Tuesday, October 04, 2011

When is a Warranty not a Warranty?

When you get it with MSi - that's when!

One of the reasons Jeffrey decided to buy the computer he did was that it came with a 3 year warranty from MSI.  It also had a really good sound card and other things he needs for running sound and doing the things he needs to do.  Everything was fine until the latch that held his battery cover on broke - and then it didn't hold the battery in like it was supposed to.  So he called customer service to see if he could get it fixed.  First of all, they made him pay to send it in.  Then, after they had received the computer, they called several times telling him how much it was going to cost to get it fixed.  Ummm... warranty!?

After much discussion, he got them to agree to fix the problem at no charge, which they should have just done in the first place since the computer was under warranty.  But when he got it back, took it out of the box and turned it on, there was a crackle in the speakers that had not been there before.  He called MSI and reported the problem and finally got them to agree to pay to have it sent back to them so they could fix the problem.  Guess what?  They couldn't find the problem.  They couldn't even tell there was a problem.  So they sent it back without fixing it.  The crackle in the speakers?  Jeffrey booted the computer up, I bent down and heard the crackle they couldn't find within about 10 seconds!  Yep, their tech department over there at MSi is great!  Maybe they could fix a problem if only they could or would admit there actually is one.  Maybe.

So, the crackle didn't get fixed, and now the computer won't recognize any external sound things like headphones, microphones or speakers - so the crackle was probably the beginning of problems with the sound card.  I wonder if they'll actually fix it?

In the meantime, Jeffrey is having some other problems with the computer so he thought the easiest thing might be to wipe it clean and start all over.  The only problem - he can't re-install the operating stystem (Windows Vista) because it was stored/hidden on the hard drive.  But the hard drive was set up really strangely - partitioned into a C and a D drive, but the C drive where everything is usually installed was really, really small, and he was running out of room to install programs.  So he called MSi, talked to a tech, and was told how to remove the D partition so that he would just have one big hard drive.  The tech said that wouldn't hurt a thing.  Not a thing until he wants to re-install the operating system, because removing the partition wiped that out.  And, yes, he could get a disc from the people at MSi to re-install, but they expect him to pay $25 to get it plus shipping.   I can understand a nominal fee to cover the cost of the disc and the shipping, but that's just ridiculous.  He paid for the operating system when he bought the computer.  It already belongs to him.  And it's their tech's fault for telling him he could remove the partition without hurting anything.

The guy said he could send the operating system disc out at no charge, if it was within the first year.   Was there something special about this 3-year warranty that made it only nominally useful in the first year and then completely worthless for the remaining two years?  All I can say is that if you're thinking about buying a computer from MSi, don't count on decent customer service or for them to honor your warranty.  From what I can tell, they're incompetent crooks, who aren't willing to stand behind their product or take responsibility for their actions, and they definitely won't be getting any holiday invitations from this household!

*I linked to them multiple times with do follow links, hoping they'll notice and maybe be a bit ashamed.

2 comments:

  1. It is maddening! I hate it when computers don't work and the places you send it to have you in their grips. I bought an Apple this last time and I hope I have better luck.

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  2. I know it can be better, because I've had two Dell computers in the past, and their warranties were great. They covered everything, no questions, and either paid to have it shipped back to them or had someone come to my house for free to fix it. The kids and I all have Toshibas now, and they had to send their in to be fixed this summer - again, no questions, and Toshiba sent them boxes and paid to have the computers sent in to be fixed. That's how a warranty is supposed to work. Either a company stands behind their product, or they don't. I hope Apple does, too.

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