Laptop repair service "recycled" laptop without making contact

digiology

Hi all,


Last year I handed my laptop in to a local computer repair centre. Following a few weeks having heard nothing I ran them for an update, eventually I found out that a particular part was faulty and they were trying to source it.
Another few weeks later I rang for an update having not heard back from them, they said they were having trouble getting the part but would try again.
Following this I lost my job and wouldn't have been able to pay for the repair so I left it assuming the laptop would stay there and the part may be available a few months down the line and they'd call me if it definately couldn't be repaired.
10 months later I rang them and they told me they cannot find it and it was probably recycled. My question is, were they obliged to contact me before doing this? They certainly have my contact details.

I'm looking for the docket now, I'm assuming it says somewhere that they are able to dispose of uncollected items or perhaps it says so on something I signed at the time.
However, it wasn't that I hadn't collected an item that I was notified was repaired or beyond repair. Surely an item still in reapair is not the same as uncollected?

I'd appreciate any advice about getting some kind of compensation or at least checking if there anything illegal has happened here.

GerardKeating

digiology wrote: »

Hi all,


Last year I handed my laptop in to a local computer repair centre. Following a few weeks having heard nothing I ran them for an update, eventually I found out that a particular part was faulty and they were trying to source it.
Another few weeks later I rang for an update having not heard back from them, they said they were having trouble getting the part but would try again.
Following this I lost my job and wouldn't have been able to pay for the repair so I left it assuming the laptop would stay there and the part may be available a few months down the line and they'd call me if it definately couldn't be repaired.
10 months later I rang them and they told me they cannot find it and it was probably recycled. My question is, were they obliged to contact me before doing this? They certainly have my contact details.

I'm looking for the docket now, I'm assuming it says somewhere that they are able to dispose of uncollected items or perhaps it says so on something I signed at the time.
However, it wasn't that I hadn't collected an item that I was notified was repaired or beyond repair. Surely an item still in reapair is not the same as uncollected?

I'd appreciate any advice about getting some kind of compensation or at least checking if there anything illegal has happened here.

Most repair places have a policy that the item must be collected/paid for within a certain time, but if they are waiting on a part and told you that it would take a few months, they this should stop the clock, can you document this part of the issue?

digiology

They didn't tell me it would take months, they were trying to get a difficult-to-find part and I believe they told me they'd get back to me.
I have no documentation of communication with them, I believe they have some minimal documentation (like a status of the repair or something and a sentance or two on the phone calls).

Although I wasn't explicitly notified of this,their general habit (I'm reluctant to call this a policy) is that they'd never ring me (even after they made progress identifying the problem), I'd always have to call them. It was easily two or three months after I handed it in that I had last contacted them about an update on sourcing the part.
If there had been clear guidelines about this, e.g. its my responsibility to get updates, ask for status, make sure they don't throw out my laptop etc. then I might have acted differently!