Having a laptopsdirect nightmare

[AndyLF]

Hi, just wanted to get a feel for where I might stand with a purchase I made from laptops direct.

I ordered a laptop from them for my wife to replace her old Acer, and I made the stupid (lazy) mistake of ordering it from my business paypal account because I didn't have my credit card with me at the time (I'm a freelancer so do sometimes order from my paypal for ease/speed and then just pay my business back).

Anyway, laptops direct's Terms for business purchases are totally different than those for consumer purchases (there is no statutory '14 day returns/money back' for business purchases).

The laptop I ordered is in my opinion, rubbish, despite it's reasonable spec. It's slower than the Acer it was supposed to replace, the plastics quality is poor (it's an HP!), and when starting it up, I immediately had to spend an hour with HP customer support because the BIOS was apparently out of date and wouldn't update using the installed HP software. The item was also misdesccribed in that it was listed as not having a CD/DVD drive, but it in fact does (might be a bonus to some people, but I'd already gone out and purchased an external USB drive which I'm now stuck with). The whole experience made me think I've bought a complete lemon - worse than a 3 year old Acer - so I contacted laptops direct to ask to return it.

After a couple of messages to/fro with laptops direct where I explained my situation, they have made it clear that because the item was technically purchased by my business, I have to keep it. End of. Felt like customer service from the 80s.

If it makes any difference, the laptop I purchased was a new-but-refurbished item (described as typically a new-and-returned item).

Also, just in case there are any cynics ( ), I genuinely purchased this laptop as a 'personal purchase' it would be absolutely no use to me in my line of work where I need a high-end desktop for home-office and ipad for meetings.

Am I basically shafted by laptops direct?

 

[james_firmsites]

Regardless of the payment being a business account or not, what was the laptops direct account type? or did you use the paypal direct button?

Did you order it to a personal or business address and was it in your name or a company name?

 

[AndyLF]

Hi James - hmmm, sorry I dont know their account type. I ordered it to my home address but put my business name at the top (I work at the end of my garden so I always put my work name on online orders so the delivery person rings a different door bell that I can hear).

To be honest, I'm pretty much assuming that laptops direct will have their Terms water tight and that 'business' orders will allow them to impose their awful Terms*. Their dismissal of my return request (and explanation of my circumstances) makes me assume they're confident enough in their situation that they don't need to care about entertaining me.

I guess I was wondering whether my situation could be considered a grey area and maybe I could then try to re-appeal to their goodwill (in truth I have tried twice, but you never know).

*their Terms for business purchases also state that 'subject to their agreement', they may take back the laptop for a restocking fee of 25% of the purchase price.

 

[STDFR33]

You are not going to be able to argue this.


You ordered the laptop in the name of the business, and the business paid for the laptop.


I think it both reasonable and correct for Laptops Direct to treat this as a business transaction.


If the laptop is useless to you how it is, I would try to negotiate a swap for another laptop. At least you are not entirely out of pocket.

 

[james_firmsites]

Yeah agree with STDFR33 I'm afraid, the payment method is not the issue. It's ordering in a business name makes it fair to consider it a business purchase.

 

[AndyLF]

You could well be right. I think I just expected that these days suppliers take more of a 'goodwill' approach to customers who have a genuine complaint/problem.

I wouldn't risk ordering another one from them - partly on principle, but also because I've lost confidence that an alternative will be a better experience. I'm also pretty sure they wouldn't do it anyway, they don't have to, and so far they haven't budged on their stance of 'it was a business purchase, so we don't have to accept it back'.

 

[Raw Rob]

I assume a distinction is made between whether he put his business name just on the delivery address, or also on the invoice address? Lots of people get personal eCommerce orders delivered to their work address, this does not make them business purchases.

 

[AndyLF]

Hi Rob - again, you could be right, but of course I also made the mistake of ticking the box to say delivery details and my details were the same. Lazy I know, but I guess we all do it (or maybe we dont?!)

It sounds like they have me bang to rights... it was, from their perspective, technically speaking, a business purchase and I don't dispute this.

I just thought that in this day and age a customer with a genuine concern about the item they'd ordered, who was not happy with it due to poor quality, might fall into a grey area and be dealt with, with at least some goodwill.

I have since messaged them to ask if they will take the laptop back for their '25% fee'. They dont even have to do that - replies take 8 working hours so we'll see. Sticks in my throat that they will then just re-sell it for double profit, but I'll probably do no better selling it privately.

 

[obscure]

I just thought that in this day and age a customer with a genuine concern about the item they'd ordered, who was not happy with it due to poor quality, might fall into a grey area and be dealt with, with at least some goodwill.

Did you invite them round for tea so they could meet your wife and see what she uses her laptop for? If not how would they know that you were a customer with a genuine concern rather than yet another business customer who bought something without paying attention and now wants to find a way around their T&C?

I'm not saying you are not 100% genuine, just that there is no way for them to know. Also your vague feelings about how the laptop should perform aren't going to be enough. Put simply a computer is only as good as it's weakest component. It doesn't matter if some of the components are more powerful. The performance will always bottleneck at the weakest/slowest component. So, unless they have substituted components that are clearly inferior to those listed in the advert, I am not sure you will get anywhere by saying that it "doesn't seem to work as well as I thought it would".

I think your best bet would be to contact them, point out the error re the DVD and ask if you can swap it for a model that doesn't have the DVD. Trouble is that you would need to be sure that the components in that machine are actually better than the ones in your ASUS.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Spend a few pounds on swopping out the disk drive for a SSD drive and watch the computer now flly. its the best investment you can make and now they are dropping in price every day but do go for large ones just enough for what you want maybe 250gb

 

[AllUpHere]

See it from laptops direct's point of view; you are the very definition of a nightmare client.

You hit the forums to publicly air your complaint that they are treating you as a business customer, when you ordered in a business name, had it delivered to your business address, and paid with a business account.

If I were them I wouldn't be using a lot of effort to help you either.

 

[Newchodge]

Forget the business/consumer angle. Is the laptop as described? Particularly was it described as a new but returned laptop, when it is actually refurbished. Why would they refurbish a new item? If they have misdescribed, the reason for return is not dependent on it being a consumer purchase.

 

[Mr D]

Hi James - hmmm, sorry I dont know their account type. I ordered it to my home address but put my business name at the top (I work at the end of my garden so I always put my work name on online orders so the delivery person rings a different door bell that I can hear).

.

Or you could put a sign by the bells 'ring both bells'.

 

[UKSBD]

What model and how much was it?

 

[Alex - A2 Hosting]

Spend a few pounds on swopping out the disk drive for a SSD drive and watch the computer now flly. its the best investment you can make and now they are dropping in price every day but do go for large ones just enough for what you want maybe 250gb

If all options fail, this. I swapped my old mac from HDD to SSD and it just felt like a new machine entirely.

Forget the business/consumer angle. Is the laptop as described? Particularly was it described as a new but returned laptop, when it is actually refurbished. Why would they refurbish a new item? If they have misdescribed, the reason for return is not dependent on it being a consumer purchase.

This + the whole CD/DVD drive difference, are any other details not as advertised? Put them all together and you have a solid reason for return or at the very least, exchange the laptop for something else.

 

[Alan]

Well, you could always play them at their own game and treat it as a business transaction.

If you purchased it as a business transaction and it fell below your expectation ( your view of what the contract should deliver ), you would first
1. tell them and ask them to remedy
2. if the fail to remedy, write them a letter before action
3. if the fail to respond, issue a claim via small claims track / money claim online

I doubt they would even respond and you are likely to win by default.

 

[AndyLF]

Sorry for the lack of reply. This is the laptop purcahed: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refu...15.6-windows-10-laptop-a1-z9c33ea/version.asp.

From what I can tell, the only misdescription is that it's listed as having no optical drive, but does in fact have one. Their T&Cs cover them though... stating that their product descriptions are "for the sole purpose of giving an approximate idea of the Products described in them".

LaptopsDirect have offered me the option to take the laptop back for the 25% fee. But having thought about it I'd be better to sell it on ebay, or keeping it...

Thank you for the suggestions re the SSD - that could well be the way I go. Just need to research how I swap out the CD drive.

Just to address one point...I know I've publicly aired this issue, but that is only after dealing with LaptopsDirect privately and getting nowhere (with the most 'computer says no' customer service I've experienced in some time).

 

[Awinner2]

I would take up their offer of 25% re-stocking fee. You will not get a decent price on Ebay (plus their fees) and would you in all conscience shift this onto some unsuspecting person of Ebay.

 

[AndyLF]

That's actually a good point re the ebay fees.... having looked into adding the SSD, I think it's beyond my skills, so I I'll return it and pay the 25%.