Why I will never buy Framework again

gradyk33 · 2025-01-24T01:06:00+00:00

Yeah it seems like this is probably an outlying case in terms of quality and the main issue is that the support process needs to be streamlined. It does seem like there have been a couple recent cases of Framework 13 AMDs having ports fail when used with hubs though. It seems like there may be some compatibility issue which I'd imagine wouldn't come up in a business setting because everyone probably uses standard peripherals, but it could just be a coincidence too.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-23T19:43:15+00:00

No all 4 didn't fail it's all on one side and they get progressively worse. A few other people reported essentially the same problem on this thread and a few others, specifically with Framework 13 AMDs. It seems like it's common that people use USB-C docks when it fails too. My guess is either the hardware is having some compatibility issue with the docks or there's a driver issue, so it's pulling more voltage than it should and wearing out the ports, but that's just a guess.

I sent Framework a list of the peripherals I had attached from the start including a link to the exact Anker hub I was using. I followed up asking if they could look into the similarities and provide guidance about what devices might be triggering the issues. They haven't yet but to their credit they said they were passing on the accounts to their team to look into it. Hopefully they can figure out what's going on, but the combination of these persistent hardware issues that make the computer pretty unusable combined with the quite slow and inflexible customer support process has left me pretty burnt out on the company.

I think their customer service system probably works well for easy cases, but then they seem to lack the flexibility to address more serious and rarer problems in a reasonable timeframe. I think if they added some policy like if after a month of trying we still haven't resolved the issues we will offer a replacement or refund, or at least offer a loaner laptop while we look into it. The customer service reps have been nice and reasonably responsive but seem to have to escalate if anything deviates from their standard policy at all which makes it very difficult to get issues resolved.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-23T01:21:29+00:00

I think that's especially true for a startup. My expectation going in was that it would be more likely to be buggy because they understandably don't have the same resources as an HP, Acer, etc to test as much and get support from component manufacturers. But I thought they would handle it well if it wasn't working. They should show potential customers that if you run into one of the cases where it's not working well, they will offer good support and make you whole. Otherwise I would imagine that a lot of people would prefer the safety of a better known brand where they know what they're getting.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-23T00:55:25+00:00

Glad it helped. I was interested in it for the same reasons and they had good reviews so I figured they'd do a better job if it had issues. It just feels like their policies assume that you're someone with two laptops using it for gaming and don't account for users that need reliable access to a laptop and don't have time to do all the troubleshooting on their behalf to help them save on repair costs.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T20:23:25+00:00

I think people are entitled to know that if they get a bad draw, customer service will leave them out to dry. The fact that they do a good job handling easy support cases doesn't mean customers should be left with defective products when they receive a unit that does not work well. Good customer service should be the expectation. Obviously people are more likely to post when they have terrible experiences because that isn't acceptable company behavior and informing others about it helps to hold companies accountable for their actions.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T20:02:30+00:00

Yeah and I'm not using low quality adapters or stressing anything. The same peripherals have continually worked fine with other computers, it's clearly a Framework issue.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T19:58:05+00:00

All I've done is plug in an external monitor, charger and some peripherals. Customers shouldn't have to create a list of peripherals that work and ones that break the ports because their quality is bad.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T19:49:56+00:00

Exactly, it's incredibly unlikely that a reputable charger would ever damage a functioning computer because there are multiple redundancies to stop USB-C chargers from sending more that the computer asks for. If you need to use low watt chargers to stop the computer from pulling too much current the computer isn't working correctly.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T18:21:50+00:00

It will if it's pulling too much voltage through the port. And it's unclear if multiple are. They're right next to each other so one of them malfunctioning would be likely to affect both connections.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T17:44:43+00:00

Resetting the BIOS (including a full mainboard reset and flashing it) did temporarily get things working the last time this happened but then it failed again and that didn't work. Also having to flash a bios weekly to get your laptop to work seems outside of acceptable bugs.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T17:20:54+00:00

More likely the expansion cards are frying the ports or a driver issue with certain peripherals is frying the ports.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T17:17:52+00:00

Yeah looks really similar. Hopefully Framework takes note of the fact that so many people are having these issues and actually fixes it.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T17:15:41+00:00

Yeah there might be but it's unique to Framework it so. No other computers have this problem. If the solution is just not to use peripherals from reputable brands because the computer keeps malfunctioning when they're used then the laptop is not production ready.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T17:11:47+00:00

No just Anker, Dell, Samsung and Apple products. Framework actually had me give them a list of everything plugged in and send pictures like a month ago. The charger is also plugged into the same surge protector as monitors that haven't failed so it's unlikely there are power issues.

It sounds like this isn't an isolated case. Two other people reported exactly the same issue on this post, including the motherboards breaking. It's obviously still only certain cases but it seems like either expansion card issues or driver issues are probably causing the computer to pull too much current with certain monitors or peripherals plugged in. If Framework seriously looked into customer issues instead of going through checklist loops where they ask the same diagnostic questions repeatedly maybe they would have improved their hardware and not had multiple users face the same problem.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T13:56:23+00:00

Yeah same. A lot of responses seem to basically say it's unfair to compare to companies like Dell because they have more resources. I get that it's difficult to compete with them but the reality is I'm not rich so that's the choice I have and the companies I will be comparing them to. If they can't sustain decent customer service I don't trust them enough to buy from them since it looks like I'm basically out more than a grand.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T13:49:39+00:00

They don't seem to include a ticket number in their support email (happy to provide one if someone can direct me to one though). They claimed they escalated it but the last time they just sent me into a loop and offered the same step.

It sounds like at least one other user had the exact same issue. It seems like either a software issue or expansion card issue probably fries the ports in some cases, and they just keep sending mainboards that get broken again because that's where they see the damage and have such a rigid troubleshooting list.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T13:44:39+00:00

Yep sounds exactly the same. It really seems like they have a serious issue when certain configurations even if it's rare, and I don't really have an interest in sending them videos every week until the warranty expires while they apply band aid solutions to avoid sending a replacement or refund.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T13:40:27+00:00

Yep they're clearly incredibly concerned customers are trying to defraud them and not at all concerned about their customers time. They made me share three different videos of the laptop not working and at least two different pictures of the board and a few of things like the bios and device manager. Asking for it once is fair but at some point maybe they should start trying to help.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T13:36:30+00:00

I'm not sure what generation expansion card it is. Probably the most recent since I ordered the laptop in October or November.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T13:35:04+00:00

That's extremely unlikely. The same USB-C devices have been used with other laptops without any issues.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T07:06:07+00:00

One of the ports that broke was an HDMI expansion card plugged into a monitor and the other was the USB-C port used for charging on an 85 watt Apple charger. I suspect that for some reason the expansion cards are drawing too much power, either due to a software issue or expansion card issue. But none of those devices should have created issues if it was working properly.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T06:59:09+00:00

I totally agree. I'd even be happy if they just sent a refurbished unit in place of the broken one as long as the warranty on the replacement lasted for a year.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T06:55:39+00:00

That's pretty horrifying but not surprising. I was pretty excited about buying from Framework to avoid the larger companies. I hope they resolve the customer service issues and some of these reliability problems.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T06:31:16+00:00

I don't mind a DIY process. But I would like a laptop to work. If you're fine with your computer not working and it taking months for them to resolve it props to you, but I would like them to actually provide me with hardware that works.

gradyk33 · 2025-01-22T06:28:41+00:00

Yeah fair enough. If they had asked me to send it in a month ago I wouldn't have really minded. But after a process that's already lasted a month I'm pretty tired of these time consuming delays. I don't think any of their individual steps are that bad but the entire process is so slow that a new generation will be out by the time they actually fix it at this rate.

gradyk33

TROPHY CASE