+ German Version / Deutsche Ausgabe
The Sony VAIO Support is one of the best services I have every expirienced.
At Sony every department knows what the other one is doing due to their genius “eSupport” and case-system.
I always wondered what advantage “registering” your product I was having. Until late April I couldn`t imagine registering my device on some “portal”, just for statistics sake and some lame driver updates,
but when Heathrow officials grossly chucked my laptop in one of these plastic boxes my display got damaged and had to be repaired. That’s when I remembered the “Register your VAIO product” -icon on my desktop. I instantly created an account and filled in all my data. Such as serial number, product information, warranty expiration date, home address and phone number. All these data came handy lateron when creating a support case.
At first I thought no one would care and I wouldn’t get a reply anyway, so why even bother creating a support case?!
But then I thought, when I had a support case I’d give someone on the phone, they’d have more information about my problem than without and me having to retell my problem to some “hotline clerk”.
Anyhow, I created a case, waited some days – no reply.
I phoned their hotline at 0180 577 67 76 and after selecting my way through a menu I spoke to some “dutch accent having” guy. I told him my problem -that I had a one pixel wide red vertical line spanning my screen and some pixel errors on the display. He asked me stuff like “is it in windows only, etc.”. I told him to please lookup my case number and that I explained it there in german and english (as he couldnt really speak german I thought he might understand english). After some time he told explained to me what to comply with when sending in my precious sony vaio device.
- no battery
- no cd drive
- no accessories
- do data backups
- create an admin account without password
Easiest way to do all that is, just unplug everything, use the “create restore tool by sony” which you defaultly got installed and then put it all in a paper box (not the original box, he said, as a sony vaio laptop might easily be heisted by sight).
Well anyhow, I paid the shipment fees and waited.
After two days, he called me (that’s why entering your real data is important) and told me the device had arrived at repairs, but that they needed to order a new display and that they didn’t know when it was arriving.
That’s when I thought I’ll not be seeing my laptop for weeks – which really’d be a pain in the ass, as I need it on a daily basis.
Alas I mailed them that I need it urgently. I got no reply, but my laptop sent back to me two days after my mail.
Wow, not bad I thought, quick repair, all well done.
But when I booted up my laptop, the red line and thus the error was still there.
Well it shifted to the very left side of the screen, but for “a new display” it just couldn’t be.
So re-logged onto the e-Support portal and told them my situation, that I am happy that I got my laptop back, but that it is totally inacceptable to have it not repaired and that I need it urgently.
I also abused them by email at support at (you are going to figure that out yourself [vaio link?.com!]) and got no reply.
No reply? Well when I was out, they called in and told the one answering the phone, that they were picking it up for premium repair the next two days or so and that I should undergo the same procedure as last time when sending it in.
Alas I had to delete all my data again and restore the laptop.
Two days after calling, a DHL EXPRESS guy turned up with his own packing material, some sort of special box (pictures below) and an anti-static bag. It was well boxed and then driven to DUS airport and then flown to ECX airport in france. It should then be repaired.
That was thursday last week.
THIS week, on monday on 8:54 in the morning I got woken up by the exactly same DHL EXPRESS guy and recieved my repaired and this time REALLY fixed Sony VAIO laptop back.
Today I was phones when I was out and asked whether my laptop was working correctly and if all was okay. Genius service, amazing!
What a success story, I can totally the recommend Sony VAIO support!
German Version / Deutsche Version: Der Sony Vaio Support ist beste Support ?berhaupt. Erst eingeschickt, wurde dann nicht ganz repariert, zurueckgeschickt bekommen, angerufen und beschwert, dann wurde der laptop mit express bote abgeholt, innerhalb von 5 tagen ?ber das wochenende repariert und montags um 8:50 zurueckgebracht. Reperatur in Frankreich und per Luftpost hin und her, mit DHL eigener Verpackung. 2 tage spaeter wurde ich angerufen und es wurde gefragt, ob alles in ordnung sei. Das ist heftig! So einen Service und Einsatz bekommt man mit Sicherheit nicht, wenn man sich einen anderen Laptop kauft. Zwar ist der Preis ein wenig h?her als bei anderen -und wahrscheinlich auch besseren Laptops- aber ich denke nicht, dass sonst irgendwo ein Laptop mit DHL EXPRESS (w?rde ich sonst nie machen, wenn ich es selbst bezahlen muesste [?ber 60 euro!]) abgeholt wird und international verschickt wird um ihn innerhalb von 5 Tagen wieder beim Kunden abzugeben. Mit Sicherheit auch ein Grund warum Firmen und spezielle Einzelpersonen auf Sony und Dell (die einen guten “ersatzlaptopservice” haben) vertrauen.