Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/14/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a high-end gaming laptop (Order #**********) on March 30, 2024. Since February 2025, the system has exhibited repeated critical malfunctions including black screens on startup and irreparable system freezes.
  Despite my complete cooperation with their technical support (BIOS updates, multiple diagnostics) and reporting the problems before warranty expiration, the malfunctions persist. The system has become unusable for normal professional or personal use.
  AVADirect refuses any refund and demands that I pay expensive international shipping to the United States for a non-guaranteed repair. This position is unreasonable because:
  
  Problems were reported within warranty timeframes
  Multiple resolution attempts have failed
  The product does not meet expected quality standards
  The proposed solution is disproportionately expensive
  
  Desired Resolution:
  Full refund of $3,279.41 or substantial compensation for a product that does not meet merchantable quality standards.
  Actions Taken:
  
  Extensive correspondence with technical support
  Resolution attempts following their instructions
  Formal refund request based on Ohio law
  Complete documentation of all problems
  
  AVADirect's Response:
  Categorical refusal of refund despite documentation of defects and consumer legal rights under Ohio law.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/16/2025

  ******* ordered this
  laptop on 3/30/2024, and the order was completed and shipped out on April 17th,
  2024, which is when the 1-year warranty accompanying the unit would start. ******* reported the current issues with this laptop on February 26th,
  2025, only after we followed up with him a year later to make sure everything was still going well.  The laptop was having inconsistencies powering on and would be stuck
  at a black screen until the battery ran out or would have to remove and unlock
  the boot drive on another computer. To which the initial troubleshooting done
  was to update the BIOS. After acquiring the BIOS update from the manufacturer
  of this laptop and providing it on March 3rd, 2025, ******* updated the BIOS and did not report any further issues until four months later,
  on July 3rd 2025. The BIOS update was the only troubleshooting that
  was done with the combined effort of *******  and AVADirect.
  
  Our initial response was that
  the laptop was out of warranty with the manufacturer now but offered to take a
  look at the additional hardware that was installed to see if the memory or SSDs
  could be part of the issue so we could get those replaced. ******* then
  requested a replacement or refund, which was denied. We requested again the
  unit be shipped in for evaluation so we could attempt to diagnose and repair
  the issue, and if the issue was unrelated to any components added at our
  facility, we would escalate the issue with the manufacturer. It was at this
  point that we requested the return shipping address, to which *******  informed us that they were now outside of the United States, after having
  purchased the unit within the United States. Per the terms and conditions that
  *******  agreed to, we are only able to cover a one-way return shipment
  within the United States. We informed ******* that they would need to find
  or set up some form of shipping forwarder if they would like to get this sent
  in and repaired. Upon providing this information, ******* said they will
  not be able to send the system back under these conditions and requested a
  partial refund or some form of goodwill compensation, to which was denied
  again. We did also reach out to the manufacturer of the laptop, who did offer
  to cover the issue under warranty. Which would also require the unit be sent
  back to the United States.
  
  Following this, ******* demanded either a full refund, or a 75% refund as goodwill
  compensation as the only options to resolve the situation. No attempts to
  physically repair the system have been able to have been made at this point due
  to the customer’s refusal to send the unit in for repair as a result of ******* having moved out of the country. AVADirect believes in supporting its
  customers as much as reasonably possible. Despite the customer's demands, we
  are still ready and willing to investigate the issues described, and do our
  very best to resolve them in the best way possible

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/16/2025

  I am rejecting this response because it contains several factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations that I must address:
  
  Factual Corrections:
  Geographic location: I purchased this laptop while residing in California in March 2024, then relocated to France. AVADirect's international shipping limitations were not disclosed at the time of purchase. Given that Clevo is well-established in Europe with service centers and partners, I reasonably expected standard international support for warranty issues.
  Post-BIOS follow-up: When I confirmed the BIOS update "worked" on March 6th, 2025, I specifically stated "I can only wait and see if it happens again," clearly indicating the problems could persist. The intermittent nature of these failures made immediate reporting impossible.
  
  Professional Assessment:
  As a computer engineer with extensive experience across numerous personal and professional systems, I can definitively state that these are not software issues. The persistent combination of random system freezes, boot failures requiring battery drain, and black screen incidents represents classic hardware instability - likely motherboard, power management, or thermal design flaws.
  Additionally, the laptop's excessive noise and heat generation during normal operation indicates poor thermal design, which likely contributes to the system instability. A properly designed laptop should not require constant high-speed fan operation or generate excessive heat during routine tasks.
  My professional experience with computer systems allows me to distinguish between software glitches (which can be patched) and fundamental hardware design issues (which cannot). The BIOS update provided by AVADirect offered no guarantee of resolution and, predictably, the underlying hardware problems persisted.
  
  Why AVADirect's Solution is Inadequate:
  No success guarantee: Their proposed diagnostic offers no assurance the underlying hardware defects will be resolved.
  Intermittent failure nature: Random system freezes and boot failures cannot be reliably diagnosed in a short repair window. The system could appear "fixed" during testing but continue failing in real-world use.
  Prohibitive international shipping: Costs exceeding $300 for a repair with no success guarantee, plus risks of loss/damage during transport.
  Fundamental design flaw: This appears to be a systemic issue with this laptop model, not a repairable component failure. The combination of instability, excessive heat, and noise suggests poor overall system design that cannot be resolved through component replacement.
  
  Legal Position:
  AVADirect ignores the implied warranty of merchantability under Ohio Revised Code Section 1302.27. A $3,279.41 laptop that randomly freezes and fails to boot does not meet the legal standard of merchantability, regardless of manufacturer warranty expiration.
  The issues were reported well within the warranty period (February 2025), and I made good faith attempts to resolve them. AVADirect's refusal to acknowledge these basic consumer rights under Ohio law is documented and concerning.
  Requested Resolution:
  I maintain my request for either:
  
  Full refund ($3,279.41), or
  Substantial partial refund (75% minimum - $2,459.56) as goodwill compensation
  
  Conclusion:
  This response is NOT satisfactory. AVADirect's proposal places an unreasonable burden on me to ship an expensive item internationally for a repair with no success guarantee, while ignoring their legal obligations under Ohio consumer protection law.
  I request BBB mediation to facilitate an equitable resolution based on my documented consumer rights and the clear merchantability violations.
  Sincerely,
  ******* ******

  Business Response

  Date: 07/17/2025

  AVADirect
  cannot operate under the assumption that a customer may relocate at any given
  time. This is why AVADirect lists all store and site policies, which are
  available to customers pre- and post-sale.
  
  In
  relation to our warranty coverage:
  
  ************************************
  AVADirect
  will replace or repair any component or system covered by warranty free of
  charge. AVADirect reserves the right to substitute a comparable component or
  offer an upgrade option if the defective component is unavailable. The replaced
  hardware may be new or serviceably used and will be comparable in function to
  the original. AVADirect will ship free of charge any item covered by
  warranty back to the customer in the continental United States. Any other
  shipping fees will be covered by the customer.
  
  AVADirect
  does not rule out the possibility of issues the customer is experiencing. This
  is why we worked closely with the manufacturer, and were able to make an exception
  with his warranty length, and get Clevo to approve a warranty repair at no
  cost. This, however, requires Gabriel’s willingness to ship the product to the
  US. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/18/2025

  Dear BBB,
  AVADirect's response continues to avoid the fundamental legal issues while misrepresenting key facts.
  

  Addressing Their Claims:
  Warranty Policy Reference: AVADirect cites their warranty policy but completely ignores Ohio's implied warranty of merchantability (Ohio Revised Code Section 1302.27). This legal warranty cannot be disclaimed by company policies and applies regardless of their terms and conditions.
  

  Relocation Assumption:
  AVADirect claims they "cannot operate under the assumption that a customer may relocate." However:
  I was a legitimate US customer at time of purchase in California
  The manufacturer (Clevo) has established European operations
  Their shipping limitation was not prominently disclosed at purchase
  This limitation effectively makes their warranty meaningless for any customer who relocates

  "Exception" Claim:
  AVADirect presents Clevo's warranty repair offer as a generous "exception," but this is misleading:
  The issues were reported well within the original warranty period (February 2025, warranty expired April 2025)
  A manufacturer honoring their warranty is not an "exception" - it's their legal obligation
  This "solution" still requires me to absorb $300+ in international shipping costs with no guarantee of resolution

  Core Issues AVADirect Refuses to Address:
  Merchantability Violation: A $3,279.41 laptop that randomly freezes, fails to boot, and exhibits excessive heat/noise does not meet basic standards of merchantability under Ohio law.
  

  Timely Reporting:
  All issues were documented and reported within the warranty period.
  
  Design Flaws:
  As a computer engineer, I can confirm these are systematic hardware design issues, not isolated component failures that can be "repaired."
  

  Unreasonable Burden:
  Their proposed solution places the entire financial and logistical burden on me for a product that was defective from delivery.
  
  Professional Assessment Stands:
  The combination of random system instability, thermal issues, and excessive noise indicates fundamental design flaws that cannot be resolved through component replacement. This is not a "repair" situation - it's a defective product that should be refunded under Ohio consumer protection law.
  
  AVADirect's response demonstrates their unwillingness to acknowledge basic consumer rights under Ohio law. Their warranty policy cannot supersede state consumer protection statutes.
  I maintain my request for either:
  
  Full refund ($3,279.41), or Substantial partial refund (75% minimum - $2,459.56)
  
  This is not about warranty terms - it's about a defective product that fails to meet legal standards of merchantability.
  
  AVADirect's response is still NOT satisfactory. They continue to ignore Ohio consumer protection law while hiding behind warranty terms that cannot legally disclaim implied warranties.
  I request BBB continue mediation to achieve a resolution based on established consumer rights, not just company policies.
  
  Respectfully,
  ******* ******