[RESPONDED] My Framework laptop is dead, and they didn't allow me to purchase the spare

Community Support
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Sorry to bother you guys, but i exhausted the other way’s to solve this, i think i haven’t another way to express my frustration, so i left this here if there’s someone who has a solution, or at least as a warning for anyone who be in the same situation.

First of all i want to say that i love the philosophy behind the Framework laptop effort, and i really value what the company is chasing, i really do think a reusable approach for all the technology we own is must.

I was so hooked by that, i purchased a second batch unit of the 1st gen Framework laptop. In that time there was no limitation to purchase this equipment from abroad, obviuosly there was a limitation with the warranty. i live in Chile, but i go to the US constantly for work, but even so, i took the risk knowing that if i have any problem (when im outside the us), i would’nt be able to appeal to that warranty, but i was ok with that.

When i get the laptop, it was a excellent, everything that i wanted (and more), and i used it for about a year, i think after the first six months i started noticing the fans getting on more often, and sometimes were really loud, i starting having issues like blank screens, i needed to hard shutdown more often because didn’t recover from sleep state, until suddendly it didn’t powerup again.

I looked in the troubleshooting guides, i read this community and even get a support from the Framework team itself to know what was happened, but it didn’t recover from that, never started up again, and the flashing lights indicate problems with the mainboard, so in retrospect i think the mainboard fried itself because some issue with the cooling.

So, i was ok with that since the first time so i know the warranty wouldn’t cover that, but i was confident because i was sure that I COULD PURCHASE ANOTHER MAINBOARD, and even i thought that maybe would be good because there was a new version with better cpu’s and design, and more mature firmwares and more robust cooling.

But the issue, is that now I CAN’T BUY ANYTHING FROM THE MARKETPLACE anymore, because there’s a new restriction for non-us credit cards, and they banned my account for trying to buy a spare part for my completly dead laptop.

So now i have a dead computer, that i can’t repair, and im forced to buy something else and transform my completly repairable computer in e-waste that it’s supposed to help to avoid in the first place.

I really hope there’s a solution, i just ask to have the possibility to purchase the spare, as simply as that.

Thanks to all, i hope you have a great week.

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I really don’t want to sound unsympathetic knowing that your laptop is essentially now a heavy paper weight but you made a decision knowing the consequences and this is the outcome. It’s not something unique to Framework, all companies have to follow certain rules when selling products in a country. The ban on non-US credit cards is to stop people from trying to use freight forwarding services to get the laptop into countries they don’t support.

If you have someone who lives in a supported country, you could ask them to order a replacement mainboard for you. Framework can’t check for this but understand that warranty becomes complicated. This is something Framework and a lot of people (including myself) don’t condone but that’s up to you.

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Welcome to the forum.

In addition to what TheTRUEAsian said, you could also get a mainboard from ebay or reddit.com/r/frameworkmarket.
Lastly, Frame-Parts ships worldwide, and they say you can request any part you need. So you shouldn’t be stuck.

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[quote=“TheTRUEAsian, post:2, topic:37478”]
I really don’t want to sound unsympathetic knowing that your laptop is essentially now a heavy paper weight but you made a decision knowing the consequences and this is the outcome. [/quote]

Yep, for the warranty.

Just want to point out, that the warranty is something that is a cost for the company and for that is reasonable that it be limited, but offer a spare to purchase is a completly different story, has it’s own margin, and is on the customer who want to buy it.

Even you can leave a disclaimer saying that is “at your own risk” and giving the choice available for its customers.

MJ1, thanks for the info!, i hope they will have what i need in stock sometime.

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That may be the case however, as in my original comment, it’s to stop people from trying to freight forward it into unsupported countries and then blame it on Framework. If you look back far enough, you’ll find people who’ve done that and got burned at the end. Framework could but then if you let one person do it, a whole bunch of people will do it and then you can’t control where your product ends up.

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Framework was never legally allowed to sell in Chile, and you took advantage of a loophole in the billing system to get your original computer, which Framework has now closed, there has been no change to Framework’s policy on this.

The good news, is that all the parts of your computer other than the mainboard still work, and will continue to do so for a long time. This means that if you can source a mainboard in the future, you can hold onto the rest of the system until that is possible, either by Framework opening up ordering in Chile, or by someone legally obtaining a mainboard and giving it to you.

I’m sorry you ended up in this situation, but I agree with the commenters above, you gamed the system, and now Framework’s hands are legally tied, whether you like it or not. I’m sure the mods will be closing this thread soon, so I wish you the best, sorry your Framework experience has ended up being subpar.

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Is this that same nut from the earlier posts?

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Your original purchase decision was made based on the assumption of the availability of the part(s) you may need in the future. You,. knowing your own situation should have highlighted that as a logistical dependency assumption. Hell, some of us who bought the 1st gen FL13 weren’t even sure if Framework would be around after 6 months. So, in your case, maybe just consider that Framework doesn’t exist in your universe / region.

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Note that Frame Parts says

If you need a part that is not on the website, just get in touch and we can order it in for you

So no need to wait, just contact them and say you need a mainboard.
I wouldn’t expect Frame Parts to ever keep expensive mainboards just on hand, better to order one if & when someone needs it. It’s just a guy providing a service to the community.

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@Second_Coming yep, it could dissapear, but it didnt, if we discussed hypotetical scenarios, if the company went somwhere else do you resign to keep your laptop as a brick knowing that is repairable only for an arbitrary administrative rule?

If you dont understand how unreasonable is you cant buy the part even being in the US (be cause i have a non-us credit card) then there’s no way to keep discssing about it.

Anyway, thanks for the info mj1.

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As a matter of fact, my unit was pretty much a brick (to me) for a good 18 months because of how not dependable it was. That is, administrative rule or not, I didn’t want to give Framework more money until the engineering quality improves. So, in a way, yeah, I know what it feels to hold a brick.

For me, the situation changes now that the AMD board is out. In your case, you just need to open a new account, use a top-up credit card / anonymous credit card, or Frame Parts as mj1 mentioned. Or, if you wait long enough, maybe Framework will open up in your country.

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Okay folks, we’re going to shut this one down here. This product was forwarded to an unsupported country/region intentionally. @Tbon_ico, this is exactly why we do not allow freight forwarding. The follow up order simply used the freight forwarder’s information as billing and shipping.

@Tbon_ico If you place another order, and provide a VALID shipping address, in a supported country as outlined in the KB article HERE, given you are an early adopter, I will make a one-time exception to allow the purchase.

This said, please know that none of your previous actions are defensible. You provided false billing, a freight forwarder as shipping, and are attempting to import our product to a country where we are not legally authorized to be. Our Terms of Sale are clear, and our stance on freight forwarding is also clear.

If you run into problems placing the order, if you decide to do so, please PM me, and I will work to allow the order through our system. The warranty will exist with the person it is shipped to within the supported country/region. DO NOT try to use a forwarder/re-shipper again. When entering the billing, use the permanent residential/business address you are shipping it to (only allowing it in this very specific instance). Please follow the instructions in the linked knowledge base article.

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