del
Sure you can sue. You can sue anyone for anything. Doesn’t mean you’ll win. And it certainly doesn’t mean it’s the most efficient and cost effective solution. In fact, it may not be a solution at all. But anyone can sue anyone for anything if they feel like it.
In this case I definitely would not recommend suing. It’ll cost you a shitload of time and money and when you lose, which you will, you will be far more pissed off than you are now.
You might consider hiring a lawyer to write a threatening letter to them.
Or, you might consider taking it back from them and bringing it somewhere else to get it fixed. Do you know what’s wrong with it? Do you know what part needed to be ordered? Do you know if another shop can get that part faster for you? If so, that’s surely the quickest/best option, don’t you think?
Go in there and talk to the manager, avoid talking to any of the robots they have working there. For any further inquiries or issues, use the same person(note: get name card). Would a loaner help you out? That is a reasonable request.
Though I understand the product recall could be massive, if I were you, I probably would not waste my time filing a lawsuit against them but write a proper complaint letter to their customer service department and also send a copy to the management team of that company!
Find the “right” person is always the key! 
thanks for the suggestions.
My "part’ it needs replacing is unknown. I checked few forums to find my answer and I feel it might be the whole motherboard since “any graphic card inside notebooks are embedded into the the motherboard” (forum people said). I know it would take time if this is the part they are talking about, but I am not sure.
I did tlak to the same people, but I think I will write a letter to the customer service and also to the management team to get this going.
the recall, I’m not sure if it is a massive recall, nor am i sure if this problem happens to only “certain” computer, which just happens to be mine. The official site where the recall was listed said it started from 2008… but my problem came in 2010… i might be the least few people to get this problem around this time period, but still, problem is a problem and they should handle it well.
By the way, in this letter, would it be reasonable if I wrote something in the line of “I hope to get ___ from this” (maybe extra notebook battery) to compensate for all this, bla bla bla… or just state my anger and done?
Cut and paste all the comments you have made about their product (from all the various forums you are engaged in) into the e-mail/letter.
Show the company that you are using social media to find out the answers.
Ask them for transparency when discussing your specific problem.
Become a “fan” of their brand on facebook and post your concerns there. Customer care is more likely to solve the problem quickly, if their whole fan base can see the issue being discussed.
These days its better to collaborate with a company. Tell them they are screwing up. Tell them want you want. Ask them questions and expect answers.
If it’s a notebook with some graphics related defect, then yes, it would be the motherboard.
Any chance of this being a Nvida graphics chip with cracked bumps? :aiyo:
Maybe post some info here, since there are people from IT companies on Forumosa. Maybe you can get some help from “internally” if someone of that brand happens to be here?
[quote=“xitdude”]thanks for the suggestions.
By the way, in this letter, would it be reasonable if I wrote something in the line of “I hope to get ___ from this” (maybe extra notebook battery) to compensate for all this, bla bla bla… or just state my anger and done?[/quote]
Well, I am not quite sure if it would work as it depends on your attitude / request in such letter and the level of customer service of that company.
But I assume apart from the time and energy you’ve spent so far, physically you’d lose nothing to nag them more. 
Anyhow, hope your problem will be fixed soon!
thanks again all.
some updates: they called yesterday night and said Sony isn’t allowed to ship parts oversea, that I need to send my notebook to Japan to get it fixed.
I’m frustrated in this sense: when I first visited there, they said they “can” ship it to Taiwan, bla bla bla, and how there are no need to ship my notebook to Japan, which is what i suggested in the first place. Everytime I called, it’s just waiting and they give me excuse saying they are making new notebook and are busy to make mine, and now… Why does it take 1.5 month to say they “can’t” ship parts, and i need to send it to Japan? Kind of inexcusable. I am planning ot go this Saturday or more earlier to get talking to a manager. I’m also planning to get some document of what they have done so far from the manager too. I’m thinking these place keeps a record of when we called, what information was shared during that call, when they called Japan or contacted Japan, etc.
what an ass…
Tee hee! 
Where did you bring your notebook? I know for a fact that Sony has its repair service in Tucheng, perhaps you could go straight to the source.
If it helps: Reading this article and the lack of communication on sony customer care’s part, I will not buy a sony notebook. I was gonna buy one after pay day next month.
Now gonna for macbook instead.
[quote=“xitdude”]thanks again all.
some updates: they called yesterday night and said Sony isn’t allowed to ship parts oversea, that I need to send my notebook to Japan to get it fixed.
I’m frustrated in this sense: when I first visited there, they said they “can” ship it to Taiwan, bla bla bla, and how there are no need to ship my notebook to Japan, which is what i suggested in the first place. Everytime I called, it’s just waiting and they give me excuse saying they are making new notebook and are busy to make mine, and now… Why does it take 1.5 month to say they “can’t” ship parts, and I need to send it to Japan? Kind of inexcusable. I am planning ot go this Saturday or more earlier to get talking to a manager. I’m also planning to get some document of what they have done so far from the manager too. I’m thinking these place keeps a record of when we called, what information was shared during that call, when they called Japan or contacted Japan, etc.
what an ass…[/quote]
Hello,
Sorry to hear that!
My laptop is a Sony Vaio; so far it’s good, which means I don’t need to give them a call
Not sure which repair station you are contacting with, but here is the contact details for SONY TAIWAN customer service center.
Hours: 0900-1800（Mon-Fri）/ 0900-1700 Sat
Tel: 4499111（call from landline）/ 02-4499111（call from mobile）
Fax：02-2268-2236
E-Mail：info@sony.com.tw
Website:http://service.sony.com.tw/
Good Luck
The place I went is here: 光華數位新天地(Guang Hua Computer Market) 台北市(in Taipei City)
There is an “Official Taiwan Sony” center there, which is where I went. I’m planning to go tonight (if raining stops) or tomorrow for sure no matter if there are tornado’s going on.
I appreciate all your help (Belgian Pie and I am a City Girl), but as they put me in a spot that “my notebook that was bought in Japan needs to be fixed in Japan” bullshit, I guess I can’t go out from this box if I “want” to get it repaired, which sadly, I do.
so frustrated
more updates: getting good but at the same time, worse.
I am thinking to write a threatful letter, and hope to get some feedbacks from you all.
After getting in touch with Japan’s Sony, and email after another, they finally respond with the following. I will put some steps I took along with responses I received.
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TW: took my notebook 3/7 after seeing Sony’s website with my model having graphic card problems. A recall notice was present. They told me they will get parts from Japan (Japan ships parts) and Taiwan fixes. They said they will get parts by 4/1.
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TW: 4/1, no parts. Told me to wait more.
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TW: 4/8, waited 1 week, called, told me to wait more and they will get answer by Monday (4/12). They will call me to let me know the answer.
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TW: 4/12, no call from them.
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TW: 4/13, I call to see what’s up. They have no answer yet.
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TW: 4/20, TW Sony finally calls and said Japan can’t ship parts and I need to have it fixed in Japan.
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TW end: 4/22, I pickup notebook.
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4/20, I contact Sony by email.
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4/22, received reply to forward me to customer support center in Japan.
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4/23, received reply from Japan with case ID. Email said they will contact me 4/26 Monday since today was Friday.
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4/26, received reply saying they are currently contacting Taiwan Sony. I reply back saying “what do you mean by this. please give me specific detail”
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4/27, received reply saying they are contacting Taiwan Sony again “to do maintenance” with no further details. I replied with “1. give me more specfic detail. 2. what do you mean by maintenance after me talking with them for 1.5 month and they finally said can’t do, and they forwarded me to contact Japan to get it fixed”
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4/27 night, received reply with more specifc message stating: due to what I went through, they are talking to the Asia Contact person (of Sony) to get this going and have it shipped to be fixed here. Through contact with whoever this person is, they found out they can send parts to taiwan to get it fixed. I also asked how long do i need to wait again on my previous reply and their answer was given to this email saying they are not sure. I also asked for his (the person I kept emailing with) to get his phone number but he said he can’t give that info since there is no direct line there. They also wrote on the email that seems like Taiwan Sony didn’t contact Japan Sony well and communications were lost during that time of 3/7-4/22. (?!?!?!)
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Now: I emailed again to please give me an estimated time through his experience with these matters as I have already now waited 1 month and 3 weeks. If I need to wait another month with this I’ll go insane you know.
My post here was to gain input on a threatful letter. Right now, I am “preparing” to write as I am unsure of his reply to the time at the moment. On my reply, I wrote in a way to say if they cna get it all done and shipped here within 1 week, or if they need more time, or give me some kind of time frame since they know I have been waiting for a long time. I also told them since they don’t know the time yet, that please let me know when Japan ships the parts to Taiwan. (I’m thinking I can get shipping confirmation as I’m sure it will be an insured mail for me to track it). By the way, Taiwan Sony said they don’t have any records like I hoped they would about how they kept in touch with my notebook during 3/7 to 4/22. Do you think this is normal? I would like to know how they keep track of maintenance orders with specific computers if they have thousands or even hundreds of them going on at once…
Document wise, I have the original paper when I sent my notebook to Taiwan Sony, and when I got it picked up. Others will be all the email I have been in touch with Japan…
That sucks, I hope you win in the end. That kind of half arsed ‘pass the buck’-ism is rampant in Taiwan agent/importer/dealer scenarios. Unsurprisingly local companies all want to carry product X and benefit from brand prestige and profit from sales, but take demands to uphold the other end of the bargain with warranty and service issues as an unreasonable affront and stop at nothing to weasel out of the inconvenient responsibilities that are part of being an importer/agent.
I’ve lost count of the number of international brand product managers I know in my field who say “Sure, our Taiwanese importer/agent is incompetent and ineffective but it’s an established deal and to the honest the Taiwan market is so small it’s too much hassle to cancel and start from scratch since new partner company X will promise the earth in the beginning, but end up the same in the end.” One of these centuries Taiwan will outgrow the cha-bu-duo mentality.
Good luck taking the fight to them.
I had a problem with Sony’s customer service back in… 2001 or so, after I’d bought a camera from them. The camera became known for having an issue known as “DLS” (dark left side) because the sensor had been mounted off the axis of the main lens.
I took it back to the shop for repair and Sony “repaired” it but my tests showed the problem was still there. I made several trips to Tucheng in person brandishing my camera, photographs and printouts from Sony’s own websites and in the end the repair center bought a whole new camera and replaced the internals of mine with the internals from the new one. They probably did it to get rid of the foreigner who wouldn’t stop hassling them.
Japanese? So therefore presumably a grey market purchase? Sounds like the normal kind of deal to me. What exactly are you after? Country warranty for a country you didn’t purchase in? Is that right?
You could contact the good folks at Consumer Affairs to start into the process of getting them to justify their malarkey.
Seriously sucks.
I hope they can just give me a new notebook to get rid of me.
I bought my notebook in Japan since I’m Japanese. Just happened to visit there in 2006 and bought this notebook. I bought it at a normal store, like Tsann Kuen type here in Taiwan. It’s not one of those “buy it at some 3C street type place” if that is what you mean by grey market (no offence to anyone here. I visit those regulary time to time). So, my notebook is legit to the bottom of its screw.
My warranty expired in 2007 I believe, but this problem my notebook is having right now is a recall in the sense due to faulty graphic card listed by Sony’s official website. Specifically, only the model bought from “Japan” with date of purchase between so-and-so months (stated on the website), which mine fit in that category. So I guess it’s “ok” for those same model bought outside of Japan, and those who bought the same model in Japan after those month passed.