Heh.. a month ago I got to know that many computer stores in Serbia started adding an interesting detail to the warranty policies. Actually, they forbid their customers to install the purchased hardware alone, forcing them to pay additionally for the installation.

Example: you buy a DVD ROM or a RAM memory stick. In the moment you put it in your box, its warranty becomes invalid, because it states that the new hardware you got may be installed only by authorized personnel i.e. you must call a service to your home (or bring your box to them), so that they put your DVD ROM or RAM stick in. Naturally, this costs a whole lot of money and many people don't read these policies at all. Crappy.

Is this stuff common in your lands?

When you take it to the shop, just remove everything you put in by yourself.

GFreenglish strikes again?

My point there up was that you lose the warranty for the components you put by yourself just because you put it by yourself. Nobody will accept your reclamation that it is not working if you haven't tried it out. And if you tried it out, you need a paper from the service that proves they installed it.

Oh, another bad thing. Once the service built the new component in, only they may pull it out (that costs too). (you're losing warranty to the new component even if you take it out by yourself)

No that is not common over here. If the part is faulty, the part is faulty, you get a replacement or money back so long as you return within X amount of Days and it is apparent that you personally haven't damaged it.

If they argue, we have something call trading standards (I guess it's global?) that will argue the shit out of your case for you free of charge.