# freebsd burning out a laptop screen.



## synack (Mar 16, 2010)

Hi, I've just come back from an interesting visit to my retailer. One of my FreeBSD laptop's screen went white and burned out. When I turned it back on it was ok. But I took it back to the retailer (still under warranty) and was told that FreeBSD and Linux are illegitimate Operating systems' and it was probably the driver that caused the screen to burn out. I tried to explain that the FreeBSD drivers don't destroy laptop screens but he insisted on saying that Micr$oft was the only legitimatly designed O.S and FreeBSD was written by UNQUALIFIED hacks. Point of the story? Retailers don't like it when there is a warranty issue, they just don't like handing over a new laptop and admitting that yours was faulty.

synack


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## ericbsd (Mar 16, 2010)

Your right.


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## fronclynne (Mar 16, 2010)

I don't usually bother RMAing or Warrantee Returning anything except stuff I've already replaced like adapter cards or drives, but I have a couple of notions about how to avoid these ridiculous debates with the meat-sacks that work most places.  If I had to return a lap top, I'd pull out the HDD (or buy another HDD and install an old copy of windows 98 I have lying around).  If they asked, I'd just say that what is on the HDD is none of their [redacted: profane] business.  If they refused to fix the problem then, I guess I'd be stuck either paying for the repairs or suing them (I guess you could start working your way up the food chain, complaining to managers and such (good luck, too)), which is exactly where you are now.

But never, ever let them touch or even so much as look at your HDD or the data thereon without a court order.  They should never have access to your encryption keys or stored password (and trust me, it wouldn't take 3 minutes for someone so inclined to copy off all of that and work it over at their leisure if the drive leaves your direct line of sight).


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## oliverh (Mar 16, 2010)

synack said:
			
		

> Hi, I've just come back from an interesting visit to my retailer. One of my FreeBSD laptop's screen went white and burned out. When I turned it back on it was ok. But I took it back to the retailer (still under warranty) and was told that FreeBSD and Linux are illegitimate Operating systems' and it was probably the driver that caused the screen to burn out. I tried to explain that the FreeBSD drivers don't destroy laptop screens but he insisted on saying that Micr$oft was the only legitimatly designed O.S and FreeBSD was written by UNQUALIFIED hacks. Point of the story? Retailers don't like it when there is a warranty issue, they just don't like handing over a new laptop and admitting that yours was faulty.
> 
> synack



That's nonsense, but bitter reality at least in the USA. 

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=533105


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## SirDice (Mar 16, 2010)

An LCD white-out is a hardware issue. It has absolutely nothing to do with software.

Now, if this happened in Holland I would ask the retailer to prove his point. He can't. This means he needs to replace the hardware.


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## GPF (Mar 16, 2010)

SirDice said:
			
		

> Now, if this happened in Holland I would ask the retailer to prove his point. He can't. This means he needs to replace the hardware.



Not quite. Here in Greece sometimes it's part of the Warranty/License agreement that comes with your laptop and states something like "if you install any other OS, besides the stupid Windows Vista that your laptop came with, the warranty is nullified" And on that ground they can refuse to fix *any* problem, and technically, they have the right to do so.

As fronclynne mentioned, the best thing to do is to pull out some recovery disks and install windows before you take your laptop to your retailer. But I sincerely doubt they would even look at your OSes if you hadn't mentioned them since it was really a hardware problem. 

As a general rule, next time refrain from pointing out that you are sys/admin and you deal with Unixz. Act like a casual user and try saying that some windows virus installed unix on your box :-D


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## SirDice (Mar 16, 2010)

GPF said:
			
		

> Not quite. Here in Greece sometimes it's part of the Warranty/License agreement that comes with your laptop and states something like "if you install any other OS, besides the stupid Windows Vista that your laptop came with, the warranty is nullified" And on that ground they can refuse to fix *any* problem, and technically, they have the right to do so.


It really doesn't matter what the warranty says. Warranty agreements do not overrule consumer law. So unless the retailer wants to get sued by consumer organizations (not to mention bad press) he'll replace the hardware. You may need to write a few angry letters but in the end they all give in.

I even managed to get a phone replaced that had one of those moisture stickers. It had turned red. But still, they couldn't prove it was anything I did. So they replaced the phone.


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## GPF (Mar 16, 2010)

I admire your patience and persistence! But for those who don't feel like arguing with lawyers and clerks, I suggest the "stupid pc user" approach I described. Anyhoo, best of luck with your laptop synack


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## Zare (Mar 16, 2010)

It's oh so easy.

Send an e-mail to the manager, tell him what that idiot warranty guy told you, and in finest words say : i've paid and sent my laptop to qualified hardware analyst company that will determine cause of the problem. If they conclude against software-based malfunction and mechanical damage/abuse, your ass is going to court.


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## Zare (Mar 16, 2010)

Just got a nice input from a coworker. 

Go to that guy again and say that you want a written and signed report about your warranty issue.


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## fronclynne (Mar 16, 2010)

Using their own system against them, brilliant.


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## ericbsd (Mar 16, 2010)

The problem is Bill Gate have to sale is product and if read Microsoft license.
if we don't find their software useful we can be refund try that is not gonna work too.
all people let the majority do bad thing. Bill Gate is Rich person and I love enslave people.
I don't use Microsoft product now. in other way i cant afford it. o yes I now i can download it for free but is illegal.
My new live style don't wont me to be illegal.
now I only use FreeBSD. and try to finish Ghostbsd installer.


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## synack (Mar 17, 2010)

I think that the reason he was arguing with me over software issues so much and trying to push his point, is that software is not covered under warranty. He was telling me that because I was running an illegitimate operating system it was the O.S drivers causing the fault. So if I want them to touch it I have to install vista [shudder] and wait for the screen to be faulty again. Which 'WILL PROVE TO ME' that it is a hardware problem. 

As for my data I wipe the drive with a clean install before I take it in. Another reason it is not software based problem. I was talking/arguing with the franchise owner and he was not going to budge. I even bet him his franchise that a FreeBSD driver would not do that to a LCD screen, something to which he declined.


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## rden (Mar 26, 2010)

The shop owner may have a case, having FreeBSD installed on a computer means you are using it in for serious purposes, as opposed to having some spoon feeding MS drivel installed usually means you bought a laptop because everybody has one even though you cant think of anything more useful to use it for beyond playing facebook games.


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## synack (Mar 26, 2010)

maybe, but the laptop has a 64-bit T9600 CPU which is alot of grunt for a laptop. I don't want to loose out on doing cool things with it because the retailer lives in a Microsoft world and knows nothing else.


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## markcoker (Apr 5, 2010)

SirDice said:
			
		

> It really doesn't matter what the warranty says. Warranty agreements do not overrule consumer law. So unless the retailer wants to get sued by consumer organizations (not to mention bad press) he'll replace the hardware. You may need to write a few angry letters but in the end they all give in.
> 
> I even managed to get a phone replaced that had one of those moisture stickers. It had turned red. But still, they couldn't prove it was anything I did. So they replaced the phone.



Its simple under consumer law, he has to. Just look into it force your point you most likley dont have to write any letter. Just prove to him that its clear only hardware related.


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## synack (Apr 6, 2010)

after arguing the point for weeks', I said I would pay to get the OEM DVD for the laptop from the manufacturer to prove that it was a hardware fault. Guess who won :e

I put it to him as simple as I could. A light switch uses software to turn on; yes / no ... from that his argument pretty much fell apart.


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