Going to where no other man has gone before. :)

So, I decided to stop hijacking vinninz thread and create my own concerning my system exchange as there is now an interesting twist to it.

Old known info:
My laptop was having audio issues. After a few repairs and even a depot visit, the case remained unresolved and a dispatch was created for a system exchange. After a week, an order was finally made and posted on Dell's website. It was a brand new studio that matched or exceeded all my previous specs except for the graphics card. It was a ATI mobility HD 3450, 1/2 the power of my current card.

New info:
I contaced Dell, was given various excuses and being bounced between customer service and tech support (each of which claimed the opposite department had the authority to deal with the problem). I was told I would have to wait for the notebook to arrive before exchanging it (I'm thinking some hidden rule stated I approve of the replacement by opening the box). I finally silenced my critic (a tech support supervisor who told me it was impossible for anyone to stop the shipment at that point) by convincing customer service to cancel the dispatch.

The interesting part:
He wasn't too happy that I managed to do that. Rather than making a new dispatch to try again, the supervisor escalated the case to the next level. Apparently there is some "special team" that handles cases like mine, where standard Dell policy cannot be applied. I am suppose to get a call in 24-48 hours to see what they say.

I could understand this if the issue was that they no longer had any more 8600m GTs. But considering that they still sell a notebook that has it (m1530), I see no reason why they cannot fulfill their warranty. Seriously, I am asking for the same card and they act like I am demanding they throw in a free printer.

 

Definitely good luck. You are owed the M1530 in my opinion since it meets your specifications the closest, but I am not sure if you will get them to cave.

 

What was your previous computer or the one with the Audio issues?

 

Wow. I wish you the best of luck!

I know I certainly would be pissed if they handed me a defected laptop, and agreed to replace it with something inferior without my consensus. Then again, I don't know Dell's policy on replacements. I'd assume they'd replace it with something that has the same specs.

 

if u get them to give u a m1530, then all the rules will be complied with. they have to give u the m1530 as it is the only laptop with a 8600m gt now.

 

The 1520 is the one with audio issues.

Yup. I don't understand how they were willing to give me a brand new Studio 1535 but are being so stingy with the m1530, despite proving it is the only notebook with same min specs.

I also tell them the 1530 is the only suitable replacement but they insist that the Ati3450 and Nvidia8600m GT are equal as they have the same amount of RAM as they meet in specs. I have provided analogies and benchmarks and even asked what other specs they are basing their "equal" comparison on but so far they do not agree and are insisting I am trying to get a custom system. So now I wait for their "special team" to get back to me.

I think this is all extremely ridiculous. All of this could be completely avoided if they were to talk to the dispatch department to ensure the right notebook is chosen but apparently no department has contact with them. How can a company this large be that poorly structured where even department supervisors cannot talk to regular dispatchers?

 

UPDATE:
Wow, that was pretty worthless. The guy I spoke to pretty much told me the exact same thing the other guys told me. So much for Dell's "special team."
Needless to say, I am backed into a ridiculous corner. The guy insisted they knew what they were doing and made an equal replacement.the issue eventually came to what card I had and he insisted that the G84 codename in my original invoice to mean the 8400m GS rather the 8600m GT, and stated I was just trying to get a free upgrade.
I tried to point him to some articles over the codenames, but told me they didn't accept documentation outside Dell's website. I then asked him to check the specs of the notebooks via a program like dxdiag to check what I had but told me it would need to go to the depot to check what card I had in case I tried a switch (I'm not sure how this prevents me from sending the "switched card" with the system). I decided to play along and asked him to update the invoice, but told me that if there was an error with the invoice, I should have corrected it last year when I first got it. The only way to change it now would be to send in the notebook to the depot.
I eventually got sick of him and told him to make another dispatch and that if the invoice didn't have the "G84" codename for the card that I would reject it and ask him to make another one. He wasn't too happy with this and refused to make a dispatch under those terms. We arranged for a call back on Tuesday to see if the replacement center would agree to exactly match the card.

I look foward to that call, as I have thought of the perfect counter to completely destroy all the ground they have and back them into that ridiculous corner instead.

 

I am really curious to know the end of it...

 

Lol, none more so than me. The call is suppose to be within another half hour, so lets see how it goes

 

crappy dell hell... been there, done that. it took me 3 months to get my 9750gtx... i must have spent 30 hours on the phone and and 50 chatting... it takes a ton of extra time

 

UPDATE:

Well this was totally unexpected. When I got the call, the Rep told me very professionally that he agreed with me: I did have the 8600m GT and that it was the unusual codename that started the confusion. Next, he told me that he would leave a note with the replacement center to ensure I get a proper replacement (but that of course that would depend on availability of the parts and signs on the website point to nvidia card shortages) so he couldn't make any guarantees but would call back on thursday at the same time to tell me about the replacement system.

He never apologized, but I am glad that at the very least he did admit his mistake and appears to be trying to make up for it. I reiterated that the ati 3450 and nvidia 8400m gs do not match the 8600 performance-wise. While he didn't agree/disagree, he noted that the 1520 and m1530 were the only notebooks with the 8600 and would try to get those.

So I am a bit happier and more hopeful, so we'll see how thursday goes. I hope that this also means I will get more leeway in choosing my substitutes (e.g. the 1440x900 LED rather than the 1920x1200 which is what dell's policy would dictate as the 1680x1050 is discontinued) and maybe even switching to black or blue.

 

Nice man. You are finally getting some progress. It took me 4 times of troubleshooting before Dell finally agreed to replace my M1330 with a brand new exchange equipped with a better processor because of GPU temp problems. They didn't give me that much of a hassle though.

 

Well most of this hassle is over what constitutes an equal or better GPU replacement. It seems that Dell's only performance indicator for graphics cards is how much ram it has, but that barely tells you anything. If I had ordered an 8400m GS or any other graphics card option, the first replacement would have been fine. Instead, I got their most powerful graphics card in a 15" notebook which severely limits their replacement options.

So I'll just have to wait and see on Thursday. But still, the sheer amount of crap and hassle I have been put through this past month just to get them to fulfill their warranty should warrant some courtesy upgrades on this notebook. At the very least I should get to specify some criteria for any substitutes they make (e.g. 1440x900 LED instead of 1920x1200 if the 1680x1050 isn't available)

 

Did the call come through on Thursday?

 

Oh right, sorry.

UPDATE:
I got a call on Thursday. No updates, but since he didn't get an e-mail back from the replacement department he assumes they understood the request for the same card.
Another call-back was arranged for this Tuesday (tomorrow) so we'll see what happens then.

 

*** HUGE UPDATE ****
I just checked the site and saw a notebook in production. I am at school so I'll just paste it but it looks like
red xps m1530
Vista Home Premium
Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5 GHz)
WXGA+ LCD Screen (1440x900)
160GB 7200 RPM HD
2GB RAM
256MB 8600m GT

FINALLY. The only bad part is that I feel bad getting the red notebook, as that is the charity line one, which of course I didn't donate to get.

Two more questions:
1) New or refurb?
2) Did I get the regular 1440x900 or the LED version? (Dell's site only lists the 1440x900 LED now for the 1530)

 

nice that you got the replacement that you were after.

 

Congrats - looks like a nice system.

 

SWEET! Congrat's on your replacement system...:yes:

Look's very nice.....



Cin!

 

That does not look like the LED LCD as LED is specified in the part number. I think that your case is definitely unusual. Although, listening to your story, it sounds EXACTLY like what I went through when I had to dispute with Dell the first time. I find it pretty amazing that you essentially got from a 1520 to the 'premium' line over a discrepancy of the graphics card. I also find is amazing that any persons over at that computer company would have the audacity to tell you that the premium you pay for an 8600 gt is purely related to the RAM that it includes. That is preposterous.

Reminds me of the lecture I got over LCD screens "well sir, you see, glossy screens are coated, Mattes are not so clearly this is your preference". I knew the difference, explained it myself, noted that I have the ability to make comparisons, but when I pay for an upgrade, I expect it to perform like one! (In my case I had basically gotten a shoddy LCD - worked fine, but definitely had graininess issues and uneven lighting. Was definitely related to a heavy, uneven coating.

Not sure what is missing from the picture with regards to sales and service over there these days, but it sounds like some of us are getting waayyyy too hassled over these simple little issues that pop up. The only positive stories that I have heard are usually from people that have paid for the extended in home warranties. They do not seem to have to battle service departments as much. That makes me feel like the international service centers are threatened or tracked for how much money they lose 'honoring' warranties.

Maybe someone should set up a poll or something to see if there may be a quantifiable difference in the sort of service received going from one warranty to another.

 

Thanks for the info. My case wouldn't have been so unusual if not for the fact that they initially only match based on ram. Replacing on performance, the 8600GT has no comparable cards on the 15" line and the m1530 was the only current notebook with it. It infuriated me to no end that they did not have any information on the performance of the cards (not even specs) yet refused any external documentation of it.

Sounds just like my case. With the first attempted replacement, the rep insisted I was just refusing because the card was ATI and not NVIDIA. I keep reiterating the performance differences and that the 3450 was slower and he said, "Well, that's your opinion."

I find it unusual that you say at home service gets better treatment as I would think that the additional cost of having to send a third party to perform a replacement would be more costly. The extra cost of one or two at home repairs would far outweigh the increased revenue they get from the better warranties.

 

Hey deathstick. I just wanted to check on the status of your upgrade and after reading through this very interesting thread, I am glad to see you *finally* got the replacement, and a very good video card too!

I am enjoying the 1420. I am getting an iMac soon so I will stop overusing this machine, but for now I run it about 12 hours a day (I leave it on most of the time.)

 

Thanks vinninz!

So looks like it may be a happy ending for all of us (finally!!! ).
My notebook is suppose to ship Thursday and arrive friday, so I may be ditching classes to wait for it.

Still, I will get most of friday/saturday to tweak it and get it in tip top shape.