called Powernotebooks.com to see what recourse I had apart from returning it. I spoke with Tim, who advised me to contact Sager, since my warranty was directly through them. He also said that if Sager was unable to help, he would see what Powernotebooks.com could do to help me out (hope is kindled).

After hanging up with Tim, I immediately called Sager. I explained the situation to the gentleman who answered the phone. He was very polite and patient. After hearing what I had to say, you know what he said.

.......drum roll......


"No problem" . Thats right, "No Problem" .

He wanted me to ship it to him (at Sager's cost), but I asked if I could just drop by the next day to have the problems fixed since I only live 20 minutes from Sager's factory. Again, "No Problem".

I called Powernotebooks.com to let them know Sager's response. Mr. Donald Stratton answered. He asked me to look up Frank, Powernotebooks.com's representative, when i got to there.

Frank asked an employee to look at my notebook and see what he could do. Unfortunately the noticeable clicking noise was no longer as noticeable ( I was concerned the employee would not be interested in looking under the keyboard and would send me on my way). He explained the initial clicking noise I had heard was caused by the keys not being properly inserted into the brackets in the chassis that holds the keyboard. The subsequent noise we were hearing was being caused by the keyboard chassis coming in contact with whatever was beneath it. He repaired that problem and also significantly reduced the flex on the left hand side of the keyboard .

Concerning the scratches, he said that they were not covered under the warranty , but would go ahead and take care of that problem as well .

Since this is a very new notebook, he gave me two options. 1, remove the cover of another notebook to replace the one on mine (this had a risk of having the cover that is being removed of getting scratched, which totally defeated the purpose of replacement). 2, wait for the individually sealed replacement parts to arrive and then have it replaced. Obviously I opted for option 2. So as soon as the replacement parts arrive I can take my notebook back and have the cover replaced.

I have had only one other experience dealing with customer service and that was with Dell. I had a question regarding a notebook I was interested in purchasing. I was on the phone for over an hour (a good portion of that being on hold) and was transferred 4 or 5 times. Needless to say that at the end of the phone call, I had no interest in purchasing a Dell.

Sager's and Powernotebooks.com's customer service prior to and after purchasing has been phenomenal. Sager was under no obligation to take care of the scratches at their cost. I would have to either live with the problem or return it and lose about $70 or $80 in shipping (return cost? + initial shipping paid, $31). That would have been depressing and I would not have reordered a Sager notebook.

The NP2096 is awesome, I love its understated looks. I am not into flashy notebooks. So for those who are interested in purchasing a notebook that has a definite professional look and feel (photographs do not do it justice), with plenty of juice inside, I highly recommend the NP2096.

Mr. Stratton, please forward my thanks to Daniel and Tim for helping me decide on purchasing this notebook and, with courtesy and patience, answering all of my questions.

WOW, that was long .

 

Great to hear especially considering I have a Sager NP8660 on order from PNB!

 

Good read. You think Sager's customer service is comparable for Canadian residences?

 

I dont see why not, though it would be a bit of a drive if you wanted to see them in person .

They were willing to address the issues without me having to go to there factory.