Positive example: Gateway (whatever quality issues they might have had, I was one very satisfied customer ;) )
New PC a few years ago had a broken CD-Rom after only a few days. I was posiitive that it was the drive and not some controller or installation issue, called tech support and expected trouble. The guy asked me only a few questions, agreed that it must be the drive itself and asked if I felt confident to replace it myself. He also assured me that I wouldn't void any warranty by opening the case myself and I had a new drive within 2 days (actually, the next working day, as my phone call was too late for shipping the same day). The box contained preprinted shipping and postage labels for sending the broken one in. Excellent service - and that PC actually STILL serves as my typewriter to this very day (has been running stable for 5 years)...
Terrible example: Alternate.de a pretty big fish in German mail order computers and parts. Their PC (pile of crap that never worked too well) had come with a broken graphics card (just a glitch at first and deteriorated quickly). Again, I was positive it was the card and not a driver issue. Phoned tech support and argued for an hour. The guy insisted, that I would have to send in the thing first, THEY would need to send it to Sparkle, and after they would confirm a defect THEN I might get a replacement within only a few weeks. That was not only a load of bull#$%&, it was also plain illegal, as German civil law clearly states that the SELLER and not the manufacturer is responsible for replacing, repairing or reimbursing defective merchandise.
So faced with probably having a 3000⬠doorstop for WEEKS (actually, the Xmas holidays :huh: ) I went to a local store, bought a new card, replaced the broken one with it and sent it to the jerks at alternate with the clear instruction to reimburse my money and NOT send replacement...
You may have guessed - I got a replacement after 3 weeks :rolleyes:
Having no nerve for a lawsuit over a few hundred â¬, I sold the replacement on ebay at only a marginal loss that I felt totally worth it for having a working comp over the holidays B)
I also told everyone that wanted to hear it (and a lot that didn't want to hear it :ph34r: ) what a bunch of imcompetent weasels Alternate are...
New PC a few years ago had a broken CD-Rom after only a few days. I was posiitive that it was the drive and not some controller or installation issue, called tech support and expected trouble. The guy asked me only a few questions, agreed that it must be the drive itself and asked if I felt confident to replace it myself. He also assured me that I wouldn't void any warranty by opening the case myself and I had a new drive within 2 days (actually, the next working day, as my phone call was too late for shipping the same day). The box contained preprinted shipping and postage labels for sending the broken one in. Excellent service - and that PC actually STILL serves as my typewriter to this very day (has been running stable for 5 years)...
Terrible example: Alternate.de a pretty big fish in German mail order computers and parts. Their PC (pile of crap that never worked too well) had come with a broken graphics card (just a glitch at first and deteriorated quickly). Again, I was positive it was the card and not a driver issue. Phoned tech support and argued for an hour. The guy insisted, that I would have to send in the thing first, THEY would need to send it to Sparkle, and after they would confirm a defect THEN I might get a replacement within only a few weeks. That was not only a load of bull#$%&, it was also plain illegal, as German civil law clearly states that the SELLER and not the manufacturer is responsible for replacing, repairing or reimbursing defective merchandise.
So faced with probably having a 3000⬠doorstop for WEEKS (actually, the Xmas holidays :huh: ) I went to a local store, bought a new card, replaced the broken one with it and sent it to the jerks at alternate with the clear instruction to reimburse my money and NOT send replacement...
You may have guessed - I got a replacement after 3 weeks :rolleyes:
Having no nerve for a lawsuit over a few hundred â¬, I sold the replacement on ebay at only a marginal loss that I felt totally worth it for having a working comp over the holidays B)
I also told everyone that wanted to hear it (and a lot that didn't want to hear it :ph34r: ) what a bunch of imcompetent weasels Alternate are...
With magic, you can turn a frog into a prince...
With science, you can turn a frog into a Ph.D. ...
and still keep the frog you started with.