It has been roughly 4 and 1/2 months since the above was reported on. Considering how negative the experience may appear – but with proper respect for what is right – here’s an update.
The new computer arrived the next day, as promised.
When, back in Australia, I handed over the bad-screen computer that had been subsequently lost by Fujitsu Asia’s office, I had retained such things as the battery, power block, extension cords, manual, set of disks, etc.
The replacement that ended the dispute arrived fully equipped with its own set of those same items. In a subsequent phone call I offered the original set back to Fujitsu. They said just keep them.
About 4 to 6 weeks later I got an email from Fujitsu’s technical support people informing me that they had finally recovered the original lost computer and brought it back to the USA. The question asked of me was, did I want the data on the hard drive?
Since I’d already brought the new unit up to date, the only thing that I wanted was a few dozen emails and a few word-docs. I said, please put them on a CD and mail them to me.
Too much trouble, they said. We’ll ship you the hard drive and you can do that yourself. I said the data were not worth the trouble and cost of shipping back the dive after removing the data. The response was, keep the drive. They then sent that the same day via overnight FedEx.
So now, in addition to the spare battery and extra power block, etc., I also have a spare hard drive.
Since I have had the replacement unit, it has performed well. No operational issues. Great display. The built-in mike and speakers could be better but given small size and light weight, they are adequate. Sound quality is greatly improved by plugging in a modest-priced set of phones with a mike. I have Skyped to England, Australia, China and Russia with good sound over the headset.
I’ve installed a Sprint Broadband Wireless Card. Stable connectivity and good speed. On Amtrak trips from NY to Washington, DC (a run I take with some frequency) I can do email and manage the many web sites I host.
When I had a problem integrating the laptop with my network I called Fujitsu Tech Support. They not only were helpful but I also got two followup phone calls asking if all was OK.
The only issue I have now is one that has been reported on a few web site forums where laptop and notebooks are discussed. The alphanumeric labels on the most frequently struck keys (S, A, T, P, etc) are starting to wear off. I’ll wait until near the end of the warranty term to file a claim for a new keyboard.
Other than that, and aside from “the recent unpleasantness” caused by the Australian branch, I am fully and truly pleased with the computer and with the USA support from Fujitsu. As Shakespeare said, “all’s well that ends well.”