WARNING to Potential SONY VAIO Notebook Buyers! WORST Product and Service ever!

This could be consider a WARNING for anybody who's trying to get a SONY VAIO NOTEBOOK. Okay, here is the story:
Bought the notebook last year for $2000 and 10 months later my battery was dead (have you heard about Sony battery recall probe? But, not sure if that's the problem only on my notebook). Then, called them and they agreed to replace the battery. 4 months past and here I got another dead battery. What the heck is going on? I called Sony support and a stupid CSR told me it's out of warranty and insisted me to pay for the repair and buy a new battery and charger and probably the motherboard is bad. What a BS! I said "If you don't want to fix it I'll trash it and get a Dell or Toshiba" The dumb dude still repeat his line and didn't get the message. So, his respond was like whatever! In short, I'll never get a Vaio anymore and will think twice everytime I want a Sony product that was my first Vaio Notebook and that would be my last. WORST...WORST...WORST... Notebook ever. I had Dell and Toshiba, they lasted me 2 years before the battery started to hold less charge.


Been around here for awhile someone stole my id and changed the password. F that person for being such a jerk! If you think, you're loggin using someone's id reading this thread and it was my id, you're about going to Hell!

 

Battery lifespan on laptops or any other battery operated device for that matter is highly predicated on user and for you to think that just because they replaced your battery once after 10 months you should think the warranty of the whole laptop should start from new??? gimme a break
The only 'worst' thing here is your complaining

 

Dude... all i expected from them is to pickup the notebook and check if there's faulty parts here. A normal running notebook won't kill 2 batteries in 14 months. If I'm dumb enough I'll feed my notebook more batteries to kill. This is just an example that they don't stand behind their products and no customer service at all. How should i become their loyal customer? Swear to god, I was thinking to get another Vaio sz with santa rosa. But, after all these treatments. I'll kiss Sony goodbye. Out of my shopping list.

 

You could have asked them to check your notebook. They will do it, but of course for a fee, because it's out of warranty.

By the way i don't think it's a problem with the notebook. If two batteries died , then it could be something wrong with your power supply (frequent power surges maybe).

 

I'm very sorry you have such a terrible experience with them. In my opinion, its all completely hit and miss with these companies. For instance, I have never ever heard of any bad support experiences with Fujitsu and yet I did when they poorly repaired my Lifebook, it wasn't nearly as bad as your issue though, mine was very minor by comparison so I don't feel any disdain towards them.

I know how it can leave an extremely sour taste on your mouth but I don't believe in swearing off a company forever, though yes, it is hard not to after they royally screw you. I hope you have a better experience with your next notebook.

 

If you had an SZ and your batteries died, did they REPLACE the 2 pronged power adapter with the THREE pronged adapter??? Because that is probably what killed your battery..it is a known issue with the SZ model.
Happened to me and they sent out a new battery AND a 3 pronged adapter!...problem solved....

 

Yes, it's an SZ. No, the guy didn't send me a 3 pronged adapter when I first called them. I only received a battery. Did that solve the static issue? I can hear it through my earphone some occasion (don't remember was it when it was on ac or battery). Probably, I should try to call them again huh? That was just random worst CSR I talked to.

 

Okay, for some of you who still didn't get my point. Try look at it this way: say you bought a brand new Ford Pinto when it was first produced. Then after the 3years/36K warranty was out, you needed to replace the sparkplugs for a major service, say 3 years and 1 day later with 36001 miles on it. By then, you figured out that there was no way the mechanic could replaced one of the spark plug because of design defect (Not all engineers are created equal). Then, would you picked up Ford costs for fixing the problem or should they pay for it although it was out of warranty? I hope you've heard that somewhere.

 

Well, regardless of the parts they use. They have the right to make you pay after the warranty is over. If you were to read the warranty books, it is all explained. After the warranty period, the only person held responsible for any damage/defects is the owner/user.

 

So sad, you still don't get the point! Yes, they've the right but it's unethical.

 

OK, tried to contact SONY and had conversation for about 3 hours and still get a dissapointing news. Got nice reps but won't escalade the issue. They are probably an L1 reps. Transferred from one department to another. Told them that i want to speak with their supervisor but that never happened supervisors are always busy. They resisted to do courtesy inspection of the problem. All I can say is WOW! I'm done doing business with SONY. I'm not going to spend a penny for that company no more because I don't want to be in this same situation in the future. Traumatized enough! I've never owned a notebook that has major issues in 14 months. SONY SUCKS!

 

So you are saying that Sony is right to charge you for looking at your notebook out of warranty, but you are going to complain anyways. Right.

 

this is why they have extended warranties...lol...always a good idea to get one.

 

lmaoooo... welcome to the real world as nothing lasts forever

 

I own a vaio fe-21m notebook since september 2006 and so far I haven't got any problems, except the ocasional windowsXP format/reinstall and the system slowdown, because of the preinstalled software....
The laptop is quite well made and really cool. But indeed I've heard the support isn't very good (trying to be gentle here). Even on the sony vaio forums, people are complaining about the support...
On the other hand, I've seen negative responces just about any laptop company (even dell and toshiba). My sister owns a pakard bell laptop. The general believe about this company is really bad. The laptop itself runs a bit hot (but not too much), but is well made and does its job.
So in general buying a laptop is a bit of a gamble I think. Just check the responces for companies doing custom made laptops and deluxe laptops (alienware, falcon NW,etc.). Even if those laptops should be of highest quality, you can find people with bad experience.
To sum up, anyone buying a vaio (or any other laptop that is), check both the good and bad comments about a company and then be sure to do a real-life test of the computer before buying.

 

Weird, I've had nothing but positive experience with sony's cs- in fact, I even got them to help me with a problem after my warranty expired once... and I think I understand why now. I think after dealing with people who speak to them in an insulting and threatening manner all day, they probably really appreciate when someone remembers they are humans too, and treats them accordingly.

Sorry to hear about your notebook problems, and hope you eventually find one that's up to your standards. Good luck.

 

Weird, I've had nothing but positive experience with sony's cs- in fact, I even got them to help me with a problem after my warranty expired once... and I think I understand why now. I think after dealing with people who speak to them in an insulting and threatening manner all day, they probably really appreciate when someone remembers they are humans too, and treats them accordingly.

as someone who used to be in customer service, that is VERY TRUE!

 

Hey Stolenid let me make something very very clear to you as you obviously have so far been unable to grasp the following facts.

1) Sony replaced your battery under warranty. Therefore no breach of your legal rights occured.

2)You are now out of warranty. Companies exist to make profit not to be ethical or be your personal Mother Teresa.

3) I work in customer services and its customers like you hanging on the line for 3 hours (as you stated) which make it more difficult for my colleagues and I to get to deal with legitimate customers with valid issues who have a brainstem which is still active. This makes the experience on both sides of the line much more frustrating and difficult and helps nobody.

In light of the above why dont you keep your anti-Sony (or anyone else) statements to someone who wants to listen, if that person actually exists on this planet. If you wanna hear a horror story go check out how Asus UK treat their customers. This is my experience

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=8857

Compare it to yours and then go have a little cry in the corner before you continue to increase the call volumes on everyone else while annnoying and belittling CS agents who are just doing their jobs.

 

Same thing happened to me with an old IBM, but it wasn't just the battery it was a manufacturing error in the hard drive, and the warranty was up. Such is life. these computers just aren't meant to last much beyond the warranty anyway, which is unfortunate, but is probably the result of customers not really demanding that laptops last for years and years. The demand is for the newest, fastest, coolest thing, and so this is what businesses cater toward. Now my IBM is dead, and I'm all excited about the new technology that's come out in the past three years, so I guess I'm supporting this type of mentality just like everyone else. If consumers demanded products that would last a lifetime, their focus would be in a different place. Such is life!

 

Frankly, other companies would look at this issue under courtesy eg free of charge. There is something wrong with that laptop and the issue occurred within warranty - after 10 months when the 1st battery died. Maybe the three-pronged plug thing?!

It's a borderline case where a company with good customer service would do the right thing and look at the thing free of charge.

The only reason I am recommending everyone to stay away from Sony is their traditionally horrific customer service. It's been bad for as long as I can remember.

 

That's what you wish you could tell people calling the CS isn't it? Well I know.

It's true for some. Others are a little more enlightened and provide fanatic customer service which ensures them that customers return.

Do you know how much Apple customer service has done for me? And Acer's too [in Thailand, Acer service is grade A++]? And guess what machines I have now. Acer and Apple.

Apple had a pretty hard time with their last gen G4 PowerBooks and iBooks but it hardly hurt their ability to retain customers. Why? Because the service took care of nearly everything. Warranty was extended for the really bad problems, and there's _always_ a lot of good will extended towards the customer. If a request isn't completely unreasonable, Apple will do it for you.

And Acer - my previous Acer was a complete lemon. Overheated, broken hinge, 2 HD failures costing lots of time for recovery, 1 mainboard failure. A huge pain. Then I got another Acer. Why? Because customer service with all the issues with that lemon was so excellent.

 

Hey Orthorim in my line of work which involves dealing with issues similar to Stolenid's every day I as a CS agent look at each case individually to ensure that the original issue has been acted upon in accordance with policy, the law, and the expectations of the customer who has entrusted not only their money but has chosen the company I represent to assist them in their work.

However, nobody, and I mean nobody, CSR or otherwise will go out of their way and bend the rules for someone who has shown them little or no respect and believes that they are owed something when they are not. A customers attitude will be reflected in the service they receive. That is how it occurs is life in general, that is reflected in business.

And quite simply the attitude that Stolenid has shown here is not reasonable, not respectful, and not helpful is finding a resolution to his issues. So Id like to give a round of applause to all those you mentioned, Apple, Acer, etc for their customer service but I would suggest that you had conducted yourself in a respectful manner towards those companies and that has helped you in finding a resolution.

Oh and BTW I have friends who work for Apple and I worked previously for Acers main dealer and distributor in my country and I bent over backwards to help anyone who was in need of assistance so I do understand where your coming from with those companies.

As to your comment that I would like to tell customers that we are a business and not a charity I do tell customers who act as if I am their personal servant what is owed to them by my company and if they had acted like Stolenid I would not have the rules bent for them. Showing respect gets results. And guess what, when they call back for assistance 6 months later they ask for me personally, ya know why, cause I dont BS them and get the problem sorted cause the respect exists between us.

 

I had my battery replaced three times in my sony before the warranty expired. It went out again about 2 months after the warranty. I'm glad to know that the AC adapter problem is a known issue. I'll get a new AC adapter and battery and not worry about replacing it.

I will never buy a Sony again. I have 15 years experience in the computer industry. I'm certified on Dell, IBM, HP/Compaq computers and the Sony is the worst built computer I've ever worked on. I'm just glad I don't have to pay someone to do it and that I don't need to replace a motherboard.

I let my heart do the talking about the SZ when I bought it and that was a mistake.

 

This sort of stories make me really nervous. I just hope my M1330 comes without any HW problems

This may sound a bit daft you guys, but is there any industry-wide survey or something covering the amount of resources/money each company spends in developing & maintianing CS section. IMO, it may give consumers some ideas about the quality of the customer services, especially in this time of recession and ongoing stiff competition, both of which in turn will be causing firms to cut corners.

My experience with Dell CS, so far, has been quite good. Lang may it continue..I had to change the LCD panel (Inspiron 8600) around mid 2004/5 (can't remember now). They asked me to do some tests (i did the online cs thingy) and then took it using dhl and returned it within 1 week.

 

Earlier this year, I paid out-of-pocket for Sony to replace the cooling fan in my SZ110.

The warranty on paid repairs is 90 days. At 100 days the fan has started making the same grinding noise it did before it was replaced.

Sony says no free repair, no discount and I have to pay full price again for the same repair.

 

Stolen_ID

I agree totally. SONY VAIOs:- poor product and poor support.

My battery started to get bad after a few months. Spent ages waiting to get Sony to replace. Then one of the USB ports bacame loose. Sony stated that it was my 'over use'.

After 13 months, I started to get screen burn on the window buttons in the top right hand corner. Sony stated that it was out of warranty and I would have to pay.

My wife has a five-year old Dell that is still performing well. OK, the screen hinge is a bit loose, but everything else is still OK.

Sony is overpriced, over rated and I will never consider one again.

Some of the other companies (such as Asus) are now offering 2 years warranty as a matter of course. Pay less, lower expectation and you might be suprised....

Brit

 

dude it might be unethical but its true of any/all companies. its not just sony wanting to be a b****.
Its sad, but you might just want them to check it out or get it checked out at a cheaper mechanic. then figure out what to do, its just too abnormal for 2 batteries to die like that.

 

you guys are bashing sony for somethings thats not just something with them.
My friend had to take 8 hrs to get an recovery disc from hp, he actually taped the entire convo. You gotta be kidding me that your complaining about having to pay to get your comp fixed after warranty.


Some ppl luck out and never have problems with their computer, others don't. Brit_in_NL, your wife is definitely one of those lucky ppl, because if you read the forum enough, there are ppl that had to send back their m1530s 2 or 3 times within the first couple of months to fix errors. Once again, just a matter of luck.You should get extended care, or otherwise get it diagnosed before you worry about getting replacement parts.

 

Its Sony, you buy it for their look and classy-ness, not really for the spec, value or customer service, just IMO

 

I think it a pure luck/behaviou etcetera thing.

When I looked at computers I couldn't find anything I liked more than the SZ (power and little weight)

Now with different Sony products (portable CD player and little MP3 player) I didn't have a single problem.
In fact I dropped the CD player 2 or 3 times, once about 1m onto a vinyl floor I think... still works fine (the poor thing), and its even about 4 odd years or so old...

I've still got a Medion laptop - harddrive failed twice, CD drive broke - got it repaired on warranty without a problem. (Good customer service)

Our first computer was an Asus laptop.

It took a complaint to get them to repair the on/off switch without charging for a mainboard replacement after a USB port broke. (They said mechanical failure our fault - we couldn't see how - and refused to change the power switch (on the front) without replacing the mainboard (at our cost) at the back...

Then SonyEricsson - my mobile broke 1 year and 8 to 10 months after I got it.
German warranty is 2 year, sent it back, they sasid water damage - well it never really was near water... opened it up after the warranty expired...I found the damage was in the flip-mechanism, but I couldn't tell what exactly broke...
Now other people will have used the same phone an it'll probably work fine.

And beeing polite (as mentioned before surely helps too).

I generally dress in trousers and a shirt (or polo shirt) and staff are always friendly (sometimes also suit jacket).
So the way you present yourself is important - may it be visually or just politeness on the phone.

Additionally you generally find more bad reports than good report on csutommer service (or anything related to that).
That is because people are more likely to complain than actually report good service.

And speaking about Acer... a PDA broke completely - and seemingly it never arrived at Acer's... (the shop gave me a replacement and its trouble...)

So in the end, maybe they should have had an interest in investigsting the problem, but they hadn't.
The company only has to (at least theoretically...) repair damages caused by manufacturing error or similar at their cost during the warranty.

So why are we going on whinging about it? It'll lead nowhere now.

We've went to and fro, andf I don't think we're going to get anywhere.

We have one very disgruntled person, ok.
My Sony products work fine, I hope they'll work fine in the future(and expect them to do so), and that's really it.
This won't lead anywherer anymore or will it?

 

When I was about 8 yrs old I bought a pretty rubbish 'personal stereo' tape player - proper 1980s styled bright red plastic thingey, made by Sanyo I think. I'd saved up some pocket money for it though and I thought it was great.

It packed up just after the warranty period (looking back now I'm surprised it lasted that long!) and my dad told me to write a nice letter to the company and see what happened, even though they didn't *have* to help me.

Well, they sent a replacement and a note saying thanks for the letter. Maybe they just felt sorry for a young lad or perhaps it was just the polite tone of the letter? Anyway, you should always be nice to customer service folks if you expect the same in return. Nowadays we have to deal with infuriating call centres, of course... but that's usually not the fault of the people on the other end of the phone.