Chances of receiving a refund out of warranty?
- Thread starter njz
- Start date
GeorgeHillier
Prolific Poster
Hi njz, I just read over this thread and thought I'd add my bit 
Just a quick question to start with is how long a warranty did you have with the machine? Was it the standard or silver 1 year warranty or not? (sorry if you've already mentioned this, I read through everything but may have missed it) Since if so then they don't have to do anything.
Yes, it was changed, but only applies for purchases made after that time, so won't apply to your laptop (I believe it came into effect in October 2015)
Well under EU law electrical items have a 1 year warranty on them and the old UK law was a "reasonable" amount of time (which is pretty vague and a judge has to decide if it came down to it). As for the premium, you're paying extra for faster components such as a better processor etc. They're not charging you more because, for example, an i7 is more reliable than the i3, because it's not, they charge you more because it costs more for them to purchase in the first place
If the RMA's have been for the same problems then I'd say you're 100% being reasonable for some sort of refund, however if it's different issues each time then that's different. The same issue multiple times indicates there could be something wrong with the unit or the design of the item, but different issues just shows you've been unfortunate.
Anyway, hope you get something sorted
Just a quick question to start with is how long a warranty did you have with the machine? Was it the standard or silver 1 year warranty or not? (sorry if you've already mentioned this, I read through everything but may have missed it) Since if so then they don't have to do anything.
Yes, it was changed, but only applies for purchases made after that time, so won't apply to your laptop (I believe it came into effect in October 2015)
Well under EU law electrical items have a 1 year warranty on them and the old UK law was a "reasonable" amount of time (which is pretty vague and a judge has to decide if it came down to it). As for the premium, you're paying extra for faster components such as a better processor etc. They're not charging you more because, for example, an i7 is more reliable than the i3, because it's not, they charge you more because it costs more for them to purchase in the first place
If the RMA's have been for the same problems then I'd say you're 100% being reasonable for some sort of refund, however if it's different issues each time then that's different. The same issue multiple times indicates there could be something wrong with the unit or the design of the item, but different issues just shows you've been unfortunate.
Anyway, hope you get something sorted
Hi njz, I just read over this thread and thought I'd add my bit
No problem. I'm keen to see what other people think so the more replies, the better.
It was the 3 year standard warranty (1 month collect/return, 1 year parts + 3 years labour). And I'd argue the Sale of Goods Act does give me some rights as to what PCS are obligated to do, but it's not something that's as clear cut now that the warranty is up.
Yeah, I noticed that when I went to read it.
Isn't the EU law for 2 years? I'm pretty sure it is but, for some reason, it's not really used or enforced here. I agree that "reasonable" is pretty vague but that's because different items are expected to last shorter or longer than others. Yesterday, I spoke to someone at PCS over the phone and even he agreed when I said I'd expect a laptop to last a minimum of 3 years, so...
As for the premium, you're paying extra for faster components such as a better processor etc. They're not charging you more because, for example, an i7 is more reliable than the i3, because it's not, they charge you more because it costs more for them to purchase in the first place
Fair point, I didn't really think of it like that. I'm not in a position to be able to afford to buy a new computer every year though so, had I known my i7 laptop wouldn't last even 2 years, I'd definitely have just gotten a much cheaper machine with an i3 or something similar - if that makes sense? My point is I'd rather have a slower machine that lasts 3+ years than a much faster one that doesn't even last 2. Lesson learned, I suppose.
They've been hardware issues each time though - first it was the fan (which I didn't RMA, they just sent me a new one), then it was the hard drive making weird sounds, and now it's the motherboard - so I don't feel like I'm at 'fault' because I don't think there's anything I could have done to cause or prevent those. That's not to say it's PCS' fault either, but when things keep going wrong with the same machine, it not only makes me regret buying from them, it makes me wonder if there may have been something wrong from the start.
Anyway, hope you get something sorted
Thank you. I appreciate it
Thought I'd post an update here as I said I would now that I've heard back from PCS and also have my laptop back.
They did not offer the refund because, oddly enough, they couldn't find the fault :wacko:. The only thing they could find was that the battery was flat when they received it (which I imagine was because it was packed up in a box for about 6 days over Christmas/New Year between my sending it and them opening it) so the PCS engineer charged it up and then reinstalled Windows (which I had requested in my RMA) and set up all the drivers etc...
The reason I sent it for the RMA was because it wouldn't start up at all (the battery and power LEDs would come on, but nothing else) and, prior to that, the restart function wouldn't work (it would get to the PCS logo and then just get stuck there), so I had suspected the motherboard again but PCS thought it could've potentially been the hard drive. So, as a gesture of goodwill, they replaced the hard drive for me free of charge and then did their usual testing/QA checks before dispatching it back to me.
I've had it back since yesterday now and, while I haven't had a chance to test it thoroughly myself due to work, all does seem to be working perfectly so far.
I was very frustrated with having to send the laptop back yet again a couple of weeks ago but now I'm very much the opposite. Considering that the laptop is out of warranty, PCS had no obligation to replace the hard drive free of charge, nor did they have to reinstall Windows and all its updates/drivers for me, so I'm very pleased with their customer service. I did also call them a few times over the course of this week with queries/concerns and everyone I spoke to was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Given how great and understanding PCS have been and their excellent customer service with this issue, I'll definitely recommend them to friends/family and might even buy my next machine from them - although I hope that won't have to be for a few years!
They did not offer the refund because, oddly enough, they couldn't find the fault :wacko:. The only thing they could find was that the battery was flat when they received it (which I imagine was because it was packed up in a box for about 6 days over Christmas/New Year between my sending it and them opening it) so the PCS engineer charged it up and then reinstalled Windows (which I had requested in my RMA) and set up all the drivers etc...
The reason I sent it for the RMA was because it wouldn't start up at all (the battery and power LEDs would come on, but nothing else) and, prior to that, the restart function wouldn't work (it would get to the PCS logo and then just get stuck there), so I had suspected the motherboard again but PCS thought it could've potentially been the hard drive. So, as a gesture of goodwill, they replaced the hard drive for me free of charge
and then did their usual testing/QA checks before dispatching it back to me. I've had it back since yesterday now and, while I haven't had a chance to test it thoroughly myself due to work, all does seem to be working perfectly so far.
I was very frustrated with having to send the laptop back yet again a couple of weeks ago but now I'm very much the opposite. Considering that the laptop is out of warranty, PCS had no obligation to replace the hard drive free of charge, nor did they have to reinstall Windows and all its updates/drivers for me, so I'm very pleased with their customer service. I did also call them a few times over the course of this week with queries/concerns and everyone I spoke to was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Given how great and understanding PCS have been and their excellent customer service with this issue, I'll definitely recommend them to friends/family and might even buy my next machine from them - although I hope that won't have to be for a few years!
Respect to PCS. I shall be ordering from them next week (hopefully).
It's nice to know which sellers don't abandon their customers when things go bad outside of warranty.
Agreed; I don't think there are many sellers that would go to the lengths PCS did in fixing up my laptop so I'm very appreciative of their service.
I would still recommend the extended warranty (I think it's the Gold one) for 2 years though just for the extra peace of mind.
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