My first Tech Support Experience...

...maybe you should use an external monitor with your new notebook.

The person I called to return the laptop was able to send me an LG display, life is good.

Here is the transcript for your reading enjoyment:

05/22/2008 10:22:11AM Agent (Dell): "Is there any other Dell hardware related issue that I can assist you With?"
05/22/2008 10:22:31AM (Me): "My other question is regarding the monitor on the laptop - images are very fuzzy on it"
05/22/2008 10:22:53AM (Me): "I updatedthe NVidia driver this morning to see if that would help, but it did not"
05/22/2008 10:23:02AM Agent (Dell): "Okay."
05/22/2008 10:23:36AM (Me): "It is almost like there is a film on th edisplay"
05/22/2008 10:23:49AM Agent (Dell): "Xxxx, the screen is manufactured in its way."
05/22/2008 10:24:09AM (Me): "I'm not sure what you mean"
05/22/2008 10:24:40AM Agent (Dell): "I'm sure the LCD which is currently shipped with your system is not defective. The grainy screen is seen across all LCD panels including both notebooks and desktop monitors and is not specific to any one brand of LCD or computer."
05/22/2008 10:24:52AM Agent (Dell): "Moreover, this is not a manufacturing defect; it is inherent to the way LCDs are designed."
05/22/2008 10:25:01AM Agent (Dell): "We do not have control over the LCD inventory to guarantee which LCD will be shipped along with your system. Many of the parts and sub-parts are added automatically without direct intervention during system manufacturing."
05/22/2008 10:25:48AM Agent (Dell): "Although not a defect, we are very much concerned about your feedback and have our testing teams work on it who are in the process of implementing it into our product design cycle."
05/22/2008 10:26:00AM (Me): "That seems like a prescripted response"
05/22/2008 10:26:30AM (Me): "The laptop isn't really usable withou an external monitor plugged into it"
05/22/2008 10:26:51AM Agent (Dell): "xxxx, sorry for that prescripted response, however we are getting more issues for the same questions."
05/22/2008 10:27:22AM Agent (Dell): "You can connect an exteranl monitor with the VGA connetor."
05/22/2008 10:27:45AM Agent (Dell): "To get the display on external monitor , you need to press and hold FN + F8 key ."
05/22/2008 10:29:30AM (Me): "I realize that, but I would not have spent the extra money on a notebook if I was going to always be working form a monitor. I looked at a Dell notebook at the Best Buy in Williston. It was a much lesser specced machine and I seem to recall that the ima"
ges on the screen were not this fuzzy.
05/22/2008 10:30:03AM Agent (Dell): "I understand your concern."
05/22/2008 10:30:15AM (Me): "I bought this one because it had a better hard drive, better processor, and more memory"
05/22/2008 10:30:27AM Agent (Dell): "However we are working on it and sending feeback to the LCD manufacturer."
05/22/2008 10:31:02AM (Me): "What are my options?"
05/22/2008 10:32:32AM Agent (Dell): "As if now , we are still waiting for the information, so do not have further options."
05/22/2008 10:34:50AM Agent (Dell): "Is there any other Dell hardware related issue that I can assist you With?"
05/22/2008 10:36:46AM (Me): "I just googled the part number for the screen - RW985. It apears that the M1530 screen are manufactured by a couple of different manufacturers and that this grainyness is a problem associated with the RW985. There is another screen manufactured by LG th"
at is much clearer
05/22/2008 10:37:14AM (Me): "Maybe the laptop I saw at Bestt Buy had one of those screens?"
05/22/2008 10:38:52AM (Me): "It looks like it is possible to get an LG screen installed on my computer"
05/22/2008 10:40:19AM (Me): "This is where I was looking: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=206527"
05/22/2008 10:43:02AM Agent (Dell): "Xxxx, we know that lot of forums are posted for the same issue, as I stated above ."
05/22/2008 10:43:26AM Agent (Dell): "We are waiting for the manufacturer feedback."
05/22/2008 10:44:28AM (Me): "I'm not sure what that means with respectt to my notebook"
05/22/2008 10:45:12AM (Me): "Are you sayng I should return it because the screen is not useable?"
05/22/2008 10:45:35AM (Me): "Or that you can replace the screen?"
05/22/2008 10:46:08AM Agent (Dell): "I apologize , as we cannot replace the screen ."
05/22/2008 10:46:30AM (Me): "But clearly you have for other customers, why can you not for me?"
05/22/2008 10:47:51AM Agent (Dell): "We initially as it is an issue with the LCD , however we can confirmed it is not manufacturing defect."
05/22/2008 10:48:01AM Agent (Dell): "We stopped replacing the LCD's."
05/22/2008 10:50:16AM (Me): "You are currently shipping laptops with screens from several different manufacturers, one of which is clearly inferior to the others. It may not be a manufacturing defect, but it is clearly a quality control failure."
05/22/2008 10:50:35AM (Me): "It sounds like my only recourse at this point is to return the laptop."
05/22/2008 10:50:43AM (Me): "Is that correcct"
05/22/2008 10:51:23AM Agent (Dell): "Xxxx, I understand your concern and apologize for the same."
05/22/2008 10:51:48AM Agent (Dell): "You can contact Customer care on this 800-964-8321 for more information."
05/22/2008 10:52:01AM Agent (Dell): "I am sure they will be in a better position to assist you."
05/22/2008 10:52:09AM (Me): "Is that the number for returns?"
05/22/2008 10:53:02AM Agent (Dell): "It is customer care contact number, you can contact customer care they will provide you with more information."
05/22/2008 10:53:51AM Agent (Dell): "Is there any other Dell hardware related issue that I can assist you With?"
05/22/2008 10:54:11AM (Me): "I'm very disappointed that you could not help me. I contacted you thinking I had a bad driver or something and am ending up returning my computer"
05/22/2008 10:54:27AM (Me): "So no, there is nothing else you can do for me."
05/22/2008 10:55:34AM Agent (Dell): "Xxxx, I wish I could have did something for you, as it is not a manufacturing defect."
05/22/2008 10:55:56AM Agent (Dell): "We are not in a position to replace LCD or do anything for it."
05/22/2008 10:56:16AM Agent (Dell): "I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you."
05/22/2008 10:56:52AM (Me): "I'm calling the number you gave me now"
05/22/2008 10:57:15AM Agent (Dell): "Okay."
05/22/2008 10:57:18AM Agent (Dell): "Is there any other Dell hardware related issue that I can assist you With?"
05/22/2008 10:57:31AM (Me): "no - goodbye"
05/22/2008 10:58:19AM Agent (Dell): "Please note down the case # [xxxxxxxxx] to reference our interaction today. Please keep this on file; it will assist you when contacting Dell Inc. in the future."
05/22/2008 10:58:23AM Agent (Dell): "Thank you for choosing Dell XPS Premium Support and allowing me the opportunity to assist you."
05/22/2008 10:58:27AM Agent (Dell): "Bye ."
05/22/2008 10:59:13AM Agent (Dell): "Please exit the session if you do not have further queries for me."
05/22/2008 11:00:14AM Session Ended

 

It was good,wasn't it?

 

Sir, theres nothing wrong with your LCD screen, we dont replace them and it was a mistake to do, please call these people so I look like an ass when they say the exact opposite.

 

Wow. My M1530 is on its way right now, and the service tag shows a Samsung screen. This doesn't give me very much hope that I'll be able to do much about it other that return the notebook.

You're right. His response seemed entirely scripted, and the disappearance of the WSXGA+ display from the new M1530 build options is tatamount to an admission that they suck. And for them to insist that "there is no defect" and that you have no recourse (other than use an external monitor) is pretty weak on Dell's part.

I have the odd feeling that I'll not be keeping my M1530 and will end up with that Asus after all is said and done. I'll not take BS like that from them.

 

Im going to laugh when your M1530 shows up and the Samsung is fine. Such a pessimist considering your age!

 

What exactly do you guys mean by "grainy"...
I'm thinking that the screen I have now is probably grainy (white's and similar colors don't seem "solid" and they're "speckled" with tiny multicolor dots...)...is that what you're talking about..?

I've decided that if my new screen is not worse than what I've got now in terms of quality then I'm keeping it.

 

You need to read through this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=206527

At 1938 posts, it'll take awhile.

 

Its just a poorly made screen that has blurriness to it and isnt made to an acceptable level.

I chose the LED Screen to avoid these problems, and to have the highest quality picture :-D