Computer Repairmen.
The Tale of the Laptop that Worked But Didn't (But Does)

My laptop is irreparable. Well, officially, anyway. I have a document from technicians telling me that the laptop is a write-off and I should buy a new one. This laptop here. That I'm writing on. Right now.

I'll tell you all about it, shall I?

The screen froze last Sunday, so I took it into a repair shop. The following conversation happened:

Me: "Do you do laptop repairs?"
Them: "Yes"
Me: "Oh good. My laptop's screen keeps freezing. I think it's a loose cable. Is it possible you could check it out?"
Them: "How do you know it's a loose cable?"
Me: "Because the screen keeps freezing".
Them: "But it could be a virus"
Me: "No it can't. Because when I squeeze the screen, where I'm guessing the loose cable is, the laptop works fine"
Them: "But it could still be a virus"
Me: "What sort of virus effects HARDWARE?"

They then convinced me that all I needed was their "Care Package", and they handed me a piece of paper. They took the laptop, and said it would be ready in three days.

A second conversation took place via phone the next day.

Them: "Hi, it's the repair shop"
Me: "Right"
Them: "Yeah, we found out the problem. It's a loose cable"
Me: "I know. Is it fixable?"
Them: "Yeah, we could get a new one in. It'd cost though."
Me: "That's fine"
Them: "Yeah. To be honest mate, you're probably just gonna need a new laptop"
Me: "... What?"
Them: "Yeah. Get a new laptop. We'll send this back"
Me: "So.. it's irrepairable?"
Them: "I'm not saying that"
Me: "If you're saying the only cure for this is to GET ANOTHER ONE, then I'm pretty sure you can't fix the problem"

So, I went to collect it the next day, and they charged me £55. They wouldn't let me have my laptop until I paid them. I asked them "what service am I paying for exactly?". They told me that they did a service check, and found the loose cable. (The loose cable I told them was causing the problem). They then said my battery was broken what?) and that it couldn't be fixed. £55 please.

I paid the man, because I am fickle.

I went home and studied my laptop. I pressed the power on button, and it didn't load up. Odd. So I plugged the battery in. The battery that the shop decided was broken.

The battery worked.

I thought logically. "The screen works if I squeeze this bit.. there's a screw right next to that bit... I tightened the screws around the laptop, and it works now. I fixed it with a knife. A cheeseknife, if you wish to know the full details.

The screen worked.

Loading up my laptop with the working screen and working battery, I noticed it was having problems booting up. It was giving me an option to format my C://Drive. I didn't want to do that. I phoned up the shop.

Me: "Hi, it's Friz. I just picked up my laptop. It's not booting up properly"
Them: "That's because of the loose cable"
Me: "No, I fixed that."
Them: "Well, the battery doesn't work"
Me: "Nope. Fixed that too. Why won't my laptop load?"

I heard muttering down the phone. Then, I heard my CD drive going mental, so I ejected it. I found that they left a CD in my drive. A CD with some sort of booting programme called "Hiren's 10-Z". I restarted the laptop.

The laptop worked.

They then got back to me.

Them: "Hello, Friz?"
Me: "Don't worry, I fixed it."

So, my laptop works. I spent £55 for the advise to buy a new one. I've been suggested to go back to the shop and demand a refund, but a polite email from them says that I agreed to the service charge before giving them the laptop.

When did I agree? Look a few lines up. Near the beginning of the story.

They then convinced me that all I needed was their "Care Package", and they handed me a piece of paper. They took the laptop, and said it would be ready in three days.

That piece of paper was a bill. Accepting means that I agreed to the service.
( __, Sat 29 May 2010, 16:51, 7 replies)

There's a place like that in the town that I live.

My power cable broke, so I went with the old one in hand to buy a new one. The bloke then told me that he couldn't tell what kind of cable I needed (despite me handing him a physical example).

He then told me to bring my laptop with me, and he'll try some out. I did later that day, he looked at the port and said he'd have to order one in. Fine, not a problem.

He then wanted to keep my laptop until the cable arrived. Why the fuck did he need to keep the laptop??
Well, needless to say I told him that his suggestion was not only suspicious, but barmy. He said it was so that he could check that the cable fits when it came in. I informed him that I was fully capapble of bringing it back with me at a later date if needed. He couldn't grasp the concept...at all!!


I gave up and took the old lead to another place, who sold me an identical lead on the spot.
(NoStrings Tastes like zombies!!, Sat 29 May 2010, 17:07, closed)

In all my experience
Which is 6 years of computing, no degree, no classes, nobody educating me but t'interweb, I have learned that with 'puters, you can:
A:Fix it yourself, always a youtube vid explaining everything
B:Get a friend to do it, evryone knows someone that can
C:Pay a company or business to fuck it up worse.

Those are your three choices. I recommend A. If you can't fix it, buy a new one.
(CactusZack Shaved his coin purse on, Tue 1 Jun 2010, 1:59, closed)

Downside? What downside?
All true.

BUT

From bitter personal experience, all the YouTube instructional vids in the world don't help at all when you've only got one 'puter. The one that you would use to look up the YouTube vids, if only it was working.
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Tue 1 Jun 2010, 15:03, closed)

All the best tools are topoligically equivalent to a sharpened flint.
It's poignant that at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dave deactivates HAL with a screwdriver.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Sat 29 May 2010, 18:42, closed)

Well done
for being clever enough to fix a laptop but dumb enough to not read the paperwork before hand.

The human mind can be a wonderful/horrible thing!
(robbersdog, Sun 30 May 2010, 9:13, closed)

The £55
was an idiot tax.

Hirens is a useful tool.
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sun 30 May 2010, 15:39, closed)

Hmmmmm
I think you may have legal grounds to claim back that money you spent. Part of the old Agreement and contractual intention, did you intent to make a contract? And did they point out to you in clear terms what the contract stated? My advice, read the crap they give you in future and chalk it down to a nice learning experiance.
(AmootPoint My bro is cyril sneer, Tue 1 Jun 2010, 20:59, closed)