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This one had us in stitches…it's well worth reading the exchange of e-mails below, in which only the names have been removed to protect the innocent…
e-mail from customer to Icon… I had an accident in the office at home yesterday when my wife fell through the ceiling of the room above into the office, landing on a desk and one of the company's laptops. The laptop screen (TFT LCD Panel), is cracked and just displays a jumble of colours when switched on. I don't know whether there are any other problems with the machine as the screen is unusable. There is no other damage to any other equipment, and the data on the PC in question is all backed up separately. The laptop in question is a Sony VAIO SR21K, purchased from PC World for £999.00. I've dug out the receipts, which are badly faded. The price is readable on the original, but not on a scanned copy, so if you need to confirm details, I will have to send the original to you. I note there is a £100 excess on the policy, so can you advise on how best to proceed with any claim, and any options there may be? Thanks.
e-mail from Icon to customer… We shall need a claim form completed as attached. Please obtain a repair estimate and if not repairable then two quotations for replacement with a similar specification laptop. Look forward to hearing from you.
e-mail from customer to Icon… Thanks for your concern, my wife is fine - the actual accident was a comedy of errors - when she fell through the ceiling, she ended up standing upright on the laptop/desk, with just some minor bruising etc. I rushed into the upstairs room, and thought she was dangling in mid air, and in my rush to get to her, I lost my footing and also fell through the ceiling, landing on a cross joist, and ending up in A&E thinking I'd cracked a bunch of ribs! Fortunately, the ribs don't appear broken, but don't make me laugh! Anyway I put the laptop into a local specialist repairer for a repair estimate, and he's just called me. The damage is a smashed screen and a dented casing. The screen can be repaired for £425+vat, but he cannot get a new casing, as the part is now obsolete. In addition, there is also a £60+vat evaluation charge by the shop, regardless of whether the laptop is repaired. So the question is what options do I have? When the laptop in question was first bought, its primary use was when travelling, so it is an ultraportable laptop - much smaller and lighter than a standard laptop. I now have another ultraportable laptop, so I don't have such a need for any replacement to be so small, as the damaged laptop is generally only used in the office, by the company secretary. A new basic laptop from say Dell can be bought new for around £500. Being that the casing cannot be replaced, I would obviously prefer that the laptop is replaced. The question is, should I get quotes for a new basic laptop that has a purchase cost similar to the repair cost, or should I be getting a quote for a replacement Sony that is a similar dimension/weight as the damaged laptop, given that was the primary reason for its original purchase. A new Sony ultraportable laptop is going to cost something like £1000-£1100. I can obviously get something in writing from the repair centre confirming the casing cannot be replaced, and that cost of the screen repair, and quotes for new laptops around the £500, or a new Sony ultraportable. If you can let me know the options, I can fill out the claim form and get everything back to you. Incidentally, I also have a photograph showing the office desk with a hole in the ceiling above! Do you want that included, as evidence of the accident? Thanks. |