VAIO Z Series AC Adapter

Sony sold their Vaio business line a few years ago (Feb 2014) to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP); then Vaio resurged back in Sept 2015.Anyways, to my review. I purchased two of these adapters for my Sony Vaio Z Flip. Please note these will not work on the Sony Z Canvas.If you look at the Sony website,[...], you can see which charger your new Sony Vaio will take.These chargers are the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) chargers that come with the Sony Vaio Z Flip.They have the same model number and are identical to the original that came with the laptop.Needless to say they work perfectly.This charger in particular is nice because it has a USB slot on the side of it allowing for charging of other devices.My issue is that these came in the smallest box possible with bubble wrap around the two chargers and not the original boxes.I'm assuming this was to save on shipping costs.But for the price, I would have liked it in the original box to ensure it was new.So if you are iffy about things coming in bubble wrap only, don't order from the official Vaio seller.See the attached pictures for the box it came in and the USB slot.Price: $79 (no tax, free shipping)Seller: VAIO (official)Speed: normal (7 days from the order until in my hands)Specs:19.5V/5.0VInput: 100-240VOutput: Total Output 44WOutput1: 19.5 Volt -- 2.0 AmpsOutput2: 5.0V -- 1.0 Amps (USB Slot)Model#: VJ8AC19V74

I was a longtime SONY (note I said Sony) VAIO fan. I had the laptop for 7 years. Zero issues. The screen was shattered while traveling and gradually the computer began to fail.I take full responsibility for the shatter. I shouldn’t have put it in my checked curbside bag. But after 12 bicoastal residency interviews in 30 days, I just couldn’t remove it one more time. Gradually other things started to fail. I figured I’d gotten my money’s worth and it was time to upgrade to something lighter and with up to date perks. I decided to stick with the VAIO brand despite the laptop being made by an unspecified Japanese company. I researched and read all the “fake” positive reviews on the VAIO website and ordered the $1300 VAIO Z in early 2017. Note: I drafted and submitted a review after my laptop started having problems and without any response from VAIO. The negative review was never posted. I digress...I paid additional money for the Windows apps. They failed constantly. Imagine writing 10 hours of a dissertation and having the auto save feature fail and Microsoft Word shut down; no recovery. I was livid. I called VAIO. No response. I did my own troubleshooting. Reinstalled the windows apps offered through my university and this seemed to fix the random MS Word shutdown issue. My laptop then started automatically logging off of my home network. Obviously I set it up to connect automatically. Every time I logged on, I had to re-enter the passcode. A small inconvenience; but an issue nonetheless. I then noticed the computer moving slow. Keep in mind my computer over the past 1-2 years has been used sporadically as I primarily use it for pleasure only; and spend most of my time using my incredibly reliable Dell laptop for work. So, memory is not an issue. Im also VERY particular about websites I visit to avoid issues like slow processing caused by viruses. I had to hard reset the computer at least twice. This fixed some of the issues temporarily. I passively let these little issues build up without further complaint to VAIO. My computer is in physical excellent condition. Despite its small and lightweight size (the best perk IMO). So it hasn’t endured any trauma to its “guts.” The boasted 10-12 hour battery life also gradually declined; despite having low light and energy saver running. SN: without the brightness at full, the graphics are quite unimpressive given the price and noted i5 and IRIS perks. NOW, THE LAPTOP WILL NOT CHARGE. I purchased a new charger per geek squad from Vaios website at a hefty $80. I plugged it in excited to have it work and nada. It lights up orange and quickly shuts off. I’ve tried different outlets and nothing. I left it plugged in anyway hoping the light was just broke. It doesn’t cut on. BOTH chargers clearly work because the side USB port charges everything. The ports on the laptop are nice and tight. There’s no noticeable debris inside the port. I cleaned them out with a small pen just to make sure. I contacted VAIO twice regarding the new issues, no response. Unlike the older Sony models, there’s no easy way to remove the battery (it seems to be built in like the MacBook) nor can I find the reset button people have referenced on the canvas. Not to mention, I wouldn’t be excited about wiping my computer clean. This kind of defeats the purpose of having the laptop. Nonetheless, I feel cheated and highly disappointed. There’s also little to no helpful videos available online. Everything I have found references the Sony series which is different from the Z made in Japan. Aside from having to cough up another 1000 plus possibly for a new laptop, I’m worried about how I’m going to get everything out of this computer which is difficult to breakdown. I would not recommend this laptop. A waste of money. No staffed customer service center. You have to request a call back or email; which for me, went unanswered. I’ve read other reviews and forums and it seems VAIO will ask you to return it for “service” at your expense for shipping and return and an unspecified cost for the repair; if it’s beyond the 1 year warranty. Ridiculous. The limited warranty and outsourced service should’ve been a red flag. I was hoping the reputation of the VAIO brand regardless of where it was made would remain constant. Sadly, my hope has deflated and my assessment was grossly inaccurate. Save your money. Put it this way, my IPhone works more efficient than my laptop. If people have other recommendations please send them my way. I need another PC quick.