Last Ditch Effort - Who Do I Need To Call? (Warranty on battery only 1 year?)

My M17x R4 just hit a year, and literally less than a week after the battery failed completely (I have to hit F1 to boot it up now). That's really nice, by the way. Anyways, I called to extend the warranty and specifically asked if the battery would be covered, which the agent assured me it would. She told me to call back the next day, so that the warranty was active in the system, ok, no problem there.

Fast forward to a couple days later, I call in to get my battery replaced. The agent I spoke to immediately told me that I was wrong, that the battery had a one year warranty period, regardless of the extended warranty. When I tried to explain to him that I was promised by the warranty sales rep that it would be covered, since that was really the only reason I extended the warranty, he interrupted me and was being a giant , for lack of a better word. After we exchanged words, he transferred me, where the next rep told me the warranty sales agent's manager would be calling me in 24-48 hours.

Well, guess what - no call and we're now over a week out. I call back again today, get the run around, on the phone for about an hour. Supposedly I'm going to get a call again in 24 hours, from the person that was supposed to call me in the first place.

I don't know if one of the reps on here can forward this to a supervisor, or give me a phone number, but at the moment I'm at a loss. My Dell account has been charged for this extended warranty (accumulating interest, I might add) and I have a laptop with no battery in it. I keep being told the battery isn't covered, I know that, now. Had the rep not promised me specifically that it would be, we wouldn't be in this mess. What happened to 'customer service', because this isn't it. I was promised something by a representative of Dell, I expect it.

Unless anyone else has an idea, this is my last hope. Sad thing is, I was considering selling this to upgrade to the new model, but seeing as how absolutely terrible the customer service has been - unless they go above and beyond to fix this, it will be the last Dell purchase I make. At the very least, if it doesn't go anywhere, maybe it will help someone who's on the fence about purchasing one see how you're treated after the sale.

 

If the battery were to be shorted out or something that caused system malfunctions where it could be classified as a material defect, it probably would be covered as a gray area while a system is still under warranty. But, batteries wear out and the warranty does not cover normal wear and tear of any kind. If the problem is limited to the battery not holding or taking a charge, it would not be covered even if you had originally purchased fours years worth of warranty coverage. Batteries are considered "consumable" items. A one year warranty on the battery is pretty standard and it is specifically stated in the terms of the warranty to be limited to one year.

I think it is a good idea to have the extended warranty in case something else goes wrong, but if you really relied on the agent that made a simple mistake, you could ask for a refund and have nothing covered by warranty. The other thing is, unless I am misunderstanding what came first, (the expiration of the battery before the battery,) the system had no warranty at the time, so you really haven't lost anything by the agent's mistake. If all you want is a battery, it would be cheaper just to buy a replacement battery, but you might regret having no warranty later if something else goes wrong. Also, if you are really planning on selling it the extra year of warranty should allow you to sell it for substantially more.

 

I would also put on the pressure to say that the battery had shorted out. A SINGLE year to go 0% to 100% in wear is crazy. You would've had to have been actively charging or discharging every second of every day.

(Actively charging would be plugged in below 90%.)

 

Do you live in EU or US? If you live in EU Dell should by European law replace your battery. ECC-Net: advice on EU distance selling rules, cooling-off periods, more
There is no way that a good battery can completely fail in about 1 year of use. It's not normal wear and tear so they should replace it, no excuses.


edit: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...oad/repairs-replacements-refunds/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/shopping/shopping-abroad/guarantees/index_en.htm (read the second sample story in particular)
edit2: Since this problem about "guarantee" keeps popping up. I emailed the European union asking if we are within our rights to demand free 2 year "guarantee" and I also asked them if it applies to laptop batteries. (email back in 3 working days)

 

A simple mistake? She promised that it'd be covered, that's not a simple mistake. That's a $150 mistake, hers, and not mine. The battery went bad less than a week after its year was up - not acceptable. How is it I haven't lost anything? Because I've wasted hours now. I would have the warranty either way, as the laptop is too expensive not to have one.

I don't know why some of you people are just like 'oh, too bad' - a representative of a company made a promise, pure and simple.

I had an Asus G73 before this, that battery lasted a little over two years - and it got used a lot more.

 

I agree with this. If the battery is shorted out internally, or damaged by some other malfunction with the laptop, it's a material defect and not a wear and tear issue. There could be a caveat on that basis and Dell/Alienware is really good about making exceptions for customers where a benefit of doubt exists. If it was presented as being a worn out battery instead of a shorted battery, or one damaged by some other malfunction, it might not be easy to explain the new diagnosis after the fact. My battery is almost 2 years old and still powers my M18x for over 5 hours.

I think you are missing the point of my comments.

The warranty is one year on the battery. The promise made (although not accurate) had nothing to do with the fact that your battery had already failed outside of the warranty period and nothing can change the timeline on what happened. The misinformation doesn't change the terms of the warranty and you would be justified in asking to have that transaction voided and your money returned if that was the only reason for buying the extended warranty.

If we were going to play the "you people game" I could ask why some people always look for an angle to try to capitalize on the mistakes of others and create an obligation where none exists. But, that's not relevant and we don't need to play that game.

The company would be doing the right thing by standing behind the misinformation if the employee did or said something where the outcome was influenced by a detrimental reliance on the employee's mistake. That might be regarded an extra-contractual obligation. In this example the employee's mistake had no effect on your situation. That's why I recommended asking for a refund if you did not want the extended warranty. If you had purchased it for the primary purpose of getting a replacement battery based on what you were told, (even though it would be cheaper to buy a new battery,) that's a basis for asking for a refund on the warranty. If you were going to extend the warranty anyway, even if the battery had not gone bad, then you still haven't lost anything.

It is possible something else "knocked out" the battery, so in that regard it is good that you have the extended warranty. If you buy a new battery and it gets damaged, you can have everything fixed and probably get a refund on the battery you purchased after the fact.

 

Well, Alienware hasn't made good on their promise.

I actually was satisfied with their resolution (well, what they told me their resolution was) - which would be the $150 refund on the warranty and I'd purchase the battery.

I haven't received the refund, or a call from a supervisor (again), nor did I get my gift card for the warranty purchase.

The garbage customer service continues.

Again, it does not matter. The company rep made a promise. That promise ended up being backed up by a supervisor, yet the issue is still unresolved.

 

Sorry about the issues with the phone support. Send me your service tag and order number via PM and I'll take a look and try to move things. (This is applicable to US and CA). I'm not able to move anything outside my area without having to rely on a 3rd person.

 

I am not taking anybody's side. But if he read the terms and conditions agreement when he got the laptop (if he bought it new), it clearly states the warranty of the battery. And yes, a simple mistake of a sales person should be taken that bad in consideration and blamed on the entire company. Don't we all make mistakes?! Anyway, no use in crying after the spilt milk, just saying and I understand his frustration not being able to have his 'issues' fixed to his satisfaction. That being said, when was explained over the phone about the warranty of the battery, you could have clearly asked for your money back / bought a new battery or leave it as it was... Anyway I see Mr. Porras has already come to your escape and trying his best to give you fully satisfaction and 'customer service'.

 

I spent $30 dollars on a new battery and called it a day. just saying .. The laptop is almost two years old.