My HORRIBLE Acer repair experience

Sumary:

Ethernet port stopped working while the Acer One was under warranty.

* Was told "Someone else" owns my Acer One.
* Sent it to Acer in Texas.
* Sent back to me unrepaired.
* Sent back to Acer.
* Kept almost a week without looking at it.
* Sent back to me unrepaired with tar goo on the screen and broken keyboard.
* Excessively long hold time (40 min)
* Issue still not resolved, getting the store (Costco) involved with the repair.

:arrow: Really boring details:

I bought my Acer Aspire One D150-1322 from Costco in June 2009. It replaced a Toshiba P4 I bought new in 2000. I brought the Toshiba to/from work, and it weighed about 12lbs. Most of the time the processing power was over kill so I replaced it with the Aspire One, weighing 10lb less.

The Aspire is the machine I expected it to be. If I were to write a review, it wouldn't be a brilliantly blinding document of praise. But it wouldn't be a horrible trash piece either. My Acer was a fair machine and it did almost all the tasks adequately.

I used the ethernet port a little when I first got it and after that I didn't use it at all until March of this year.
I created a dual-boot system last March of XP and OpenSuse (Linux). OpenSuse didn't set up the wireless correctly so I tried using ethernet. The software said the port was configured correctly but didn't recognize the cable plugged in.

I rebooted to XP and found the same symptom in XP.
I had made a lot of software changes since reloading XP a few months back using the Acer restore disks I had created when the netbook was new. I considered the possibility of some kind of software problem in XP preventing the ethernet port from functioning properly, plus an issue with my OpenSuse Linux. To solve any of those issues I cleared/reformatted the HDD and ran the original Acer restore disks for a fresh OS and original drivers.

The ethernet port still did not recognize any cable plugged in.
The router I plug into has a link light. Plugging the Acer into it didn't even activate the link light.

I have a cable modem connected to a Netgear router. The router feeds 5 lines throughout the house, including 3 internet working computers, a satellite receiver and phone interface. I could take the ethernet cable out of any of the known internet working unit and the Acer would either not respond at all, or not be able to obtain an IP address. (It says "Limited Connectivity")

I even went straight to the cable modem. Same problem.

I located my Costco receipt and called Acer. Hold time was Ok I guess, maybe 10 minutes. (Their time estimated "Zero" minutes at the beginning of the call)

I provided the correct SN and SNID. They said the computer belonged to someone else and they needed to talk to the person who actually owns the machine. After several aggravating minutes I was able to convince them I was the owner.

I explained the problem and they gave me a service request of 1-6xxxxx and although it was under warranty, I had to pay shipping to Temple Tx. Shipping and insurance was about $35.00.

It arrived in Tx about 3 days later. I got an email 5 days later saying it was repaired and was being shipped back. It arrived back home 2 days later with a note that said the main board was replaced.

It also arrived home with some kind of black tar-like substance stuck on the screen. About 5-6 spots about the size of a kernal of corn. I was able to remove them without any damage to the glossy screen.

I installed the battery and booted up. I verified my interent was working on one of my desktop machines, then disconnected it from the computer and plugged the ethernet into my Acer. No link light and no connection. I tried a different connection from a different computer. Same thing. I tried a different cord plugged right into the cable modem. Same thing.

I shut the netbook down and immediately called Acer. Their automatic telephone time estimater always says zero minutes waiting. This time the hold was almost 40 minutes.

Wnen I finally got through hey said it had been thoroughly tested before shipment and it's my problem. I was finally able to convince them of a problem after a long discussion. They agreed to pay for shipping as long as their special shipping lable was applied to the box, at a specific Fedex location.

We went to their special Fedex shipping location which was nothing more than a tiny drop box. I was able to locate an actual Fedex "Store" and they shipped it back. I recieved a delivery confirmation email from Acer 3 days later.

They had the machine 6 working days.
I called to enquire progress and they said it hadn't been looked at yet. Call back tomorrow.
I did, and was told it was being "Looked at". It was shipped back home two days later, and I just got it back yesterday.

The note it came with was "No trouble found".
I plugged the ethernet in and it connected and I was able to surf. For about 5 minutes until the taskbar began repeatedly cycling "A network has been unplugged" to connected and back and forth. I rebooted the Acer and now it just doesn't connect anymore.

Completely d@m frustrated, I had been without my netbook for almost a month and did't want it gone again. I reluctantly began to accept that Acer wasn't going to fix it but was going to file a complaint with Costco anyway.

I went to actually use my Acer One this morning and found several keyboard letters are now physically binding. I was able to free all but one button using a bit of extra applied force but my letter "S" continues to bind. It's almost like something is underneath the button and presses down crooked.

I plan to open yet another case with Acer "Repair" in Texas and get Costco involved.

It's too bad a decent netbook has this kind of lousy service. I'm really beside myself about it.

 

hey mate just start with costco they r quite good

 

Costo usually only has a 90 day return policy on computers and electronics but given your situation I bet they would make an exception if you approach them in a professional manner.
I apologize in advance if you've already done this.. I didnt read your, as you stated, "boring" story.

Good luck!

Nick