First let me say that I have purchased many items from this store in the past. The company even built my last desktop for me, and I dropped over $1,000 to have my desktop built and optimized. Because I had had a very good experience with that (except that the desktop only lasted about a year), I decided to take my Sony laptop in for repairs.in past purchases, I had found the people at this company were helpful, friendly and (I thought) honest.
My complaint: They did not honor pricing they gave me, they refused to give me back my computer unless I paid their "new" price, they changed my PW so that I could not use my computer, and they installed keystroking malware.
Here are the details of how this all unfolded, if anyone is interested:
I took the laptop into the store, explained what was wrong (no sound), and explained the troubleshooting steps I had taken (I downloaded new sound card drivers from the website, checked all volume settings, and ran diagnostic software on the sound cards. Everything came back OK, so that's when I decided to take it into the store.)
I asked for a quote, was quoted $80, (and I had a $20 frequent-customer coupon, so the end price would be $60). The clerk had me sign a quick contract stating that I agreed to pay the $60, and he told me that if it would involve more than that, they would call before they proceeded with any additional repairs.
A few minutes later, I received a call to for my Windows password, which I gave. He repeated it back to me to confirm it was accurate, which it was.
Thirty minutes later, I received another call, saying the laptop was finished, and the end price would be $105. When I said I had signed a contract stating the price would be only $60, the tech hemmed and hawed, and then agreed.
HOWEVER, by the time I got to the store, the same clerk (the owner) who had presented me with the contract, told me I needed to pay the $105, or "they wouldn't give me my computer back." The other option, he said, was that they could "undo" the repairs. I argued with him, stating that I did not owe the $105... PLUS, he had gone ahead with doing repairs that would cost more without calling me first, as he had promised.
Finally, he told me that while we were talking, the tech in the backroom had "undone" the repairs and that I could have my computer back — FOR THE $60!! I told him I was not about to pay for a computer that had had no repairs done to it, at which point he refused to give my laptop back.
Out of total frustration, I agreed to pay the $105, IF his tech would re-repair the computer while I waited. Finally, they came out with my computer, and I opened the laptop to make sure it was working, only to find that I could not log onto Windows. I tried several times and, as I was doing so, I noticed the tech tried to slip a post-it note to the owner. The tech then left. As it turns out, the tech had CHANGED my log-on password, so that I wouldn't be able to use my computer. When he came back, I told him exactly what he had done, and he said, "No, I used the password you gave me." (As anyone knows, that is impossible, since if I would have given him an incorrect password, HE would not have been able to log onto the computer.)
Finally, the boss/owner used the password that was on the post-it note he had been slipped, and the computer worked.
BUT... When I got home, I ran Spybot and several other malware detection programs on the laptop and... Guess what? I found keystroking malware installed — and the "remote access" function was activated on the laptop. (It wasn't before.) So, what that means is that the tech had my password, could log onto the computer remotely, and could watch every single keystroke I made (such as when I enter my username and PW on my bank account — or my credit card number when I purchase an item online!)
I have documented proof of the malware installation, and have sent it to the state Attorney General's office, as well as the Better Business Bureau.
To put the cherry on top, the sound only worked for three days, AND NOW I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM!
The pricing discrepancy would have been bad enough, but, ultimately, I have found that a lot of companies in this down economy are not honoring their pricing. But when they intentionally changed my PW, installed keystroking malware, and did not fix the computer for more than a couple of days, THAT is unacceptable!
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