Motherboard fault, lost for words

[A-Mac]

Ok, so let me start off by saying I had nothing but good things to say about PCS until the last 2 months

I've been waiting for my RMA since sending away my laptop 2 months ago. Had one email a few weeks ago stating that they were getting to it. I understand that's a time and resource issue and in current times you've got to take that part with a grain of salt.

I've attached the correspondence I received today. For information my laptop is less than 3 years old and and cost £1,195 at the time of purchase. They are saying there is a fault with 1 component, the motherboard and replace and fix it will cost £910. So in short, after 3 years the laptop is essentially not fit for purpose and needs around 90% of its original value repaired. This laptop hasn't been overly used and from the get go I used fan cooling boards underneath to make sure I was doing everything right to keep it in good condition.

I can't tell you how angry I am at this and how little consideration it sounds they've taken everything into consideration. Am I the only one that finds this ridiculous or is this something that is a regular occurrence? I feel I've tried to be understanding with the timing issue due to covid yet they hit me back with this ungodly cost not long after my warranty runs out. It seems calculated, although it sounds awful to say.

I guess I'm just lost for words and have no idea what to do, it seems like it was a waste of time going with them in the end of these things aren't built to last and I'm just so lost as to what to do now. The only thing that had happened with the laptop was that it stopped charging by the way and the charging port was gubbed. At that point I sent it away.

Does anyone have any experience with similar things or situations and can provide any clarity or positive outcome? I just don't know where to look right now, it's a lot of money and was an investment for me at the time.

Thanks in advance,

Andrew

 

[AgentCooper]

@A-Mac - I'm fairly certain that the warranty on the laptop would have been for 1 year on parts, 3 years on labour, I know that's of no consolation to you whatsoever but it's relevant to highlight these things.

 

[A-Mac]

@A-Mac - I'm fairly certain that the warranty on the laptop would have been for 1 year on parts, 3 years on labour, I know that's of no consolation to you whatsoever but it's relevant to highlight these things.

Yeah I think you're right but the point still stands that a laptop surely shouldn't be completely bust after less than 3 years with the care that I've treated it with...that seems like daylight robbery.

 

[ubuysa]

I understand your disappointment, we'd all like our laptops and PCs to last for ever but we know that sooner or later something is going to break. Sadly, and as we all realise I think, in a laptop just about the whole thing is the motherboard and so the cost of replacement is always high sadly.

I'm sure there is a 'law' somewhere (like Murphy's law) that say that "things always fail just after the warranty expires" and I'm sure it feels almost planned. It's not of course.

Should a laptop last more than three years? Yes, absolutely. Can anyone guarantee that a laptop will last more than 3 years? Of course not.

All warranties have to have a cutoff date and we buy knowing what those cut-off dates are.

 

[Bhuna50]

Unfortunately, the reason it costs so much is because the chassis / motherboard incorporates the GPU as well. Laptop warranties are one year and you would have had the option to purchase Gold = 2 years and also option to take out a warranty insurance for a longer period.

I did take out a 5 year insurance on my Defiance - and claimed after 4 years 10 months and got this nice new Optimus Pro now. My Defiance had unfortunately overheated, and the motherboard needed replacing, along with something else - total cost was £1100 for a £1500 laptop. Something else then went on it and PCS advised it was a write off.

Sadly things do break and laptops are expensive items to fix / replace.

I have an older Acer laptop that has lasted me about 8 years - yet I have also had an Acer laptop break after 2.5 years. Sadly, its pot luck.

and I'm sure it feels almost planned. It's not of course.

unless its an iBrick of course...

 

[Deleted member 17413]

The motherboard went on one of my laptops before, i'm sure I had to pay for the part but it was nothing like that amount (£159.40 + a courier fee for the RMA).

I suppose it would be different per chassis, but have you checked thats not a typo? Or is the motherboard soldered to the chassis or something?

 

[NoddyPirate]

There are a million variables that could cause earlier than anticipated failure, and that's also part of the reason why warranties are limited in time.

Of course it's a real shame for the OP and while I am surprsied at the cost of replacement, it has been mentioned already that if the GPU is soldered to the board the only safe fix it to replace the whole lot - so I assume it's something like that. With lesser Laptops that can cost more than the original price.

Sadly though, I think many of us are guilty of paying no heed to warranty terms when we buy something or pondering what they actually mean. It is a lesson perhaps that you must plan for the possibility, however remote, of something going wrong after the warranty has expired. To be shocked at a failure after that date (I don't mean the OP is shocked - I'm just generalising here) would suggest that the warranty period just wasn't really considered when the purchase was made.

The other thing worth noting too I think is that PCS simply build the system with the constituent parts - they don't actually make the parts. They then provide a warranty on that built system. If it was me, if a part fails outside the builders warranty, but still earlier than I think it should, then I would be making a lot of noise in the direction of the manufacturer, not PCS.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Unfortunately, the reason it costs so much is because the chassis / motherboard incorporates the GPU as well. Laptop warranties are one year and you would have had the option to purchase Gold = 2 years and also option to take out a warranty insurance for a longer period.

I did take out a 5 year insurance on my Defiance - and claimed after 4 years 10 months and got this nice new Optimus Pro now. My Defiance had unfortunately overheated, and the motherboard needed replacing, along with something else - total cost was £1100 for a £1500 laptop. Something else then went on it and PCS advised it was a write off.

Sadly things do break and laptops are expensive items to fix / replace.

I have an older Acer laptop that has lasted me about 8 years - yet I have also had an Acer laptop break after 2.5 years. Sadly, its pot luck.


unless its an iBrick of course...

This is the case I’m afraid judging by the cost. A motherboard alone would never cost that much. But on any thin and light laptop, the GPU and CPU are part of the motherboard, they’re not modular components like normally.

That’s why the cost is so high. It’s basically all the most expensive items in one unit.

 

[Martinr36]

There are a million variables that could cause earlier than anticipated failure, and that's also part of the reason why warranties are limited in time.

Of course it's a real shame for the OP and while I am surprsied at the cost of replacement, it has been mentioned already that if the GPU is soldered to the board the only safe fix it to replace the whole lot - so I assume it's something like that. With lesser Laptops that can cost more than the original price.

Sadly though, I think many of us are guilty of paying no heed to warranty terms when we buy something or pondering what they actually mean. It is a lesson perhaps that you must plan for the possibility, however remote, of something going wrong after the warranty has expired. To be shocked at a failure after that date (I don't mean the OP is shocked - I'm just generalising here) would suggest that the warranty period just wasn't really considered when the purchase was made.

The other thing worth noting too I think is that PCS simply build the system with the constituent parts - they don't actually make the parts. They then provide a warranty on that built system. If it was me, if a part fails outside the builders warranty, but still earlier than I think it should, then I would be making a lot of noise in the direction of the manufacturer, not PCS.

Totally agree with that

 

[Martinr36]

This is the case I’m afraid judging by the cost. A motherboard alone would never cost that much. But on any thin and light laptop, the GPU and CPU are part of the motherboard, they’re not modular components like normally.

That’s why the cost is so high. It’s basically all the most expensive items in one unit.

Virtually the whole unit & the way prices are at the moment due to covid

 

[dani72]

My PC, that I paid almost €3k for, died after less than 3 years. Firstly the PSU failed and then the motherboard went. It's so frustrating that it didn't last longer. My previous PC lasted 9 years without giving me any trouble whatsoever. I wonder if it's just that modern technology isn't built to last. I'm wary of spending a lot of money buying a new PC from PCS in case it doesn't last long either. I can't afford to keep spending thousands of Euros every 2 to 3 years.

I can definitely feel your pain.

 

[Bhuna50]

My PC, that I paid almost €3k for, died after less than 3 years. Firstly the PSU failed and then the motherboard went. It's so frustrating that it didn't last longer. My previous PC lasted 9 years without giving me any trouble whatsoever. I wonder if it's just that modern technology isn't built to last. I'm wary of spending a lot of money buying a new PC from PCS in case it doesn't last long either. I can't afford to keep spending thousands of Euros every 2 to 3 years.

I can definitely feel your pain.

Are you talking Desktop here or laptop?

If a laptop, it must have been one hell of a good one for €3k.

If a desktop, its not so bad as you can replace components and not have to spend that much in total if something goes - although you have to pretty unlucky if the whole thing broke at the same time.

Still its annoying I know and thats why when purchasing an expensive laptop, I always recommend Gold warranty (for two years) OR go online and look up gadget insurance for a laptop - you can get cover for about a tenner a month for a £1500 laptop - and you dont have to insure it straight away - the one company I have looked at says the machine has to be less than 12 months old when taking out the policy so take it out when 11 months old

 

[NoddyPirate]

I wonder if it's just that modern technology isn't built to last.

100% the case sometimes. Businesses are smart - having everlasting products is an awful business model for long term proftability.

One of my favourite YouTubers covered this a month back:

Just watch from 0:45 - 1:15 if you want the TLDR version.....

 

[dani72]

Are you talking Desktop here or laptop?

If a laptop, it must have been one hell of a good one for €3k.

If a desktop, its not so bad as you can replace components and not have to spend that much in total if something goes - although you have to pretty unlucky if the whole thing broke at the same time.

Still its annoying I know and thats why when purchasing an expensive laptop, I always recommend Gold warranty (for two years) OR go online and look up gadget insurance for a laptop - you can get cover for about a tenner a month for a £1500 laptop - and you dont have to insure it straight away - the one company I have looked at says the machine has to be less than 12 months old when taking out the policy so take it out when 11 months old

Sorry I should have specified that it was a desktop I was referring to. The PSU died first and was replaced under warranty but when I installed the replacement the PC still wouldn't work. It turned out that the motherboard had also died (not the first time it's happened to me) so I had that replaced but now it's still not working. I haven't been able to diagnose the problem yet. I've now been a number of months without being able to use the PC which is very annoying.

 

[Bhuna50]

Sorry I should have specified that it was a desktop I was referring to. The PSU died first and was replaced under warranty but when I installed the replacement the PC still wouldn't work. It turned out that the motherboard had also died (not the first time it's happened to me) so I had that replaced but now it's still not working. I haven't been able to diagnose the problem yet. I've now been a number of months without being able to use the PC which is very annoying.

Send it into PCS and ask them to diagnose and quote for you.

 

[Martinr36]

Are you talking Desktop here or laptop?

If a laptop, it must have been one hell of a good one for €3k.

If a desktop, its not so bad as you can replace components and not have to spend that much in total if something goes - although you have to pretty unlucky if the whole thing broke at the same time.

Still its annoying I know and thats why when purchasing an expensive laptop, I always recommend Gold warranty (for two years) OR go online and look up gadget insurance for a laptop - you can get cover for about a tenner a month for a £1500 laptop - and you dont have to insure it straight away - the one company I have looked at says the machine has to be less than 12 months old when taking out the policy so take it out when 11 months old

On those lines just got this in the post from a major company that do this type of insurance and they'll quote on anything up to 8 years old

 

[dani72]

100% the case sometimes. Businesses are smart - having everlasting products is an awful business model for long term proftability.

One of my favourite YouTubers covered this a month back:

Just watch from 0:45 - 1:15 if you want the TLDR version.....

That video was definitely interesting.

 

[dani72]

Send it into PCS and ask them to diagnose and quote for you.

I'm in Ireland and it's a pain sending stuff back to PCS from here. It might be nearly easier just to buy a new PC.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'm in Ireland and it's a pain sending stuff back to PCS from here. It might be nearly easier just to buy a new PC.

PCS arrange the collection, all you have to do is raise an RMA?

 

[Rakk]

PCS arrange the collection, all you have to do is raise an RMA?

Dependent on the warranty chosen though the courier charges may not be cheap, which I'm guessing may be some of the issue (maybe) - though it would be definitely cheaper than replacing components yourself.