Sony Vaio PCV W 20 - purchased from CompUSA, Plano TX - unable to get PC repaired - ongoing hassle from Sony

# 5 for October 11, 2003

Complaints.com received the following on October 10, 2003:

From:

RE: Sony Vaio PCV W 20 - purchased from CompUSA, Plano TX - unable to get PC repaired - ongoing hassle from Sony

Sony Vaio PCV W20/Comp USA

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS REFER TO INCIDENT #E22486015 5-13-03: PURCHASED A COMPUTER FROM COMP USA. HAVE HAD LIMITED HOME USE WITH THIS COMPUTER. 9-24-03: TURNED COMPUTER ON AT 6:00 AM, SCREEN WAS BLANK. CALLED SONY, WAS ON HOLD FOR 20 MINUTES. HAD TO HANG UP AND LEAVE FOR WORK. CALLED SONY WHEN I GOT TO WORK. THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO BE IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER. CALLED SONY, WAITED ANOTHER 20 MINUTES TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE. SPOKE TO A TECHNICIAN. AFTER 15 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, HE TRANSFERRED ME TO ANOTHER TECH. HE IN TURN REPEATED EVERYTHING THE PREVIOUS TECH HAD DONE.

NOW THIS CALL HAS LASTED ALMOST AN HOUR. THE SECOND TECH TOLD ME TO TAKE IT BACK TO COMP USA WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY WOULD REPAIR IT. AT 8:30 PM I RETURNED THE COMPUTER TO COMP USA. 9-25-03: COMP USA CALLED ME AND TOLD ME TO PICK UP MY COMPUTER BECAUSE SONY WOULD NOT WORK WITH THEM. I CALLED SONY AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO INTELINET SYSTEMS IN RICHARDSON, TX. I PICKED COMPUTER UP FROM COMP USA AND TOOK IT TO INTELINET. 9-26-03: I CALLED INTELINET AND ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE COMPUTER. THEY TOLD ME SONY TOLD THEM IT COULD BE ONE OF THREE PARTS THAT COULD BE BAD AND THAT THEY WERE SENDING ONE PART FIRST TO SEE IF THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. 10-01-03: I CALLED INTELINET AND ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE COMPUTER. THEY SAID THE PART THAT SONY SENT (CIRCUIT BOARD) WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. THEY HAD TO CALL SONY BACK AND SEE WHAT THEY ADVISED. AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I WAS TOTALLY FRUSTRATED WITH THE WHOLE SITUATION. NOT ONLY HAD I SPENT ALMOST $2,000.00 FOR A PRODUCT THAT DID NOT WORK, BUT A PRODUCT THAT PEOPLE ARE HAVING TROUBLE REPAIRING. THIS PRODUCT HAS A ONE YEAR PARTS AND LABOR WARRANTY BY SONY.

I CALLED SONY AND SPOKE WITH 2 DIFFERENT PEOPLE. GOT NO ANSWER TO MY QUESTIONS. THE SECOND PERSON I SPOKE WITH TOLD ME I SHOULD HAVE SENT IT BACK DIRECTLY TO SONY. I TOLD HER THE TECH DID NOT TELL ME TO DO THAT. I THEN ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD SEND ME A PRE-POSTAGE STAMPED BOX BECAUSE WHY SHOULD I PAY THE SHIPPING TO RETURN A DEFECTIVE ITEM, SHE SAID NO. I FAXED A COMPLAINT LETTER TO SONY TWICE AND MAILED 2 COPIES. I HAVE GOT NO RESPONSE. I THEN CALLED MY COMP USA CREDIT CARD TO DISPUTE THIS CHARGE. 10-3-03 WENT IN PERSON TO COMP USA PLANO SINCE THEY NEVER ANSWER THEIR PHONE OR HAVE A RECORDING, THE PHONE JUST RING AND RINGS. I WAS TALKING TO A MANAGER WHEN SOMEONE CAME UP TO US (DON’T KNOW IF HE WAS A SALES CLERK OR WHAT) BUT HE INTERJECTED HIS PERSONAL THOUGHT IN THE MATTER WHICH HE SAID “ WELL, YOU SIGNED FOR THE TICKET” WHAT KIND OF REMARK IS THAT? JUST BECAUSE A CUSTOMER SIGNS FOR A TICKET DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE CUSTOMER KNOWINGLY BOUGHT A PRODUCT THAT WAS INFERIOR OR DEFECTIVE. 10-6-03 KEVIN HAIN 972-982-4417 WITH COMP USA CALLED ME. I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT. 10-8-03 MARY SCHUPP 239-768-7519 (SONY CUSTOMER RELATIONS) CALLED AND IS LOOKING INTO THE SITUATION. I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD PAY FOR A PRODUCT THAT I CANNOT USE, THAT I CANNOT GET THE MANUFACTURER TO HELP ME WITH IN ANY WAY OR AM HAVING TROUBLE GETTING REPAIRED. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT I STILL HAVE TO PAY A $49.00 MONTHLY CHARGE FOR INTERNET THAT I CANNOT USE. I WOULD LIKE THIS CHARGE REMOVED SO THAT I MAY PROCEED TO PURCHASE A DIFFERENT COMPUTER ASAP.

I HAD THIS COMPUTER FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS AND HARDLY HAD ANY TIME TO USE IT. THIS PRODUCT IS FAULTY AND COMP USA STORE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE WHY SONY IS SELLING DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS THRU THEIR OUTLETS. THEY ALSO NEED TO ADVISE CUSTOMERS THAT WHEN THEY PURCHASE THIS PARTICULAR PRODUCT THAT SONY WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO WORK ON WARRANTY ITEMS.