Table of Contents
Introduction
All Puget Systems computers come with lifetime labor and support. This means that you will never have to pay for the labor or support involved with resolving issues that arise with your computer. It is very important to us to resolve your issues quickly and thoroughly so you can get back to doing the work that matters to you.
We put a strong effort into resolving issues that arise in the field, while the system is still in your care, to help you avoid having to part with your computer for any length of time. We understand that sending your system in is not always the most convenient option. However, there are some situations that may require you to send your system in to be diagnosed and repaired here at our facility. This article is intended to help those who are in such a situation understand what to expect when they send their computer in for repair.
Initiating a repair
Once your Puget Systems support technician has exhausted all possibilities of solving the issue you are having in the field, he or she may ask you to send your system to our facility for repair. The first step to getting your computer in for repair involves the support technician adding the repair to our schedule. Scheduling repairs on a fixed calendar reserves a spot for your system on one of our benches and helps guard against unforeseen delays in your repair experience. Once your repair has been scheduled, you will receive an email from us with shipping instructions for sending the system to our facility and confirmation of your repair start date. The message will also include a link to a form which needs to be filled out to ensure we can access the system fully and that we ship it back to the right location. Please fill that out as soon as possible, since it lists information without which we cannot complete a repair.
When the system arrives back here at Puget Systems and is received by the repair technician, you will receive a follow-up email confirming the arrival. This second email will also include a link to your repair ticket on our website, where you can check the status of your system as it makes its way though our process.
If we have not yet received your responses to the repair form – including confirmation of your return shipping address and the password to your operating system, should you choose to provide it – the start of your repair may be delayed. In most cases, the repair process takes five to seven business days to complete. It is important to note that this estimate does not include transit time to or from our facility.
Your system arrives at our facility
Once it arrives in our repair department, a technician will carefully unbox your system and inspect it for damage. Although our systems and original packing materials are specifically designed to reduce shipping damage, it is important for us to inspect computers as soon as they arrive because in rare cases the carrier may have inflicted damage beyond what our packaging can withstand. If we find evidence of mishandling of the shipment during transit to our facility, we will notify you immediately and process a claim with the carrier. We strongly advise that all shipments of systems to our facility be insured for their full value or be shipped using a label provided by us. All labels provided by Puget Systems automatically include insurance. If you do not properly package your system per our instructions, or ship the system on your own without insuring it, you may be responsible for any costs in the event that shipping damage does occur. Again, shipping damage is rare but for the sake of transparency and due diligence, we feel it important to provide this information here.
As long as your system arrives by it's scheduled repair date, it will go on the bench and work will begin on the date the system was scheduled to begin repair. If the system arrives prior to the scheduled repair date, it will be tagged and placed in our queue. If your system arrives after it's scheduled repair date, the repair may be delayed.
Once the system makes it to a repair bench, we will check the system in and will populate updates in the repair ticket, visible to you via the repair tracking link that we sent via email when the system arrived at our facility. After being checked in, our next step is to replicate the problem(s) you are having. If we are unable to reliably replicate the issues you originally reported, we may reach out to you for additional information.
If and when we are able to gain access to the operating system, we will create a test user account. We do this for several reasons. Firstly, this allows us to work in your software environment without interacting with your personal data or changing any of your settings. Secondly, this also allows us to load our special tools and then remove them without leaving any traces behind for you to worry about. Any passwords you provide us are stored in our secure company intranet, so only the people who need to interact with your system have access to them. If you would prefer to not have us access your personal login, please create a new account for us to use before sending the computer in – assuming the system is able to boot into Windows, of course. If we are confident the problem is not software based, we may also be able use a temporary drive we have here to do our testing. Keep in mind that if we need to replace or upgrade any components we will still need to ask for permission to access your login in order to load drivers for the new hardware.
Once we’ve replicated and solved the problem(s) your system had, we will implement a full testing suite to make sure your computer is just as healthy as it was the day it originally left us. We will update Windows as well as drivers per your request. We will physically clean the system inside and out, along with any air filters. When our repair technician is satisfied your system is just as good as the day it was built, it will be moved to our quality control department for an even more thorough inspection. Every system in for repair goes through a quality assurance check to make sure all your ports work and to let a second set of eyes look over the system. When our quality control technician is satisfied that everything is perfect, your computer will move on to final preparation.
Preparing your system for the return trip
Once in final preparation, our shipping staff will take screenshots of the BIOS settings and photos of your system before boxing it up. Whether you sent your system back in its original packaging or not, it will be placed inside a chassis-specific box and a new outer Puget Systems box. If an original chassis box is no longer available, as is sometimes the case for older systems, a custom box may be made in its place. Unless you opted to pay for faster shipping, which can be arranged with your support tech, the system will be sent back to you via the same method you selected when you first purchased your Puget Systems workstation. When the package is picked up from our facility by the carrier, electronic tracking information will automatically be sent to the email address we have on record for the account associated with your system. Your repair technician will also follow up with you via email, once the system is delivered, to you to make sure it arrived back in proper working order and undamaged.
When the system arrives back to you
After the system makes it back to you, it is time to unbox your computer as if it were brand new. Remember that it is always a good idea to save the packing materials in case you ever need to ship or transport the system again. It is not possible for us to provide replacement packaging in a cost effective way.
Additionally, we strongly urge that you set your system up as soon as it arrives back to you and that you double check to make sure all reported issues have been resolved. We want you to be 100% satisfied with the repairs that have been conducted on your system! If for some reason you are not, please let us know right away.
Puget Systems support and repair department contact information can be found here.
Here at Puget Systems, we believe that computers should be a pleasure to purchase and own. They should get your work done without being a hindrance. Our hope is that you have no further issues with your system, but if you are ever in need of assistance again, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are always happy to help!
Need help with your Puget Systems PC?
If something is wrong with your Puget Systems PC, we are readily accessible, and our support team comes from a wide range of technological backgrounds to better assist you!
Looking for more support guides?
If you are looking for a solution to a problem you are having with your PC, we also have a number of other support guides that may be able to assist you with other issues.