Support for my V505BX

Hi all,

this is my first post here. i am soon to be in the market for a new laptop and came across this board which is very cool!

i have owned a V505BX for over a year. bought it refurbished from www.clearanceclub.com (no complaints with them). using the laptop has been a pleasure as it is very ergonomic... battery life could be better, but it is nice and light... etc.

recently i had what i've been referring to as a 'yuppy laptop crisis' where i accidentally spilt starbucks coffee into the keyboard while it was on. i cleaned up whatever i could. opened it up and soaked up whatever coffee i could see. after a day or so, i turned it on and it worked. but before that, i saved the data with a laptop drive kit (talk about a lifesaver). anyway, after that and before sending it back to the sony repair place in san diego, i turned it on. i connected to the internet, got e-mail, ran programs, etc. only thing i noticed wrong was the keyboard and touch pad not working properly.

sony calls me with a repair estimate of 1500 bucks!!! motherboard, hardrive, and other parts. whenever i speak with them i ask for them to 'just repair the keyboard and touch pad' they give me a bunch of horses--t about warranties and so forth. they have called me several times to convince me to make the repairs, but it is obvious that they have not been speaking to the previous associate(s) who spoke to me cause we are rehashing the same things! i am very frustrated and already in the market for a new laptop.... i just want them to repair the parts I think need to be and not have them repair everything THEY think.

while i love sony products overall, this experience has led me to exclude SONY from my laptop search; please, if anyone has any feedback/advice, i would greatly appreciate it. i also post, so in case anyone else has had similar issues, they know what they may be up against.

i plan to write them a detailed letter similar to this post, but obviously directed at them.

thanks!

 

Sorry to hear about your experiences. I also have a v505 (DCP) also purchased from ClearanceClub (They are great!!). Had a similar instance...spilled coffe on my desk and some dripped into the LAN and modem ports. Was able to soak everything up and just had to clean the contacts....still kickin!!

If you haven't made the repairs already, I'd request your laptop be sent back as is and look on the web for a new keyboard. You can probably find a new one for around $70 and installation should only take you about 15 minutes. I believe the connection for the ribbon cable is in open view, right under the keyboard.

I have also heard various stories about Sony support and warranties...none of them positive. It's a shame that they offer quality machines, but not quality support. If you're not intimidated by computers, take the time to learn about them...how they work, how they interact with your software. You'll go much farther when you can resolve your own issues (hardware and software) and not going to tech support for bogus repairs will be easier on your wallet.

 

thanks for the resposne!

i will try one more time with a formal letter and then make a claim with BBB. i view it like taking my car to a mechanic and them telling me to rebuild the transmission when all i need is a wheel alignment!!!

i plan to search ebay for 'junked' V505B laptops which i can use for parts. i am technical (electrical engineer by background), but i am not too hands on, but i will take a shot at it. since i use the laptop for my consulting business, i will probably buy a new one so i am 100% certain that the laptop is solid.

another thought is to get a USB hub and set the laptop up as a desktop with an external keyboard/mouse/etc. anyway.... fun with computers (serenity now!!! ... who watches seinfeld?)

 

tried one more time and the official response is 'we do not do partial repairs', so i asked that they send it back. good thing is there is no charge to ship back or for the diagnosis.

took the paper estimate they sent me and went to http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/index.jsp and ordered the parts that I think are needed (keyboard, touch pad,etc.) and left out the 40 gb harddrive for $280 and all the other stuff.

 

Good luck with the repairs!!! I have never had to replace a touch pad so I can't offer any insight there. Do a search on google for 'Vaio forums'. There is a very good forum out there specifically for Vaios...laptops and desktops. Alot of friendly people and surely someone there, if not here, would be able to offer some information.