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First time caller, long time listener.
Just bought M1330 from Outlet. Considering spec (2.5ghz, 4gb ram, WLED, 320gb HD) it was an absolute steal. In fact it wouldn't have cost me much less to travel to Ireland in order to steal it, had I wanted to. I know about potential for graphics card problems but I'm doing what I can to avoid them in the first place and the thing seems to be running reasonably cool so I'm happy.
Arrived on time, no problems with couriers etc. Laptop's great, a few superficial marks reflecting the fact that it's been used for a period of time then returned. That's fine and expected.
After a few hours use I noticed slight damage to the screen - a shadowy area in the top right hand corner and a strange circle effect in the centre of the screen - and made a call to tech support. After a few diagnostic checks they concluded that the screen should be replaced. A part should arrive Monday followed by a call from a technician to arrange replacement. It doesn't matter how long that takes because the laptop is usable in the meantime.
So that's praise for Dell, which I think given the amount of venomous criticism there is, is worth making. I was slightly fearful of getting a Dell laptop and slightly fearful of doing so through the Outlet, so far, my fears have not been justified.
However - although they have tried to claim that the damage was done in transit, I very much doubt this is the case. I think they've tried to sell me a laptop with actual damage to the screen, hoping that I would be a less discerning customer who wouldn't notice or know their warranty rights. Maybe that's why it was so cheap.
My experiences with Dell have been good to date, and this continues that tradition - but it's a shame they take chances by selling slightly shoddy goods, even in the Outlet. I can see the logic - this way they only have to replace parts which people complain about - but it's still slightly disappointing.
If Dell have PR problems, maybe part of the solution is in preventive action. Losing a few pounds by replacing the screen at the manufacturing facility would have saved them from the slight PR damage done by this post.
The lesson (not that anyone here needs it, but loads of people come here after Googling on outlet-related search terms - I did) - inspect your outlet purchase carefully and ask for replacement parts / machine if they try to sell you a lemon.
Fingers crossed this post doesn't invoke Murphy's law and the motherboard doesn't melt down when I press 'submit'... ;-)
Outlet XPS M1330 = praise AND criticism for Dell
Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by britbat, May 7, 2009.
