*XPS M1730 Problems/Dell Replacement Issues*

managed to get into my account and i am seeing an exchange order processed for a

224-5967 BLACK METALLIC 00001
310-0173 AIRBORNE DOCUMENTATION, SYSTEM BOARD..., FACT 00001

nothing else listed yet.

 

My experience was much smoother than all of yours. Called in a ticket about 1 month ago and was told that the part was back ordered and I'd have to wait. Called in every 2 weeks until I hit the 29th day and then I asked the tech while checking the status, How long do you expect me to wait for a GPU replacement? 3 months? 6 months? One year, after my warranty runs out? Tech said, sorry sir let me transfer you to XPS Level Two Support. If you haven't yet, and you're 30 days into your service call for the GPU ask immediatly to deal with Level 2 XPS Support.

Was called back a few hours later by a very nice Indian chap. He offered me an M1730 with a single 8700MGT and a bumped processor to 2.6ghz and a 6gb RAM upgrade. Obviously I said thanks but no thanks, those upgrades have no impact on system performance and I won't accept a non - SLI solution that on top of that is a worse GPU after paying so much for the 8800Ms. I told him straight away, I would either like a refund or an Alienware M17x replacement- This prompted an immediate response of Alienware is a different company, we can't do that etc. I said well I know Alienware was bought by dell, and I said (quote) I still think Dell is the best computer manufacturer and I tell this to all of my coworkers and friends. I would rather keep the money in your company and work out a suitable replacement. I stayed polite and respectful of the guy on the phone and he immediately told me sir, I didn't mention the Alienware because I'm not sure if I am authorized to use that system as a replacement for the M1730. Let me contact you tomorrow with options for going forward (ie, refund or alienware.)

Sure enough he contacted me the next day, and was very excited to tell me he could give me an Alienware but he would have to match the value of what I paid for my XPS M1730 to the value of the new machine. Any upgrades I wanted that increased over the value I would have to cover. We negotiated to the specs below, with 4 year warranty (i have 1 year left now) and crossfire. I had to pay 170GBP as a difference in cost (i thought that was fair) and he ordered the machine right there on the phone with me. He emailed me the new specs and needed me to reply in email to confirm so he could attach it to his service log. Within 3 hours I had an email from Dell Order confirmations with my new order number that I could track online and the spec sheet of the order form. He also promised to expedite the order and said he's sure i'll enjoy the new alienware.

That was last week (called me Monday, Monday night order was processed, Tuesday order kicked off) 20/10/2009 and today 29/10/2009 my order has shipped with an EDD 1 week earlier than I was told.

It seems the Level 2 XPS support guys have tons of tools at their disposal to make you happy. I advise you guys to revisit the approach if you are dealing in anger and try your best to deal with Level 2 XPS support. Dunno if my American accent helped but I was making the guy laugh and even taught him a few things about ATI vs Nvidia, SLI and processor configs

This is a very negative thread so I wanted to share my extremely positive experience with Dell. Although frustrating if what you like are cool laptops.. I believe other manufacturers can be just as bad if no WORSE Than Dell at warranty replacements so please keep in mind to keep your cool no matter what. I can't share the contact details of the Level 2 XPS Support guy, this is after all the internet and I'm sure you wouldnt want your contact details shared publicly. Just need to be lucky with who you get so hang up and try again if its not going your way fake a phone disconnect

 

L2 XPS support did jack for me. Very unhelpful; they couldn't provide any replacement Alienware machine. Only a downgrade. I'm still waiting a week later to hear back from them; in other words, they're not doing anything.

You got ripped off then. If they provide a replacement machine they have no business asking you to pay the extra costs; they only gave you an upgrade because they're forced to do so (you can't get an equivalent)... in this case they managed to sucker you in to paying for it.

Obviously they try it because it works on some people. Just like the downgrade option works on some.

 

It's all relative. I could have fought more but for me, I don't feel I got ripped off. I'm getting a 2,400£ machine in replacement for something I paid 1,650£ for a year and a half ago.

And the only cost for this was 170£, I'm getting

-New Chassis / Brand Alienware upgrade from M1730
-New platform / NForce / DDR3 upgrade from DDR2
-3.5 Years of additional warranty - I only have 6 months left on mine - this alone is a 180£ value and they could have stuck with 1 year
-DirectX10.1 graphics card upgrade with twice the video RAM from my 8800M GTX 512mb
-Windows 7 upgrade from Windows Vista
-Processor bump from 2.5 -> 2.8 with OC ability and higher FSB

You might think I got ripped off but when I was negotiating this is what my rep could do for me and it worked for me. I had zero rough experiences and he expedited my order, this is all value for me and worth paying the cost (keep in mind he wanted to give me SLI 260's and I wanted the crossfires instead)

 

Well, it's up to you. If you're happy with the arrangements, then good for you, I suppose. If you had a lower specced M1730 in the first place then you gain far more than others would by such an arrangement.

Meanwhile, all my politeness and respect has gotten me is 6 1/2 weeks of waiting, endless lies, a 2 year warranty (£150) that was just renewed going to waste, and a 1yr old M1730 of the highest specs (worth ~£2.5K at time of purchase) sitting there.

That doesn't factor in all the time I've spent researching this issue myself (because Dell support doesn't tell the truth), all the lost productivity due to the broken part, and all the lost productivity from having to repeatedly take time out of my day to call up.

As far as I'm concerned, Dell basically owe me an upgrade, especially when they've readily handed out (relatively speaking) huge upgrades to other users here who've suffered far less.

 

How did you guys ask the dell rep to change the configuration? Dell offered me a replacement with the same laptop but i said i want to have a motherboard upgrade to the n10m-gs. I even told him that i would like to pay for the upgrade or the newmotherboard. However the dell rep refused and told me that they don't have the "right" to change the configuration.

 

Could you clever techie types explain to me which of the M17X PCU's are equivalent to my XPS M1730 X9000 PCU( overclocked to 3.4)?

 

Go throw a party - you will be happy to learn this is the part# for the Alienware M17x Space Black Chassis. Congrats.

 

Yet another one, congrats Konohasaint.

If Dell don't get in touch tomorrow I really am going to scream. I'm just amazed at how little consistency there is here when it comes to resolving this.

Unbelievable.

 

While I understand the frustration level (I've been there as well) surrounding this replacement issue with Dell, I ask that all of you remember the Forum Rules when posting. Bypassing the Language Filter is not permitted. Please review the Forum Rules - they exist for a reason.

Thanks.

 

I was told today, that definately after 30 days there will be a replacement/upgrade delivered to me, if they cannot replace/source 8800gtx's.
This was told to me via technical manager.

Sigh, wait and see i suppose, 13th Nov is DDay.

 

All right, I called Dell again today and FINALLY got an order/customer number from them. I will in fact be getting an M17x. Here are the important specs listed:

224-5967 Black Metallic
313-8445 Blu-ray Disc Burner (BD-R/RE, DVD+RW, CD-RW)
317-0821 Intel Core2 Extreme Quad QX9300 2.53GHz (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
317-0856 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz 2 x 2048MB
320-8140 17.0in, WUXGA,LCD,ANW,M17X
330-5414 Windows 7 Home Premium UpgradeCoupon, W0, ENG,SPN,FRE,GER JPN
341-0013 640GB (320GB x 2) 7,200RPM (xMB Cache) - RAID 0
320-0999 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M (NB10E-GT1)


What do you think? I thought I was supposed to get Vista/Windows 7 Ultimate...can I get that with the coupon. Is that 260M the SLi version? Is it okay or should I push for a 280?

 

Did you have the bluray drive in your other notebook?

 

If you purchased your M1730 with Ultimate, then yes, you can request it. The coupon they are sending you is for Home Premium only.

If you had SLI in your notebook before, you need to contact the person handling your replacement. The 320-0999 part# is for a single 260M. If you had a single 8700M GT then its fine. If you had 8700M GT/8800M GTX SLI then you should be getting the 260M SLI. The 260M SLI will toast the 8800M GTX SLI - so its on par.

If you do not agree with this, then of course you can push for a 280. Just keep in mind the difficulties getting to this point. Might be better to live with it. In the end, you decide.

 

Good to know yet another person's getting an M17X.

I wonder if it's worth compiling a list of those who have gotten a replacement, along with the delay/region/specs or something? Could help others who are searching for information on the issue... certainly gives them a rough idea of what to expect anyway.

 

Agreed. Also keep in mind that any changes to the build means they need to cancel the order and re-submit a new order. That means another chance for massive screwups. It also means more delay, since the new computer build needs to be approved again. Annoying, but trust me - do it NOW and do not expect to fix it later.

 

Thanks for the info. My M1730 had Vista Ultimate and the GPUs were dual 8800M GTX cards in SLi. I guess I should definitely get them to fix that. Any tips on getting in touch with the people handling the replacement, other than getting the regular tech support as usual?

 

You should already be in contact with one person. I may be wrong, but I think this is where a lot of you are having issues. Do not end a call with a support rep without having some kind of contact info. As soon as replacement is discussed, you need to stick with that agent. Do not, do not, do not end the call without having their info. All future contact should be directed at that agent/manager/supervisor. Whoever is handling your case is your "go-to" person.

Not sure what to tell you phlibbit. At this point anything could transpire - you can call them back only to find yourself getting no result.

 

A Dell called me to discussed about the replacement laptop. If i called back the number, will i able to reach the same rep?

 

Depends. If they included their extension #, then yes. If not, going to be tough. It's a big company with multiple call centers around the globe.

 

So here's an update to my saga with brief synopsis. My original call on 10/15/09 was to get a replacement card for my dying 8800GTX SLI that was on its way out (blue screen whenever SLI was enabled regardless of drivers used, and "ahem" Leopard locking on first desktop display).

Order placed, next day get notified that the card is on indefinite backorder. Rep tells me they can order me the 9800 SLI at no additional charge to me, I say go ahead. Next day, that order is also stated to be on indefinite backorder. I politely call BS on it, and they offer me Studio 1330 as a replacement and I further call BS. Rep speaks to manager and the manager gets on and offers me a new m17x system as a system exchange with all components equal to or greater than what I have now. I agree, and am told 10-15 days for the process to complete. This is on 10/20/09.

I get a call on 10/23/09 confirming my shipping address and then the rep quickly disconnected. A few days later on 10/26/09 I get another phone message that the part I ordered is on backorder. Confused as to whether this is an old graphics card order or the replacement system, I call. Apparently it was for the old graphics card order that was never fully canceled. I told them to make sure it was this time and that was it for that conversation.

I'm patient, but see no system order ever attach to my account as of 10/28/09, and getting concerned I jump back on Dell Chat (I use it for ALL communication so there's a conversation trail on record). I'm told finally by a knowledgeable rep that the order was placed under a different customer number and that's why I could not see the order. They give me the new customer number and the order number and once I had both of those, the order was then visible under my account. It showed ordered on 10/23/09 and was "In Production". Also on that account my old graphics card order appeared and still showed "In Production". I asked them to have that Gfx card order canceled since I won't need it now and they said it would automatically drop off as the system exchange replaced it. So far so good!

Now we're up to today, 10/29/09. I check my order status this morning, and it says "Canceled"!! Yet, at the same time, another order with the exact same system specs, except Norton AV instead of Mcafee AV, appeared on my account with an order date of today. ? So I contact Dell Chat yet again. The rep does some research and says that the original order was canceled due to "incorrect system configuration". Ok, whatever. It's the same system except the AV, but I'll deal because I have another order number and it's "In Production" now, too.

A few hours later, on a hunch, I check it again (I know better at this point than to just let things ride their course). Sure enough, the second order now also shows as "Canceled"!! UGH. At the same time, the old Gfx card order is also showing "Canceled" finally, as that should have been. Back on with Dell Chat AGAIN. The rep has to do a lot of research and comes back again with the same thing.. canceled due to "incorrect system configuration". I immediately ask to speak to a manager.

The manager gets on and does their own research and investigating and comes back and says the m17x is on "indefinitely backorder" and offers to refund me my money, stating that Alienware simply "cancels" orders when they cannot fulfill the requested order and this is why Dell had to reorder. I call absolute BS on it, stating that I can log onto Dell.com RIGHT NOW and configure an IDENTICAL system and have it show an estimated delivery date of 11/12/09, with no delays shown what so ever (and some of the possible configurations DO show possible delays, so the parts they're trying to give me ARE in stock). The manager is just as stumped as me at this point, and I don't want to take a refund because there's no way I can configure a comparable m17x unit to mine for the original M1730 purchase price. She told me she's going to be my case manager for this situation and that I'm going to deal directly with her at this point and she's going to try to research why this is actually happening.

Afterthoughts to this.. on the way home from work I realized that my system both times has been configured with Vista Premium with a Windows 7 upgrade coupon. My first order was placed on 10/23/09, one day after the Windows 7 official launch date of 10/22/09. I'm thinking it's possible that Alienware refuses to build a system with Windows Vista at this point since, and I did confirm, you can only order an m17x with Windows 7 now on the website, and I'm pretty sure that Dell upgrade coupon was only supposed to be offered until Windows 7 was released. Order specs otherwise seemed completely legit:

1 224-5967 Black Metallic $0.00
1 310-0173 Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install $0.00
1 313-8569 Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) $150
1 317-0821 Intel Core2 Extreme Quad QX9300 2.53GHz (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) $2560
1 317-0856 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz 2 x 2048MB $0.00
1 320-0762 SLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce (NB10E-GTX1) $600
1 320-8140 17.0in, WUXGA,LCD,ANW,M17X $150
1 330-0171 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks $0.00
1 330-3924 Name Plate Engraving $0.00
1 330-5414 Windows 7 Home Premium UpgradeCoupon, W0, ENG,SPN,FRE,GER JPN $0.00
1 341-0013 640GB (320GB x 2) 7,200RPM (xMB Cache) - RAID 0 $100
1 410-0173 ADOBE ACROBAT READER - Eng $0.00
1 410-0205 Norton Anti-Virus, Gamer Edition 15 Month Subscription $89
1 420-3251 Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1 $0.00
1 421-0360 Avatar1 $0.00
1 421-0389 Window Style, DFT $0.00
1 421-0398 Power Plan, BAL $0.00
1 421-0399 Time Zone, CENTRAL $0.00
1 421-0405 Automatic Updates ON $0.00
1 421-0410 Wallpapers, C01W $0.00
1 421-0415 Mouse Pointers,STANDARD $0.00
1 421-0726 ALIENFX BLUE $0.00
1 421-1304 CyberLink PowerDVD 8.0 Software $0.00
1 421-1305 Nero 9 Media Burning Software $0.00
1 421-1724 Soft Contracts,Dell In Home,Alienware $0.00
1 430-0628 Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR $0.00
1 430-3558 Internal 300Mbps Dual-Band a/g/n 2x2 MIMO $0.00

View My Orders
Sub-Total : $3649
Tax : $218.94
Order Total : $3867.94

I emailed my contact back at Dell asking if this was possibly the case and to investigate it possibly being the problem. That was just now, so obviously no news on it yet. At this point, only time will tell with what's going to happen with me, but the situation has worsened because as of last night my M1730 started booting only to VGA mode, so the cards are *really* on their way out at this point. Clock's ticking. :-(

 

Okay, so I got on Dell Chat this time, instead of through the phone. I asked about my 260M cards, and I specifically asked if part "320-0999 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M (NB10E-GT1) " was the dual, SLI graphics cards. And he told me that they were...

 

Yes Phlibbit, that's correct. My part # is for the 280s, replacing my GTXs. They're using the 260s to replace most GTs, I believe.

 

so... after seeing how it only took nick bout 9 days to get his order shipped, i decided to call dell to see what was up with my order....

apparently the order for the M17x is in the process of being confirmed, even thought on their site it says its in production, i was told that it still needs to be approved by at least 3 people if not more.

At this point its coming upon 1 1/2 months, they didn't even offer me anything extra special or anything just a system that was on par with mine

I'm supposed to be getting a call back on monday now, this is just bloody ridiculous now, and i think i've hit the point where i cannot be patient anymore

 

My bad phlibbit... sorry about that. I only checked the 320-0999 part# against the info I have. It is for a single 260M but I skipped over the (NB10E-GT1).

Here is an example of the 320-0999 part# (single use)
LINK.

Scroll down the page and look for the Video Card info -

Video Card:
Single NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M, 1GB
GTX260S [320-0999]


Congrats on the SLI. Apologies for the confusion.

 

Ah, thanks for the double-clear up. I also asked about getting Windows 7 Ultimate since my M1730 had Vista Ultimate...he said I could use the coupon to get it with no problems, so I'll just forward them to my chat log if I run into any.

 

Well, I finally have a m17x "In Production" after more then a month of struggle. If this m17x came without all the drama it would be so much sweeter but in the end still a sweat deal, I will miss my gaming LCD but will find comfort in the processor's 12mb cache and 1333 RAM, . They left out my blueray burner but I dont want to lose my place in the production line so that battle will continue from home unless the 1730 bluray fits in the alienware case.

qx9300, 2.53 extreme quad
dual 280m gtx
17.0in, WUXGA,LCD,
4GB 1333
320 hdd

I just an SSD for the OS and a seatbelt for my chair and "ITS ON", they actually asked me which graphics card I would prefer, the 260 or the 280???? I felt like asking the guy if he was serious????

 

This is the description of the video card that they are giving me, no part number but it says that it is 1GB DUAL NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260M - SLI so it probably is the card you are getting.

 

Deeznizzels, I would check that order very frequently. Have you read the situation I'm currently in? It's only a few posts up. I had 2 orders already go from "In Production" to "Canceled", and as of right now I don't have any order at all.

 

As expected Dell have failed entirely to call, or email within the allocated time of 1 business day.

What was weird is I stumbled across the support history tool and it seems my case has been escalated 3 times since I requested it last week, yet absolutely *nothing* has happened.

I guess Dell chat is the second last option I have, followed by emailing the execs. Thoughts anyone?

 

If you read any of my posts, you should know that it's a massive PITA to get a component switched out after the fact. Do it now or don't do it.

 

At last, an executive has sent an application for approval of a replacement M17X through to Dell Dubai where the financing department are located(this is the final step). Should know by monday...will keep others informed and if successful will share what i have learnt

 

Hi all, found this forum and this thread, well because I am in the same boat as y’all. My XPS m1730 is on its third graphics card, this one being a temp from Dell, an 8700 GT to replace my 8800 GTX SLI. My card (the second 8800 GTX in the machine) originally went out on the 8th of October.

After two weeks of waiting for a replacement card and after many hours on the phone, I was told that I should get a full laptop replacement. I actually asked for a refund first, but was told that was not an option. Then I was told that I would be getting a Studio XPS 1640 and I told them no way no how. They eventually said that as per my warranty I would get the same or better and would be getting an Alienware.

On the 21st an official replacement ticket was opened and on the 23rd a new Alienware was put into production and into my orders in my account. It had the following specs:

1 224-5967 Black Metallic $0.00
1 310-0173 Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install $0.00
1 313-8977 8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive,QuickSilver $0.00
1 317-0821 Intel Core2 Extreme Quad QX9300 2.53GHz (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) $2560
1 317-0856 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz 2 x 2048MB $0.00
1 320-0762 SLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce (NB10E-GTX1) $600
1 320-8140 17.0in, WUXGA,LCD,ANW,M17X $150
1 330-0171 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks $0.00
1 330-3924 Name Plate Engraving $0.00
1 330-5414 Windows 7 Home Premium UpgradeCoupon, W0, ENG,SPN,FRE,GER JPN $0.00
1 341-0013 640GB (320GB x 2) 7,200RPM (xMB Cache) - RAID 0 $100
1 410-0173 ADOBE ACROBAT READER - Eng $0.00
1 410-0204 MCAF,15MTH,MUI,ANW $89
1 420-3251 Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1 $0.00
1 421-0360 Avatar1 $0.00
1 421-0389 Window Style, DFT $0.00
1 421-0398 Power Plan, BAL $0.00
1 421-0399 Time Zone, CENTRAL $0.00
1 421-0405 Automatic Updates ON $0.00
1 421-0410 Wallpapers, C01W $0.00
1 421-0415 Mouse Pointers,STANDARD $0.00
1 421-0726 ALIENFX BLUE $0.00
1 421-1724 Soft Contracts,Dell In Home,Alienware $0.00
1 430-0628 Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR $0.00
1 430-3558 Internal 300Mbps Dual-Band a/g/n 2x2 MIMO $0.00

I was called on Monday the 26th and told about the system, and that I would receive it in 3-5 business days. Late yesterday, the 29th I logged onto my account and found that the order had been cancelled. I called and spoke with a tech that eventually put me on with a manager. I was told that there were issues with the configuration based on my original machine, but that it was the software, not the hardware. Mentioned the Mcafee being one of the issues. He told me he would get to the bottom of it and both email me and call me back that day. That of course never happened.

Today I got on with chat support. After researching my case, I was told the computer was going to take 45+ days to build and that I was going to be issued a refund. I told him that I had been denied a refund before. He stated that the refund was the best way to get me a new laptop quickly. He then said that it would take 15 days to process and I would not be reimbursed for sales tax or my warranty. I said no way, I pointed out that the 15 days plus the build time for a new one was still 30 + days. He then put on a supervisor who told me that the build time was up to 30 days and that the issue was with Vista and other software being on the first config. He told me that the order was still in process with the only change being to the software config. He promised to call me with an order # by tomorrow. I am not holding my breath.

The supervisor actually reminded me several times that I was getting a much better laptop than I have/had and urged me to be patient.

Anyway, my saga sounds like many others in this thread, especially with Elkay who posted above about his cancelled replacement. Glad I found this forum and this thread, hope any info from my saga helps someone else with theirs.

 

Starstryker, yep sounds like you're in the exact same boat as me. I have a second contact (a Resolution Specialist) also due to a problem with my warranty dates. I just reached out to her explaining this current situation and she also told me I'm still in processing and it's going through, and the same deal, it's a configuration issue with the AV software that's the issue on both (big lol). I've been back and forth with her a few times already over the past few weeks with the warranty dates issue, and she's completely responsive and reliable. Only took her 30 minutes to get back to me today. She told me she'd be watching this through completion, and that if I don't have a new order # by Monday that she'd put it through manually herself for me.

More to come, I'm sure lol.

 

Mine just went into production, I am sorry to hear about the cancelations and I hope the same doesnt happen to me. My M17x was issued by the law dept after me declining shipped XPS systems and also turning down a refund offer previously and several emails and a BBB complaint. The manager did say that it would take a long time for the alienware machine, probably from all the people sending in these crap 8 series cards on the 1730's. Not sure if that makes a difference, maybe they have to exhaust all other offers and wait periods (Dell Hell) before they actually get the alienware approval?


"If you read any of my posts, you should know that it's a massive PITA to get a component switched out after the fact. Do it now or don't do it."


Yeah, I have read your issues but I am antsy and would rather continue this fight with a working system in hand then nothing at all. Thanks for the advice though. Anyone know if the 1730 bluray burner drive can be placed on the m17x?

My name is NizzeLs and I have been waiting for my issue to be fixed for over 40 days. Next Business Day service?????

 

Ohhh just an FYI, One major thing I have learned, as soon as you get a good helpfull rep make sure that is your only point of contact. As hard as it may be wait to only speak with that rep because for some reason EVERY Dell Rep is Aching to take over your case, make you re-explain everyhing and then will usually mess up whatever you may already have in play with the previous rep.


My name is NizzeLs and I have been waiting for my issue to be fixed for over 40 days. Next Business Day service?????

 

The M17x uses a slot load Optical Drive. The M1730 uses a tray load. Sorry.

 

Thnx for the quick reply, thats what I figurd but wasnt %100

 

OK people. It's a few pages ago since it was mentioned so a little reminder.

Please follow the link in my sig' to vote for a bios change to address the gpu failures.

BTW What's the consensus? I had an idea to update the Wikipedia entry on the 1730 detailing the GPU failures. linky : )

What do ya'll think?

 

I just visited Ideastorm and we have a Dell reply.

They have advised someone to raise an Unresolved Issue.........

There is also another demoter. If you pull up the demoters profile you can see that they just go thru the board and demote everything. SO I have raised a new idea LOL

They closed my idea.
Hi Slammin,

Your post on Dell's IdeaStorm, "Pointless demoters", is not an idea; therefore, it has been removed. IdeaStorm is dedicated to the discussion of ideas and improvements related to Dell products and services and related technology.

I have removed your post from IdeaStorm, and copied it below for your reference.



Each user is entitled to their opinion, even if they are a Dell customer or not. We do regulate the site; however, we do not tell users what to say and how to vote. We watch the demotes and promotes as well and I have had several conversation with some frequent demoters and promoters. We will continue to moderate the users.



As a reminder, please see the About page for IdeaStorm:
http://www.ideastorm.com/ideaAbout
and the Terms of Use page:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/policy/en/ideastorm?c=us&l=en&s=corp

Thank you,

IdeaStorm Moderator
Dell Inc.

**********************************************************************
MY idea was this.


Pointless demoters
I have noticed that the Community is inhabited by either children getting their kicks or disenfranchised owners who go thru and demote every idea.

The community should be limited to GENUINE owners who are verified via their service tag or that the website implements a control so that someone can't logon with multiple alias's.

Is there a way to stop someone just demoting every idea like maybe limiting the number of demotions a user can make or that they have to relogin for each demotion? Making it a bit more cumbersome to demote something will nake it less fun for these twerp.

 

Just signed up, promoted and left a message.

I doubt dell will do anything, creating a bios update would mean dell has accepted liabilty for faulty hardware/software

 

What chat did people use? I tried tech support but it said it XPS support was "busy"... for 3 hours...

 

I just used the tech support online chat via the Dell website.

 

Hey everyone I haven't posted much on this site but have been following the issues with the 8800m series of cards for awhile now. Like some of you I have a 1 gig 8800m gtx card with Sli and like some of you have had mine replaced two times now in one year. Both times they replaced my video with the 8700m gt card with Sli. The first time was over the summer and once I realized they switched my card and called them to complain they promptly sent me an 8800m gtx card. That crapped out two months later at which point I had to send in my system once again only to get it back a month later (the end of September) with yet again a 8700m gt card.

Over the past month I’ve tried and tried to get an 8800 or even an upgrade to a 9800m gt or 9800m gtx yet I’ve come to find out from dell and from this forum that they are all on backorder and will not be available till January 2010. I notice that a lot of you are get upgrades to the m17x alien ware systems so I thought I might try my luck and chat with dell about an upgrade.

Tonight I chatted with them online and explained that I did not want to wait till 2010 for what might be yet another delay in getting this whole thing resolved. They offered me only two options; on a refund which we all know leads to a loss of money as they will certainly take a large percentage off the original purchase price before issuing me a check. The other option was to wait till 2010 which I promptly said I would not do. I mentioned that I wanted an upgrade to a computer of equal of greater strength which the manager (I’m talking to the manager at this point) said “there is no computer that dell offers that is greater or equal to the 1730. I said what about the M17x and mentioned that a lot of people are getting upgrades. He said they are no longer doing this.

My question is this, is dell no longer doing the upgrade? Also what can I do at this point? I paid 5,800 for my rig and got nearly all the bells and whistle it’s could come with. I feel like I deserve an upgrade after paying that much for a system.

By the way my specs are…

Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000(2.8GHz, 800Mhz 6M L2 Cache)
4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm
1GB NVIDIA SLI GeForce 8800M GTX
400G (2x200) 7200RPM HHD w/RAID 0
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
17’ 1920x1200 WUXGA display
And what was a 4yr warranty which is down to 3 yrs left.

Any help would be greatly appreciated because at this point I’m lost as to what I should do.

 

This is just my personal opinion as a consumer....

Since you are in the USA, forget about using the online Chat at this point. I think your best bet is to get a current case started using the Unresolved Issues link.

Do you have On-site warranty coverage? If so, you need to explain that while you understand the part is on backorder, the fact of the matter remains your system is in need of repair. 30+ days is unacceptable. A refund means a refund of your purchase cost. It does not mean refund - wear and tear. This also includes the cost of your warranty since you paid for on-site next business day repair and they are unable to fulfill the terms of your warranty.

Options are:

1. Full refund of purchase price + warranty
2. Replacement system with SLI

In anycase, get the ball rolling the right way and fill out that Unresolved Issues web form on the Dell main page. When you meet resistance from the first rep, request they have a supervisor contact you by phone. Obtain contact info for whoever handles your case. You do not need to bounce from rep to rep.

Again, just my personal opinion as a consumer. I would accept nothing less and fight until resolved. Remember to be professional with your contact, be it voice or email. Nobody in a support role wants to go the extra mile to help someone who is rude and unprofessional.

 

Batboy, ur name isnt working for me on the forums you are now the Bat with no name

 

I tried that for hours (during the supposed open times of course)... it says to enter the service tag then repeatedly tells me there's no one available once I do.

Even just now it did the same.

 

Yeh, I hear you there. I've tried the online chat regularly through the 5 weeks of my issue, and never been able to get success...always the no one available pop-up

 

I'd just like to chip in that I have had the same issue since I purchased my system. I have never, EVER been able to get through.

Also I had similar issues, in the first year of having my system I had I think 3/4 replacement GPUs. First one worked but hit 90+C without even trying. Second one had two broken cores, causing constant reboots until I disabled the GPU. Third one had ONE broken core, I could boot up when I disabled ONE of the GPUs. Last one I have at the minute finally works, but yeah overall it was a nightmare to get done.

 

Everything I did was through dell chat and it worked just fine...