When does a computer manufacturer's on-site warranty actually entitle the customer to receive on-site service? A reader recently discovered that with Toshiba, as with so many other computer manufacturers, the answer to that question is: only when the manufacturer feels like it.
The reader sent me a copy of a letter he had written to Toshiba detailing his warranty support experiences in the year and a half he's owned a Toshiba Qosmio G15 laptop. "Barely nine months into this short life, the machine developed a catastrophic failure that required the replacement of the system board," he wrote. "Fortunately, I learned after the motherboard discovery that my machine was covered by an excellent warranty, and that Toshiba would replace the board and send a repair specialist out to my home to install said board for me. This, I must say, was stellar."
The reader had been concerned that would be required to ship the laptop to a repair depot. "I've heard many a horror story about the generic Repair Facility Black Hole - where systems are sent away, sometimes for weeks at a time, and returned with the original problem still intact," the reader wrote. The reader, a software developer, also had the problem that under his company's policy he is not ever supposed to let the laptop out of his control. "Needless to say, then, I was thrilled upon finding out that my repair would be of the on-site variety. So thrilled was I, in fact, that I purchased an extended warranty specifically to lengthen my access to that on-site coverage. Several weeks after the purchase, I received a certificate that verified said coverage."
Unfortunately, a few months later the reader found himself again in need of support when he noticed during a business trip that his Qosmio's power cord had developed a short, forcing him to wrap the cord with electrical tape. "This stop-gap solution worked (albeit fitfully) for about three days," the reader wrote. "And then came the fourth. On that Thursday, I was sitting in a conference room, preparing to begin coding, when the cord went out again. As was usual for that week, I tightened the electrical tape around the cord shaft to alleviate the problem. But the problem was not alleviated. I continued to tighten the tape, but to no avail. Finally, after about a half hour, the cord gave out completely: Sparks started to shoot out from it initially ... followed quickly by flames. I couldn't believe it. Here was my irreplaceable system with all of my code, and there it was sitting next to a flaming power cord."
"When I returned from my trip, I immediately called technical support - expecting the same stellar level of assistance that I had received before," the reader wrote. "The technician indicated the date on which the part would be delivered, and I duly waited to receive my replacement in the post on that day. Nothing. I waited another day. Still nothing. Finally, I called technical support again, asking why I had not yet received my power cord. Well, the answer to that was straightforward, I was told: That cord was no longer in stock. The chord was WHAT? No longer in stock, yes. I was flabbergasted. So when would it be in stock? It was discontinued, I was told. The part was no longer being made. So I was being told that I had a machine that was less than a year old, the machine had a flaming power cord, and Toshiba was no longer making the part that I needed to power my machine. And further, to add insult to injury, the tech seemed positively sanguine. It didn't seem to matter at all to him that my machine would basically be rendered useless if I could not have access to a non-flaming power cord."
Researching on his own, the reader was able to discover that the Toshiba parts department in fact had a replacement for the discontinued power cord, and it was in stock. But Toshiba's tech support reps said they couldn't order the part for him, because their own database showed it as being out of stock. "What I was being told was that the only way for me to replace my flaming power cord was to contact the parts department myself and PAY for the new non-flaming part. Now, sometimes, it's just the principle of the thing: I had no intention of paying for a new part when I had already paid for a system with a warranty, and for an additional extended warranty. And so I asked to speak to a supervisor. I was obliged, and was immediately informed that there was nothing that could be done. Perhaps a little flustered (perhaps not), the supervisor told me that I should contact the Customer Relations department the next day and 'escalate' the problem."
Before he even had a chance to do that, however, a new power cable showed up at his home. So all was well, but the reader was beginning to wonder if he was stuck with a lemon. Four months later he was back calling Toshiba tech support, this time because the system fan was emitting a loud, grinding sound. ."After a very short hold time (Toshiba does have the shortest tech support hold times that I have ever experienced, I'll definitely give them that), I was connected to a technician," the reader wrote. "After gathering the obligatory name-rank-and-serial-number information, the tech asked me how she could help. I explained the problem that I was having, and fortunately it didn't take her long to agree that I probably did need a new fan. Good...I was encouraged. When could I receive it? For a microsecond, the tech began the process of setting up the on-site call, but then she suddenly stopped. After a few seconds, she informed me that my warranty did not cover on-site repairs, and that I would need to box up my machine and send it to the repair depot."
Only by digging out his certificate was the reader able to get the tech to understand that he had paid for extended on-site warranty coverage. "She continued to prattle on about my lack-of-coverage and about my need to box up the system. I had documentation, I informed her. In my hand was a written document that stated that I had purchased a warranty for $224.10. The coverage level was specified as on-site. Oh, you have proof. Yes, I had proof, I asserted. And I could fax it to her if need be. Finally adopting a more conciliatory tone, the tech informed me that her database was apparently incorrect (oh, priceless, another incorrect, non-updated database), and that I would need to contact ...drumroll ... the Customer Relations department. They, she assured me, would be able to address the problem by ensuring that the warranty information was properly updated."
When he spoke to a Customer Relations representative the next day, she acknowledged he had the on-site service coverage. "The issue of on-site coverage was not in question, and the technician's database had simply been in error," the reader wrote. "But that wasn't the issue. Then what was the issue? The Qosmio G15's had a known motherboard problem. No kidding. And Toshiba had decreed that all G15 customers in need of any repair would need to send their systems back to the Repair Depot for an upgrade that would fix the mass motherboard problem. I'd already had the motherboard replaced, I explained. That didn't matter, she continued, completely one-track as she steamrolled over my protests. This was a different issue. A different issue? Well, personally, I didn't care about a different issue. I already had a new motherboard, and all I needed now was a system fan; a system fan installed on-site by a repair professional."
The reader tried explaining to this and subsequent Toshiba's representatives that sending the computer in was not an option because of his company's policy, but to no avail. "Nope, was the unrelenting reply, the machine had to be sent back to the Depot," the reader wrote. "So, I protested, my on-site warranty, which I purchased in good faith precisely because of its on-site-ness, was useless. Send it back to the Depot, she said."
Thinking he might have no other option but to try to replace the fan himself, the reader has once again tracked down the part number and ordered it from the Toshiba parts department. "So here now I sit, waiting for the fan to arrive so that I can install it," the reader wrote in his letter to Toshiba. "As I wait, I am keenly aware of the lunacy of my current predicament, and it crystal-clearly occurs to me that this 'I have to fix it myself' remedy is no remedy at all. I am therefore writing this letter of explanation and complaint to demand a suitable resolution to this now untenable situation. As I have explained in excruciating detail above, I, the customer 1) have purchased a Qosmio G15 laptop computer from Toshiba, 2) have purchased a 2 year extended on-site warranty in good faith, 3) have experienced multiple part failures since purchasing the machine, 4. am currently in need of a new system fan, and 5) cannot send the machine to The Depot for repair. Further, during the purchase of the previously mentioned warranty, I the customer was not informed of the need to send my machine to the Repair Depot for a mandatory motherboard upgrade. This being the case, I do not believe that I am bound by the Toshiba Decree, and I fully expect to have my warranty honored."
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