Selling a faulty laptop

Our offer is based on what you tell us and what your photos show. When the laptop reaches us, we check it against your description. A fault you mentioned up front is already part of the offer. A fault we find that was not mentioned may mean we have to revise or withdraw it, which is frustrating for everyone.

So the most helpful thing you can do is describe every fault you know about, even ones that seem minor.

You do not need technical terms. Answer these in your own words:

• What happens? What you see and hear when you press the power button or try to use it.
• When did it start? Suddenly or gradually, and roughly when.
• What led up to it? A drop, a spill, an update, a power cut, or nothing obvious.
• Is it constant? Or does it come and go, for example only when warm or only on battery.
• What have you tried? A different charger, a restart, an external screen. Nothing that involves opening the laptop.

• Use daylight and switch off the flash. A flash bounces off screens and hides cracks and lines.
• Show screen faults with the screen on. Lines, patches and flicker only show when there is a picture. If you can, open something with a plain white background.
• Photograph cracks with the screen off too, at a slight angle, so the glass damage is visible.
• Get close to physical damage. One photo of the whole laptop, then a close-up of each dent, crack or damaged hinge.
• Photograph error messages rather than copying them out.
• Include the label underneath, so we can confirm the model. Cover the serial number if you like.

If a fault is easier to show in a video, such as a flicker or a noise, mention it in the form and we can ask for one by email if it would help.

If the case is bulging, the touchpad is lifting or the laptop no longer sits flat, the battery may be swollen. Stop using and charging the laptop, keep it somewhere cool and away from anything flammable, and tell us about it in the form before anything else is arranged.

• Do not open it to have a look, and do not take anything out. The laptop must be complete.
• Do not attempt a repair, or fit a replacement part, to get a better offer.
• Do not remove the memory or drive to keep your data. Back up and erase instead, once you have accepted an offer. See the preparation guide.

If it has already been repaired or upgraded, tell us what was done and by whom. We assess repairs and upgrades individually: an official repair or a properly fitted memory or SSD upgrade need not rule it out. And if you would rather keep the laptop, our laptop repair service can quote to fix it instead.