Comet..... my laptop saga (fairly long)

I purchased an HP laptop from Comet in November last year, and from day
one, the DVD writer has played up, but i thought it was just me and the
software i was using to burn photo slideshows (I use Photodex Gold)

But at the end of January, the drive started to give way during
verifications, resulting in read errors. I tried alternative media
(Datawrite etc) but to no avail.

One of the fans was also getting noisy....

So, I phone up Comet 'Service' and after being palmed off to no less
than 5 numbers, we ended up at the first one! Eventually, we were able
to get through to HP, and a gentleman of Asian origin informed me we
were going to edit the registry!

Now, i'm a bit savvy when it comes to Windows, and i'll tackle the
registry, but i do not think this is something that should be done over
the telephone with what equates to a consumer on the end.

So, i take the laptop to my local store. They too have to spend the
best part of an hour and a half on the phone to try and find out where
to send the laptop. Eventually they take it in for repair themselves,
thereafter supposedly sending it away to 'HP'..... the 'repair job
sheet' has clear written indication of the faults on it.

3 weeks later, i call Comet, and am told my laptop is ready for
collection.

I get the laptop home, look at the tech report, to see they have
investigated a hard drive problem with no fault ! Of course, they
wouldn't find a problem with the HDD, there is no fault with the HDD!!
No mention of the DVD writer or noisy fan mind.....

I phoned their customer 'service' dept, reeled off my tale of woe, to
be told someone will call me back - needless to say no-one did.

To cap it all, they are now refusing to budge on a refund or
replacement until they have tested the laptop again, and that it MUST
be sent to HP for diagnostics.

My argument now is that I have been very reasonable in accommodating
the initial repair, patient with their incompetence, and polite in
dealing with a customer service dept who clearly don't give a monkeys.
Obviously, customer retention is not high on thier list of priorities,
as I will not be buying anything from Comet again.

FWIW, I called Trading Standards who basically said the Sale of Goods
act falls nicely on the retailer's side due to the fact it is ambiguous
with definitions of length of time and reasonable actions. I can expect
to have to have the laptop repaired several times before a refund is
likely to be considered!

I look at the SOGA, and mention that it's not up to me to prove the
fault is there, although I can unquestionably do so (I have
re-installed using a restore CD and the DVD problem is still apparent)
so maybe I'll get them on 'unmerchantable'?

I'll go along with what Comet want to do, as I really do need the
laptop (although i do have a 2nd as backup) but their customer service
and administration is absolutely ****.

Sorry to have waffled..... :-(

tx2 wrote:
snip sad tale of woe over an HP laptop and Comet's after sales service

If you want legal advice about your rights - I suggest uk legal moderated.

If you are warning people about Comet's after sales - I suggest alt
pitcairn yakbreeders - they are possibly the only people on the planet
that don't know....

If they have the laptop at the moment, it is a little late to suggest
changing the wallpaper to a description of the fault, taping a paper
version in the battery compartment and another on the case.

You seemed to be suggesting that it was unusual for Comet's staff not to
know that there is a difference between a hard disk and an optical
drive. So maybe you *are* a pitcairn yakbreeder? They tried to tell
someone I know that a Corgi engineer would be needed to install their
new, electric, cooker...

--
Sue

If you want legal advice about your rights - I suggest uk legal moderated.

I doubt i could get anywhere even with knowledge of those rights, not
with Comet.

If you are warning people about Comet's after sales - I suggest alt
pitcairn yakbreeders - they are possibly the only people on the planet
that don't know....

Yes, quite likely.

If they have the laptop at the moment, it is a little late to suggest
changing the wallpaper to a description of the fault, taping a paper
version in the battery compartment and another on the case.

I intend to include a 'report' when sending it back, with screen shots
of the error screens.

You seemed to be suggesting that it was unusual for Comet's staff not to
know that there is a difference between a hard disk and an optical
drive.

It's not the staff in the store, per se, it's the 'technician' who
tested for a faulty HDD when that wasn't the fault written on the job
sheet.

So maybe you *are* a pitcairn yakbreeder?

Maybe not.

They tried to tell someone I know that a Corgi engineer would be needed to install their
new, electric, cooker...

They? Or a Pitcairn Yak Breeder who had emigrated to the UK to make his
fortune?

tx2 wrote:

If you want legal advice about your rights - I suggest uk legal moderated.


I doubt i could get anywhere even with knowledge of those rights, not
with Comet.

Even Comet has to obey the law. A letter to the CEO and/or the start of
legal action usually works, IIUC, if they are not.


If you are warning people about Comet's after sales - I suggest alt
pitcairn yakbreeders - they are possibly the only people on the planet
that don't know....


Yes, quite likely.


If they have the laptop at the moment, it is a little late to suggest
changing the wallpaper to a description of the fault, taping a paper
version in the battery compartment and another on the case.


I intend to include a 'report' when sending it back, with screen shots
of the error screens.

Best of luck


You seemed to be suggesting that it was unusual for Comet's staff not to
know that there is a difference between a hard disk and an optical
drive.


It's not the staff in the store, per se, it's the 'technician' who
tested for a faulty HDD when that wasn't the fault written on the job
sheet.

I am glad you put "technician" in quotes. If it was actually seen by an
Eng Tech or equivalent, it would be a miracle. If the company actually
employs one, that would be pretty amazing.



So maybe you *are* a pitcairn yakbreeder?


Maybe not.


They tried to tell someone I know that a Corgi engineer would be needed to install their
new, electric, cooker...


They? Or a Pitcairn Yak Breeder who had emigrated to the UK to make his
fortune?


Oh, I have a lot of sympathy for Yak Breeders - it is a difficult and
dangerous job that benefits humanity - the World needs more yaks. Now,
Comet employee breeders, OTOH...

--
Sue

tx2 wrote:

If you want legal advice about your rights - I suggest uk legal moderated.

I doubt i could get anywhere even with knowledge of those rights, not
with Comet.


One thing you could do is to write to the Customer Service Manager at HP
UK. Although your contract is with Comet etc., etc. it is not unknown
for manufacturers to help end users out.

Comet's actions, or lack of, reflect badly on HP themselves. You said..

"Eventually they take it in for repair themselves, thereafter supposedly
sending it away to 'HP'"

Does any of the paperwork show that they did actually send it to HP - or
an official HP Repair Centre? If so, then it is, or should be, doubly
embarrassing for HP. Even if Comet "repaired" it themselves they should
know the difference between a HDD and a DVD.

It certainly wouldn't do you any harm to try this.

Parish

I was just thinking how wonderful life was, when Palindr?me
opened his gob and said:

Oh, I have a lot of sympathy for Yak Breeders - it is a difficult and
dangerous job...

Does it involve artificial insemination yuck?


--
Cheers,

Guy

** Stress - the condition brought about by having to
** resist the temptation to beat the living daylights
** out of someone who richly deserves it.

tx2 wrote:
[a significant, but not unusual, tale of woe]
This is what your local trading standards department is for. And they
love getting stuck into big companies, it's more publically popular
than doing market traders for selling pounds of bannanas.

wrote:
tx2 wrote:
[a significant, but not unusual, tale of woe]
This is what your local trading standards department is for. And they
love getting stuck into big companies, it's more publically popular
than doing market traders for selling pounds of bannanas.

It was "Consumer Direct" who advised me of my 'rights' under the SOGA,
rights which seem heavily in favour of the vendor, or so I was left
feeling.

I do have some contacts in Trading Standards (I used to be
self-employed and participated in a good trader scheme) so I might see
if I can pull in a couple of favours, although, it seems (from my
discussion with CD) that I might not have as many rights on the matter
as I felt i ought to.

However, I have written to Comet outlining what I expect from them, and
in doing so have given them my 'ultimatum', so we'll see what happens
in response to that.