This post is going to go over why I don’t like Sony anymore. In this day in age customer relations is so important. In my opinion if you don’t have very good CR then people are going to find out very fast.
Unlike the Dell’s and Hp’s of the world, Sony refuses to publish the hardware repair manual of their laptops. While most Designs are fairly straight forward, my Sony VGN-FW140D is very hard to get at things like the LCD inverter and Tube. I looked on their website and didn’t find any documentation. I then called Sony to see if they could email me the information. I spent nearly an hour on the phone. Just for them to in the end say, we don’t give that information out except to our Sony Authorized centers. I then told them I run my own computer repair business and asked how I could become one to get the information. They then told me I couldn’t become one.
I called Advance here in Winnipeg. After talking with the Tech he informed me that they don’t even do Sony repairs because Sony doesn’t even send them the repair info even though they were a Sony Authorized reseller! Believe it or not the are only 2 places in Canada that you can send your Sony in for repair. One is in Calgary and the other is in Toronto.
After doing more searches online I have seen some “repair documents” for other Sony machines and they are not pretty. They show how all the parts go together in one cramped little piece of paper. Non of the parts are labeled and with all the lines with for the screws almost blocks some very key parts!
I must say that I really really love the screen on this machine. I rivals an Apple MacBook Pro for color quality and design. Unfortunately when Sony is this bad I refuse to support them. Speaking with money (or lack there of) is sometimes the only way companies will stand up and listen.
PS – I still think Dell is the best when it comes to repair manuals. Everything is laid out nice. They have all the docs right on their website. When you order a part they also include instructions inside the box.
Elanie says
Oh my, that is just very frustrating. I could imagine you are probably close to cursing. One good thing from your experience is that now you know which brand or company to cross out from your list of most reliable services provided to customers.
Jonathan says
I have the same model sony in my shop here. The inverter board has visably burned components and when I installed a new one, it failed after about 15-20 minutes. If you have gone any further or have any information about the problem you are having it could be a help to me solving my client’s problems. I can tell you easily how to replace the inverter. I just don’t know if that will fix the issue and I am curious to see if you may be having the same problem. Please email me at jslon1985@yahoo.com