Broken Hinges - What action can be taken?

freemanr
freemanr Member Posts: 2 New User
edited June 2022 in Chromebooks
I joined the queue of people with broken hinges last week.  A Chromebook that is still in warranty, still perfect condition (except the hinge!) with only light use at home.  As many have found mechanical defects are not covered by the warranty (I wonder how that would stand up to a legal challenge based on "fit for purpose" and consumer rights, but I'm not about to get involved in that).

In these days in which most are acutely area aware of the need to reduce electronic waste. manufacturing, reducing plastic it is deeply concerning that products full of valuable resources are being thrown away as a result of what is clearly a very common problem.  I might expect this of an unknown-brand but not from Acer who should be leading the way on this.  Of course Acer are a business, who want to sell products, and consumers expect Chromebooks to be cheap so there's not an easy fix.

To the questions:

What can we, those with broken hinges and a wish to reduce electronic waste do about this?  

Acer representatives, what is Acer as a company doing about this?  Recycling is good, in Acer's own words:

The problem of treating the waste of electronic and electrical products has already become among the most pressing international environmental protection issues. It is also a major environmental concern at Acer.

The right to repair movement is also good although I don't know if it will have any impact on broken hinges


But what about preventing the need to recycle in the first place?  Acer reps - is this an issue that you as a company are even aware of?  Or do sales still rule, and cheap-and-disposable leading the way?

Are there any major campaigns that address this? I didn't find one.

Does anyone know of a computer related magazine that has addressed this topic and I can write to try and build some pressure - for example encouraging product reviewers to heavily promote 'sturdy'?

Or is the only way to change this to ask everyone with a broken hinge or similar to start a consumer rights complaint?


Acer reps and fellow broken-hingers, your feedback please. 

Answers

  • William_mk2
    William_mk2 ACE Posts: 4,198 Pathfinder
    freemanr

    It looks like a hardware issue.. 

    If your laptop is in warranty you can contact the warranty dept.     Go to the website support.acer.com - chose your country.   On the new page - scroll down -  click on "contact support".  Scroll down.  You can find the phone no to contact the warranty dept. 

    If it is out of warranty, please contact local store or

    Go to the website support.acer.com - chose your country.   On the new page - scroll down -  Click on  "Repair My Acer" - Request to have your Acer product repaired.   There will be charges for repair. 

    Additional info to contact Acer Store:  Please visit the website - support.acer.com - chose your country - click on shop.   You can buy desktop, laptop, monitor and accessories.  Alternatively,  on the top right corner you can find the phone no to contact Acer store.   For the parts which are not available on Acer store, you have to contact local store.

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful 

    Click on "Yes" if it answers your question.


    Please click YES if I answered your question

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  • freemanr
    freemanr Member Posts: 2 New User
    edited June 2022
    hi William, the laptop is in warranty but repair refused - the same issue as many others.  Physical defects not covered by the warranty, even when it's clearly not a result of damage or misuse.

    That goes to the root of my concern - there is no motivation for Acer to address this.  Stronger hinge = more expensive = less sales.  Weaker hinge = cheaper = more sales.  Damaged hinge on cheap product = no one bothered.  Disposable electronics.  Will I pay for repair?  No - it's not worth it.  The hinge will just break again.
  • Jeyam
    Jeyam Member Posts: 348 Seasoned Practitioner WiFi Icon

    Hi @ freeman 

    Please mention your model name of unit

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,246 Trailblazer
    Warranty covers physical defects in manufacturing, but not in defects caused by incorrect usage. You might try to have the first tier support escalate to second tier, sometimes they will step in and give a better result. Failing that it's not too tough to repair without having the replace the case halves. You essentially build up the screw mounts again with epoxy, then reset the screws by threading them into the 'new' mounts. One some hinge designs you can loosen them slightly, then locktite them into place to help mitigate the issue in the future. When opening the laptop always do it from the center of the screen instead of the corner and the issue will usually not appear in  the first place. It's the twisting torque that pulls the screws loose in the first place.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.

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