Sony Customer support is awful as is the build quality of its Vaio Fit range of laptops it would appear.
I purchased 2 customised versions of the Vaio fit model less than 6 months ago.
At month 4, one of the laptops developed a fault where the screen slightly came away from the surrounding lid in the bottom left hand corner. It was only very slight and because the laptop functioned without fault I decided to live with it. (I also picked it up off the desk one day to discover one of the screws had just fallen out but let's not dwell on that).
A month later and still less than 6 months old I opened the lid one morning to find the surrounding lid had completely come away and that it requires holding together each time it's opened or I risk it completely snapping in some way.
Having initially struggled to find any way to gain some support through the website (telephone number provided results in automated message requesting case id which of course you don't have until you email for support), I finally gained a case ID and spoke to support.
The support people then emailed me requesting photos of the problem so they could determine whether it was covered by the warranty.
2 days later I was informed that they had agreed to send the laptop for repair and so collection was arranged.
On the 4th day of the laptop being sent I received a call from the repair centre in Warrington (outsourced to flextronics.com) and was told the engineer had looked at the problem but because it was physically damaged that it wasn't covered by the warranty. He explained that Sony support should have explained that in the first place and because of that I had two options;
Option 1 - Pay £185 to have the laptop repaired and returned
Option 2 - Except return of the laptop unrepaired and Sony will cover the costs of transit because it should have been explained in the first place that physical damage is not covered by the warranty
Obviously I am less than happy, I'm outraged.
Yes, it is physically damaged but not by misuse of the laptop in any way by me. I took photos before sending it off to ensure I had dated proof that illustrates the laptop has never been dropped.
I've decided to accept the laptop back (not really given much other option because there's no way I'm paying for them to repair something I think should be covered under warranty) and have been given the Sony customer relations department address who it has been suggested I now need to take up the issue with.
I find it disgusting that a company like Sony can sell laptops for nearly £1000 and the poor build quality means that less than 6 months down the road the consumer is left having to pay their own repair.
The sale of Sale of Goods Act 1979, chapter 54, part 2, section 14, states goods have to be fit for purpose and in this instance I don't believe the laptop sold to me is fit for purpose.
I think the physical damage I'm experiencing is due to a design fault frankly. The laptops lids have been designed to slightly raise the back of the laptop off the surface they're on. The 2nd identical laptop I purchased at the same time shows signs of starting to flex in exactly the same point. There's even reference to the poor quality in this review from PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/384214/sony-vaio-fit-15e
"Build quality is squarely in budget territory. There’s a little flex in the base, but our main problem is with the Sony’s lid. Flex it from side to side and there’s a tendency for the plastic panel to click slightly out of place around the right-hand edge."
So it's on its way back and I'll be taking it up with Sony customer relations which is at the address below for anyone else wanting to make a complaint;
Sony UK Limited
The Heights
Brooklands
Weybridge
Surrey
KT13 0XW
It'll also be the last Sony Vaio I'll be buying having purchased numerous over the years. You've lost a customer Sony.
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