Sonny
11-28-2002, 04:50 PM
My 5mx developed the well known screen cable failure when it was 2 years old. The repair cost NZ$570. When I went to collect my 5mx after it was repaired it was working fine until I inserted my 64 MB CF disk then it seized on the screen it was currently showing and refused to move. The firm returned the Psion to the repairer who said they could find nothing wrong and it was working when they inserted a CF disk. When it came back again it would still seize when I inserted my disk. I refused to collect the Psion or pay for the repair until I knew what the problem was.
Thanks to a posting on the series 7 board I had a close look at the connecters on the disk and discovered one of these had been damaged. As the disc was working when I took it out before the repair and it had stayed in its case until I next tried it in my machine I deduced the damage had occured when I put it back into my machine. Neither the firm nor the repairer accepted this so I paid for the repair and collected my Psion. When a friend who has technical knowledge in this area inspected my 5mx he could see that one of the pins had been bent then bent back into place again. It exactly corresponded with the damaged contact on my disk. It would appear that the pin was bent during the original repair and when it went back to the repairer it was bent back into its original position however the damage was already done to my disk.
I put it to the firm that this repair and the subsequent damage is covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act in NewZealand which amongst other things says a product should be durable and also covers consequential loss. They did not agree so I took the case to the Disputes Tribunal. My technical friend attended the hearing as an expert witness and decribed how the type of cable used to connect the screen is not suitable for this purpose and is not designed to be bent to the degree it is in the 5mx. He said that Psion have ignored "Hook's Law", which describes how far a wire of a given diameter can be bent and maintain its integrity. The type of wire used in the screen cable exceeds this. He also gave evidence explaining how the pin inside had been bent then bent back into position.
Yesterday I received the news that the Tribunal agreed and had made a ruling that the firm were to refund me the cost of repair and supply me with an identical 64MB CF disc. I received the cheque and the disc in the mail today.
Sonny
Thanks to a posting on the series 7 board I had a close look at the connecters on the disk and discovered one of these had been damaged. As the disc was working when I took it out before the repair and it had stayed in its case until I next tried it in my machine I deduced the damage had occured when I put it back into my machine. Neither the firm nor the repairer accepted this so I paid for the repair and collected my Psion. When a friend who has technical knowledge in this area inspected my 5mx he could see that one of the pins had been bent then bent back into place again. It exactly corresponded with the damaged contact on my disk. It would appear that the pin was bent during the original repair and when it went back to the repairer it was bent back into its original position however the damage was already done to my disk.
I put it to the firm that this repair and the subsequent damage is covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act in NewZealand which amongst other things says a product should be durable and also covers consequential loss. They did not agree so I took the case to the Disputes Tribunal. My technical friend attended the hearing as an expert witness and decribed how the type of cable used to connect the screen is not suitable for this purpose and is not designed to be bent to the degree it is in the 5mx. He said that Psion have ignored "Hook's Law", which describes how far a wire of a given diameter can be bent and maintain its integrity. The type of wire used in the screen cable exceeds this. He also gave evidence explaining how the pin inside had been bent then bent back into position.
Yesterday I received the news that the Tribunal agreed and had made a ruling that the firm were to refund me the cost of repair and supply me with an identical 64MB CF disc. I received the cheque and the disc in the mail today.
Sonny