Making Headlines

Here's a computer repair horror story that's likely to make people think twice - if you'd even think of such a product in the first place, of course - before purchasing a certain brand of laptop.

One reader of the Consumerist bought an Acer laptop with a three-year extended warranty, and he would tell you how many times he's sent it in to Acer for repairs — only he's lost count.

In fact, every single time Acer sends the machine back, after supposedly performing the required computer services, the thing seems to get a little bit less functional. Great.

Fed up with false computer repair promises, this beleaguered consumer had enough and demanded a replacement. If only it were that easy.

That led to a five-month stand-off in which Acer refused to send him a replacement because it would constitute a "downgrade" from his current broken laptop.

Meanwhile, the poor individual has already replaced the laptop and has already given up - at least as far as getting the thing fixed.

He is hardly the first person to run into trouble getting Acer to do the proper computer repair on their laptop. Far from it.

If you are one of many people struggling with this company, we're not sure what the terms of your warranty are, but you have options.

If you bought this laptop with a credit card, contact your credit card company and tell them Acer is not abiding by the terms of your warranty and has refused to replace or (competently) repair your computer.

A lot of people don't realize this, but if your credit card has decent warranty protection, that company should be able to help you.

And, as a last resort, you might consider filing a small claims lawsuit against the manufacturer. It sounds hard and scary, but really isn't.