Vortex 3: Keyboard's key problem

[hargil]

A lot of people are having an issue with the keyboard, or do they!!

There a re a few reported here but I assume this is a small percentage of the actual number of V3s sold.

That said however at over a grand for a laptop you expect it to work properly.

And a bit of a pain and disappointment if it has to go back or you have to dismantle it yourself.

I am an engineer and I worry about dismantling things that are under warranty, if I break it will it be covered, even if I was told to do it.

The PCS team seem very positive about resolving customers’ issues, the main reason I am still looking at a purchase from PCS. I have hear nothing but good about there customer care.

I would have thought that knowing there is an issue that there would be more specific testing of the keyboard during build.

Maybe it’s a cable contact problem that manifests itself during shipping.

I assume PCS have contacted the chassis manufactures (Clevo?) and are seeking some sort of long term solution to the problem.

If so will this solution be retrospective to existing customers?

After much questioning in the forum I am now ready to buy my laptop.

My only hesitation is the keyboard, I will be spending about £1,800 so I don’t want a dodgy keyboard.

 

[SkinnyBadger]

I was on the verge of purchasing my vortex build before i saw this thread. I'm not quite sure what to do now because it seems like a common problem :S

 

[hargil]

I was on the verge of purchasing my vortex build before i saw this thread. I'm not quite sure what to do now because it seems like a common problem :S

It's not every body that's having problems but i don't know what percentage ar faulty.

I am sure the PCS engineers are on the case but i don't know what the way forward is.

In every other respect the Vorext is the perfect machine and being able to configure it to such a degree and having the customer support PCS gives makes it hard decision.

I want to buy from PCS but I don’t want to spend £1800 and have a dud keyboard.

There was a thread about fitting a different make of keyboard but I don’t think it was back lit and the mapping may not be the same.

I will have to have a search for that thread.

Maybe that’s the way forward.

 

[thebre]

So I got my laptop back from PCS today having had it picked up by courier on Monday and after I had discovered my tab key was intermittent.

The fault report by the PCS technical team confirmed the intermittent tab key and said that the back of the keyboard was not fitted properly and it was warped. I do not know if this occurred during the initial transit when it was sent to me or before this time but it has been replaced and fixed. I unboxed the laptop at work and gave it a test and it is now responding as expected so I am very happy to report that the issue has apparently been resolved. I can accept that there will be faults in the stock but I would also expect the keyboard to go through a check of this nature particularly in light of recent forum posts regarding the issue.

Nevertheless, pleased to finally have my laptop and hopefully it will not encounter any additional issues in the near future!

Hargil, if you do encounter problems with your laptop post purchase I'm confident PCS will help you sort it out. Under no circumstances should they or you expect you to put up with a fault on your brand new laptop. Customer service were very helpful in my case, but obviously we would all prefer not to have to go through the aggravation of sending it back for repair for a fault that could/should have been picked up in the testing process. (I don't know for sure but I feel my testing process was very rushed - I had been waiting 19 days for my laptop due to missing/low stock of certain components) and my order went from in building to dispatch in a single day so testing/control etc may have been very minimal, in my case).

 

[hargil]

Thanks for the post.

I have absolutely no doubt the PCS staff with solve any issues without any hassle whatsoever.

I know 3 people who have purchased from PCS and they don’t have a bad word about them.

My boss had a memory problem develop in his PC and PCS sorted it very quickly and without any hassles.

Try sending things back to other suppliers and you have to jump through so many hoops you think you have joined the circus.

I would rather not have the hassle in the first place and I wonder if the problem may re-occur in the future.

I wonder what Clevo are doing about it, it seems a shame that such a perfect laptop is let down but a relatively simple thing

I was going to order it today but I have put it off until after the weekend at least…

 

[EYEONME]

I really hope they are not sending out these laptops with faulty keys, just going to have to wait and see when it turns up.

 

[guily6669]

I don't think it's that bad, as long as all keys work. I have seen lot's of problems just like this in expensive, Asus, Toshiba's and other known brands too...

My asus, some keys are not as tight and move easily. On my father's never used HP, the N key is always coming out and it's kinda loose
Keep Cool

 

[Mattt]

Well I've had the key problems with my replacement keyboard, with the w & a key mostly, and despite several support tickets raised and emails sent - PCS are ignoring me.

 

[HonestFlames]

Well I've had the key problems with my replacement keyboard, with the w & a key mostly, and despite several support tickets raised and emails sent - PCS are ignoring me.

I doubt they are ignoring you, they may just not have read your ticket(s) yet.

Phone them.

 

[Mattt]

I sent the tickets/mails several weeks back.

I can't call as I'm overseas - which is why I specifically requested they extensively test my replacement keyboard before sending out to me, and they said they had done.

Obviously not very hard, as it's a fairly obvious problem if you try and type anything!!

 

[SkinnyBadger]

I sent the tickets/mails several weeks back.

I can't call as I'm overseas - which is why I specifically requested they extensively test my replacement keyboard before sending out to me, and they said they had done.

Obviously not very hard, as it's a fairly obvious problem if you try and type anything!!

Has your situation progressed/resolved since your post?

This seems like such a stupid thing to take away from an otherwise reasonable priced and great quality laptop

 

[hargil]

The way I see it we have 4 options

1. Buy a branded laptop.

But then you don’t get the specification you want, tailored to you needs,
and who wants a dell anyway?
And you would loose the excellent PCS support.
​

2. Wait for a Vortex III Mk2

this may have a new ad improved keyboard.
But who know if this will ever happen and when.
​

3. Wait for the Vortex IV

and hope this has a more reliable keyboard
but when will this arrive, a long time in the future I guess.
​

4. Buy the current Vortex III

and hope it has a good keyboard.
​

Hopefully PCS are putting the keyboards through more testing during build now that they know there is an issue.


Maybe over the summer holidays they have been a bit rushed off their feet due to staff vacation and supply shortages and as a consequence the odd keyboard has slipped through.

It may have appeared ok at first test but not after shipping.

 

[SkinnyBadger]

The way I see it we have 4 options

1. Buy a branded laptop.

But then you don’t get the specification you want, tailored to you needs,
and who wants a dell anyway?
And you would loose the excellent PCS support.
​

2. Wait for a Vortex III Mk2

this may have a new ad improved keyboard.
But who know if this will ever happen and when.
​

3. Wait for the Vortex IV

and hope this has a more reliable keyboard
but when will this arrive, a long time in the future I guess.
​

4. Buy the current Vortex III

and hope it has a good keyboard.
​

Hopefully PCS are putting the keyboards through more testing during build now that they know there is an issue.


Maybe over the summer holidays they have been a bit rushed off their feet due to staff vacation and supply shortages and as a consequence the odd keyboard has slipped through.

It may have appeared ok at first test but not after shipping.

I've risked it and gone with option 4. I really hope it gets tested fully before being shipped to me

 

[hargil]

I've risked it and gone with option 4. I really hope it gets tested fully before being shipped to me

Yes, I think that's what I'm about to do.

Video editing on a 10 year old laptop with a Celeron 1.73 GHz processor with 2 GB RAM is no fun.

 

[cheshirecat765]

Hargil, honestly, you will be fine! I'm positive it was a bad batch of keyboards as mine has been perfect, an if you do run into a problem i'm sure the lovely people at PCS will be willing to help. So no worrys about not being able to send it back or have it reapired etc

 

[hargil]

I'm sure I will.

I am just about to spend a lot of money so a little hessitant.

I will just order it.

thanks

 

[Kreeeee]

Does this affect the non-backlit Vortex LE keyboard too? I am unable to search for "LE" to check this thread due to the length of the search term.

 

[HonestFlames]

My keyboard is absolutely fine. Delivered today. No problem.

 

[hargil]

My keyboard is absolutely fine. Delivered today. No problem.

Excellent news

 

[EYEONME]

+1 here aswell no problems so far with the keyboard and I only got it today.