Complain about a product or service

Toshiba Computers

Seth of Melbourne, FL January 13, 2010

Absolutely the WORST customer service experience I have ever had in 36 years of living on this planet. I will NEVER buy from Toshiba again.

1. My dad was having problems with his Toshiba Satellite A305 laptop computer so I took a look at it. The computer was crashing regularly and it was a relatively new computer. I couldn't figure out what the problem was so I called Toshiba's technical support. After several calls, and maybe an hour or so of trying to restore the computer to it's default settings, tech support determined that there was a problem with the hard drive and that the computer would have to be sent back to the repair depot. They told me it was covered under warranty and told me to go the UPS store in Melbourne and that they would both package and ship the computer at no charge.

2.On Friday, December 4th, 2009, I went to the UPS store in Melbourne to return the computer. I gave them the order number T1-NHGASW (which had been given to me by tech support) as a reference. I specifically asked them what would happen if the computer was lost-- if I needed to insure the package or anything like that. I was told by a middle-aged woman with light-brown hair that UPS would take care of everything and that I didn't need to insure the package or anything else because UPS and TOSHIBA had a business arrangement. This is important because as you will see, once the package was lost, UPS (800 number) tried to tell me that since the package was not insured, they would only reimburse me for 100.

Also, when I mentioned what I was told to Bill (UPS Store manager) when problems started to arise, Bill laughed and told me that that is not what his employees told me. I told Bill that he was not in the store when I first shipped the package (only three people were there--Jim (Bill's father), the lady I mentioned, and a younger girl with dark hair who looked like she was in high school) so he doesn't know for sure what was said.

3.On the 14th of December, I decided to call Toshiba and check on the repair status. I figured they had received the package because they told me at the UPS store that it would arrive by Dec. 8th. I was shocked to learn that they had no record of it. This is when this whole problem started. I then went through a series of calls, back and forth from UPS to Toshiba to try and figure out where the computer was. I spoke to many different people and unfortunately I did not write all of the names down.

I went through a lot of aggravation contacting Toshiba Customer Relations and Toshiba Repair Depot. You cannot reach anyone at the Repair Depot--when you call they just put you on hold forever (one time I waited 45 minutes then finally gave up) and when you select the option to leave a message, it transfers you to a recording where it says you cannot leave a message. So for a while, I was relying on someone named Summer at Toshiba Customer Relations (1800-800-6841) who was trying to contact the Repair Depot to see if someone there could find the package. She said she would email the Repair Depot to see what was going on. The first time she emailed them, they got back very quickly saying that they needed the tracking number. She gave the tracking number and then about 4 days passed and there was no word from them.

I didn't understand why it would take 4 days to answer a simple email. I told Summer to get back to me and let me know what was going on. She said she would. I never heard from her again and I tried calling her but each time I called, I was told by another rep that she was either sick, on a lunch break (one that apparently lasted 2-3 hours), or that she had gone home for the day. I wasn't able to reach her again.

4.There were several more calls to both UPS and Toshiba and the UPS store. I was finally told that on the 21st of December, the package was declared lost. I called UPS (800-) and this is what they told me. The lady at UPS told me that it was delivered to Door # 300-something instead of Door 844. So it was delivered to the wrong address. UPS admitted this on the phone to me when I spoke to them. Also, during the tracer investigation, they informed me that the packaged was signed for when it was delivered but instead of getting an individual's name, the person just signed, TOSHIBA. I said that I thought this was unusual because usually a person signs his or her name so that they can track that person down later if it gets lost. The person I was speaking with agreed that this was not the correct procedure and that the individual should have signed his or her name.

5.After several more calls (I was keeping in touch will Bill, manager at the UPS store, all the while and calling 800 UPS to get this sorted out), I was told by the people at 800 UPS that since the package was not insured, I would only be reimbursed 100. I told them this was ridiculous and unacceptable because I specifically asked about whether or not I had to insure the package if it was lost. They told me that if I wanted any other compensation, I would have to go to the UPS store and deal with them (Bridgett GSP#2946 at 800 UPS told me this).

I think I may have then informed Bill about the decision of 800 UPS. He did not agree with this but I don't recall what was specifically said. He, like everyone else in this mess, seems to want to pass the buck to someone else. I was getting more and more frustrated with this, with all the time and energy I had to spend to get something done, so I finally went back to the UPS store in person. I informed the lady I originally spoke to (the middle-aged lady) what was going on.

She didn't want to deal with me so she got her manager, a woman named Tammy. Tammy basically shrugged her shoulders and told me that I would have to go back to Toshiba to get compensation. She said that according to the agreement UPS had with Toshiba, all claims for lost packages would be handled by them. I told her this did not seem right to me because it was UPS that lost the package and Toshiba was apparently not to blame for this. She said there was nothing that she could do and that I would have to speak with someone at Toshiba. Needless to say, I was very frustrated and informed them that I would consider getting a lawyer because no one was dealing with this issue.

6.Meanwhile, Bill was trying to contact people at Toshiba, direct contacts that he had. He told me he spoke to someone named Cliff at Business Solutions (?) and informed him of the situation and that I was very upset and wanted a resolution. He said that Cliff would contact me. Cliff finally called on my cell phone but I was unable to answer it. I called back and got a voice mail and left a message. Several days passed and there was no response. I believe I tried calling again but finally just got frustrated because every time I have called anyone at Toshiba, I have either not been able to get a hold of them or they have referred me to someone else. Or they have just hung up on me.

I even found the Toshiba corporate number on the internet and tried calling them but the operator put me through to someone who wasn't in and so I left another message. No one from Toshiba corporate ever got back to me. I also called UPS corporate but again had to leave a message with someone and no one has gotten back to me.

Anyway, I called Bill on Saturday (Jan 2nd) to see if he had any information. He asked me if I knew anything. I told him no and that he was the one who was supposed to have information for ME. I wanted to make sure I had the correct number for Cliff and Bill provided me with that. He also gave me another number for someone named Jay who was at Retail Solutions. I called both Cliff and Jay today (Jan 4th) but again, no one was there so I left messages.

7.Cliff called me back and basically said that he doesn't know what is going on because he doesn't usually handle these issues. Again, someone just shrugging their shoulders. I admit I got very upset because I had had it by this point and I started raising my voice, demanding that something be done about this issue. I told him I wanted by computer back in working order and that I was entitled to some compensation at this point. He did not seem like he wanted to help me so I yelled at him and said that I am contacting my lawyer and that I want him to fix this situation and get back to me and not throw more numbers at me for me to call. I said that he needed to take ownership of the situation and not throw it back in the customer's lap, especially when the customer has been put through this much already.

8. Some more time passed and I finally got a call from Betty at the Toshiba Repair Depot. Maybe they got the letter from my lawyer, I don't know, but she left a message saying that the computer would be replaced. I tried getting back to her but, of course, since I was calling the Repair Depot (the number she left) I could not get through.

I called Customer Relations again and asked them to contact Betty to have her call me back. Betty finally got back to me and said that it would be replaced with a refurbished unit. I said that this wasn't good enough and that I was entitled to a new system because of everything they put me through. Betty said she would speak to her supervisor and I have not heard from her since (Jan 13, 2010).

This is absolutely the worst. I contacted my lawyer, the Better Business Bureau, and the FTC. I'm still out a computer. And how about all the time, energy, and aggravation this has caused. What's that worth?

TaeGyu of Burke, VA January 12, 2010

I sent my computer to repair and every time I call it's on "hold" and they say the only thing I cando is just call and call (they really told me that word by word) and they told me that I could complain but that it would be USELESS.. I can't refund because of their "policy", I can't use my computer, I have no limited date to receive it.. wow.. I cannot believe it that such a big company could do this.. I have seen many other puchasers from toshiba having a lot worse situation than I am. TOSHIBA needs to do something to gain their responsability back.. we have no trust in them and many more would have less if this goes on.. and then no one would even look at your products anymore!

Andy of El prado, NM January 1, 2010

My Sattelite 505A computer is under warranty until July of 2010. The customer service department told me that they needed 425 dollars and considerd the problem to be a out of source issue that needed to be paid for. All this was is a loose connection of the AC serial port! They refused to send me a box. They refused to caknowledge the warranty/ This computer is 6 months old!

Derek couldnt get x box shipped to me. Anthony said that he has informed the case Manager, Craig, that my problem requires me to be charged in advanced. The case manager had already decided what the issue is, but nobody has even looked at the machine! they were rude and useless as far as dealing with an issue!

I called Amazon for help, but they kept on being cut off by the Toshiba helpline! Dont buy Toshiba , they are crooks who dont acknowledge their own warranties, and charge a 425 flat rate before they even see the product! This is ridiculous and their customer support are unprofessional. How sad! I will stick in the future to HP who honors their commitments to the consumer.

They refuse to honor warranty commitment. My serial number is 69379205Q My part number is PSAP0U-00N007 E. We also know that a case manager can authorize a one time repair, but they were unwilling to do this even with the warranty in effect! Shame on them!

Arleen of Santa Clarita, CA December 31, 2009

I am frustrated that my less than year old Toshiba Satellite laptop needs a third ac adapter plug. I just called to get another replacement and mentioned that this was my third plug and they should look into recalling this because I noticed on their site that I am not the only customer that has a complaint. It even shows a 2 point rating out of 5 points that customers have rated it with the same problem. You would think Toshiba would do something about this problem but they haven't. I love the computer but if I have to purchase a plug this often I will never buy Toshiba again and not recommend it to anyone. I would love to file a class action suit.

Jennifer of Aurora, IL December 29, 2009

I purchased a Toshiba laptop on December 8 from Bestbuy.com. I received it on 12/11, and I gave it to my husband as an anniversary present on 12/13. He used it starting that day. On the evening of 12/23, he was finished using it for the day, so he shut it down and closed the laptop. Nothing unusual occurred during that process, and the PC remained untouched until the following morning, 12/24. When he powered up the PC, he discovered a crack in the screen, surrounded by a black blotch in the picture. This PC had not been handle improperly, there was no accident, it just cracked.

I have since found, through googling, that this has been an issue with Toshiba laptops for at least two years now, one which consumers have been making the company aware of for the past two years. Due to the holiday, I did not get a chance to call Toshiba until earlier today. I was told that the screen is not covered under their warranty. This is false. I have the warranty information that came with the PC, and under the exclusions section, there is no mention of screens. So, then they said misuse and accidents are not covered. I again made it clear that this was not a case of misuse or accidental damage, this was a defective product on their end, a defect that has been going on with their company for a couple years now, apparently.

I was transferred to a case manager, since they are the ones (so I was told) who can authorize a one time goodwill repair. Nope. He just repeated the same lines - screens aren't covered under their warranty (well, they're not excluded, so how can they not be covered?) and misuse and accidental damage isn't covered. Again, that's not the case here, it was a defect. They refused to fix it and refused to let me speak to a manager, stating they (case managers) were the highest level of contact consumers were allowed. This is unbelievable and inexcusable. I am in the process of filling out the complaint form with my state's Attorney General.

Mike of Aurora, CO December 28, 2009

My wife purchased a Toshiba Satellite laptop from Best Buy on 11/27/2009. Less than a month later the "T" key on the keyboard popped off. The plastic "hinge" that lies under the key was also broken in the process, so I could not repair the keyboard myself.

Upon taking the laptop to Best Buy, I was told they needed to send the entire computer to Toshiba for the repair which could last up to three weeks. When I explained that this was not an option as she needs the computer for her business, they told me to call Toshiba. I asked if they could not just have Toshiba send them a new keyboard, and I would install it. I was told by Debbie, the store manager, that this was against their contract with Toshiba.

I then called Toshiba and was told that the keyboards are not covered under the purchase warranty and that it would be 45 plus 11 for shipping to send a replacement. So, let me get this straight, I need to pay an additional 60 for a cheaply made keyboard which falls apart on a whim because no one carries a .10 cent plastic piece on a 500 computer we just bought?

Hmm... it sounds to me as if Toshiba is profiting off of its poorly made product and Best Buy could care less about its customers. I know that I will never again purchase a Toshiba product of any kind, or any item from Best Buy. I hope that this additional 60 savings is worth the loss of future sales from this disatisfied customer. I am out about 60 off of a 540 purchase of a Toshiba laptop from Best Buy.

Derek of Evans, GA December 26, 2009

I purchased a Toshiba Satellite Laptop Computer in September of 2009. I awoke one morning in November of 2009 to find the LCD Screen had cracked overnight. I contacted Toshiba and described the event and without even looking at the laptop they said it was nor covred under warranty. They said I had caused the damage (overnight- while asleep?)However they did offer to repair the laptop (which cost me 450 new) for only 600. hey said LCD screens were not covered under the warranty. I asked them to tell me what page of the warranty brochure that was printed on or where that was written but they couldn't. After some discussion, they did agree to examine the laptop. I sent the laptop to them overnight. After not hearing from Toshiba for two weeks, I called them and they again said I caused the damage thereby voiding their warranty. They now offered to repair my screen for 425. I have filed complaints with the Better Businness Bureau and the US Fair Trade Commission.

Doug of Charlotte, NC December 22, 2009

I purchased a Toshiba L305 laptop from a local Best Buy last year as a Christmas gift for my nephew. In June 2009, the laptop would not boot up. After contacting Toshiba, we were instructed to take the laptop to DataSys (local Tech Support) in Charlotte, NC, for repairs. After 2-3 months of usage, the laptop again would not boot up. In October 2009, we again contacted Toshiba and were informed to take to Datasys again for repairs. After having the laptop back for 1 week, it began to display the same symptoms. Upon taking it to DataSys, they informed us that they could not repair it as Toshiba had notified them that there was a known issue with the L305 model. If it's a known issue, why doesn't Toshiba say so. Anyway, we shipped it to Toshiba for repairs. On November 11th, the laptop again would not boot up. Toshiba instructed us to return the laptop for repairs.

Now it's December 22nd, and I just got off the phone with the Toshiba Customer Service Case Manager - Jessie. He has informed me that my laptop is out of warranty and that Toshiba will not honor any repairs regardless of the fact that the original problem reported in June 2009 was not resolved. I was also informed that I could not escalate this issue to anyone else and that my case was closed. Toshiba has refused me the ability to get any customer satisfaction for this unbelievable ordeal.

I have since approached Best Buy, where I bought the laptop to begin with, and explained my situation to them. At least they are more concerned about providing good customer service than Toshiba is and have asked me to let them look at the laptop. I should have done this to begin with. Regardless, bottom line I refuse to purchase any Toshiba products and will do my best to advise other not to purchase their products as well.

Merry Christimas Toshiba...

Phillip of Milton, MA December 20, 2009

I am in the midst of perhaps my worst experience as a consumer. I am 55. I will never buy a Toshiba product again.

I live near Boston, MA. I bought a Toshiba Satellite L505D for my daughter, who began college at McGill U. in Montreal in August. It arrived in the last week of the month, only a day before we took Gabriela to school. The computer worked for a few days and then would not boot up. Shortly after Labor Day, my daughter called Toshiba. They told her to send the computer to a company in Toronto in a box that arrived 2-3 weeks later. She complied.

Weeks went by. I called Toshiba: What’s up? It literally took hours on the phone before Toshiba could even locate the computer. My daughter and I made repeated calls to the repair center, leaving messages to which there was no reply. Gabriela finally got someone on the phone, who said a part was back-ordered and could not predict a repair completion date.

It is now mid-December. My daughter is half-way through her first demanding year of college and has struggled without the use of a computer, which is standard equipment for college students these days. Dealing with this situation since September has been a nightmare. I’ve spent 20 hours on the phone if I’ve spent 10 minutes.

I called several customer service numbers, speaking to different people in Canada and the US. Canadians said the US branch was responsible b/c I bought it south of the border. The US branch said the Canadians were responsible b/c that’s where the computer was located. I reminded them that Toshiba is one company. Then they said it was the repair company’s responsibility, the same one that Toshiba hires. Except to promise (several times) to refer the matter to a “case manager,” who would call me (hah! never happened), they refused to intercede with the repair company, or even call them (“we can’t call Canada”). They also refused to refer me to a supervisor, who, they all said in the same words, “didn’t take calls.”

I’ve certainly had headaches with computer companies’ customer service departments over the years. But there were always helpful people among the unhelpful. I’ve never seen such a consistent policy of turning up the middle finger towards the consumer. I am left literally with no way to get relief, except to sue Toshiba. What do I do in the meantime? Buy another computer? My daughter needs one badly, but I don’t have the money to buy her two computers. I am thoroughly disgusted.

I thought that Toshiba offered a nice deal on a computer. No deal is nice enough to compensate for this kind of aggravation, however.

Mary of St. Louis, MO December 19, 2009

I purchased a toshiba laptop in June and was sold and additional warrenty. The Warrenty was not explained in full detial and i thought it covered accidents such as spills or other accidents. I returned to the store and was told the extended warrenty did not cover any of these services. Then i was told this happens all the time. Do not buy a computer from best buy - I may be out of a computer.The manager gave me the refund of the warrenty and the other manager was mad becasue she only wanted to prorate it. This is how they scam people and make their money.Will they fix the computer? No!

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