Case ID: 668373N

London, 19 January 2009

Re: Acer Aspire 7720 / Case ID: 668373N / Serial: LXALN0X24874************


Dear Sir,


Past Problems

Back in 2007 I had a terrible experience with your customer care / repair service when I sent you a unit to be repaired and not just the problem was not fixed but it also came back with few new faults. After sending the unit for repair for the second time it took a month to get it back. Most of the times I phone your service up to find out what was going on I was treated very badly and in a couple of occasions insulted. I have put through a formal complaint and have received apologies. I have also made it public posting details of the problem on computing web sites and even the BBC Watchdog show.

A couple of months after the whole thing I upgraded my laptop and, for my regret, it was another Acer. Now I am going through the very same problem, again.

New Problems

Most of times I phone the costumer care I cannot help feeling that they are not listening to me or just picking a few words of what I am saying but not exactly getting my point.

When I called the customer care for the first time about the new laptop - which is an Aspire 7720G - I tried to be as clear as possible about what was wrong. I knew exactly what the problem was and I was very careful in explaining it.

This is the part I hate to mention, but I have to, I am a web designer, JavaScript, Flash ActionScript, ASP programmer, IIS Server Administrator and have also done hardware repairs for local businesses in Worcester. I have been working with IT since the infamous monochrome screens back in 1993. I understand about software more than anyone I know and I thought that being extremely precise about how I was taking the problem would help me get the thing done. It's not about being a "prick" or arrogant. It's about getting the problem solved and working together.

I was wrong.

The person who took the details, not just twisted my words but he also forgot to do his job. He asked me to fax him the proof of purchase, which I did the same day and still have the delivery report provided by the fax machine. On this document was a cover letter to him, with all the information and case ID. None ever got back to me and I had to phone you up once more to get the instructions for booking a collection with DHL. Then, I was asked to fax the proof of purchase again, this time, by Ben. So I did.

Quotation.

I received a quotation. Three bad surprises.

1. I was not supposed to be charged for the repair as I logged the problem before the end of the warranty period. I provided TWICE the proof of purchase.
2. The problems supposedly found on my laptop are completely unrelated to the real ones.
3. Once again, Acer customer care has shown how incompetent they can be by, just not adding the important information to the notes, but also adding something that will not help the technical support team investigate the real problem. Paul, put on his notes: "Problem Description :
   cust reports webcam stops working if usb plugged in
   and doesn't say what is plugged in - no pop up - odd
   doesn't always read HDDVD's - adv of sw charges,
   says he doesn't care because he is a "web
   designer" and knows what he is doing - PMM
   windows password: nouvelle"

This problem description in big letters on the quotation sheet is the proof of how negligent your staff can be and this needs to be taken care of. I will take this further as I feel nothing but disappointed with the way you care for your customers.

Details about the problem:

As explained very carefully to Paul: the webcam isn't working. IT IS NOT A SOFTWARE/DRIVER ISSUE. Why am I so sure it's not a software issue? I am using dual boot on this laptop: the Acer provided version of Windows Vista Home Premium (but without the Acer softwares, just the OS) and a retail copy of Windows XP which I alternate when I want to play heavy games. The internal webcam will not work on either Windows Vista or XP. Drivers installed for both OSs are up to date, dowloaded from Acer drivers page and/or updated automatically by Windows Update. Another odd behaviour is that if I plug anything to any USB port, such as a pen drive, USB modem or my PDA a balloon will keep popping up saying a hardware inserted was detected but not recognized. However, the not recognized hardware IS NOT the USB device I just plugged in, but the internal webcam!! For some real strange reason, it will keep plugging itself in and out sometimes trigged by another USB device plugged in to any port or just randomly. You can tell by the annoying balloon and the hardware insert/removal sound.

Second Call

When speaking to someone who I believe is called David Milan or anything similar, for the first time in years I felt like hurting someone. This gentleman had the worst behaviour I have ever dealt with. He was not just unhelpful, he was obnoxious, arrogant, negligent and a few more words I rather not to say. I had received the quotation and I phone you up to find out why I was being charged for the repair and why they were trying to fix something that was not faulty. The advisor on the phone refused to listen to my complaints putting me as the one who did not know what was saying. He refused to accept the idea that the unit might have not been checked properly and the problems I described could have been investigated a little bit further. I also told him, that by fixing sound card, rather than the faulty webcam would just make it more expensive for Acer itself, as I would send the laptop back as soon as I received it. He just kept treating me bad and talking to me in a dreadful manner. I hang up, but before I said some things he deserved to hear.

Third Call

The best experience with the Acer Customer Care so far. This man, who sounded a little bit older than the others, not just had the patience to hear my problem but he was also very polite plus he seemed genuinely intended to help. He understood my issues, he listened to my description of the faults and he was going to send some emails to see if anything could be done. It does not take much to help, does it? Just have to want to.


Timing.

This all happened on the week starting on 4/01/09 and went on and on. I went for holidays abroad on the 8/01/09 and returned yesterday. My phone has been on all the time and no one tried to reach me. I have not been contacted by Acer since then. I would like to know what is the next step.

What I want

Mind you: the ONLY problem with the laptop is the webcam and it's nothing to do with software. The hddvd drive isn't working 100% but at this point, and after all this hassle, just leave it. Fix the webcam and please send it back to me. That's all I ask. If engineers still insist on software problem, ask them to install their software and test the webcam for a few days. You will see...

It is your fault you bought an Acer product!! Now live with that!

Acer is definitely the worst laptop maker, ever. And I must say this is not because of their hardware, as you can tell they try hard to innovate and come up with good units for a reasonable price.

However, their customer care... they are something.

Back in November, 2007, I sent a unit for repair. The unit kept crashing all the time. BSODs every five minutes even just after a clean Windows installation. They kept my unit for less than a week and when it came back it was a shock to see that not just the problem had not been fixed but it also was featuring some brand new faults. Some of these faults included the power button being "deeper" than it should and the screen flicking and distorting in a way that it was almost impossible to read anything on it.

I then sent the unit back and it took almost a month to get it back. During this time, I spoke a lot of times with their customer care in Plymouth. In almost all occasions I was treated in the worst possible ways. In one specific situation when I was trying to convince the advisor to send an email to someone just to see if they could find out what was going on with the unit, I was replied with a "I can't do that. Would like me to send the unit back unrepaired?" and he kept asking me the same thing over and over, like I would really like my laptop back even more faulty than before.

In many occasions I had to speak to their customer care, the only thing I could feel from them is that they hate each and every single person who calls. There was just three times I spoke to an Acer advisor who was genuinely intended to listen and help. Two of these times were with advisors who sounded over 40s and one time with a lady, the only time I spoke to a female there. She was extremely helpful as well as the other two guys.

There is a guy called David there... and another one called Paul... that there are times I think they were sent from hell. They have such a bad attitude on the phone. First they make you feel like a piece of filth then they treat you like they have the control of who lives and who dies on earth. I wouldn't mind being treated like that if they were also efficient. But they are not... they are not...........

New issue. I know, I know... it's my fault after all. After all I had been through with Acer in the past I upgraded my laptop to another Acer. I knew this was going to happen. I just expected it to be smoother as I sent them a Formal Complaint letter a few weeks after I got the unit back for the second time and they sent me a letter apologizing for all the trouble they caused.

Well, here we go again. My new laptop which I purchased in January 2008, has been showing some strange behaviour since June 2008. I would have sent it for repair before if I was in the UK but I had to spend six months abroad. The main problem is the webcam not working. The second problem is the HD-DVD drive now struggling to read HD-DVD discs.

When I try to use the webcam, the computer is very likely to freeze completely in a way I have to hold the power button until it dies sometimes the webcam will not work but it will still let me carry on using the system but an annoying popup balloon saying the hardware inserted was not recognized will keep popping up over and over again no matter how many times I click on the X and to make the whole thing a lot better I still have to put up with the Windows hardware insert / removal sounds.

People will first say this is a software problem. Anyone would think this is a software problem. But on this specific laptop I have a dual boot, like many other guys out there who like to play games. Windows XP, a retail copy - original and activated - and Windows Vista Home Premium, provided by Acer, original and activated as well. Both OSs feature the latest drivers and Service Packs and I keep Windows Update turned on on both.

The problem happens on both Operative Systems. As it starts happening out of nowhere it happens sometimes when I'm playing games such as GTA or basic arcade emulators. The Windows sounds will keep playing in the background.

Another way to trigger this problem is to connect any hardware to any of the 4 USB ports. A pen drive, a mobile phone, a PDA, a digital TV receiver, an external hard drive or even a bluetooth dongle. Anything will make the webcam start "plugging" itself in and out for a long time.

Where is the problem? The USB controller or the Webcam itself?

Acer engineers found that the problem is the sound card.

What????????????????????

There is nothing wrong with the sound card.

And they tried to charge me for the repair, but the unit was still on warranty.

And they also want to perform a Software Preload.

Do you see the problem? Their employees don't care about the company. They refuse to listen to me. They will repair a problem that doesn't exist, they will send it back to me, I will get it, I will see the problem I reported is still there, I will send it back and then what will happen? God knows. But one thing I'm sure: Acer will be spending money unnecessarily with DHL to transport the laptop.

They just don't care.


My advice to ANYONE looking to buy a new laptop or upgrade their current ones: I know Acer prices are really good but please go for another brand. Acer employees could ease the fact their units use cheap materials by providing an excellent customer service and quick repair but they don't. The whole Customer Service thing just gets worse and worse specially when you disagree with what you are told. It's like you're in a hospital and there's this evil nurse taking care of you. Being a rebel will just make things worse for you, so you just shut up and take all humiliation you can to see if you can get better. That's Acer's principle. It's your fault you bought their product. Just yours.

I will publish here all the communication I had with Acer so far. I sent them an email this morning which I am still waiting for a response. They still have my unit since the 06/Jan/09.

If you have purchased any Acer product and is not happy with their customer care or having faults, please post a comment. I will be more than happy to publish it on future posts. Someone has to stop these people. I am not sure I will be the one, but I will do my part.