Satellite C650 - Lemonish?

Question

I have a Toshiba Satellite C650 that I got as a Christmas gift in December. Everything worked fine with it until one day at the end of April. I used the computer in the morning, closed it, went to an appointment for about an hour. When I came home and opened it up again it was on a black screen with a blue box asking for a HDD/SDD Password, I tried every password I have ever used and nothing worked. I called Toshiba Tech Support and the woman told me it is a hardware issue, that the hard drive needed to be replaced and it is covered under the warranty.
I asked her if she was sure, because she had said the hard drive set up the password on it's own because it had been damaged. She said she was 100% sure that the hard drive can set up a password to protect itself if it breaks.
I sent in my laptop overnight to the Louisville address, via UPS go figure, UPS are the people who actually fix the laptops. So I paid them $100 to overnight it to themselves... That's a different story.
So a short while after I got the Unit received email from Toshiba, I got another email saying that because there is a HDD password, my repair is not covered under warranty. Now remember, that is the whole reason I sent it in to be fixed. But now they want me to pay $175.99 to get it fixed. I called and spoke to the Customer Relations department, they were ZERO help. The woman told me that there is NO way that the hard drive can set up a password on its own. That I MUST of set up the password and forgot and that because there is a password it is not covered. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and she actually said to me that "it is illegal for someone to come to my desk and use my phone." She REFUSED to let me speak to a supervisor and then when I told her I was going to complain to the BBB she said I was going to get her fired because she told me she was located in Utah and then hung up on me. I called back and spoke to someone else who told me that BIOS is a NEW system and that when the computer is first booted up that it prompts you to set up an HDD password, and if you don't set up the password then it wont start up. I told him that I have never had to do that with any of my computers that I have owned nor did it ask me to do that with this laptop. But he insisted that BIOS was new and it is a software issue so therefore it is not covered. Then I asked him why the computer would suddenly out of the blue ask me for a HDD password, he said because of a hard ware issue. So it is a hardware issue, yet it is not covered because Toshiba does not want to cover there mistakes with someones valid warranty.
So this is my question, has anyone else had an issue like this? I know BIOS is not new, but does anyone know why the laptop would of just suddenly asked for a HDD password, do you know if you must set up a HDD password when you forst boot the computer? Anyone had such a bad experiance with Toshiba customer relations?
Oh BTW, I paid just to get my laptop back that was 6 days ago, I called today and my repair is still on quote hold because no one told the repair depot that I paid. So now I have to wait another 10 business days for them to even fix it. I will never buy Toshiba again, not after being lied to and cheated out of $175.99.

Answer 1

Sorry to hear about all that trouble! Can you send me a PM with your name, case number, contact information, and laptop information (model number, model-part number, serial number if you have them)? I'd like to try to help. You can click my name to see my profile and then click the link on the right to send me a PM.
- Peter