customer service

[bosoxfan]

Hey how about a new thread where everyone can discuss their success and horror stories with companies: Billing errors, warranties and general mishaps I'm sure we all have e few great stories to share!

[Cbs]

im gonna try to revive this thread from the dead with my story and see how far it gets!

i bought a laptop under a year ago from sears.com, and recently i got my ear phones stuck in the headphone jack! itll be hard to explain how i did it (accident) but basically now there is the tip of my headphones in the laptop which cracked off the headphones and is blocking all sound from the laptop speakers. - the headphones were apple so i just went into apple and told them it cracked and they gave me a new one -
but the laptop is the issue now. so for a while untill i got myself together to claim warranty i used a USB headphone.

then i called warranty (Gateway) and they said theyll take a look at it, but i have to pay shipping to get it there. so i brought the laptop to UPS and it costed me $42 to ship it!!!
am i supposed to pay for it? is there a way to get the warranty to cover it?
and i hope all goes well that theyll cover the fixing but they may say its my fault, any ideas what to say to get around it?

[elikay]

I'd think that priority flat rate would be cheaper.

[elizmm]

from google searching (sounds alot like lockpicking):

Took me 5 - 10 minutes, after thoroughly researching. Don't open the computer and don't use magnets - risk of damage and it won't get you anywhere. Glue probably works, but you need the right kind, a REALLY steady hand, and time for it to cure; you risk getting glue in the jack - not good! Here's how I did it: take a paperclip and straighten out the first loop, leaving a loop to act as a handle. The opened out loop is about 4.5cm (nearly 1.5 ins) long. With pliers, bend about 2mm (about 1/16 in.) at the end about 45 degrees to the side. Look in the jack (torch/flashlight helps) and see where the holding/contact springs are. (Mine were on the side of the jack towards the back of the laptop. You can only see the 1st one.) Insert the opened out paperclip so that the bent end points away from the springs (on mine, towards the front of the laptop), and push gently until you reach the end. (The broken audio plug tip is hollow, so your extraction tool is now inside the tip.) Apply pressure away from the springs and pull gently back. The broken tip will clear the first spring, and your extraction tool will probably lose grip. Now gently repeat to clear the 2nd and 3rd springs, without pushing the broken plug back in. After the 3rd spring is cleared, the broken tip falls out and you experience a great feeling of well-being! You also saved yourself a lot of cash! It's good practice to switch off the laptop and remove the battery first, of course.

[Cbs]

I'd think that priority flat rate would be cheaper.

yes it would but i didnt feel to comfortable with USPS  and its expensive laptop so im trying to be more on the careful side, so yes the $42 may be part my fault but i still think they should pay for shipping whatever it is

from google searching (sounds alot like lockpicking):

Took me 5 - 10 minutes, after thoroughly researching. Don't open the computer and don't use magnets - risk of damage and it won't get you anywhere. Glue probably works, but you need the right kind, a REALLY steady hand, and time for it to cure; you risk getting glue in the jack - not good! Here's how I did it: take a paperclip and straighten out the first loop, leaving a loop to act as a handle. The opened out loop is about 4.5cm (nearly 1.5 ins) long. With pliers, bend about 2mm (about 1/16 in.) at the end about 45 degrees to the side. Look in the jack (torch/flashlight helps) and see where the holding/contact springs are. (Mine were on the side of the jack towards the back of the laptop. You can only see the 1st one.) Insert the opened out paperclip so that the bent end points away from the springs (on mine, towards the front of the laptop), and push gently until you reach the end. (The broken audio plug tip is hollow, so your extraction tool is now inside the tip.) Apply pressure away from the springs and pull gently back. The broken tip will clear the first spring, and your extraction tool will probably lose grip. Now gently repeat to clear the 2nd and 3rd springs, without pushing the broken plug back in. After the 3rd spring is cleared, the broken tip falls out and you experience a great feeling of well-being! You also saved yourself a lot of cash! It's good practice to switch off the laptop and remove the battery first, of course.

sounds like it would work - i did try tweezers but i couldnt get it it was a bit too deep, and i did bring it to geek squad in best buy and they couldnt pry it out, and someone advised to put gorrila glue on q-tip but i didnt try that.

[SuperFlyer]

You guys in the states are very spoiled what concerns warranty.

Pay for shipment? Here this would be the joke of the century. :-(

[Jkhein]

You guys in the states are very spoiled what concerns warranty.

Pay for shipment? Here this would be the joke of the century. :-(

Here as in where? Israel?

[SuperFlyer]

Europe (besides UK)

In Israel you will find more info about this in the science fiction section.

[Cbs]

You guys in the states are very spoiled what concerns warranty.

Pay for shipment? Here this would be the joke of the century. :-(

idk bout europe but i know in israel there are many things that they'll consider Americans "spoiled" for which i think those things are very normal that should be done - for example here the shipping should be paid for by warranty - thats what sams club warranty did for my ipod, they sent me a Ups label.

[AJK]

I fail to see why a company who offers a warranty on a product should also be required to pay for shipping the item back and forth.

[Cbs]

I fail to see why a company who offers a warranty on a product should also be required to pay for shipping the item back and forth.

i dont see what is so hard to understand the logic behind it, if you pay extra for a warranty or if the cost of the item covers a warranty, they should cover you from beginning to end. that means if my laptop breaks i shouldnt have to spend an extra penny for them to fix it because im covered already by them. so just because they are located in texas lets say, that not my problem, and i shouldnt have to pay shipping to get it there

[AJK]

i dont see what is so hard to understand the logic behind it, if you pay extra for a warranty or if the cost of the item covers a warranty, they should cover you from beginning to end. that means if my laptop breaks i shouldnt have to spend an extra penny for them to fix it because im covered already by them. so just because they are located in texas lets say, that not my problem, and i shouldnt have to pay shipping to get it there

IF you're covered, coverage only provides that your item will be repaired/replaced/reimbursed. They're holding up their end of the bargain by offering to fix it. Why should they cover shipping costs as well? This is especially so when they warranty their item at no "extra" charge to you.

If you paid extra for the warranty, then  it would seem to me that you should have discerned what exactly you were paying extra for.

[Cbs]

IF you're covered, coverage only provides that your item will be repaired/replaced/reimbursed. They're holding up their end of the bargain by offering to fix it. Why should they cover shipping costs as well? This is especially so when they warranty their item at no "extra" charge to you.

If you paid extra for the warranty, then  it would seem to me that you should have discerned what exactly you were paying extra for.

so you're saying that in case like here - the laptop - which im covered for manufacturers warranty for first year and im not paying extra for it so they shouldnt be required to pay for shipping but in a case like my ipod where it was after a year and i payed extra for the sams club warranty so thats why they paid for shipping?

[AJK]

No.

I am saying you get what you pay for. If you got a warranty that was included in the item's MSRP, then you get whatever it is the company is offering you with that "included" warranty. If you don't like it, don't buy the item.
If you get a warranty that was purchased in addition to the MSRP, then you get whatever it is you're purchasing. If the terms included reimbursement for shipping, you get it reimbursement for shipping, if not, not.

Again,

I fail to see why a company who offers a warranty on a product should also be required to pay for shipping the item back and forth.

[Cbs]

No.

I am saying you get what you pay for. If you got a warranty that was included in the item's MSRP, then you get whatever it is the company is offering you with that "included" warranty. If you don't like it, don't buy the item.
If you get a warranty that was purchased in addition to the MSRP, then you get whatever it is you're purchasing. If the terms included reimbursement for shipping, you get it reimbursement for shipping, if not, not.

Again,

thats very similar if not exact to what i said / (meant)

[AJK]

thats very similar if not exact to what i said / (meant)

It may have been what you meant, but it isn't what you said.