Dell XPS 15 L502X - Warranty on Pre-Existing Display Damage

Hello everyone.

I've been lurking for a while on these forums, and I finally registered a few months ago. I'm posting now because I have a fairly serious problem and I'm not entirely sure how to resolve it. I apologize if I misstep my bounds as a first-time poster or if I violate any rules, but I'm looking for advice on how to proceed on this issue.

As the title indicates, I'm the frustrated owner of a refurbished (Outlet) Dell XPS 15 (received a few months ago). I'm not a first-time Dell customer, but ever since I received this laptop, I've had nothing but problems with it, ranging from the initial software setup and backup media to the motherboard, the hard drive, and the power adapter. I spent nearly a month and a half in discourse with entry-level technicians before being elevated to an executive support representative who helped me resolve my problems.

I was cleaning the display panel yesterday when I noticed a hairline crack near the top edge. It's completely imperceptible during use, and it was only noticeable because I was in a poorly lighted room, and I was shining moderate light directly onto the panel. I should have just ignored it, but instead, I moved my face closer to the display, tilted my head and tried to look under the plastic bezel.

I haven't removed or lifted the bezel, but one glance is enough. The left side of the display panel underneath the plastic is damaged. To be more specific, the very edge of the concealed panel that I can see looks like crushed glass. The laptop actually arrived with this damage hidden by the plastic bezel, but it was impossible to see until this point.

There is some good news in that the damage doesn't seem to be expanding much, and the damage is only to the protective covering rather than the active panel itself. However, I don't know if you can replace only the protective covering, and I'm not sure how screwed I am right now. I simply can't see how Dell won't chalk the panel damage up to negligence and make me foot the bill for replacement. I don't feel as though I have any grounds to fight them, and it's even more frustrating because I purchased an extended hardware warranty thinking it might be necessary for a refurbished machine. Unfortunately, that almost never covers a cracked LCD unless the problem is a known manufacturing defect. I didn't purchase accidental damage protection, which would have guaranteed the replacement of the display. And thinking about it, I'm even dumber for not returning the machine when the first set of problems arose, but when everything eventually worked, I was too enamored to return it. I don't have much money, and the Dell Outlet didn't have another XPS 15 available with the right specs.

In short, I need to know my options. I haven't contacted Dell yet, but I strongly suspect that if I spoke to an entry level technician, they would refuse to fix it. I feel that my extended hardware warranty, my extended support ticket and the machine's complicated history are all mitigating factors, but I don't have the CompleteCare service. I do have the phone and e-mail information for the executive support representatives who worked with me earlier, so I could try contacting them directly. What do you think is the best way to advance my case to Dell in a fashion that might convince them to replace or fix the panel?

Thanks in advance for any responses, and I'm sorry that my first post is such a downer.

 

I would talk to the same people who you talked with previously. Explain your situation that, in a poorly lit room you did not notice it and see if Dell will replace it.