New Vostro 1400, exchange or keep?

I ordered a Vostro 1400 last Thursday, and much to my surprise, it arrived this Tuesday. I'm very happy with it overall - build quality is great by my standards and the size/configuration suit me perfectly.

I like the laptop, but I do have two problems with it, both of which seem to be common ones. I've got an SEC XGA+ screen, and I've noticed some light bleed on the bottom (not too bad) and just a little "graininess" in the picture at times. The battery (6-cell) is also loose.

These may be minor problems, but I nonetheless find them a little bothersome. If I call and express concern over these issues, is Dell likely to send a replacement? If so, I've got a few questions for those of you who have either gone through an exchange or know how they're handled.

Are the replacements new or refurbished? In cases involving subjective problems such as the screen quality, are you permitted to keep the laptop you intend to exchange in order to compare it with the new one?

Thanks!

 

I would return it. I have been researching laptops for about 3-4 weeks now and I decided on the Vostro 1400 last night.

My feeling is that you paid XXX amount of dollars for something and you should like what you got. If you aren't happy then return it, plain and simple.

Hopefully mine doesn't come with a crap screen!

 

Definitely try to exchange it, but I wouldn't put a whole lot of hope into that thought. The battery looseness can be fixed by a little bit of electrical tape in the runners (I don't own one, no more details than that). The minor screen bleeding isn't something they'd be willing to replace on it seems like, but maybe the graininess would be enough of a defect. The worst that can happen is that they'll say no. I think.

 

They may just have you return the notebook.

Slight screen bleed on the bottom on a black or blank screen is normal.

The "graininess" issue may or may not be something they care about.

 

mine is in the boxing stage as of now so i am hoping i get everything perfect ^^ I think you should exchange it because its not fair to get something with all those imperfections and u are the one paying the money.

 

If you have onsite service, have them change the screen out a couple times and if that does not fix the issue, go ahead and just return it

 

I don't have onsite service - mainly because I didn't really know it was only a $39 upgrade when I placed the order over the phone. I might see if I can have them add that. I don't usually like to opt for additional service plans. The main reason I get the <$800 specials is so I don't feel so bad if I only get a year / year and a half out of the thing.

Honestly, the battery thing seems like more of an issue than the screen. People may call it petty for fixating on an issue like a loose battery, but I can honestly say that I've never before used a laptop that didn't have a perfect-fitting battery. If it's simply something I have to live with, then so be it. Does anyone have a Vostro 1400 with a battery that isn't loose?

I'm just torn on the issue of the screen. The light bleed is what I would consider your average laptop LCD light bleed, so no worries on that. The graininess is a different story. I paid extra for a high-res screen, and I expected to get better resolution and image quality from it. I wish I could compare it to another Vostro with a different make/model screen, but I'll have to settle for comparing it to the two Inspiron 6400s I have access to. I'd say if it's any more grainy than those two screens (both the SXGA+ upgrades), I'm going to make it an issue.

 

its seems the screen problem is only on the high res ones eh? anyone have a basic res screen and have grainness?

 

You can only return or exchange the system if it is within 21 days. anything beyond that, parts replaced will be refurbished. If you call dell and ask for a replacement, the tech will definitely replace the system, but you will have the same specs with the old one, which may have the same problem. you can actually compare them and decide which one to keep, as long as you return the other system within the allowable timeframe (i think it is 10 days).

 

i think the "loose" battery issue is present in all Vostro 1400 series, so i don't think an exchange can fix that.

about the screen, screen bleeding is a very common "issue" not just for Dell, and if its just a little bit grainy and you are happy with the computer might as well just keep