[sjp_fanatic]

When is it a good time to upgrade your laptop entirely and change manufacturers? Our laptop, wich isn't very old has had at least two motherboard replacements and when the new battery comes in, the second battery. The charger has been replaced twice also. One other person wants to try a different model to see if we have better luck, but one person says no because I had just purchaced a pretty pricey item for the family and I am just starting to make payments, but the payments aren't the expensive, in other words... it won't put me in the "poor house".

So when is it time to "throw in the towel" and admit this laptop is pretty much doomed to have problems for the rest of time? Thanks.

[Jomar]

Is it under warranty still?
How old is it? What brand ?
maybe it is just a lemon?

Is it too late to ask for a replacement?

We had bought an HP/compaq laptop last fall but within 18 days it was doing some odd stuff- restarting itself for no reason, blue screening etc.

The in store return policy was 15 days, but I asked about leniency on the date as it was only a few days after.
the manager on duty was willing to work with me plus there was a $125 rebate involved for buying the laptop- I didn't want to lose that - it was part of the reason I bought it.

anyway they did an exchange for me and since the $125 was over they did it as a gift card to me, so I didn't lose that.

PS - the second laptop has been working great.

[XISLED]

Did you buy the laptop from a big store such as best buy, wal mart, circuit city...etc..

if so , then take it back they should note that the laptop has had so many problems and you should demand a replacement. dont always take no for an answer demand to see the head honcho immediately.

there are limmits to electronics but a lemon is a lemon and even laptops fall under lemon replacements.

may i ask what brand it is and model?

personally i use all hp laptops for my business and usually buy them for my clients.

id never buy a gateway cause they are propritary with thier stuff and techs like me wont work on them.


if the laptop is less than two years old. take it back and demand a replacement. sometimes i say hey. why not give me a floor model as they come with the same warrantys as the boxed items and you can usually get a discount on them and sometimes even a rebate as well. plus youget a newer laptop in the process.


good luck..


roger.

[OrdnanceCorp]

This is my job. I see it all the time. Electronics are very skeptical creatures. Sometimes the works, sometimes they don't. Then there is software. So there could be many problems dooming your new laptop.

Like others have said you walk a fine line between lemon and bad brand/model. The best option is to take it back and demand it be fixed/replaced/exchanged for free.

if you're a high roller and have a few grand burning a hole in your pocket, then go for average brands.

I am not a fan however of HP/Compaq except for their printers. However, dell produces some decent product. The keep cost down by manufacturing their own mother boards. Customer service however is horrible, as where Gateway in my opinion makes crap over priced equipment but has an excellent customer service. Its the name of the game, it's always tit for tat.

I'd say go private brand or Dell.

[sjp_fanatic]

I think it will be two years this year.. in terms that we actually owned it... It was a Christmas gift. However, we don't have the original battery adapter or battery that goes into the laptop because the adapter lemoned out a long time ago and we just replaced the battery to the laptop last week. That is a foreseeable problem.

I hate this thing so much so I am thinking whatever is refunded if it can work will go twards a Macbook instead. My brother and sister (in law) have one and it is awesome! Maybe I will e-mail bb and ask.

Thanks. I appreciate the help and I didn't expect the answer I got that I could demand certain things. Thanks to the COLA (?) adjustment, and the 12 month interest free thing, I can pay off a new one easily.