As we noted last week, Luxottica is the company behind pretty much all eyewear on the market these days, and you know what that means when it comes to customer service: if you don’t have to compete to keep your customers happy, why bother? That’s why Patricia is facing a ridiculously high repair fee, but can’t get through on the provided phone number to tell Luxottica to cancel the repair. In fact, every time she calls she’s put on hold and then disconnected. [More]
repairs
Apple Offering Free Repair Or Replacement On Some Time Capsules
By 7.12.10
If you were one of the early adopters for the Apple Time Capsule back in 2008 and yours won’t power up, you might be able to get it repaired or replaced for free, or get a refund for repairs you already paid for, reports TUAW. To see if you’ve got a recalled model, look for a serial number between XX807XXXXXX and XX814XXXXXX. [More]
What Are The Best Smartphone Apps For Motorists?
By 6.30.10
Maybe I can’t play Plants vs. Zombies while I drive (or maybe I can!*), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of useful apps for the average driver. In its August issue, Consumer Reports reviews a bunch of apps for motorists, both free and paid, that promise to help you remember maintenance dates, get the correct info after an accident, or find your car in a big parking lot. [More]
How To Polish A Scratched iPhone
By 3.9.10
Replacing an iPhone is expensive, which is why this guy decided to buy a heavily used and damaged one and clean it up himself. You might find the screen replacement side too daunting, but the procedure for turning a dull, scratched case into a glossy smooth one is something pretty much anyone can do. [More]
Chicago Is Worst Place To Get Your Car Repaired, Memphis Is Best
By 2.25.10
The website AutoMD.com sent mystery shoppers to 600 auto repair shops in 50 different market areas to ask how much it would cost to replace the front brakes on a Ford Focus. They found that on average, repair shops in Memphis were among the most affordable shops tested, and they tended to consistently quote their prices to customers. The worst was the Chicago area, where shops quoted anywhere from $425 to $150, and where every shop tested changed its quote depending on what information the mystery shopper presented. [More]
Learn To Love Your Messed Up Toyota With This Parody
By 2.11.10
Funny or Die wants to help Toyota out of this awkward situation it’s found itself in, so the site has posted a helpful video of a cheerfully steely spokeswoman who likes to point with both hands. It’s like she’s shooting good news in your face! Pow pow! And really, it’s true that you can have an awesome garage party without ever needing to take your Toyota on the road, so maybe you should stop being so pessimistic. Video below. [More]
Without Proof Of Purchase, Your Warranty Options May Be Limited
By 2.10.10
Rob’s digital photo frame stopped working a few days ago, so he contacted Kodak to see whether they could help him. He writes that he knew it was at least one month out of warranty because the warranty is for one year, and he’d been given it as a gift a year ago on Christmas. Still, he was hoping Kodak would cut him a deal or do some sort of above-and-beyond thing.
Instead, he found out that as far as Kodak was concerned, it had been out of warranty for over two years
Why Won't Time Warner Fix The "Old, Overtaxed" Wiring In This Neighborhood?
By 2.1.10
Alex from Rochester, NY, says every year around this time his Road Runner high speed access slows to a crawl, and stays that way until April. It occasionally happens at other times throughout the year, too. Unfortunately, Time Warner won’t fix the problem. Alex says one technician who came out to look at the issue told him, “The wires were installed when Adelphia provided service, and they haven’t been upgraded since.” Another one told him, “The problem has been going on for years, and management knows about it, but enough people don’t complain.” [More]
Epic Toyota Cluster#$@% Continues: Repair Kits Shipping To Dealers
By 2.1.10
2.3 million Toyotas will need to be repaired and the kits to do so are being shipped to dealers this week, says Bloomberg. The repair should take about 30 minutes and Toyota says they are “confident” the problem isn’t electronic. [More]
Toyota Stops Selling 8 Popular Car Models
By 1.27.10
A week after issuing a recall on over 2 million vehicles due to faulty acceleration pedals, Toyota has announced it will stop selling 8 popular models in the U.S., as well as shut down 6 U.S. factories, while it deals with the problem. The faulty pedals were made by a U.S. manufacturer but have also been installed in cars sold in Europe, although Toyota hasn’t said what it plans to do outside the U.S. for now. Update: SafetyResearch.net says Toyota was required by law to stop selling the models after it announced the recall last week, so it’s actually kind of strange that it waited five days. [More]
Sony Finally Repairs My PS3 It Broke With Firmware Upgrade
By 1.26.10
Matthew says a firmware upgrade spelled game over for his PS3, then he started a weeks-long battle with Sony to repair it for free. He says Sony made an unauthorized charge on his credit card before finally relenting and taking the charge off, fixing the console and giving him a free game. [More]
Don't Get Cat Vomit On Your Laptop
By 1.20.10
Tayler’s cat and Tayler’s MacBook Pro just had an unfortunate run-in. Does anyone have any advice on cheap ways to repair this laptop, or at least how to get the content off of it without paying hundreds of dollars? [More]
Apple Customers Growing Frustrated Over Defective 27-Inch iMacs
By 1.14.10
Some unlucky iMac owners are still having problems with the screens on their new 27″ models, including a writer for TechCrunch and another for Gizmodo. TechCrunch offers a DIY tip for dealing with the screen while you decide whether to return the product. Gizmodo, however, is warning readers not to buy an iMac until Apple can demonstrate that the problem has been resolved. [More]
Customer Waits Six Weeks For Best Buy To Not Fix His TV
By 1.12.10
A Best Buy customer has posted his ongoing TV repair saga over at Best Buy’s own forums, and it’s quite a read. Green blotches! Smoke! Parts were ordered! No parts were ordered! The wrong parts were ordered! Botched repairs! This all started back in November and his $3,000 TV still isn’t fixed–although the last time a Geek Squad tech came out, he handed the customer a sheet that said Best Buy had already spent $1,500 on repairs. [More]
Why Aren't Cellphones Under Warranty For The Duration Of Your Contract?
By 1.11.10
Adam got a bad iPhone that stopped providing some key functions–he can’t make calls on it, for example–18 months into ownership. He didn’t buy Applecare when he purchased it, which would have covered him during the second year of his contract. But that shouldn’t matter, he argues: “[Why isn’t it] incumbent upon a device maker to guarantee a product’s proper function for–at the very least–the length of the contract required at purchase?” [More]
HP Won't Fix My Laptop Battery Problem
By 1.11.10
UPDATE: HP has offered to replace Nathan’s laptop via warranty. [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]
Sony Replaces Customer's Broken Reader
By 12.30.09
Earlier this week, I posted about Kate’s bad experience getting her Sony Reader upgraded. She hadn’t asked for an update, but was told by Sony to send it in, she says. What she got back was a busted Reader that wouldn’t work, and a demand from Sony to pay for any repairs.
Happily, over the past two days Sony reps have been in contact with Kate and made things whole again.
