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Toshiba SystemGuard Warranty

Toshiba • Computers • Rebates • SystemGuard Warranty • Home Entertainment

Ilene of Marlboro NJ (3/10/04):
I purchased a Toshiba Laptop Model 1805-S274/20 on 7/5/02. This was purchased for my son to take to college. For the third time in 18 months he has called me to say that the LCD screen completely burned out. (I was dismayed to see an identical letter on your website from another person). When I purchased the computer I purchased the 3-year System Guard Warranty. Twice the LCD screen has been replaced. Once the entire hard drive crashed and my son had to restore it and lose everything. Now that the screen has burned out a third time I believe that they should replace the unit entirely.

I telephoned various of their toll free numbers and each person stated that the sole remedy available to me is to again have my son mail it in to be repaired. I told them this was not satisfactory because obviously there is something in the machine that is causing the screen to burn out and it will just keep happening until I run out of warranty and it will be tough luck on me. I requested a replacement machine since this one is obviously "a lemon." They refused and said they have no such obligation and that my only recourse is to, once again, mail it in to "the depot" for repair.

I took matters a step further and called their headquarter offices in Irvine California. I met with the same stone wall there. The individual I spoke with, John, then suggested that my son could mail his computer directly to him, in California, to be worked on there at Toshiba headquarters. He stated that he believes their technicians are better than the ones that my son had been authorized to send his machine to in Tennessee!

We are totally frustrated and angry. I have no choice but to have my son mail the machine to California however I do not for one minute believe this will help. The only satisfactory remedy at this point is to provide me with a new, replacement machine.

As a result of the irreparable nature of the problem with this machine, my son has experienced great anxiety. This has caused me great anxiety. It has quit on him at critical times with looming academic deadlines. We have made emergency drives to his school with an old desktop computer to help him out and spent countless hours on the phone with Toshiba. This is not what I paid $1,449.98 for, not including several hundred dollars for the so called warranty.

I believe I threw out my money on this machine. It may now cost me another $1,200+ because he cannot continue with such an unreliable machine, especially since he plans on spending a semester in France where no warranty service would be available to him. He has now requested that we buy him another new machine (perhaps an Apple) and in this case I do not blame him.

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