Dell repairs and some venting

So I've had my LCD screen (1440x900) replaced twice so far on my Vostro 1400, a total of 3 screens and it's back at Dell right not getting a 4th one! And surprisingly none of the replacements have been for the "graininess" or backlight bleeding issues mentioned numerous times before. The first time was because of some white smudges inside the glossy coating. I actually did the replacement on my own and I though all was well. I turned it on, ran Dead Pixel Tester with a white background to make sure and damn, found a chip in the glossy coating of this 2nd screen.

I thought I could live with the small chip, but a couple months later, it's still bugging the crap out of me, so I thought I'd get another one. Dell recommended I send my laptop in this time so thorough QA can be done on it before sending it back to me. Turnaround was real fast actually, 3 days total from talking to rep on phone to when I get a fixed LCD screen back! Well, so I thought it was fixed.... the chip is gone, but now there is a dark smudge in the lower right corner of the screen, it looks like one of the backlights is dying, and yes, I made sure it wasn't a "dirty screen" or whatnot. Dell's "thorough QA team" needs to get some glasses if they though that the faded dark spot in the lower right corner due to a bad backlight is ok to ship to customers! Ok so that was my 3rd screen.

So now I'm waiting for the 3rd replacement to come back in the mail, this will be my 4th screen! Hopefully I won't get another defective one. And to be honest, I don't think I've been that picky, all 3 screens so far have been the AUO one, which seems to have been the one complained about the most, but not once did I think the screen was too grainy or there was too much backlight bleed. Has anyone else had this kind of bad luck with Dell?

Like I said in the title of the post, part of reason for posting was to vent, but also, on a more realistic note, how long can this ping ponging back and forth of my laptop go? Should I just call it quits after this next replacement, even if it's not 100% satisfactory and cut my losses short?

Thanks for listening

 

I just got my 1520 back from Dell 2 days ago and I got an LG screen on my first screen replacement had an Samcrud before that lol. Good luck with your new screen! =)

 

You have every right to vent, not your fault dell can't get things right (very poor quality control, it's like they don't give a sh!!t), if the 4th isn't a charm, demand compensation.

Buda

 

WTF????? I got my 4th screen back today.... again props for quick turn around, but BIG MIDDLE FINGER for giving me the wrong resolution screen!!! I originally had the 1440x900, they gave me a 1280x800.

 

Ok, my 5th screen, I think they finally got it right! Correct resolution (1440x900), no dead pixels or defects in the glossy coating, and backlights seems fine too!

I even got the SEC4457 screen instead of the AUO. This may have been covered in numerous threads before, but the SEC screen is definitely dimmer than the AUO screen. At max brightness, the AUO is significantly brighter. The SEC also has more backlight bleed at the bottom. But the good news is colors seem more rich and vibrant on the SEC.

I just wanted everyone to know that yes, to this day, the 1440x900 LCD screens on Vostro 1400s are still hit and miss! That being said though, I think I'm done replacing LCD screens, this one is a keeper.