A Nigerian lady has publicly called out a gadget vendor after purchasing a laptop for ₦250,000 in January, only for it to develop multiple defects within a few weeks. The issues include a faulty speaker, unresponsive keyboard, and a flickering screen. She has since demanded a refund, claiming that the laptop was not brand new as she initially believed.
Taking to her X (formerly Twitter) page, she shared a detailed account of her ordeal, revealing that she only realized the laptop’s problems after using it for a short period. She explained how she had trusted the vendor and relied on a friend’s recommendation before making the purchase.
According to her, the laptop’s keyboard was stiff from the beginning, but she assumed it was because it was a UK-used device. However, the situation worsened when the speaker stopped working, forcing her to find an online solution to fix it. Despite that, the laptop continued to show signs of malfunction, with the screen flickering intermittently and eventually freezing during use.
Struggling financially, she attempted to resell the laptop but was met with low offers, which prompted her to confront the seller. When she reached out to him, he allegedly blamed her for mishandling the device and refused to take responsibility for the defects.
Her frustration escalated after visiting the vendor’s shop in Ikeja, where she was initially offered ₦150,000, a price she rejected as too low. She later tried other buyers, but the highest offer she received was ₦130,000. The vendor then offered to repair the keyboard, but she declined, insisting on a refund instead.
In her post, she lamented how she later discovered that the laptop had been repainted and that the camera was also faulty. She eventually left the laptop at the seller’s shop and demanded a refund, but the vendor reportedly asked her to wait 2-4 weeks for him to find a new buyer before paying her back.
Her post reads:
“I bought this laptop from @_mdgadgets on January 9, 2025, for ₦250,000, and now I regret it. I had no idea it wasn’t brand new. My friend assured me the specs were okay, and it was within my budget. But shortly after buying it, I noticed the keyboard was stiff, the speaker didn’t work, and I couldn’t adjust the brightness.”
“I found a fix online for the speaker issue, but within a week, the screen started twitching occasionally. Two weeks ago, the keyboard stopped working entirely, and the laptop began freezing. I didn’t immediately report this to the vendor, thinking it was minor. However, when I tried selling it, I realized the defects had significantly reduced its value.”
“I finally reached out to the vendor, who told me to bring the laptop to his shop in Ikeja. He insisted the issues were my fault. When I got there, he wasn’t around, and his representative offered me ₦150,000, which I refused. I tried other buyers, but the highest offer I got was ₦130,000. The vendor then offered to fix the keyboard, but I wasn’t interested—I just wanted my money back.”
“Later, I found out the laptop had been repainted, and the camera didn’t work. I went back to his shop and left the laptop there, demanding a refund. He then told me to wait up to four weeks while he looked for another buyer. I need my money urgently! Please help me get it back.”
Following her post, numerous social media users weighed in on the situation, offering advice and opinions on her predicament.
See some reactions below:
@Blaqdkidd: “But he offered to fix everything naw, so what’s the issue here? Once you buy a gadget, you can’t expect to resell it at the same price, even to the seller.”
@orioninc_ng: “It’s an old laptop with a lot of faults, which they cleaned up and sold to you.”
@Hermjaytee: “No one knows how you handled the laptop within those months. Even your screen complaint doesn’t have solid evidence. They still offered you ₦150k, but you refused, looking for someone to extort.”
@peter102435: “Collect the ₦150k and move on. I have a shop in Computer Village—no one will give you a full refund after 10 weeks!”
@yoursjeffery: “@_mdgadgets, you should just help this lady out. This situation is bad for your brand.”
@flourishbidex: “So you want him to sell a bad laptop to someone else just so you can get your money back? Why not take the ₦150k and move on?”
@StatsbyStoner: “Your fault. You should have contacted the vendor through WhatsApp instead of trying to fix it yourself. You had financial issues and wanted to resell, but you should have waited till the agreed date.”
@Naija_farmers: “I once bought a laptop from a Nairaland vendor. It developed issues, but he replaced it immediately. Not all vendors are bad.”
SEE POST:
Here is one of the videos. You see that white line at the beginning? You might need to watch 10× before noticing. That’s the flickering. I held up the camera thinking it would occur again, but it wouldn’t. I’m sure you would have something else to say after this, agenda must agend pic.twitter.com/pUtNkIJpWd
— Dandelion🌼 (@__Dejoke) March 21, 2025
