I asked you to fix it not make it worse!!!!

deleted:baalhadadTue 05/02/08 17:31

My laptop had been a little temperamental lately; there was a problem with the DC input thingymabob which was diagnosed by the people at the University Computer people to be a loose connection to the motherboard. A simple operation I was told, all that would be required was them to re-solder it back on. I thought great – I'll somehow get through two weeks without my laptop and it'll be fine…

Then two weeks later I get an e-mail from the University computer people telling me there were a number of problems with my machine – the first being the one I sent in for. They say they had fixed that. The second was that the machine had been overheating – something I had noticed, with the fan going into overdrive sometimes. When that happened, I always switched it off, and let things return to normal – seemed like common sense to me. Then the e-mail speculated that this had caused a third problem; ‘a defective display'. When I got the e-mail I assumed that this defective display couldn't be too serious – I had never noticed it. So I went and collected by machinery, and plugged it in at home.

When I plugged it in the screen froze – went slowly white. This happened to a previous laptop I owned, and I believe then it was something to do with the video card on the motherboard. What is more the DC connection still was being quite erratic – this led me to think that not only had they misdiagnosed the original problem, but that they had transformed my semi-usable laptop into one completely useless to me. I was a little peeved, but like a good little soldier, I put on a brave face and went back to the Computing centre.

There, the person who I had dealt with when collecting it told me that I would have to go to speak to their repair man. I went to reception; he wasn't in. So I went back. ‘Well you will have to come back when he's here'… When will that be… He doesn't know.

Hang on, I thought… I don't quite see if anything here has been my fault. And this man (and I understand that he probably hates dealing with arsy students like myself) seems to be saying in veiled terms that its not his problem. *Meh* I thought. I wailed to him, ‘I can't just come back, I'm a finalist and I need my laptop!'

He got the manager – to their credit she was helpful, though quite clearly not going to admit any liability. But I got them to take it back in to have a look at it. Then a phonecall came through this afternoon telling me that they are pretty sure they have fixed the DC connection, and that its charging as they spoke (her tone of voice really rather infuriated me, as if I had been lying, but I just put on my jolliest tone and told her that was fabulous news…) But what about the display I asked. They helpfully informed me it would be fine if I used a monitor screen. Super. A laptop chained to my desk. And they told me that their man will have another look at it tomorrow, but if he can't fix it, there is nothing they can do.

I understand they don't want to admit any liability, and I appreciate that they have taken it back in. What irritates me is that so long as they claim it was a problem with the system overheating, I don't have a leg to stand on because they are not liable for damage like that. I also have no proof that I wasn't experiencing the problem when I handed it over to them.

So the only thing I can do is growl loudly and drink a large gin. I worry though what I might do if I am presented with a bill for their time when I collect it. I just might kill somebody.* Perhaps it would have been better if I had never owned a laptop at all.

*May not actually resemble the truth