Poor Quality Control from Sony.

I just opened my Z112. It arrived about 1.5 weeks ago but I'm not good about opening things right away. My TZ has sat unopened for months.

Anyways, I opened my Z112 and the first thing I see is a scratch on my brand new laptop. I was hoping it was lint but it wouldn't wipe away. It's clearly visible. How can a company like Sony have such poor quality control on a premium product like their Z series? This is a brand new laptop. Both factory seals on the box were intact and I got this laptop directly from Microsoft.

Also, my battery was completely drained. Most laptops are shipped with the battery out of the laptop. The Z showed up with the battery in the laptop and it had 0% charge. Storing Li-Ion batteries for extended periods of time without a charge kills the battery. Is this normal for Sony?

If this was from a local store, I would take it back right away.

UPDATE: I got this from the Microsoft Store. Turns out Microsoft opens up their laptops to perform their Microsoft Signature service. I think they are the ones that scratched it and caused the battery to be depleted. I changed the title to reflect this.

 

The Z does ship with the battery inside the laptop. Although mine was at about 80% when I got it.

 

That's a massive scratch, ridiculous how it didn't get yoinked.

 

The scratch is better now. I used some "Scratch X", basically car wax for plastic and it's not as visible anymore. Still, it's upsetting. I went from "My new laptop!!!!" to "Is that a scratch?"

I'm thinking instead of shutting mine down. They just closed the lid when they put it in the box. Thus it ran until it exhausted the battery.

Is there a way to check the battery capacity on a Sony? Barring that I'll download a utility. I'm concerned now that I have a trashed battery.

I can't exchange it even if I wanted. I got this as part of the Microsoft blowout. They don't have any left.

 

for any new laptop, the battery should be keep separated from the notebook but in your case, it is attached... maybe someone already open and test it before repacking to you.

and for the scratch, why dont you return back the item back instead using those car wax..?
just my 2cent of suggestion.

[edit] did you pay the same amount for this notebook since you are buying from my Microsoft?

 

I agree the battery should not be attached for shipping. Every laptop I've ever bought has been that way. But according to the posts I've read, the Sony Z comes with the battery attached during shipping. As I said, there's no way to exchange it. It's either keep it or return it for a refund. Check out the unboxing thread that confirms that the battery is attached.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/466881-sony-vaio-z-vpcz1-unboxing-photos-movie.html

As for the price. Microsoft blew out all it's Z11's for $1140. Thus, there aren't any left to exchange.

It's just poor QC from Sony and poor decisions concerning the battery. How can such a major blemish been missed on a laptop that supposed to sell for around $2000?

I always thought "Made in Japan" was better than "Made in China". Maybe we're at a turning point. I've purchased many laptops made in China. They've all been perfect.

 

maybe microsoft scratched it

 

You know..... You might be right. I thought the Sony seal was intact but it wasn't. The Sony seal had a Microsoft Signature seal over it. I just thought it was some new thing being offered through Sony by Microsoft. The Sony seals on my other laptops are just well... Sony seals. I looked again carefully and the Sony seal was cut and the Microsoft Signature seal was placed over it. I looked again in the box at the Microsoft Signature manual. I ignored it before since well, I don't read manuals. It said something like "Everything sold through the Microsoft Store has been Microsoft Signatured.." I guess it's like what the Geek Squad at Best Buy does to the machines they sell there.

I hereby take back all the comments I've made disparaging Sony and hereby place all the blame on Microsoft.

 

You can check your battery capacity with HWMonitor.
here: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Sounds like bad luck to me, mine was 80% charged and it's flawless.

 

i received my z690 with a scratch on the lid just like you, (albeit not as ridiculously deep)... i called sony canada, they said that it couldn't be them because their "workers wear gloves"...

my battery was detached with about 50% charge, though

i wouldn't worry about the battery much, because it would eventually deteriorate anyway and you could always purchase a new battery...

but that scratch is unacceptable. regardless of you having purchased it from the microsoft blowout, you should call whoever sent it to you and show them that picture, and if you get nothing from them, call some consumer protection agency

 

I sure hope that Sony doesn't make their assembly technicians wear gloves, or the quality will really take a dip. Imagine someone wearing gloves trying to place tiny parts or operate a precision screwdriver... Or hold the very slick lid without dropping it, for that matter.
Hopefully, the person in Sony Canada had no idea, and told a bold lie without even thinking it through first.

Accidents happen, and Sony and its ODMs need to discourage the practice of punishing employees for an occasional slip -- this only causes production workers to hide flaws instead of reporting them.
Fess up to flaws, then adjust the factory cell to make it easier for the workers to make the products without quality flaws.

Likewise, they need to stop the practice of denying having shipped a flawed product. They may save the money on replacements right there and then (unless the customer fights back, in which case they lose money even if they win), but the chances of the customer buying future equipment from Sony takes a nosedive. Plus the effect on everyone he or she relates the story to.

It takes thousands of workers years to build a good reputation, but it only takes a handful of managers a few months to destroy it.

 

In my opinion complaining about a scratch is just that bit pathetic...would you prefer a real fault like a poor quality component?

 

i wouldn't consider it pathetic when pound for pound, the laptop costs around 3 times more than a ferrari enzo

 

In my opinion, accepting a scratch is pathetic.

Not only because you pay full price, but because you don't know what other internal components were damaged in the accident causing the scratch, and also because you have evidence that their quality control doesn't work, and don't know what else slipped through.

It's high time that we consumers started to vote with our wallets; not for the "best buy", but for quality and workmanship.

 

i agree arth1, but what company has better quality and workmanship than sony? can't possibly be dell after they sent me 2 overheating laptops (one which had its gpu reach 100 degrees celsius), a half dead extra 9 cell battery that they wouldnt replace, and a half broken fan (probably misaligned)

can't be apple either, my friend's 13" macbook is physically handicapped, there's always something new that breaks.. like a european car

perhaps lenovo? i don't have any experience with them, but i have a good impression just from their reputation.. and someone i know has a very old one that is still working fine

 

I have to go with Lenovo as the best builder of notebooks in the world. They are super solid. My X60 has been through things that would kill most notebooks. The only signs of wear are a mar on the screen where I closed a pebble between the screen and keyboard during a sandstorm in China and the keys have been rubbed clean of markings from many years of 12 hours a day use. Thinkpads are unscratchable. That crazy rubbery coating they use is immune. If you do get a scratch, just rub it a bit and it disappears. Lenovo doesn't advertise it, but Thinkpads are Mil Spec.

Apple? Quality? Not even. I have a pile of dead Macs that will attest to that. Some even had a short second life after liberal use of a heat gun.

 

I called the Microsoft store a few times today. To sum up, they're pathetic. The normal CSRs just told me to go to the website and send in email. The supervisor said that Microsoft Signature service has to be done to install Windows 7 since Sony doesn't ship their laptops with an OS preinstalled. I argued repeatedly that they do to no avail. Finally, the supervisor transferred me to the shipping department which didn't answer and I got a message saying that it was outside business hours. Why I was transferred to the shipping department, I have no idea.

The Microsoft Store promotes their Signature service as an asset. I consider it a liability. I don't want someone using my computer before I get it and putting it away "wet". Two other people that got their Z112 from Microsoft said their batteries were at 20% and 25%. A little low but not nearly as bad as mine.

 

I'd say Lenovo and Panasonic. Of course, they'll weigh more, and for Panasonic, cost far more than a Sony with similar specs.

 

lol are you talking about panasonic toughbooks? those things are meant for storm chasers and crocodile hunters

 

^^^There was a story recently here in columbus about a toughbook that was left loose on a med flight chopper. Fell out on the way to the hospital, missed killing a kid by inches, and it was still in one piece (although I doubt it works still). They build great stuff.

 

Some of the toughbooks aren't all that bulky either. The C (business series), for example, is almost sexy, with its 180-degree twistable display. Yeah, they're thicker, and you can't get them in fluorescent green, hot pink or graphite reflective finishes. And they cost a small fortune.