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Retailer Refuses Hardware Repair Due To Linux

Posted by kdawson on from the bad-hinge-driver dept.

Tikka writes "Today I visited PC World (London, UK) because my 5-month-old laptop has developed a manufacturing fault: the hinge to the display has started to crack the plastic casing. Anyone in the know will know that this is due to the joint inside, and it means that in time the screen will separate from the keyboard. Repair was refused, because I have Gentoo Linux on my laptop, replacing the Windows Vista that was pre-installed. PC World said that installing Linux had voided my warranty and there is nothing they will do for me. I spoke to a manager, who said that he has been told to refuse any repairs if the operating system has been changed. I feel this has really gone against my statutory rights and I will do everything I can to fight it. I will review comments for your advice."

7 of 1,018 comments (clear)

  1. The operating system does not matter by unlametheweak · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It shouldn't matter what operating system is installed. Many (most?) of the large retailers will tell you to expect your hard disk to be reformatted with a "Recovery Disk" when you send your computer in to be repaired. I doubt if they would even try to boot off a virgin customer disk do to liability and privacy issues. This is a case of warranties gone wrong and managers not having common sense to resolve issues outside (the warranty) box. My advice: take it up the chain of command, or threaten to sue them. That seems to get the ball rolling in my professional and personal experience.

  2. Re:ahem.... are you sure? by langelgjm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Possible scenario: the sleep function didn't work under Linux, so he just left the lid closed with the laptop running. The excess heat, over the course of many (5) months, weakened the plastic case, causing it to crack. So actually, Linux is to blame.

    I am completely serious. This is totally plausible.

    --
    "Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
  3. Lunix machine failure by retired03 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the US, there is a common law that states any product must be fit for it's intended purpose and thus carries an implied warranty. I bought a computer from Fry's, 1 month store and 1 year manufacturer's warranty. It failed after 17 months. I asked them to fix it or replace it or give me my money back. They refused so I filed a claim in small claims court for all the costs involved. They called 30 minutes after the summons arrived and paid all costs. Fit for it's intended purpose means the product should last as long as any other like product - for computers that should be about 5 years.

  4. Re:ahem.... are you sure? by tacarat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    More than likely the note the manager read was intended to keep the cheaply paid minions from working on Linux related hardware problems. No letting the underlings break a .config file worse than it already is (and thus incurring the customer's wrath). Rather than hire more expensive techs with Linux+Windows knowledge, keep them in Windows only. The "fine print" was worded with common sense in mind, so it didn't seem necessary to stipulate that hardware issues with non-driver/OS causes would be ok.

    --
    "Common sense will be the death of us all"
  5. Re:ahem.... are you sure? by rtb61 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Only problem of course for that fanciful scenario, is heat would cause plastic deformation and not weaken the plastic to allow brittle fracture unlike of cause exposure to excessive sunlight. Now of course the heat might cause problems for the lcd transistor and I could pretty well guarantee, that dead transistors due to heat would occur well before exposure to heat would cause brittle weakness in plastic, not that exposure to heat does not cause some types plastic to become brittle but generally speaking that just about right before things go up in flames, or specifically the plastic used in laptop cases does go up in flames.

    So I can only assume you are being completely serious in ignorance.

    Being in the UK there is bound to be a consumer affairs department to which the complaint can be forwarded, for remedial action, I know of the ones for South Australia and for Australia. These government departments are very useful as they will handle any prosecution, so not only will your laptop likely be repaired, but other people in similar situation could also get legal rectification and very likely the retailer could get stuck with penalties well in excess of the cost of repairs.

    --
    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  6. Re:ahem.... are you sure? by fbjon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why not claim that the HD contains sensitive data, and remove it from the laptop before sending in? This way they can't turn it on to discover strange OS's. They'd have to be lunatic to claim they can't repair the hinge without the hard drive.

    --
    True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
  7. Re:ahem.... are you sure? by yakumo.unr · · Score: 5, Interesting
    In general they still are, lenovo was building the machines for IBM long before they actually put the name on them (from what I've heard, haven't completely verified it tbh)

    Their carbon fiber reinforced plastic cases are tough as hell, active protection system and motherboard roll cage seems to keep them ticking long after most cheep plastic machines kicking arround today would be in peices imo

    This lenovo blog article should interest you ThinkPads are Ruggedized Machines :o)