XPS 15 Defective Touchpad

The touch-pad came out of my laptop, as shown in the picture, despite no accidents or abnormal use. I'm guessing it was not attached properly from the beginning. Dell does not want to cover this under warranty. Is that normal? Easy to fix myself?

 

That isn't normal, Dell should cover this.

 

Any way to convince them to cover it?

 

Be persistent. Threaten to do a chargeback from your payment method, small claims court etc.
Whatever it takes

End of the day a touchpad should not come apart, when you phone explain straight away due to the last phone call you have been advised by your lawyer/solicitor that the call should be and is being recorded, pretend it is and ask for the full name of the person you are speaking to (get them to spell it for obvious reasons) and immediately ask to speak to that reps line manager. Ask for the managers full name (and spelling along with any staff ID for the follow up) and the details of the managers next in charge (spelling and contact email) explaining you will be taking this to resolutions if you do not get a repair authorised under warranty, explain this call is being recorded as part of your next steps to take Dell to small claims court due to the refusal to replace an obviously faulty product. If the manager then fails to resolve ask to speak to the resolutions department.

Start with the following
"Due to its design you cannot lever under it to prise it apart and if it was abuse it would have smashed as it is made from glass so they really cannot and should not argue about this. Ask the manager to explain the reasons they will not replace this obviously defective product" I am sure they cannot come up with a good reason!

Good luck.


(what country are you in?)

Sent from my SM-G920F

 

Ahhh, so they finally made the touchpad upgrade.

 

Thanks for the advice! Last time I talked to the Dell, they classified it as "accidental damage", which makes no sense since there was no accident.

 

Idiots.

 

I ordered it from Microsoft Store online, rather than from Dell. Not sure if this makes any difference.

 

Not at all it is still covered by Dell the minute you leave the store. Have you phoned back yet?

 

Yes. I read them that the warranty "covers defects in materials and workmanship in your Dell-branded hardware products". They escalated this somewhere; now I'm waiting to hear back from them. We'll see what happens. They also asked why I did not call earlier as soon as the defect appeared.

I'm guessing that their guidelines instruct them to treat all mechanical failures as "accidental damage", which is disappointing.

Several months ago I had another Dell laptop with the screen showing random color patterns, which they repaired under warranty without any problems.

 

Sounds like they are going to sort it then.

 

They agreed to cover it, thanks for your help. Telling them that Dell did not attach the touchpad properly convinced them.

Just curious: would telling them about a potential small claims lawsuit have been a bluff or do people actually do this successfully? I think the cost to fix was around $160.

 

They wouldn't spend the money to be represented for a small amount so you would either get it fixed or win

Sent from my SM-G920F

 

Turns out that the laptop also had a swollen battery, which likely pushed the touchpad out. The touchpad fell back down after the battery was removed. I had the laptop for about 11 months now.

The technician said that the battery was about to pop and then either make a mess or catch on fire.

...so maybe this thread should really be called "defective battery".

 

Lucky escape then, has he replaced it or has he had to order in the battery?

 

He replaced it. I filed a warranty claim for the battery earlier because it was losing maximum capacity.

The cooling system had hair and dust in it, maybe that built up heat and damaged the battery. However, the battery is in the front, which is not where the hot components are. So, it's hard to say why it failed.

Strangely the battery could still charge to 60 watt-hours (down from 84 watt-hour design capacity), despite being so swollen.

 

I've seen other reports of the battery bulging out the front of the frame, not to the extent as yours - but yes, it is an issue others have also faced, with the battery expanding.

 

Has anyone had the battery pop or burn?

 

I found another flaw in the laptop. Pressing on the area near the power button activates the power button. I wonder if after a certain number of defects you can just get a refund and buy another laptop.

 

You can, I have been offered a full refund over the unfixable screen flicker.

 

That's what i thought when i saw that image because there's no way the touch pad would just ballon up like that.

Glad it didn't blow up on you.