Huge Issues with my Inspiron 1525!

This is a very long story going back into August. The plastic piece on the back of the monitor started to crack at the seam and was causing it to be scratched up at the hinge whenever you open and close the lid. Everything started out alright. We explained the situation to a Dell Support person, and they said they were going to send a technician out to our house to replace it and the LCD assembly, basically the whole top of the machine.

The technician called around Sept 2nd or 3rd, and said he was going to come that afternoon to fix the machine. First problem starts here, they didn't call ahead of time to schedule a time to come fix it, they just called the day of and said i'll be there that afternoon. My dad is retired, and this was pretty much the only day during the week he couldn't be there since he had to go the the hospital for a procedure. My wife get's home at about 4:00pm (he gave a window of 2:00-4:00 which he could service the machine), he finally called back and said he had called his supervisor and gotten approval to work late and said he'd be at our house between 4:00-5:00pm. SO we waited at the house until 6:00 and finally called the technician back, at which point he said he couldn't make it for whatever reason.

After that, we called the main headquarters back, and the woman there told us that the guy didn't work that late, and that she was the only one who could work that late. And she said it'd be the next Tuesday before she could get out, that the other technicians didn't come out as far as we are (we live out in the sticks). At that point she said that she would be here Tuesday, and my dad stayed home all day Tuesday waiting on the lady.

Then noone showed up or called, we waited until Thursday (Sept 4th) to call Dell back, and the technician on Dell's side said that someone would call us that evening or the next morning, that he had contacted the local company that does the work. No one called. So a few days later, we called Dell again, and Dell Support did a conferece call with Bantech, and the Dell person fussed at Bantech. Dell said that someone would call us back within the next 20 minutes to set up an appointment. Two hours later we got a call from a Dell technician traveling out of Washington DC (we live in Carroll County VA 6+ hours away) He came the next day and fixed the screen issue.

While working on the screen, the technician discovered that the bottom plastics kit had warped, and that the antennae for the internal wireless lan card was broken. He told us to call Dell back, and have them send us new parts to make it right. So my wife called Dell support at this point to tell them what the technician told us, Dell flat out refused to make this right. My wife tried to explain to them that it was a defect with the machine, NOT abuse to the system. They insinuated that we had damaged the machine, and then tried to put it on the technician. Anyhow, Dell finally agreed to fix it, but they refused to dispatch a technician to fix the computer, and instead sent us a box to send it in to their depot. My wife is a full time online college student, and has a lot of software installed on her machine that she HAS to have to do her classes (webpage design major). She stressed to them the importance of having her computer fixed in a prompt manner.

So we sent her machine back to Dell last Tuesday. Today we got a email from Dell stating that our repairs have been delayed, and that the laptop will ship in 5 to 7 business days. Not including transit, this whole ordeal has taken over a month!!! This is outrageous! I work on computers for a living, and this is the most un-satisfactory service i've ever received! I seriously regret suggesting Dell machines to any of my friends, family, and clients. Is there anything I can do to have this situation righted?

 

You should have stood firm on your refusal to send the system back to Dell and that you need to get it fixed in home. They can suggest depot service to you, even try to convince you, but they cannot insist on it, since your contract states that.

Of course, the reason its suggested is that they dont know what all parts are mafunctioning in the system, so rather than again sending a service tech, this option is simple as the people in the factory check out the whole thing and send it to you back after replacing all parts which are not working.

There is nothing Service techs can do to speed up the process since I think the factory service is done by a third party. However, Dell can arrange a conference call with the third party service provider and ask them the reason for the delay. I guess thats the most they will do.