This letter is to address two issues that occurred when I had brought a laptop to Frys Electronics under an extended warranty to be repaired.
I brought my laptop to the customer service department around the beginning of Dec with the main complaint being particles of some kind of debris behind the monitors clear plastic cover. I discussed this with the person at the service department and he told to me that in his opinion something appeared to be wrong with the seal around the LED screen that particles of that size should not be in there and in his opinion it was not just dust. The technician also told me it was his opinion that the seal had somehow been compromised or not installed correctly.
The gentleman then told me he would send it to the Frys repair center to have the monitor looked at and to ensure that the seal was installed properly and nothing had happened to it. He filled out all of the proper paperwork and sent my laptop to be repaired. My laptop also had a secondary issue which was the card reader was jamming, cards were not sliding in and out of the slot smoothly so they would look at that also.
A few weeks later Frys calls me and indicates my computer is ready to be picked up. This is where the problems started.
I went to Frys electronics with the loaner computer to pick up my supposedly repaired laptop. When they brought my computer to the counter and opened it, it was obvious right away they had not fixed the monitor which was my primary complaint and concern. When I asked why they hadnt addressed the problem with the monitor the gentleman couldnt answer and had to get the manager. After looking at the Service Request Order that had gone in with my laptop to be repaired I realized that the man who had taken down all of the information did not write down the entire complaint of the problem with the monitor but he did write: Looks as though there are specs behind the glass without going into any further detail. He didnt write there seems to be dust behind the glass he specifically put specs which is what it looks like, maybe particles from when they put the monitor together.
According to the Service Request Order the repair facility did not even look at the monitor or address that concern. There is a place in the form where the repair technicians explain what they looked at and what they did to repair the computer, there is no note about the monitor at all. When I asked the manager Kathi Cornett why they didnt address the problem because it was documented on the SRO but the technician did not make any note of looking at it. Kathi Cornett told me she didnt know why then she changed her mind after looking at the computer and thinking for a minute and then she tells me well its probably just dust and your warranty doesnt cover cleanings. This still does not explain why the tech did not comment on it. I then explained to the manager how laptop monitors are assembled with the rubber seal to prevent dust from getting inside as there was now obviously dust in one corner of the monitor behind the glass where it shouldnt be.
She then pointed to the 2 holes where microphone is hidden in the monitor and said: See these holes? The monitor isnt sealed and it is possible for dust and other debris to get in between the LED plate and the plastic cover. Well its obvious to me from that comment she has never seen a laptop monitor disassembled because the seal runs along underneath where the holes are. She was just reaching for any excuse she could make up to charge me $100 to fix something that should have been repaired. The managers excuse was that it was dust even though the service department employee who took the computer to be serviced agreed it was not dust. There is now (wasnt there when I dropped it off) a substantial amount of dirt and/or dust inside the area where it is supposed to be sealed the lower left corner of the monitor. When I brought up these issues regarding the monitor the manager told me that it was like that when they took it in to be repaired yet it wasnt and was not indicated on the forms as she claimed it was. When I asked her to show me the papers that indicate there was a large amount of dust behind the lower left corner of the monitor plastic cover she just did not reply. I read the Service Request Order and it does say that the laptop was dusty but no mention of the unusual amount of dust and dirt behind the monitor cover although the manager swore it was indicated on the SRO, it was not. These technicians are trained to record any kind of anomaly to ensure they are not held responsible for things that were present prior to them accepting it for repairs. Now there is also a huge scratch in the plastic cover in the lower right side corner that was also not there before and the battery no longer charges. The laptop definitely came back in far worse condition than I left it.
About the dirt/dust behind the sealed area, I have a * laptop I have used for over 10 years in the same house I use this one in and there is no dust or dirt behind the LED/LCD cover, my friend who also lives in the house has 2 * laptops both he has had for around 10 years and neither of them have any dirt, dust or specs behind the cover. I dont understand how this laptop after only one year of use in the same house now has a very unusual amount of dust, dirt and specs behind the sealed area. It is apparent that the seal either was not installed correctly or it malfunctioned, deteriorated, I dont know because Frys Electronics refuses to look at it.
The second issue is that with my warranty I am entitled to a loaner computer if they have to keep mine for repairs so they found me a comparable laptop to use while mine was being fixed. At this time while accepting the loaner computer I am told that I need a credit card to be able to take and use the loaner. This information was never disclosed to me when I purchased the laptop warranty. So I reluctantly allow them to swipe my credit card knowing that I am an honest person and have no intention of stealing the loaner and will be returning it.
A few weeks after I took the loaner I received a phone call from Frys service department and a man explained that my computer was repaired and I could come pick it up. At this time I explained to him that I was out of town and it would be a few more weeks before I would be back in Arizona to pick up my laptop and return the loaner. He said this was fine and he would put in the system that he had spoken with me because if they are unable to contact me my credit card will be charged for the cost of the loaner laptop.
A week later I receive another phone call from Frys service department, this time it is the lady who was the manager of the department at the time, Angela. She asks me the same questions and I tell her the same things I told the other gentleman that I was out of town and it would be 2 more weeks before I returned to Arizona to pick up my laptop and drop off the loaner.
I then received another phone call from Frys electronics a few days later from another girl who I do not remember her name and she goes over the same spiel with me. I told her that I have already spoken with 2 other people and they are aware that I am out of town but will be returning the loaner and picking up my computer. When I finally returned to Arizona at my friends house there is literally a stack of mail from Frys Electronics, all of the letters indicating that they had tried to contact me many times and have not been able to get a hold of me. This is a straight out lie. I had spoken with 3 different people over the last few weeks including the manager yet out of the 3 people I had spoken with none of them had put in the system that they had spoken with me on the telephone so they charged my credit card for the amount of the loaner laptop. This was obviously due to the incompetence of Frys service department staff. How can they speak with me 3 times on the phone then turn around and justify charging my credit card saying they couldnt get a hold of me. I will never take my computer back to Frys Electronics service department even if it is still under warranty and I will never buy another computer from them again. I have also been trying to get a copy of my warranty from Frys Electronics so I could see for myself exactly what is and what is not covered and so far twice they have merely sent me a copy of a piece of paper that states I have a warranty but no explanation of the warranty, the terms, what is does and does not cover. For some reason they will not disclose that information me.
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