22,000 Acer laptops have been recalled by Acer and the CPSC because of a wiring defect. The computers can short circuit, melt the casing, and theoretically burn users. [More]
laptops
Lenovo Ignores Customer, Waits For Gift To Reach Wrong Destination
By 1.2.10
We hear that Lenovo, heirs to the Thinkpad line of laptops, makes some very nice computers. In the last few months, though, more and more Consumerist readers are having problems getting the company to complete an exchange in which money is exchanged for a computer. E.J.’s purchase is one such failed exchange, and his father’s Christmas laptop is now lurking in a UPS facility, a few hundred miles away from where it was supposed to be delivered. [More]
How Long Until The Netbook Becomes Obsolete?
By 12.31.09
Netbooks are currently very popular, and were a hot gift this holiday season. But are the tiny, stripped-down computers really the future of consumer laptops? According to the BBC, some technology experts think that the netbook may have already peaked–and most of what people seek out netbooks for today, they may use other devices, including tablets, in the future. [More]
How David Got A New Laptop From HP
By 12.30.09
David and his wife got stuck with one of HP’s lemon laptops, and since the repairs just kept involving more faulty parts, they weren’t solving the real problem. Here’s how he eventually got a brand new laptop–different model–from HP. [More]
Office Depot Repair Slathers Glue On Laptop, Says "Good Enough"
By 12.24.09
Scott’s Acer Extensa broke, but he had an Office Depot extended warranty plan. Hooray! However, he writes, Office Depot’s repair staff have a strange idea of what it means to repair a computer, and went right ahead and rendered his computer non-functional. [More]
Consumer Reports Tests "Racist" HP Webcam
By 12.22.09
Consumer Reports decided to test the now famous “racist” HP webcam for themselves, being product testers and all, to see if they could replicate the problem or even find a solution to it. The solution: the webcam needs foreground light to function, and the more pigment in your skin, the closer you seem to have to sit. [More]
Dell Mini 9 Mysteriously Ablaze! (Pics)
By 12.21.09
There’s a big scorch mark on Hannah’s floor. It appeared last week after her Dell Mini 9 began suddenly sizzling and smoking and melting. We have pictures, and questions. [More]
Best Buy 'Optimized,' Raised Prices On Laptop Model I Wanted
By 12.16.09
The Mexican Reader tells us a Best Buy tale we’ve heard all too many times — He goes into a Best Buy to buy a computer, only to find he can’t buy the one he wanted at the advertised price because everything in the inventory has been “optimized.” [More]
Which Notebook Brands Are The Best?
By 12.14.09
The website Laptop has launched a new series of posts about notebooks and netbooks. This time, they’re grouping the models by brand and asking readers to weigh in. Up first: HP, which generally has good aesthetics and keyboards as well as multitouch technology, but bad touchpads and heat issues. They also note that customer service is pretty bad for HP products. [More]
Use The Internet To Subvert Bogus Best Buy Optimization Fees
By 11.30.09
Patrick discovered a clever way of avoiding Best Buy’s silly optimization fees as he shopped for a laptop: Shop online and opt for in-store pickup. [More]
Geek Squad Agent Doesn't Have Time To Look For Multimeter, Let's Just Send Off Laptop For 3 Weeks Instead
By 11.11.09
The usefulness of Best Buy’s Geek Squad depends entirely on the competence of the employee you get when you go in for help, and unfortunately Scott landed one of the lazier ones. Here’s his sales pitch to Scott over a laptop that wouldn’t start: “It’s going to take at least 10 minutes for me to get the multimeter or another adapter. It’s going to be a problem inside the computer, let’s just send it in.”
Google Offering Temporary Free WiFi Access At 47 Airports
By 11.10.09
From now until January 15th, 2010, Google will offer free WiFi access at 47 airports around the country. As part of the promotion, they’ll be collecting donations through Google Checkout for three non-profit organizations and will provide matching funds up to $250,000. But whether you donate or not, there’s a much better chance now that you’ll be able to go online while waiting for your flight. Imagine all the airline tips you can send to us!
Dell Sells Laptop With External Drive But No Way To Connect It To Computer
By 11.4.09
David says he bought a Dell tablet that came with an external CD/DVD drive but no way to hook it up, making it all but impossible to install his operating system.
I Sent Dell My Laptop And All I Got Back Was This Stupid Hard Drive
By 11.2.09
Maybe Adam is being a bit unreasonable here, but when he sends in a laptop to be repaired he expects to receive not only the laptop’s hard drive, but the entire computer.
Reader Receives $900 For Broken Laptop In Small Claims Court
By 10.23.09
Ryan in North Dakota bought a very nice HP laptop in 2007. This particular model, he DV6000, has a certain flaw, and HP extended the warranty to cover inevitable repairs. But when the computer broke down for the second time at the tender age of two and a half years, and HP wouldn’t repair it for free, he was angry. He had expected to get at least four years’ use out of the laptop.
Lenovo Screws Up Every Part Of Computer Purchase
By 10.22.09
Dan and his roommate had a crazy plan. They would use Dan’s credit card to purchase a laptop computer from Lenovo. The roommate would write Dan a check for the total amount the computer cost. Lenovo would ship a working computer to the roommate, thus completing a straightforward exchange of currency and consumer goods. Unfortunately, life is not that simple in the Land of Lenovo.
Dell Lies About Repairs, Ruins Vacation
By 10.20.09
Michael emailed us, and Dell, from a loaner computer while he’s on a trip. His own laptop isn’t working, and thanks to a steady stream of broken promises and incorrect information, now he’s stuck without access to the software and development files he needs for his work.
EECB Succeeds Where Stupid Sony Techs Fail
By 10.20.09
Remember back when some individuals referred to good things as “da bomb?” They probably didn’t have the Executive Email Carpet Bomb in mind, since Consumerist didn’t yet exist, but they should have. Here’s to re-branding “da bomb” as shorthand for the EECB. Just look at what it did for c0crusader, a spurned Sony laptop customer who used da bomb to shake Sony down for $99.
