20hr old XPS 17....DEAD??

Can anyone possibly help on this one...

using my new XPS 17 3d tonight and it literally died- all i get on pressing the power button is a flicker from the backlight keyboard and an alternating battery light (white/orange)

Have managed to start the machine twice more, but just cuts out with 30secs.. Battery is fully charged. Have tried removing the psu/battery/hard drives/reseating the ram.

This laptop is literally 20hrs old- spent £1200 UKP on this, so not impressed. I only have basic warranty too.. can i insist on a swapout replacement/engineer due to the fact it is so new? (so new that the service tag is not recognised on Dell's website yet!)

any advice?

Kris

 

Um, call Dell Support?

 

Obviously call support, but ie: pointers on possible fault and how to avoid having a 20hr machine repaired- I will be requiring a replacement

 

At this point, you don't even know the cause of the problem, so demanding a replacement is unwarranted.

 

Sorry to hear there is a problem. Try not to get to discouraged. Yes, I know, easy for me to say. Let the tech figure it out and move from there. Try to remember most of the negative press only comes from those that have had issues. I love mine(except the ChiMai screen). I think most of us are quite happy with them. I learned my lesson with HP, you may consider upgrading the warranty. I did the two years and will probably upgrade to four years just to be safe. I hope it works out for you. Please let us know the outcome, good or bad.

 

Toronto- missing the point I think mate- what I am saying is that I would not be prepared to have a 20 hr old machine repaired ( ie send it to a service centre). Going to speak with tech support in the morning and see what they can look at doing... I am a dell qualified fast track engineer in my place of wrk ( all be it latitude models), so hopefully I can skip the scripted diagnostics from their end!

 

aye, sucks when this sorta thing happens but it really is quite rare and keep in mind that people are more likely to post bad experiences rather than good ones so keep an open mind when contacting support

basic warranty or not, it's new, if they try and make you send it back via courier then insist that it's a day old and you'll want an engineer sent out - if they push back then ask to talk to someone higher up the line

good luck

edit - though you don't want it repaired that's likely the first action that will be taken, not sure you can bypass that - your other option (as it has only recently been sent out) may be to send it back, get a refund and repurchase, if you explain to the support people that you're likely to take this action then they may just send you a new one

 

Rob cope- there is no denying... The system is lovely and that 3d screen playing star wars old republic / watching tron legacy 3d blu ray is to die for.... Just gutted and upset that the thing has died

The only thing that puts me off is having to deal with our offshore friends in tech support... They can drive you potty at times when trying to diagnose/book a fault

 

I'm not missing your point. You don't want a repaired laptop, I understand. My point is that you don't even know the source of the problem, or what fix would be involved. It might be simple such as a battery connector defect, so a new battery would fix it. Until you talk to Support, you don't know.

 

Fair point Toronto, I'll wait and see what tech support suggest

 

I completely understand your plight as I have been there before with HP and the off shore support is a major pain in the butt. I just would like it very much if you would keep us in the loop on this so we can all see how it goes for you. Who knows, maybe the stars will align and we hear a great outcome for you.

 

Hey robcope, if you're not happy with the Chi Mi screen just call tech support and tell them to send you a replacement because the screen is crap and you might get an LG. I did the same thing and got an LG screen yesterday and installed it and everything is running smoothly. The difference between the LG and the Chi Mi is that the LG screen doesn't have the thick anti glare layer that you can see all over the Chi Mi screen.

 

Ya, I sent an e-mail to support today. If I don't hear back soon I am going to call. Screen looks beautiful during games, but sucks for reading web pages.

 

Ok... Just off the phone with dell tech support. Options are : on site repair at work on Monday, refund or replacement. Has assured me that if it does not work on Monday, then replacement can be ordered/ raised. According to tech support, motherboard faulty, but have also insisted he brings a power supply too. Can't say fairer than that response from dell... Repair is the quickest route to. Get me up and running

 

When i had a minor issue with my new Dell 15z they offered to replace it right away as well, I told them to just fix it.

Dell is usually very good with things like this.

 

as mentioned previously, this xps 17 is lovely...glad i paid a bit more for the 1080p screen and the 3d... picture quality is gorgeous! and compared to my current (pimped) acer 5920g- rocket fast..

Hope this is just a "one off" blip...might consider upping the warranty once the machine is sorted..

 

update at 16.04 gmt....

phone call from Dell- parts not in stock- so no repair on monday...

(even though they confirmed this morning that the repair was ok to go for monday)

 

i would request a replacement

 

I have to agree, you just purchased it. If they don't have the parts they should just replace with a new one.

 

Going to phone ts on Monday, request an uplift and replacement.... Not going to mess around with this now...

 

Replaced booked today ( up to 10 days shipping but promised express delivery where possible)

Pretty annoyed however at the tech support manager's attitude regarding this....totally disinterested and making out that this is a huge problem for them...

 

Yah, getting a new one. I think alot of tech support folks go to training to be stupid heads.

 

its really hiy and miss, the last i called Tech Support they were very helpful, and prompt at addressing my issue

But I have heard some real horror stories as well

 

Had a phonecall from Dell Customer services today..offered a choice of ext HDD,backpack,wifi printer or speakers for the problems caused... gone for ext hdd (always handy in my line of work), have a tracking number for new lappie, but doesn't seem to work on Dells website currently...

Seems to be coming together- guy was helpful and apologised- more than that total **** in tech support!

 

if your system is only 20 hours old. just return and buy a new one?
assuming you're intent on getting a replacement.
don't demand a replacement from if yours is that new. they'll give you a refurb regaurdless

 

No this is a new laptop being shipped- I was most insistant on that- not prepared to accept a refurb for a 20hr dead machine or repair using re-con parts..

Currently in transit from Korea to UK (according to UPS' tracking)