The Acer netbook that Danielle bought for law school is light and portable, but not so great in the “actually working as a netbook” sense. She tells Consumerist that problems with the wireless card began in the first few weeks she owned the machine. When she was finally able to send the netbook in for service, Acer somehow managed to send it back to her in worse condition than it was originally. On the first repair attempt, they sent the computer back with the display non-functional. On the second, they somehow broke the M key.

Danielle copied us on her EECB to Acer.

Good morning,

I’m emailing you to let you know how disgusted I have been with the purchase of my Acer netbook. I was looking for a reliable, small & light netbook with reasonable power and storage to use for note-taking in law school. I had read lots of reviews online, compared the specifications against many other models, and finally chose an Acer Aspire, which I purchased from Staples in July 2009. Well, the computer is small and light, but it’s been far from reliable.

The first problem started about 3 weeks after I purchased it. I noticed that the wireless internet connection would sporadically drop. I determined that the computer was having trouble recognizing its own wireless card, and the computer would need to be restarted multiple times until the card was randomly recognized. I tried everything that tech support recommended, but could not send the netbook in to the repair facility because I could not be computer-less. I eventually gave up and stopped using the netbook for anything that required internet.

A few months later, I acquired another laptop, and was finally able to send the Acer netbook in to the repair facility to be repaired. A couple weeks later, I received the netbook back, and when I went to turn it on, I was shocked to see that the display would not turn on. When I turned on the power, the computer audibly turned on, but the screen stayed black – not backlit, no cursors, no Acer logo – it was as if the monitor wasn’t even getting power. So essentially, the computer came back from repair in worse shape than it was when it was sent it – absolutely unusable.

I was pretty irritated at this point, but I re-packed up the computer and sent it via Fed Ex back to the Acer repair facility. I received the computer back last week, anxious to FINALLY be able to use my netbook! I turned it on, and was delighted when the screen came to life – a good sign! It also connected to the internet right away – another good sign! I then tried to check my email – and that’s when I realized that the M key on the keyboard doesn’t work. I tried everything – restarting the computer, popping off the key to check for debris…as far as I can tell, there’s absolutely no reason why the M key wouldn’t work. It’s the only key, and it’s constant: the M key absolutely will not work.

Honestly, I feel that I should not have to deal with all this, from the immediate wireless issue when it was brand new, to the multiple repair attempts. I am absolutely disgusted with the Acer customer service that I have received, and am beginning to wonder if I have just had remarkably bad luck, or if Acer treats all its customers this poorly.

I am emailing you as my last resort, and am hoping that there is something that can be done for me. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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