The Nvidia Defect Forum

Hello,

More and more forum members who originally purchased from Comet are telling me that they are being told that they have to pay Comet an "inspection fee" that would be refundable should they find that the laptop is inherently defective.

Furthermore, I have also been told that they are telling customers that even if the laptop is inherently defective then the customer could have to make a contribution towards the cost of repair.

Today I contacted both Consumer Direct and Trading Standards who have both confirmed that what Comet is telling customers is both complete nonsense and in breach of the Sale Of Goods Act and your Consumer Rights.

I have requested that Trading Standards investigate Comet as this situation is totally unacceptable.

Furthermore, due to changes to regulations it can be a criminal offence if a retailer gives the consumer false information in order to remove their consumer rights.

If you are dealing with Comet and have been told this information then I suggest you contact Hull Trading Standards and file a complaint.

The more people who complain the better the response from the Trading Standards.

Their contact details are:-

Trading Standards Advice Centre
Unit 2 Bond Street
Hull
HU1 3EN

Tel: 01482 300 300
Email:- tradingstandardsadvicecentre@hullcc.gov.uk

If you have any questions or queries then please let me know.

Best wishes

Paul
The Admin Team

_________________
=======================================================
Calculate the minimum refund that you would be entitled to.
FAQ's
Why you should not accept a repair
Links to evidence
What is the Nvidia Defect?
Step by step help to getting a refund
Do you need an engineers report?
=======================================================

If you like what you see on this forum and would like to help then please post links to this forum in other forums or blogs. The more people we can help the better.


Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.

Cheers for that - I'll drop them an email with my experiences so far over the new year weekend when I feel like letting off some steam

They did this to me and sent a letter saying the same thing so think it is time to report them!

Hi Paul, as advised earlier got a response. Extracts of which are given below:

1st para goes on about " not being on the recall list " .! ummh not yet maybe.

2nd Para reads:- (comments in brackets are mine)

Quote

However you may be able to claim a repair from the retailer under the sale of goods act. Under the act the retailer is only obliged to provide redress if the consumer can provide beyond reasonable doubt that the fault was apparent at the time of sale. (just as well I can provide such proof - ummh redress bit open that one) The act is not equivalent of a guarantee and does not require goods to work fault free for any period. (thought you might like that one, I could write a book here..) It recognises that goods can break down through normal use and therefore does not hold the retailer responsible for faults that were not present at the time of sale. (So my faulty nvidia chip was fitted by some nasty nvidia elves after I purchased it from Comet..! Those pesky elves)

Unquote

Bearing in mind that I sent a 2 page document explaining in detail with supportive evidence of the failing nvidia chip series to which my notebook had been fitted - there was no mention of dodgy chip in their reply..! I am not sure whether my letter was even read.

My notebook will hopefully be winging its way to you next week. Your report and my covering letter including a separate one detailing being misled with regard to the sale of goods act, should make interesting reading (by the judge)

I actually purchased another HP notebook for my son's birthday from Comet over the weekend, I have not told Comet this, but in all my corrs I have stated that I recognise that it is HP that have caused the problem. The folk that work at Comet are a helpful knowledgeable bunch (local branch). I feel that any/all retailers are forced to go down this route, its the luck of the draw as to how you are dealt with on an individual basis. I feel sorry for the student types who have scratched together hard earned cash, to get what is supposed to be a reliable named brand notebook only to have it crash and burn 12-18 months after.

Off we go then next step.....

Regards


Martin

Shameful behaviour if you ask me.

Good luck with the next stage Martin.

As always, if you need any help or advice then please let me know.

Good luck and best wishes

Paul
The Admin Team

_________________
=======================================================
Calculate the minimum refund that you would be entitled to.
FAQ's
Why you should not accept a repair
Links to evidence
What is the Nvidia Defect?
Step by step help to getting a refund
Do you need an engineers report?
=======================================================

If you like what you see on this forum and would like to help then please post links to this forum in other forums or blogs. The more people we can help the better.


Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.

Newcomer to the problem.
HP TX1250 laptop bought Jan 2008, failed (wireless) Nov 2009, failed completely Dec 2009.
Bought for £300, missing battery and charger - so real cost to me around £400
Sent Comet initial letter (from this excellent forum).
Response from Comet included -

---£49.99 inspection fee from their engineers.
---"Sale of Goods" As product has worked for 24 months, they consider it to be of satisfactory quality when sold.

Only used laptop daily for last six months, as I had one from work.
Anyone got ideas on expected lifespan of a laptop .... two years according to Comet ...

An engineers report will be arranged through this forum, for the next stage, before I lodge a small claims.
Paul (Admin Team). Thanks for the excellent data on the issue.

Hello Ptownsend and welcome to our forum.



Well, another load of rubbish spewing forth from Comet.

You said they reckoned that a laptop should last 2 years, in fact a laptop should last 4 to 5 years.

You should phone them up as a customer, pretend that you are interested in a high value laptop and ask how long it would be expected to last because you need a laptop that is durable. It would be interesting to see what they say.

Forget the £49.99 fee that is another waste of time and money.

Just let me know when you are ready to proceed with the report.

If you need any help or advice along the way then please let me know.

Good luck and best wishes

Paul
The Admin Team

_________________
=======================================================
Calculate the minimum refund that you would be entitled to.
FAQ's
Why you should not accept a repair
Links to evidence
What is the Nvidia Defect?
Step by step help to getting a refund
Do you need an engineers report?
=======================================================

If you like what you see on this forum and would like to help then please post links to this forum in other forums or blogs. The more people we can help the better.


Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.

To Paul / Admin Team

Please direct me to the process on getting engineers report.
Thanks
Pete

Hello Pete,

The cost of the engineers report is £65 which includes the collect and return carriage via DHL.

You can claim this cost back from the retailer when requesting your refund/replacement.

Turnaround time for these reports is 5 business days.

In order to proceed with the engineers report please do the following.

1) Please go to http://www.lapcure.co.uk/register.php

Complete the registration page and then verify your email address.

2) Once you have done that please then login to the site and click on the
"Add a job" link.

Fill in details about your laptop and then once you are sure the details are
correct please save the record.

Once you have done that the courier will be booked to collect the laptop the
next business day.

We use DHL for the collect and return carriage.

Please ensure that laptop is securely boxed with sufficient packaging to
withstand transit to ourselves.

Once you have booked your laptop in I will email you with the label to place
on the box.

Payment is not due until the report is ready.

I will email you a PDF copy of the report and will include 3 copies of the
report and invoice with your laptop.

If you have any questions or queries then please do not hesitate to contact
me.

Best wishes

Paul

_________________
=======================================================
Calculate the minimum refund that you would be entitled to.
FAQ's
Why you should not accept a repair
Links to evidence
What is the Nvidia Defect?
Step by step help to getting a refund
Do you need an engineers report?
=======================================================

If you like what you see on this forum and would like to help then please post links to this forum in other forums or blogs. The more people we can help the better.


Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.

Hi,
I have been advised to contact you by my brother in law who discovered that this is a long standing problem. I have spoken to Comet Head Office Customer Service, who claim to know nothing of the problem! My laptop crashed after only 13 months, losing everything. Got Help from HP to restore it, by phone, as I couldn't contact them online! This happened twice more over the next 18 months. I didn't take any action because it was out of warranty and I hadn't purchased extended warranty cover. My previous machine, which I'm now using, was bought in Jan. 2000 and I'd had no problems with it so I didn't think I needed to spend money on unneccessary cover. In May last year, I had it (HP600) examined by an independent engineer, who said it needed a new motherboard and it was a recognised problem with these machines. It also got very hot and has damaged my dining table where it normally sits. It now no longer recognises broadband software/wireless connection, and the power button has failed, something about the ribbon cable. I am wasting my time trying to recover the cost from Comet? Regards
Isobel