Warranty issues... What would you do?

majiktripp

Hello,
I usually post here in the Laptops forum trying to help people who may have questions or issues with their systems but today I am venting a small bit.

I own a Dell XPS M170 laptop, bought in November 2005. I got the NBD 3 year warranty on the unit when ordering, and renewed that same warranty when it was due to expire, for another 2 years. I still have 460 odd days NBD warranty left on it.

In mid 2006 I had several problems with the unit resulting in 2 graphics card replacements and a motherboard replacement. This episode dragged on for 2 odd months back and forthing with Dell trying to get them to fix it once and for all, even so far as to have them collect the unit and take it away for their own testing.

I received the laptop back and it worked fine from then until May 2008. At this point I left the country for 9 months and was living in New Zealand, while the XPS stayed at home here in Ireland.

Upon returning in February, I started using it again, only to have the graphics card die in April. This was replaced under warranty pretty quickly.

Then in June, the replacement graphics card started to die so I had that one replaced as well...

Yesterday I turned on the laptop getting it ready for a Lan party at mates place this Friday, when I was greeted with a thin banded line down one side of the LCD screen. Also, strangely along with this the Wireless card is dead. Not in Bios, not in device manager.

I checked laptop using external monitor and indeed the line only appears on LCD screen and not external monitor so this time Graphics card seems ok.

I emailed Dell Tech Support, pretty angry now I must say as this is the 3rd time I will have to have a call out in near 3 months.

I asked to be referred to the Call Centre Manager , and duely was and received a hpone call from him this evening stating that had the graphics card died, they may have replaced the whole laptop (which is pretty much what Im after as I have no faith in it now, I believe the motherboard could be frying compnents, 2 graphics cards and the wireless card) but seeing as the LCD and wireless card are unrelated to the two previous GFX replacements I will just have to get them replaced by Dell Engineer.

Am I wrong to be pushing for a replacement (obviously not a new laptop, but something , even a refurb M1710 or the likes if they still have them) or should I shut up and grin and bare it?

I am loosing faith in the reliablilty of the unit itself is the main point really and just wondered what others would do in this situation....

Sorry for the lengthy post.. Thanks for reading.

Overheal

Executive Email Carpet Bomb (EECB) Attack

http://consumerist.com/5122023/eecb-saves-reader-from-dell-hell

http://consumerist.com/321353/email-addresses-for-19-dell-executives

majiktripp

I just might drop Michael Dell an email, sure whats the worst that could happen! Cheers for those links

majiktripp

Emailed michael@dell.com with an attached copy of the email correspondance with Dell CSR's in India, along with a copy/paste of this thread contents.

I wont hold my breath for a swift reply however.

Gran Hermano

http://www.courts.ie/courts.ie/Library3.nsf/PageCurrentWebLookUpTopNav/Small%20Claims%20Procedure

That's who I'd be talking to.

majiktripp

I mentioned that in all emails to the Technical Support, even when I got the phone call from the Manager in India, he had no idea what I was talking about nor was he particularly interested it seemed. Is the onus on me to prove the laptop wasn't fit for purpose or of reasonable quality if I were to go the small claims route?

Overheal

If they dont know what youre on about, Well, on HPs website anyway the Chat form lets you input your computer knowledge (novice, intermediate, etc). I always click Expert. Which really you ought to if you have programming knowledge but anyway I soon discovered this sends you to their most intelligible CSRs in almost all cases. Boy did they teach me some things about troubleshootin'.

Voodu Child

I'd be looking for a new machine at that stage alright, in light of the amount of trouble and wasted time you'd had.

But they've no obligation to, once they keep replacing the dead components they are keeping their side of the deal. So it would be more of a goodwill gesture if you got it....or hopefully they would just eventually run out of old components and have to give you a new laptop.

Fingers crossed anyhow.

majiktripp

Well! This morning I got a phone call from a Dell European Manager, Nice Indian lady I must say. She had been reviewing my email to michael@dell.com and now wishes me to contact her directly should any further issues evolve with my laptop, with a view to replacing it outright!
F*** me I was shocked that it actually got me a response, and pretty fast too I might add!
Thanks Overheal!

majiktripp

Just an update really. Today Dell were ment to call out and fix my screen (now with two lines) and wireless card.

The engineer never showed up.

I rechecked emails and indeed today was the arranged date. I was at the location all day and had both phone and email access. No communication at all to say cancelled or otherwise.
Sent a very strongly worded email to the lady that had taken custody of my case and was quite adament that enough was enough. Sort it out, now.

I await her reply.

Overheal

how strongly worded...

majiktripp

Was as follows:


Dear S***,

I am contacting you as requested last Friday following our phone conversation regarding the state of my XPS laptop (Service tag: yoink ) once the Dell Service Engineer called out as requested to replace the screen and wireless card.

This arranged call out did NOT take place.

The call out was arranged via email with Dell Technical support (see text below for confirmation highlighted in Red), there was no contact made with me all day today (Tuesday the 21st of July) via phone or email regarding the service call, and I was available at the provided address all day from 9am and it is now coming up on 5pm.


This has frustrated me greatly and to be honest made me even more angry.


I want to know what you intend to do about this situation, my preferred solution now is outright replacement of the laptop at this stage as I believe today was the final straw for me. Please do not consider asking me to wait another day sometime next week to sit around waiting for a Dell Engineer to call out yet again.


Regards,
Etc..

Overheal

oh right. as long as you didnt call her dead mother a dingleberry eating asshat or anything.

majiktripp

Dell Engineer shows up at business address today, I wasn't there. No phone call, no email to make me aware of it , only my collegue informing me of the situation when the guy turned up at the door.
Luckily I had left laptop there, and gave technician permission over phone to complete the repair. Irrate I emailed my "contact" yet again, got the rosey response..


I know the confusion with the address has happened between Dell and the service provider. Please let me know if the system is working fine after the repair or not ,based on that we can take a decision for the next steps.
Thanks



Fit.To.Be.Tied.

majiktripp

Just been informed Engineer has left only now.
Wireless card still dead, replaced with a new one and did not work. He believes motherboard is causing issue and has recommended that to be replaced on top of everything else (which I'll add in the original post I believed was causing the issues anyways).

majiktripp

Last post here for today.

Have been informed that the unit is to be replaced with a new one, as I relayed the engineers finding to my contact via email. I have been told I will be sent the specifications of the new unit, but to go ahead with any scheduled motherboard replacements they may make.

If anyone should find an XPS M170 refurb on Dell Outlet Ireland in the near future going cheap...well you know the rest.

majiktripp

New spcification (proposed) of replacement laptop compared to original.

majiktripp

Old and Busted Laptop

Shiney New Replacement





Thanks to Dell for replacing this abomination of a unit for me. Proof positive it pays to complain and stick to your guns.