I'm about to get my laptop repaired at Best Buy...

[randompeeps]

Okay, first off, I'd like to apologize if I placed this in the wrong form. I recently joined, and I'm definitely not a tech person.

Anyway, there's this minor problem with the hinge on my laptop. No, there's no wires or anything coming out. It's just slightly cracked open. I can still use my computer fine, but it's always making this clicking noise and sets my computer flat if I push the screen too far back.

I decided that I might as well take it and get it repaired--I bought this at Best Buy, and did a bit of research. They had a lot of horrible reviews, saying that it was expensive or that they just gave you an entirely new electronic instead of just fixing the problem. I think I'm under warranty; not too sure.

Well, point is, I wanna know if they're going to completely mess up my computer. I have an ASUS, and I feel like they're going to damage my computer even more or force me to buy another laptop. I don't want any of that, and just want to get it fixed. So, I'd like to know if I should just go to some other repair place and get it repaired there (even if I have to pay), or just take it to Best Buy.

Thanks!

 

[95Viper]

I don't Best Buy. I have had a few personal failed experiences with them.

RMA it if it is under warranty; or, if, you do not wish to go to Best Buy or RMA, use another local authorized service center.

ASUS Find service locations

Just remember, in case of an exchange or other unforeseen circumstance, get your data off it you need and back it up. Also, remove any personal info you don't want public.

EDIT: I don't know how good they are; but, I believe, Microcenter and Staples do Warranty repairs on ASUS, too.

 

[randompeeps]

I don't Best Buy. I have had a few personal failed experiences with them.

RMA it if it is under warranty; or, if, you do not wish to go to Best Buy or RMA, use another local authorized service center.

ASUS Find service locations

Just remember, in case of an exchange or other unforeseen circumstance, get your data off it you need and back it up. Also, remove any personal info you don't want public.

Thanks. I'll check out other service centers.

 

[jboydgolfer]

If it's simply a physical issue and nothing to do with the software of the computer ,and you have any concern about data loss ,data corruption ,or data theft , give them the laptop without the battery ,and without the hard drive installed ,if the problem is purely physical they shouldnt need to power it on . they certainly shouldn't need the hard drive. unless they need these things for some reason im unaware of ofc

 

[Bill_Bright]

I think I'm under warranty; not too sure.

You need to determine this first.

FTR, Best Buy "geeks" are like most repair outlets - they are all different and the service you get depends on the experience, training, and knowledge of the individual you get. Some Best Buy geeks are really sharp, some are new and this is their first tech job.

I agree with jboydgolfer about removing the disk. But I feel they need the battery (and power supply). They need to verify they didn't pinch a wire to the monitor before they return it to you. And actually, they need to verify the computer works before accepting it for repair or risk getting accused of breaking it more.

 

[Jetster]

I wouldn't let best buy work on anything. If it under warranty then RMA it with the manufacturer and back your stuff up first. If you don't trust them with data why would you trust them with your laptop

 

[Final_Fighter]

make a backup of your harddrive and remove it from the laptop before you get it serviced. the last thing you need is some "geek" stealling your personal info. this goes for all pc repair shops you take it too.

 

[Bill_Bright]

this goes for all pc repair shops you take it too.

As a shop owner, I take offense with that. However, I agree 100%. Sadly, there are a few unscrupulous techs out there so you cannot take any chances. At same time, depending on the problem, leaving the boot drive in the machine is necessary to fix the problem. So you have to take a leap of faith the shop is trustworthy. And of course, by far, most are or word-of-mouth advertising and bad reviews would soon put them out of business.

But backups are necessary for other reasons too. Accidents do happen. And there is always the rare event where a restore/reinstall is needed.

I had a friend who had a shop that was robbed and many customer computers were stolen. Hardly the techs fault. Sadly, most customers did not have backups their data.

The first thing we do here is create a backup image just in case. But we always purge those backups once the repair is done. I don't need them hogging up disk space.

 

[Jetster]

Here's the issue with BB repairing it. They are minimum wage worker's (or close to it) so no telling who will see your data or work on it. And with no drive there is no warranty. And if it's under warranty then they just voided it.

 

[Bill_Bright]

And with no drive there is no warranty.

Huh? Removing the drive does not void the warranty.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Huh? Removing the drive does not void the warranty.

Some manufacturers void warranty if the laptop is opened up for upgrade or replacement of the hard drive, ram or network card. They just dont want you touching that stuff.

 

[Bill_Bright]

If there is an access cover that is designed to be removed by the user, you can open it - even if there is one of those Void if Removed stickers.

The ONLY way they can void the warranty is if they provide, for free, total maintenance for the entire warranty period - including free upgrades.

This is the same for PCs, by the way. Some unscrupulous assemblers will put those stickers on but in the US, EU and other jurisdictions, those stickers are not legal, or at least not legally binding. Users are allowed to add RAM, add drives, add fans, or clean out a PC.

The key issue is "user serviceable parts inside". If there are none, such as inside a power supply, then the stickers or voiding the warranty claims are valid. But if there are "user serviceable parts inside", then the user opening it does NOT void the warranty. The consumer will win if it goes to court but it will not get that far. The company will back down in a heartbeat.

So in the case of a notebook, consumers can open access covers and remove components that are designed to be removed. This includes batteries and drives.

Now upgrading the RAM may be different. Same with a network card - which often are integrated with motherboards anyway.

 

[Jetster]

Huh? Removing the drive does not void the warranty.

I may have worded that wrong. The repair warranty. Would you warranty your work if they didn't give you the boot drive?

 

[jaggerwild]

Id go on E bay find a parts lappy like yours(usually cheap when not working). Buy it then swap out the broken parts, toss parts board or sell it for a recoupe of funds boom done!!! F you BB!!!

 

[newtekie1]

IMO, taking a computer to Best Buy or any of the big box electronics/office supply stores is like taking your car to Jiffy Lube to get it repaired. They tend to do the least amount of training possible before sending the people out to start working on customer's computers, and if you're lucky there might be one somewhat qualified tech in the entire store that know a little about what they are doing.

But I can guarantee anything physically damage is going to be sent back to the manufacture's repair center to get fixed. If it is under warranty, the extra processing time from Best Buy just means you're waiting longer to get the device back. And if it isn't under warranty, Best Buy(or whoever) just marks up the repair cost so they make a profit. Either way, you're better off just sending the laptop off to the manufacturer yourself.

I may have worded that wrong. The repair warranty. Would you warranty your work if they didn't give you the boot drive?

Yes, I just wouldn't warranty anything software related. I'd put my own boot drive in it to make sure the computer functions and boots to Windows and all the hardware is working properly. If their was no drive in it when they gave it to me, then I make no guarantee that anything software related will work, including the computer booting to the OS on the drive they took out.

I've actually experienced this a few times at my shop. A person will bring in a computer without a drive complaining of a problem. They are super paranoid about their data for some reason. Like I'm going to steal their SS number or something.

 

[sneekypeet]

One of the local BB stores here just up and closed up shop. No warning, although when you turn a store into a cell phone pandering joint with that much square footage, you are bound to fail. This thread makes me wonder what happens to all the gear the geeksquad had from customers when the sign came down the the doors were locked

I would make contact with ASUS, explain you would rather not use BB service, and have them give you the full list of "covered" places for repair. There may be some you do not know about, and you can always do research on the companies and make an educated decision on where to go instead.

 

[eidairaman1]

Okay, first off, I'd like to apologize if I placed this in the wrong form. I recently joined, and I'm definitely not a tech person.

Anyway, there's this minor problem with the hinge on my laptop. No, there's no wires or anything coming out. It's just slightly cracked open. I can still use my computer fine, but it's always making this clicking noise and sets my computer flat if I push the screen too far back.

I decided that I might as well take it and get it repaired--I bought this at Best Buy, and did a bit of research. They had a lot of horrible reviews, saying that it was expensive or that they just gave you an entirely new electronic instead of just fixing the problem. I think I'm under warranty; not too sure.

Well, point is, I wanna know if they're going to completely mess up my computer. I have an ASUS, and I feel like they're going to damage my computer even more or force me to buy another laptop. I don't want any of that, and just want to get it fixed. So, I'd like to know if I should just go to some other repair place and get it repaired there (even if I have to pay), or just take it to Best Buy.

Thanks!

If it is under the Warranty Bestbuy provides, let them repair it, otherwise contact Asus or find another repair shop, you stated the hinge is cracked and won't hold the monitor upright. Sometimes letting a repairshop other than where you bought the unit or Asus even can void all warranties. Treadlightly on this.

 

[Hood]

Some manufacturers void warranty if the laptop is opened up for upgrade or replacement of the hard drive, ram or network card. They just dont want you touching that stuff.

Which companies have these limitations? I'm tasked with selecting a new laptop for a friend, and if I find a great deal on a base model with only 4 GB RAM, the first thing I'll do is upgrade to 8 GB. Same with small SSD or HDD, she's going to want more storage space. Even if she buys one with decent specs, I don't know much about laptops, like which brand has the least amount of bloatware, and who has the best customer service, and general overall quality. Any general advice will be appreciated. She most likely will spend $500-$600, and wants a 15" - 17" non-touch screen.

 

[thesmokingman]

Some manufacturers void warranty if the laptop is opened up for upgrade or replacement of the hard drive, ram or network card. They just dont want you touching that stuff.

That's illegal to even try under Federal law. Not even sure where you got that idea from.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Which companies have these limitations? I'm tasked with selecting a new laptop for a friend, and if I find a great deal on a base model with only 4 GB RAM, the first thing I'll do is upgrade to 8 GB. Same with small SSD or HDD, she's going to want more storage space. Even if she buys one with decent specs, I don't know much about laptops, like which brand has the least amount of bloatware, and who has the best customer service, and general overall quality. Any general advice will be appreciated. She most likely will spend $500-$600, and wants a 15" - 17" non-touch screen.

Ive seen it on various Chinese/Taiwanese branded laptops. HP and possibly Dell had it one point in time. Ive also read about it on notebookcheck a few years ago where they were testing either a Gigabyte or MSI laptop. They didnt want people messing with the internals. My cousins Fujitsu had a 'void if removed sticker actually inside the laptop where the hard drive was plugged in.... you could open it up but doing anything to it would void warranty.

the CompaQ I was working on was rather insidious. It would only accept ram purchased from CompaQ. It wouldnt take my corsair or Crucial ram that I had bought for it.... this laptop was fairly old though so things might have changed... I know for a fact that HP tend to whitelist only the hardware it leaves the factory with meaning that upgrading the CPU or wifi card are neigh on impossible.

That's illegal to even try under Federal law. Not even sure where you got that idea from.

Maybe Its a regional thing Im not in the U.S so federal law doesnt apply to countries or laptops distributed outside of the U.S. Warranty policies are always different based on region... Like all the major graphic card partners who would allow removal of a stock cooler for installation of a waterblock... Here in UK/Europe we have 'void if removed' stickers taped over screws and warranty says any modification to the stock card would result in voided warranty.

One time in my life i had two reference XFX 6970s these bad boys ran HOT. I contacted XFX CC to tell them i would be removing the stock cooler to repaste the card with MX-4 and they straight up told me that they would void my warranty if i did such a thing. I was honestly shocked. I explained to them that Im a long standing member of Guru3D and TechPowerUp and had carried out the process hundred times before on older cards and all of them worked perfectly. I was still denied. they were more interested in getting me to register the cards then anything else so i told them I was not happy with their policy and would be sending both cards back to the retailer and replaced with cards from MSI or Sapphire.

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The thing with warranty policies is they are subject to change at their discretion

 

[jaggerwild]

You lose so much value just buying a lappy, I doubt the warranty is still valid. Its not rocket science as other would have you think, buy a none working one with a known good hindge BOOM SAVE! Clearly by your description of the lappy its a few years old, not worth spending money to even fix it(unless you do it yourself). Look at it like this, some high school drop out put it together, can it be so hard to brake down and reassemble............

 

[thesmokingman]

Maybe Its a regional thing Im not in the U.S so federal law doesnt apply to countries or laptops distributed outside of the U.S. Warranty policies are always different based on region... Like all the major graphic card partners who would allow removal of a stock cooler for installation of a waterblock... Here in UK/Europe we have 'void if removed' stickers taped over screws and warranty says any modification to the stock card would result in voided warranty.

One time in my life i had two reference XFX 6970s these bad boys ran HOT. I contacted XFX CC to tell them i would be removing the stock cooler to repaste the card with MX-4 and they straight up told me that they would void my warranty if i did such a thing. I was honestly shocked. I explained to them that Im a long standing member of Guru3D and TechPowerUp and had carried out the process hundred times before on older cards and all of them worked perfectly. I was still denied. they were more interested in getting me to register the cards then anything else so i told them I was not happy with their policy and would be sending both cards back to the retailer and replaced with cards from MSI or Sapphire.

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The thing with warranty policies is they are subject to change at their discretion

It's not a discretion thing its the law in the United States. You overseas guys really get screwed on this. Those stickers you refer to are for regions other than North America.

 

[Final_Fighter]

if its under warranty let them repair it. just protect yourself and remove your hdd. thats all there is to it. your repair is non software related. its as simple as that.

 

[Vayra86]

In all fairness, if its just a hinge, can you not repair it yourself? Duct tape and/or screwdriver comes to mind. Unless this is a very expensive laptop, I would not want to introduce all these risks into it + effort and cost.

And if it still has warranty in the first place, send it to Asus.

 

[Ahhzz]

Some manufacturers void warranty if the laptop is opened up for upgrade or replacement of the hard drive, ram or network card. They just dont want you touching that stuff.

I've not come across a single laptop manufacturer that would void a warranty for pulling a hard drive, and I've been doing this for 2 decades.

I second all the notes about having Asus repair it themselves if under MFG warranty, and repairing a hinge is not something for a novice. You might have to strip all the way to almost motherboard-free in order to get to all the screw locations, and for an untrained person, all those wires will be daunting.