overheating sony debate

I just finished reading a locked topic from this past march on overheating vaio's and wanted to add my two cents. I run tech for a childcare company and while most of the centers run Dell desktops. the admin staff travels constantly and we set them up with laptops. we started with ibm thinkpads, which lasted a few years until the company got more tech oriented with its managment software and web development. I have a boss who like to have the best money can buy and she picked out Sony Viao as her pick for best. The top three in the managment all got their slick and sleak new sony's and the rest of us grumbled with envy as we wiggled our little nipple erasers in the middle of our think pad keyboards. Now, two years later, I am looking up FAQ's for solutions on a little problem. All three Sony's shut down after overheating. Now these are not people who abuse their computers. They do have the normal wear and tear of use and travel, but not the coffee spills and such that I run into with some of these guys.

One laptop goes about two hours before it simply shuts off. the second goes out after about five minutes. The third died for the first time yesterday, I can only guess the fun.
One laptop stopped having any trouble at all after I blew out the fan with some canned air. the second, is the one that I am researching for answers for now.

I will have to add my name to the list off people who are not pleased with Sony Tech Support. SInce there decsion to go overseas with their level one support, the amount of help I have had has been limited mostly by the amount of time it takes to go through the computerized system followed by the amount of time to explain to the overseas individual that I do not wish to go through half an hour of basic checklistes read from the "How To Be A Tech Support Guy" manual which is then divided by the stress level of repeating myself and asking them to repeat themselves while we overcome our language differences. Laptop one has been sent back to sony three times with no success. Meanwhile, the think pads think on, and some of us are starting to get to like our little eraser nipples more and more.

I agree that overall customer service should be a concideration when choosing a company for purchase of any item of worth, but I also think that individual experiences are a more valuable advisor and from personal managment experience know that for every one person that voices a complaint, there are ten silent angry customers who just walked away. And no survey proclaiming the mediocraty of a companys support level will make me feel better about being fortyfive minutes into a tech call with no progress.


actor with a day job.

 

Thanks for the input tearlach. In my opinion IBM ThinkPads are the most solid machines out there today so whoever made the decision that getting VAIOs is the "best money can buy" is, umm, misguided. The best way to spend more money maybe.

I always like the look of VAIO notebooks and the performance is sometimes good too. But I've frequently had issues with the touchpad, keyboard and the fact Sony never includes modular optical drives making it hard to upgrade to a DVD burner from a CD burner or putting a hard drive or battery in the expansion slot like IBM or Dell allow you to do with certain machines.

Sony owns just under 5% of the notebook market in the U.S., they're being innovative with their product line but bad reputation for tech support and high prices for their products isn't going to gain them any marketshare.