Dissatisfied Owner Experience

Good day to all. First, let me say that I've enjoyed browsing notebookreview.com, and cheers to all posters for the wealth of info available.

I've registered in this forum specifically to air my grievances over the M1330.

I am completely dissatisfied with this product. After spending at least 2-3x the average prices of laptops at that time, I expect a premium product to last me at least 4-5 years.

However, the m1330 has failed me year after year, either from its screen, processor, or the dreaded gpu itself. Or the fan. Or after burning my thighs when I placed it on my lap just after an hour of web-browsing.

And it has started to fail on me again. This would be the 4th time. Same old gpu problem, after being told last year "Dell has changed the chips and addressed the issue, so there would be no more problems". After reading the forums, I am convinced that a complete different system replacement is the only way to go. I would not mind being downgraded some, but after paying a high price premium, I expect that at least.

Tried to contact XPS support, but no one was picking after 15 mins. After contacting Dell support, was told that because my Complete Cover warranty expired 2 days ago, a system exchange was not possible.

I am a reasonable person. If the warranty is expired, I'd understand. However, I was among the first few people who ordered the m1330. My warranty began 10th Aug 2007. Let those of you who ordered at that time recall the date you ordered your XPS m1330, and physically received it in your hands. I received it about a month late. I brought it up with the Dell representative, but they told me it was standard practice for warranty to begin as soon as ordered.

Yet, now, after claiming warranty 2 days after it expires, I was flatly denied. The expiry date was used in my face to flatly put down any claims I had. Only nvidia's limited warranty would apply - so new motherboard, 1 more year of laptop life before it blows up again.

Maybe to Dell, it looks like I am trying to get a new system of 3 years of usage. But my history records can justify my claims. Dispatch over dispatch, motherboard after motherboard. Always with the same results.

My initial plan was to negotiate to an exchange to the vostro v13 or latitude 13 (lower specs compared to my current m1330 2.0ghz dual core and 8400 graphics, +9 cell battery, and yes, they even charged for bluetooth) to accommodate for 3 years worth of usage and inflation etc. But after being flatly denied and treated like this, I am now convinced that I will not be buying Dell's products anymore. Rest assured, after completing my studies, I will definitely carry this sentiment to the working world, and caution anyone against placing their trust and money with Dell.

Buyer beware. Cheers

 

I really understand your frustration, try going to BBB and report them, and explain what you would like. I have some issues with T-mobile once and T-mobile agreed to take off some charges. I think that BBB has more power then you just calling and it will taking 10-15 min to file and some time. You never know plus Dell is a BBB accredited so they most probably would want to keep it that way.

Sometimes companies have polices so people do not slip in the cracks. 2 days is two days. But at the same time I feel that you have a case or possibly flying a lemon law. no idea how that works but just idea's.

 

The issue here is that the problem is caused by a faulty Nvidia chip. No matter how many systems you exchange, the defect will still be there. Since it has already failed so many times, you should have requested a system exchange, especially since the warranty was expiring. Unfortunately, now that the warranty has expired, your options are limited. You could try monitoring temperatures (jacking the back of the laptop up to improve airflow) or replacing the thermal grease to prevent the failure from happening again as quickly.

Frankly, Dell did the best they could given the situation. You're not likely to get better treatment from other manufacturers if the same situation happened, replacing every single affected customer's system is just not possible. You could try calling back and explain your situation to a supervisor, but do know that if they can only replace the motherboard, that's all they are required to do. Anything more would be a goodwill gesture, which would really depend on the supervisor that you get.

 

You shouldn't be blaming Dell for a NVIDIA issue.

I'd advise you to keep your notebook as cool as possible, using a USB or AC powered cooling pad. Actually, you should have been doing that already, considering the heat issue.

 

@mikkroik, I don't think BBB is available here in Australia. Anyways, I do not wish to spend anymore extra time/money than I already had.

@Robin24k, I do agree with you. They have been coming repeatedly over 3 years to replace the motherboard. For that I am grateful.

However, we have paid for the CompleteCare warranty, so I believe it is part of the service.

Essentially, I adhere to the belief of 'getting what we paid for'. Just as a comparison, the initial price of this m1330, divided over 3 years, means I could instead be owning 3 average-spec comps.

Reading through the forums, one member described the m1330 aptly: ticking time-bomb

@linuxwanabe, whether or not it is Nvidia's fault is irrelevant, cause I bought it from Dell, and I can only liaise with Dell at the moment.

I have been keeping it cool, putting it in power-saver mode most of the time, aerating it etc. So much for the XPS powerhouse it claimed to be.


I will probably request for an Intel graphics motherboard, since I have now is Nvidia's limited 1 yr warranty on the gpu. I'd be losing value, but better to cut my losses and have a lappie with longer lifespan.

Lessons learnt:
1) Never buy any new tech immediately after it's been launched.

2)Check out other people's stuff to see if they still work, and what problems they have.

3) Think hard and long before buying Dell. Then remember this incident. Then consider Lenovo etc.

 

I don't think the M1330 was offered with Intel graphics...that would kind of defeat the gaming system spec.

As for the "lessons learnt"...

1. That is usually true, prices come down as well, so there's good reason to wait.

3. It's not going to make a difference, although I'm willing to bet you would be even more out of luck with other manufacturers. Either the warranty would have already expired, or they will require even more effort from you to get it fixed. Dell's regular support isn't great in the grand scheme of things, but compared to other manufacturers, they are definately above average (if you get ProSupport, that's a whole different story ).

 

It was. And you should definitely try to get it if you can (though I know Dell is quite adamant about replacing a part with the exact same part). I replaced a friend's dead 1330 Nvidia board with an Intel board almost a year and a half ago, and it's had no problems since.

The 1 530 might not have been offered with Intel graphics.

Either way, I don't really think the 1330 (or even the 1530) were supposed to be "gaming" machines or "powerhouses" more than general "media/lifestyle" machines... neither the 8400M or 8600M were exactly top-of-the-line GPUs.

 

Really? Well, definately go for that then. With that many replacements on the system history, Dell should be able to give it to you no questions asked (it's similar to the D630 GPU issue, a lot of people were able to get the Intel board after multiple replacements). It will result in fewer (usually no more) service calls later on, so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

update: Dell's 3rd party engineer came and replaced motherboard. still same nvidia gpu. assured that it's 'new and much better and should not have any more issues'

was trying to get it switched to the intel graphics, so far denied. i'm strangely puzzled over this, as the intel graphics are lower in value than what i paid for the nvidia.

I suspect they have a warehouse full of motherboards with the nvidia graphics already embedded inside, and seeing that it's 'faulty', want to get rid of them asap. just a thought.

still feel screwed over, though. cheers guys.

 

I guess since you still have a year left, if another failure happens, escalate the situation until a supervisor can authorize a board with Intel graphics. I don't think regular reps can make the substitution.

 

It may be possibly that motherboards with intel graphics cannot physically fit into the frame offered by your m1330, unless it was an option offered to have IGP during the customize process.

Nevertheless, I've so far have had good experiences with Dell in the past. (But perhaps because of the work culture where I'm living at the moment).
So it seems like Dell's customer support invokes a spectrum of responses, from frustration to satisfaction

 

@fishsticks, the m1330 was offered with either intel graphics (can't remember which) or nvidia 8400M GS.

So far i've seen many people posting issues with the nvidia gpu, but no intel graphics issues in the forums. Cheers.

 

I don't get the argument "don't blame Dell for NVIDIA's defect." If Dell distributed a Notebook with a defective part, the notebook is defective. How is it any different from Toyota selling a car with a defective brake sensor?

What seems particularly problematic in this csae is Dell relacing the defective GPU with 3 other defective GPUs. That is not what I call proper warranty work. It is a stop gap-fix that guarantees more problems in the future. Why was the unit not recalled and a different GPU fitted in all of the defective notebooks like Toyota has had to do with its cars?

Bronsky

 

Because Dell did not design the GPU, they are not mfg's but assemblers. They had every intention of selling a reliable product. Because one of it's mfg sold a flawed product doesn't mean Dell should be held responsible, that's what warranties are for. They eventually pressured Nvidia to warranty those faulty parts and in turn extend the warranty to it's customers which is quite fair.

I have no problem the way Dell has handled this issue. They have moved on and are now using ATI parts. I don't see why they should be requires to have to redesign the mobo with a new GPU? They provide a warranty and extended it and in some cases replace a troubled unit with a brand new one.

I have two laptops with those faulty GPU's and when they both die, i'll just move on and buy another laptop.

 

I think both bronsky's and rodknee's points have merit.

Certainly Dell did not design the gpus, and what available information circulating out there points towards nvidia.

However, from a consumer's point of view (ie the buyer of the laptop) we'd have to deal with Dell, since we purchased from them.

Dell keep replacing motherboards within warranty = nice

Dell keep replacing with same motherboards that will fail again in less than 1 yr = not so nice

I believe what should have been done = replace high-failure rate gpus with a more stable, reasonable failure-rate gpu. achieve reasonable laptop life of 3 years, as opposed to 1.

ultimately, this thread was not to blame Dell or nvidia (nothing will be achieved even if I did), but more as a 'consumer review' thingy (get the 3yr warranty if you can!)

nice. some of us are not so lucky to be able to buy new laptops. Cheers.