Anyone ever received a new replacement for faulty outlet system?

This will be a long one, so apologies.

Has anyone ever received a new replacement for a faulty dell outlet system?

I got an 1647 from the outlet about 3 weeks ago. Within 5 minutes of turning it on it crashed with BSOD. Stop codes indicated a hardware failure but it wasn't possible to identify what hardware from the dump file.

Over the last 3 weeks I have spent countless hours on the phone with support and run various diagnostics myself but without success in identifying the faulty component.

They sent an engineer to change the motherboard. It still didn't help and the system continued to intermittently freeze, followed by BSOD. They then sent the engineer again to change the hardrive. That also hasn't fixed it.

Tonight they said they would replace the system with a new one and send my the specs to confirm. I got a call back saying they now realise they can't replace it as it is an outlet system.

They want me to send it back in for a couple of weeks to be checked.

I said I am not prepared to do this, as the system was sent back by the previous owner with the same problem (one of the call centre staff told me this) and it was sent back out without being fixed. I am also quite peed off about having taken 2 days off work for the engineer visits, plus the countless hours on the phone. I also pointed out that they were the ones who suggested that the only option was to change the system when they thought I bought it new, so it should make no difference that it was bought from the outlet. After all, the blurb on the outlet site states: 'We are happy to offer the Dell Outlet customers the same high-quality customer support and lifetime technical support that comes with new Dell systems.'

They have said they will discuss it with customer care and get back to me tomorrow.

Basically, I haven't posted this just to whinge, but more to ask if others have ever been in a similar situation and if they managed to get a new replacement for a faulty outlet system.

For what it's worth, my sytem specs are: i7 620, 6gb ram, 500gb, blu ray, full hd wled.

 

There was a forum member here who got a Refurb replaced with a new lappy'. I just can't remember their User Name..

Do you have it documented where they told you they would replace with new? Or, was it verbal communication? I ask because it is always best in these cases to try and get it documented if a situation like this happens. : )

Whenever you are speaking or chatting with a Dell Rep, be sure to their Name/Badge ID, and the Case Number verbally told to you, and e-mailed to you. It's your confirmation of what was contained w/in your conversation.

(I've been there, done that when a Dell Onsite Technician nearly destroyed my XPS 1530 when he was replacing my GPU at one time)..

You can wait for Customer Care to contact you tomorrow and see if you have the "resolve" that you want & were told the replacement lappy. If you don't hear back from Customer Care, tomorrow by the time you posted this today, there are other avenues. You, can take the Case Number you have and complete an Unresolved Issues form detailing what has happened. Or, you can also push forward and ask to speak with a Supervisor ~ completing both at once.

The problem & error in judgment was that you were told they would replace with a new laptop. When those words are spoken to the Customer (this case you), they think they finally have a resolve to their issue and can be satisfied that they will not have to face any ongoing problems or difficulty with repair issues, etc.

I know you don't want to send it in for them to repair, based on what you were told & went thru. Hang tight, and see what they say to you tomorrow.

Cin...

 

Thanks for the encouragement!

Unfortunately I don't have any email from the offer of a new system. It was verbal only. I do have the names though. Both of the first person, and manager who confirmed it at the end of the conversation.

I will hang tight, and if I don't hear from them will follow it up with an email in the way you suggested.

 

Why do you want a new system if your original purchase was refurbished? I believe you should be looking for a working system rather than new. Some members got lucky, but that doesn't mean you should be getting a new system.

 

Absolutely I want a working system. Given that the system they sent me was already returned by their previous customer with the same problem and they couldn't fix it before they sent it to me. And given that they are basically 'peeing in the wind' in their attempts to fix it now, I have no expectation that that they will manage to fix it if I send it to them for a few weeks.

I want a working system with the specs I paid for. Given that they suggested that the best route to a working system was to replace it, I don't see why that should change once they realised that it was a refurb. After all, as they say on the refurb site:

'We are happy to offer the Dell Outlet customers the same high-quality customer support and lifetime technical support that comes with new Dell systems.'

They should hold to this. If the customer support they were offering me when they thought I was a new customer was a new replacement for this lemon, then, given their website promise, why should that change for a refurb customer?

 

I'm glad you do have the names, be sure going forward to get anything like this in writing..and Case Numbers..: )

Good luck to you & that things work out for the best.

OP does want a working system, but also wants clarification and follow through. A statement such as "we are going to replace your system with a new one"...Should not be told to a Customer if it is not going to be valid statement. Those are strong words, versus hearing "we are going to fix your system at our Depot, and if we cannot get it fixed with resolution, then we will replace with new or like specifications". Or, something of the similar.

Cin...

 

Why don't you ask them to send a tech over and replace your mobo/ram/etc first? The fact that you want a new system right off the bat makes me think otherwise. Give them a chance to fix it first and then ask for a working replacement if that didn't work.

 

My 1640 refurb was replaced with a new- but that was after a whole lot of BS - Tech that came to fix the 1640 damaged by Harddrive, damaged My Ram. came out a second time and the machine would not boot again after he left (reinstall of windows fixed ) then Dell sent me a Alienware m17X to replace the 1640 ( I have no use for an AW that is 11lbs) - Then there was some more issues with the managers handling my case. Once i got it escalted to the right place - Joy was had in a new 1647.

But in retrospec- I would have been happy with a good working refurb-

 

Anodize, did he not say that Dell replaced the Motherboard and the HDD allready and the fact that the machine was returned by another customer for the same issue- I would say another refurb at the very least. My dad just got a refurb XT2 as a replacement for a Bad XT- well guess what, He was having problems and i searched the service tag and found a bunch of cases by the previous owner. His XT2 refurb ( replacement ) is too being replaced, this time with new. His XT was bought new for like 3k so not quite the same- My point is that Dell is sending replaced machines back into the wild via the Outlet and the Exchange Depot..... Not good buisness

 

Anodize, why are you so convinced that I have some ill intent in all this?

As Raether916 pointed out, I said in my original post that I have had two tech visits so far. One to change the motherboard, one to change the hardrive. It is an intermittent failure, with a generic 'hardware failure' stop code, which the tech who visited and the phone support all suggested is almost impossible to diagnose. They had the system after the first owner sent it back and couldn't fix it. I doubt they will fix it this time either.

Raether916, cheers for sharing your experience. I will keep pushing for a replacement.

 

I guess that's because I have never seen/experienced something like multiple defective mobos. A laptop is really simple. You take out the mobo, ram, cpu, and there's almost nothing else that could cause problems like BSOD. After working with many laptops and having fixed a lot of them, I seriously doubt those guys who claim they have 7 failed mobos have any idea what they are doing.

And btw, your original purchase was a refurb from the outlet. Shouldn't you ask for a refurb replacement then? It's strange to me you insist on a brand new system for your refurbished system regardless what was told. I have a refurb 1645 which replaced my new 1645(3 months old) and I have 0 problem. I admit I may be too skeptical because I've seen so many gold diggers on this forum.

 

To be honest, I think you are just being pedantic now. Every point you have made has been answered by me and others on this thread, but you still seem to have some sort of chip on your shoulder. Given your responses, you obviously hadn't taken the trouble to read my original post, or any of my responses in between. There is no reason why you should, but then I don't really understand why you would bother adding to the thread then.

 

In that case, why don't I go through your OP more thoroughly?

So after just one, single attempt to replace your mobo, you now want a brand new machine? I've seen cases where Dell sent a brand new system after failing to fix at least 3-4 times(this, I don't understand), but just once?? As I've mentioned, a laptop is really simple. Once you take out the mobo, there's hardly anything else(swapping the HD was a joke on their end).

People make mistakes. This can be big, but they did follow up to let you know. Giving a brand new system after just 1-2 attempt to fix an outlet system is NOT the standard procedure. You should know this.

Of course, you don't want to send in your system. Who would? But wait, you also don't want them to fix your computer(I assume, not anymore?). So what's the solution? They can give you a refurbished system that works, but you seem to have some other plan in mind.

They should be able to send you a refurbished system that works. Again, don't know why you insist on a brand new machine. You aren't the only one who fought with Dell over a defective laptop.

Sounds like you're just after a brand new system to me.

 

I'm confused. How many attempts do you think they should take to replace the motherboard?

Wow, you really refuse to read my posts don't you. 'Just once' you say???? They couldn't fix it when the last customer sent it in - time 1. They couldn't fix it when they came and changed the motherboard - time 2. They couldn't fix it when they came and changed the hardrive - time 3. Why do you keep posting if you aren't actually interested in reading what I or others have posted?

Maybe they can, but they haven't suggested it. They suggested a new system, then backtacked. The only other option they put forward was for them to play with the machine for a couple of weeks. If you still can't understand why I am not prepared to go along with that option, then the chip on your shoulder is even bigger than first appeared.

I have just returned from a few nights away for work. When I next speak to them, I will be insisting on the system being changed as they promised. Whether that is a new system or another refurb, I don't care, as long as they replace this lemon with a working system of the same specs as a minimum.

Your obsession with people trying to get things for nothing, is nothing more than your own obsession - something you are looking for without actually bothering to read my posts. Maybe you are bitter that you accepted a refurb as a replacement for your own faulty new system. To be honest, that is your problem for not pushing for your rights as a consumer. Others aren't that stupid. Maybe you were daft enough to send back your system for weeks and have countless tech visits before pushing for your replacement. Again, your problem, not mine.

 

At least more than once.

I did read your post. They replaced your mobo ONCE. I'm not talking about the previous owner. They replaced your mobo once. Understand?
In case you didn't read my post. If you take out the mobo,cpu, and ram, there's hardly anything that could go south. Your system is not that complicated. Swapping a mobo(Dell usually sends mobo+cpu as a combo from what I know) is basically getting a new system in the same old shell.

May be I am obsessed. As a company person myself and having dealt with hundreds of people, I must say I can't stand the likes of gold diggers. Think outside your head.

 

Anyone ever received a new replacement for faulty outlet system?

Yep, it just took 1 refurb replacement and 3 new replacements to get the specs right.

 

Let's get back to the topic at hand. If it is not relevant to the OP's request, please do not post in this thread.

 

Dell have offered me a new system now to replace the faulty one. There are some changes to my original system and I would appreciate any opinions.

My old system was i7 620, 500gb, 6gb ram, blu-ray, 4670 1gb, full hd wled.

The replacement offered is i7 720, 500gb, 6b ram, dvd rw, 1gb 565v, full hd wled.

I presume they are offering an 17 720 because they don't have stock of the 620. I presume that the 565v is basically the same as the 4670 graphics card.

I will query the loss of blu-ray. But I am a bit worried that this isn't showing as an option on the UK site, so maybe stock issues.

I really haven't researched the 1645, so am a bit worried about the throttling issue. Is this combination likely to fall foul of that issue?

Cheers for any help.



(Anodize, if you don't want to offer real help, but just to exercise that chip of yours, then please keep off the thread.)

 

Nice of you to call me out now. Sorry, if I couldn't be part of plan to get a new system. You saw what happened with the guy who disappeared. Ppl like him makes me very skeptical.

Anyways,

You will be fine assuming UK Dell ships the 130w adapter along. You can call them and arrange for a tech to bring a bluray to be installed onto your new system OR have your existing bluray transferred to your new system. You shouldn't be losing it since that was a part of your original order and 720qm, imo, is an equal to the 620m.

 

Let's call a truce eh.
Cheers for the advice. Yep, they definitely have included a 130w adaptor. Here are the exact dell specs for the new system they are building taken from the email, minus the really irrelevant stuff):

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 720QM (1.60Ghz, 6MB cache) 307057 1 [210-29981] 1
Microsoft Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English 413465 1 [619-25900][640-10786] 11
LCD:
Red Leather back cover : 40cm (15.6") Truelife 1080p Full HD WLED Edge to Edge Display 307067 1 [230-11136] 760
Memory:
6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x4096] 254777 1 [370-15260] 3
Hard Drive:
500GB (7,200rpm) Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive 195308 1 [400-20473] 8
Primary Battery:
9-cell 85Whr Lithium Ion battery 307061 1 [451-11164] 112
Optical Devices:
DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD) with Roxio Easy CD and DVD Burn software 307091 1 [429-14488] 16
Video Card:
1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 565v graphics 288759 1 [490-11634] 6
Wireless Networking:
Dell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g) 159247 1 [555-11659] 19
Bluetooth:
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module 307062 1 [555-12593] 59
Power Supply:
130W AC Adaptor 391546 1 [450-14992] 1015
Standard Warranty:
1 year Collect & Return Hardware Support included with your PC 322457 1 [754-56808] 29

 

You have the 1397 wlan card originally? If not, contact them and replace that too. It's one of the worst wlan cards I've ever had.

 

OK, just got off the phone with dell.

Already had the 1397 wlan card, so not an option to change.

Unfortunately they say they can't do the blu ray drive even after delivery. So I was given the choice of changing the 6gb ram to 8gb, or extending the warranty from 1 to 2 years. I couldn't decide, but I have gone for the memory upgrade as I do a lot of photo and video editing and might get the benefit.

So, I have gone from i7 620, 6gb ram, blu ray, 500gb hd, full hd wled, 4670 to:
i7 720, 8gb ram, dvd rw, 500gb hd, full hd wled, 565v.

Still a bit worried about the throttling issue, as I read on another thread that the quad cores with 4670/565v can be bad news. Although, maybe absence of rgbled screen and inclusion of 130w adaptor might help.

 

I personally would've gone for an extended warranty. An extra year seems like a better value than 2 GB of ram, which you can do yourself if you need it.