Laptop Warranty Problems

[Andy]

I purchased an Acer Aspire 5100 Laptop 10 months ago. It recently
started acting up and I discovered bad sectors on the hard drive. I
was just going to send the hard drive in for replacement, so I removed
it and started loading up another drive.

I had trouble loading Windows on it. It would stop. There was a
BIOS fix on Acer's site that claimed to fix a problem that sounded
similar. The BIOS fix ended up locking my computer. I left the
computer on for 3 hours waiting for it to finish. It didn't. I ended
up having to pull out the power and battery to get it to shut off.
After that, it would power up but nothing appeared on the screen.
Plugged in External Monitor and still nothing. BIOS toast.

So I sent the entire unit in to Acer. Mind you they made me pay
the shipping on it. So I wait a few days and call to see the status.

I was informed that there was liquid spilled on the inside of the
laptop and that isn't covered under warranty. It would cost me $449
to fix the unit.

Ok, I have no reason to come on here and lie to anyone reading
this. I NEVER spilled liquid on the inside of the unit. Never. The
laptop was never used by anyone else. I tried to explain everything
that happened and told Acer that I didn't spill anything on it. The
guy answered "I didn't say you did. I just said there was liquid
spilled in it!" Tricky wording. I was informed my options at this
point are to get the unit back unrepaired (I asked them to still
replace the Hard Drive but they won't "Half Fix" Units) or pay them
the $449. I asked to speak with a manager and I was told that I
couldn't, but I could file a complaint on their web site. Obviously I
am not giving them $450 when I can buy a new laptop for just a bit
more. Of course, I really feel that I shouldn't HAVE to buy a new
laptop at this point.

Do I have any recourse in this situation whatsoever? Is there any
pathway I could possibly go through to get my warranty honored, or am
I just out of luck?

Thanks,

Andy

 

[lisa swallowz]

I purchased an Acer Aspire 5100 Laptop 10 months ago. It recently
started acting up and I discovered bad sectors on the hard drive. I
was just going to send the hard drive in for replacement, so I removed
it and started loading up another drive.

I had trouble loading Windows on it. It would stop. There was a
BIOS fix on Acer's site that claimed to fix a problem that sounded
similar. The BIOS fix ended up locking my computer. I left the
computer on for 3 hours waiting for it to finish. It didn't. I ended
up having to pull out the power and battery to get it to shut off.
After that, it would power up but nothing appeared on the screen.
Plugged in External Monitor and still nothing. BIOS toast.

So I sent the entire unit in to Acer. Mind you they made me pay
the shipping on it. So I wait a few days and call to see the status.

I was informed that there was liquid spilled on the inside of the
laptop and that isn't covered under warranty. It would cost me $449
to fix the unit.

Ok, I have no reason to come on here and lie to anyone reading
this. I NEVER spilled liquid on the inside of the unit. Never. The
laptop was never used by anyone else. I tried to explain everything
that happened and told Acer that I didn't spill anything on it. The
guy answered "I didn't say you did. I just said there was liquid
spilled in it!" Tricky wording. I was informed my options at this
point are to get the unit back unrepaired (I asked them to still
replace the Hard Drive but they won't "Half Fix" Units) or pay them
the $449. I asked to speak with a manager and I was told that I
couldn't, but I could file a complaint on their web site. Obviously I
am not giving them $450 when I can buy a new laptop for just a bit
more. Of course, I really feel that I shouldn't HAVE to buy a new
laptop at this point.

Do I have any recourse in this situation whatsoever? Is there any
pathway I could possibly go through to get my warranty honored, or am
I just out of luck?

Thanks,

Andy

Oh, one other option, buy an identical laptop and switch and return. I
wouldn't recomend doing this to an honest dealer, but it sounds like you
were screwed.

 

[kony]

Oh, one other option, buy an identical laptop and switch and return. I
wouldn't recomend doing this to an honest dealer, but it sounds like you
were screwed.

Doubt that will work, they record serial numbers most of the
time.

 

[kony]

I purchased an Acer Aspire 5100 Laptop 10 months ago. It recently
started acting up and I discovered bad sectors on the hard drive. I
was just going to send the hard drive in for replacement, so I removed
it and started loading up another drive.

I had trouble loading Windows on it. It would stop.

Where exactly did it stop?

There was a
BIOS fix on Acer's site that claimed to fix a problem that sounded
similar.

What was the problem, can you link this page for us?

While I'm at it, at this point if you have any possible
plans to further pursue this matter with Acer, I recommend
thoroughly documenting everything, including saving emails
and recording phone calls (inform of it at start of call if
required by law).

The BIOS fix ended up locking my computer. I left the
computer on for 3 hours waiting for it to finish. It didn't. I ended
up having to pull out the power and battery to get it to shut off.
After that, it would power up but nothing appeared on the screen.
Plugged in External Monitor and still nothing. BIOS toast.

At this point it seems you are very unlucky, or Acer's
notebook division has more than their share of problems at
the moment. However, I would wonder... if it were possible
there really was some way liquid got into the laptop, and
that accounted for some if not all the problems.

So I sent the entire unit in to Acer. Mind you they made me pay
the shipping on it. So I wait a few days and call to see the status.

I was informed that there was liquid spilled on the inside of the
laptop and that isn't covered under warranty. It would cost me $449
to fix the unit.

If you are going to pursue this matter with Acer, and had
not recorded the call, I suggest calling back and recording
it, while essentially pretending you haven't had this
conversation with them yet, so the same response can be
recorded. Presuming you get the same reply, have them
return the laptop to you as I agree it is a bit much to pay
unless a (relatively) expensive laptop as new or equivalent
replacement.

Ok, I have no reason to come on here and lie to anyone reading
this. I NEVER spilled liquid on the inside of the unit. Never. The
laptop was never used by anyone else. I tried to explain everything
that happened and told Acer that I didn't spill anything on it. The
guy answered "I didn't say you did. I just said there was liquid
spilled in it!" Tricky wording.

I wasn't suggesting above that they must be right, that
there must've been liquid spilled, but it's just a bit
surprising that a company the size of Acer, and with their
desire to further penetrate the North American market, would
allow this kind of customer service/BS. Another alternative
you could explore is contacting someone higher up at Acer,
including what documentation details you have provided up to
that point. Some subtle implications could come from
posting it all to a website including an audio file of the
telephone conversations. I don't mean going on public rants
against Acer yet, but if the info is out there where it
could be publically accessible, it might make them take
pause in considering their next move... but obviously it
seems if your 2nd call to customer service center has the
same response about the initial problem, it is time to deal
with the next higher level of management and so on (but I
can't say what your time (or the principle of it) is worth,
some matters take a lot longer than others to resolve).

I was informed my options at this
point are to get the unit back unrepaired (I asked them to still
replace the Hard Drive but they won't "Half Fix" Units) or pay them
the $449. I asked to speak with a manager and I was told that I
couldn't, but I could file a complaint on their web site. Obviously I
am not giving them $450 when I can buy a new laptop for just a bit
more. Of course, I really feel that I shouldn't HAVE to buy a new
laptop at this point.

Of course not, so you should ask them again as if you hadn't
asked yet for the repair, then if all else fails ask how
long they will hold the laptop for you to consider changing
your mind, while you attempt to contact someone higher up at
Acer. If all else fails have them return it to you.

Do I have any recourse in this situation whatsoever? Is there any
pathway I could possibly go through to get my warranty honored, or am
I just out of luck?

Contact the BBB, and Google for more Acer contacts.

 

[Andy]

Where exactly did it stop?


What was the problem, can you link this page for us?

While I'm at it, at this point if you have any possible
plans to further pursue this matter with Acer, I recommend
thoroughly documenting everything, including saving emails
and recording phone calls (inform of it at start of call if
required by law).


At this point it seems you are very unlucky, or Acer's
notebook division has more than their share of problems at
the moment. However, I would wonder... if it were possible
there really was some way liquid got into the laptop, and
that accounted for some if not all the problems.





If you are going to pursue this matter with Acer, and had
not recorded the call, I suggest calling back and recording
it, while essentially pretending you haven't had this
conversation with them yet, so the same response can be
recorded. Presuming you get the same reply, have them
return the laptop to you as I agree it is a bit much to pay
unless a (relatively) expensive laptop as new or equivalent
replacement.


I wasn't suggesting above that they must be right, that
there must've been liquid spilled, but it's just a bit
surprising that a company the size of Acer, and with their
desire to further penetrate the North American market, would
allow this kind of customer service/BS. Another alternative
you could explore is contacting someone higher up at Acer,
including what documentation details you have provided up to
that point. Some subtle implications could come from
posting it all to a website including an audio file of the
telephone conversations. I don't mean going on public rants
against Acer yet, but if the info is out there where it
could be publically accessible, it might make them take
pause in considering their next move... but obviously it
seems if your 2nd call to customer service center has the
same response about the initial problem, it is time to deal
with the next higher level of management and so on (but I
can't say what your time (or the principle of it) is worth,
some matters take a lot longer than others to resolve).


Of course not, so you should ask them again as if you hadn't
asked yet for the repair, then if all else fails ask how
long they will hold the laptop for you to consider changing
your mind, while you attempt to contact someone higher up at
Acer. If all else fails have them return it to you.


Contact the BBB, and Google for more Acer contacts.

I did consider buying an identical laptop, swapping the motherboard
(I've done plenty of this type of thing with Laptops. I know it isn't
easy but I'm pretty decent at it), and returning it...that's how angry
I was. Still, that is really screwing Circuit City (The place where I
purchased this laptop and a place I know still stocks it) and despite
the fact that Circuit City probably isn't the pinnacle of corporate
honesty...I don't really think that it feels right for me to do it.

Since posting this, I called them one more time. I actually have the
names and details of the last two conversations I had, but I don't
have much on the first one. I was actually taking a walk and
remembered that I wanted to call to see when my laptop would be coming
back. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to hear what I
heard. I should have gotten the first guys name, because he was
extremely rude. Both that guy and the next woman I talked to pretty
much stonewalled me as far as taking it to the next level, claiming
that there was nobody above them that I could speak to. I think I
will need to try to find a different phone number to contact. The
first guy just kept saying "Look, it doesn't matter who you talk to.
$449 or your laptop comes back unrepaired".

When I called back later tonight, the guy was more understanding but
really wasn't helpful. He told me that anyone that could overturn any
kind of decision works 8-5 Central Standard time. I had called about
7:30 PM and that actually sounded reasonable. I will try the main
line again tomorrow and if that doesn't work, I'll try to dig up
another number.

It is possible I guess that liquid did get in it. I do take the
laptop to and from work every day and of course it has rained on some
days. I have a pretty decent Targus laptop bag that I carry it around
in and I was usually insanely careful (It has 2 Zippers for each
compartment...I made sure that if it was raining that I had the
Zippers meet on the side instead of on the top) when it was raining
out. I guess I can't 100% rule out the possibility of liquid having
got on it at some point.

If I were to call the BBB, do I call the chapter in my area or do I
get in touch with one in Texas (Where Acer Depot is located?) What
does the BBB usually do? Will they actually help you out or do they
file the complaint for future reference of people that want to check
into a product? I think if I cannot get satisfaction from Acer, I
will be calling them no matter what but I was just wondering.

All in all, I am very shocked. I have heard people complain a lot
about HP tech support but I have worked with HP extensively in past
and present and found them to be very reasonable. I assumed that Acer
was trying to make some inroads and that I could get some decent
support out of them. I have to admit I've been annoyed since step 1,
where I had to pay to have it shipped there. Of course, I paid for 2
day shipping with Fed Ex and payed an extra $10 to buy one of their
boxes specific to shipping laptops....putting me out $40 or so already
on this deal. I helped my brother in law purchase a Dell Laptop under
a year ago and one of the mouse buttons got pounded into submission
from over use. No questions asked they had the laptop picked up by UPS
and fixed the thing for him and got it back to him all within 8
business days. I expected that type of service from Acer, I guess.

Thanks for your advice.

Andy

 

[kony]

I did consider buying an identical laptop, swapping the motherboard
(I've done plenty of this type of thing with Laptops. I know it isn't
easy but I'm pretty decent at it), and returning it...that's how angry
I was.

In an idealized world, it might be fair to do this, but in
the real world it's potentially fraud and IMO, being a
non-life-essential item, replaceable, it is not a good
idea.

If I were to call the BBB, do I call the chapter in my area or do I
get in touch with one in Texas (Where Acer Depot is located?)

Start here,
https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx

What
does the BBB usually do? Will they actually help you out or do they
file the complaint for future reference of people that want to check
into a product? I think if I cannot get satisfaction from Acer, I
will be calling them no matter what but I was just wondering.

They will contact the company and keep an ongoing record of
compaints.

All in all, I am very shocked. I have heard people complain a lot
about HP tech support but I have worked with HP extensively in past
and present and found them to be very reasonable. I assumed that Acer
was trying to make some inroads and that I could get some decent
support out of them. I have to admit I've been annoyed since step 1,
where I had to pay to have it shipped there. Of course, I paid for 2
day shipping with Fed Ex and payed an extra $10 to buy one of their
boxes specific to shipping laptops....putting me out $40 or so already
on this deal.

Lots of companies require you pay the RMA shipping charge.
Perhaps most of them, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

IMO, 2 day shipping on an item like this isn't of much use,
it's not as though they'd generally ship another out quickly
enough to substantially decrease turnaround time. A FedEx
special shipping box was a good idea, though the original
box is also good, and I often go a step further and
double-box that inside a 2nd box with another layer of
padding when possible.

I helped my brother in law purchase a Dell Laptop under
a year ago and one of the mouse buttons got pounded into submission
from over use. No questions asked they had the laptop picked up by UPS
and fixed the thing for him and got it back to him all within 8
business days. I expected that type of service from Acer, I guess.

I'm surprised they had such quick turnaround. IMO, one
major variable in your case is that either their really was
liquid in the laptop or there's a level of fraud going on
that is unheard of from larger companies. I hate to say it,
but if there wasn't liquid in it then I would expect someone
to dump some in just to validate their claim about that...
but I have to wonder if you have made some enemy at work who
decided their beverage was a good weapon.

Regardless, if the laptop was still wet inside, or there is
just residue from it being wet, there is a chance that
through disassembly, cleaning and complete drying that it
might still work. Might depend a lot on what if anything
was spilled and where, and/or if they tried to power it on
before examining it.

 

[NotMe]

|
| I purchased an Acer Aspire 5100 Laptop 10 months ago. It recently
| started acting up and I discovered bad sectors on the hard drive. I
| was just going to send the hard drive in for replacement, so I removed
| it and started loading up another drive.
|
| I had trouble loading Windows on it. It would stop. There was a
| BIOS fix on Acer's site that claimed to fix a problem that sounded
| similar. The BIOS fix ended up locking my computer. I left the
| computer on for 3 hours waiting for it to finish. It didn't. I ended
| up having to pull out the power and battery to get it to shut off.
| After that, it would power up but nothing appeared on the screen.
| Plugged in External Monitor and still nothing. BIOS toast.
|
| So I sent the entire unit in to Acer. Mind you they made me pay
| the shipping on it. So I wait a few days and call to see the status.
|
| I was informed that there was liquid spilled on the inside of the
| laptop and that isn't covered under warranty. It would cost me $449
| to fix the unit.
|
| Ok, I have no reason to come on here and lie to anyone reading
| this. I NEVER spilled liquid on the inside of the unit. Never. The
| laptop was never used by anyone else. I tried to explain everything
| that happened and told Acer that I didn't spill anything on it. The
| guy answered "I didn't say you did. I just said there was liquid
| spilled in it!" Tricky wording. I was informed my options at this
| point are to get the unit back unrepaired (I asked them to still
| replace the Hard Drive but they won't "Half Fix" Units) or pay them
| the $449. I asked to speak with a manager and I was told that I
| couldn't, but I could file a complaint on their web site. Obviously I
| am not giving them $450 when I can buy a new laptop for just a bit
| more. Of course, I really feel that I shouldn't HAVE to buy a new
| laptop at this point.
|
| Do I have any recourse in this situation whatsoever? Is there any
| pathway I could possibly go through to get my warranty honored, or am
| I just out of luck?

Might try small claims court including the selling vendor. (some like Frys,
have a rep for restocking returns without so much as a power on test) If
you have the names of all you spoke to server them as witnesses.

 

[Andy]

|
| I purchased an Acer Aspire 5100 Laptop 10 months ago. It recently
| started acting up and I discovered bad sectors on the hard drive. I
| was just going to send the hard drive in for replacement, so I removed
| it and started loading up another drive.
|
| I had trouble loading Windows on it. It would stop. There was a
| BIOS fix on Acer's site that claimed to fix a problem that sounded
| similar. The BIOS fix ended up locking my computer. I left the
| computer on for 3 hours waiting for it to finish. It didn't. I ended
| up having to pull out the power and battery to get it to shut off.
| After that, it would power up but nothing appeared on the screen.
| Plugged in External Monitor and still nothing. BIOS toast.
|
| So I sent the entire unit in to Acer. Mind you they made me pay
| the shipping on it. So I wait a few days and call to see the status.
|
| I was informed that there was liquid spilled on the inside of the
| laptop and that isn't covered under warranty. It would cost me $449
| to fix the unit.
|
| Ok, I have no reason to come on here and lie to anyone reading
| this. I NEVER spilled liquid on the inside of the unit. Never. The
| laptop was never used by anyone else. I tried to explain everything
| that happened and told Acer that I didn't spill anything on it. The
| guy answered "I didn't say you did. I just said there was liquid
| spilled in it!" Tricky wording. I was informed my options at this
| point are to get the unit back unrepaired (I asked them to still
| replace the Hard Drive but they won't "Half Fix" Units) or pay them
| the $449. I asked to speak with a manager and I was told that I
| couldn't, but I could file a complaint on their web site. Obviously I
| am not giving them $450 when I can buy a new laptop for just a bit
| more. Of course, I really feel that I shouldn't HAVE to buy a new
| laptop at this point.
|
| Do I have any recourse in this situation whatsoever? Is there any
| pathway I could possibly go through to get my warranty honored, or am
| I just out of luck?

Might try small claims court including the selling vendor. (some like Frys,
have a rep for restocking returns without so much as a power on test) If
you have the names of all you spoke to server them as witnesses.

Well, I think I'm toast, but if anyone is still reading, here is an
update.

I talked to a total of 10 different people at Acer (I climbed the food
chain). None were helpful. I did file a Better Business Bureau claim
for what it's worth.

The Notebook came back to me. I know I probably shouldn't have, but I
opened it up because I had to see this excessive spill damage. There
was a small amount of something that appears to me and a Circuit board
level electronics junkie as a capacitor that leaked some of the matrix
out onto the board. Honestly, it was barely visible to the naked eye,
I saw nothing in terms of any spill damage ABOVE the capacitor...just
coming out from underneath it.

The BBB probably cannot do anything for me now that I've opened the
unit up, but I'm really just done with the whole issue. I don't
really like to try to muddy the names of computer manufacturers for no
good reason but.....Acer is now #1 in my book at being terrible at
customer service. This was a complete travesty in my mind. For what
it's worth I do computer consulting and had advised some people to buy
Acer products.....five notebooks in total, 9 22" Wide Screen Monitors
and 3 low dollar projectors. The main company I consult for is
getting ready to purchase 20 more 22" wide screen monitors. We are
not going to continue purchasing the Acer brand monitors. Maybe it's
petty of me...but I feel like I have been taken out behind my
apartment building and had my laptop stolen from me. It's been two or
three weeks of surrealism. Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going
to go out and purchase a new notebook tomorrow...and it won't be Acer
or of course, Gateway, as it appears that the two may be merging.

Andy

 

[Grinder]

Well, I think I'm toast, but if anyone is still reading, here is an
update.

I talked to a total of 10 different people at Acer (I climbed the food
chain). None were helpful. I did file a Better Business Bureau claim
for what it's worth.

The Notebook came back to me. I know I probably shouldn't have, but I
opened it up because I had to see this excessive spill damage. There
was a small amount of something that appears to me and a Circuit board
level electronics junkie as a capacitor that leaked some of the matrix
out onto the board. Honestly, it was barely visible to the naked eye,
I saw nothing in terms of any spill damage ABOVE the capacitor...just
coming out from underneath it.

The BBB probably cannot do anything for me now that I've opened the
unit up, but I'm really just done with the whole issue. I don't
really like to try to muddy the names of computer manufacturers for no
good reason but.....Acer is now #1 in my book at being terrible at
customer service. This was a complete travesty in my mind. For what
it's worth I do computer consulting and had advised some people to buy
Acer products.....five notebooks in total, 9 22" Wide Screen Monitors
and 3 low dollar projectors. The main company I consult for is
getting ready to purchase 20 more 22" wide screen monitors. We are
not going to continue purchasing the Acer brand monitors. Maybe it's
petty of me...but I feel like I have been taken out behind my
apartment building and had my laptop stolen from me. It's been two or
three weeks of surrealism. Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going
to go out and purchase a new notebook tomorrow...and it won't be Acer
or of course, Gateway, as it appears that the two may be merging.

Write a cogent, polite, one-page grievance and hit Acer with an
Executive Email Carpet Bomb. Details, and other ideas, here:

http://consumerist.com/consumer/unscrewed/the-ultimate-consumerist-guide-to-fighting-back-308361.php

 

[Bolshoy Huy]

that there was liquid spilled on the inside of the
laptop and that isn't covered under warranty. It would cost me $449
to fix the unit.
Ok, I have no reason to come on here and lie to anyone reading
this. I NEVER spilled liquid on the inside of the unit. Never. The

Andy

ok, Andy, here is how liquid is formed: H2O.
Now, liquid in its stable state has a tendency to remain at rest as
per Newton's 2nd law of inertial motion. However, when aliens from
planet Zorkon came to visit your home, they were fascinated by all the
porn on your laptop, and in their state of excitement "spilled" bodily
fluids into your laptop.
Thus, I suggest you contact the Zorkonian embassy and sue them aliens!

 

[kony]

Well, I think I'm toast, but if anyone is still reading, here is an
update.

I talked to a total of 10 different people at Acer (I climbed the food
chain). None were helpful. I did file a Better Business Bureau claim
for what it's worth.

The Notebook came back to me. I know I probably shouldn't have, but I
opened it up because I had to see this excessive spill damage. There
was a small amount of something that appears to me and a Circuit board
level electronics junkie as a capacitor that leaked some of the matrix
out onto the board. Honestly, it was barely visible to the naked eye,
I saw nothing in terms of any spill damage ABOVE the capacitor...just
coming out from underneath it.

You should re-contact Acer informing them that the "liquid"
is not a spill but rather a failed capacitor.

The large variable here is we don't know the true extent of
the damage. Maybe the HDD has truely failed. Maybe it has
logically marked bad sectors but is ok. One thing you might
do is hook the drive up to another system and check it with
the HDD manufacturer's diagnostics.

2nd problem, the bios is toast, possibly due to system
instability from a failed capacitor(s). A laptop repair
shop may be able to fix this for you, as well as replace the
capacitor(s). Some would instead insist you need to buy a
new mainboard but to have them replace that seems
cost-prohibitive.

Before doing anything else I would contact Acer again and
tell them this liquid is a failed capacitor. That is,
assuming there wasn't some other liquid (water/etc) that
could have completely dried by now. Regardless if it had
completely dried by now, it would be safe to try turning
system on except for the unknown factor of the failed
capacitor. Thus it seems best to try again with Acer
describing the failed capacitor as the source of the liquid
and if they still won't help, consider if you feel up to
replacing it youself or having a laptop repair shop do this.

At this point it is uncertain what resolution could be cost
effective, I hate to have you sink more money into a shop or
shipping, but there might be a chance the laptop is fixable
for a reasonable cost.

The BBB probably cannot do anything for me now that I've opened the
unit up, but I'm really just done with the whole issue. I don't
really like to try to muddy the names of computer manufacturers for no
good reason but.....Acer is now #1 in my book at being terrible at
customer service. This was a complete travesty in my mind. For what
it's worth I do computer consulting and had advised some people to buy
Acer products.....five notebooks in total, 9 22" Wide Screen Monitors
and 3 low dollar projectors. The main company I consult for is
getting ready to purchase 20 more 22" wide screen monitors. We are
not going to continue purchasing the Acer brand monitors. Maybe it's
petty of me...but I feel like I have been taken out behind my
apartment building and had my laptop stolen from me.

It's quite understandable, I wouldn't buy another Acer
product either if this is how they handle things. You might
also search for other owners of this model laptop, if it has
capacitor problems then those other owners may also have
this failure eventually if not already.

 

[Andy]

You should re-contact Acer informing them that the "liquid"
is not a spill but rather a failed capacitor.

The large variable here is we don't know the true extent of
the damage. Maybe the HDD has truely failed. Maybe it has
logically marked bad sectors but is ok. One thing you might
do is hook the drive up to another system and check it with
the HDD manufacturer's diagnostics.

2nd problem, the bios is toast, possibly due to system
instability from a failed capacitor(s). A laptop repair
shop may be able to fix this for you, as well as replace the
capacitor(s). Some would instead insist you need to buy a
new mainboard but to have them replace that seems
cost-prohibitive.

Before doing anything else I would contact Acer again and
tell them this liquid is a failed capacitor. That is,
assuming there wasn't some other liquid (water/etc) that
could have completely dried by now. Regardless if it had
completely dried by now, it would be safe to try turning
system on except for the unknown factor of the failed
capacitor. Thus it seems best to try again with Acer
describing the failed capacitor as the source of the liquid
and if they still won't help, consider if you feel up to
replacing it youself or having a laptop repair shop do this.

At this point it is uncertain what resolution could be cost
effective, I hate to have you sink more money into a shop or
shipping, but there might be a chance the laptop is fixable
for a reasonable cost.




It's quite understandable, I wouldn't buy another Acer
product either if this is how they handle things. You might
also search for other owners of this model laptop, if it has
capacitor problems then those other owners may also have
this failure eventually if not already.

After all my whining, I hate to admit this......but I own another Acer
Laptop. The last thing I wanted to do was purchase another product of
theirs.......but the circumstances were just too good.

I walked into Best Buy and I happened to see an Acer 5100 out of the
box behind the cage. I was curious and asked the price. They said
"Uhhh, I don't think we are going to sell it. It's minus the battery,
Optical Drive, and Power Supply."

I said "I'll give you $100 for it."

"No way, I can't do that."

"Well, how much?"

In the end, I walked out of there with the thing for $150 with the
understanding that I cannot bring the unit back. With only a 14 day
return policy that doesn't bother me.....and it actually has a Dual
Core CPU instead of the Single Core that mine had (They use the same
motherboard, same model number, everything). So I bought the thing,
put in my 2 GB of RAM, my Optical Drive, my Battery from the bad
unit.... So the end result is I spend hours and hours of frustration
and $150 and ended up with a processor upgrade, reboot of my warranty
(not that I consider a warranty from Acer worth anything, and a spare
LCD Screen. The keyboard on my unit was starting to get worn off
letters and such and the mouse pad was starting to look pretty used so
I get everything external fresh again.

I'm not completely happy, but I feel better now. I am still pursuing
Acer through the BBB to see what they will do. Maybe I could end up
with a spare laptop (Without Optical drive....I already had two power
supplies and two batteries) if they could be talked into fixing it
yet. Though all the bad stuff, I did end up getting dumb luck as
heck in the end, I think.

Andy