Packard Bell Easynote K5285

This is by far the most reliable laptop I have owned. I know its impossible to buy one now but that is a shame. I thought the harddrive would have given up the ghost years ago but it is still rock solid even if it is only 32GBytes in size.

It hasn`t been without its problems as nothing is. The casing around my screen is cracked and missing pieces where the hinges are. The DVDRW drive stopped working for a while until I unscrewed it, took it out and then re-installed it. I haven`t had any problems with that since either.

At the time of purchase I paid £1200 which was a huge amount of money but I have owned other laptops that are used as the family computer which all failed to live upto expectation or just failed. The combined total for my other laptops were more than this one and each one of them only lasted about 3 years maximum.

Oh one other thing, the battery died about 7 years ago, but using the power adapter has been plenty good enough for me. I just leave the battery plugged in even if it doesn`t hold a charge.

I know it sounds like I have had problems but they were all worked around. I write a successful website with this machine and it is perfect for the job, and when I want a change I just boot up Spellforce with wonderful 3D graphics. I love this computer even with its faults.

Too expensive, for what it delivers (overall). But then I did buy mine S/H, so cant complain.

No gripes about the OS, (XP Pro) anyone with a problem with the OS should format the drive & start again. I Did.

Personally, I'll stick with my desktops thanks!

The Packard Bell Easynote K5285 must be one of the worse laptop models Packard Bell have churned out!

I was suckered by PC World into parting with £1200 for this inferior machine with a short operating life. I have had the machine 15 months, and although it has not been abused it is now useless... The worst investment I have ever made.

At the time of purchasing the Packard Bell Easynote K5285 I resisted considerable pressure from PC World to take out extended warranty - I always do.

After 14 months I was unable to boot up the laptop and sought advice from PC World (the vendor) at Exeter - without success. I sought professional assistance. We were advised that the problem was likely to be minor and that re-installing Windows XP would resolve the problem. However, the DVDRW drive was found to be defective. Again we sought professional assistance to repair the defective drive. The original drive installed was UJ-810b but when our adviser contacted Packard Bell to procure a replacement he was informed that Packard Bell did not recognise this model for the Easynote K5285. He was sent an alternative drive (UJ-811b) but the laptop did not recognise this model in bios.

Thus, it is apparent that the DVDRW drive originally installed was not as per the specification for the Easynote K5285 and alternatives are incompatible with the laptop.

After taking advice from the Trading Standards Office I complained to PC World at York. Predictably the Duty Manager hid behind the skirts of the lapsed 12 month warranty and Packard Bell. He offered to return the laptop to Packard Bell but at a minimum expense of £50. Frankly, I was treated as just another ignorant consumer who could be fobbed off and the Duty Manager was struggling not to laugh in my face.

I am advised that the laptop sold by PC World was not of satisfactory quality and not fit for the purpose as described in their marketing literature. Thus, PC World should be liable for making good a repair or returning the full purchase costs under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 as amended in 2002.

I have given PC World 14 days to respond to my complaints after which I will seek address in parallel through Visa and the Small Claims Court. Also, I am writing personally to each board member of Dixon's, the parent company, and have informed all media consumer "watchdogs".

This is a classic example of a large company that is more interested in selling high margin extended warranty policies than actually providing a quality consumer service. Has anyone else had a similar experience with poor goods/shoddy service from PC World/Packard Bell or can anyone give me advice on how best to proceed? If so, please leave a comment on this review and we'll form a pressure group.