M1530 [Review+Questions]-Imperfectness of Something Perfect- Help! Replacement Question!

So yeah, I got my M1530 today. I had Standard 3-5 day shipping, but it got to me on the 2nd Business Day meaning Dell shipped ahead of schedule. Well, lets just say its the best thing I ever had. The resolution is not as bad as I was expecting it to be. The LED screen... wow... totally not what I was expecting. I literally feel like I can walk into my screen or reach into it to pull the fish out of my wallpaper. Playing assasins creed on it.. wow... I feel like I am literally a part of the setting. I saw my friend's WUXGA play the game, and despite being a higher resolution, the contrast and color reproduction of my screen gives it a whole new gaming experience and a whole new edge. I'm glad I got it over a standard res display. The hard drive is quiet, doesnt run hot after a long period of use... but there are a few annoyances that are intolerable.....

1) When I took the M1530 out of its cover sleeve, it looked sexy, but the bottom... Whoever assembled it, didn't screw the cover on right, and I noticed abrasions at the bottom of it and the RAM partially exposed cause the builder didn't take the time to screw it on right and close it.

2) For such a builder that makes such a horrendous mistake, why would he care about how the cables align? The keyboard has this huge noticable bump in the center indicating that the builder did not take the time to set the cables properly.

3) When I first booted up my computer, it gave me an error saying that the memory wasn't aligned properly and refused to start up windows. I restarted the computer, then it worked.... once again... wth...

4) After booting up properly I hear the LOUDNESS, literally, VERY LOUD noise coming from the slot drive. Suspecting its an Optiarc, god hope not, I go to my device manager and sure enough... ITS AN OPTIARC DRIVE... I stick in Assasins Creed CD, I hear a HUGE noise again thats a combination of scratching, clicking and BRRRing/Revving.

5) After even more careful examination of this notebook, I noticed something the instant I tried using the keyboard and the touchpad. Guess what that is? imbalance. I got the 9cell battery, it was balanced on the upper left and bottom right, though when I press down on either the upper right or lower left, the notebook tilts back and forth.... I switched to 6-cell battery suspecting it is only with the 9-cell battery thats causing the imbalance, but yet again, the EXACT same thing. It tilts back and forth when I press down on the exact same corners. VERY annoying.

I really want to get a replacement. Seriously... this is very poor assembly and VERY poor QA. At least.. they got the screen perfect. I most definitely will be sticking with the LED 1440 and will not be getting a WUXGA, thats for certain.

What I need to know is, can I get a replacement? I know you can return it in 20 days, thats about it. Also can I specifically request that I NOT have an Optiarc drive when they rebuild it? Also does Dell pay for shipping? I seriously dont want to shell out 80 bucks to ship a faulty unit back to dell because a builder in Malaysia screwed up. This is the very first imperfect unit that I have EVER received from Dell, which is very disappointing to me...

 

Dell will cross ship you a replacement at no cost. They will also pay for return shipping.

No you cannot specify any internal components by manufacturer. Your next laptop will have whatever is on the shelf that matches your order.

 

Hey, sorry for all the troubles on your new 1530

Yes, you can get them to replace...you are w/in the period of time.

Call them and ask them for a replacement..with the description of everything that you have stated..Good job on that BTW

Something so new like this, you shouldn't have these issues...and you should be satisfied.

Good luck

 

Get it replaced soon.

 

i've had great luck with dell customer service, so there shouldn't be any issues... and with that list, you certainly have cause.

i have the teac slot drive, and mine is almost silent.

 

Man, that stinks Forte. You definitely need to request that these issues be rectified, either with a system swap or tech visit. If they swap your system, I think you'll get to keep the one you have until the new one arrives. You might ask if you can swap the hard drives since the systems should be identical. Then you wouldn't need to start over.

 

Call and do it ASAP.

I bet i'll have to send back a couple of them. I want mine to be perfect.

 

Call them, get a replacement asap mate....

 

Yeah, doesn't everyone want theirs to be perfect? The thing is, I can envision everything being perfect. Well, just starting at the screen gives me that feeling of... woah.... and playing assasins creed full screen while switching back and forth between it and NBR with Alt+Tab flawlessly and laglessly... is VERY impressive especially when the graphics look... waoh...

Aside from physical defects, the thing Im most concerned about is slot drive. I do not want an Optiarc again...

 

Are you calling about this today Forte? Let us know what happens. My M1530 is in DHL's hands and will likely be delivered tomorrow. My excitement is dulled a bit by your disappointing experience, and also that my service tag shows I'm getting a Samsung display. Crap.

Please chronicle your adventure for those of us destined to follow with our own.

 

Thats really a bummer Forte. Your 1530 experience, with regards to noises and build quality, is the exact opposite of mine. This really must be due to whomever assembled it. But still... who the hell does QA over at the Dell factory? How can they let a notebook that looks half built get out of the factory?

I feel your pain and hopefully you will get a new (and perfect) unit soon.

Good luck

 

I don't know. All I know, is they better get it right this time, or I will keep asking for replacements.

I called them first thing this morning. Outsourced support stinks. Really. I called Customer Care, told them I want to replace, they said ok, hold on let me transfer you to technical support department. Waited about one minute, tech support dept asks me what i want and order number, i tell them, then I ask them for a replacement, they said that since its an XPS, XPS Tech Support will take care of it, and he transfers me over to XPS Tech, took a bit longer, 2 mins, but it wasnt a big deal. He asks me for my service tag, which I didnt have, then asks for my order number. I then tell him I want to get a replacement. He says, oh wait, customer care takes care of that and transfers me there. A woman picks up, asks me for my order number, and then I tell her I want to get a replacement. She then said to please hold as she transfers me to tech support.... I told her that I was transferred to her from tech support... she said oh, wait and let me check what to do. After waiting 5 mins, she says ok, asks me whats wrong, I tell her all the defects and problems, and she agrees to replace it for me.

Like Rhodan said, I can't request any parts, so.. I hope I wont get another Optiarc drive.

 

I am really glad they are replacing it for you...I hope that the replacement is the final, and that it is the 1530 that you were wanting in the first place

And, that is too bad you got transferred all over the place
At least you were patient....I commend you for that

 

Ah, I'm scared now lol.

How long do we have to request a replacement? 20 days or 30 days? I will be leaving for a 3 week vacation on the 21st and my XPS is supposed to arrive on the 19th.. is there anything I can do to extend the return time? I need at least a couple of days to check if my systems not problematic/defected.

Also, if I do need to get a replacement, will I buy able to keep the first XPS until the new one arrives?

 

What if you take all the good parts of your old one and have it installed by a Dell tech in your new laptop? Will Dell allow this?

 

Ok... about cross replacement.. they expect me to ship the notebook back within 10 days because thats how long the UPS shipping label lasts. But the actual notebook isn't due to arrive until 13 days, and their policy says I have 5 days after I receive the replacement to ship it back to them, though the shipping label would expire by then... its totally contradictory!

Also I decided to check out the webcam, played around with features, but after 30 minutes of using the webcam with visual effects.... BSOD. Wow... what the heck. BSOD... computer shut down, restart. (Glad Im getting a replacement)

But, there is a PRO to the laptop from my experience in using it. Compared to my WSXGA+ tablet PC where vista slightly lags when I open up new applications, windows, etc. I noticed that with the 1440x900, I guess because of the lower strain on the gfx card, all windows open without any lag, I've also loaded Crysis and Assasins Creed at the SAME time and was able to switch between the two games and go to word processing flawlessly without any sort of lag, ghosting, or anything of the sort. VERY impressed.

Physically, it is also oh so light. SO much lighter than my other old E1505 notebook. Its like.. a feather. Strangely enough, its about the same weight or weighs less than my tablet pc thats a 12.1 incher. Real shocker but.. I guess thats the beauty of 100 grams off with the LED and sleek design.

 

Just noticed another thing is that the touchpad problem with the M1530 that is said that when you load out from sleep mode, you the mouse is unresponsive for about 2 mins or goes freaky. The truth is about my unit, this is not the case. They must've fixed it.