Find tech advice for business here
- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
64 out of 83 people found this review helpful
2.0 stars
"Avoid Sony....their Customer Service is terrible..."
Pros: Lots of bells and whistles...
Cons: Bells and whistles break.....
Summary: I have supported many models of Sony laptops, this one among them. Out of the box, they're very nice looking, and seem very capable. However, in a reverse of Sony's build and engineering quality of many of their other products, laptops just aren't up to snuff. In particular, the screens are weak, the circuitry prone to failure, and to pour salt in the wound, their customer service is attrocious. Hold on to your reciepts, you'll need them to prove you bought your unit as recently as a month ago, as Sony denies repairs to anyone who doesn't have proof of ownership, a staggeringly unusual behavior in the field of laptop manufacturers.
- 23 replies to this review
-
I have just had similar prob, I have always bought sony as I thought they where excellent but after buying a digital camera 7mths ago and finding that the flash doesn't work I sent it back in complete confidence... I have just received an invoice for "Liquid Damage" thats the favourite get out clause for all mobile phones/digital equipment these days, and if I don't pay they will bin my nearly new camera. Hows that for customer service!
-
I have had a Sony laptop for 2.5 years...their customer service is deplorable. Their extended warranty subcontractor is even worse. Buyer beware....their computers look great, are certainly not durable for heavy travel and forget about trying to get any customer service help!!
-
Bad Customer Service is my pet-peeve when it comes to laptops. Few things are more frustrating. If Sony's CS was bad enough to get you and a few others to post these comments, I'm staying far away from this laptop. I'm opting for the Lenovo instead. So, thanks for the heads-up!
-
I've only had to use Sony's customer service twice... and after a reasonably short "on-hold" time... obtained excellent support both times.
-
I have owned several sony vaio picture books. I have had several problems which sony simply stonewalls. Sony could take some lessons in customer service from palm. One phone call and you have a replacement the next day for no cost. The last time I tried to resolve a problem with Sony, I found that they have created procedures designed to frustrate nearly all. It's difficult to believe these dillatory tactics are not intentional.
-
to those who have commented on clayton's review: why are we comparing bad with worse? Shouldn't we be demanding good levels of customer service from ALL manufacturers? I too have experienced AWFUL service from Sony, and the fact that I would get worse from Dell doesn't make me feel any better.
-
This is a review about the VAIO TX670. Not about Sony's customer service.
-
Guys, I was thinking of buying a Sony laptop, really it looks quite tempting... But after reading your review I think I'll go for some other alternative!
Thanks!!!
Nat. -
http://www.bbbonline.org/
Please go file a complaint about your defective Sony Vaio's at the Better Business Bureau online. It only takes about five minutes and it will help everyone who has been scammed by this defective Sony Product. -
I agree and am in the middle of a Sony Vaio Bomb. The product is clearly defective and there is no customer service. Never buy a Sony Laptop
-
Why do you put so much weight on customer service? The rating should be based on performance in its catagory which I think it excels and is best in class if you ask me. Find me a better laptop in the small portable business class and I will buy it. There are plenty of good computer repair companys other than sony to take care of you problems so you shouldnt judge this prodcut based on the service so much! I mean do you plan on talking to them alot? This computer in my experiance is no less than an 8 everyone. I mean its not perfect but it its good enough for now in this day and age for any business man or womans needs so dont take this mans review too seriously unless you really like having a great experiance on the phone with customer service. The pull on the service equation of the rating should be at most 1/10 of the products final rating. OH yah if any of you get this computer at CC or BB there warranty should be good enough until this computer becomes obsolete in 3-5 years.
-
I have a Sony Vaio PCG-NVR23 that I purchased November 2003. Since the time of purchase, I've only had three problems. 1: the hard drive, 2: the battery, and 3: the casing.
3. After 2 and a half years of lugging my laptop around, having opened and closed it thousands of times, the plastic cover on the hinge finally gave way. No major damage to the unit, just a cosmetic dilemna, which isn't really a big deal to me so long as it's up and running.
2. The thing I hate about all my Sony equipment is battery life!!! My laptop, my MD player, my DSC T1 camera, and my PSP all are battery-life challenged. They can never stay on long enough to satisfy my need for mobility. That's why I have an extra bat for all of my Sony electronics. Big pet PEEVE of mine!
1. Of all the things that could kill a computer, hard-drive failure has to be one of the top. My HD failed after about 2 and a half years of abuse. No worries, because I bought the extended warranty from BestBuy. The only problem I ran into with the store was that they needed the serial number for my laptop before they can install a new hard drive because it was nowhere to be found on the unit. No problem, I called SONY, and the customer representative gave me the CORRECT serial number RIGHT AWAY! As in after 15 seconds of speaking with him. I was sooo blown away by their service. I asked the representative how they knew it was me and how come it was so fast? He simply replied that I called before to register the product, therefore they have all my info as well as my home phone number. Hence, the astoundingly fast and painless customer service. After I got the serial number, I returned to Best Buy, and 5 days later... I got a brand new hard drive that's 30 gigabytes bigger than the original. Imagine my surprise! =]
Anyway, this is why I'm very surprised at your opinion of their customer service. The only thing I could think of that may be the result of your experience is where you bought your unit. Was it from a major retailer or was it online? Because buying online presents a major risk, though it may cost less. I read other people's opinions and some say they bought it online. Why would you buy a 2K+ laptop online?
Finally, once again I am looking for a new laptop, because my current Vaio is too big, too heavy, and is lacking some of the newest features, i.e. Bluetooth, Wifi, WAN, etc. I was leaning more towards the 12 inch Apple Powerbook, or the new Dual Core Intel, but after seeing this new Vaio, I'm having second thoughts. Oh well, all I can do is wait a couple months to see which is better suited for me. =] -
My sony Vaio VGN-TX670P started to intermittently and suddenly lose its power from day one (even running off AC power, and even after charging the battery overnight for more than 12 hours).
-
I don't know but you will not always get "perfect" customer service, you need to think what if service tech is having a ruff day. Come on give them a break, it can not get worst than Dell, Gateway; right?
Sony's customer services has been great to me; also proof of recipet, well that's the way they do business, just like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Comp USA, oh Fry's you prob. don't receipt there )Lol( anyways, to show the proof of purchase seems right to me.
Plus you can always ask for a duplicate copy, why worry? -
I had one of the very early Vaios - it was very slow and not very good - and the Sony customer service was terrible - but that was years ago. I really like the new vaio ultralights but if the customer service has not improved I'm not going to risk it. Does anybody recommend a high performance ultralight from another manufacturer?
-
Maybe you should try DELL or one of the other manufacturers with India as their first line of support. SONY is the best I've seen and I do private sector and small business desktop support -- I'm on the tele a lot and SONY so far has beat them all.
-
I have a very expensive 680 laptop and 14 mths the system quit. I researched and found a large number of heat related problems. Clearly a design problem. They will do nothing but even after replacing the mother board it quit again after less than six months.
Stay away from Sony laptops. User with 3. -
My brand new PC arrived DOA-- and I am still trying to get my money back. They recieved the unit 11/11 and until today denied that it was ever shipped back. I finally researched through FEDEX myself and gave them their own tracking info. Now they say ok they got the PC but I have to wait another week or 2 before they will credit me because they have to ship it from TN to TX. What next?
-
I finally traded my old CompUSA Win 98 for a Mac. Great machine. But, my genealogy program is for PCs only. So, I bought a Sony VGC-RB40 to replace my HP Win 98. Boy, was that a mistake. The first day, after installing all my anti-malware programs, I went online and update them then I went to MS Windows Update and installed the. Except that my .NET wouldn't install. Sony said there's an easy way (didn't work) or the hard way (I wouldn't attempt it). So, now I just live without my Passport. I then purchased Jasc (now Corel) Paint Shop Pro Studio with Basic Photo Album. The PSP installed but the updates have to be manually done and I had to register by phone. No automatic updates or registration. Then, the Basic Album wouldn't install. Something wrong with my XML (whatever that is). Sony said call somebody else. Now, I long for the days when I dealt with HP. They had real service even years after my HP was long out of warranty. Sony's service is abysmal. When you ask about at-home service, they mumble something and finally say no. The store that I bought the Sony at, Fry's Electronics, says its a software problem; not under warranty from them.
-
I've had three sony laptops, and have had each break at least once. While I cannot comment upon the durability of this particular machine, I will say that the one time I went away from a Sony for a heavy-use laptop machine, I found myself yearning for their kind support prople and suprisingly effective voice-recognition guy. Also, how is it out of line for a company to ask for proof of ownership?
-
My wife and I both have Sony laptops. She has an older refurbished 900mhz P-3 and I have a 2.6mhz P-4. We have both used Sony's Customer Service for various reasons and have found them to be very helpful AND "free" AND very clear in their English-speaking ability. I will consider another Sony on my next purchase over a Dell simply based on the fact of the GREAT customer service I have received plus the ease of communicating with their representatives!
-
agree with other comments regarding very poor customer support by Sony
-
Folks,
I have had three hard drives in my R505 over the time I have had it. I am the one the broke it not Sony. I was able to find and procure the parts at a fraction of the cost from Sony.
I even was able to get the box to ship it to Sony and get it fixed. Although I decided to fix it myself.
The inside of these laptops is not all that complicated. If you are careful and have just a little savy you can find all the parts on the web and do simple RAM upgrades and Hard Drive Upgrades and DVDR upgrades from CDR etc. It is not all that difficult. Just a jewel set of screw drivers and careful hands and patience and voila. You can take a minimal config and make it a max config in no time at all. My R505 EL is now and R505 ELK by just buying and adding the pieces that were the difference. Like the 640 MB of RAM from the paultry 256 MB of RAM. Or replacing the sound card/USB connector that wore out over time. These systems are not all that difficult to care for.
The Hard Drives work well as long as you do not try to use them as an anvil or basketball.
I would agree that not all the people on the phone support line are the sharpest knifes in the drawer. However the Support Site that Sony runs has all the documentation that Anyone that is just a little bit technical could ever want. Including full schematics and parts listings. Once you have that the sky is the limit and a little time with Google and you can take a simple Sony laptop and turn it into a respectable machine.
So as they are yes they do have some items to look out for. But I believe this is a good machine to work with.
Cary
