CRANE ON THE CASE: My Macbook laptop won't turn on 予定 to a problem known as 'flexgate', so why won't John 吊りくさび 支払う／賃金 for it to be 直す／買収する，八百長をするd?

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My wife bought me a 13' Macbook プロの／賛成の laptop as a 現在の in June 2017, as a thank you for taking care of everything and caring for our young son while she was in hospital with a chronic illness. We bought it from John 吊りくさび and it cost £1,300.

Six months ago the laptop stopped starting up when I opened it, and the 審査する was 完全に blank.?We took the laptop to our 地元の Apple 蓄える／店 in December 2021, and the 専門家技術者 said the 問題／発行する was to do with the 'flex cable,' which was too short and therefore wore out in a short period of time.

The Apple 蓄える／店 told me the cost to 修理 it would be £566 - not far off half the cost of the laptop. My wife and I both went 負かす／撃墜する to part time hours during Covid and are still financially 回復するing, so we didn't have the money to spare.

Computer （民事の）告訴: This reader had trouble getting his Macbook 修理d when it broke

I looked into it and it turns out this is a 井戸／弁護士席-known defect in Macbooks from that period - known の中で 使用者s as 'flexgate'. Apple even 解任するd 確かな models because of it, though 地雷 wasn't one of them.?

As we bought it from John 吊りくさび we took it to a 蓄える／店 to get it 修理d. The 3-year John 吊りくさび warranty 満了する／死ぬd in 2020, but I believed it would be covered under the 消費者 権利s 行為／法令／行動する as the laptop was not of 満足な 質 nor fit for 目的.

We were pleased that John 吊りくさび 受託するd the 修理 and sent the laptop off - but soon after the 修理 centre 接触するd me and said John 吊りくさび wouldn't in fact cover the cost, asking me to 支払う／賃金 around £500.

I've spoken to John 吊りくさび' （民事の）告訴s team many times but they are still 辞退するing to 支払う／賃金 for the 修理. The best 申し込む／申し出 I have had is a £70 割引.

It told me I didn't have '最終的な proof' that the cable was at fault, even though I sent the 報告（する）／憶測 from the Apple 蓄える／店 engineer and the laptop had already been 診察するd by John 吊りくさび' own 修理 department. D.E, London

Helen Crane of This is Money replies: Your wife bought you a pricey computer in the hope that it would last for years to come, but the company was not the Apple of your 注目する，もくろむ when you learned of the 製造業の 失敗.

This （判決などを）下すd your laptop - which you needed for work - 全く useless, and the £566 the Apple 蓄える／店 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d to 直す／買収する，八百長をする it was a bite out of your 月毎の 予算 that you couldn't stomach.?

You rightly sought a 修理 from the company that sold it to you. Under the 消費者 権利s 行為／法令／行動する, it is the 責任／義務 of the retailer - not the 製造業者 - to を取り引きする any 問題／発行するs that arise.

When 顧客s try to get a 修理 or refund under the 行為／法令／行動する, whether they will be successful depends in part on the 製品's durability - in other words, how long it can be 推定する／予想するd to last.

But I would argue that an expensive laptop such as yours can reasonably be 推定する／予想するd to work for more than four and a half years - the 量 of time you had owned it when the problem occurred.

John 吊りくさび has built its 評判 on good 顧客 service, and in my opinion it should have agreed to 直す／買収する，八百長をする your computer which 苦しむs from a 井戸／弁護士席-文書d 製造業の 問題／発行する.

Instead, you were locked in a 戦う／戦い with its （民事の）告訴s department which 申し込む／申し出d you a paltry £70 に向かって the 修理 - about one twentieth of the computer's value.

You had proof that the laptop was 欠陥のある, but this did not 計算する with the 顧客 service team, にもかかわらず two tech 専門家s - at Apple and John 吊りくさび itself - 検査／視察するing it.?

It shouldn't even have taken that, as even a luddite could see that it wouldn't turn on.

I spoke to John 吊りくさび to try and get to the 核心 of this 問題／発行する with your Apple laptop, and I'm?pleased to say it relented and agreed to 支払う／賃金 for the 修理.

A John 吊りくさび spokesperson said: 'We're really sorry to hear of D.E's trouble with his Macbook. While Apple hasn't identified a recurring fault with this model, we've reviewed this 事例／患者 and agreed to cover the 修理 costs.'

攻撃する，衝突する and 行方不明になる: This week's naughty and nice 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）?

Every week, I look at the companies who have fallen short when it comes to 顧客 service, and those who have gone above and beyond.

行方不明になる: More tech 外傷／ショック this week, as reader Janet had a bone to 選ぶ with EE regarding a pair of earphones that were supposed to be 申し込む／申し出d as a perk with her new phone 契約.

She had been an EE 顧客 for about 25 years, latterly on a £10 SIM-only 契約.

In March 2022 she saw a 取引，協定 advertised for a new Samsung 星雲 phone on EE which （機の）カム with a 始める，決める of 星雲 Buds 2 earphones.

At the time these sold for around £139, and the perk was enough to tempt her away from the cheaper £10 契約.

Headphone 頭痛: Reader Janet didn't get the earbuds she was promis ed by EE when she took out a new and more expensive 動きやすい phone 契約

She arranged a を取り引きする EE, which is owned by BT,? for £37 per month - if she agreed to return her 存在するing phone as a 貿易（する）-in.

Janet received the phone, but never got the 星雲 Buds, or a link to order them, so she called EE and was told they were on their way.

When they still didn't turn up, she logged on to the EE live 雑談（する） and says she spent over three hours messaging several staff members.

She was told that, as she had 貿易（する）d in her old phone, the 申し込む／申し出 of the buds was 無効の.?

She wasn't told this when she phoned EE to agree the new 契約 最初 - even though the buds were について言及するd on the call.

She was 申し込む／申し出d a £50 法案 credit as a 好意／親善 gesture, but would still prefer the buds as she wouldn't have agreed to the new 契約 - and 支払う／賃金ing an extra £27 each month - without that 昇進／宣伝.

I got in touch with EE to see if it would make good on its buds 約束 - but my request seemed to 落ちる on deaf ears.

It said that, given the £50 credit and the £10 off her 月毎の 法案 she got for 貿易（する）ing in her old phone, the 割引s 申し込む／申し出d outweighed the cost of the earphones.

It said that the phone she 貿易（する）d in was 支配する to an '増加するd 宣伝の 貿易（する） in' 申し込む／申し出, and that if she 貿易（する）d in a different model it would have 量d to いっそう少なく.

Bud bother: The earphones 約束d were a pair of Samsung 星雲 Buds, which 小売d at around £139 at the time she took out the phone 取引，協定

Had she been given a smaller 月毎の 法案 割引 for the phone 貿易（する）-in, she might have still qualified for the 解放する／自由な earphones - though Janet wasn't made aware of this at the time.

An EE Spokesperson said: 'We're very sorry that Janet has had a poor experience with us. To apologise, we've 申し込む／申し出d a gesture of 好意／親善 and a 割引 off her 月毎の 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s. Unfortunately, on this occasion we've been unable to come to an 協定 to 解決する the （民事の）告訴.'

The company is sticking to its guns and told Janet to complain to Ofcom if she didn't like it.

It's disappointing that EE couldn't honour the 取引，協定 for such a long-standing 顧客.

With the buds now 小売ing at £99, the company could have saved itself the £50 法案 credit - which Janet has since reluctantly 受託するd - and 供給するd her the earphones at a cost to itself of only £49.

Some might say that's a small price to 支払う／賃金 for her 忠義.

Washing machine 勝利，勝つ: Carol was happy with the service received from 示すs 電気の

攻撃する，衝突する: At least one reader was happy with her tech 購入（する） this week. Reader Carol told me she bought a new LG washing machine from white goods retailer 示すs 電気の.

It was 配達するd and fitted, but she later discovered that it was 漏れるing water from the 支援する 靴下／だます.

She said: 'I called 示すs 電気の, and they were quick to answer and sort the problem.

'Two very nice men （機の）カム the next day and 直す／買収する，八百長をするd the machine. Wonderful service - I would recommend.'

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