Sony VIAO sucks

These are the worst kind of laptops. I had bought Sony-VAIO-VGN-NS130E for my brother in Jan this year. I bought in USA and took it to India. He has been having power problem, sometimes the power plug which goes into the laptop is loose and it has to be held tightly. Then in the past month the latop failed to start 3-4 times. Now even after trying all tricks (remove battery and press power button for 30 seconds ) and then starting it too, doesnt help, even the first screen doesnt come. Looks like it is dead. it really is sad to have a laptop that works for 3-4 months and then dies. Such is the quality. Now in india when he enquired about warranty, they say that US warranty is not valid in india !!!! That is again crazy. ... i would avoid buying sony VIAO at all costs.

 

Just have to do some research before you buy it, is what... The warranty issue is not much of an issue in that you should've asked them before you took it abroad. I am not aware of many computer vendors that provide international warranty.

As for the problems you're having, lot of it depends on the end-user as well - as in how well you take care of your equipment.

But, depending on the laptop, Sony has quality problems as well.

Sorry to hear your brother had such a problem.

 

You have to be quite careful when buying equipment for use in another country. Given the import tariffs and restrictions in place in India (you did pay your import duty on the laptop when you took it to India, right? , I can understand why Sony (or any other computer company) would refuse to honor a US warranty on a computer that's now in India. I tried importing an Apple Macintosh into India a few years ago and it was a very expensive thing to do.

Sorry to hear that your brother is having issues. If he can arrange to get it back into the US, then perhaps someone here can work with Sony to get it repaired under warranty.

 

See how many people are having problems with sony viao not starting ... http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/

its a common problem and sony has been shipping defective design for long. How can a company do such a thing, when they know its their memory slot design problem. Anyways i have tried my best to communicate troubleshooting steps, but looks like my brother is dumb enough not to either understand it well or follow it properly. But it feels annoying since i gifted a laptop and i want to make sure they get it fixed, sometimes it looks like my brother doesnt care he doesnt want to get it fixed, thanks to sony's bad service in india, how can they not honor US warranty ???

My brother had gifted me Ipod way back in 2005 which he bought in singapore, and i was in india at that time. I used it and in a week it died, well that was sad, i found out about the local apple authorized service and they replaced it with a new one, in 2 days. I was impressed and yes it still works. ...

 

have him mail you the laptop. get it repaired. mail it back to him.

and for your future reference, no company I'm aware of warranties a product outside of the country it's purchased in. primarily because lots of dynamics change when you go overseas. power fluctuations in the power lines that don't happen in the US, for example, which can damage electronics.

any laptop can have unexpected problems. Vaio's are not known for having any more than anyone else.

 

No companies do that? There are quite a few who do offer international warranties for their notebooks....

 

Some do, others don't. You have to inform yourself about international warranties before purchasing a laptop and bringing it abroad as everyone else said. There's really nothing more to add. That's like saying I bought a shirt in a US store and want to return it to a Canadian store. Sure, it might be the same company store, but it's not the same dynamics nor even the same system so you really should've informed yourself in that regard.

As for the other issues, yes Sony does have problematic models, however they're not guaranteed to happen(although they're common enough to become a trend). Sony isn't the only company with such recurring things though.

I could name HPs, Dells, MSIs, ASUSes and even Macbooks with certain recurring design flaws or problems. Nobody makes perfect products.

 

i am pretty sure Lenovo thinkpad models have international warranty.

 

All companies have international warranty if you ask them before buy it and of course, you have to pay for it.

 

Yea...sony viao do suck...

Try getting a sony vaio, those knockoff viao do a lot of damage to a company's reputation...lol

On a more serious note, I've noticed that sony's top of the line notebooks have no problems and by that, I don't mean a more expensive configuration of a low end laptop with better specs, but a laptop designed from the ground up and meant to be high end from the beginning.

Sony's top of the line stuff is still top notch in my book, its just the "generic" electronics on the bottom of the ladder that tend to have the same fail rate as other electronics.

 

I agree with you on this to an extent.

Come to think of it, there's a reason why people sometimes use the sentence, " What you pay is what you get." Note that this may not be true all the time, it may not apply to everything &/or everyone, & this is just my humble opinion. I do apologize in advance if I unintentionally offend anyone with my comments.

 

I meant it doesn't come standard. It's not part of any "baseline" warranties, per se. Not that I'm aware of, anyway. But I've no doubt that it would be an optional purchase, though. anything that might mean profit undoubtedly has some kind of option if you ask.

 

For the record Sony Vaios do not 'suck', nor do any other major notebook brand that would be recommended to you on this site. All notebook brands have notebooks that for one reason or another can be faulty, its why they have warrantys in the first place!

There is a very real chance that the power adapter or the socket on the notebook is not working. Perhaps your brother has done something to it, or it is actually faulty but it is no reason to launch at one particular brand.

I know that Sony New Zealand offers international warranties as the information about it was on the same sheet of paper that came with my laptop informing me about extended warranty options. I imagine most international notebook and electronics companies in general would offer an international warranty.

As others have said before almost all major notebooks, even within the last 2 years or so, would have had some flaw with their notebooks of some sort. Just look at the number of manufacturers who would have been caught up in the Nvidia overheating problems last year. If you want to focus on particular brands Apples white macbooks had touch pad coloring problems in the early models and Dell M1330 and 1520 from memory had some construction issues when they were first produced.

 

Sony Vaio laptops are good depending on the one you buy. With Sony, quality = price.

The cheaper stuff Sony sells are pretty much the same as other brands, you are only buying the brand. This is because they don't have as much money to spend in the Research and Development phase of the notebook.

Where as if you brought an expensive one, for example a Z Series laptop, you will get an awesome laptop, which is due to the higher cost, this is because they could put in more money in the Research and Development, and even the materials are better.

In other words you get what you paid for. Every notebook manufacturer is similar, the cheaper models = bad, the more expensive models = good.

Anyways, other than that, since you brought a cheap one, it obviously didn't come with Overseas Warranty. Expensive ones such as the Z Series do however come with Overseas warranty called a "IRSP" or "International Repair Service Program". This comes as standard.
Where as for cheaper models, they give you the option to buy something called a "VOS" or "Vaio Overseas Service"

For example, the Z Series laptop I brought came with 3 Years Sony Domestic Warranty + 1 Year Sony Overseas Warranty (IRSP) as standard.

I don't know why you are complaining, you were ignorant enough to buy the laptop "EXPECTING" it to have international warranty without checking. Most laptops nowadays do not come with international warranty as standard, so you shouldn't expect such a thing. And when you are in doubt, you ask the salesperson if it does come with it or not.

Ignorance is a bliss, until it bites you in the butt.

 

I have had some bad exeperience with laptops but I don't think that I have ever used those experiences to say that an entire brand is no good.

I think with the international warranty it is not as clear cut as it seems. For those that purchase laptops in the US people are still having some issues getting international warranty on some lines.

However, in Asia and the EU normally international warranty options are available.

 

The NS series gets pretty terrible battery life anyway, below 2 hours on full charge. It's Sony's only budget laptop and b2b only as well. $499+tax at my local Fry's, which is a price that is quite unheard of for a Sony laptop.

 

For those who talked about price and quality, what do we consider "cheap Sonys" vs "quality Sonys"?

I figuerd the Z counted as a "quality Sony" due to its price tag, but where do you guys draw the line??

 

Sony's netbook VGN-W is $499.99, I'd say that's a good place to start on forming some opinions.

 

Good Sony's:
"Business Line" TT, SR, Z and BZ
BZ - Cheaperbusiness notebook

On the Consumer Line:
FW; AW are good

I'm not sure about the netbook line.

 

I would draw the line on screen size: anything with screen size smaller than 14" and is categorized as "Mobility Laptop" on Sony Japan (so no W netbook) is "quality Sony's". Anything larger than that, the quality goes down. Flagship products like AW or FW are just marginally worse, but you get a bigger hit as you go to C series, and take a nose dive as you go to N series.

 

I agree on the C and N series.

But I'd say the AW and FW are good Vaios.

 

By the way, even with International warranty, you really should be careful using laptop (or any expensive electronics) in the high-variance 46-52.5 Hz AC power in India. The AC adaptor is cost out to the bone for every manufacturers, and while it is designed to handle 50-60Hz AC, they don't make it very frequency proof beyond the range.

 

Oh they are GOOD, but the smaller ones are BETTER...

I wouldn't shy away from these two series for sure. C series I would have to think about it, even though it has so many color choices. N series, well, I buy it if there is a good deal and expects it to die on the 366th day after I purchase, like I expect from any other manufacturer.

 

Well, obviously the SZ or nowadays Z is a class to itself

 

I'd crystalise this and say Sony warranty sucks, period. It's stuck in the 90's and they seriously need a kick up the backside. Almost any manufacturer worth their salt offers international warranty, but Sony's version of it is riddled with asterisks.

There's a two-part aspect to Sony's offerings. Cheaper machines (and of course bottom-feeders like the NR) are made in China by the same ODM's who make laptops for many others. Only the flagships (in terms of models - Z, AW, the recently discontinued TT, and I believe the P, etc) are not. When you buy a bottom-feeder Sony, you're literally buying a prettier bottom-feeder Dell, HP et al.

 

Well, I wouldn't put it that way.

Buy a Sony in the EU and as far as I am aware that warranty is honoured everywhere in the EU for 1 year.
(If you bought it in Germany you'd need to take your laptop to Germany in the second year)

However, in this case the OP does not seem to have bought an international warranty.

The way it looks is, that he bouht a Sony in the US and brought it to India and now expects the US warranty to be honoured in India.

And speaking of warranty service - I had no problem at all when my battery failed on my SZ.

 

i owned a Sony VAIO C series which was release late year 2006 for my school purposes. the notebook still running solid without problem until now; and already pass the notebook to my siblings as i already own a VAIO Z.

imho, its depend on your luck. if you are the unlucky ones, you will get the faulty unit no matter how much moolah you spend. you just cant expect when will it be to turn faulty. remember the incident of recall of VAIO TZ? :/

anyway, i agree, the price difference is due to material use and of course the size and weight. from my observation, the lightest, powerful and good material use will be expensive for sure. its liek making a different between plastic, magnesium aloy and carbon fibre material for the notebook casing.

anyway to thread starter, feel sorry that you have horrible experience on your first(?) VAIO. believe me, its aint the same liek other VAIO product line.

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ps: oh btw, for Asia region, Sony offer international warranty. here im sharing the policy of VAIO Oversea Service knwon as VOS in Malaysia:

How to purchase this Service?
You can purchase this Service only within 60 days after the dated of purchase of the Product:
(1) You can purchase the Service on the web site (only together with the applicable model)
(2) You can purchase the Service by calling:

Sony Customer Interaction Centre
Telephone: 1300-88-1233
Operation Hour: Mon - Fri, 9.00am to 6.00pm
E-mail: [email protected]

(3) You can purchase the Service through Sony VAIO official distribution If you are ready to order this Service, please prepare your credit card information beforehand. (Visa or Master card)
After the purchase of the Service, you will receive the confirmation documents with the Terms and Conditions of the Service and Service Guide by post.
Designated regions you can receive this Service

North America: US, Canada

Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, India

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Middle East: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia

Price of this Service
RM 198

 

The warranty is transferable as well if need be(i.e. going from one continent to another). Really, you just need to inform yourself on the steps to take. Just ebacuse it's not dumb simple doesn't mean it's a bad system.

 

Well, there is certainly the luck aspect to it, no question. In fact, even when I said the quality is bad, what we are talking about is like going from 99.999% to say 99.9%. I mean, all laptops are sold in the millions, if any company has a 1% defect rate it's 10000 laptops per million sold and our forum would be completely flooded with posts looking for help or which brand sucks. Overall, even the budget line Dell & HP you have a pretty good chance of getting a machine that lasts you three years.

On the other hand, let's say if Z has 99.999% pass rate and C has 99.9% pass rate, Z's quality is 100 times better -- even though we are talking about 10 defective vs. 1000 defective per million sold and it's still very unlikely that you end up with a defective one on either series.

 

No. It's a bad system. That it isn't simple is yet another issue. I've purchased international warranty packs in the correct manner and been in a covered country only to be refused service because the machine isn't native.

I did, however, get to give the finger, as it were, to a local senior support manager in a country I was in which made me feel a bit better. I await a similar opportunity for the management here, because although as DetlevCM found, simple issues are indeed fairly simple, more complex issues involving build quality, intermittent issues, etc is a total, utter nightmare to deal with.

I've always bought VAIO's on the basis of *not* having to use the warranty. All was fine until the SZ's, and it has been a rapid downhill slide from there. By Sony Support's actions directly, for me they've flushed 12 years of goodwill down the toilet.

As things stand now where it seems that I *will* need the support services on a more frequent basis due to quality fall-offs on Sony flagships, I'm avoiding them for a while. When they do a complete model refresh of the Z, TT and AW equivalents, I'll take a look once again - but cautiously.

 

Not totally true in terms of warranty being offered for the Vaio Z notebooks. It depends on where one buys the notebook.

In the U.S., the Vaio Z notebooks only come with a standard 1 year domestic warranty. Extended warranties are available. However, international warranty is not available for purchase on the Vaio Z notebook. However, I do understand that for other markets, Sony offers different warranty options, like in your case.

 

How exactly is it a bad system? Can I return a shirt I bought in the US to a Canadian store of the same name? I've tried and been denied(even if it was during the 30 day period after purchase).

So same logic applies. Some laptop companies aren't uniform across the globe(whether they should be or not is another issue entirely) so they can't all use the same warranty simply because sometimes they don't even use the same parts.

And it's not extremely complicated to transfer a warranty in general. Idk about Sony, but I've done it on an HP before and it was a piece of cake.

Your issue comes more so from bad organization rather than the system itself. You were refused because someone, somewhere failed to grasp the concept of "international warranty package", not because there wasn't an international warranty as base. Heck, even if there was the guy could've refused you because your machine still isn't native...

I've had a friend with an ASUS machine(which comes with 2 year international warranty with 1 year accidental) and she went through hell to get her machine fixed(she moved 4 months after buying it).The reason? The place she moved to did not plain carry/sell her model. So having a system with international warranties isn't necessarily better if the products aren't uniform. If they aren't uniform, then the warranty system should reflect that.

 

seems like that. i guess im the lucky chap getting non faulty consumer line VAIO.

DELL.. i cant agree more. its bad in my country and in addition, their after sales and supports quality is decreasing lately...

 

Buy it on an AMEX card like I did. Adds 1 year extra to the 1 year SONY warranty.

 

^heed this word, bad power will kill electronics.

Warranties are usually not valid in countries they are not purchased in because the actual company that distributes them there is a separate entity than that which it was originally purchased from.

Also, bad power inputs is almost always the owner's fault. People are rough and they are weak points, you have to treat it nicely otherwise it will break. It sounds like your brother was not exactly gentle and thus it has weakened.