Request for help from Dell people here.

My speakers stopped working while playing arkham city and i called up dell customer care (india). The guy asked me if i had vlc. I said yes. Now they are refusing to replace my speakers saying that vlc voids the warranty.

Please help! This is really frustating.

Is it true for dell us and other countries too that vlc voids the warranty?
Any ideas on what to do next?

Please help guys!

 

Have you tried with headphones? Do you get any sound that way?

It could be driver related, and easily solved by re-installing the Audio Driver.

 

Tried with headphones- sound is there. The dell service representative made me reinstall the drivers and run a diagnostics. It is a hardware problem for sure.

 

As far as I know VLC is just another 3rd party media player which shouldn't do any harm to your computer.

 

Yes it is, it shouldn't be a warranty voiding affair.

 

No VLC doesn't void warranty. Ring them back and give them hell.

 

Maybe it's because VLC let's you boost your volume to 200% and you might be able to kill some speakers going to that level.

The fact he asked that question specifically sounds like it might be a common problem.

 

it does not void your warranty 100% doesn't there feeding you a load of rubbish get back on and dont be afraid to say and question the person trust me i have took a load of poo off dell. i know how they work

 

i use vlc all the time at 200% never had any issues at all with audio

 

Agree. First, say that you are not happy with the service you are getting and ask to speak to a supervisor. Then ask for a written reason as to why they are refusing warranty service 'so you can take legal advice'. Publish their response here!!!
Good Luck.

 

The boost to 200% is not doing anything to the speaker. The speakers have a max power that is controlled by the Windows volume control. All VLC does as far as I know is use an equalizer profile to increase perceived volume beyond normal levels. The exact thing is done by the Microsoft loudness equalization that is installed for every audio device.

 

Please, none of that here. Besides, it violates the forum rules.

 

Unintended sorry. Just thought people should know if there is some software that we cannot use.

 

Yeah i never had any issues either and i generally used to cranked up as well but maybe that is some conclusion they are coming too.

Guess that is what i meant to say, not that it can or did, but MAYBE they think it causing the issue .

:thumbsup:

 

LOL dell are just reading from a script looking for any reason to not service the computer there a joke i am having a lot of problems with them myself atm

 

Oh i have dealt with them dozens of times over the years on various issues i know all to well about the BS they will put you through.

I have had so many service calls on my machines i got to know the techs on a first name basis and that is not something to be proud of .

Everytime i call Dell i have to prepare myself for possibly months of headaches and frustration,unreturned calls,Cancelled orders you name it and i have dealt with it more then once.

But compared to other companies Dell has always got me straight in the end and nothing beats at home service .

 

You can't publish their names or private correspondence word for word, but you can post a summary of what you were told or paraphrase the whole thing though. If they still tell you rubbish, report back here of course.

 

Ahh, that was not my intent. 'take names' was intended as part of the communication recommendation. Good practice if you are having difficulties and need to escalate, not for a 'name and shame', but taken out of context like that is reads as such. I should have structured it better.

Good to know verbatim quoting of a manufacturer's statement to a user is not allowed (private I guess) as I have previously quoted Dell correspondence to me

 

Thank you everyone for your comments.
The problem is they refused to service it on the phone. Now what can i do? It's not like i know them personally. All this happened over the phone. Short of legal action there is not much i can do.
I sent an email to Michael dell and got a call from the corporate office. The speakers are being replaced.

This is the 2nd time i have had to email Michael dell. Initially dell india had sent me the wrong configuration of the laptop. Even though i had the bill stating all the parts clearly, they still weren't ready to send the correct config. Only after i emailed Michael Dell the corporate dell india office contacted me and agreed to replace the laptop.

It just makes me feel helpless. I mean what can i do if they refuse to replace? If i want to take legal action, any advice on how to go about it?

Dell US representatives here, can you please confirm that using vlc doesn't void warranty?

 

My own experience of dealing with dell in a few different countries is that the interpretation of the warranty varies quite a bit. I was working with someone in eastern Europe and their support refused to even discuss the problem as she had replaced a memory module.

Getting the corporate HQ in the US involved (as you did) is the only option when they refuse - outside of expensive local legal advice. The @dellcares on twitter can also help.

 

Oh i didn't know about @dellcare tweets. If i tweet something and add @dellcare to it , then it will be read by them?
Sorry never tweeted before!!
Still hoping some resonable solution comes up and dell india customers dont endup getting the short stick every time.

 

Yeah, I got the info from a couple of dell reps here. I had never used it before and IMO it's rubbish for two way communication with it's stupid character limit but they do respond quickly. All you do is tweet them you have a warranty question. They will add you so you can start a private com with them.

I can promise you it's not just dell India, where ironically I get my very good support from! Local support (which is a sub-contracted operation) will try whatever they think they can get away with on the local population. Until the customer goes ape and contacts higher authorities

Good Luck!

 

Alright thanks a lot for all the help dude!!