Dell told Arthur to replace his broken DVD drive himself, even after he shipped his laptop to Dell expressly so they could perform the replacement. Arthur tried unsuccessfully to remove the broken drive with the help of Dell phone jockey before returning his unit to the mothership. After weeks of waiting, Dell returned the still-broken laptop with a note explaining that they were out of DVD drives, but that when they arrived in “two or three days,” they’d send one to Arthur so he could install it himself.
As for Dell, I purchased a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop last January. A few weeks ago, the CD/DVD drive stopped working. I called Dell, and spent a long time on the phone with someone who tried to instruct me how to remove the drive. I could not do it, and they sent me a DSL return box to send them the computer back.
On Friday I missed the delivery. Today, though, I stayed home to wait for it till it arrived at 2:30 PM. There was a note with the computer stating that the drive was out of stock, that it would not be in stock for 2 or three days, and that they would be sending me one. I could install it myself, according to the note. Oddly, I’d sent them the computer precisely so I wouldn’t have to do that.
What on earth is going on with a company that accepts returns, doesn’t fix them, and then tells you we’ll send you the parts and you can fix it yourself? Is there anyone I could contact who could actually help me rather than explaining all the things they can’t do for me? It seems to me they broke the contract by failing to honor the warranty, and I’ve wasted a great deal contacting various useless employees who seem to be reading from cue cards. I’m thinking of taking them to small claims court and filing complaints with the BBB, but I don’t even know who to name, and I’d really appreciate your advice. While I really like computers, the most I ever open them up is never.
If Dell won’t replace the drive, ask the higher-ups for an explanation. Alternatively, you can always pay a tech-savvy neighborhood kid with candy to help remove and replace the drive to get around Dell’s apparent incompetence.
(Photo: The Consumerist)
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if you lived near by, i’d swap it for you for free, lol
I waited 4 months for a replacement video card – not one week without myself initiating contact/update/reconfirm/repetition. (After a call to the WONDERFUL Texas Attorney General – I was finally contacted by someone with a little pull/clout.)
I have a Vostro 1500 as well, and I have disassembled it multiple times. The Optical Drive is, by far, the easiest thing to remove from the laptop.
The battery is more complicated because it has two latches. The Optical Drive has ONE screw holding it in. A screwdriver and some replacement parts will solve the majority of your problems with Dell laptops.
On to Customer Support, I had a broken AC adapter after around 6 months of wear and tear. The cable immediately behind the connector was completely worn out; the white wire underneath both the black covering and the wire strands were showing.
I didn’t even have to call support to get the problem fixed. I used the online chat to express my problem and they fixed it right away. I gave them the problem, they didn’t ask any stupid questions (because they are the business division, they are used to dealing with people who are pretty technologically proficient) they just sent the part (AC Adapter) over Next-Day Air and told me to have a good day. The part was on my doorstep at 12:00 the next day, I pulled out the AC Adapter, put the broken one in, sealed it, put the return shipping label on the package, and called DHL for a pickup.
This was probably the most amazing thing of the day. I had arranged a pickup with DHL at around 2:00 PM and they had asked me when the latest time they could pick it up was. I said 5:00 PM. They were there just an hour later, to pick up the package. In a total of 20 hours, I had contacted support, had the part sent to me, and had shipped it back to Dell.
Great Customer Support Dell, this was probably the best overall experience I have ever had with a Laptop.