So I've had a bit of drams with my laptop situation this year, I had one from September 2010 but that died a slow and horrible death at the end of March so I got a new HP pavilion G6 on the first of February. I also got some nice laptop insurance to go with it so that I wouldn't have the same situation ever again i.e. broken laptop and no funds to fix it. I got some snazzy whateverhappens premier insurance which basically means you can invite the neighbours round to dribble on it and get it replaced it needs it!
Last week I started noticing the screen flicker on and off all the time so I rang the insurance and it turns out my direct debit never went through and I therefore wasn't insured! They said they would fix it under the warranty but it would mean 10-20 days without a laptop and seeing as I'm leaving for Australia in under two weeks now that wasn't really going to work. The nice thing about the insurance that I was supposed to have was that if it breaks they loan you a laptop and fix yours within 7 days or replace it. The man at PC world did sort me out with nice new insurance but I was told I couldn't claim for 30 days..
Now one thing I've learnt on this degree (Advertising with Marketing Comms) is that companies are very scared of bad word of mouth - and quite rightly. With the use of social networking and blogs and youtube one consumer can ruin a companies reputation if they put in the effort - just look up "united airlines broke my guitar" on youtube! So I decided that maybe I should kick up a bit of a fuss.
I then sent them the following email, followed by tweets telling them I'd sent an email and was waiting eagerly for their response with the hastag #veryupsetcustomer:
Dear PC World,
On the 1st of February I bought a lovely new HP Pavillion G6 laptop from you and also signed up to the whatever happens premier insurance. I was given the first month of insurance for free and signed up for a direct debit to continue the insurance.
On Monday I noticed my laptop screen flickered off occasionally just for a second or two, and sometimes when it was first turned on would take a while for the screen to work. I checked my bank and noticed that the money had never been taken for the insurance for March (so that i could take advatage of the loan laptop and no fix within 7 days and its replaced service - i have looked after the laptop very well and don't actually take it out of the house so there has been no opportunity for damage) so I phoned the whatever happens helpline and explained. I was told that my bank had rejected my direct debit and instead of being told about this my insurance had been stopped. Meaning that while i thought i was covered i wasn't. I phoned my bank and they have said that they did not reject my direct debit I had tried to put it on the wrong sort of account (which I didn't realise) but that there would have been no way of THEM phoning me to tell me the direct debit hadnt gone through as it would have happened automatically. I do not understand why PC world wouldnt have phoned me when the money did not come through for the insurance and ask for another method of payment. I would have thought you would want my money? :(
I took it into my PC World at Castlepoint, Bournemouth and showed a very nice man called Paul who explained that it was probably a loose connection in the screen and that he would send it off for repair, and that it would be returned to the shop in 10-20 days. Here's where my major problem is, I am a student and have the most important two weeks of this year coming up and cannot afford to be without a laptop, I am also leaving the UK for Australia for five months in 16 days and could not be given any garuntee that my laptop would be back in time. If PC World had rung me to tell me that my insurance direct debit had not gone through and asked for another one to be set up I would have done so meaning I could get my laptop picked up, be lent a replacement, and have a fixed/new one within 7 days. I explained to Paul about my saga with the insurance and he has now set me up with the insurance on the correct kind of bank account which was very kind of him, however now I obviously cannot claim on it for I'm assuming 30 days? By which time I will be in Australia.
I am very upset with the fact that my laptop has broken and is now completely unusable (the screen now does not work enless i push on the back of it, whilst pushing on the front of it to prevent the laptop from closing meaning i have no hands left to type with!) considering I bought it 6 weeks ago and have treated like my baby. I love my laptop, it's blue and pretty and works well aside from the screen issue and that I now have to work in my university library for the following two weeks when a) it takes at least 20 minutes to find a spare computer and b) i work best in my room, at home between the hours of ten pm and midnight is VERY distressing. I hope you can also appreciate the fact that working in the university library means I will be spending money on food here rather than eating the food i have at home costing me an extra ten pounds per week. Money which i would not have to spend if a) my laptop was working or b) my insurance was in place.
I hope you can understand my need for a working laptop at this important time in my degree and my sadness over the fact that I have been let down by both the product and the insurance (which i pay for out of my food allowance - i have to go vegetarian for one week per month!)
I request that because I have paid for the insurance and I should have had it all along and because I'm very upset that I am given the loan laptop and garunteed working laptop within 7 days that i deserve. Six weeks is not very long for a laptop to break especially as I have treated it so well.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope we can resolve this issue together,
Many thanks,
Beth Greenall
Stressed and upset student of Bournemouth University.
They have now agreed to fix the laptop under the 7 days fix or replace service :D which means I can take it to Australia and don't have any laptopless days!
I very much like that me throwing a tantrum has got me my way and I have my degree to thank!
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