Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

I wish every person who currently works for Dell to get face cancer and then an hour before they find out they're dying of the cancer they get into a fiery plane crash.

I'm so sick of Dell. I wish I had money or a lawyer or something. I'd dedicate the rest of my life to suing the crap out of them. God I hate them so much.

 

@ kade

Ive dealt with Manjunath Hosatti twice on the phone, i got transferred to him by a technical support manager called Sendil P. I was told Manjunath Hosatti is in the Dell legal department, i found he digs his heels in and he won`t move an inch on anything, he said legally Dell only have to replace a refurbished laptop with a refurbished laptop. I said to him this, what happens 3 years down the line into my 4 year warranty and my M1730 may possibly need replacing and Dell have long discontinued the M1730 ?

He didn`t answer me on that one, he basically said its a situation we would deal with at the time. I found him to be unmoveable, he was Dell through and through. I said this to him as well, how are you going to compensate me for 3 engineers faling to show up where i`m self employed and ive had to turn work down at great cost to myself to be here for your engineers who failed to show up on 3 occasions.

This was his reply, he said "We will compensate you with a weekend engineer call" ..... I nearly choked on my cup of coffee in laughter at the front of him and the cheek considering i had lost close to £300 in having to be here on 3 occasions when their engineers failed to show up as agreed.

Manjunath Hosatti comes across as a company man and will side with Dell all the way, i bet he was the kid at school that dobbed people in to the teachers, he comes across like that.

None of my family will ever by a Dell product again regardless of what they replace my faulty M1730 with, they could give me a Bugatti Veyron as a sweetener and it still wouldn`t make one bit of difference due to his poor attitude and smarmyness.

 

Ah, so you're self-employed. I guess we got even more in common than just that

rick-in-the-wall, Hossati.

Yeah, those technicians cost me a pretty f'n penny as well.

Hankaroon, I am totally with you on the sentiment.

 

This is what recently happened in the states

http://verdisreviews.com/news/dell-pays-out-385-million-over-lawsuit/

I'm pretty sure if this same thing happens in the UK, they will be quick to honor their responsibilities. No one is monitoring these crooks and they only play nice when forced. Thats what it took for me to be heard and respected, last time I contacted them I didnt speak to anyone other then a regular sup who got me my warranty back. 46 states involved, that means basically, the US took these fOOOkers to court.

 

Haha after reading this i really do regret buying anouther dell pc, even though my m1730 is great

My experiance of dell customer service has been great though so maybe im in the minoirty. Apologies if this comes off rude, its not my intention to rub salt into the wounds.

 

I love my m1730 as well problem is its into the second month that its not been working

I bought a camera for my daughter and it failed i emailed the support for the camera even though it was out of warranty to see if anything could be done they replied in one day saying sorry sir we will send you another .
less than a week later they sent an upgraded model with apologies
Thats proper CS .

 

If i could have got a full refund i would have walked away from Dell and never to be seen again as a customer, because i bought from a re-seller i would only get refunded the amount that he paid to them and even then the money doesn`t go direct to the customer, you have more hassle after trying to get it.

Have you heard the phrase "The customer is always right" ? From my experience Dell have put their own take on that, their motto seems to be "Dell is always right, now feck off you little peasent"

 

I just got an order number for a black metallic M17x and all the specs seems fair except for the display. My M1730 currently has a WUXGA display, while the replacement M17x has been ordered with a WXGA+ display.

I am inclined to get the order first and then call them with this problem, so that they can send me a replacement display. Or should I call them to get a properly speced computer the first time around? I am afraid that they might mess something up the second time around. Thanks!

 

I am impatient as well when it comes to these things but save yourself the headache of trying to go through their excuses about not being able to order anything from alienware like our friend a couple post back that is trying to get an updated processor. Make sure they get it right the first time around.

 

JOSEYU,

What are your 1730 specs and what are they giving you on the m17x? I actually went on the site and created my own m17x and will be submitting that if and when they contact me, my request was submitted on the 26th. I just wanna get an idea of what they seem to consider comparable specs.

 

M1730

T7700 2.4GHz CPU
8700GT SLi
WUXGA Display
2GB RAM
200GB HD


M17x

P8600 2.4GHz CPU
GTX260M SLi
WXGA+
4GB RAM
250GB HD

 

It's up to you.

A) contact dell support and complain, then wait for the computer and contact dell support and spend 4 hours of your life on the phone being bounced back and forth. (see my earlier post)

B) contact dell support and have them cancel the order and re-create the order, which will delay your system.

Either way, contact Dell support NOW!

 

Sounds like a fair trade, with the exception of the monitor, they gave you 4 gb because alienware doesnt come with any less then 4 gb. Thats who it was, Lord Zath, take it from him he knows first hand. Try and get them to get it right the first time so you can enjoy the rest of your life and not have to dedicate it to contacting dell support and getting the run around.

 

what makes me laugh about my case is they are replacing my computer because they cant get a 8800m for it yet the replacement m1730 will have one in it i`m guessing my replacement will be delayed perhaps i was better off waiting for mine to be fixed .
I like my m1730 btw does everything i need and i would miss my little lcd display but it would of been nice to get m17x but i guess i got that to look forward to in the future

One thing i forget to mention is my m1730 was bought on a miss price from dell for £1049 approx $1600 that was with a mini 9 thrown in so im still a happy bunny >)

 

Joseyu,
I think you'd be perfectly okay to ask for a WUXGA+ LCD; it's the done thing given that you'll be taking a resolution downgrade with this new machine.

 

Well, I took the plunge into Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit and like the OS so far. I will say there are no real differences between Vista 32 and Win 7 64 in regards to 3Dmark06 and Vantage. My scores were almost identical. My windows performance index went up. My hard drives are rated 5.9 and everything else is 6.4. BatBoy has some good Vista 64 drivers that seem to work good with Win 7 64 bit. The exception is no GamePanel (Logitech) drivers for the G19 that I can find and the QuickSet that appears to be made for Win7 64 is called QuickSet64 and you cannot have a previous 32/64 bit version on your computer when you do the install. This does not have the XPS Lighting component and many others are missing. I think it only had 4 panels to choose from.

 

It may have increased a little or stayed the same with the RTM but WIN 7 only uses 456 mb to operate so it is significantly faster then Vista. The 32 bit version of quickset will work for win 7.

 

I'll be moving to Win7 once it's released...

 

I recently installed win 7 64 bit (from vista 64 bit) and my scores are:
6.0 (processor and ram), 6.7 graphics, and 5.9 for hard disk.

my specs...2.4ghz,8gb ram, 256 ssd, 9800 sli.....

My hard disk score was the highest for the vista experience score.

Any ideas why?

win 7 boot up time is blazing fast though
I used the quickset from the 64 bit vista and it works fine for windows 7 (colors work just fine). I have given up on the game panel because cannot seem to find anything for it.

 

You may have had an outdated driver for vista but I would not worry about it, win7 score is much better then the Vista one, I didnt even care for that one.

For the gaming panel use the drivers for the 64 bit g15 right off of logitech, Thats what i used.

 

got my replacement pdf just now look what they are trying to con me into
unbelievable .

I wonder how many folk get downgraded and don`t even notice .

490-10695 DUAL 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8700M GT graphics with NVIDIA SLI Technology

dude even tried to tell me they were an upgrade from my 8800m`s

Got straight on the phone the CR team are phoning me back today. There`s still hope for a m17x replacement yet

 

following up to the above im back at square one order has been cancelled and im back waiting for 8800m`s to come into stock . they would not budge on a m17x they offered me a refund on my system which if i would of took except i i only paid just over £1000 for my 1730 .

 

Can they at least send out 8700's to tide you over till the 8800's come into stock?

I'd still keep fighting for a complete system replacement w/equal or better... Chat/call every day if you have to. Do not accept "no"

 

i will try again at the weekend . Im tired of talking to dell robots
quick question i have 2.5 years left on my warranty if i get an exchange would that be automatically changed over ?

 

That sucks, I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that they still actively promote the 1730 in the UK. ask for 260's Im sure you may be able to throw them in your rig, arent they repackaged 8800's or am I thinking about 9800's?

 

I have yet to hear of anyone speak about what has happened to the remaining warranty. Please let us know what they said about your warranty status if you have received a replacement, especially if it is a m17x since they deny being the same company.

 

they are die shrunk 8800, 9800's, but completely different form factor so they wpnt fit

 

AHHHH, thanks for the correction

 

Dazr,
The guy was gutsy enough to offer me 8700m. I asked him about the better cards, and he said very casually that I'd have to wait until they get them and that he can't say when.

Bloody hell, eh?

 

I was told through Dell Chat and through my 3 hour phone conversation that the warranty does transfer to the new computer. Once they get the old computer, they transfer the warranty to the new service tag.

 

Nice, Thanks for clearing that up.

 

Update:
I finally got a call from the tech offering me a xps 16 to replace my m1730. I said no and they then offered m17x with no sli but 1200p res. I currently have a 8700 sli, and they won't budge. I freaking hate Dell. They also offered a refund of my original price, but at a diminished return. After 6 months, -20%. >1year -40%, >2years -60%. Again I hate Dell.

So he is sending my updated specs for a m17x with no sli and with a 1200p screen. I really want sli like my prior system, but he won't budge and I don't want a refund at -60% my purchase price. He said that I need to compromise, since Dell will be giving me 4gb of ram instead of 2 like I currently have.

 

I spent 30 minutes with customer service and another hour chatting online with Dell and I have gotten no where. On the phone, I could not get the foreign CS agent to understand why a Dell system is being replaced with an Alienware computer. I don't think she knows that Dell actually owns Alienware.

After that, I decided to give the online chat a try and while the CS agent tried to get some answers for me, in the end she told me to call Alienware after I receive the computer. She told me that the M17x replacements for malfunctioning M1730s takes longer to approve because it requires approval from someone who is higher up than the regular approval staff. I don't know if I believe that, but it seems plausible. Either way, she did not want to cancel the current order because she is afraid that it might not be approved again, or take significantly longer and require many more phone calls.

I brought up the fact that if I call Alienware, they might not do anything because this is Dell's problem after all and she told me that she would consult her manager. After more waiting, her manager said that they really cannot order Alienware parts, so their hands are tied. In the end, she said she noted on the file that the incorrect LCD was ordered and a replacement WUXGA display should be installed on customer computer upon receipt. Hopefully Alienware will not give me a hard time once I get the computer.

I think I am going to give it sometime and try to get the replacement, but I have a feeling that I might have to live with the WXGA+ display. Maybe I can have Dell send an external monitor if Alienware refuses to fix the issue. Thanks for all the support.

 

It seems like there are quite a few of us in M17x limbo on this forum. BTW, are you based in the US? With regards to the graphics card, I suggest that you call again and talk to another person. I had no problem getting them to give me the GTX260 SLi card. In fact, they did not even try to offer me the SXPS 16 and went straight to the M17x with SLi. However, fulling knowing the fact that it is Dell CS, they can't get everything right the first time and ordered me a computer with the lower resolution display. It might take more time, but I have a feeling that another CS agent might be more willing to give you the SLi card.

Finally just to make sure that I do infact have the SLi card. Can anyone confirm that the following part number is for the GTX260 SLi. The reason I am confused is because some places the SLI cards says 2GB memory.

320-1000 1GB Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M - SLI Enabled (NB10E-GT1)

 

Your cards will be 1 GB, each.

 

Based in the us.

 

My approval took one day. I was able to do a Dell Chat 2 days after we put in the request and I had access to the system config.

 

Let's see.
Screen - same.
RAM - upgrade.
Video card - downgrade.
Processor - ?
Gaming LCD - downgrade
PhysX PPU - downgrade
Customizable cover - downgrade
Hard drive?

Looks to me like you're compromising more than they are.

I would still argue for the SLI 260's. I'd state that since I no longer have a PPU, I now need my graphics cards to handle that load. Going from 2 down to 1 card will increase strain. I NEED two cards in order to have "equal or better" performance out of it. Also, you paid for the lowest tier SLi cards when you purchased your 1730. Make a big stink about how the whole reason you purchased the 1730 was because it offered the benefits of SLi. If that doesn't work, ask him how one card is better than two. Remember - "equal or better" must be applied across the board.

 

Forgot to include that the rep I spoke with also thought that a 1gb gpu is better than 2x256 sli gpu.

Can I just ask for a different rep?

 

IF it's CS, yes. If it's escalations or Corporate, no. Those guys are scumbags, and that's where I am now.

 

I've never worked with the same rep in any of my instances contacting Dell. What can hurt from you calling/chatting with a random rep? The worst they can do is say no...

 

I use to do that when I am buying a new computer from Dell as well. Basically one should never buy online with whatever coupon that is out there. One should call and list a whole bunch of specs and a reasonable price you are willing to pay for the computer. You will get some reps who are not willing to deal at all and some that will. If you don't like someone, just politely thank them and hang up and then dial the number again. You will most likely get a different rep and then start the whole deal again. I have never had to call more than 3 times. Also, if they are close to your price but not quiet there, ask them for a free upgrade to the 3-year warranty and they will usually do it. This is how I got my Insprion E1705 that malfuntioned and got upgraded to my current M1730, which is also having problems. Hopefully the M17x will do better.

 

So I called tech support to see if 8700sli w/ physics is better than 1gb m260, they couldn't answer it, so I asked for sales.

Sales knew my specs and order number:
p8600
4gb ram
1gb dual nvidia gtx 260m --question this one
HD display
250gb harddrive

 

Guys I am on with dell. They are offering me an Alienware but he says it will be refurbished. Are you guys running into this problem? They said they do not do new replacements after 21 days of purchase?

 

I was not told this, but I wouldn't worry about it.

 

My M1730 replacement was not refurbished... I will fight for a new system then. He also said it would take 25-30 days to get it......

 

They told me my system would be new expedited too.

 

Well I will just have to wait and See. He said refurbished could mean someone never used it and it was returned.. If I do not like it Ill just reject it and have another sent. But the main thing is the 8800ms are now backorderd even further now so that is why the Alienware for me....

 

just be glad you're getting the AW.

While I do miss my 1730's LCD screen, I'm amazed at the build quality, techi-geekiness, and temperatures of the AW. Be prepared for a heavier laptop, though!

 

It's not really just be glad. I had a written agreement with an escalation supervisor that stated if the 8800's were not in on October 5th I would recieve an AW replacement. They were again trying to pawn onto such as 8700's or the studio 16. Once I had him check my account and the written notes he changed his tune. And I won't miss the M1730 that I had for less than a year that died for no reason. This has now become a replacement of a replacement of my original M1710. Could you guys give me an estimate of what to expect based on my dead M1730 or what I should have.

Its 2.4ghz core 2 duo, 2 gigs ram, 120gb HD, dual 8800m gtx sli 1gb.

Also if it is a refurb why would it take 30 days as the tech said. They are not buliding me a new system. I know they have to make it look presentable but 30 days for that?