My AmigaOne Experience

[unclewilli-amigalover]

just read the statement, sounds like mom/dad and all involved were trying to give advice, but in haste you ripped the chip socket out, can't blame this on eyetech. infact the saying "the customer is always right" is just plain wrong. i used to work in lead acid batteries for five years nearly daily some one would drive in with a battery where they beat the cable end on with a hammer/plyers/rock etc., trying to get a good connection at the same time driving the post into the battery case ,ocourse thats the wrong way to connect a cable end, but out of haste they wanted it to make contact right then and destroyed the battery while they could have taken 10 minutes and done it right. you had the knowledge of right and wrong, but chose the wrong way... :-(

[Bodie]

Well I had a ####load of stability problems when I first got my A1. Far in excess of staticman's problems. Initially I thought that I had received a buggy board. My dealer said check out the PSU and so I replaced my PSU with my brother's from his PC still had the same problem because I didn't know how to properly jump start the A1. Called up my dealer that night told me that it is the PSU and that we had probably done something wrong. Next morning I went and got another PSU. A1 booted up fine but I was copping constant freezes, crashes and partition being damaged. Unfortunately I did not listen to my dealer who told me to go and get an Antec PSU. I ended up with a bogey Codgen. During the period my dealer even offered to send down another A1 board (he is over 3000kms away!) to test it. I refused like an idiot because the whole time he had been pointing (along as others such as _messiah_) me at the PSU.

This lasted for a period of two months. I then decided to put in my brother's PSU again. This time it worked properly, no crashes etc. I kept the PC PSU for one week and around a month ago I purchased the Antec PSU (with gold platted pins :-D) as suggested by my dealer. Guess what, he was right from day one ;-) . The customer is not always right.

Staticman's situation would be like me turning around now and either obliging my dealer or Eyetech to reimburse me for the two PSU purchases when in fact the problem was down to our (including brother) fat headedness and unwillingness to heed the PSU solution from the start.

The moral of the story: %99 of the time the customer is wrong ;-)

[SHADES]

And you don't send out a battery replacement to the customer and expect them to install it either.

What kind of warrentee do you give on your motherboards, I may take a screwdriver to your battery sockets eh?

What kind of support do you call that? Or perhaps I should go to a PC repair shop and PAY them to intall the socket you so crappily installed in the first place?

No I'm sorry, I totaly disagree. No company would settle for a home repair job, they would go bankrupt in warrantee claims.

Staticman,
Regardless, I still say, go seek legal advice. start with small claims. Surly you have one of those, or consumer affairs, whoever handels this type of process in your country.  
If you kept correspondence between you and Eyetech regarding this debate, I would also copy the posted reply on the website, you will have a case against them, they have clearly told you to replace the part yourself, not your fault you messed it up. It has legal implications.
Your choice. I'm a big AMIGA fan but this type of thing really gets up my nose. Weather you like or dislike AMIGA is up to you, but this is a conumer rights thing don't skimp on your rights. This is clearly wrong and has been handled badly. Eyetech should do the right thing now, they messed up.

By the way, I will still be buying an A1 myself. just because a company muffs up now and then doesn't make them evil.

[Argo]

But Unclewilli, my battery has a 5 year warranty. So, that means you'll replace it (and the cable) for free and make sure it works correctly, right? :-D

[SHADES]

If it was within the 12 month normal standard warrantee for most elctrical devices, I would say yes, I expect you to replace it. That's how it works. you see it could be a manufacturing fault or an assembly fault. That's not the customers fault, but you can't expect to send it out with some instructions and say
"hey, here you go, I've helped you now, go do it yourself and don't be so stupid, we gave you the tool."

If you bought a brand new 4000 in the 90s payed $4000 or whatever and the battery leaked, but it was brand new and they sent it out to you to fix......... Still not working? Hmm well you shouldn't have used the screwdriver, we gave you the molecular soldering sabre.

[Bodie_CI5]

SHADES wrote:

No I'm sorry, I totaly disagree. No company would settle for a home repair job, they would go bankrupt in warrantee claims.

But Eyetech offered to send out a technician ("300 mile round-trip")  to fix the problem, or for the board to be sent into Eyetech. But was told that staticman is a computer whiz. Enough said.

[Bodie_CI5]

SHADES wrote:
If it was within the 12 month normal standard warrantee for most elctrical devices, I would say yes, I expect you to replace it. That's how it works. you see it could be a manufacturing fault or an assembly fault. That's not the customers fault, but you can't expect to send it out with some instructions and say
"hey, here you go, I've helped you now, go do it yourself and don't be so stupid, we gave you the tool."

If you bought a brand new 4000 in the 90s payed $4000 or whatever and the battery leaked, but it was brand new and they sent it out to you to fix......... Still not working? Hmm well you shouldn't have used the screwdriver, we gave you the molecular soldering sabre.

Did he not use a paperclip?

[SHADES]

@Bodie_CI5
Yes, I read that, but they still insisted on sending out the part and asked staticman to install it. Perhaps it wasn't convinent for him to wait for the tech to arrive, perhaps they couldn't give an exact time or otherwise. As I previously said, the very least they could do is organise a 3rd party store near him to do the repair on their behalf. It makes sense, they know the job is done right, it get's tested, no warrantee problems and the onus is now on the customer.

It's not a real brainer to work it out. I wouldn't settle for less and it's a far cheaper alternative to sending out a tech from 300+ K  How could you guarantee when he was going to arrive.  But you don't charge the customer ! that's not his fault

[Bodie_CI5]

He received his board in record time. I'm sure a few days more wouldn't have hurt. Others have waited for 10 months even, and have had some teething problems but had them worked out. Of course sending out a tech would have been a costly option, but they offered to go to even at that extreme. The parents insisted on staticman making the necassary changes did they not?

In any case, I believe that this can be sorted out by Eyetech and Staticman outside of the forums and in a much more cordial manner, than by us saying who is right and who is not.

[unclewilli-amigalover]

argo, no it would not be replaced under a warranty, but would under a guarantee, theres always the fine line line reading. one should never buy a lead acid battery based on the years of said warranty, just get the cold cranking amps that right for the motor size and electrical system, most auto batteries have an expected life of 28-30 months. "ideal conditions" is the term used in warranty life. higher the cranking the less reserve power. uh.. any way thats the general ideal... :-D

[SHADES]

@Bodie_CI5

I agree with the between staticman & eyetech statement, I just don't agree with the comments posted about an individuals rights.  I used to be a repair tech. for PeeCees mind you, and this type of thig does occasionaly happen. I think he has a right to know the truth and to follow it up with the laws of his country. It's not fair we critisise him on the process or method used. He got a defective product, it didn't work the way it was advertized. eyetech admitted this fault and told of a potential fix. The fact that this fix didn't turn out the way they expected it would is not the customers fault. There could be any number of reasons as to why the customer couldn't accepct the tech coming from 300k away. Organising a store to repair the mistake the customer has to pay for is wrong, they should just except the bill or send a new board they know is working or refund moneies.  That's all. Where else could you debate the topic but in a fourm for debate.

[unclewilli-amigalover]

@bodie_C15, i quess with out seeing pictures or or knowing for sure we should not blame ones method, i've used screwdrivers many times for that kind of chip remove. maybe the mother board was cold soildered or something.?

[Bodie_CI5]

SHADES wrote:
@Bodie_CI5

I agree with the between staticman & eyetech statement, I just don't agree with the comments posted about an individuals rights.  I used to be a repair tech. for PeeCees mind you, and this type of thig does occasionaly happen. I think he has a right to know the truth and to follow it up with the laws of his country. It's not fair we critisise him on the process or method used. He got a defective product, it didn't work the way it was advertized. eyetech admitted this fault and told of a potential fix. The fact that this fix didn't turn out the way they expected it would is not the customers fault. There could be any number of reasons as to why the customer couldn't accepct the tech coming from 300k away. Organising a store to repair the mistake the customer has to pay for is wrong, they should just except the bill or send a new board they know is working or refund moneies.  That's all. Where else could you debate the topic but in a fourm for debate.

Yeah if he wants to take this up legally, that's his prerogative, but whatever he has posted could be used against him as well though. He came onto Aworld's IRC last night (our time) and went apeshit, I was awakened from my drift into a nice little nap ;-) . I understand his getting peed off totally, but I think it would have beeter if he had not let the issue lay dormant for as long as it did. With our problem on the A1, we continuously wroked at it for a whole two months. My brother, was re-installing Linux an average 3-4 a day! We made our problem known and we received very helpful advice from _Messiah_, HMetal, our dealer, DaveP, Reflect, Olegil amongst others whom I can't remember at the moment. They were right the whole time long. My point is, that letting the issue lay dormant for as long as it did, would at least show apathy on his part. Hounding Eyetech about the problem from the beginning would have meant a speedier solution to the problem. He would have been a happy A1 owner now, and not have let this problem manifest itself across three forums. I can't comment on the third party solution, for Eyetech may have differing policies to what other companies may uphold, maybe even EU laws preclude such solutions. Who knows?

LOL about the forum debate part :-D , but since the problem is still ongoing, and may seek legal advice or settlements, it may turn against him.

In the words of the Divinyls: "It's a fine line between pleasure and pain" ;-) .

[Bodie_CI5]

unclewilli-amigalover wrote:
@bodie_C15, i quess with out seeing pictures or or knowing for sure we should not blame ones method, i've used screwdrivers many times for that kind of chip remove. maybe the mother board was cold soildered or something.?

You're right about being unsure, for I am as well. But that's the point I am trying to make as well ;-) .

[SHADES]

@Bodie_CI5
True you never know.  There are always two sides.
Mouthing off never solves anything and if he has let the problem go on for too long, especialy if it past warrantee period, it's his own fault.
That's why warrantee periods are not everlasting.  

>> I can't comment on the third party solution, for Eyetech may have differing policies to what other companies may uphold, maybe even EU laws preclude such solutions. Who knows?

I agree.
The legal stuff would be best handeled by the courts if he chooses to go that way.

>> LOL about the forum debate part  , but since the problem is still ongoing, and may seek legal advice or settlements, it may turn against him.

 )  & V, true

[Bodie_CI5]

@ Shades

Oh but you forgot the Divinyls part :-D !

But I'm glad that you have seen what I was trying to convey (i.e. like comprehend it, not necesssarily agrre with it, if you know what I mean)