Some of us with Sony products less than two years old are unable to upgrade to windows 7 from tardy vista, because Sony cant be bothered to update the drivers, despite the hardware being more than capable of of handling the new operating system.

Anyone considering buying a New Sony Vaio should not be fooled into thinking that customer service will be there when you need them

Thanks very much for sharing your experience.

I think people buy Sony Vaio PCs because the designs look good, the specifications are impressive, and they believe, much like you, that they’re “buying better quality”, backed by the Sony brand.

What they don’t know – and what this forum seeks to communicate – is that things go wrong with Sony Vaio PCs and the service is truly appalling.

One of the things that still irks me about the way Sony failed to respond to my own problems (in addition to lying to me, which is unforgivable) was that fact that, although I wrote twice both to the CEO of Sony in the UK and the CEO of Sony Vaio in Europe, I received nothing in return – not even a polite acknowledgement of my letters, let alone a substantive response.

This illustrates a deplorable customer service ethic and complete disregard for the problems experienced by their customers.

I’m hoping this forum can help raise awareness of the problems people are having with Sony Vaio PCs, and thereby force Sony either to sort out their approach to customer service or face a declining market share, as people switch to other, better brands.

Please mention this site to other frustrated Sony Vaio users. You’ll be amazed at how many people you encounter who instantly recount their own bad experiences with Sony Vaio, as soon as you raise the topic.

Meanwhile, thanks again for your comments.

Alan

Just over a year on, it died again on Saturday and Sony want £150 to take it back and looki at it, before charging me for the repairs. Under Sale of Goods I don’t think 18 months is an acceptable lifespan for a laptop but two Sony Customer ‘Support’ people have told me that because it’s out of warranty I have no legal leg to stand on. I disagree and have mailed their Complaints team a letter to advise that I’m holding them in breach of contract.

I fully intend to pursue this and will never, ever buy a Sony computing product again. Their support staff talk over you on the phone, don’t listen and are off-hand in their manner, to say the least. Well done for making others aware of their failings. If I’d seen a site like this in 2007 I’d have bought another brand. Oh, for a time machine!

Good luck and prepare to invest a great deal of time getting to your journey.

I wish I could help you.

I certainly share your inclination to throw your new Sony Vaio computer in the pool. Indeed, I’m only keeping my own Sony Vaio SZ5 to illustrate to others what Sony Vaio customer service looks like in reality.

If you purchased your PC on a personal credit card, and depending on where you live, you may be able get your credit card company to take-up this issue with Sony on your behalf. In the UK, for instance, your PC with no sound output would be classed as not as of merchantable quality and your credit card company would be obliged refund your money.

Unfortunately, I purchased my Sony Vaio on a business credit card and therfore had no consumer protection of this ilk. Silly me. I won’t do that again.

I wish you all the best in trying to get a decent service out of Sony. You may succeed where I failed.

However, at least your comment will help others to understand just how dreadful Sony Vaio customer service can be, and therefore avoid buying Sony Vaio PCs until the service is improved dramatically.

Alan