We obtained our Acer Netbook late January 2011. It is to be used rarely in a college class so as not to carry the larger/heavier laptop. It's kept separate from all other books, ect. It was used less than 10 hours total before the first "crack".
The device has never been dropped (seriouslyl), never been wet/had anything spilled on it. We don't have much money, so we cherish it like fine China to give you an example of the care we put on it.
It was used to obtain some data off of it to put on the larger laptop one evening. It was fine, top was closed and the netbook left on my desk. The next morning, it was opened and over to the left of the screen their was a 2 1/2 x 1.75 inch white block area on the screen. It eventually spread to horizontal and vertical gray lines midway across the screen.
I walked it in to the repair center after obtaining my work order. I actually talked to an Acer technician whom was walking out. He didn't look at the device. I described the issue and his comments were that this was a very common issue. It didn't have anything to do with they system, but with the LED screen. He said it would be a simple replacement, no problem.
I recieved the device back ...at the wrong address.... and all looked good. This device doesn't even have any scratches on it yet as it's rarely used. By this time, I really didn't need to use the device anymore as the majority of what I needed it for had passed in class. I did take it twice with me to school to use between classes.
2 months later, I pull it out and we go through it all again. It looks good. Then the next day, I open it up and there is a white block in the upper left hand corner. This time when I called the warranty folks they said it was reported as a "cracked screen" last time. I was dumbfounded...hmmmm.
I took it into the repair center again. I again was able to talk to (and have) a technician look at it this time. He took it out in the sun. He pointed to where deep inside you can see a "black dot". This he said, indicates it's a "crack". There is and never has been any type of external damage. This means it's physical damage. But HOW? I ask.. He couldn't tell me other than maybe it was how it was opened. Maybe we opened it from the corner...Before he said this, he had us demonstrate how we opened it. From the center..... so that explanation wasn't really working for us.
The office later asked my daughter if the padded cover she had in her hand is what we used to protect it? Yes, we indicated. Well maybe we need to get a breifcase style case, she saids. These are made to be mobile so..... Hmmm, if they were made to be mobile why aren't the screens sturdier I wonder... She indicated also that we needed to make sure we didn't put anything on top of it.. HMMM, we don't put anything on top of it...ever!
soooo.... what it boils down to is that it's going to happen again because they really had no idea what caused it or why it occurs. The external product has no scratches, has never been dropped, nothing is put on it, nothing is spilled...It's not very mobile because it just "crack"s and really how can you use a device that is supposed to be mobile but can't even handle the gentleness that it has received so far? It has a total of less than 20 hours use on it...
We'll never buy an Acer again and we will pay the extra $$ for a truly mobile netbook as the $$ it will cost to repeatedly repair this is not worth it and you might as well get a better made one. You have to treat this better than the fine China or someone whom is so fragile that a touch will break their bones (can't remember the name of that disease...). That's pretty bad for a "mobile" device...