Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Well, after 3 machines, many hours of phone calls, and 2 months of time, I'm FINALLY satisfied with my Dell 1520.
Figured I'd tell you my story so you can decide if this machine is worth your time. For me, it was, because I couldnt afford to purchase an Asus, so I was stuck with the discounts Dell offers.
Without further ado here we go...
I purchased my Dell 1520 online on August 8/18/07.
Dell 1520
Jet Black Cover
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300
2GB DDR RAM
1680x1050 WSXGA+ Screen
NVidia GeForce 8600M GT
120GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
Windows Vista Premium
8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive
Internal Bluetooth 2.0
Pretty basic system. Limited upgrades, just what I needed. Nothing too fancy, but I wanted to be able to play games on my laptop. This is my only computer, as my career requires me to be on the road 4 days a week, I required this. I also wanted the large desktop space offered by the ultra high resolution screen. So, Dell seemed likes the best bang for the buck...
I received my system, shipped standard ground, on 9/6/07. There were the standard delays, as many people have experienced, but I pretty much got my machine on time. I was pretty happy when it had arrived.
After powering on my computer for the first time, the first set of disappointment set in. I had received a grainy screen. This screen wasn't horrible, but when I compared it to any computer seen at Circuit City, it was glaringly obvious how the screen looked.
The screen appeared to have a "haze" about it. It was very irritating when using windows with a bright colored background, such as surfing the internet. Well, after using the machine for a couple hours, I determined it was unacceptable, and contacted Dell for the first time...
I talked to a very nice person in Customer Service, and after about a 30 minute conversation, they decided to ship me a brand new machine since I was unhappy with my current one. They were going to ship me a replacement and when it arrived, I was to return my original machine back to them.
The replacement was placed into Dell's system on 9/14/07 and it shipped on 9/20/07. That made me happy that they didnt make me wait the standard 2-3 weeks for a replacement. Dell had contacted me to inform me of my new order number, and after going home and looking it up I was stunned.
The replacement machine was not the same as I ordered. Instead of having a T7300, it has a T7250. Now, I know that they are both 2.0 Ghz processors, but the specific reason that I ordered the T7300 was for the 4MB of cache. Needless to say, I was pretty unhappy.
So, I contacted Dell again. After about 2 hours of phone calls, and about another 4 hours of using the online chat, I finally got in touch with a supervisor with Technical Support. He informed me that he was going to do some checking to see if he could acquire a T7300 processor and ship me another replacement. By this time, however, my original replacement had already shipped. I was going to have to ship my first laptop back, as the warranty had been chanced to the replacement. That was fine with me, since I was still getting another replacement. The slower processor wouldn't bother me for a week or two.
The replacement machine arrived on 9/25/07, and again, after powering it on, I again was disgusted. This screen was even grainer that the original. It was HORRIBLE. Not only did it make the laptop barely usable when surfing the internet, but when you were looking at a black background, the light bleed was so intense that you could practically use it as a flashlight. But, since I had another machine coming, I decided to deal with it.
Well, finally, after 2 and 1/2 months, my new machine arrived. To my great surprise, they had shipped me a T7500 instead of the T7250. I guess they are really out of the T7300.
After turning on this machine, I was completely amazed. Now this screen was BEAUTIFUL. I would compare this screen easily with the really nice Sony VAIO's. This is what I ordered.
Now you may ask yourself, is all of this worth it. For me, personally, it was. I had a limited pocket book, so if I had to return the laptop and get a refund, I would have had to purchase an inferior laptop for the same price. I wrote a very nice letter to Dell, thanking them for all the trouble they went through in making me happy, but they finally did. Think about it, they cant sell these laptops that I used as new, so they would have to be sold as refurbashed, they lost money there, and they shipped me a faster processor at no charge to myself, again losing money. Now I know that Dell is a HUGE company that wont feel the glitch, but I feel that they did go out of their way in making me happy.
I only write this so you can choose if you want to dive into this or not. If you are one of those individuals who has a grainy monitor, I urge you to keep sending your machine back until you get one that is perfect. You didnt pay for a sub standard machine did you? It will be worth it in the end.
Good luck with your future purchases. I hope you get what you want first, but if you dont, hang in there, and you'll get what you ordered.
If you don't wanna put up with dealing with Dell and their problems, I highly urge you to purchase a different laptop. I would easily have gone with a different brand if I could afford it, but that was not an option. I'm just happy that I finally got what I originally expected.
Cheers,
Matt
Experience with Dell 1520 and Customer Service
Discussion in 'Dell' started by Weegie_Me, Oct 3, 2007.
