Sony VAIO VGN-FS115B Review

Overall Rating

I bought a Sony VAIO laptop for £1,350 in 2003 having chosen the machine mainly for its large, high-resolution screen (16inch, 1600 x 1200) and in the belief that Sony laptops were some of the most reliable on the market. However, when the computer was just over 14 months old (not quite three months out of warranty), the keyboard failed completely, and I had to purchase an external USB keyboard to be able to continue using it. I wrote to Sony, arguing that such a major fault was unacceptable, and asked them to repair the product at their own expense. Their response was to offer me a derisory 10% discount on the cost of repairs.

Then, about a month later, the screen flickered briefly and died completely! I was left with an expensive laptop that was effectively reduced to a desktop machine that could only be used with an external keyboard and an external monitor.

So, here was a laptop that had been used carefully for about five hours a day, in a benign environment, had never suffered any kind of physical damage, and had only been taken out of the house on a handful of occasions, and yet had developed two major faults in the space of just sixteen months! Sony's response to my complaints was simply to argue that their machines "are some of the most reliable available on the market".

Not one, but two major faults in just over a year. Reliable? Judge for yourself. Maybe Sony have moved on since then, maybe their VAIO range is now more reliable, maybe they now offer better customer care .who knows? My advice: think very carefully before purchasing a Sony VAIO laptop - unless, that is, you intend using it as a desktop machine.

Members' Comments onAnthonyHS's Review

• Wally27 on 19th Mar 2006

  I can sympathise with the problem you are having with your Sony unit and the lack of after sales help. I am currently in a similar situation. I currently have a Vaio PCG-K115S unit that developed a power problem 3 months out of warranty. I held on to it as I found a way around the problem. Sent it to Sony after Christmas, the unit was returned but still had the same problem. Sent it back to Sony, but now they tell me the screen has also gone. I paid £1,200 for the unit, £160 for the power problem and now they want £442 to repair the screen. Nearly £1,800 in total!! I won’t buy another Sony product!!