Chances of getting a defective cover

[Antitoon]

Hi everybody!

Long story short for lazy readers: plan to order a Type Cover from abroad on eBay. This means that in case I receive a defective one, returning it is going to be problematic. Would you do that? How many defective covers have been reported so far?

Ok, long version. Before I get to the question, some background. I have been looking for a new laptop for more than one year now. I wanted to get a convertible, but I wasn't happy with any of the (few) models on the market. I have been really close to buying a Dell XPS 12, but I did not because of the image retention problems of its display.

I am Italian and currently live in Switzerland. However, I have always used the US international layout on all of the computers I had, and I believe it's much better than the Italian layout, not to mention the horrible Swiss one. Now, I can always set a different keyboard layout and type blindly, without looking at the keyboard, and I can do it, but it's annoying to have to resort to that after spending €€€ for a new computer, isn't it? However, it's very difficult to buy a laptop with US layout here, the only possibility is buying it directly from a manufacturer that will assemble it for you, but this is only possible with some professional models (e.g. ThinkPad Yoga). Ordering from the US is not an option, as it is then a pain in that place to get warranty service.

I had almost given up, and even when I recently set my eyes on the SP3, it took me several weeks to actually realize that it would also solve the keyboard problem for me! I can buy it here and only order the Type Cover from abroad.

So right now I am in this situation:

• Some Swiss online shops have the US layout Type Cover in their listing, however none of them has it in stock yet.
• One of them says that the cyan model will be in stock at the end of September.
• I need to get one no later than September 20. After that date I am going to Italy for one month, and I want to get it before that date.
• Shipping from the US is slow, so If I take that route I have to order it now.

The problem with ordering from the US on eBay (or from any online shop, for that matter), is that it is very difficult to return it in case it is defective. So, would you recommend to do that? How high do you believe the risk of getting a defective cover to be? How many defective Type Covers have been reported so far?

Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[Liam2349]

I haven't seen any defective keyboards, you will probably be fine.

 

[Antitoon]

I haven't seen any defective keyboards, you will probably be fine.

Thank you for the early reply!

Anybody else? Also, thoughts about how awesome it is to just being able to order a different layout for the Type Cover?

 

[mahdi75]

Mine has a little problem: first 1cm of spacebar (from the right side) doesn't work.

And I can't exchange it, because microsoft isn't available in my country.

 

[Liam2349]

Mine has a little problem: first 1cm of spacebar (from the right side) doesn't work.

And I can't exchange it, because microsoft isn't available in my country.

What is the problem with the spacebar?

 

[malberttoo]

I haven't seen any defective keyboards, you will probably be fine.

There definitely have been members on this forum that reported their TypeCovers had issues, and had to be replaced. Touchpads not working, or intermittent tracking, keys not working etc.

To the OP @Antitoon: probably you will be fine, but you must realize of course that no one can provide assurance of that. The price for a TypeCover seems a little steep to purchase without that assurance that it could be returned if defective, but that is just my opinion.

Also are you sure that you couldn't get Microsoft to exchange a brand new, in the box, never opened unit, even if purchased from eBay?

 

[mahdi75]

What is the problem with the spacebar?

The right side of space bar (for about 1cm) is not working. I'm able to press it, but nothing will send to computer.

 

[Antitoon]

Thank you mahdi and @malberttoo.

Of course I know that nobody here can assure anything, and I am not even remotely thinking of complaining here in case I get a defective one after being advised to go on. I am just trying to assess the risk with the help of you guys.

Of course it can be returned if it is defective, AFAIK every eBay seller must allow it unless the object is sold as non-functional. The problem is that is going to be very painful. Shipping to and from the US is expensive, can easily take two weeks or more and there is the problem of custom fees. The money should not be wasted, but I really hope I will not have to deal with this annoyance.

I would have preferred a lot to buy it here but it is not yet available, and nobody seems to list it in their catalog in Italy. Buying it in Switzerland would mean waiting till the end of October, I don't want to wait to much for fully enjoying the new toy!

Do you think it would make sense to buy a refurbished/used one? On one hand they tend to be tested (and declared as "tested"), unlike new items, on the other hand it sounds like looking for trouble.

I know there is no right answer or wrong answer, I would just like to hear some thoughts.

 

[malberttoo]

Thank you mahdi and @malberttoo.

Of course I know that nobody here can assure anything, and I am not even remotely thinking of complaining here in case I get a defective one after being advised to go on. I am just trying to assess the risk with the help of you guys.

Of course it can be returned if it is defective, AFAIK every eBay seller must allow it unless the object is sold as non-functional. The problem is that is going to be very painful. Shipping to and from the US is expensive, can easily take two weeks or more and there is the problem of custom fees. The money should not be wasted, but I really hope I will not have to deal with this annoyance.

I would have preferred a lot to buy it here but it is not yet available, and nobody seems to list it in their catalog in Italy. Buying it in Switzerland would mean waiting till the end of October, I don't want to wait to much for fully enjoying the new toy!

Do you think it would make sense to buy a refurbished/used one? On one hand they tend to be tested (and declared as "tested"), unlike new items, on the other hand it sounds like looking for trouble.

I know there is no right answer or wrong answer, I would just like to hear some thoughts.

It won't be nearly as awesome... but maybe you could make do with a small Bluetooth or wireless keyboard while you're in Italy?

 

[Antitoon]

You said it, it's not nearly as awesome. But thanks for trying, it's a sensible piece of advice.

Also, I don't have one, so I would have to buy an object which I would soon stop using.

Actually my plan is to get the docking station as well, which would reduce the need of the cover. However, this month is basically my last sabbatical time as a student before I start working, so it's the perfect time for having fun with the new gadget, that's why I really would prefer to have it while I am in Italy. So far my experiences with electronics on eBay have been mostly positive, including the few occasions where I ordered something from the US, but who knows this time?

Ah, I just wish localized layouts were only used when it's really necessary! None of Italian, German and French requires any symbol which you cannot type with a US international keyboard, why do we need local layouts for these languages?!?

 

[jrapdx]

FWIW the TC2 for my SP2 developed "spacebar necrosis" a few weeks ago, after ~6 months of ownership. (I believe the TC for SP2 and SP3 are essentially the same except for surround dimensions.)

Good news is that the MS Store replaced it instantly. They were delighted I still had the original receipts! Apparently, people are returning stuff without receipts and the staff have to try to retrieve a record of the transaction.

New TC works very nicely...

 

[Antitoon]

Thank you for sharing, but I guess you had bought it from the MS store, right? Here there are no physical Microsoft Stores, and I can't really see their online store replacing items which they haven't sold directly.