Help, I need ammunition.... 1

[kjonnnnn]

My church bought a computer (without my knowledge), from a guy about a year ago. The computer has no name on the front so I assume the guy made it.

The other week the computer would not boot up at all and gave the error message that it had an Master Disk Failure. I booted it from a floppy from A: and it showed no C: drive existed. Since it was under warranty, I told them to take back to the guy to have him fix it. Well he fixed it, but wants us to pay. He say his warranty only covers hardware.

He says we loaded HP Laserjet 5 drivers corrupted the sectors on the hard drive, so there for its a software issue, and it was OUR fault and we have to pay to get the computer back. Then he says nothing lasts forever.

The computer was only a year old, and the HP drivers had been on there since we got the computer. Im telling him those drivers DID NOT corrupt the sectors on the hard drive. Something MUST be wrong with the hard drive. Then he tried to point out all the things WE could have do to corrupt the drive. I think he's scammin. Who's right? And if I'm right, what ammunion can I get to get our computer back. [sig][/sig]

 

[Guest_imported]

I agree with clivo... only I think Techbrain just plain doesn't know why the HD crashed. But he knows he doesn't want to pay for it. I would not take the PC back to him under any circumstances, warranty or no warranty. ...and remember, word-of-mouth advertising is about the best (or worst!) advertising there is ;-)

 

[mbaranski]

Ok, fist of all, when I see a bad HDD, the PC gives an error to the effect that:

Disk C not bootable, please insert a boot disk and press any key

The only time I've Ever seen errors like you're describing is when the disk is not spinning or has damaged heads. Also, are you sure he didn't replace the drive anyway and just bill you for it. That may sound paranoid, but he can get the drive replaced if it's bad, so maybe he replaced it and it should be warranty work and he's charging you anyway.

See if you have the serial # of the HDD on the reciept (I doubt it) or make sure it's the exact same size as the one you bought, and that it's not just fdisk'ed to that size to hide that it's a bigger drive (This can be done). Look in the bois and make sure it's the same size.

Unfortunately, people know that lots of times consumers are not informed and therefore not empowered when it comes to issues like this, and they're all to easy to take advantage of. I like the fact that you've questioned the tech and made him make you understand!! This is the best way to protect you (and your churches) assets. My final advice is to find someone whom you trust, or learn the stuff yourself. Contrary to what most people think, it's not all that hard if you're willing to learn and put some time into it.

Good Luck, and let us know how it goes!

Mike B. As always, I hope that helped!

Disclaimer:
Beware: Studies have shown that research causes cancer in lab rats.

 

[kjonnnnn]

Well, since we got the computer back, i looked and there are bad sectors on the disk. Some the application links didnt work and I reinstall them. I run a thorough scandisk every week to make sure that number isnt going up. His final diagnosis that "we" were the cause of the bad sectors I dont accept.

 

[Guest_imported]

He's full of baa-baa-stinky. And he doesn't seem to be interested in cultivating a good relationship with his customer! Final diagnosis? The hard drive crashed; he doesn't want to pay for it; it looks like he might have replaced your bad hard drive with a refurbished hard drive. Might not be a bad idea to buy a hard drive yourself and install it. I just don't trust a drive with bad sectors, especially after all the hoopla you've had to go through with this character.

Also, unfortunately, you will probably NEVER get him to admit he is wrong about anything or get him to pay for anything. Drop him before you pull all your hair out.

 

[NEMS]

I also use WD hard drive before. Today i don't use that kind of stuff because in just one year WD hard drives fail. They (the shop technicians) are using some hard disk recovery programs to hide the defects of the WD HDD. You may not be able to prove that the real culprit is the quality of the Hard drive used since you don't experience it yourself. I am very sure that the problem is (are):
1. Loose connection of the hard disk cable.
2. Possible virus contamination in the boot sector.
3. Hard drive failure which was fixed by the WD Recovery Program provided by the Western Digital.

You have brought your computer to that technician and at first he did not replace anything in it, so you must pay considering that he is telling the truth but bear in mind that the next time your computer fails bring it to somebody else who is honest enough to deal with customers.

NEMS

 

[dimlek]

I agree with r-pdf..This is not only a matter of paying for the hard drive or not. This is a minor problem in my opinion. This is about salesman-customer relationships. The customer must allways have in mind that there are loads of computer technicians out there, begging for people to give them work. By no chances must you be dependant on your technician. Be agile, you have lots of alternatives. Furthermore, since you have a number of computers (you said 6 i think) why not hiring somebody responsible for the computers. He could be part-time working and -believe me- this will save you out of a lot of money.
I hope my advice has helped at least to the minimum extent.

Thank you, dimlek

Feel free to email me with your suggestions and comments, i am allways in your disposal for help!