Complaint Review: CompUSA - Jacksonville Florida

No software or harware on laptops is installed at CompUSA, unless the software was purchased in store and the customer purchased an upgrade installation service. The laptop is sent out for repairs when it is brought in under TAP. The new motherboard was installed at the manufacturer's shop, AS WAS WINDOWS. Therefore, CompUSA had no part in improper installation of software or hardware.

As I said, the store should NOT have installed Windows Professional onto your laptop. That was wrong. The original OEM copy of windows should have been reinstalled. However, you're missing the point of my ENTIRE POST. "I made a back up. I am not ignorant as you insinuate. I was sold a warranty with the explicit claim that I would receive a new battery before the year was out." If you made a backup, why didn't you provide it to CompUSA when you turned the computer in for repairs? Secondly, did you read your TAP agreement? The battery is covered for replacement if it no longer holds a charge at any point during your TAP. At the time you checked it in, it tested fine. The problem laid with the connector on the motherboard. Therefore, your battery did not need to be replaced. "When I bought the computer, all software was installed by CompUSA - there were no disks to reinstall the software." Wrong. CompUSA does not install any software to the computer unless you bought extra software at the time of purchase and had it installed at the tech desk. Windows comes pre-loaded on the machine. It is your responsibility to create a backup copy of Windows with the software that is provided to you by the laptop manufacturer. If you fail to do so, we can't provide a free copy of Windows. Keep in mind though, that I do agree that the store should not have installed Windows Pro. They should have obtrained a copy from you, or waited on one from the manufacturer (which would be more waiting for you and probably more frustration). Now, as for the flaming child who posted after you... "The OP HAD a valid copy of Windows until the store wiped it out!" But it was not backed up, as I said before. Operating systems need to be backed up. It's one of the most important guidelines of owning a computer, since without an operating system, you have no computer. Laptops use propietary drivers that are difficult to track down if you do not have an installation disc. They are not typically easily available from manufacturer's websites. There is no OEM Windows disc that the store can use to restore a laptop's drivers; it needs specific programming. It's up to the user to make a backup with the program that comes on the laptop; it usually is available for the first 15 days after booting the machine up. Or, the $50 CompCare will MAKE a backup set of discs for you. (I said $40 earlier, the prices changed recently and I wasn't sure if it was that much or not.) Also, swapping a motherboard does often require a Windows re-installation, as it's very rare that the motherboard is exactly thew same as the one before it. When the hardware profile changes, Windows gets very upset and wants a new HAL to be installed. Even something as simple as a CMOS misconfiguration can cause a reformatting to be needed. I don't deny that Windows Pro should not have been installed: that was incorreect procedure, and I apologise on behalf of that tech department for the inconvenience it caused you, Susan. But you must understand that we can only help the customer so much if they refuse to help themselves. As I said, the $50 CompCare program installs any software you may have purchased on the same ticket AND creates a set of Windows Backup discs for you, so if you have a programming issue, you will still have all your original software.

The OP HAD a valid copy of Windows until the store wiped it out! That being said, the store CAN reinstall Windows using OEM installation media (which they Should have!) and using the code that is on the laptop. AND if they swapped the motherboard with the same model, it would NOT have to be re-loaded anyway. I sure wont be visiting Compusa for ANYTHING if this is the level of their incompetence and your attitude is a reflection of the opinion of customers!

Mark, My issue is not that I failed to make a back up. I made a back up. I am not ignorant as you insinuate. I was sold a warranty with the explicit claim that I would receive a new battery before the year was out. When submitting my computer for repair, and requestin a new battery as the salesman had promised during the sales, I was denied the battery. When I bought the computer, all software was installed by CompUSA - there were no disks to reinstall the software when I got it home and Windows professional edition was installed instead of Windows Home, which I had the key for on my computer sticker on the bottom of my computer. When contacting CompUSA, they denied that they would do something like that, and that I needed to drive the hour each way to bring the computer in again to fix the problem that they caused. The computer is dead- the battery does not hold any charge, and the charging cord does not stay connected for any length of time to allow any use of the computer. So, of course, any warranty of the computer is gone now, and just for Comp USA to look at it is $140. So I bought an inexpensive laptop from another stoer, and any computer that I need to buy for me or my business will be bought from any where but CompUSA. So, Mark, before you go and decide that I am stupid and incompetent and don't take the necessary precautions before I take my computer in to have it serviced, perhaps you should just not post to sites. Positive suggestions are what are needed at this site, not boneheaded comments that assume that people (women?) are stupid and your air of superiority wafts through the keyboard at them. Chill,Chuck.

First of all, the tech shop that installed Windows to your computer was incorrect in doing so. They should not have installed ANY operating system at all unless they were given a copy of Windows Recovery discs that came with your laptop when you purchased it, or a Windows XP installation disc that you purchased otherwise, with a valid Serial Key number. That being said, CompUSA's tech services department's wrongdoing ends there. Firstly: The Laptop TAP program covers a one time replacement of the battery should it be defective. Your battery is NOT defective. You said yourself that the problem was the connector in the power supply, and that replacing the motherboard (in turn replacing the connector) fixed the problem. Therefore, according to your own testimony, your laptop does not need a new battery. Your TAP continued to cover the battery should it no longer be effective within the remaining warranty period. Secondly: It is not CompUSA's responsibility to retain a copy of Microsoft Windows for each customer that goes through the store; it is each individual customer's. If you are not responsible enough to back up your laptop (which you obviously rely on), why should anyone else be? The laptop either came with recovery discs, a recovery partition (if there was a partition, the store would have used THAT to restore the laptop, hence there was none), or a program that would have guided you through the disc creation process when you first turned on the machine. Thirdly: Customer like you are the ones who drive me insane. You fail to take responsibility for your lack of actions, therefore you blame everyone else and tell people not to shop at that particular store. Next time, to save everyone, including yourself, money and frustration, BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER. CompUSA offers a $40 program called CompCare that will CREATE BACKUP DISCS FOR YOU upon purchase of the computer, which will keep this kind of thing from happening again.

I am aware of many places doing this. This is improper procedure and you should take them to small claims court. I did a similar thing but actually knew what i was doing. I got ahold of an special installation disk on the internet and installed XP using the CD-Key printed on the laptop. If you use the cd-key printed on the laptop, everything is legal, you will never get a message from MS since its use the cd key that you paid for....it just was installed with a different method...