Toshiba junk laptop and the unrepentant company

 
hgood on Fri, June 10, 2005 5:12 PM
Toshiba Laptop - Worst Product and Non Existent Warranty, to boot
I wanted to bring a problem to the attention of my fellow members and hope you can avoid repeating my purchasing error.
Specifically, my problem encompasses lack of quality and denial of any warranty or normal responsibility for performance that are shocking and frightening, even in today''s "laissez-faire" and "blasé" consumer society.
For everyone''s reference, the model name and number in question are the Toshiba Satellite M30 Laptop Computer.
Here''s what happened:
I own an 11-month-old Toshiba Satellite M30 Laptop that my kid used at first year University.
The Hard Drive just burnt out on this, a $ 2,500 machine! A very disappointing start in itself! Toshiba WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD, since it had a "good name"
But, an even more horrid experience awaited me.
After dropping off the machine for "service" I was lied to, on the telephone, for 5 days straight on the availability of parts.” Supposed to come tomorrow.."
I finally went in person to the Toshiba "Service Department” and
I was told, (after more CYA and "buck - passing": "We have no hard drives in stock and WE HAVE NO ETA!!??"
Just like that!
The effect and translation of such a statement is: " You are on your own, now, sucker!"
THE Laptop IS An Essential appendage in my "technology run" life, as all can appreciate. Where does such a statement leave me?
I had to take immediate action or suffer even greater monetary loss.
The first independent computer repair shop I went into told me:
"I saw it before, it''s just a scam Toshiba uses. Toshiba just PAID OUT a class action lawsuit in the States: $2.1 billion US FUNDS for the very same thing!!??Their hard drives are absolute garbage. They just want you to buy a new drive. I can get one for you and install it in 1 day but NOTHING UNDER WARRANTY. I deal with the Toshiba New Parts department people, they have them over there, but never through the warranty department"
To cut to the chase, approx.$ 2,500 later (back and forth out of town for the configuration disks, software, loading the software, labour, intranet configuration software, new drive hard drive sold at "parts "prices, data recovery under very severe time constraints etc.) I had a new hard drive.
It could not get any worse, right?
Wrong!
Friends worried about my cardio health combed the Internet and found out that Toshiba ITSELF has listed my VERY model as one with a defective factory installed hard drive. It was there, in the bowels of their website, together with 20 or so other SATELLITE and TECRA model numbers.
Thus, I realized that all of the 20 or so Toshiba personnel, at different levels that I was bounced around to, just pretended to be helpful, while all the time just perpetrating a well rehearsed scam! They all knew about the "defective from birth hard drive" and naturally kept it under wraps when I took the machine for "IN - WARRANTY" service.
Internet searches further revealed sites like: www.thesqueakywheel.com, complaints.com, consumeraffairs.com, ZDNET (the $2.1billion class action and paid out lawsuit) plus topics under "Toshiba Laptop Complaints”,” I hate Toshiba”,” Toshiba sucks", etc. full of lamentations from duped consumers such as I.
Needless to say, ever since (Feb 2005), there has been not a peep from Toshiba, no acknowledgement that I exist, let alone an attempt of addressing their shockingly unethical business practices.
This would be the ultimate case of BUYER BEWARE!!


[:(]

Replies:

delcom5 on Sun, June 19, 2005 7:23 PM
Hey dude,
I hear ya.
i bought the m30 too. and i have had multiple problems with it and have had to bringit in at least 4 times now for repairs.
I dont think you should blame their customer support though, they are probably just ignorant.
you should speak to the managers and supervisors i guess..........but i agree with you, some of them are not helpful at all. i spoke wiht one of their customer relations people, who was very rude, in hopes of getting a replacement laptop. he basically told me that as long as they can repair the laptop,l they will not replace mine. basically toshiba doesn't really care about pleasing their consumers and only do enough to satisfy legalities. I have no idea how in the world toshiba became such a well respected brand.
anyways, you should be in a better situation then me however. If they have no eta for your hard drive repair that means that legally, they cannot repair your laptop in a reasonable amount of time (if economics of law class applies here :) ) and thus they are legally obligated to give you a new laptop (as stated in their warranty).

anywho, you should really sitck this to them.

let me know how it turns out!

caes
mveljko78 on Mon, June 20, 2005 1:05 AM
not so proud owner of satellite 1800

had way too many problems with it (LCD / heating problems / bad sectors). replaced some of the components and sold it ... do the same. cut your losses short
ednathans on Thu, June 23, 2005 8:24 PM
I spent an hour trying to warrenty a drive via the Toshiba website to no avail, no idea which are the part # and serial they required, now dissillusioned and thanks to you wiser
oyelb on Fri, June 24, 2005 8:00 AM
I've had a Satellite A20-31Q that I have used for over a year and it has served me perfectly. It is a bit heavy, so it's not what I drag around for meetings, but it's great to bring to the cabin etc.

I had best "knock on wood" after reading these posts though, and not press my luck. [:p]

When I bought the machine, Toshiba was the greatest thing in consumer portable computing. Has it all changed that quickly?
ewoods on Fri, June 24, 2005 8:46 AM
I've had a Toshiba A10-5WM laptop for over a year, I haven't had a single problem with it (a part from my own software problems).

Toshiba is generally good, sounds like a few of you had bad experiences. I've had really bad experiences in the past with IBM Stinkpads, Dell Crapitudes, and Toshiba seemed like a good choice for me when I bought this.

I've heard since that Dell's models have improved quite a bit, and I think my next purchase might be one of those or an Acer.

RODGANDYSR on Fri, June 24, 2005 9:34 AM
We recently bought a 5 IBM Thinkpads and although the laptops are working fine (Knock on wood), the service we recieved from IBM has just been horrible. This includes everything from the ETA of the laptops (month and a half late) to calling the customer support center on a day which their network is not at the state of "crash". Also there is no logging of calls, or any kind of bookkeeping on the customers.

GillianOlson on Mon, July 11, 2005 3:51 PM
I HATE TOSHIBA. That's really all there is to it. They SUCK. I have sent my Satellite 5105-S501 back 4 times in 2 and a half years and they do nothing to help. Not to mention they have the WORST customer service in the WORLD (literally, because they're all over) But if you know any lawyers that may be suing them let me know. I'll jump on that band wagon!!!
Gabrielle on Sat, July 16, 2005 10:19 AM
so what did you buy to replace it, I am curious
Sarah
manofrenown on Fri, May 26, 2006 12:08 PM
I work for a very very well known retail store were I am a computer tech, Toshiba is the worst performance laptop that we sell, they return for service about 40% more that the other brands. When we send them back for service is incredible the number of excuses they find not to cover the repair of the laptop. Another big problem is the Toshiba hard drive. THE WORST IN THE MARKET!! They fail too often and try to get service from them... Have any body tried to get a replacement from Toshiba? lest talk about bad service I know people that did not purchase extended service from the store and are stock dealing with Toshiba the longest time I know is 13 weeks and counting, others are around 6- 7 weeks. Because of my job I get to know more people than other guys and the things I see that Toshiba does is something that I hope I never have to go trough.

Before you buy Toshiba look around the internet and see if the number of satisfied customers out numbers the unsatisfied.
hmkhalid on Wed, July 19, 2006 1:49 AM
Toshiba completely sucks. It's not just my computer, which is a satellite 1700-500, but i know people who have had models after mine and which crash on a weekly basis. My computer's outside cover gets cracked which is caused by just opening the screen! And if i don't send it in, the screen will stop responding. The internet freezes if I am on it for more than 2 hours, my battery doesn't work without it's charger and I have to restart it at least 3 times a day. I have had these problems since i first got the computer in 2001. I have absoultely no idea how some people can say that toshiba is a good company. They have given me nothing but problems from day one. Do not buy a toshiba laptop.
phuceh on Fri, August 4, 2006 4:14 PM
There is a recently filed class action lawsuit against Toshiba for breach of warranty and other claims arising from Toshiba’s manufacture, marketing and sale of defective laptops. The lawsuit alleges that many of Toshiba’s Satellite models are defective in that the hinges and plastic covers crack and cause deterioration of the computers which includes instability and/or breakage of the screen, instability and/or breakage of the cover, and consequential deterioration of computer performance. The Sturdevant Law Firm in San Francisco is representing the proposed class. If you would like more information about the case, please go to www.sturdevantlaw.com or contact The Sturdevant Law Firm at 415-477-2410.
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jacob on Sat, May 2, 2009 5:49 PM
wellit means toshibas suck you got ripped off i say blowthe piece of shit up and call them tell they takeit back and let everyone know toshibas is shit a steeming pile of fresh shit