Customer Dispute over Broken Laptop Screen

[Joe Brochin]

So I am new to the business so excuse my inexperience in asking for advice here.

A customer dropped their laptop and the screen went bad with the spider webs across the screen. I replaced the screen and it was fine for a week plus afterwards. Now they are having issues again with the screen going black. They seem to think it should have been fixed "right" the first time. However, I believe I fixed the issue, it was working when they took it. The symptoms they are having with their screen are different in that it is going black now.

My question is, should they pay for the additional labor I use to troubleshoot and fix?

Sorry if this is an ignorant question, but I am new and this is the first customer dispute I have had.

 

[Canadian Tech]

I would have explained to them it's a different issue and therefore a chargeable one at that. Because they dropped the laptop it's probably cause issues with the motherboard.

 

[nlinecomputers]

And how do you know that your screen isn't bad? Or that you didn't properly seat the connections? I am with the customer here. It was your job to test the unit and I find it unlikely that this is a new unrelated problem. IOW eat your own dog food. Sometimes you have to warranty your own work and sometimes you have to give the money back. If you don't stand by your own work the flak you will get in bad reviews or worse a small claims court lawsuit will cost you more then the money you lose here(and your pride.)

 

[kwest]

What is your warranty on your work? Your replacement part could have gone bad or a cable is loose.

I would ask the customer to bring it back and you will diagnose it at no charge. After you diag you have the knowledge to say it is a different issue or not. You can’t assume it without checking.

If one of my customers called me with this issue I would have responded this way. Wow I am so sorry you are having an issue with the laptop. Please bring it back ASAP so I can diagnose what the issue is.

 

[Joe Brochin]

@kwest this is what I have done. I asked them to bring it back so I can check it at no cost.

 

[kwest]

@kwest this is what I have done. I asked them to bring it back so I can check it at no cost.

Perfect and when diag is complete you can tell them their options. Now the big question is if it ends up being the motherboard are you going to refund them? Since it wasn’t fully tested I think you should.

It has happened to us. We return the part, eat the lost tech time and just charge our $50 diag fee. Explain that multiple things failed it wasn’t just the screen. Or you tell them to buy a new one and charge them for setup and transfer.

 

[Joe Brochin]

I'll be refunding them if it is the motherboard.

 

[Markverhyden]

I'll do a 30 day warranty on repairs like that. So I'd tell the customer it's most likely not related to the new LCD. But I would have already explained to the EU, several times, that dropping a laptop can cause other problems not readily evident.

You provided no specs, like make, model, and OS. Did the customer have that problem before the drop?. Was the screen brand new to the best of your knowledge or a cull?

 

[Joe Brochin]

@Markverhyden I dont have the information in front of me right now. Only thing I can remember off the top of my head is that it is a Dell with Win 7. Problem did not exist before the drop. Screen was brand new to my knowledge.

The customer dropped it off earlier today so I will share the outcome on here.

I want to thank everyone for the feedback.

 

[GTP]

When you say the "screen going black" does it come back on if you move the mouse or press the spacebar?
Could be something as simple as the screen turning off after XX minutes.
I would check the power settings as well as all the other excellent advice here.

 

[Joe Brochin]

First and foremost I must admit I misunderstood the customer during the initial call. They were not be accusatory or refusing to pay.

@Barcelona. It was not a black screen. It was a darker screen, but with some back light. When the laptop lid or computer would be moved it would change colors or go blank again.

Needless to say, I checked the connection of the display cable to screen and motherboard. Both connections were good. When I put everything back together everything is working fine. There is some rattling within the laptop. I have advised the customer that the issue may arise again and I would be willing to refund their money.

They actually refused the refund and have asked me to do more work by backing up their data . They will be buying a new laptop and assuming they will ask me to transfer the data for them. They even stated they recommended me to others and took some business cards.

Lesson was learned though. I am better prepared to communicate with customers before work, during and after now.

 

[Briggsy]

it is a Dell

That's the problem with it ;-)

On a serious note, I agree with what some of the others have said - check it over in case the cable has become unseated (not uncommon - some clips are quite poor these days I find) or the screen was a dud. If after testing the screen, it's still not working, then refund the screen and tell them its a different issue - then deal with that accordingly at a discounted rate.

 

[frase]

Did you try to use another monitor to make sure it is a display issue. Definitely loose cables or dirty connection on cable can be an issue. Something rattling inside is not a job well done. Could be a plastic clip or worse a screw creating a short.

 

[Joe Brochin]

Yes, it works on an external monitor. I looked inside best I could and found nothing loose. I did explain I could spend more time working on the laptop, but they did not have time. Like I said, it is working now and I cannot get it to replicate the problem again no matter how much I move the lid or the entire laptop.

 

[sapphirescales]

This is why I usually refuse to work on laptops that have been dropped. I explain to my clients that any number of things can go wrong even after I've "fixed" it because it's been dropped and I don't want to take on that responsibility. I offer to transfer their data to a new machine and sell them a good quality business class laptop, but other than that I don't want to deal with finicky garbage.

 

[Larry Sabo]

There is some rattling within the laptop.

 

[callthatgirl]

Lesson was learned though. I am better prepared to communicate with customers before work, during and after now.

Learning is earning

 

[Porthos]

Learning is earning

I think I heard that on some video somewhere.

 

[callthatgirl]

 

[Krynn72]

Read this article: https://www.technibble.com/customer-not-happy-with-your-work-here-is-how-to-deal-with-it/

Essentially you are reacting incorrectly right now. You're trying to decide how to handle something before even knowing what it is. The time to argue your case, or cover it under warranty, or offer a refund, etc is only AFTER you get hands on it and gather all the relevant info.

You don't tell people that "it was working when I gave it to you". You tell them "I'm sorry you're still having trouble with it, please bring it back in so I can figure out what the issue is." Tell them there will be no charge, you'll cover the diagnosis under warranty and if it's related or something simple then the repair will be under warranty too. Make no further commitments, and don't makes assumptions.

Edit: I wrote this post like 14 hours ago but never hit submit until I just opened chrome on my phone and saw it. Glad you got it sorted out and handled. You did good, most people appreciate the reserved and honest approach, and you're seeing the rewards.