TOSHIBA void of customer service

Before a planned trip to Japan I purchased a Toshiba notebook NB255-N250, thinking a small size computer would be easy to carry both for the size and weight. I had intended to edit and post videos daily on YouTube from Japan.

It was easy and light to carry around. However maneuvering through the itty-bitty keyboard proved to be challenging to the point where I lost the challenge. While gliding my fingers across the compressed keyboard I found keyboard short cuts to activate causing screens to change, typed paragraphs to disappear, cursors to become inactive. Basically this notebook computer proved to be a bucket of bolts totally unworkable. Causing me to lament once back in the United States I would purchase a normal size laptop for future travel.

Once back in the United States (USA) I went to Best Buy and purchased a Toshiba Satellite C655-S5128 laptop. Works great, large keyboard, easy to maneuver across. Sixteen days after purchase I decided to try the laptops built-in webcam. The image was blurry to me. I tried adjusting the settings resulting in no improvement.

I telephoned Toshiba’s technical support. The tech support person led me through a series of steps and the picture quality was still poor. He suggested I send the computer to Toshiba to be repaired. Stating Toshiba will send me a box to send the computer to them. The turnaround time estimated to be around two weeks. This was unacceptable to be let without a computer for two weeks. The tech had no idea I use my desktop daily instead of the laptop. However I felt Toshiba should have sent me a loaner or replace the one only sixteen days old. He said unable to accommodate me. I requested an escalation.

He connected me to a “case manager.” The case manger proved equally unable to accommodate and also offered the box for me to send them the computer. The case manager said she will send me an email with the details on how to order the box for the return.

When I got the email turned out that box was going to cost me $29.00 to send them back their computer. The tech support or the case manger never mentioned a charge for the box.

Next day I took the computer back to Best Buy Geek Squad. The Geek looked at the laptop, turned on the webcam and said the picture was good. I then looked at the webcam image and it was good, it was not blurry. That is when I realized it must be because the lighting in Best Buy was brighter than the room in my home I tried the webcam a day earlier. Also the built-in webcam on the notebook worked with no problems in the same room with the same lighting.

However I come to realize there was nothing wrong with the webcam on my new large laptop. I should have never called customer service at Toshiba, however happy I did. Because it was then I learned of the horrible after sales care by Toshiba. They would not stand by their product, plus trying to charge me to return a sixteen day old computer for repair.

Whereas Best Buy has a great after sales care was willing to examine the laptop at no charge for me. I also own two Canon cameras: camcorder VIXIA HF M31, and camera PowerShot SD1400 IS. I had to call Canon tech support three times and all three times a pleasurable experience. My desktop computer is an HP and their customer service / after sales care outstanding. Bye bye Toshiba!