Warning About Repair Shop In Pantip Plaza

[Theyreallrubbish]

Took my notebook in for repair to the repair shop immediately next to Office Depot. It wouldn't power up properly, turning off after a couple of seconds

A week later I went to pick it up only to find it wouldn't even register power going in to it.

I took it to another shop and a week later went back to be told that the previous shop has ruined the motherboard and it was unfixable!

Since the condition was demonstrably worse on receiving it from the first shop I feel its fair to accept the second shop's explanation that it was unfixable when they received it.

Now I'm waiting to hear whether a replacement motherboard is even obtainable or whether my 95,000 Baht notebook is an unfixable brick! (Only 3 year old Thinkpad T60, but both the second repair shop and the Lenovo shop in Pantip Plaza are very doubtful as to whether they can obtain a replacement, and even if they can it'll be at least 8500 Baht)

So in the spirit of community I share this experience in order to help others possible avoid the same

[ongoing]

Bad story i hope you can get it fixed. But are you one of these people who feel the need to say the price of what everything costs. There seems to be alot of them among the expats in thailand these days. It is a laptop we dont really need to know the price. But i hope someone can fix your ' 95000 ' baht laptop. I am going out for a 60 baht beer on my 52500 baht moterbike from my 17000 baht a month home.

[cmsally]

Are there any shops in Pantip Plaza that have a good reputation for fixing laptops - as I have one that needs to be fixed.

[thaimiller]

Are there any shops in Pantip Plaza that have a good reputation for fixing laptops - as I have one that needs to be fixed.

Not 100% sure of the name of the shop but I can give you directions, Go up the escilators at the side of office world. Go up 2 floors.

When you get to the top of the second set u turn and go past the clothes shop and the computer shop there with the orange sign is great. I have taken my laptop 3 times for various things and they have fixed it quickly and at a good price. I think they call the shop SmartTech but like I say im not 100% on that

[Spoonman]

its a 4yr old laptop, these days its worth zero, just buy a new one, you had a good run with that one.

[ucomservices]

Well.

If you bought your T60 at 95,000 Baht then you have overpaid for it in the first place.

Secondly, if the T60 motherboard is available at Baht 8500 it is definately worth it.

Lastly, if you are still unable to locate the motherboard, do let me know. I will organize it for you.

EMAIL ID: email removed please PM

PS Sethi (UCOMSERVICES)

Commercial advertisement removed

[Theyreallrubbish]

its a 4yr old laptop, these days its worth zero, just buy a new one, you had a good run with that one.

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

[Theyreallrubbish]

Well.

If you bought your T60 at 95,000 Baht then you have overpaid for it in the first place.

Secondly, if the T60 motherboard is available at Baht 8500 it is definately worth it.

Lastly, if you are still unable to locate the motherboard, do let me know. I will organize it for you.

PS Sethi (UCOMSERVICES)

Bought in the UK in 2007. Near top specced one at the time, was 1300 pounds at an exchange rate of about 70 to the pound, plus I spent 5000 Baht on a new battery recently.

Edit, thanks for the offer to help. Will contact you if neither of the places I went to can supply

Edited March 1, 2010 by Crossy

[powderpuff]

Where is this Pantip Plaza? Cuz your post is in the CM forum.

Best notebook repair is on floor 3 - sort of central - Notebook Automation (I think) is their name. The girl in there speaks good English.

[Priceless]

Where is this Pantip Plaza? Cuz your post is in the CM forum.

Best notebook repair is on floor 3 - sort of central - Notebook Automation (I think) is their name. The girl in there speaks good English.

Pantip Plaza is on the corner of Chang Klan and Sridonchai in Chiang Mai.

/ Priceless

[Theyreallrubbish]

Bad story i hope you can get it fixed. But are you one of these people who feel the need to say the price of what everything costs. There seems to be alot of them among the expats in thailand these days. It is a laptop we dont really need to know the price. But i hope someone can fix your ' 95000 ' baht laptop. I am going out for a 60 baht beer on my 52500 baht moterbike from my 17000 baht a month home.

I don't normally list the prices, but in this case I thought it was relevant to show why I'm mad. If it was a 3 year old, 14k notebook that they'd made unrepairable I'd have just shrugged and bought another one, but I think I'm justified in being p'ed off at this level of loss

[Theyreallrubbish]

Where is this Pantip Plaza? Cuz your post is in the CM forum.

Best notebook repair is on floor 3 - sort of central - Notebook Automation (I think) is their name. The girl in there speaks good English.

I specifically posted in the CM forum rather than the computer forum as its more a shopping thing about Chiang Mai than strictly a techy thing.

There is a Pantip Plaza in CM, as most expats probably know, which is why I didn't think it was necessary to specify in the CM forum.

Sorry for the confusion

[powderpuff]

Our deepest condolences.

The shop in BANGKOK is called Notebook INTEGRATION. my mistake.

Actually we have 2 Pantip Plazas in BKK. Confusing? Yes.

[Spoonman]

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

It was released in Feb 2006, so technically its 4 yr old technology, by all means try to get it fixed, I know I would but I would not be whining about MoBo prices considering what a full laptop replacement is worth.

Just Pm'd a mate in australia who works for Lenovo/IBM he says 8500b ($290.00 AUD) is a bargain for a new mobo, he says they sell em for $350.00.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Spoonman

[ferd54]

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

It was released in Feb 2006, so technically its 4 yr old technology, by all means try to get it fixed, I know I would but I would not be whining about MoBo prices considering what a full laptop replacement is worth.

Just Pm'd a mate in australia who works for Lenovo/IBM he says 8500b ($290.00 AUD) is a bargain for a new mobo, he says they sell em for $350.00.

Not to mention the fact that is was already not working when he took it in to the shop in the first place.

[hmficc]

its a 4yr old laptop, these days its worth zero, just buy a new one, you had a good run with that one.

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

Welcome to the rdal world Mr. Rubbish.

[ollylama]

i went to a guy several times in pan thip plaza and always thought he was overcharging me. no matter what i needed, no matter how small it would be between 500 and 1000 baht, which i considered too much.

so one time i tried someone else in the computer center on the north side of the moat. the price i was quoted to fix it (burned out power supply) was very reasonable.

they totally destroyed my computer.

now i always go back to the same guy in pan thip again. he still rips me off but he does a good job.

i'd spilled coffee on my computer a few months ago and it took all that time to eat away at some component. he charged me 2000 baht to get it working again. it seemed like a lot. but it wasn't. my computer is working great.

his name is kong, and his shop is on the third level as you go up the escalators on the north side of the building. it's the biggest repair shop there, filled with piles of broken equipment. but he knows what he's doing. he's made a misdiagnosis once, but usually he's spot on.

[Eureka]

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

It was released in Feb 2006, so technically its 4 yr old technology, by all means try to get it fixed, I know I would but I would not be whining about MoBo prices considering what a full laptop replacement is worth.

Just Pm'd a mate in australia who works for Lenovo/IBM he says 8500b ($290.00 AUD) is a bargain for a new mobo, he says they sell em for $350.00.

Not to mention the fact that is was already not working when he took it in to the shop in the first place.

Why the moaning and groaning?

Your own diagnosis of the fault indicates that the notebook had already sustained irrepairable damage to the main voltage input line most likely due to a power fluctuation by either a voltage surge or a frequency spike. Yes you can sometimes be lucky and not have permanent damage to the input circuit and the fault can exhibit either of the symptoms you outline. Just as different people have differing early symptoms for the common cold.

Just remember that indicator LEDS lighting up for a few seconds does not mean that the computerr was functioning. By your own explanation and description it was already dead.

[wayfarer108]

Replace the motherboard, they're cheap. Better yet, gut the old laptop and instal all-new components. Have the shop put your current hard drive in a box so you can plug it in as an external drive and transfer all the data you want to keep.

In my Lenovo, nearly three years old, I just installed the latest Intel chipset and a newer, larger hard drive. Total cost 4500 baht, including all parts and labour. A lot cheaper than buying a new computer. I did at Pantip Plaza in Bangkok and they did a splendid job.

Edited March 1, 2010 by wayfarer108

[Theyreallrubbish]

Replace the motherboard, they're cheap. Better yet, gut the old laptop and instal all-new components. Have the shop put your current hard drive in a box so you can plug it in as an external drive and transfer all the data you want to keep.

In my Lenovo, nearly three years old, I just installed the latest Intel chipset and a newer, larger hard drive. Total cost 4500 baht, including all parts and labour. A lot cheaper than buying a new computer. I did at Pantip Plaza in Bangkok and they did a splendid job.

This would be great! My laptop has the high resolution screen, the IBM keyboard I like, the nipple mouse control, fingerprint scanner etc. If I can replace the innards for 4500 that would be fantastic.

Did you replace the motherboard, graphics chip, memory etc or just the CPU? And did you replace with Lenovo parts or standard off the shelf parts?

Edited March 1, 2010 by Theyreallrubbish

[Theyreallrubbish]

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

It was released in Feb 2006, so technically its 4 yr old technology, by all means try to get it fixed, I know I would but I would not be whining about MoBo prices considering what a full laptop replacement is worth.

Just Pm'd a mate in australia who works for Lenovo/IBM he says 8500b ($290.00 AUD) is a bargain for a new mobo, he says they sell em for $350.00.

Not to mention the fact that is was already not working when he took it in to the shop in the first place.

Why the moaning and groaning?

Your own diagnosis of the fault indicates that the notebook had already sustained irrepairable damage to the main voltage input line most likely due to a power fluctuation by either a voltage surge or a frequency spike. Yes you can sometimes be lucky and not have permanent damage to the input circuit and the fault can exhibit either of the symptoms you outline. Just as different people have differing early symptoms for the common cold.

Just remember that indicator LEDS lighting up for a few seconds does not mean that the computerr was functioning. By your own explanation and description it was already dead.

The second shop told me the first shop had caused damage

[BigWheelMan]

Are there any shops in Pantip Plaza that have a good reputation for fixing laptops - as I have one that needs to be fixed.

Yes, try the shop next door to the Office Depot.

[nakachalet]

Bad story i hope you can get it fixed. But are you one of these people who feel the need to say the price of what everything costs. There seems to be alot of them among the expats in thailand these days. It is a laptop we dont really need to know the price. But i hope someone can fix your ' 95000 ' baht laptop. I am going out for a 60 baht beer on my 52500 baht moterbike from my 17000 baht a month home.

I don't normally list the prices, but in this case I thought it was relevant to show why I'm mad. If it was a 3 year old, 14k notebook that they'd made unrepairable I'd have just shrugged and bought another one, but I think I'm justified in being p'ed off at this level of loss

yes, many times it is appropriate to mention prices, particularly in this case....

who is to say that one should not mention prices....

if you feel it is relevant.... name the price....

you are not breaking any rule or regulation here....

the op does not appear to be showing off his enormous wealth either....

[krakatoa]

its a 4yr old laptop, these days its worth zero, just buy a new one, you had a good run with that one.

Unless you know the poster I cannot quite imagine that you are so knowledgeable that you knew that "he had a good run with that one"

Then again if some back packer bought a lap top for 15 k you could be right but agin how do you know this was the case.

If he hd bought some top of the range for a 100,000K and it went belly up he would probably might be feeling a tad pissed off.

Won't say what I eally think because of the big axe on straight forward honesty

Edited March 1, 2010 by krakatoa

[Theyreallrubbish]

Bad story i hope you can get it fixed. But are you one of these people who feel the need to say the price of what everything costs. There seems to be alot of them among the expats in thailand these days. It is a laptop we dont really need to know the price. But i hope someone can fix your ' 95000 ' baht laptop. I am going out for a 60 baht beer on my 52500 baht moterbike from my 17000 baht a month home.

I don't normally list the prices, but in this case I thought it was relevant to show why I'm mad. If it was a 3 year old, 14k notebook that they'd made unrepairable I'd have just shrugged and bought another one, but I think I'm justified in being p'ed off at this level of loss

yes, many times it is appropriate to mention prices, particularly in this case....

who is to say that one should not mention prices....

if you feel it is relevant.... name the price....

you are not breaking any rule or regulation here....

the op does not appear to be showing off his enormous wealth either....

Thanks.

I was trying to warn others to take care based on my experience at one place, and was also venting a little.

Strange that the majority of responses have attacked me for even thinking it should be repaired or being annoyed at all that an expensive laptop is now a useless brick!

[jackr]

Op, may have been an idea to sit it out with the original place as he, apparently, was the one who broke it permanently. For future ref, head for Goodspeed in Computer Plaza.

I'd be inclined to ditch the thing and get a standard (new model) Asus, which would probably knock that old thing on its bottom anyhow.

[Donnyboy]

Op, may have been an idea to sit it out with the original place as he, apparently, was the one who broke it permanently. For future ref, head for Goodspeed in Computer Plaza.

I'd be inclined to ditch the thing and get a standard (new model) Asus, which would probably knock that old thing on its bottom anyhow.

yep i would start over, 3-4 years out of a laptop isnt too bad

my next laptop will be a cheapie, if i get one

[tingtongfarang]

To the op, I think you will find the original fault with your T60 would have been the fan...its a common fault after around 3 years with most IBM and the fan can be replaced very easy yourself at the cost of around 20$, But now it sounds like the first repair shop messed the mother board up not knowing what they were doing, I once had an IBM mother board repaired at pantip plaza in bkk...2000 baht and its still going strong 1 year later ...sorry i cant remember the name of the guy but he was on the 3rd floor,

On a side note...i once had an IBM mother board quit coz of moisture after almost 2 years ( 3 year international warranty ) i took it to the IBM center in bkk but they would,nt touch it because i had bought it in hong kong, I waited till the next month when i would be returning to hk and took it too the IBM center there...they told about 4 days wait to order the mother board but that was of no use as i would only be there 2 days, They gave me a voucher and told me to go to a dealer and get another but did,nt ask for the broken one as it was full of my data which is the one i got repaired in pantip!

IBM are very different to other laptops (toshiba,acer ect) so strong mechanicaly you can drop them...or stand on them... its the nearest you get to a tough top without leying out big money for a tough top...even has a titanium lid and they a designed to be taken apart for repair or service, Other laptops just dont cut it with me....only last 3-4 months and i tried them all but i have the feeling since lenovo bought them out its not the same build or service.

[Donnyboy]

Are there any shops in Pantip Plaza that have a good reputation for fixing laptops - as I have one that needs to be fixed.

Yes, try the shop next door to the Office Depot.

hang on, isnt this shop the one the OP warned us against?

[PokerFace]

I would never take a computer to Pantip for repairs. Too many horror stories. I have taken my HP to the HP service center on Rama IV and they diagnosed it for free. Told me what part I needed and were willing to fix it for a very reasonable price. The IBM service center is out near Victory Monument and there are other dealer service centers around. My experience is that they are no more expensive than the hacks at Pantip.