*XPS M1730 Problems/Dell Replacement Issues*

Well, you guys are lucky. I cannot get them to change the configuration of the system exchanges. I see the order but no delivery date, don't know what is going on now.

 

You can call the automated order status line and enter your order#. Warning: The automated order status line is wonky and your Estimated Ship Date may change from time to time. This is not proof positive that something is wrong.

See this post for the phone# and menu tree order.

 

The system is in the production phase but the configuration is different from my laptop...

 

Still no call from Dell as of yet. Luckily I have my backup option in the form of one of Dell's community liaison guys who'll escalate it to another team if my call fails to materialise.

Still a bit worried about the email that went missing though. I guess I'll need to confirm they sent it to the right address.

 

I`m still waiting for my call / email about specs, just came off phone asking for a call back within 2 hours or I`m gonna call back to speak to a manager / escalate, getting a bit of a joke again now sigh...

 

Ok, just called up and checked the order status via phone, Instructions below, thnx BatBoy

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5379153&postcount=1

I am in the boxing stage with an estimated ship date of 11/09/2009, If you have an order number follow the instructions above and you will get some much needed good news, an estimated ship date, Hopefully.

If that date is accurate I have two things to look forward to on 11/10/2009. M17X and Modern Warfare 2.

 

ok I checked my order status it said that my system shipped on Oct. 28, 1999 so I guess I will have to call to get an update.

Anyone have any luck in changing the specs on their system if you are willing to pay the extra?

 

No callback. Fired off an email to one of their community reps, who said he would escalate it further, so I should get some result there.

 

jabbok, if your system shipped on oct 28 1999, they must be using horse and buggy baby

 

LOL I know it sure is taking a long time to get here.

 

So.... my system is still "in production" and apparently a tech is supposed to be coming over tonight with a replacement video card... I wouldn't have minded the replacement vid card a month ago but now that would be retarded.

What do you guys think, should I straight up refuse the vid card and wait for the system or should i get the vid card for now till the system shows up.

 

Refuse the card. Your order may cancel and then they may refuse a system replacement as they'll consider the problem "resolved".

 

Haha, so my second power supply broke just now (giving the power supply unrecognised error). Sad thing is that the performance is almost identical as before!

 

Awesome. I used Batboy's link for the automated order status...apparently my system will be shipped out on 11/3! That would be awesome if accurate.

 

photo i had that happen to me 4 times with my XPS and the power is not identical, it performs a tad bit slower and it causes issues when burning a DVD/CD.

I so cant wait till they send me my new Alienware M17x

 

A few people have contacted me regarding my specs and how i managed to get upgrades so easily. First I deal with dell a lot. As a result i manage to stack the deck in my favor.

First the old specs.

t9500 2.6 c2duo
dual 8800GTX SLI
Blu Ray reader
uxga screen
those are the important factors.

when i saw people getting replacements. I imediately got a quote from my business rep for 45 desktops. I had no intentions of placing the order but it gives me a little leverage if i needed it. In the end i never had to make a threat about not ordering it. Instead i used the i spent 4000 on this laptop. I expect to get a 4000$ laptop in return. when i said that to him he immediately folded. Specs are one thing but if your spending 4K and get a 2K laptop in return you are getting screwed. They usually understand that. However Feel free to use the im an IT manager and this is damaging customer service between our companies. and we will buy 45 HP's method if you need to. Just dont say that to a low end tech. Only say that to management because they are the only ones who care.

 

ok new update for today. i called in that automated order line thing and this morning it was set to ship on Nov 13, which is cool, but now i called again just to see and it says Nov 16. Still not bad, but it seems to change - i guess based on demand.

 

You can't trust the ship dates in that system *at all*. They will change constantly if you simply keep calling back.

 

ok kind of figured. i dont mind waiting till 21, but some of you seems have been waiting longer.

 

"Well that's the problem."

I just got the long expected BSOD. (Parity Memory Error - Display driver)

Safe Mode runs fine - Device Mngr - disable GPU's low and behold the system boots normally.

Boot again normal -> Devic Mngr - enable GPU 1 system boots normally.

Try both cards - fail

Boot again normal -> Device Mngr - enbale only GPU 2 sytem boots normally.

this is the same as what I had b4 in August the memory between the 2 cards fails.

Calling dell now.

 

That -was- my problem. It came and went for a while, but then it came and stayed, and over the months, it actually worsened and now the system randomly BSODs even in single-GPU mode. Hell, sometimes, the machine refuses to power-up, which means that the hardware's going bad.

Anyway, best of luck with support.

 

Cheers Kade,

Ok more info.

I was told new 9800gt's are ETA Mid Nov here in Oz. So I called BS and the CS offered his manager. So I accepted his kind offer and had a chat with the manager. He again stated new cards would be available mid Nov, so I said yes BUT back in Aug you said 2 weeks and in the end it was 6 weeks this will happen again won't it. Not much sound from the other end so i waited a bit and then he said look I can offer you an upgrade as the 1730 is no longer in production it would be a M 17x.

Normally I would push for a full refund but as I just purchased extended warranty I will accept the strange looking M 17x.

Gotta hand it to Dell at this stage(providing the rest of the upgrade goes smooth), they've taken the failures on the chin. I tried to get some inside goss from him on what Dell are going to do about the Nvidia problems and he said we don't expect Nvidia to accept responsibility over these failures. LOL

 

Congratulations.

Yet another win. You might not have as much trouble getting a timely replacement in Australia.

 

The entire card has now stopped functioning.

Hell a 1730 that can't even play the World of Goo. Um Solitaire anyone??

 

Yep, its an M17x. Try this:

Order Status

You will need to provide 2 types of info. Best would be: Customer# or Order# and zip code

Your exchange order may show up. Also, check your PM.

 

I am receiving the package today....I am stoked, BTW for anyone getting the m17x and looking to max the RAM without putting more money in Dells pocket and paying overinflated prices looky Here, 8GB 1333 $449

 

That is awesome! How long was yours in production?

My second order went into production yesterday (the first having been cancelled on the 29th). I finally hit the unresolved issues button yesterday morning after being told it would be another 7-10 days for the new order to generate. A resolution rep emailed me within a few hours and had the order put into production by the end of the day yesterday. The only difference between this one and the other is the AV software. It still has Vista and I was assured this was not an issue and that I did not qualify for Win 7 because my broken XPS had Vista.

Seriously, whiskey tango foxtrot? Going from McAfee to Norton AV Gaming Edition delayed my order for 10 days?

Anyway, I was assured by the resolution rep that at max I would have the replacement in 15-20 business days but most likely sooner, but when I was contacted last night and given the order details the rep said that he did not know the time frame and that all m17x laptops take up to 30 days to build.

I originally was told 3-5 business days to build and ship on the first order and quite frankly will not believe that this order is real until I get a shipped notice.

 

Oh well looks like my replacement is not happening, got a call today telling me they want to fully refund my money, as they cannot replace with a M17x due to the fact I bought the laptop from Dell Outlet UK funny though I have bought laptops and desktops retail and outlet and they both come with the same T&C`s

Any advise guys ?

 

That's bull. My M1730 had Vista and I'm getting a Windows 7 upgrade coupon. And as far as build time, I never believed the 3-5 days they originally said. I figured at the very least, it would be the same time it would take as if you ordered one from the website, so 15-20 days or something seems about right.

 

Hmm.

That is rather odd.

I don't mean to worry you, but could you please confirm with them whether YOU will be receiving the refund, or whether the money will go back to the supposed 'outlet'. Be very careful with this line of resolution as Dell will throw a bag of tricks your way.

I am kinda' shocked though, because they have given second-owners M17x replacements. Consider the case of Bpat; he didn't have the previous owner's details on him, but eventually, they gave him an M17x.

Dell's just got this issue with double standards, so don't take every statement to heart.

 

Well this is the guy I have been given to deal with Mahesh BC, Customer Relations, anyone else have any experience dealing with him ?

 

I phoned yesterday and they sorta did the same thing to me after 8+ weeks they flatly refused to replace the laptop and offered my money back which i will take just to get out of dell hell . Im going elsewhere and buying myself a new desktop.
They are supposedly coming to collect my lappy on monday but i have had no written confirmation about a refund or return collection which has me slightly worried at this time . They assured me the money will be back on my cc within 14 working days .
Goodbye Dell .

 

Actually, it does have the Windows 7 Upgrade coupon. Sorry I didnt mention that. The rep last night tried to tell me I didnt even get that but then when he looked at my specs he told me I was getting a bonus.

I mentioned the Vista because I was told by two different supervisors that Vista being on the original order had been part of the "software configuration problem" that got the order cancelled.

Yeah, I am not holding my breath for getting it any sooner that the max time frame.

 

I'll tell you one thing, Customer Relations/escalations, are not our friends. These are the people that will make sure you get a refund, or a downgrade - they will never acknowledge that the enthusiast M1730 is no longer in production, and will insist that by this logic, a customer cannot be entitled to an M17x.

This is why I am starting to realise that perhaps one should be a little careful when making contentions to Dell's support-staff and demanding 'higher-ups', beause after a certain point, you are no longer dealing with the technical staff, and instead, dealing with a lawyer-type-person. You can win big with these guys, but you'd have to be armed to the teeth, which is why I don't recommend dealing with escalations. It's always wiser to inform people, but also stay a bit under the radar from those that could create problems.

For example: At this point, the UK & Irish escalation department do not comment on, or condone M17x as replacement for the M1730, regardless of circumstance. The moment these people get wind of your case, you can forget about getting such a replacement. You might get a generous 'full refund', but that's where the truck stops.

 

Amen to that. I finally got approval for a replacement M17X with top of the range CPU and GPU today but only after i got the Indian team( who are in some way also the UK and Dutch team) to escalate things back to my Dell team in my home country. Here i had to build a very polite relationship with an executive who went to bat for me...remember folks, you are admin to these guys and you need to be aware of this fact...they need to take a personal interest in your case in order to help you. So if you can wait for 30 days your case is much easier to fight...if not, you need a really sound reason for bugging some exec. I am not saying that this is right, because i dont think it is fair to make us wait so long, but that is how it is.

 

So I woke up this morning and had a couple of dead pixels on my screen.used dell chat rep got my phone number called me ran some test sending a tech to replace screen tomorrow.only took 15 minutes to get her to replace the screen.

 

Screen pixel problem is a lot more straightforward diagnosis than a video card. It's also a *much* more readily available part because it's not proprietary to one specific model.

 

You are very lucky they have the parts thats a good start, just wait till your GPU fries then it will be a different story. But for your sake I hope you dont have to endure the low quality customer service that alot of us here are experiencing at present.

 

I can buy a Dell LCD and have it at my door-step within a day. Easy to acquire, so I am not surprised with Dell's 'speed' over this issue seeing as an independant end-user could probably pull off the same with a little bit of money in their pocket.

Edit:

PsychoD,
Thanks for the insightful information, but I should add that it is also about individual discretion. You can get lucky with some people, and unlucky with others. Escalation's team, can be generalised, however. Let me put it this way, if you're with level 1 or level 2 technical support, you can argue about 'equal or better' and get them to authorise an M17x replacement, because from the technical standpoint, that is their viable option, and they know that from the same technical P.O.V. an M1730 with an 8700 or two is just not going to work.

Now when one dares to have the same conversation with say, someone from escalations, the technical jargon and commonsense go right out of the window. Some of them will even declare, "We do not know much about computers, but our colleagues in technical support inform us. . ."; these people will make 'commercial arguments' stating that since M1730 is technically still in production, they just cannot move to an M17x. The moment you call them on the '8700m downgrade', they will argue that you will get proper cards later, but since the M1730 is still in production, the M17x won't be possible.

You see, officially, the Customer Relations department actually do not favour M17x as a replacement, and they're not the ones that will call for such a replacement. Therefore, it is better to get a lower-level support rep. or technical manager to make a decision on this matter, even if it takes more mild-mannered reasoning to get the desired results. Of course, even then, luck will play a big role.

Like I said at an earlier point in one of these threads, Dell needs to get this matter sorted out, properly. At this point, they're kind of stuck between three avenues (refund, replacement, downgrade), unable to streamline their protocol.

 

update for my order, they just cancelled my order for no reason. I am pissed. I am on with chat right now and fuming.

 

Welcome to my hell. 2 canceled graphics card orders, 2 canceled laptops, 3rd laptop misconfigured and thus canceled by my interaction. I'm being told I'll have a new order number tomorrow, we'll see.

 

they placed a new order, i got the number. they told me that the form was filled out wrong. I explained that i read in forums that other people are having this problem and i dont believe it. Was the person that filled out the forms new? or did he have a bad day? and what assurances do i have that in a week this new order wont be cancelled?

what if they are just giving us order numbers till they can get some new video cards in and just replace them and we dont get a new system. I got a phone call today assuring me that my system would ship in 5 days and then later the damn order got cancelled? i am finding this all too coincidence.

 

Got my M17x Today, this thing is a beast....tweaking it right now will be back tomorrow with overal impression

 

i want to compare stories. they told me that my order was filled out wrong and that the Exchange department fixed the problem and it is currently in the system correct. It was not a software configuration problem(or they didnt say that). What are others being told of they their order was cancelled??

 

deeznizzels what is it a replacement? if you got your replacement, then i am hopeful.

 

Plausable but unlikely. As for delaying orders I think that is highly likely. I wouldn't be surprised if everytime someones replacement order gets lost a new purchaser gets bumped up the list.

Here in Oz on the purchase website it states there is a 3 week back log. Now in Dell terms 3 weeks = 6 weeks.

The issue I beleive is not the cards but the stupid BIOS. If the BIOS was able to be tweaked I think they would've done it by now. The 9800gt cards should've resolved the issue if it was just cards.

 

Jve33 I am sorry to hear about your cancellation. I actually suspect the same thing as you. They really dragged their feet in getting me a second order number (cancelled the 29th, new order evening of the 3rd) and I only got an order number after sending an unresolved issues email to both tech support and customer service and asked a moderator on the Dell support forums to check the status for me.

The fact that I was told that Vista was part of the incorrect software config and that Vista is still on the current order keeps me skeptical even though I have been assured it isnt an issue.

I sent another email to the unresolved issues people today asking for more clarification that the order is good and will be built and shipped in a timely fashion (I was originally given a very quick turn around time on the first order) and just recieved an email stating "the exchange order number has been created and the tracking number is the only part that needs to be activated" and I am not really sure what that means.

Good luck.

 

No. No. No. In Dell terms, 3 weeks cannot be 6 weeks - that is too good.

Going by my experience, 'soon' means over one week. And 'a few days' means 'a few months'.

Sorry to hear about the situation, Jve33. Hang in there, the right stuff will be delivered, eventually.

On the subject of 9800m GTs and how they should've 'fixed' the problem. Well, in my experience, the classic, old 8800m GTX was signficantly better. 9800m GTs just felt like shoddy 8800s with an updated BIOS name and a few new glitches to boot.

 

well i got a second order number right away so am hopeful, but man it is frustrating. i bet some of you are even madder than i am.

 

Not to get too far off topic but the 9800GT was a farce.. they literally had a sticker over the model number that if you took it off revealed it was really an 8800GTX. The part number was the same in Dell's system eventually even. I successfully flashed my 8800GTX over with a 9800GT BIOS and ran it that way for almost a year until it just crapped out, unrelated to the BIOS change. They just ran too damn hot before and after the BIOS. It was nothing more than Dell/NVidia marketing ploy.