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Chantele of Romulus MI (06/26/08)
I purchased a Toshiba A135 at Best Buy in March 2007, and usually I would avoid buying the service plan, but felt compelled to do so on this purchase. Thank God I made the right decision.
The motherboard had to be replaced within weeks of purchase. Best Buy staff was great, although I was missing a computer for over two weeks. I could not believe that a new laptop would need a major repair in such a short time. No major problems until recently, when the wireless switch on the front of the laptop stopped functioning.
Trips back and forth to Best Buy & wasted time. I would not purchase another Toshiba laptop.
Kendra of Shoreline WA (06/16/08)
I took my computer to Microsystems, an authorized repair center for Toshiba because my computer stopped responding. It turned on but nothing would happen on the screen. Microsystems said it was the motherboard and it needed to be replaced. Unfortunetly my warranty expired in February 2008 so I need to pay out of pocket for it. Which would have not made me very happy but would have been better than what I was told next
What I was told by Microsystems is that I might as well throw it away because if I wanted to have this done it would cost $137.00 plus labor and tax and Toshiba only offers a 30 day warranty with the motherboard replacement because and I quote it usually will break again. I guess the odds of it lasting longer than 30 days are slim to none. They also told me alot of the Satelitte's have been coming in with that and other problems. Microsystems told me alot of the Toshiba's are coming broken from the factory and that the quality of them in the last few years has gone way way down. So now Im stuck with a broken laptop that I guess is garbage. I will never purchase a Toshiba product again!
Shannon of Oshkosh WI (06/12/08)
I bought a Toshiba Laptop Satelitte series in dec, 2007 and it did not come with a recovery disc. the operating system was pre installed with Vista Home Basic and it crashed one day and I have no operating system. I called toshiba and they said that it is pre installed and I couldn't even retreive it. I told them that I need the disc and they said that there was no warrranty and I had to buy it and I did have a warranty and I think when I bought the laptop that a disc should always be included.
They are still refusing to help me I know that they only charge 50.00 for it , but I strongly feel I shouldn't have to pay for it, it should've been included in the purchase of the laptop which I paid 1700.00 for it and now I can't use it. I wish someone could help me just get the stupid CD for the Operating system. I have learned my lesson and will never buy anything from toshiba again since they lie about there warranties.
I have had a really hard time keeping up with my college courses and that is the only reason I bought the computer, besides the fact I spent 1700.00 for somrthing that doesn't work.
Marica of Akron OH (06/02/08)
I bought a Toshiba Satellite M45-S165 in September of 2005 from Best Buy, cost near $1200. I am usually a cheapskate with getting extended warranties and things like that but for some reason I went ahead and shelled out an extra $300 for a 3-year PSP(performance service plan) through Best Buy. Good thing I did, about a month or so after the purchase my hard drive failed. Best Buy took care of it, but I was out of a computer for 14 days. Few months later, my audio started distorting and cracking, again, Best Buy took care of it, about 3 days.
My DVD ROM drive went out, Best Buy, got it. I had to have my Power Cord replaced, Best Buy shipped my a new one. A few weeks ago, my hard drive failed again, Best Buy replaced it again. Then a few days after getting it back from the hard drive failure, my audio became intermittent, I took it to Best Buy, they replaced the Motherboard because the soundcard is attached I guess. This time though, it is not fixed,the sound worked for a day but now is still intermittent and works when it wants to.
I have been putting off taking it back to Best Buy because I am tired of being without a computer but I don't know what else to do. Glad I opted for the PSP, Best Buy is Great, Toshiba is Trash. I've paid $300 for the Best Buy PSP and avoided $1000's in repair costs for this ToSHITba Laptop. I am going to renew my PSP when it runs out in September this year. I'll continue to buy from Best Buy(and recommend to others), just not Toshiba.
Driving back and forth to get repairs regularly. Time without a working laptop. STRESS.
Rene of Seffner FL (06/01/08)
in oct. 'o3 i purchased a toshiba laptop for $1050 at best buy. they supposedly checked the laptop to see if everything was fine. when i first used the laptop, i realized the cursor was jumping around causing typos. w/i the first month i contacted best buy, best buy told me they don't make computers that i need to contact toshiba. toshiba wanted me to reinstall the o/s. i told them i can't buy a pc for so much money and have to reinstall the o/s w/i a month. Later i tried to reinstall the os, the os was defective.
I told toshiba of the defective software there were unwilling to take actions. i still have the software as proof. the pc had hardware issues as well, the battery could not run for more than 15 mins., the pc overheats. the computer got worse and worse to a point it would just shut itself down while in use, it seems to be because of overheating. there are several other issues that i didn't mention here. basically best buy sold me a defective pc at full price. i've been getting the runaround eversince to get it fixed. i know the pc is out of warranty, but i have case numbers listed below from toshiba that proves w/i the warranty perioid i've been trying to get the matter resolved.
James of Tipp City OH (05/31/08)
I purchased a toshiba a135 laptop computer from circuit city in march 2007. In about two months it stopped powering on. The local repair center replaced the motherboard and it was fine for another 3 months when it did the same thing. Again it was repaired with a new motherboard.
It failed again in mid-march of 2008 and this time the repair center said it was now out of warranty and it would cost 500.00 USD to replace the motherboard. This is way more than the computer is worth. They also said that if repaired it would definitely fail again and need a new motherboard because there is a design flaw with the a135 models and they are seeing way more of these in for service than any other notebook.
The lady at the repair center said she would be surprised if there was not a class action lawsuit over this and that I should wait it out. But in the meantime I have no computer. I talked to Toshiba directly and they basically laughed and said good luck trying to sue us. It looks like I could get maybe 150-200.00 for the computer on ebay as-is. I'm tempted to cut my losses and move on.
Lost computer, lost time trying to get it fixed, computer cost around 600.00 USD.
Kathy of New Milford NJ (05/16/08)
I bought a defective Tecra laptop. I reinstsalled Windows 3 times in the last year and my computer always shuts down or blue screens.
Defective hard drive
Pamela of Banbury OTHER (05/15/08)
I am a UK citizen touring the US for the past year. I too bought a Toshiba Satellite A135 in Feb 2007 in AZ which has exactly the same problems as one of your contributors. It was twice repaired by an authorised dealer in AZ - motherboard and USB ports replaced. I used the laptop about twice before returning home to the UK. Because the problems were intermittent and sometime did not appear until 40 mins or so I assumed the repair was fine but when I used the laptop again after a few weeks the original fault reappeared and then deteriorated to where it is now totally dead - no AC power and battery is dead. The second repair was carried out when the warranty had expired because the original fault had not been repaired.
But when I phoned Toshiba UK they would not repair it again because I had bought it in the US. I then made a 45 min phone call to Toshiba US who said the 30 day repair warranty had expired and they would grant an exception code if I was in the US. I have used the laptop sporadically whenever there was wireless availability whilst I was touring - so it has not been 'hammered'. I am amazed that a giant company as Toshiba cannot honour their faulty products. I have tried to find where to complain but their websites do not facilitate such negative feedback! Can you suggest a way forward ? Is there some organisation such as a newspaper who champions consumers?
Emotional distress at losing my data and an expensive laptop without any compensation.
Jennifer of Longview TX (05/08/08)
I bought a Toshiba Satellite A-135 Laptop in February of 2007. I have had three different problems. The computer would not boot on. This ocoured while the laptop was (barely) still under warranty in Dec. 07. I drove 30 minuets to send the laptop to be repaired because I was told that I had to. When I asked the people at the UPS store that I shipped in from (in an extremely small town I might add) if they sent them to be repaired very often the response I recieved was All the time. I will never buy a Toshiba. That was unsettling to say the least. The only other option was for me to pay for shipping. They replaced the motherboard.
The same problem occoured again in Feb. of 08. The customer service people tried as hard as they could to pin the problem on me so that they didnt have to fix it AGAIN. I told them not to even go there with me. Apparently toshiba gives 90 days on parts that they have replaced. Lucky for me, I had 3 days left on my 90, because otherwise i would have had to pay to have it fixed because my 1 year warranty was up. But isn't it a little rediculous to have a product that you spend 1,000 dollars on and take good care of break down on you twice in one year, especially something like the MOTHERBOARD? Oh, and by the way, this time they sent me the shipping label and box, so obviously the representative on the previous occassion didn't know what they were talking about when they told me I had to drive 30 minutes to ship it.
Now the power cord is not wanting to charge the battery, and judging from the other posts I have read on here, it looks like Toshiba is not going to want to claim responsibility for this issue. I think it's really irresponsible for a company to continue to have MAJOR defects in their products. Especially after they already had a previous class action law suit over similiar issues. I have only had this laptop for 1 year and 3 months. I know that there has to be a lawyer out there looking for a class action lawsuit. PLEASE SUE TOSHIBA! Someone has to hold them responsible.
Steve of Shelby Twp. MI (05/06/08)
First of all i just wan't to say that TOSHIBA is pathetic!!! Costumer service? Some one please tell Toshiba that they don't have costumer service! WILL NEVER -EVER BUY any thing that's affiliated with that name and i would tell any one that's looking into one of their products to stay away !! I have a Toshiba notebook A-105 S2051 that my family bought for my father almost 2yr. ago ! Being a older gentleman a PC ended beimg eway to much technology for him !
To make a long story short this past holiday season ( 2007 )he gave me the notebook saying that he never uses it ! Tells me that from the time we gave it to him till the point he gave it to me that he only used it four times at half hour to a hour at most !!So i figure that at the time i got it ,the machine had ten hours of use at best !! Six months later the Toshiba notrbook starts to run extremely slow ! again to make the story short i'm told that the hard drive is all most gone ! needs a new one! At this point i contact Toshiba with my problem , the costumer service parson tells me to take the unit to a service agency tghat is affiliated with them and provides a case number for me ! tells me that if it's a hardware issue that they would be more then happy to take care of it !( note ,i do not have warranty for this pc since i got it as a gift all most a year and a half later }When i take it to the service center that Toshiba sends me to and i give them the case nimber they tell me to contact Toshiba and get a special number for warrenty coverage!
I contact Toshiba agin ! tell the service agent the case number and all that's taken place and she gives me the run around for about half hour trying to explain to me that i don't have a extended warrenty coverage and i should try to work out a deal with the service senter since they do warrenty work for Toshiba ! At this point i'm mad. Now they want me to deal with these people !and try to work some thing out? work what out?
It's 2008 this is the kind of product that TOSHIBA places their name on? $800 pc and less then two years old ( in all reality 6 months old )and it needs a new hard drive and all Toshiba can say is make a deal with the service agency that we provided for you! A hard drive should last more then a year or two! I'm so disappointed with this notebook and even more with all the run around that i got from TOSHIBA , all the calls and waiting for a servoce agent--for this press this ,for this press this! I think that any company that does business in the US should have costumer service people that speak the english language! Please most of the time i can't understand what they are saying to me! I would just ask any one that's thinking of buying a TOSHIBA product to think again and buy from a company that cares about their product and costumers ! TOSHIBA does not!
Whole lot of running around and phone calls for a PC thats relatively new and need of a new hard drive ! TOSHIBA will not take responsibility. $200 to fix!
Nadia of Cherry Hill, NJ (05/05/08)
I am taking great care of my 17 Toshiba notebook, and on a 2nd month of ownership, the LCD plastic cover (latch that opens the notebook) got detached from the case. There is NO phisical damage anywhere on laptop.
Toshiba blindly tells me that they don't cover plastic parts, even though its very clear there is a manufacturing defect/flaw in a material that holds the latch. The warranty center made a note that notebook is in good condition, and no damage. Toshiba does not even bother to check with the warranty center, they simply deny coverage with anything that has to do with plastic parts because supposedly its physical damage, yet they have no way of proving that there is a damage.
On top of that, they wasted my time leaving the notebook in a repair center, then learning latter that repair center can not order a part because its not authorized by toshiba. So I called toshiba, and spent hour on the phone, just to learn that there is nothing they could do, now I have to drive to repair center which is far away from my house, to pick up a broken notebook. My case was handled totaly unproffesionally.
Rob of Cordova TN (05/03/08)
I purchase Toshiba laptop A215-S4757 in August of 2007 I have had 2 new hard drives installed. It constantly have problems customer service has done nothing but a head ache they never solve a problem
I tried to contact customer relations it never happened This laptop is a lemon will like a full refund!
Joshua of Springfield MO (05/01/08)
My wife and I own a Toshiba laptop computer that is under warranty. One day it stopped booting up. After speaking with their technical support staff for a bit, we took it to UPS, filled out the necessary paperwork and shipped it off to their depot center for repairs. The important thing to know here is that they have a form called an in touch sheet. If you sign this form it gives Toshiba permission to reimage or replace your hard drive. We did NOT sign the in touch form.
Toshiba replaced our hard drive & shipped the original to the manufacturer for for reimbursement. We lost all of the video and pictures of our wedding, honeymoon, our sons birth and basically pictures and video that document the last few years of our lives. On top of that I had many important business documents that were lost in this screw up by Toshiba.
Parinda of St Catherines OTHER (04/30/08)
I bought Tecra A8 from NSW ,Australia 14 months ago,I paid a big money for that product ,As I had the trust about Toshiba Products.This was my third Lap top and the very first one was Toshiba Sattlite,Then I bought a Sony Vaio ,and then last year bought the Tecra A8. My Tecra A8 spoiled due to Battery pack ,And it happen without warning or sign.The battery was funtioning ok ,But I did not used the lap top for two weeks ,battery was leaked out and spoiled the system board.The Toshiba area agent asking me around CAD$600.00 to fix the machine. to replace the board ,I guess. But why should i pay that amount ? Its just 2 months over the warrenty and Battery was not even had a sign of problem. My sony Vaio still working and my kids using it .
I never had a problem with that like this.I bought that in year 2004.in Australia.Im a IT guy and i have the knowledge about battery maintenance. I strongly trust it wasn't my error.somthing is not right about the battery pack. Now Im residing in Canada,I bought it when i was travling NSW last year.and the warrenty expired too.I feels its no point to contact people in there ,as it might add some more expences for telephone bills for nothing and waist time.But i tried contact Toshiba service agent here in my area and its just i pay money for the service.
The Toshiba is wold wide company and they have represntatives in each region to lookafter their customers.The battery pack shouldnt leak out like this without over heating or short circut ,But it happen when the machine was off for two weeks.Toshiba should investigate the problem and develop their products make sure it will never be a issue in the future than talk about warrenty and country region i purchased.As long as its a toshiba product been authorised to sale in the open world market. Tecra A8 is one of the most expensive model in Toshiba Mobile Computing.
I can not afford for to pay CAD$600 or buy a another one this soon.As im a IT person this problem will effect to me so bad and i'm sure. I didn't loose any data as i had a habite of doing backups eveyday. I appreciate if Toshiba could look in to this problem and do the right thing about me.
Sharon of Glenside PA (04/30/08)
I purchased 2 toshiba laptops, that were exactly the same about 2 1/2 years ago. The power cord for both computers had the same problem and they stopped working. It seems odd to me that the exact same problem would appear in both of these computers. I thought I was the only one with that problem but there are so many others with issues with the power cord.
Toshiba.com has about 43 pages of complaints. Some people had to buy the same power cord 2 and 3 times within a year or two because the power of the laptop is to strong for the cord. You would think they would change the cord or make the price of the cord less since you have to buy it a couple of times. It's $69.00 every time you have to replace the cord.
I thought Toshiba was a good company and when they heard my concern they would send out another power cord for free. Instead they said that I would have to buy a new cord and possibly a new battery which cost $120. Due to the fact that I was unable to charge my computer the battery may have died. Who could afford all of that with the economy being the way that it is that's almost $200 that could be used to cover other living expenses. Is there any help out there? I feel like I've really been taken advantage of by Toshiba, what can I do?
Sharon of Glenside PA (04/30/08)
I purchased 2 toshiba laptops, that were exactly the same about 2 1/2 years ago. The power cord for both computers had the same problem and they stopped working. It seems odd to me that the exact same problem would appear in both of these computers. I thought I was the only one with that problem but there are so many others with issues with the power cord. Toshiba.com has about 43 pages of complaints. Some people had to buy the same power cord 2 and 3 times within a year or two because the power of the laptop is to strong for the cord. You would think they would change the cord or make the price of the cord less since you have to buy it a couple of times. It's $69.00 every time you have to replace the cord.
I thought Toshiba was a good company and when they heard my concern they would send out another power cord for free. Instead they said that I would have to buy a new cord and possibly a new battery which cost $120. Due to the fact that I was unable to charge my computer the battery may have died. Who could afford all of that with the economy being the way that it is that's almost $200 that could be used to cover other living expenses. Is there any help out there? I feel like I've really been taken advantage of by Toshiba, what can I do?
Patrick of Oakland Park FL (04/29/08)
Since the first week of owning the Satelight Lap top, I have had on going issues. 1 st issue: The computer shuts down, with out warning or any apparent reason. 2nd issue: The webcam that is built into the lap top, works on occasion. It seems to conflict with Vista. Some times it will work and others, nothing. 3rd issue My windows crashes often. I am not happy with this lap top and the way vista works with it. Apparently many of us have simular issues. This should tell you some thing. Question is, who is going to step up to oshiba and say some thing..?
Damage? Spending a grand on some thing, that is deffective. For consumer affairs to let Toshiba sell these products continuesly , is wrong. The American people and other citizens of the world, are being taken advantage of. Lets step up to Toshiba and demand they do some thing about this. I would like an attoney to contact me , cause I would share my feelings about it.
Charlie of Galveston TX (04/28/08)
Purchased a Lemon laptop from Toshiba Direct online. Hoop #1.Am tired of the long phone waits with Technical service, and taking it back to Out Of The Box State twice.That means erasing EVERYTHING and having to reload it all again. Needless to say, that takes a lot of time loading software, updates and documents. Hoop #2- Finally am told to take it to their Authorised Repair Center,40 miles away. Did that. There I was told they refuse to work on my model, cause they can't seem to get the right parts when they order them.MUST SEND to Laptop Depot in Kentucky!
Hoop#3- Call Customer Service again, and was told to take it to a UPS store and they would pack and ship it to Toshiba Laptop Depot in Kentucky. Did that. Hoop#4- Get laptop back, after they replaced Motherboard. Plugged AC adapter in and left on for an hour or so. Unit started shutting down and rebooting endlessly. Hard drive error messages appeared in process. Unit getting gradually WORSE.Called Customer Service and shipping box was sent two days later. Hoop#5-Laptop sent back to Toshiba Laptop Depot in Kentucky, a SECOND time,. This time Hard Drive Replaced and sent back. Hoop#6-Whoopee! I Get to Load Software and Documents again! WRONG!
Now the hinges are in a bind and make a loud popping noise. The technician must have had an IPod on his ears, not to have heard the noise. Now, it's just a matter of times opening it, until the hinges break. Then it will be my fault and my expense. Hoop#7- Just dropped laptop off at aa UPS,15miles away, so they could package it and ship it back to Kentucky. Marked ATTN: Jon or Susan. Hoop#8- Will call them in a couple of days, to see if they have looked at it yet.At least I talked to Susan in the UNITED STATES (I THINK), and she might even care. I feel as if I've been robbed of my monies and NOT to speak of the lost time and expenses ,from jumping the hoops they put you through. AIN'T THROUGH YET!
Traveling to their Repair Center, UPS Stores and the hours spent holding or talking on the phone to either their CUSTOMER SERVICE(or LACK OF) or Technical Services, is VERY FRUSTRATING and such a MENTAL STRAIN, that it needs to END. Nervous Breakdown is around the corner. There should be LAWS against what a PERSON has to go through, in order to get what they paid for.
Matt of Edgewater MD (04/24/08)
Unfortunately I was suckered into buying the Toshiba Satellite Series. Upon opening and booting the machine I quickly found out when I touched it, it would short and shut-off(great for computers). After going around for work with a dryer static sheet I finally saw where this had been recalled. ISSUE 1 FIXED. I also found that in the infinite wisdom of the engineers, they put the fan intake under the laptop. Now I am no rocket scientist but should we have been surprised when the machine overheats and shuts down.
ISSUE 2 NOT FIXED - DESIGN FLAW Then, even though my computer was plugged into the wall, it will not charge. After buying two new power cables, which are not cheap, I realized this was yet another recalled design flaw. Upon contacting my computer people they fixed it per the class action lawsuit (gotta love consumers having to go to these extremes to get an honest product).
ISSUE 3 FIXED....or was it? I have had the same issues with me not being able to charge my laptop which I cannot touch or sit on m lap? Perhaps it would have been wiser to market this as a paper weight? Toshiba will not respond, never has, after going through the token customers service in India which ultimately tells you to write a letter. I'm on my SIXTH letter to multiple people making it a grand total of 24 letters with no response. I even showed them I had spent $10,000 with them thinking a current customer would be one they'd like to keep? Apparently this is wrong and want me to let everyone know of my experience and why my computer is on a platform IHAD TO DESIGN to allow it to get air!
I cannot use the computer I spent money on to use, I cannot place on lap, or charge.....officially reclassifying my laptop as a paperweight!
Neeraj of Melbourne OTHER (04/06/08)
I bought a Toshiba Laptop on 21/03/2007 for 1080 dollars and mother board became faulty within four months.I struggled like anything to get it fixed up and then it again became dsyfunctional after five days of my warranty expired.I keep calling customer care every day and they suggested me to send receipt and other details by fax.When i try to confirm about receiving the fax, new person will answer the call and send it to him and every time when i try to confirm , answer is no and will keep doing this thing and no body is back to me
I have lost my hard earned money just in one year and too much of stress in contacting them It has disrupted my work badly Imagine without computer and iam not able to afford another one so soon
Don of Encino CA (04/01/08)
I have had nothing but problems with a Toshiba a215-4817 since it was new. The computer goes dead and leaves me with a dark blue screen. Multiple phone calls to Toshiba Tech Support, and resetting of Bios, Power Settings etc. Still the same problem. Sent back to Toshiba and returned with same problem. Sent in again and hard drive replaced. I lost my personal data and the problem still exists.
Toshiba customer service is ineffectual and not helpful. I have been trying to reach an elevated Consumer Affairs representative about replacement but am left in phone queue and disconnected before I get to speak with Consumer Affairs dept.
Lois of Las Vegas NV (03/28/08)
I purchased a Toshiba laptop computer with the new operating system named Vista. Since the moment I started it up I have numerous problems. The main problem is the Random Access Memory is and has been at a critical state-meaning that the memory is low and 80% full. I have been in contact with Toshiba many times and have had no results. I have been left on hold (1 hour, 49 minutes) to receive a recording telling me to state why I am calling, my phone number and that a representative will contact me within 4 days. It took 4 weeks and when I explained what was wrong the representative asked me what would you like us to do. I stated what do you think you should do, and the women hung up on me.
I feel that they knew they sold me a computer that did not or will never run properly and its system is an factory upgrade and not a new system. To add, the computer runs slow, does not respond to input commands, it freezes, it crashes and the screen consistently has clear spots. I also have the same spots on the keyboard area that will not come off. Also, when I purchased this computer it did not come with an operator's manual or a operating disk, only a recovery disk, a one year limited warranty booklet, resource guide and instruction manual for safety and comfort and an Upgrade disk for Windows Vista Experience. The warranty expires on 5/30/08-which I believe they are waiting to expire. Your help will be appreciated. Thank you.
Besides paying $600.00 for this product, the physical and mental abuse has resulted in great headaches and loss of important information that must be re-typed and some lost forever. The time that it takes is overwhelming. Toshiba needs to take their responsibility and make good on the products the sell to consumers. Thank you.
Helen of Torrance CA (03/28/08)
I bought a Toshiba Satellite for over $1,000 in fall 2006, and bought an expensive Targus mouse in Nov. 2007. After less than 5 months, the Targus mouse was working fine w/my Toshiba, and the next it stopped working. A computer friend checked it out and stated it was dead. I called Targus, and went through the steps the technical person asked me to follow, and also said it was dead and I had to send it back.
I have had problems with connections related to Toshiba, and Toshiba tells me every time I call for help, I MUST PAY $35.00! WHAT KIND OF SERVICE IS THIS AFTER PAYING OVER $1,00O FOR JUST THE NOTEBOOK! TOSHIBA'S ONE YEAR WARRANTY IS A JOKE! I cannot get a simple question answered without paying $35.00 when I have not even used it for 1 year. WHO CAN HELP ME CHANGE THEIR SYSTEM TO GET ME HELP TO FIX A COUPLE OF THINGS WITHOUT PAYING $35.00 EA TIME? I am not working, and cannot afford this. Toshiba tech. service only wants to give me a number and tells me I have to pay, and too bad.
Called Targus after mouse and connection did not work, and had to send mouse back to Targus for a fee. Cannot job search and work on my side job doing research more easily without a mouse.
Hans of Rotterdam OTHER (03/09/08)
I downloaded and installed an upgrade of Microsoft for the new intel chipset on 9th of March 2008. After that my mouse pad stopped working on my Toshiba notebook
I will buy a new notebook (Euro 1000), install it (one day, is 2000 Euro) and throw the old computer away.
Nancy of Boerne TX (03/09/08)
My husband gave me a Toshiba M35X-S329 Satellite Laptop for Christmas 2006. Within 6 Months, the power cord port wouldn't work, and the authorized repair shop in San Antonio replaced the motherboard. We rocked along fine for a few months, and the screen began to shut off in the middle of work. Then, the whole thing shut down. We took it back to the authorized repair shop, and they said they replaced the motherboard again.
We got it home, and got it to come on long enough to hook up to Carbonite to transfer important data off. Then, it crashed again. The laptop was in the shop a total of 6 weeks for repair. I was told they had to order the parts, they came in wrong, they ordered them again, blah, blah, blah. My husband wondered if they really did anything to it that second time at all. When I picked it up the third time, they said they had replaced both the motherboard and the hard drive. I do most of my computer work at night at home. I don't carry it around the world, take it through airports, or even carry it to local Starbucks. I only use it at home except for on Friday I take it 5 miles to my office because Quick Books Pro is on this laptop, and that is how I do my payroll. All of my customer invoices, employee info, receivables, etc. are on this laptop. Frustrating & expensive to be out of commission. Thank goodness for Carbonite. If I have to get a new laptop (because it was shaky again this weekend----screen flickering) at least I know I'm backed up.
Abu of Letterkenny OTHER (03/06/08)
I have a Tecra a2 notebook laptop, still under warranty, that needs repair because of a dark screen and weak battery. I have contacted Toshiba's online warranty repair in Europe, then in Ireland, several weeks ago; but all I get are promises after promises that I soon will get help. Time is running short. My warranty expires on 23.03.08.
The screen of my notebook became dark. Warranty expiration date is nearing.
Lesa of Livonia MI (03/05/08)
I sent in a $1800 Toshiba 6100 Pro Laptop Computer for repair as I was given a case # to have an extended warranty to repair it or replace it. Now has been over a year and the laptop has never been replaced or returned. Toshiba has given me the runaround and will not resolve this issue. They claim they need to look into it. Does it take a year?
I bought a new Laptop, not a Toshiba as the one I had fried 3 hard drives and finally refused to turn on anymore. I bought this item at Comp Usa and the warranty just expired when it needed repairing.
Tony of Fremont CA (02/27/08)
We purchased 3 Toshiba Satellite Laptops in October 2007. One started flickering, crash dumping, mouse function stopped working and now computer does not turn on. Second started doing the same as the 1st, now only works for a few minutes and crashes. Third which was our daughter's Christmas gift is starting to flicker and freeze. Documents and homework have been lost. We have tried all of their technical solutions such as rebooting, removing programs, etc. as well as Best Buy's Geek Squad...nothing has helped. We have been calling the company for a few months now and keep getting the run around. At one point, their customer service dept. even hung up on us.
We have asked numerous times to speak to a case manage, but they are very elusive. After 30+ minutes on phone, it goes dead. Their website has no email contact except though their customer service--only if there is an order #; otherwise, it will not be sent. They called when we happened to be away from the phone and left a message saying that they were giving us an update, that they were waiting for the case manager's answer as to whether or not we could speak with them--and that they would call back in 1 hour. That was yesterday, and we have not heard from them again. We spent close to $1500 for 3 computers and would like a refund since they are worthless. This company has terrible customer service and are shady in their avoidance of their customers. Thank you!
$1500 that I cannot afford to lose on 3 hunks of metal that do not work.
Yukiko of Walnut Creek CA (02/23/08)
My tablet pc, a Toshiba m400, was freezing sporadically and became unreliable to use. The problem continued even after troubleshooting and while initiating the restore partition. I called Toshiba's tech hotline and was directed to bring my laptop to an authorized repair shop. After 2 weeks, the shop claimed to have fixed the problem. However, I had barely left the shop when the computer resumed to freeze. I returned the computer to the repair shop, and I received notice that they were ordering a new motherboard for testing and that the part was back ordered and wouldn't be in for at least another 2 weeks. I had purchased Toshiba's SystemGuard warranty that had a HotSwap clause that allows me to exchange my non-working computer for a replacement. I tried to initiate this exchange, but Toshiba's hotline operators said that I had to talk to a Case Manager. I was put on hold for 30 minutes before I was hung up on. I called back asking for a Case Manager, but was again put on hold, and after 30 minutes was hung up on. I wrote an email on their site, but received no answer.
I am upset because I cannot use the services guaranteed under my warranty and that the repair time was indefinite. After another week and a half, the repair shop finally fixed my machine, but if they had taken months more I still wouldn't have been able to do anything.
I lost 2.5 weeks worth of work. I am a graphic designer and needed the laptop to conduct my business and to produce projects. The $200 I spent on the SystemGuard Warranty was useless as I couldn't initiate the HotSwap. The lack of any time frame for my repair would have cost me another laptop, as I eventually would have needed to purchase a replacement machine to work while the current one was in repair.
Susan of Staten Island NY (02/17/08)
Purchased a Toshiba Notebook in August 2007. This will be my third visit to service. This notebook has been giving me problems from day 1. I don't want to wait for the year to be up and I believe there should be a lemon law applied to this so I can get a new notebook. There is something definitely wrong with this. It works a week of two then breaks down. First it ate my digital camera card, then the power plug stopped working. They said there's nothing they can do with the digital slot. I got a new power plug and it worked for less than 2 weeks. This started in the beginning of January. Then the 2nd week of January the 2nd power plug went. Now the third power plug went and also. Before the power plug went my screen went white and nothing came on. I'm fed up with this. Please help me.
The slot that you put the card in to read the pictures - it read my pictures but then ate the card! The power plug has now stopped working - three times.
John of Doha OTHER (01/28/08)
This is to complain about Toshiba Services in the state of Qatar. People in charge of Toshiba services in Qatar are unprofessional, especially Mannai or Redington. For the second time my laptop (Toshiba Qosmio F10) stopped working--first because of Motherboard and now they told me about HD. All what I want to know is when my laptop will be fixed; it has been 2 weeks.
I took my laptop to Redington, Qatar, and I have no answer when it will be fixed and ready! I tried to call them many times, and nobody answers their phone. Once they answered but have no explanation. Finally, I believe that my Toshiba laptop deserves better care and better services in Qatar. Because I am a customer of Toshiba I wanted them to know about it to take the necessary measures and for a better services.
Anne of Virginia Beach VA (01/21/08)
We bought two Toshiba laptops in 2006 and have had battery problems. I'm eternally on hold in trying to find anyone who will help you. Now our batteries are out of warranty - they have never worked! The store wouldn't help and all the Toshiba company will do is transfer you back and forth which takes up about 3 hours of your time and lands you nowhere. By the way no one speaks English in customer service. No more Toshiba at my house!
Cannot use my laptop with the battery which limits me using it on trips, in wi-fi areas unless there is the ability for power through electricity. That makes a laptap virtually unnecessary.
Gloria of Windsor NC (01/19/08)
My sisters and I bought my niece a Toshiba Laptop (Satellite A135) as a graduation present. She is a freshman in college and was very deserving of it. She loved the computer so much she even named it. I prefaced it with this statement so you would understand that she took very good care of her Baby. After only 5 months she noticed a black spot in the center of the screen right at the top edge. After a few weeks, it became a line that has continued to spread through the middle of the screen. It now looks like a splatter on the inside of the screen. We sent it for repairs and they sent it back saying the unit was not under warranty. The computer is barely 6 months old and it has a 12 month warranty. I would think anything would be under warranty after only 5 or 6 months. They said the LCD was leaking and this could only be the result of the computer being dropped. My niece says she did not drop it and I believe her--they did not even entertain the thought that it could be a manufacturer's defect. The worse part is the way I've been treated when trying to get service. When the Techs got sick of me, they said my call was elevated to management. They transferred me and I waited, and waited, and waited for a manager. After 30 minutes the first time my phone line went dead.
On another occasion, I was on hold for 40 minutes before the phone went dead. My sister tried it, just for the heck of it, and she waited 40 minutes before the line went dead. I realize this tactic is just waiting us out. If we are frustrated enough, maybe we'll leave them alone. Is this any way for a reputable company to behave? I am angry because my niece is without a computer due to no fault of her own and this company is not honoring the warranty. Heck, they won't even talk to me. I have a computer that is useless and a niece who has to borrow her roommate's computer to get her work done or go to the computer lab at night. I know life is not fair, but this is ridiculous. What recourse do I have?
My niece, a college freshman, needs a computer to do her work. It is not safe for her to be in a computer lab at night. I now have to replace her computer and this puts a financial burden on me. This will keep her in her dorm at night or late evening so I feel I have no choice.
Frank of Las Vegas NV (01/02/08)
I bought 2-two giga byte RAM up grade for approx $350.00 for my TOSHIBA LAPTOP. When I installed it I thought I did something wrong because the computer told me I only had 3062 Mb. I called a technician who had me do all sorts of difficult steps, and, at the end, there was no solution. The technician told me that my laptops' Windows Vista eats up about 1 Gigabyte of RAM. I told the technician that was not satisfactory & I wanted to talk to someone in customer relations. They were closed at the time but someone would call me back. TWO WEEKS LATER I pursued the difficulty and after the technician was done with me he connected me with customer relations. I was on hold for 1/2 hour listening to music so I called on another phone and that technician connected me also to customer relations. After an additional 15 minutes the first phone disconnected. I continued to listed to the second phones music for an additional 20 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes on hold. My problem is this: EVEN IF IT'S TRUE THAT WINDOWS VISTA eats up 1 GigaByte of memory, TOSHIBA does not tell you that when you order the product on line; not even in mice type at the bottom of the page. When I pay top price $350.00 for 2 two gigabyte memory sticks, I EXPECT to get 4 gigabytes TOTAL. I did not, and believe this borders on deceptive advertising. ALSO customer relations apparently does not care about customer relations. BTW, I did the same for my Dell Desktop, i.e. RAM upgrade, and all went well. I was also treated well by the Dell technicians
I could not get anyone in customer relations to talk to me so that I could negotiate for a lower price for the product that did not perform as advertised. I may pursue action with the State's Attorney General wherever the corporate HQS for TOSHIBA is.
Yolanda of Grimesland NC (12/31/07)
Hard drive fails after minimal use and under 2 years old. I lost documentation which will be too costly to recover, and I spent over $2000 for this notebook. Since I had older computers at home I used them for the heavy work and rarely used this Toshiba unless I needed to do something requiring wireless Internet. For almost a year it was not used at all and stored away very safely.
Diagnositic from the repair people: "I am the one currently working on your Toshiba laptop. I called and left you a message informing you of the status of the system. Currently you have a completely dead hard drive in the system. It will not recognize even when attached to another computer. What this means is, if there is important data on the system that you need (i.e. Documents, pictures, music), the drive will need to be sent off to data recovery specialist. This normally runs in the price range of $500 and up. That is only if the data on the drive is irreplaceable and if it is worth that much to have it back. Otherwise we can repair the system by installing a new hard drive, restoring windows and applications to factory setup with the restore cds. The labor for this would be $125 and a new 100gb7200rpm hard drive would be $145.99+tax. This is the same size drive you previously had, but will have faster performance because it runs at 7200rpms where your old drive only ran at 5400rpms."
Economical problem to fix for sure: I am a university librarian and worked closely with many models of computers both personally and professionally. In the beginning of my career I even did some maintenance. My experience of 13 years tells me something is incorrect here and inherent with the model itself. As an academic (on an academic salary), I cannot afford to spend another $200 only to find that there is a possibility an internal defect could cause the newer hard drive to die, too. I cannot take that chance bringing my total for one notebook to be around $2300+. I would like to discuss my dilemma with an attorney.
Ehsan of Elk Grove CA (12/14/07)
I bought a Toshiba notebook on 10/21/07 from Fry's Electronics because of their special offer and rebate offer. I submitted all the necessary items including UPC from the box, but after few weeks, I received a letter of denial stating I did not included original UPC. Now I can see that they do this to a lot of people and hoping or knowing that no body will bother to follow up and may give up on their rebate.
I feel mad and cheated.
Jim of New York NY (12/14/07)
I work for a software company and I have a Toshiba Protg M200 that the president uses. The right mouse button would intermittently stick and we had a Toshiba authorized dealer tell us the motherboard had some corrosion. I called Toshiba support (we have same day service) and they were arguing with me about my System Guard and Service Express. Without doing any diagnostics whatsoever, they said I need to update the driver and refused me support. After some arguing, I agreed and hung up. There was no update to the driver! I called again and said the driver was updated and they finally agreed to send it out for repair, thinking this would be easier than an onsite technician since they would have the parts readily available. After 5 days no box came and I called them back exasperated. The technician refused to overnight a box, even though we have same day service and said it would take a couple of days and stuff happens. I immediately demanded a supervisor and he stared yelling at me that he didn't care for my attitude and that I was being unreasonable for expecting the level of support that we had purchased because stuff happens.
I was transferred to a customer support representative, instead of a manager, who told me that UPS doesn't have next day service (what?) and was arguing with me over the warranty without even checking to see what type we had. The support representative had to agree to send me a box the next day. I sent it out the next day, got it back two days later with a note saying it is a software issue, even though I sent it without the HDD. How do they know that? Did they look at the motherboard? Common sense would dictate that if a mouse button starts sticking after no problems for over two years and that an onsite technician told us he saw corrosion it's due to a hardware issue.
Finally, I spent another hour on the phone (about four total) and they would not service it without the HDD. I told them that we could not send the HDD because it was a high level persons laptop with his data because of legal and security issues. We would have to erase the HDD, so why couldn't they just use there own instead of making me take the time to image it? Its their policy! Well, luckily the original dealer agreed to fix it without the HDD. In over ten years of being a tech and having dealt with IBM, Dell, HP\Compaq and Sony, I have never experienced such atrocious service. While Toshiba products are pretty solid, I highly recommend not buying their laptops if you require good support.
We had a laptop that was out of commission for weeks that needed to be used and had to purchase another to replace it (this was for the president of our company who is also an software engineer). The lack of common sense with their support wasted several hours of my time.
Mark of Bradford MA (12/11/07)
I purchased a Toshiba Notebook / Laptop L35-S2194 in January of 2007 (came with a 1 year warranty). By March all USB ports stopped working. Called customer service center, and they told me they could not help me; I had to bring it to a local service center. Several months later the left hinge broke--the laptop is used lightly. How could they just break? Again called customer support. They said they did not know the part numbers, and again they said my only option was bring it to a local service center. The service center said it would be $95 just to tell me my laptop hinges are broken. I already knew that! I called Toshiba again and they said they cannot help me; I tried 3 times to get the part or part number from Toshiba.
I have a laptop sitting here that I cannot use because I refuse to pay $95 dollars for the service center to tell me that I need a hinge. I already know that the hinge is broken. I have called 5 different Toshiba authorized parts sellers and none can find the hinge part numbers and can't help me out; they all directed me to call Toshiba again. I am not the only one that has this problem with Toshiba hinges. Toshiba and the service center said the hinge is not covered by the 1 year warranty. I have a laptop that I cant use because of the broken hinge.
Steven of Colonial Heights VA (12/05/07)
I bought a Satellite A55 in Jan. 2005. Right after the warranty expired, a verticle line appeared on the screen. And it is still there. I searched the Internet and I guess verticle or horizontal lines are not rare on Toshiba laptops. I think Toshiba should take care of the issue. 2 years later and the left hinge broke. I bought a pair of hinges from Ebay and replaced it.
Durmus of Eregli-Zonguldak OK (11/29/07)
I bought my Toshiba ( SA-200 1AH toshiba 2.0 2GB 160 DVR) on 14th of November at BL-COM local shop in Eregli, but the next day I realized that there was something wrong with the plug and socket apparatus; therefore I immediately returned to the shop. Then they sent it to Toshiba service. To my disappointing surprise they demanded about half the amount of the money with which I bought the computer.
I now wonder what kind of product warranty this is! I in fact didn't know there was such a system. I informed Toshiba first , thinking that they would certainly deal with this problem before I sue and write to consumers' sites such as this one. I hope to hear back from them.
Juan of Palm Springs CA (11/15/07)
I purchased a laptop from Toshiba. On a special, I could buy the laptop, printer, carrying case and a Toshiba USB Flash drive for $179.00, then get my money back as a rebate. I followed the instructions and mailed in my rebate form to the address given with all the documents they requested including the laptop's upc barcode. They said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to get my money back. Two months went by and I never heard anything from them so I called them to find out what was taking so long. They told me that they never received the documents I sent them.
They instructed me to resubmit the documents via fax. I followed their instructions except this time I faxed all the paper work they requested and a copy of the UPC barcode because the original I had mailed to them already. I have Faxed these documents to them 3 times already in the last 5 months, and to this day I haven't received my money. Also a friend of mine who lives in another State bought the same laptop and got the same mail in rebate offer because of me. They said they never got the documents he sent. I think there is something fishy going at Toshiba.
Paul of Randolph NJ (11/04/07)
I purchased a Toshiba Laptop Satellite A75-S231 and the problems began immediately. In the middle of operation the unit would shut off. It happened often and without warning so I would lose whatever I was working on. Since I purchased through COMPUSA that had it's own nightmare. Like most of us my life is on my computer and it is my job as well. So for a week at a time I would be without my Laptop. At no time did CompUSA ever mention anything to me about the class action suit or the extended warranty.
Mary of Pataskala OH (11/01/07)
I bought my Toshiba lap top last year and from the first day I had problems. After taking it to Best Buy and being told they could not do anything, I contacted Toshiba. After hours on the phone and being repaired 3 times at a service center, I sent it to Toshiba for repair. The warranty ended, and the computer is doing the same thing: when turned on no screen comes up and makes a loud noise.
I will never ever buy a Toshiba product again and will warn everyone not to. I have called customer service today again and was told, "Too bad--it's your problem." This computer is barely a year old. I have wasted my money, am not able to do schoolwork or business work.
Mandy of Burnley OTHER (10/24/07)
I 1st got my toshiba laptop in febuary 2007.within 2 weeks the disc drive broke and didn't read discs. i had to send it away and it was about 11 days before i got it back but what's worse is it came back still broke and i had to wipe everything off my laptop to find the drive. i lost everything as a result. I've had nothing but problems with toshiba and wouldn't recommend their products even to my worst enemy. Programs don't respond, it's slow and sometimes i've got to press shut down up to 5 times sometimes before it does anything. I'm disgusted with this product and the customer service isn't any better.
Bobbie of Haines City FL (10/22/07)
We purchased a Toshiba Satelite laptop and within six months it would not turn on. Took it in for repairs (30 miles away) under warranty. Got it back three weeks later. Five months later, the same thing happened. Took it back and had the hard drive replaced AGAIN! The next time it happened it was out of warranty and they wanted to charge for repairs. We found out about the class action lawsuit and sent it to Toshiba for repairs. They sent it back about four weeks later, kept our power cord and evidently took off about half the software because it runs ten times slower. It also came back without the original box and packaging (which we sent it in per their request). It was covered with scratches which are so bad as to look intentional.
Aaron of Greenbrier AR (10/02/07)
I bought a brand new Toshiba laptop that was in non-working condition so I contacted tech support. I asked for it to be fixed in a timely fashion since it was sold non-working and also my job depends on a laptop in the field. The service center told me it would take 4 weeks to repair. That was not acceptable in my opinion. After I called and complained several times they decided to give me a new computer. I was sent a shipping label and was told as soon as I take it to the UPS depot and it is scanned in their system, then Toshiba would send me a new unit. I followed all instructions from Toshiba, and I never received a computer. Toshiba now states that they never recieved my original unit and therefore will not send me a new one. I contacted UPS and they state that the unit was delivered to Toshiba. I have tracking numbers that also support this claim. I have spent my hard earned money for an essential tool for my job that turned out to be non-working, and now I dont even have the unit at all. It looks as if Toshiba has strong armed me out of my money and my computer. This has been ongoing for over 2 months.
I have taken 2 days off work, lost a client and the cost of the computer, not to mention I had to go purchase another new computer to perform my work duties.
Zipporah of Staten Island NY (04/06/07)
I purchased a laptop computer in March 2006 and had constant problems with the unit. I had it in repair about 2 or 3 times and the problem was still persisting. Toshiba then told me in Feb 23,07 to send the laptop to their corporate office in Irvine,Ca for some type of audit. THey have had the laptop for over 4 weeks and have promised me a brand new replacement and still I have gotten no computer and I was told also by Allan that I would get some compensation because I'm a college student and use my computer for school and have been greatly inconvenienced due to this computer being out of my posession for such a long time.
Mike of Pleasant Hill CA (04/02/07)
I bought a Toshiba M4-S435 in Jan 2006. Although it performed well the 1st year it began overheating and locking-up last month (dated: March 2007). It is still under warranty so I sent it into the Toshiba Depot per their instructions. Toshiba Depot sent the computer back to me last week with a very brief memo and stated the unit is repaired - case closed.
However, the computer worked only for a couple days then began overheating and the fan is constantly blowing at a high velocity as soon as any applications or processes are started. They simply returned it to me defective with a memo that gives no specific details on exactly what they supposedly repaired.
Shrinivas of Sungai Petani OTHER (03/30/07)
I bought a Toshiba Satellite M40 notebook around 15 months ago from Malaysia. In less than a year, the Silver painting around the edges was gone at many places and gave a look as If it is 10 years old. I feel very embarrassed to open in public. I had sent complaint to TOSHIBA Singapore with Photographs... and they Never responded.
Jean of Maryland Heights MO (12/13/06)
I have a similar problem like James from Honolulu. I have had my Toshiba Satellite for about 2 years. About a year ago, I had problems with cord and the battery. My computer stated that it had a high percent of battery remaining but it would shut off without warning when it was supposed to be charged. I took it in for repairs and I did not receive it back from Toshiba until 6 weeks later. It worked fine for several months but then I started having the same problems again. I would have to put the cord in interesting positions to keep my computer running. I brought it back to the place that I bought it from (CompUSA), for repairs and two months later and they replaced the jack and battery. Three weeks later after I got my computer back from them, I had the same problem once again. CompUSA decided to switch out the motherboard. Then two months later I had the same problem but my computer is not under warrantee anymore so I cannot get it repaired. They wanted to charge me for repairs but I figure that they had 4 times to repair the computer and if they can't fix it in 4 trips then I shouldn't pay them to fix it now. I don't blame CompUSA. I believe that Toshiba is at fault for making a faulty computer.
Constance of Davis, CA (09/24/06)
I have a laptop Satellite M45-S165. The keyboard/mouse pad generate a tremendous heat that burns the fingers/arm when used. Usage time is not inordinately long (~1 hour usage) to generate uncomfortable heat.
The laptop was once returned to Toshiba for repair, but the problem was not resolved and the laptop is now out of warranty. The problem is not related to the battery as it has been removed from the system and the system is run via the AC adaptor.
Lily of Tyler, TX (09/14/06)
My 5 month old computer randomly deleted it's operating system when it was neither plugged in or online. I paid $150 to get it fixed. Less than a month later it deleted it's operating system again.
The computer professional I took it to told me that it was definitely a faulty hard drive and that Toshiba should replace my computer rather than repair it because it would most likely break again. When I talked to Toshiba they said I could send it in and get it repaired and it would take about 20 days with shipping. They also said that they would not replace my computer but if it messed up 4 MORE TIMES they would replace it. So if it breaks again in 7 months when my warranty is up then it is not their problem.
Bruce of Murray UT (08/01/06)
My Toshiba laptop shut down and will no.t reboot. Best buy has been no help in getting this problem resolved. Toshiba seems to think it is my problem very frustrating working with their customer service.
Robert of Pawtucket, RI (07/29/06)
I have a 2002 Toshiba laptop that has always been hard to open but now something inside the hinge is not working correctly. The Toshiba person I complained to and sought info from pleaded ignorance of the problem and described it as a hardware problem and since I am out of warranty, they are not responsible.
Without the use of silicon spray on the hinges I would be unable to open my computer.
Nora of Bronxville NY (05/21/06)
I had purchased a toshiba satellite tablet pc laptop from this company and it had to be serviced three times with many different defects! The first defect was the port in which the charger is placed on back of the machine became loose and prevented my laptop from being charged. 3 months later I had to send it back because the bottom of the screen cracked open (while i was in the middle of my english class!), the charger started coming apart and the stylus pen for the screen broke.
I was suppose to go pick up my laptop but Best Buy said that they had to send it back the same day it came in for service because the screen was dim. in other words it was not working. I asked if they can replace my laptop and I was told that they didnt do that. I am a college student without my laptop and starting summer school. I am sick and tired of sending it out and waiting almost a month for it to return. I had to scramble to have my research papers done at the computer lab in school. Luckily I paid the $300 insurance at Best Buy.
Jagdish of Ypsilanti MI (05/16/06)
bought a Toshiba Satellite M35X-S109 notebook about 15 months ago. This is the 3rd time this laptop has had the same problem, and Toshiba is not treating this issue any differently from when it happened the first time. Each time this goes in for repair, its gone for 1-3 weeks. I've had the laptop repaired by the Toshiba authorized repair center in Ann Arbor,MI along with the Notebook Depot where the laptop is mailed in, and neither of them have made a difference.
Right now I'm left with a non-working laptop, so I guess I have no choice but to send this laptop back to Toshiba so I will be able to get some use out of it. I really don't want them to perfom the TEMPORARY fix, I'd rather have them replace the laptop with a totally different model altogether. If they don't do that, I wouldn't mind getting my purchase price back, if possible.
Josh of Burlington VT (02/22/06)
They replaced vital parts of my computer with cheap ones that wore out shortly after my warranty was voided. After some wrangling, they agreed to fix my computer for free. I shipped it to them, they shipped it back detailing that it was no longer under warranty. Their call center staff is clearly reading from a playbook, and they are difficult to communicate with. If you buy a Toshiba Satellite laptop computer, know that the fan will stop working many times.
No serious consequences. i will have to attempt to fix this myself, as i cannot afford to have it serviced professionally. I cannot access my resume's or job application information while i am in the middle of a job search. i can get around this, but it's a royal pain, and i own the computer to streamline these very operations. i also have a lot of personal writing saved which I can only hope will not be erased.
Scott Winter Haven FL (02/02/06)
I purchased a Toshiba laptop computer model #: Satellite 5105-S607 two years ago. The computer has begun to print jiberish across the screen when it warms up. I have taken it to many Toshiba authorized repair shops. They tell me it is a common problem with this model. They explain that the socket connection between the video card and motherboard is defective and cannot be repaired. The video card and motherboard for this computer are not available any longer because of the high demand caused by this problem. And, even if they were both replaced, it would happen again. So, I now have a $3000 computer that is completely useless.
Arthur of San Jose CA (01/19/06)
I have a Toshiba laptop - M35X-S149 purchased 14 months ago. I use it 95% at home - and use it as a second PC. I either use it on my desk or on the dining table. I am no road warrior. The laptop still has the Toshiba decals - no scratches. One morning - it stopped working. It was dead. It won't boot up. I brought it to a Toshiba accredited repair facility and they said it was a motherboard problem. Replacement cost would be $695 - which is the price of the laptop (after rebates at Best Buy).
This is actually my 4th Toshiba laptop - and have never had problems with them. I did some searching thru google and have found that there are actually many M35 and A50-A75 series of Toshiba laptops that are also 'dead' - requiring a complete motherboard replacement. Most require replacement within the first six months. One service center in the east coast even reported servicing 25 units --- all with the same problem. (You can verify this --- try doing your own search in google - under 'dead laptops M35X-S149'). Mine just happened to conk out at 14 months - probably due to the relatively light use I subject it to. Toshiba refuses to own up to the problem - always pointing to the warranty policy.
All my 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 tax records are in my dead laptop. Plus, all personal digital photos are stored there... I know this is hard to quantify ... but TAIS (Toshiba America) should be held accountable since there is obviously a faulty trend here with the M35 and A50-75 series of laptops! They all have the same motherboard problem!
James of Honolulu HI (01/09/06)
Purchased Toshiba A75-206 laptop from Comp USA in Dec. 2004. Used laptop for five months off and on then took it on travel to Miami in June 2005. Had the same power/shutdown problems as others in the forum. Wiggled the power cord and used various methods for holding it in place (including duct tape) to make it useable for the two months I was in Miami. Upon return, did not use for a couple months - then tried to use the laptop at home and it would not hold a charge.
Contacted Toshiba and was directed to FedEx where they boxed it, shipped it to the depot. It was repaired and shipped back within four weeks. The laptop performed satisfactorily until recently. Took it on the road again and had intermittent power problems (would SOMETIMES charge and then go to battery). Got on the plane to come home and had significant issues with battery charging on the plane (would not charge) - powered off at 28% battery. Got home to retrieve my work - turned on the laptop with wall power (jiggled the cord and the lights came on) - as soon as it powered on only the battery light was illuminated. Machine powered itself off and I have had no luck jiggling the cord to try to get it to charge.
I just got off the phone 12:30 PM Hawaii time after 38 minutes in the cue. Spoke to Nora (again) who read me the corporate position regarding the pending class action lawsuit. she told me unfortunately, you are on your own regarding how you are going to get your data off the laptop. She said that we would have to be patient to find out the results of the lawsuit and Toshiba would then be in a better position to take corrective action.
Larry of Huron OH (12/15/05)
We have been given the run-around by Toshiba repairs for a new notebook that we had for 2 weeks. It stopped working--keyboard, touch pad, system board. We were instructed to send it to the Toshiba Repair Center in Lexington, KY. You know the story from there: countless calls, checking the Depot on-line, complaints to company relations. Parts on order overseas, weeks of delays...
Basically this is what they say, Toshiba has no returns policy. Which means they will not replace your damaged and malfunctioning computer no matter what. They will just keep trying to repair it. They won't take it back and replace it with a new one that actually works. We understand and apologize for your inconvenience, but... We still have no notebook...and it will be a month in repairs.
We spent $1,200 and are without a Toshiba (remember that name) notebook.
Gayle of Des Moines IA (10/25/05)
I paid $1500. for a Toshiba Satellite laptop computerin April of 2004. It's been a nightmare to own. The DVD player was bad, the keyboard was bad, the k-key broke in the first 2 weeks, the mouse pad has lots of problems, the most frustrating one being that when typing, text will suddenly be highlighted and deleted. This seemed to be triggered by the return key, also the spacer, but the repair tech tried to say it was mousepad related. It also has an unstable cursor that will jump into the middle of a previous sentence but keeps writing. On occasion, it simply shut itself down completely. NOT sleep mode, but turned off.
As of yet, there have been no answers. I returned the laptop to Best Buy, where I bought it 3 times. I found out that Toshiba had so many problems with the Satellite series that they came to an agreement with UPS whereby the UPS employees learned to do the repair work so they wouldn't have to be shipped so far. The Chicago UPS center is where they're sent now. The reason? There were so many Satellite returns Toshiba couldn't foot the shipping bill. They replaced the DVD player, but it still freezes up. They replaced the mouse pad and fixed the keyboard, but the unstable cursor problem still exists. They say if they don't see it jump themselves (and they claim they haven't) that they (in essence) are not responsible for fixing it. Or worrying about it. I'm getting ready to have my husband film my computer screen while I'm typing. I've seen LOTS of other people with the same complaint.
Fred of Vienna VA (10/08/05)
I purchased a refurbished M45 PM 7.73GTHZ 512 MB computer from Toshiba and received it on 30 Jul 05. It was not refurbished. The first month I had the computer it was in Richards Computer service four times for repairs. Finally in mid September I was finally to configure the laptop system. Yesterday, 08 Oct 05, I recharged the battery but it went south right after I tried to use the system. It is now back in Richards’s computer service for a new battery or whatever. If Toshiba is selling computers as refurbished, just what does that mean? This computer had apparently been returned and turned around in their shop and sold as refurbished and nothing was done to it. Toshiba does not live up to their contracts. This computer was not refurbished.
I'm out $1371.00
William of Webster Groves MO (10/07/05)
I ordered a notebook computer online for $1,828.43. My credit card was authorized for $1,828.43. However, since Toshiba does not formally charge until the items ship, the authorization remains for sevral days after the last item ships. In the meantime, each shipment is charged against my credit card again. In other words, in order to buy a computer plus accessories for $1,828.43, I actually needed $3,656.86 available on my credit card.
THe final shipment of $1,287.46 will cause my card to go overlimit when technically I still would have $1,828.43 available. The charge would be declined, the order cancelled, I would not get my computer and I would be left with accessories for which I then would have no use.
Carrie of Poulsbo WA (09/24/05)
I am writing about a problem I am having with the company Toshiba. I recently sent in my husband’s Toshiba laptop to have the screen repaired after it had stopped working. The computer was still under the one year warranty. I was told by Toshiba to take the laptop to a certain shipping store that they were contracted with. Toshiba was to pay for the shipping of the laptop to and from the service center in Louisville, Kentucky. When I arrived at the shipping store to mail it to Toshiba I was informed that the laptop would only be insured for $150.00. This was a $1500 computer and there was not way that I was sending it in the mail with only $150 worth of insurance.
I then called Toshiba and asked if I could pay out of my own pocket for the additional insurance. Since it was a Saturday and the contract with the shipping store could not be changed I was told by a Toshiba representative to pay for all of the shipping. I was also told to save the receipt and then send it to them. The representative assured me that I would be reimbursed for the shipping minus any additional insurance that was not part of the contract. When I called the customer service line on Monday I was told that I would not be reimbursed for any of the shipping that I had paid for, despite what the representative told me on Saturday! I was very upset and asked to speak with a manager.
After talking with a manager I was told that I would be reimbursed for the shipping, since that is what they do for the computers under warranty, they pay for them to be shipped to and from the service center! I was also told that they had to send the request for reimbursement to the corporate office to be approved and that I would receive a check in about two weeks. That was four months ago. I have called four times since then and have just been given the same song and dance. The check is on its way, we will check on it for you and call you back. No one has ever called me back to tell me the status of the refund.
Peter of Allentown PA (09/22/05)
I bought a A75s211 notebook computer from Circuit City store on 5/8/05. It has now been sent back to a warrenty repair shop 4 times for a new hard drive -memory stick -top cover and mother board. I just got it back and I can not load in my new hp printer and have no sound at all. Toshiba says they do not give out replacement units, and told me to ship it back again to another repair shop.
Gregory of Glen Mills PA (09/22/05)
Purchased Toshiba notebook in 2003 with 3 year systemguard + warranty. Shortly thereafter initial purchase, programs began crashing though I was guaranteed by retailer and Toshiba that this computer was compatible with the programs I already had in place. I took the computer to the repair center (per Toshiba) - who got in running again but told me that this computer wasn't compatible with some of my programs.
This is a very long and drawn out situation but the long and the short of it is that I purchased a Toshiba notebook with extended systemguard and warranty extension and it has crashed 3 times taken to the repair center 3 times and but Toshiba that there is nothing they can do about it. They have assigned a case number to me but I was told nothing, if anything at all, will happen for anywhere up to 5 years! Absurd! If nothing else, Toshiba should be sued for fraud - their systemguard and warranty extension specifically covers everthing that went wrong with my notebook.
Much revenue was lost - emotional strain because of time constraints caused by Toshiba and passed on to my clients!
Sudhir of Waldorf MD (09/19/05)
I bought Toshiba Laptop Satellite P15-S420 for my business use back in March 2004 and within three months of the purchase, I started having AC adopter connectivity problem with the system. In other words I had to jiggle around the ac adopter cord to maintain the continuous electric connection. I called Toshiba technical support. They told me it could be the AC Adopter. They told me to send the old one back as I receive the new one they were sending me. Which I did.
Guess what, still the same problem. I called them again. This time they told me to send the laptop to their repair depot and they will fix the problem. Computer came back after a week with a check list saying the things they have done on computer to fix the problem, basically they replaced the system board. My laptop ran fine for couple of days but then I started having the same problems. So I called again, every time it comes back from the depot after they replaced the system board.
To cut the long story short, my laptop has been gone to their repair depot for more than ten times and the same problem still exists. Last time I spoke to Alisha, their customer care representative and explained her my problems with this LEMON I was dealing with, she told me send it back to depot once again and this time it will be fixed. I questioned her about what if I still have the same problem. She advised me to take $850 credit from Toshiba. The original cost of my laptop was about $2200.00.
I told her I really want this machine replaced with an identical feature system. She said, It is not posible. She kept saying that I should send it to their depot for one last time and it should be fixed. Which I did. It just came back from depot 10 days ago and I was very happy because I thought it is all fixed now. But wait, I started having the same problem again. This time I got so frustrated and called customer care again and Tina was the case manager this time. I explained her the situation and told her that I am so frustrated at this time I will accept their offer of $850. She told me that the offer is not valid any more and sha can not do anything for me.
I had bought extended warranty on this machine also, I have order number and they have charged my credit card for the extended warranty back in April 2005. They still say that at this time they will not do anything to solve my problem.
Stephenof Barrington IL (08/26/05)
I purchased a Toshiba laptop computer via the internet at the end of July/05. The model is a Satelite M35X-S171ST. I had the computer for approx. 7 days and the LCD screen went completely blank. The computer would boot up but there was no image. August 7th I called Toshiba tech services and went through some possible solutions to the problem which did not work. They suggested I bring it into their local service provider (they provided 2 copanies both in Buffalo Grove, IL). On 8/8 I brought the laptop to Sherlock Systems, a certified Toshiba service center in Buffalo Grove, IL #847-520-7711. They informed me it would be 5-7 business days to complete the repair.
Today is 8/26 and Sherlock tells me they have 3 of the 4 parts they need in stock and do not know when they will have the 4th and the repair would then take 2-3 days. I called Toshiba on a couple of occasions to ask for a new computer and was told they do not have a replacement or loaner policy regardless of only having the unit a week. I called to lodge a formal complaint and they would not give me their headquarters to do so.
I began working for a new company and in the work I do for sales/marketing it is vital to have my computer in order to effectively communicate with clients. I have been forced to use the computers in my local library and store a smuch as i can on floppies. It does not help me with my contact software, printing letters, I cannot be in my office or bring my laptop for presentations for customers amongst other things. This has been a huge inconvenience and has caused me my ability to function properly, effectively or profitably. I am extremely disappointed in Toshiba's lack of concern after the sale and how unwillingly they are to make right and stand by a defective product.
Chip of Buford GA (06/06/05)
I purchased a refurbished Toshiba Satellite a65-1762 notebook from a factory reseller. After owning for three months the left hand hinge broke causing the screen to be only connected on one side. Upon inspection I noticed the screws had never been installed into the posts. When I called Toshiba customer relations (as this was a factory refurbished unit with a 3 month warranty) I was told there was nothing they could do for me. Then I asked to escalate to a supervisor, after 4 days she called me back only to tell me that there was nothing she could do for me.
So I asked her why they could do nothing for me when the refurb department was the cause of the hinge breaking (due to the screws not being installed). She informed me that the refurbishing department couldn't possibly have made a mistake and that all refurbished computers go through more tests than new ones so it would have been caught and fixed. Also she said problems like this were not covered by their warranty. This was when I asked her If I bought a new laptop directly from Toshiba and opened the screen and it fell off would you fix it? she said no sir we would not!
Kira of Silver Spring MD (9/27/04):
On January 31, 2004, I purchased a Toshiba Satellite laptop A15-S129 at my local Microcenter store. From the start, the battery always died within 90 minutes, sometimes with 45. Since I had purchased a laptop for its portability and deliberately chose a model with a battery life >2 hours, this was a problem for me! Leaving it plugged in all the time effectively transformed it to a desktop, which is not what I had wanted.
I also noticed that it always got very very hot, whether it was plugged in or running off battery -- and I mean MUCH hotter than normal. Then, it started shutting itself off -- just instantly going to a black screen. No saving work, no warning, just instant off. So I immediately contacted the Tech Support line at Toshiba, and got very friendly with a number of the techs there. I spent several hours trying to work out the problems with them, but they finally admitted defeat and suggested I take it to a repair center. There was a registered Toshiba repair center just 15 minutes from my home, so on April 7, 2003, I took it to the repair shop.
After the service center had replaced the system board and the power supply and it was still not working, I called Toshiba. By then it was mid-May (the power supply had been on back order). After going through the usual 8 people and being disconnected twice, I finally got to a service person (Alisha) who listened to my tale of woe. I explained that I felt that four months of attempted repairs was a reasonable length of time to give the company to fix the thing and asked what I needed to do to have a replacement sent to me.
She informed me that no replacement would be sent as Toshiba had not yet determined that there was a problem with the laptop. I pointed out to her that it was Toshiba who worked with me on the problems for weeks then finally told me to take it to the service center, and that it was the Toshiba-approved service center who told me they were having major problems fixing it. Her reply was, essentially, "Tough." Until they declare it unfixable, no replacement would be forthcoming. Furthermore, she explained, they had no time limit under which they had to declare something unfixable.
I asked if this meant that they could just put it on the shelf and wait 5 years to see if someone then could fix it, and she said that was pretty much the case. In the meantime, I was just out of luck and out of a computer, and out of the money that I had spent on their LEMON. She said she would talk with "the corporate office in California" about my case as they were the ones who needed to decide about replacing an unfixable computer anyway. I thanked her but said that while I understood she did not have the authority to send me a new computer, I'd like to plead my own case with the "corporate office" and asked for their phone number. Nope. She wouldn't give me that. I was "not allowed" to call them.
Okay, I said, may I please speak with your supervisor? No, she replied. I am the supervisor. There is no one else to speak with. I asked if that meant that she reported directly to the head of Toshiba, and she said yes. (Wow! They sure have important people manning phone trees at Toshiba, don't they?) Okay, I said (hanging onto my temper with an effort). So what you're telling me is that there is no one with whom I can speak, and I just continue to not have a computer. Right, she said.
I hate being told that "you can't talk to anyone but me and I refuse to help you in any way at all". I sent a formal letter to Toshiba's corporate offices. Nothing. I filed a complaint with the BBB in California, where Toshiba's corporate office is located. Nothing. I spent more time on the phone with Toshiba Customer Service. Nothing. The service center tried to enlist the help of their Toshiba rep. Nothing. The service center kept the laptop until mid-August when they admitted that they cannot get Toshiba to declare the laptop a lemon. There is nothing else they could do (by now they had also replaced the battery) to cause the thing to keep its charge over 90 minutes.
The service center people were not happy with Toshiba either. They sent my laptop to the Toshiba "Depot" twice, where more Toshiba people looked at my laptop but refused to listen to either my own or the service center's descriptions of the problem. Instead, they decided there was nothing wrong and sent it back to the service center who then promptly confirmed the problem still existed. When they brought this up to the Toshiba rep, they were essentially told to shut up.
I reclaimed the computer, now seven months older but just as broken. Shortly thereafter I got an email asking me to fill out an online form re my satisfaction level with the Toshiba repair. You can imagine what I said. I then got a call from someone who offered $100 in vouchers for Toshiba products (most of which cost over $100) and which required two additional phone calls over a period of 4 weeks to claim, and also asked me to send the laptop to yet another Repair Depot. I figured what the hell and agreed. I also called the repair tech to explain the story. I left several messages and on one occasion stayed on hold for 20 min trying to talk with this nitwit. Needless to say, the only call I ever got was a voicemail saying that there was nothing wrong with the laptop and he had already sent it back.
So, end result? Spent $1000 on computer that never worked. Spent hours and hours and HOURS of time on phone trying to get Toshiba to live up to its warranty -- unsuccessfully, of course. Now have had semi-functional laptop in my possession for grand total of 10 weeks, after purchasing it back in January. Toshiba, of course, has had my money since January 31st. What a loser company.
Laszlo of Cranberry Twp, PA (9/20/04):
My Toshiba M200 notebook computer started to show only vertical lines on its display after less than half a year in use. I dropped it off for a repair at the nearest authorized service (SARCOM in Pittsburgh, PA), on June 15th, 2004. They forwarded the computer to the central Toshiba repair center and finally sent it back repaired only on September 8th, 2004. That is a week less than 3 months. Not only extremely slow, but the enclosure was scratched at several places, too.
I kept calling Toshiba (over 20 times) but it did not help to get back the computer sooner. I wrote 3 letters to Toshiba headquarters, but received *no* response. I sent 5 emails (two complaints and 3 updates) to the Better Business Bureau in charge, but received only one automated acknowledgment, but no real response.
I could not work without a computer, so after several weeks of struggle I had to buy another one (HP). Can anyone advise how I can get the purchase price of the M200 back or receive any kind of compensation? On the phone once they offered a $150 voucher valid in the online store of Toshiba, but I don't need any of their overpriced accessories, so I did not accept it.
Laszlo should sue the company in Small Claims Court.
Kehli of Washington DC (9/7/04):
Computer hard drive crashed THREE times. First time was two months after purchasing computer. Computer is still under manufactorer warranty. Called Corporate office to complain. Spoke to Legal Affairs Person, Heather, five weeks ago. She said she would find a "replacement". It has been five weeks and I have not heard from her. She will NOT return my phone calls and will not respond to my emails.
I am filing suit this week in the DC Superior court. Not only for the cost of the computer but for damages as well.
Steve of Lutherville MD (8/27/04):
Bought a Satellite Pro 6100 a year and a half ago. Have replaced 3 motherboards and 4 screens. Called Toshiba to make it right and they said that it was out of warranty. Comp USA had my extended warranty so I went through them and after a lot of yelling the replaced it with a Toshiba A75-s2762. I've had it for 6-8 weeks and I just replaced another mother board. When I called Toshiba they told me that I could send it back but that they do not replace their products.
After talking with my Toshiba approved service provider they told me that several customers have had their laptops replaced. Jennifer at Toshiba, who told me she is the Customer support supervisor told me to send it in and they would take a look at it. I told her that I needed to talk to her supervisor because this would not work for me, I need my laptop for my business and I had been without one for 3 1/2 months between both computers. She then told me she was unable to help me that corporate policy would not allow this. I then asked who her supervisor was and she said that she could not tell me that either. Then I asked for the Toshiba corporate number and was told that she could not supply that as well.
I've lost between 10-15 loans which would generate $20,000-$28,000. I have tried to work with Toshiba and they obviously don't give a ....
Suresh of W. Harrison NY (8/6/04):
I bought a Toshiba Portege 2000 laptop for $3,000 just 18 months ago. The hard drive has crashed 3 times and the PCMIA DVD drive did not work from Day 1. My laptop is warranted for 3 years but Toshiba is refusing to replace the laptop: "Toshiba does not have replacement policy!" My electrical engineering background tells me that there must be something wrong with the electrical circuitry -- hard drive shouldn't crash every 6 months!
I have lost enormous amount of information, e-mails, and contact information as a result of these crashes! The financial loss is significant!
Matthew of Brentwood CA (4/21/04):
I purchased a Toshiba Satellite P25-477 for use in my home as a secondary computer. After a week and a half the computer started developing "issues". It would crash, the RJ45 jack did not work, and the video started shaking and blinking. I got ahold of technical support, for three days they tried to fix the problem with the computer crashing and were able to fix that problem. However they were unable to fix the video or the RJ45 jack.
At this point in time the video started turning solid objects silver. I then called them back and they had me send the computer into their depot, instead of taking it into the retailer as I wanted to do. When I received the unit back two weeks later the only thing the depot fixed was the RJ45 jack, however my laptop still had the other issues as well as now the LED lights were no longer working.
They stated they had replaced the systemboard as well as the coverplate (which was broken by them). Since the unit continued to have issues they requested I send it back to them for further repairs. Upon receiving the laptop back a week later, again with a new system board, it was running slower, the video was worse, and it started crashing again, and nothing had been fixed. When I contacted Toshiba this time they had me take the unit to a "premier service center". This premier service center replaced the systemboard again, stating that when the unit was opened the systemboard was damaged during prior installation. Replacing the systemboard resolved the issue with the LEDs, but they could not fix the video or the running speed.
When I returned home with my product still unsatisfactory I once again called Toshiba. Toshiba then requested I take the laptop to their "top of the line premier service center". This time the hard drive, cpu, and the color LCD module were replaced. When they replaced the hard drive they stated that it was likely that someone had improperly worked on the unit previously, damaging the hard drive. The top of the line premier service center had manged to return the speed of the computer to where it was supposed to be. They also had to replace the LCD screen when I went in to pick up the laptop because it had busted crystals which created a dead spot in the right hand corner. The next LCD screen they put in had this same problem but in the middle, which is what I am now left with.
Currently I have a 6 month old laptop that has a bad LCD screen and video problems (no one has been able to fix). Since I purchased this laptop it has been in and out of transit to service centers or at service centers for 5 1/2 months with no resolve. Toshiba now wants to replace my product with a "refurbished like-for-like technology" laptop.
Since I have not had my computer I have had to share work time on our personal computer with my wife. Since she was in school it made it extremely difficult for us to both work on computer projects at the same time. I have basically been paying for a computer I have been unable to use for more then 50% of the time since purchasing it.
Arnold of Boca Raton FL (3/25/04):
I purchased a broken Toshiba Satellite (supposed to be a new computer). After several attempts to fix it (hard drive crashed) Toshiba replaced it. As soon as I opened the second one out of the box the sound system didn't work and the DVD drive was broken. It has been five months and they bounce me and now they want me to send it for one week to try to fix it again after two authorized repair centers unsuccesfully tried to fix it.
I purchased for work, I do design web site as and print graphics, I have been behind with work, and lost a few clients. Besides personal stress dealing with their technical support and main contact person for consumer relations.
Themis of Seattle (2/9/04):
I purchased a Toshiba laptop (model #2430-S255) in April 2003. By June the laptop was malfunctioning, the keyboard becomes unresponsive and the laptop is useless, and had to be taken into the local Toshiba technical support facility (Northwest Computer Support) that failed to fix the problem on three separate attempts. An arrangement was made to have Toshiba’s technicians’ work on the laptop, which they did in July, 2003. The laptop was returned to me in working condition about a week later.
Unfortunately, the exact same problem occurred again in December 2003. I contacted Toshiba to express my dissatisfaction (talked to Melanie) with the laptop and the persistent problem. The only two options I was given were to take it up back to the local tech support facility or return it to Toshiba for repair. Despite my frustration, I sent it to Toshiba and received it back on January 16th, 2004.
Within 5 minutes the laptop was malfunctioning in exactly the same manner as before. I called Toshiba and was told that my case has been referred to a higher level in the customer relations office. I waited for a response and a few days later I was told that I had to talk with the level 3 (whatever that means) technical support people to confirm my technical problem, which they did. It is now February 9th and I have not received an answer from Toshiba. The customer service rep at Toshiba (Alicia) has provided me with lip service and refuses to pass me on to the Supervisor who is handling my case. I have no idea what is going on and I am without a computer for over a month now.
I spent over $1,600 to buy this as a desktop replacement so that I can work from home and work. Because of all the problems and the most recent month-long saga, I have not been able to maintain contact with my students (I am a professor at the University of Washington). In addition, I am forced to stay at work long hours and come in on weekends so that I can keep up with my computer work by borrowing other peoples computers. The idea in investing in a laptop was that I could do many things from home. I also had to buy an external hard drive ($150.00)to store my data everytime the laptop had to go in for "repair" (five times now). In addition, I spent countless hours on the phone, mostly on hold, trying to resolve this issue with Toshiba.
John of Middletown NJ (12/6/03):
On March 2, 2002 I purchased a Toshiba Satellite laptop that worked pretty well for about 10 months. Then toward the end of January 2003 it simply would not power on. Fortunately, it was under warranty and I returned it to be repaired. The turnaround time was great (only a couple of days) but by the end of February 2003 the same problem came back. This time they kept the laptop for several weeks to repair, although again it was covered by the warranty.
It seemed to work well until the end of May, when the same power problem came back again. This time I was told that it was not under warranty although they would waive the fee to have it repaired by a local service partner. I brought it to Emtec on June 3, 2003 and got it back from them on July 2, 2003. Again, it seemed to work, but my exectations were justifiably low.
Finally, on October 16, 2003 the Toshiba laptop powered up for the last time and I gave up. I then purchased a Compaq laptop with the best service plan I could, and have written a letter to Toshiba in hopes they can in some way try to make up for this lemon of a laptop I purchased.
As I am an independent software consultant, my income directly relies having a reliable computer to use. A laptop to me is like an oven at a restaurant, or a hammer to a carpenter. Each time I had to return the laptop I requested that Toshiba provide me with a loaner, but I was told "we don't do that". Because of the stress and lost income that laptop has caused me over the past year, as well as their inability to fix the problem, I will never, ever buy another Toshiba product again.
Robert of Delray Beach FL (4/30/03)::
I ordered Toshiba laptop Model 2430-S255 on April 19, 2003 by telephone from ShopToshiba.com. The computer was to be shipped on April 25, 2003 and I was given a FEDEX tracking no. The FEDEX shipment came on April 28 and consisted of an external floppy disk drive. I called Toshiba and was told that it would be shipped the next day, April 29. I was not given a new product order or a shipment tracking no. On April 29, I was told by a different sales rep that the computer was out of stock and a shipment was late getting to the warehouse. On April 30, I was told, by yet another sales rep that no more of these computers were being manufactured and that I may or may not get my order filled. I received an e-mail from Ms Dudding today, April 30, saying the projected shipping date is May 23.
In the meantime Toshiba charged my Mastercard $729.29 on April 19. We have an external floppy disk drive which we cannot use without the ordered computer. The sales rep said that she was spending her full day calling customers to say their computer may or may not be delivered, or might be delivered on a distant future date. I have been injured to the extent of $1729.99, interruption of time, loss of use and the victim of deceptive sales practices.
We suggest that Robert write to Toshiba and invite them to review the Federal Trade Commission's mail-order rule. If Toshiba cannot deliver the merchandise in a timely manner, it must offer Robert the opportunity to cancel the order.
David of Aberdeen, Scotland writes (4/21/03):
I was on exchange at an American University 2001-2002. I bought a Toshiba Satellite laptop computer. I am now back in the UK and have experienced a catalogue of problems. The screen backlight gave up the ghost, but I managed to get it fixed as it was a registered fault. My DVD player has now ceased to read DVDs. The warranty I got lasted for a year, and was not applicable outside of the USA. I just don't think that all this should have happened to a computer not even 2 years old. Also, my hard drive fouled up and had to be completely replaced. I treat the computer with care, and have been very disappointed with Toshiba USA's website. I cannot make a proper complaint since I am outside the USA and my address is invalid. I would be very grateful for any advice on the matter.
I spent $1300 on a computer which has given me problems from the word go. I lost all information when my hard drive packed in.
Darren of Neenah WI (1/16/03):
I am writing concerning the TOSHIBA following laptop computer: Model: 1805-S154. This computer was purchased just after Thanksgiving, 2001 at Circuit City on sale for $799. I used the computer for all my personal and educational needs up until September 2002 when the hard drive failed (taking all my documents with it). I called and received a case number to take the computer over to Office Technology in Neenah, WI. They replaced the hard drive and returned the computer to me. I used this hard drive until once again it failed in early December, 2001.
I called the TOSHIBA phone line and was given a case number to take to Office Technology for repair. This time, the hard drive only worked until January 13th of this year. I called TOSHIBA and received a case number for taking the computer back to Office Technology. They later called me and told me that this repair wasn’t covered under warranty. It is my belief that there is a problem with this laptop. That the problem has been there since September of 2001 and replacing the hard drives is not fixing the problem. It is just allowing the problem to ruin the hard drives that are replaced.
I talked to the Customer Service people and they referred me to Millie (24479) who absolutely refused to answer any of my questions except to state that the computer was no longer covered under warranty. I asked if I paid to have the computer repaired and they replaced the hard drive, and the computer caused this one to fail, how long would my warranty then be for. She informed me that this conversation wasn’t going anywhere and she was going to terminate the call.
I have to say, I was completely disappointed with the repair of my computer, since it is still exhibiting the same failures that I originally sent it in for in September. According to Millie, I can send the computer in for $300 to $400 and then maybe the problem would be fixed, but without any warranty on the repair above the 30 days. This wouldn’t be acceptable since whatever is causing these failures could easily happen on the 31st day and then it would be out of warranty, but the problem would still be there.
I purchased this laptop to help me go to college to get my teaching license. As a single father who is trying to manage a household while going to school and take care of a family, even the $42 that Office Technology charged me tonight is a major expense. I felt assured that purchasing a TOSHIBA would give me a reliable computer at a cost that I could afford. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Instead, I have paid for a computer that has only lasted me 13 months. I believe that the similarities here are comparable to a car that is a lemon.
Fortunately, technology moves so fast, and the majority of electronics is so reliable, that this type of situation doesn’t come up very often. It would seem that when the history of this computer is looked at, the amount of failures, which should have a MTBF rated in years, there is something else wrong that wasn’t addressed when the hard drive was replaced originally.
My computer experience goes back to the VIC 20, my first IBM clone was a 286SX and I have worked as a product safety engineer performing UL 1950 testing on computers for years. I have also been responsible for the building of the UNISYS ES700 series computers. I do know computers and quite a bit about them. Your customer service people tried to say that it was an accumulation of dust in the computer which caused this problem (though they have never seen the computer). If that was the case, then why was the computer failing after 10 weeks and again after 5 weeks? Experience and the nature of electronic equipment says that there is going to be dust accumulating within a computer.
If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it was an accumulated heating issue which is related to the design of the computer, versus a bit of dust. This is a design issue, and I would expect a company that was truly interested in building a quality product to do a Failure Analysis of a computer with repeated failures such as this… instead of trying to blame the user and hope that they finally give up.
John of Grand Cayman writes (5/27/02):
In 1999 I purchased a Toshiba Dynabook SS3010 notebook computer. This is a Japanese version of the American model Portege 3010. I paid approximately $4,000 for the system through a company in Hong Kong which is no longer in business. These computers were widely advertised and reviewed in US Computer magazines and I suspect that 100's if not thousands were sold to English-speaking users.
Recently I reformatted the hard drive on the computer and had problems with audio when I upgraded to Win98se. The problem is, that sometimes on boot-up audio is available and other times it is not available on bootup. There appears to be a software or hardware conflict. I called Tech support at Toshiba USA and was told that Toshiba USA does not support Dynabook computers and drivers on their US site are not compatible with the equivalent Dynabook computers. Toshiba US passed the buck by suggesting that I contact a company in California that services Dynabook computers. This company has nothing to do with Toshiba tech support and although they tried, were unable to help me with my particular problem. They told me that Toshiba does not offer English support for their Dynabook line of computers. I tried Toshiba Canada also but the results were similar.
The US company (Destec) recommended by Toshiba US had referred me to Toshiba's Japanese download site. There, instructions were almost exclusively in Japanese and were very difficult to navigate. Some of the utilities would not load properly and gave error messages. I tried contacting the Japanese tech support site and received one reply only with very basic troubleshooting tips, which I had long before attempted. I sent them in total 3 very detailed emails explaining the problem and the things that I tried to resolve the proble.
The long and short of this complaint is that there is a population of Dynabook users who paid a lot of money for computer systems from a major corporation expecting a tech support safety net in the event of computer problems. These users now find themselves hung out to dry with no technical support resources to fall back on. It makes me wonder if Toshiba is well aware that these systems are incompatible with Windows 98 and Toshiba simply hopes the nightmare will die and go away.
It is equally amazing the Toshiba had no problem distributing these machines to companies intending to flood the English-speaking world with them but not intending to offer the english speaking world any technical support. Had these been computers trading at steep discounts this might begin to appear understandable but when the equivalent US machines hit the market they were sold at huge discounts (about 50%) to the price I paid some 8 months before.
Mike of Carmel Valley CA (5/24/02):
Toshiba ran a promotion in March offering a DVD/CDRW module along with a laptop computer. The laptop arrived; the mod never arrived. A $100 rebate also has not been sent. In effect, the company was promoting & selling a product it did not have. Repeated phone calls to Toshiba have resulted in nothing -- the mod is always on "back order." Wrote customer relations at Toshiba & received only a garbled phone message.
Jonathan of Washington, DC, writes:
I am a student at American University. I am writing to because your name has been refereed to me by the ACCI website. Over six weeks (in October 2000), ago a friend accidentally spilled a drink on my brand new Toshiba laptop computer. At the time we automatically assumed it had been damaged beyond repair. We did however call the Toshiba helpline. They instructed us to take the computer to the store where it had been purchased.
When it was taken to the CompUSA in Vienna, Virginia, they did not even look at the system for a week. When they finally did, they called me back and told me the system needed a new keyboard. At that point they had to send the computer to get it replaced. By the time the time Toshiba received my computer another week had gone by. One week later it was sent back to CompUSA. The policy of CompUSA is to test out any equipment before given to the customer to see if the problem was fixed. Two days after they received my computer I received a call saying a faulty keyboard had been installed. I then called Toshiba to ask how this happened.
Every time, without fault, I would try to speak to some kind of supervisor, and not someone who had no idea about my case, I would be put on hold for almost an hour and still not talk to anyone. Finally, two weeks later after the keyboard had been replaced for a second time I received a call yesterday from CompUSA saying that another faulty keyboard had been installed. After six weeks two faulty keyboards had been installed.
I then called Toshiba yesterday and today trying to figure what was going, pleading with them to speak to someone who knew something about my case, and both times I was put on hold for almost an hour. To top this off, when I spoke with the CompUSA representative he told me two things.
- One, Toshiba was debating whether or not I should just be given a new computer. The fact that these people tell me that after all the mistakes they made, they are going to give me the privilege of debating weather or not I am deserving of a new computer is absolutely absurd.
- Second, the man I spoke to at the CompUSA in Vienna, Curtis, told me he would speak to them today, November 2. When I called the CompUSA today and asked for him, I was told he would not be in the office until Saturday. I have called these people every single day and no progress has been made.
Over six weeks I have waited for Toshiba to fix my computer. If this was a procedure that took six weeks I would understand but I could have received my computer back in two if this had been handled properly. At no time has Toshiba taken an interest in calling me even after I have asked to. I had one customer service representative from Toshiba tell me that "they probably never even looked at your computer." I am desperate for advice I can use to get from these people what is mine. There is no reason I can believe that a customer who invests in a company should ever be treated like this. They are clearly making too many mistakes and not being held accountable for it. I want to do whatever is necessary to prove to these people that they can no longer treat their customers like this.
Nora of Malibu, CA, writes:
On April 21, 2000, I purchased a Toshiba Laptop computer at Circuit City. It was the biggest mistake I have ever made. The CD-rom was defective and would not read CD's. On April 27, 2000 I spent over an hour on the telephone (time I did NOT have to spare) with tech support trying to resolve the problem. Eventually, I was told that I must take it to a repair center for repair. I was also promised that someone from customer service would call me within 48 hours. That call never came.
The next day, taking time off of work, I took the laptop to General Software, an authorized repair center in Northridge, CA. At that time, I was willing to work with Toshiba and wait for the repair. Rafael of General Software, however, was quick to remind me that I should assign him no blame as he is merely a contractor of Toshiba. I found this very inappropriate. All contractors should try to diffuse any potential situations instead of telling customers where to direct any dissatisfaction.
On May 1, 2000, Rafael called me to tell me that he could not repair my computer and that he wasn't allowed to order the necessary parts. He told me he had nothing to do with this - that Toshiba would not allow him to order the parts. He told me that I would have to send my computer to the depot. I telephoned tech support and spoke to someone named Jay. He told me that what Rafael told me was absolutely not true. I told Jay that no one from customer called me as had been promised on April 27. I felt that Toshiba owed me a rebate or compensation for the time wasted on resolving a problem with a brand new, yet defective product. Jay promised that someone from customer service would call within 48 hours. Once again, that call never came.
Several days later, I received in the mail a letter that Toshiba was unable to fulfill my request for the free software that had been promised for purchase of the computer because I did not pay sales tax. I have never heard of sales tax for a FREE product. On May 3, 2000, I decided to take the computer to Circuit City instead of sending it to the depot in Tennessee and lose even more time. Circuit City immediately exchanged the defective computer for another Toshiba laptop of the same model.
Several days later, I discovered that the floppy disk drive was not working. I spent nearly an hour with Jason of tech support trying to resolve the problem over the phone. Once again, nothing could be done. Jason said I would have to take the computer in to be serviced. I also spoke with Krystal who told me that there had been a class action suit against Toshiba. She said that if I downloaded a patch, the computer should be fixed. I tried this and it did not work. I spent close to 3 hours on the phone with tech support that day.
On May 15, 2000, I went back to Circuit City and explained the situation. I asked if I could please exchange the computer for a different brand since I had receive two lemons from Toshiba. Even though their policy requires exchanges for the exact same item, the manager waived the service charge and allowed me to exchange the defective Toshiba laptop for a Sony VAIO laptop. I applaud Circuit City for their efforts to provide excellent customer service. I have had no problems with my Sony VAIO and am very pleased that I made the exchange.
My question for Toshiba is why I NEVER received a call from customer service as promised not once, but twice? It is very inconvenient not having a computer in this day and age, especially in my line of work. Please be aware that I will NEVER buy another Toshiba product, including electronics and office equipment. I will also discourage others from purchasing Toshiba products. No one should ever have to endure such terrible customer service.
Above is the body of the letter I sent to Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. on August 13, 2000. Toshiba never responded to my letter. While this problem is resolved because of Circuit City who was excellent, I am still extremely angry that I wasted a month of productivity dealing with this issue. I am pleased with my Sony VAIO, but I feel strongly that Toshiba still owes me an explanation and an apology for what happened. I am extremely appalled that there was absolutely no response.
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