Laptop stopped working - tech says it was because of Aftermarket charger supplied.
Hi there.
Last September I bought a reconditioned laptop.
The listing said it had an aftermarket charger and that it worked fine.
April this year comes, and it has stopped charging all together. I took it to a local tech and they say that the problem is in the motherboard and that it most certainly is linked to the charge that the seller supplied with it.
It is mentioned that it was supplied with an aftermarket charger (thunderbolt type) - do I have a leg to stand on when it comes to getting my money back?
Thank you
14 comments
sugar249
·3 years agoInteresting, not sure how your tech guy could determine a mother board fault was due to an aftermarket power supply, having spent to many years working in the IT industry, I call BS on that one.
countessalmirena
·3 years agoThere are plenty of sellers on eBay who offer a warranty — but sadly that doesn’t equate to plenty of sellers on eBay upholding a warranty.
It’s not about individual hobby sellers (of whom relatively few exist nowadays on eBay, with Managed Payments being the final blow for many). It’s about sellers who are
• overseas selling genuine items
• overseas selling unbranded items
• overseas selling fakes
• in Australia selling grey imports (genuine but without local distributor and possibly no rights granted by manufacturer to sell those items here)
• in Australia selling stolen items
• in Australia selling genuine items acquired from fire sale or estate auction or other source without connection to a local distributor/manufacturer
• in Australia selling unbranded items acquired through Alibaba or even eBay (probably from China), or
• in Australia selling fakes.
If the seller is overseas, Australian Consumer Law doesn’t apply and couldn’t be enforced anyway.
If the overseas seller is well-known and offers a warranty and the issue is covered… well, the buyer may have to cover postage to and postage back, and that is assuming that the company cover international buyers. Some companies do, but it’s tricky - and the buyer might not be covered if there is an Australian distributor and they don’t make any warranty if one imports from overseas instead of buying the items that have been okayed (including all product standards tested or processed according to Australian standards) for the Australian market.
Murky situation when buying from Australian seller who has grey imports… If the seller is not a business, ACL doesn’t apply, and if they are, of course it does but it may be messy. Buyer can pursue civil action… but the local distributor probably won’t offer warranty for the product.
Unlikely in the extreme that any warranty could apply to the fire sale situation.
No warranty applies if purchased from an eBay auction.
Unbranded items bought locally… good luck getting any resolution. Seller has probably long since disappeared, probably still on eBay under new name…
Ditto to the max if items are fakes.
Even if a seller is perfectly genuine, only if the seller is an Australian business is a warranty worth anything.
What if the seller goes out of business? Then the lovely words also go up in flames.
What if any warranty is so hedged about with exculpations and rigid definitions of “proper use” that it would exclude most claims?
If the seller isn’t authorised to sell particular items, the manufacturer may explicitly decline to offer refund or exchange or repair — perfectly legally. The seller might get their knuckles rapped but it won’t force a warranty. The buyer might be able to pursue legal action but it may entail a lot of work and some expense, with possibly only a feeling of moral satisfaction at the end…
Buying from Australian authorised businesses is safest, although nothing is entirely without risk. (Local furniture company collapse is a case in point.)
Buy from reputable overseas businesses with more risk and difficulty in the event of a problem down the track.
Otherwise… warranty schwarranty.
eol-products
·3 years agoThis is a post about a laptop the OP purchased as reconditioned. Manufacturer warranties no longer apply. Some businesses purchase used laptops and refurbish them and sell at a profit. Maybe theres a slim chance OP's seller was one of these and your only option is to go back to them and ask for help. I know sellers who will and those that won't. All they can do is contact them as they have nothing to lose.
lotstosell16
OP3 years agoLots of good replies, a few "you get what you pay for" (which never help), but this last reply seems to say exactly the reply I needed to hear. Thanks people for your help!
jellybirddesigns
·3 years agoThere are no warranties on Ebay, unless sold by an authorised distributor.
You have 30 days after receipt to lodge a dispute, but after that you are out of luck. Random third party sellers might have stellar reputations, but Ebay does not enforce anything or hold sellers accountable after 30 days.
Always better to buy direct from Australian stores, pay a little more, but at least get an Australian backed warranty.
eol-products
·3 years agoYou do not need to be an authorised distributor to offer a warranty. There are many businesses on ebay that offer a warranty and are not authorised distributors. They will usually do this as they like repeat buyers and word of mouth.
I think you are referring to buying from an individual seller selling items from home they no longer want not having a warranty.
jellybirddesigns
·3 years agoI have yet to hear of ANY third party company on Ebay that has taken back an item when an issue arose that would be covered under regular Australian warranty. This forum is littered with posts from buyers who have tried to claim warranty from hundreds of different sellers and gotten nowhere.
Maybe there are the odd one or two Ebay sellers out there that offer and honour a "warranty", but the majority just don't. Even if they took the item back, they could not claim it from the manufacturer as those companies simply do not offer any protection for items sold outside their distribution chain. Sellers could possibly replace the item at their cost, but since they cannot claim from the manufacturer, they have to decide if the costs are worth it for the "goodwill". Don't know just how many are willing to do that, especially when Ebay doesn't require it.
eol-products
·3 years agoHave you sent the seller a message regarding the issue.
lotstosell16
OP3 years agoNot yet, assessing my options, that would be the first thing I do once I find what ground I am on.
eol-products
·3 years agoThe only option I see is if the seller stands by their product and may offer some solution. Your chances may not be good but their are some who will help and your only option I see is let them know what happened and if they are willing to offer you any solutions.
davewil1964
·3 years agoNO!
No legs. You are way out of time for eBay and Paypal, and probably your bank.
Don't buy from dodgy sellers, which are any sellers that don't have a registered business in Australia.
lotstosell16
OP3 years ago19759 sales, 100% positive Feedback, so, probably not a dodgy seller...
davewil1964
·3 years agoRegistered as a business in Australia?
May not be dodgy, but you have no recourse. Yours to consider their ultimate dodginess.
twyngwyn
·3 years ago7 months down the track, I don't think so.....