My immediate concern for today was to find a way to get my laptop repaired. Without it I can't access the wireless network or utilize my hooch as an office. All my photos, files, and other important data is stored on the thing. It's dead. The damn thing simply shut off in the middle of the start-up sequence and won't respond to AC or battery power. I had a ton of photos from FOB Kalsu that I was going to post with my entries to help with my descriptions. They'll have to wait. I'm hoping that my hard drive data is still good. This was an unfortunate turn of events.
With all the above in mind, I gave the team a recovery day. Then I set out on a quest to find tech support. I stopped by several offices located on VBC. CSSAMO and BAE couldn't work on the computer because it's my personal laptop and not government owned. However, their consensus wasn't good. They both said that it sounded as though my motherboard was bad. I purchased the computer from the Navy Exchange in Newport, RI. I also bought an extended service warranty from the PX. I stopped by the MWR and filed a claim online using that policy. In the meantime, I attempted to contact Sony (the laptop is a VAIO) to see if they had any recommendations. From the Sony webpage I opened a chat with their online esupport page. I explained up front that I was a soldier deployed to Iraq. After explaining my problem the guy I was chatting with sent me a link to a troubleshooting procedure. I told him I'd already taken those steps with no effect. That's when Sony esupport made the most ridiculous recommendation possible. They said to take my laptop to "the nearest authorized Sony dealer." I reiterated that I was in Iraq. They made the same recommendation. WTF, OVER?! Are you fucking kidding me Sony?
I hope other soldiers in Iraq who own Sony VAIO's don't find the need to contact Sony technical support. As inconvenient as it was to do, I called Sony's stateside tech support line and lodged a complaint. At the end of the day I was no closer to having my laptop repaired than when it started. I'm just more frustrated.
I did stop by the bazaar and bought a portable case for my hard drive. At a minimum, I'll verify that my data isn't corrupt. A huge stage had been set up in the PX/bazaar area. Aaron Tippin, apparently a country music singer, was performing later in the evening. I resolved to stay away.
With all the above in mind, I gave the team a recovery day. Then I set out on a quest to find tech support. I stopped by several offices located on VBC. CSSAMO and BAE couldn't work on the computer because it's my personal laptop and not government owned. However, their consensus wasn't good. They both said that it sounded as though my motherboard was bad. I purchased the computer from the Navy Exchange in Newport, RI. I also bought an extended service warranty from the PX. I stopped by the MWR and filed a claim online using that policy. In the meantime, I attempted to contact Sony (the laptop is a VAIO) to see if they had any recommendations. From the Sony webpage I opened a chat with their online esupport page. I explained up front that I was a soldier deployed to Iraq. After explaining my problem the guy I was chatting with sent me a link to a troubleshooting procedure. I told him I'd already taken those steps with no effect. That's when Sony esupport made the most ridiculous recommendation possible. They said to take my laptop to "the nearest authorized Sony dealer." I reiterated that I was in Iraq. They made the same recommendation. WTF, OVER?! Are you fucking kidding me Sony?
I hope other soldiers in Iraq who own Sony VAIO's don't find the need to contact Sony technical support. As inconvenient as it was to do, I called Sony's stateside tech support line and lodged a complaint. At the end of the day I was no closer to having my laptop repaired than when it started. I'm just more frustrated.
I did stop by the bazaar and bought a portable case for my hard drive. At a minimum, I'll verify that my data isn't corrupt. A huge stage had been set up in the PX/bazaar area. Aaron Tippin, apparently a country music singer, was performing later in the evening. I resolved to stay away.
No comments:
Post a Comment