So unfair - is this right?

I have a FW4E/H and the drive has always had a problem reading discs I mean it can blu-ray movies but whenever it comes to DVD-Roms, movies or CD-ROM it can never ever read them.

Since my warranty was going to expire I spoke to Sony and I did all the usual stuff like reinstall to default, update FW though this never happened since the drive there was no update avalaible for it anyway.

So I sent it off and said they couldn't find anything wrong with it despite me testing this to death to make sure it wasn't me. So they're holding my laptop ransom until I pay the £148.11 charge which is ridiculous. There was no physical fault since I never used it because it never worked except for the time I tried a blu-ray to test the drive which suprisingly did but how on earth is this fair and more the point my fault?.

Help!!

 

If they claim there is nothing wrong with it then what is the £148.11 for? Did they make it clear from the start that there was a charge? Where did you purchase in the first place and why wait a year to report what seems like a serious fault.

Go back to Sony and demand to speak to someone with some authority. If they don't sort it at no cost to you then take it to the CAB. They should be able to advise you of your real rights. (CAB = Citizens Advice Bureau).

Adviceguide from Citizens Advice
Buying goods - your rights

 

The charge is if they cannot find anything wrong and that is the cost for Sony for having a look at it. However, I made sure that I did everything they asked and I said in an email was it worth it since I could buy a external drive for fraction of the price.

As for waiting for almost a year the reason is simple, I had my final year project and needed my computer pretty much on all the time while here for rendering, emailing and work. I didn't have the time and I needed my own computer.

Anyway they won't give it back until I pay which I'm not sure how sure I was 100000% sure it wasn't my fault and the drive was faulty.

 

I'd threaten legal action. Last time I told them, that unless they send it back to me, that they've violated my warranty terms and that I'd sue. I got it back with express overnight airmail. I did the same with Apple with my MacBook Pro, and they openly apologized and sent me a brand new machine with Apple White Glove Support.

 

Could you send them a CD/DVD that it couldn't read? That would prove to them that there is a problem, and ensure they send you back a PC with a drive that can read the CD/DVDs correctly.

When I sent mine in for repair, then sent me something warning me that I'll need to pay if they find nothing wrong, but if you've got something in writing from them saying that they recommend you send it in for repair based on the info you gave, I think you have strong grounds for getting it back FOC (though I'm no expert on these matters).

 

I would send them my DVd-movies, Computer Arts magazine CD-Rom if they wanted. Its unbelievable what has happened, its not like 1 or 2 CDs didn't work it was the entire CDs, DVDs I had and even the Windows Vista disc wouldn't read.

 

That's rough, but unfortunately they almost certainly are within their rights. Read through your warranty from Sony, and I can almost guarantee that there is a provision for charging people for testing of a product on which they can not duplicate an error.
If there is not an equivalent provision in the warranty, or in any documentation they sent you when you requested an RMA the you may threaten legal action.
If you find there is such a provision you can try and get it waived by a supervisor, but have no real legal recourse, nor can you file a legitimate complaint with a consumer advocacy agency.

Edit- what i would do is talk to a supervisor and specifically ask if the drive had been tested with non-bluray discs to ensure the problem has been adequately tested.

 

Thanks so on Monday I'm going to have to call them anyway, I'm really unhappy since as a student I don't have the funds so I like to see what happens next. Plus the same bloody problem happend to my old VAIO GRT786 where the drive died, they replaced it and after a few months won't real discs anymore.

I should have known better and got a Mac but no I thought they VAIO was better value for money, boy was I wrong.

 

That's good advice, mine is mainly to scare them into action. You'd be surprised how little they know about their own information. People get antsy when the word "Lawyer" comes into the equation.

 

Well I could say lawyer but I doubt a student could even afford one and they would ask if I can't afford the bill then how on earth could I get a laywer.

Now I'm going to fight but I swear to God and all thats Holy the DVD drive has been used less than 10 times before it died. However, how can it play blu-rays somewhat ok but still stilted playback but not other medias?.

 

Thank you for contacting us.

Kindly read terms and conditions before sending out your notebook to repair:

Your VAIO will require a repair. Please read the terms and conditions below and answer our set of questions with regards the collection:

Please note that the repair time around is 5 working days depending on the part availability and payments.

The courier will collect the VAIO from your address.

Please follow these instructions in the presence of the DHL courier. This is required by DHL to ensure the secure nature of the transported product.

- Open the box and take out the plastic bag and 2 DHL Air Way Bill (AWB) labels. If the courier arrives without a box then do NOT give your unit to the courier.”

- Hand only your Vaio laptop (without any accessories) to the DHL courier who will place the VAIO in the box provided by DHL. If the VAIO has a power issue, then the ac adapter and battery need to be included also.

- Once the courier has placed your Vaio laptop in the box provided by DHL, the courier has to insert this box in the sealable security bag, making sure to fully seal the bag once the box has been inserted. As the return address labels are printed onto the secured transport bag, these should not be removed or obstructed.

Payment will be involved only if there is no problem found or if the VAIO is physically damaged. In this case should you wish to send back the VAIO unrepaired there is a flat fee aprox 148 GBP incl vat.

Please back up your personal data before shipping the Vaio to the repair center as Sony do not take any responsibility for their loss.

All replacement parts became property of Sony.

If you provide us with a mobile phone number, then you will receive an SMS once the unit arrives at the repair centre and on the day it ships from the repair centre.

Should you accept above repair terms and conditions please reply with the following:

- Name and surname to whom should we address the box

- The collection and delivery address

- Windows login name and password

- BIOS password

- Two best contact numbers

- Email address only if you are able to access it from another computer

Important!! Once the repair is setup you will receive a confirmation email with a repair case id and date of the collection. Please note that courier will collect the VAIO in hours 9am-5pm Monday-Friday. There is no availability to collect the VAIO on weekends.

 

2 different pickups in the drive, one for BD and one for DVD. They work on different wavelengths.

 

wavelengths?


So in other words wifi signals or a console could stop the drive from working?.

 

See, I know that, and trust me, I know my legal rights better than anyone on this thread, as that's my profession. But I was merely suggesting it for the "scare tactic". If I know my notebook isn't functioning properly, and I know that I have verifiable witnesses that I can get a signed affidavit from that are certified computer technicians, then Sony tells me they can tell me that they can't find anything wrong with it... they will NOT charge me for it. Terms be damned. It's not the cost of them looking at it, that doesn't matter. To me, it's their crack-pot team of warranty techs. I guarantee that when I had a problem with the ACPI lid sensor on my CW and sent it back, they said they couldn't find anything wrong, but they also didn't take it out of the box, because it still was sealed with my security tape when it was returned to me. After that incident, I called them explaining what had happened, and they agreed to replace the exact part I specified, no-questions asked, free of cost. They screwed up, and they payed. Quite simple.

All I'm saying is, don't let them cheat you blind. If you feel they're wrong, speak to someone with half a concern for your issue, maybe a supervisor or such, and ask them if they have physically tried to reproduce the issue. Or if they are just relying on documentation rendered by the service tech.

Like Beaups said, the blu-ray drives have two separate lasers. One for Blu-ray, and one for CD/DVD. Blu-Ray's could play fine because there might only be a problem with the CD/DVD laser or lens. Either way, if it won't play any CD/DVD, then IMO they have absolutely NO right to charge you, and they should fix the issue under clear terms of warranty. Your notebook isn't physically damaged on the exterior is it?

 

^Thank you, the laptop is in immaculate near mint condition. I'm not joking when I'm saying that since I have it connected to an external monitor and have als an external keyboard and mouse. The only time I had to left the lid up so to speak is to power on the laptop.

 

Sorry to hear about your issue. The sad part is that they could probably actually replace the drive and return ship the laptop back to you for cheaper than what they're charging. But either way I would give them a CD or DVD that was problematic for you, and let them try it.

 

Well, then what I would do, is next time you call them, politely tell the first rep you speak to that you know it's not functioning correctly. Tell them that you know they're just looking at the documentation and you need to speak to someone higher up. Don't make it the low-paid reps fault, as they will be disinclined to help you further. Be as polite as you can be, and they will bend over backwards to help you, because you won't be making them feel bad or mad. Politeness can go a LONG way for a support call... promise.

 

The frequency of the light transmitted from a laser is called a wavelength. (i'm no science expert). The finer pitch of the pits on a blu ray disc need a shorter wavelength laser to read them. Different wavelengths also generate a different color light. To simplify....BluRay uses a blue laser and dvd uses a red laser...hence the name blu-ray.

Point is there are likely 2 lasers in a blu ray drive....one designed for dvd-media and one designed for blu-ray media.

So to answer your question, yes it is VERY possible to have a bad drive that reads blu ray media and not dvd media.

 

Thank you for the replies it really does mean that somebody understands my problem here. Like I said I will call them on Monday, and thank God I had finished Uni this month and only have exams but the stess ARGGHHH!!. I hope theyu're understanding.

 

If it isn't resolved to your satisfaction then I would still contact the CAB for advice. Just because this is what they say it doesn't mean they can do it. Besides they say there is no problem give us some money - how do you know there is no problem until you can verify? There certainly was a problem when you sent it, why else would you have sent it for repair? Unless they can prove there wasn't an issue I don't see how they can charge you.

 

Well spoken to them and a supevisor is going to phone me back. The guy I spoke to I think sort of understand it was a ridiculous amount to pay when I could have gotten an external for a fraction of the price. However, he couldn't do nothing but flag this for me. Fingers cross.