Consumerist
Ethan writes:
I purchased a laptop through my company in 2005. The laptop I bought was the Dell XPS (Gen2). I had several issues with the DVD burner right off the bat. Within months Dell was replacing my 6800 Ultra laptop video board due to video artifacts. This happened again and more parts were replaced. In Late 2006 Dell swapped my Gen2 system for a M1710. In my book, both the customer service and the quality hit the fan. They sent me a laptop with less memory and poor video.You are either very patient, or insane. I think I would have just given up and asked for my money back at this point.Eventually after many calls they sent the right memory and fixed the video. Unfortunately, the laptop had serious thermal design flaws and I had another system exchange, multiple system board and video swaps. Not to mention overheating batteries. I got to know the local BancTec technicians by name. I really never was able to use the laptop. After more than 11 part replacements, they sent a M1730. In my opinion, they rushed the QA. The M1730 is a power hog and has to remain plugged in at all times. This is a laptop we are talking about. Something they sell as a mobile gaming solution. They even try to upsell additional batteries when you call them on the phone or buy it online. The M1730 is configured with SLI, however the fist system they sent had 1 bad GPU on the 2GPU video board.
So, they ordered me another laptop, which was canceled, and then reordered, and then canceled again. For all of my trouble I asked that they upgrade me to a faster processor and a blu-ray drive. The manager said okay, but that they had to order the parts after the laptop shipped. Then they shipped the laptop late and had to reroute the laptop as I was at a different location. I am a consultant and travel on business. DHL and Dell were not able to track the laptop. It was actually out for delivery on a DHL truck in FL, instead of a truck in GA. I finally found out what was happening by talking to local DHL warehouse dispatchers.
The one that finally arrived had a Bad LCD with bad pixels and light distortion. Dozens of calls to dell tech support got me nowhere. The manager who made the promise was not returning my calls. At this point I was frustrated but not out of options. I sent an email to the Consumerist Dell Executive email list and 4 hours later I received a phone call from a very nice lady who works for the Dell Executive Resolution Team. She said she was looking into my case and would try to make things right. I was very relieved to speak with someone based in the US who was empowered to make things happen.
The first thing she did was ask that I send her a list of the exact configuration that I had and the one that I desired. Not to0 hard. Only two parts difference. I sent the exact list as configured on the Dell website and waited. After a week or so, and no updates showing on the order, I emailed/called her. She couldn't find out what was causing the order delay so she canceled the order. When I looked at the order and matched up the parts, I found the video board was missing from her order part list (not mine). I also noticed the list was missing the Bluetooth card part. She wanted to let the order process (expedited) and take care of the Bluetooth part later. The ship date came and I tried to track the DHL tag. DHL said they hadn't picked it up, and Dell couldn't tell if the laptop had shipped. I called DHL a few more times and they said Dell had registered the tracking number but hadn't actually shipped the box. I related this info to woman at Dell and she began checking other contacts.
Finally the tracking number came up as Ground Service. Dell had expedited the laptop build, but had not sent it next day. Every previous laptop had been sent next day and the Dell website listed Next-Day service. Eventually I did receive the laptop and it was missing Bluetooth. I swapped the BT daughter card and you think the story would end there. Nope.
The current M1730 has major issues and already I have had the motherboard, power supply, and battery replaced. The Blu-Ray scratches the dvds and the first replacement they sent was DOA. I am trying to test the second Blu-ray, but my laptop has been crashing and locking up. I've worked with a Sr. Dell Executive Technician for 5 days. Here are my current unresolved issues:
The laptop power cord can be loosened by moving the power cord or the laptop. When this happens, the laptop switches to battery.
When the laptop is running on battery, it freezes and locks up. This happens every time, not just occasionally.
When I plug the laptop back in from running on Battery it bluescreens or freezes.
The SLI drivers are poor and do not work. Dell has 2 drivers, one production and one beta. The production driver causes the laptop to freeze when Freecell is started. Performance at high resolutions is worse than previous generation laptops. The beta driver fixes some problems but the driver readily crashes when switching to SLI.
When cold booting from the battery the laptop is more stable, but cannot play DVDs, video, and is very slow to respond (like a 400Mhz Celeron)
I've rebuilt the laptop more than a dozen times with various driver configurations.
Dell is not able to give me a clear workaround for these issues or a expected fix. I have been told to keep my laptop plugged in at all times.
I've send another email to the Consumerist Executive list, and received another response from the lady at Dell. I will post an update on what they tell me.
(Photo: Fireflock)
Comments
I stopped reading after I realized the grammatical error in the first sentance. PWNED
HOLY CRAP DUDE!!! three years and your laptop never worked?
does the guy's company have an account or something with dell?
i'm with Ben on this one i would have played their game for 3 month and demanded my money back.
that's just nuts
wow you bitch alot, you can't be satisfied. You have a lot of knowledge build your own machine. That way when you call customer support you can leave yourself a message and resolve the issue yourself. And no calling DHL because you already have the machine to work on.
@Rukasu:
Like misspelling "sentence?"
Just checking. :-)
@Rukasu: sentance, eh? I guess spelling is different than grammar.
Funny, I have a Dell with a full warranty. Last month I got pissed at my internet connection and hit my laptrop screen and shattered the LCD. DELL had a tech at my house the next morning replacing the whole screen and keyboard (I told them I was missing a key on the tech support call).
A week later, I spilled a whole bowl of chicken noodle soup on my laptop and it promply shorted out. Dell sent me a mailer box and had the motherboard, video card, keyboard and fan replaced and shipped back to me in 5 days.
All free of charge.
I hate Dell. My family's had 2 Dell computers, one laptop and one desktop, and they've both had major issues. The laptop had to be sent off for some minor repairs and when we got it back it could only be charged at an angle because the charger wouldn't fit into the socket anymore. Sound cards on both computers kept failing, bad experiences with Dell customer service...yeah, we're staying away from them.
I'd be willing to bet that this guy finds flaws in everything that he buys, and he'll spends weeks, months and hell, even years working on getting them replaced. I'm not saying you have to settle for inferior products, but you need to pick your battles.
Are you working on your laptop in a sauna or something? I can sympathize with you to a degree but there is just not a chance in hell that every single part/laptop they give you is flawed.
Get a mac, not only because they are better, but you can just walk into the stores when they are messed up and walk out with a brand new one.
I don't really care that your SLI laptop isn't working. If you want reliability, go with a laptop from Dell's business line. Yes, I'm judging you on your preferences, but SLI is just silly on a laptop.
Unless it was purchased in January there is no way it has been 3 years.
@StinkyCat: LOL... anger issues, much? ;)
I lost count (and interest) after the first thousand words or so: how many full replacement swaps was that, three, four? Were I Dell I'd refund this guy (only) the original purchase price and suggest he take his business elsewhere ...
All that hassle, just to play freecell?
OLPC for you.
@causticitty:
only when i am mad :)
"When the laptop is running on battery, it freezes and locks up. This happens every time, not just occasionally.
When I plug the laptop back in from running on Battery it bluescreens or freezes."
If it freezes every time, how does it freeze again once you plug it back in after it has been running on battery?
when dell did this to me - i contacted the ftc and the bbb because of them shorting me on the processor, ram and video card on the "replacement laptop". i paid for a more powerful system, and they shorted me. John Stossell almost read my letter on the air, but Dell refunded me in full just before. it was a fun fun 5 month ordeal.
I had an Inspiron for 5 years. The only problems were the power cord broke, and i had to replace the CD drive. Although, I have had friends that had the same issue. Either way, this sounds like something that can be fixed by just asking for your money back.
@bluesunburn: LOL - great catch!
ummm, i can't understand why this person just didn't cancel and buy a laptop from somewhere else after the first few sets of problems. whatever company discount there was way exceeded their own personal time and effort costs. you'd think a consultant would understand the value of their time.
@AT203: agreed, my Dell Latitude from work runs circles around my personal Inspiron.
Dude, don't get another Dell.
After reading all that, I'm with you, Ben.
Who needs SLI for Freecell??
@EmperorOfCanada: I'd say three years is close enough, even if it's not exact. I've had my XPS Gen2 since early 2005, though thankfully without any issues.
Not going to read it all, but you reach a certain point where you either elevate it by taking it to small claims court or you just give up.
If I were Dell, I would just give this guy his money back and tell him he can keep whatever broken laptop he currently has. That has got to be cheaper than constantly replacing laptops for this man. At this point, he will never be happy, no matter what Dell does, but the refund would at least end the madness.
By the way, this story sounds fishy. I totally buy that Dell sent a broken laptop to this guy. I've had no problems with mine, but I understand that it happens. I also believe that their customer service has been poor for the most part. What I simply can't believe is that all these broken laptops are not, in some way, his fault. The odds of this many laptop problems happening purely from manufacturing defects have got to be pretty small, given that Dell is still in business. Based on the weird symptoms he's had, I'd be willing to bet that he's either got really bad power at his house, or he's been using some sort of third party chargers that keep frying components.
This is one of those customers that companies like to see go away and never return. Never happy and always having problems. Maybe you're one of those mutant people from X-men. Static Charge Man or Unlucky Man or something like that. I love my Dell computers and I've never had a bit of problems with them.
computer companies like dell and gateway cater to the uneducated shoppers. they design their products to break, and then hope the person will assume guilt or give up. Even apple gives you the run around. Since when did a laptop become a car that needs lemonlaw protection? Im a student and since purchasing my macbook in october, ive had to send it back 4x. i feel the pain.
So, you started with a fairly cheap machine, and ended up with an SLI'd Bluray enabled 17" behemoth?
Sounds like you managed to royally screw Dell over.
For Dell laptops, always order from their business line and get the Gold support/Complete Care. Yes, it costs more but when you call in, you get to talk to someone in North America who's actually empowered to solve your problem. Yes, it sucks that it's so expensive, but you get what you pay for (see Stinkycat's experience above).
[www.mentallyincontinent.com]
Sounds sort of like the Motherboard Chronicals ^^^ .
"Man Haggles With Dell Over Failed Laptop For Three Years"
I lost count at three laptops. Insane.
@ThunderSaid: "This story sounds fishy." Yes, that is exactly what I thought reading this. This just doesn't sound kosher to me. In my job, I have purchased dozens of Dell machines. The worst defect any of them had was a faulty RAM chip. Now, he may not have been using Dell Business, but usually their service is very prompt and satisfactory. Now, I can buy, like you, the claim that his original machine was faulty - these things happen. But I don't buy that every repair was a failure and that EVERY PART they sent failed. That sounds like BS to me - like a crazy person who buys a house and then calls the warranty department on every last ding or scratch she sees, demanding full replacements, regardless of whether the technician can actually SEE the problem. I don't know, this just seems a little to much like "the-customer-is-always-right-itis".
Doesn't dell have a "If it fails this many times, here have a brand new computer" Policy?
Come on Dell, help this man!
@Huginn:
Yeah, they did that a couple times for him.
Ethan... buddy ol' pal... who in the hell told you it was okay to buy a DELL?
Ugh...
@beean:
You also get the express customer service number. A little number on the bottom of the laptop that you key in and it puts you ahead of the line when you call customer service.
@AT203: No kidding. And not expecting such a laptop to NOT be a battery hog? If you want a gaming rig, then build a desktop for crying out loud.
I can believe that the guy got sent *one* bum laptop. I've worked on PCs and laptops long enough to realize that you get the occasional DOA unit, I'd encounter maybe one a year out of hundreds I came across, spanning several different makes and models. But 2 or 3? This guy has to be having environmental issues or is just one of the people that tech support people loathe because 1)They really want something that doesn't exist (in his case, a SLI laptop with a 5 hour battery life) and 2) the slightest little glitch or problem is cause to demand that the entire machine be replaced or overhauled.
If I were Dell, I would have just given the guy his money back just so he'd go away and be someone else's nightmare.
Don't buy a Dell - PERIOD.
Perhaps they are sending him refurbished computers as replacements? This could lead to the repeated bad experiences.
Brand loyalty is one thing but this is ridiculous.
@Rukasu: And not being able to spell "owned" in the same post where you complain about bad grammar? Nice.
@Buran: PWNED = OWNED. Used mainly in gaming circles.
It sounds like nothing has gone right for this guy. Every replacement part or computer they've sent him is a dud, his new computers constantly get their orders canceled. And the fact that he kept going back for more...
I understand the principle of the thing: he wants the company to give him a functioning laptop. He wants the company to do their job. But after all that time and hassle, I would've just asked for my money back and bought another brand.
Easy solution, buy a Mac & just use it to run your full copy of Windows on it, if that's your preference. You pay for a cheap Dell, you end-up paying extra for the hassle that comes with it. The old myth about Macs are pricey, is what it is, OLD!
Don't forget, Dell is expert in bait-and-switch by selling bare-bones, cut-rate, cheapo PCs, so are Mac really more expensive than a comparable PC?
Once you go Mac, you don't go back...
This guy kind of comes accross like the type who will invariably find somthing wrong with any laptop they send him, even if it was gold plated and hand delivered by the president.
@brent_w: I think I believe him. We work exclusively with Dells at my workplace, and I've had to rebuild and replace parts on a large number of them. One model has constant failures in the batteries that they ship with, focing us to warranty out new batteries for them. Others keep failing repeatedly. Displays constantly go bad within 2 years and have to be replaced.
I have an Inspiron XPS Gen2 like this guy did. I can relate a little because my laptop had a buggy video card that caused the whole laptop to crash. It took a bit of cajoling with Dell CSRs, but they sent a tech over to my house to replace the video card. No probs since.
This guy loses me when he starts bitching about battery life. Yes I know they are advertised as "laptops", but in reality they are more like "easily movable desktop" systems. Anyone looking at the specs can understand this. I bet if Dell had put in a bigger battery for better runtimes he'd bitch about the bigger battery! If he wants to play games for hours on end he should get a PSP or DS.