Experience with Acer Support

eco2 on 22/06/2021 - 14:22
Last edited 02/07/2021 - 14:56

Hi Everyone

I bought an Acer Swift 3 laptop 7 months ago, and recently one of the keycaps cracked into two pieces and requires replacement. I called the Acer 1300 number and lodged a service case. In order to claim the warranty, I have also sent in the photos of the broken parts, and the invoice.

After a few days, I called them to follow up, and I was told I need to send in the laptop for inspection, and postage will be covered. Fair enough. But they also told me the process will take up to 15 business days, and they are going to wipe off all the data on the laptop to protecting my privacy.

Is this a 'normal' (warranty) service case I would expect from Acer?

To me, this is a lot of trouble to go through for such a small repair. I was expecting they would send a technician to my place to do the inspection and repair, or I can drive to one of their repair centers, have the inspection/repair done there. I also told the Acer guy that they could send me a new keycap, and I can put it on myself. But I was told this is the only process they can offer me in my case - i.e. leave the computer there for three weeks, and have the data on the hard disk wiped off.

What is your experience with Acer support, or any suggestions?

Much appreciated!

Regards,
Michael

[Update] Once I decided to go through the process, it was very smooth. Acer provided a postage barcode by email, and I posted the laptop on Saturday and got it back (fixed) the following Friday. Also, they didn't format the hard disk. So overall, I am happy with the service.

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Comments

  • CrispyChrispy on 22/06/2021 - 14:35
    +3

    Sounds normal, they wouldn't bother sending out someone, not worth it for them. I would just bite the bullet and send it over. They are paying for postage anyway.
    Obviously backup all your data first.

  • CC123 on 22/06/2021 - 14:41

    Different situation but here is my experience:
    Had a faulty HDD, sent it in free of charge (courier picked it up).
    Had it back exactly 7 days after I sent it in (Sent on a Wed, received it back the following Wed).

    Should have it back quickly

  • pharkurnell on 22/06/2021 - 14:44
    +3

    or I can drive to one of their repair centers, have the inspection/repair done there.

    You and 50 others may think that very same thing on the same day… which is why they book things in for repair..
    Add to that they dont know 100% the extent of damage, and what will need replacing.

    Anyone who has worked in service knows the customer says its only a tiny thing wrong, then get to work on it and it grows and grows, more parts needed, some in stock some not some on back order.

    • eco2 on 22/06/2021 - 14:47

      Fair enough.

    • Pelicannn on 22/06/2021 - 14:49
      +2

      customer says its only a tiny thing wrong

      On a side note, how good are those "customer states…" videos on youtube…

      • pharkurnell on 22/06/2021 - 16:00

        My word… I hadnt seen those..

        words fail me.

  • Gnostikos on 22/06/2021 - 14:51

    I was expecting they would send a technician to my place to do the inspection and repair

    For consumer laptops, generally you won't get on-site service warranties. It's typically RTB (return to base) or mail-in (postage may or may not be covered).

    Some OEMs do offer them but they're usually a premium service that require you to pay an additional cost to upgrade the default warranty.

    • eco2 on 22/06/2021 - 14:53

      I bought the laptop from OfficeWorks. Does RTB mean bring it back to OW? What would they do?

      • Gnostikos on 22/06/2021 - 15:16

        That would be the usual returns/RMA channel as per ACL: return fauly device to vendor and then it's the vendor's responsibility to chase up the OEM and advise you when the issue has been resolved but in this case since you lodged a claim directly with Acer's customer support, you've basically bypassed the middleman and are dealing directly with the OEM, so you should continue that line of enquiry now.

        • eco2 on 22/06/2021 - 15:47

          Thank for that information. I wonder if it's easier to deal with the vender, in which case they may offer other options such as refund or replacement. I will have to backup and restore the data anyway.

          • Gnostikos on 22/06/2021 - 16:30

            @eco2: You always have the option as a consumer to return a faulty product to a vendor for a refund or replacement (provided the fault constitutes a "major problem" as per ACL guidelines; I'm not sure a cracked keycap would fall under this definition) OR you can engage directly with the OEM and arrange repair/replacement via their support channels.

            In your case, I don't think it would make much difference either way as Acer's repair centres are not in Australia, so the laptop has to be shipped out regardless and they're covering all postage costs, so you don't actually incur any additional costs. The wait time would be the same whether going through Officeworks or Acer directly; it might even be slightly faster dealing with Acer directly.

      • holdenmg on 22/06/2021 - 15:30
        +1

        Check and see if you bought and paid OW for
        Add Extra Cover
        https://www.officeworks.com.au/services/extra-cover

        or

        Add Product Insurance https://www.officeworks.com.au/services/devicensure
        at time of purchase.

  • holdenmg on 22/06/2021 - 15:00

    Think about buying another Acer to use now and sell it off (or your Acer Swift 3 when it is fixed. (if affordable).

    You could port your data across and have less downtime while being serviced and you might be able to claim it as a Tax Deduction before June 30.

    Examples:
    https://online.acer.com.au/acer/store/laptops/tax-relax/acer… for $719 w/Targus Sleeve and Bonus Accomodation.

    Other offers:
    https://online.acer.com.au/acer/store/laptops/tax-relax

    • eco2 on 22/06/2021 - 15:44

      Then I will end up with 2 Acers :-)

      • holdenmg on 22/06/2021 - 15:48

        No, you sell one. (or keep both). :+)

  • brendanm on 22/06/2021 - 17:23

    Sounds crap. Had my son's dell die, I gave them a description of what was happening, they sent a guy out with a new motherboard, he fixed it on the spot, at my house.

    • Gnostikos on 22/06/2021 - 18:07

      You had an on-site warranty then. Makes things a million times easier. Dell's consumer product range is increasingly offering on-site/NBD warranty SLAs, unlike Acer, sometimes even as the default warranty option.

      Dell is the largest OEM in terms of desktop/laptop market share for a reason and their support is generally-speaking on the ball, especially compared to Acer. I recently waited for about 2 months for Acer enterprise support to merely track down the part number for some HDD caddies for a server ffs; never mind the actual parts themselves.

    • SF3 on 22/06/2021 - 22:23

      But that’s a typical Dell way of providing support, not Acer.

      Probably why people prefer to get a dell, despite not always the “best” kit.

  • SF3 on 22/06/2021 - 22:26

    keycaps cracked into two pieces

    Either really poor materials/defective, or you were typing something highly emotive.

    • eco2 on 23/06/2021 - 08:49

      It could be a bit of both ;-)

      Honestly, I have never experienced (or expected) such a thing would happen.

  • itbargainhunter on 22/06/2021 - 22:26
    +1

    I am working in this industry as an insider so here is my 2 cents

    Devices you buy from retailer like JB OW Mwave are Consumer "class". it is cheaper compares to the Commercial "class" devices with similar spec for many reasons and warranty is usualy the main one.

    Commerical "class" device usually covers onsite warranty. if business pays extra, vendor will happy to offer next business day service even. Most business cannot afford to have their staff mug around device-less as it means loss of productivity or worst.

    As for RTB warranty states in ACL, it states any buyer (consumer or even commercial) have the rights to seek warranty from the place they purchase from. Many vendor will also deals with their customer directly. But that is just a basic cover. ACL states vendor need to offer repair or option of repair (could be a replacement) in a "reasonable" time. If you are not new here you should know "reasonable" is a big word. With global shortage like now, "reasonable" could be 3-4 months for some parts if it has to be.

    Also vendor would normally not offers refund directly. Imagine Vendor A sells to Distributor B then sells to Retailer C and each party added their margin. Why would Vendor A refund what you pay for Retailer C? The best practice I have seen in the industry is that some Vendor would authorise a refund for a case but it will has to pass thru Distributor B then Retailer C to pass on to consumer and they only do it if it is a major fault.

    As for user data, believe it or not, most vendor do not want to be responsible for potential customer data loss while repairs. No one wants to be liable for consumer's bitcoin data hash key loss, right? The best way is to exclude data migration from any hardware service. ACL seems to share the same point and see user generated data not protected by hardware warranty. FYI, in Commercial "class" device, there is chargeable warranty service that even takes care of data migration from faulty device to new/ repaired parts or device, if data is recoverable.

    I am not saying consumer device are bad. I am just highlighting some of the features that many consumer requires are not really that simple and it is usually regard as a premium service in Commercial world.

    • eco2 on 23/06/2021 - 08:47

      Very well explained. Thank you!

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