M17xR3 horror story.

A month ago my laptop fell out the window and sustained some damage. A dell tech came over and replaced all necessary parts. However, switchable graphics did not work (stuck on ATI) and my bootup was incredibly slow. My tech and I called up Dell and they said they'd ship a box to my house to send it in to the depot for repair. I got it back today, and opened the box. There were a few chips of plastic in the box, which had me in panic mode already, along with scratches on my LCD lid. I turned on my laptop to see this time, I am stuck on intel HD 3000, and I now have pressure marks on my LCD and 2 dead pixels. I reinstalled the OS and Dell drivers, but alas, I couldn't get into my ATi card! I checked my bios, and my worst fears were realized: no GFX card detected in discrete slot 1. In windows, I can hear the dGPU fan working, and it gets hot in its area in my chassis. I was about ready to throw my laptop out the window. Reflashed the bios, reset CMOS battery, nothing helped. What am I to do guys? This guy seems to be intent on fixing my laptop instead of replacing it. Would this warrant a replacement laptop at this point? I've already lost a month's worth of time and work waiting for my laptop to become fully functional again. Is there anything I can try to get my ATI card online without dealing with those goons again?

 

Damn right it would. Call up support and tell 'em you just got it back from depot and all this stuff is damaged/doesn't work. They are inclined to replace it now and if they resist, GIVE 'EM HELL!

 

mate? Your laptop.. fell out the windows? What were you balacing on stilts while gaming?

Moving on aside, you call dell and give em hell, though the moral of the story is stay away from windows.

 

I'm assuming you have the accidental damage warranty. I would call Dell and tell them what condition your system is in. Try to be real adamant that you want the system replaced. Also mention how much time you have been without your system. If they wont budge, ask to speak to their manager. Eventually you will come across someone that will authorize a replacement for you.

You may not like to hear this, but if the above doesn't work for some reason, I would then push to have your system sent back to their depot (let them know about everything; from the scratches on your screen to the GPU). If it comes back a second time in unserviceable condition, you should then be able to get a replacement. You should even be able to get some better upgrades due to all the inconvenience this has caused you.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

Long story about that, but cliffs are cat knocked it off my desk and out the window. But the tech came and replaced everything and made it look new. All the other problems came out of that motherboard and gfx card he put in, which never seemed to work right. Cosmetically, the laptop is fine (minus those new pressure marks and scratches on the lid)

 

Yes I have accidental damage protection. I just got off the phone with this guy. He said I can't speak to the manager, and that I have two options: 1. let another technician come back and replace my mobo and GPU or 2. get a refurb system. He said because the computer is 9 months old, I cannot get a new replacement system. I'm gonna ask him to close this case and proceed through another service rep, this guy is a total tool. Not once have I heard him apologize for all the time he has wasted. He's a Dell exec too, I'd think Dell would have better people running at the top of the system. His emails would even have multiple typos in them. Jeez.

Does anybody have contact info for a reasonable service rep?

 

I would definitely keep that reps name. You cannot be refused to speak to a manager. If it were me, I would list a complaint on him once you are able to speak with someone else. I don't think it matters how old your system is, as long as your warranty is still valid, you shouldn't have an issue getting a new system. I have heard of people getting brand new systems, and I have also heard of people getting refurbs. I'm not sure what the policy is. I would try another rep and press the matter some more.

As far as the original rep goes. You said you have gotten emails from him. In his signature, it should have contact information on his manager. At least all the reps and techs I have spoken with have their managers contact info in their sigs.

 

Hi Technos, it really seems like a nightmare, my apologies for that. I see that some people are concerned about the warranty policy so I'll make it clear, if the system has been with you for less than 2 months we can give you a NEW system, otherwise we will need to send a refurb one depending on availability, but let's do this, why don't you send us an e-mail to [email protected] including your service tag and phone number so that we can review your case and help you with the resolution. Remember to post the outcome so that the community is aware of what happened.