Getting a system exchange, what to expect?

I've never gotten a system exchange before, so I'm kind of nervous.

Currently I have a Dell XPS M1530
C2D T8300 (2.4 GHz)
4 gigs RAM
250 gb HDD
8600m

Will I get another XPS M1530 and, if so, is my hardware likely to be the same or better? Any chance that I'll get the XPS 16?

 

If you have Dell Complete Care, chances are you'll be getting an XPS 16.

 

Will the fact that my warranty is almost up negatively affect what system they give me? The system exchange was instigated on 4/12 (supposed to hear in 3-10 business days or 3-4 weeks, depending on who I ask... *sigh*) and my warranty expires 4/26.

 

Make sure you keep bugging them about it or else on 4/27 they might say sorry, your warranty is expired. I doubt they can do that since they agreed to a replacement before your warranty is up. But you never know. Also, you'll most likely be receiving a 164x or possibly an Alienware m15x.

 

No, because your warranty is expiring on 4/26 should have no effect. Just keep up on your replacement..Check your "My Account" on dell.com daily & keep up on chat's / calls (if needed)..Chat's are easier if you can get thru.

And, yes the replacement process does take about 3-4 weeks, unless you get lucky. Usually you will see some movement on your account w/in about 10-12 days regarding order information.

You can also check to see if there is anything going on by logging on to your account > Going to "My Support" > "Service Call Status" > "What Would You Like To Find" > "Choose Criteria" > Enter Your "Service Tag" > Click "Submit"

I always checked both "History of Support Requests & Service Call Status" & when it pulled the information..it would give me the latest & greatest

Cin...

 

1. your warranty expiring won't affect the system exchange but your new machine will not have a warranty. it will be cheaper to extend your warranty before it expires and it will transfer to the new system. realize that with a warranty, if (when?) the machine dies, you get a new machine. i think of it as "upgrade protection" or something akin to software maintenance....

2. i've had better luck going to my account page and searching on "service call status" and using my customer number rather than the service tag. service rag shows only the hardware dispatches for the machine but my customer # pulls up the exchange.

once the exchange shows up under the customer #, call dell and ask them what the specs on the new machine are. they are supposed to give you equal or better than what you purchased. the time to make your case is before the order is created. research what's available now and decide what you think is fair and what is "a little extra". It's a negotiation, so start asking for a little extra and you might be pleased that they give it to you. don't let them say: well, we gave you a faster processor so we're not going to give you as much ram or anything like that. they can add to specs but can't subtract.

once that is settled, you will have an order generated, which will show up on your main "my account" page. you can track the order there. there's also some dell phone # you can call that is supposed to show better status but it's in a different thread and i don't have it handy.

 

My Service Tag pulled up my information...

The Phone Number is 1-800-283-2210 ( Dell Financial Services, #3 (Order Status, Enter Order #Purchase ID), and it now gives out the same information as 1-800-433-9014 (Dell Automated Order Status) ~ They stopped the additional information.

Cin...

 

Will a replacement under Complete Care be considered differently than if it is offered under the limited extended warranty for the Nvidia card (M1330)?

 

Dell has to give you an equal or better product.

Now if I worked for dell, and someone came to me with a 1530 still under warranty for 2 year, I would probably replace the system because it would be cheaper in the long run. If someone came to me with a 1530 with 4 months of an extended warranty left, I would probably just replace the motherboard.

However, Dell follows their own random reasoning. Offering to extend your warranty if you get a replacement isn't a bad way to go, as they get a bonus for selling warrantys. Underhanded a little bit, but so are some of dells components.

 

Isnt Dell a warranty company that sell hardware to warranty?

 

There support end gets a bonus if they sell you an additional warranty on items. Like when you buy an appliance with Sears and they try to sell you an additional warranty. Normally an extended warranty is a big money maker for the company, but with dells laptop track record, it hasn't been.

 

I think this goes with most laptop manufacturers. I have used extended warranties on Dell, toshiba and HP. All three companies lost money on the extended warranty they sold me. Toshiba lost the most with 2 motherboard replacements and a full system replacement. Dell is getting up there with me. Keyboard replaced, DVD drive replaced, LCD replaced twice, and now full system replacement this is still all under standard warranty though. Have not even kicked in the extended. I normally do not recomend extended warranties but when you are talking about a laptop computer, I think they are worth it.

Didnt buy apple care on my MBP but have not had any problems yet after 1.5 years of use. I know others swear by apple care.

 

actually, I was referring to:

800-283-2210, 4, 2, 1, 1 or
866-287-6727, 2, 1

They give more info that the #s you gave...

 

Good. Thanks for adding them....I didn't have the 866#
Edit: That's because the 866# is the Alienware number CS# (which I would have never used thus far, lol) : )

 

Well, mine's supposedly in boxing stage now so......

 

The order was placed 3/25 and it's only boxing now? Ugh. I'm too impatient, I can't wait that long!

 

Guys, if I want to follow up on my system replacement and possibly provide input into the process (it's been 9 days and I haven't heard anything ), what's the best way to do that? Is it going through technical support or order support, and is it via chat, phone, email, what? I already have a dispatch number.

 

I tried going through order support, but they just sent me to tech support because it is an exchange.

 

Just "chat", which is technical support. Hopefully they can give you some info, but they seem reluctant to sometimes, at least in my case they did. Give it a try .

 

Thanks... I really want to ensure that I get the 4670... and I'd like an i5, too. O

The way I view it, in order to spec one of the 1640s up to my current 1530, it's a more expensive laptop than the cheapest 1645 while the cheapest 1645 is still more powerful. So I want one.

 

What's the process to return the original laptop after one gets their replacement? Sure, sitting here with two laptops is nice but I'm sure they'll charge me eventually.

 

You're supposed to put it back in the box or something. There's supposed to be instructions and a label with it, for FedEx to pick up.

Also, I got my specs...

XPS 1640
T9600 (Yay!)
4 gigs of RAM (okay)
250 gb hdd (okay)
3670 (meeeh)

I'm going to see if I can try to get them to give me a 1645... I'd just feel a lot more comfortable with a model that hasn't had all the issues the 1640 has. Also, when I spec that model out on their website it's more expensive than a 1645 with specs that I'd gladly accept.

 

You are supposed to have gotten a return label in the box and they say ship in back in the same box....

WHICH, if they sent you a Brand New unit like they did to me, they expect you to box up the NEW computer box with the old laptop, leaving you with NO box for your new unit... CRAZY I TELL YOU to have them expect us to have a brand new unit with not box for it to call home....

I contacted Dell to have them send me another box (on top of the label that was not included in the new lappys box for return....) and they absolutely refused, telling me that I could just throw in the the box the NEW LAPTOP BOX came in along with some NEWSPAPER for padding.. what a JOKE!!

In all, Dell probably will fight you tooth and nail to not send out another box and I have no idea why...... I fugured F* It.... I don't care the condition it is in when it gets to them, right?

 

Strange, I never got a return label... I did with my 130W power supply a few days earlier but not with the system itself.

I don't mind shipping the sxps black box thingy I got because actually I have my original one. What the heck do I do with no return label?

Time to go back to dell support *sigh*

 

Now you're getting the hang of the Dell Customer lifestyle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Dell likes to make things either simple or hard for us, the customer...And it's usually the "latter" = Hard..

Both of my replacement lappy's did not come with a Return label in the box. And, usually the procedure is, that you need to return your broken/injured/lappy to Dell w/in 10 days (upon receipt of your replacement lappy or you can/could be charged for the replacement). Or, depending on terms/agreement of your replacement lappy w/Dell.

I had to contact Dell the first time (I use Chat - don't like contacting via phone unless necessary), and they sent me one via e-mail that I printed out. I then boxed it up..called Fed Ex & they came to my work and picked it up!

Now, when I received my 2nd replacement lappy, I didn't contact Dell via Chat for my Return Label. About a week after I received my lappy' I received a Letter from their Exchange Customer Care Team w/a Fed Ex Return Label w/instructions on how to return the lappy to Dell

No worries...they won't forget you have a lappy' to return to them. They have procedures setup to follow & they will call, e-mail & send you form letter reminders..etc

Cin...

 

What do you think my chances are of getting them to bump me to the 1645 or a 4670? I talked to a supervisor and he said he'd put a note in on the dispatch request and send it back to the department that handled that, but he couldn't guarantee anything... I'm always wary about things like that if they actually did it or not, though, because I can't look into it.

 

Your lucky, my exchange was authorized 4/8/2010 and I still haven't heard anything back from them.

 

Well, Dell is now trying to give me a Latitude E6510 with a Geforce Quadro card... :'(

 

OK, here's what you need to do. You need to spend 15 minutes and go through the specs of your current laptop and the laptops on Dell's website that are comparable. For example, I made a little spreadsheet on a piece of paper with the models across the top and specs for each on their own row. E.g....

M1730 Insp17 Studio17 M17x
CPU
RAM
GPU
ScreenSize
Optical
BT?
Wireless
# USB
FW?
etc...

and filled it in. I highlighted the specs that were lower in the replacements. For example, my M17x can do 1920x1200 and an Inspiron17 could only do 1920x1080 so that killed that model. The Sudio17 could only do 1920x10808 as well so that ruled that out. You need to do this for all the specs because they need to meet all your specs. Then, call Dell again and ask for a manager and calmly state your case. If you know your stuff and aren't just asking for something, then you have a good shot.

When I did this, I had to do it twice because my M1730 was a replacement for an Inspiron 1705. So glad I got the 1920x1200 screen 4 years ago. The M17x is the only lappy that can do that now and that one spec (albiet a very important one) got me that exchange...

 

I tried that, the problem was that everything was better BUT the graphics card and they insisted that the graphics card was better because it had more RAM (even though benchmarks clearly put it lower). Even the manager told me that. I submitted a thing to Dell's online Unresolved Issues, which I've heard goes to people higher up with more authority. I should receive a response in one business day, so we'll see what happens.

 

If the card is slower and you're not happy, tell them. Say that it doesn't match the performance of what you bought and you won't accept it. Something like: "So you want to waste your money to ship me something I don't want? I'm just going to send it back at your expense and then we'll have to do this whole dance again..." Remember they're just trying to wear you down and make you go away...

If the M1530 was an exchange, they're basing the specs against what you bought in the first place.

 

Okay, I got an order number now and it's finally something I'm happy with. The way I understand it, though, the order still needs to get approved by a supervisor. Has anyone heard of orders NOT getting approved? Is it likely to get approved? How does that work?

 

Hey! I think usually with an *Order Number*, your "good to go" per se! I don't think you will "not get approved" at this point.

Just relax a bit, keep a close eye on your account @dell.com (for Order movement on your account), and keep in contact with your Rep/Chat. as to how things are going ~ I would contact tomorrow, to see where things stand.


Cin...

 

Hopefully it goes through... this is what is happening

Code:

Dell XPS M1530               -> Dell Studio XPS 1645
WSXGA+ 1680x1050 LCD         -> 1080p WLED LCD
Intel C2D T8300              -> Intel Core i7 720QM
nVidia Geforce 8600m GT      -> ATI Mobility Radeon 4670
4GiB 667MHz RAM              -> 4 GiB 1333MHz RAM
250GB 5400RPM HDD            -> 500GB 7200RPM HDD
Intel 4965AGN Wireless Card  -> Intel 6250 Wireless Card