Received replacement 1420.. and its grainy

Well my first 1420 had a crack in the lid seam.. But it had a nice SEC display.. They promised the replacement would be the same.. Now the replacement came and the display is terrible (AUO!!) Grainy. Looks like grease smeared over the panel.. Thats it. I am returning both of these for full refund. The build quality at Dell is a Joke. When they send a replacement you would think they would get it right. And even promise me the display would be the same.. I knew better. I knew these reps don't know what they are talking about.. Anyway, I will also say that the WXGA + AUO displays are bogus.. they are as bad as they say they are. I am thinking I got one of the returns.

 

Could you swap the screens?

 

dang...this sucks, especially if you waited a long time for your 1420. Is there any possibility that you can just ask for them to ship you a LCD panel and install it yourself?

I also have problems with my Vostro 1500, there is a backlight bleed on my bottom of my LCD monitor...I also think my LCD monitor is kind of grainy.

 

I am on chat now.. trying to return both for full refund.. I have had it.

 

Well thats it.. its done.. sending both back tomorrow. I have no faith in Dell build quality. This was my first and last experience with this company.. Take care all.

 

I just got my replacement 1420 for an unrelated issue, I had an AUO in my original that is FLAWLESS and I have an LG in the replacement that IS GRAINY...

 

Same exact thing happened to me with my 1520. I just got my replacement today and the screen sucked. I'm going to ask them if I could manually swap the screens myself.

 

Well I boxed both up and have everything in order to ship back. In closing, the only thing the Dell rep offered was for me to start using technical support etc... All I could think about tonight was when is my 21 days up? My first system with the crack was better then the replacement. That is sad. Its really the luck of the draw with dell. The best chance you have is if you get a good one the first time. This replacement I got today really smelled like a refurbished one. The box was damaged and looked like it had been back and forth a few times. I really believe this was a return from somebody else for a grainy screen. This screen was really bad and I knew when I booted up.. even before I got into the windows desktop that it was a AUO. About all I did with it was go to the device manager to confirm this. Then I opened up a white page in explorer and saw what looked like smeared grease. It was more then bad. I knew I had to get my money back before my 21 days was up because I knew I was going to get stuck with a lemon and more horror in trying to get dell to make it right.

 

wow would they have sent you a third one or did they say there was nothing else they could do for you??

 

The chat gal gave me the technical support number.. Tech support is not going to change a grainy/greasy looking screen. The bottom line is after 21 days I would own the 1420 and would have to rely on dell fixing this. There is no guarantee that would happen. I took a chance that the replacement would come in on time before my 21 days was up. Sending another system would not help since I don't think Dell has any control of which panels get put in... They are a huge company. They don't have a handle on details like that. They don't have a handle on quality control issues period. The cracked lid on my first system was not caused by shipping.. This was inexcusable defect. And these grainy displays should never be used on any notebook system. With Dell, its really is the luck of the draw.. And my luck ran out today. I just got back from UPS and its all gone.. I just sent Dell all the tracking numbers and explained to the case manager one more time why I returned everything. I doubt it will make any difference. But if enough people cancel.. they may have to think twice about using the cheapest components they can find.

 

Unfortunately, I believe that for 14.1 inch screens, it isn't Dell's problem, but rather a widespread production problem. I have personally never seen a good 14.1 inch screen, they were all sparkly/grainy, regardless of resolution.

 

I have to disagree. My first 1420 had a SEC panel and it was not grainy at all. For a brief moment last night, I had both side by side with explorer opened with a white background. The SEC was fine but the AUO was very grainy and had what looked like smears or grease/vasoline on the screen. There have been many reports on this forum from other users that have had the exact same experience. I know some have had AUO displays replaced with SEC (samsung) and have said the SEC was better. But I have to say again.. i disagree since I saw last night.. side by side.. There was a huge difference. Anyone there could have seen it very easily.

 

Interesting, that's good to know. I was not aware Samsung made 14.1s, it might be a recent thing. I remember back in March, the only ones made were AUOs and CMOs

 

Out of curiosity, what type of screen was it that you ordered? 1440x900 glossy treulife or 1280x800 (glossy or anti-glare)? I have two on order and one is supposed to ship next week. Did Dell charge you the 15% restock fee?

 

Well they said no restock fee.. but I would have to pay the shipping.. I already had one waybill so I only paid to ship one system not both. From what I hear if you return within 21 days they don't charge the 15 percent.. I guess I will find out next month.

The system I ordered was the 1440x900 hi res true life. Its really the luck of the draw what you get.. They use so many vendors for displays. Like I said the first panel was an SEC and was fine.. The replacement was absolutely pathetic. I think if you want to take the safest road go for the matte anti glare 1280x800. I think any other display other then that could have issues. I think the 1440X900 may have more issues then the rest.

Thats why I decided I don't like Dell anymore. I am completely convinced that Dell has serious manufacturing problems and their processes are out of control. They don't have a grip on all their suppliers and there are no boundary samples or set standards in place. Or their standards are far lower then what many customers come to expect. But I think in 2007 I would hope a LCD would look better then my 1996 Sony monitor. But the 1996 Sony is better then the AUO in many ways. I mean on white backgrounds there is this vasoline looking crap on the display. Wow that was what did it for me. When I saw that I immediately shut both the systems down and went straight to DELL chat to return the whole thing.

The other annoying thing is Dell is playing stupid as to the fact that there is too much variability in their displays. The whole purpose of having quality control is to limit variation in processes. But when it comes to displays, the variation is outstanding! Its all about luck with dell. Thats all there is to it. I fully understand about the love/hate thing with Dell.. Its all about component variation and poor QC.

 

I returned mine today. I've decided to go with the dv6500t. Worse GPU, but 100 bucks cheaper and hopefully better screen.

 

If it's not too much trouble, could you post a picture of the grainy screen? I am interesting as I have ordered the same as you and would like to know what to expect if mine is grainy

 

I read your experience with getting a replacement laptop with quality issues and found it to be very disturbing- this coming from someone who, as you say, came up on the right side of the 'luck of the draw'. For whatever reason, my laptop is solid, came with the Samsung display which was not grainy at all (like your first one), although I have to say the vertical viewing angles are nothing to rave about.

I agree with you and others who tell a similar story that dealing with Dell is a great route for getting a nicely loaded machine for a cheap price, but it's a crap shoot as to what you'll ultimately get based on the varying quality of their component suppliers.

I also agree with the notion that, to some extent, this is symptomatic of a much larger, market-wide issue in terms of both 3rd party quality control and supply shortage of these components (let's face it... the two are absolutely linked!). So one could argue that this is a bit out of the span of control of Dell. This is a tough argument at best because even if they are at the mercy of getting subpar components from multiple suppliers, they had COMPLETE control in assuring your replacement lappy was clean as a whistle- and they failed miserably at that.

That's the part that really bothers me in this situation. When you've got a customer who is willing to go through the time and inconvenience of returning a defective PC (already a sour experience), you better damn well make sure the replacement is perfect and not riddled with other defects to totally piss off the customer. And what's really damning here, is that every indication is they sent a previously returned laptop as a replacement with a bad screen.

That's nothing short of intentionally replacing one bad product with a KNOWN defective one- and it's inexcusable.

FWIT- I am sorry to hear you've had to go through all this crap. While I'm happy I apparently lucked out with a fantastic 1720, it's not lost on me how much of a risk I'd be taking should I ever have to return or repair it.

You should NOT have to pay any costs associated with returning the 2 laptops- shipping fees or otherwise!

 

Sorry I can't since I already shipped both back. Where I really noticed the grain was on the white background.. like little greyish spots. I am thinking that not all the AUO screens may not have been this bad. That is, there may be some varying degrees of bad within the AUO manufacturer themselves. I really don't know. All I know is there are many who have had grainy AUO screens on this forum. The other real obvious problem, like I said before, was the blotchy looking vasoline effect.. Believe me, if you end up with something like what I had.. you will not be happy. The problems with the AUO that I had are very noticeable and would be very obvious to anyone. The bottom line is if your laptop looks ok to you,, and you can't see any obvious issues.. then I would not worry about it. To be honest, when I looked at a picture or some other solid colors the issue was less noticable. But with the white background it was insanely bad. But I knew, like I said before that something was wrong while I was booting the replacement system for the first time (and last). The generic screens before windows gets to the desktop looked off to me. I knew it was a AUO before it was even able to reach the desktop. After seeing the vasoline affect I rushed to the device manager to verify that. This prior knowledge shows just how powerful this forum is. How one can diagnose and verify a issue to a make of manufacturer panel in minutes shows how valuable these forums can be.

I am also looking at the HP 6500 right now. looks nice and the screen is reported to be one of the best.. Although its a lower resolution, I am thinking of going with the larger 15" screen since there are apparently some issues with 14" panels. The 1420 is not the only 14" with grainy screens. Anyway, HP is offering very cheap upgrade to 2 gigs ram, and free HD upgrade.. there is also a 20 percent coupon. I can actually get one cheaper then the 1420 and the 6 cell has much better life.. In fact the HP has better power management all around. It has everything the 1420 plus fingerprint reader and HMDI. I know it was much more expensive when I ordered the 1420 the first time.. but its cheaper now.. and with the same GPU. The only thing I will miss is the ruby red lid.

 

Yes I agree. The SEC panel vertical viewing angles was actually horrble.. not just bad. It was impossible to get a perfect angle.. You could see changes in light no matter which way you tilted it. But I am not that picky and was able to live with that. Although in my next laptop I will research and make sure this is not as much an issue. I would say that with the SEC panel, it may be hard if not impossible for two people to watch a movie on the 1420. I know I did try to do that once with my wife and it was frustrating. Ended up just turning it off and watching DVD on TV. I am beginning to think the best option, as reported on earlier threads, is the matte anti glare lower res screen. I know the Sony CR 14" also has horrible verticle viewing angles. So this problem may not be limited to just Dell. I actually played with a CR at bestbuy and can confirm this. In looking back, I am thinking Sony may actually have the same SEC panel.. It behaved and looked exactly like the first 1420 system I had. Whatever I get, its not going to be a 14" screen the next time around.. I am convinced there may be issues with all 14 inch screens in one form or another.

 

Well I have the larger 17" and while it's bright and has great contrast, it also has crappy vertical viewing angle so I don't think it's just the 14". I believe the hi-res display has better viewing angles but didn't want to go that route for different reasons (tiny icons and stuff)

 

What manufacturer is your display? Sorry if you stated this already.

Nevermind.. I see you had the same SEC panel.. So this may be a issue with Samsung? I am looking at a 19" matte antiglare Samsung right now and the viewing angles are fine. Maybe the glossy ones have more viewing angle issues. I believe most LCD TV's also use matte to improve viewing angles. If I were to order a 1420 today, I would go with the matte.. no doubt about it. Everyone on this forum likes their matte anti glare 1420's.

I have been reading on the HP forums now on the HP 2500t and that one also ships with AUO sometimes. Some people were reporting washed out screens on some of the 2500's or a screen door effect.. thats probably what I call the vasoline affect LOL. It looks like there may be issues with the 14" displays with HP too. I am getting more serious about going with the larger 15" HP 6500t. Everyone who is getting those loves them. I believe its lighter/thinner then the 1520 and people are not saying anything about headphone jack noises etc.. I noticed allot of people who have canceled 1520 systems are jumping on the new HP 20% off coupon. I think it ends on the 18th. If I had not been wrapped so much in getting a laptop that was red..I would never have considered a Dell in a thousand years. I knew better. All the quality control/horror stories I have read over the years I had to experience first hand. Oh well, I know better now. Color is not everything.

One other thing.. HP offers the same 21 day return policy with no restock fee. I am sure Dell won't charge me the 15% since I fall within the first 21 days. Dell has to match HP's offer to remain competitive. August 16 would have been 21 days from the shipping date for my first 1420. I believe this is the date they go by. so if you get a replacement, the clock is still ticking.. Luckily, the first and second shipments were overnighted and I was still within 21 days after the replacement came in.. but not by much.. Only had a few days to spare.. whew. If I get the HP, and have any issues.. I now realize the smart thing is to just cancel and return the order and order a new system then to wait for a replacement. That way, if HP or anyone else has something catastrophically wrong (EG.. 1520 headphone jack noise) I will not be stuck with a lemon because it was not fixed withing the 21 days. In fact, I read some HP sales people were recommending people do this.. not so much because HP wants you to.. but because they get the sales commission.

From the threads on this forum.. it appears that Dell is less friendly to fix displays, or anything else once you get near or beyond the 21 day mark. When people complain about something when they first receive their lappie, Dell usually will send a replacement right away.. even its a grainy screen or whatever. But try asking for a replacement for a display after your 21 days.. good luck. Yep, the best way is to cancel system and reorder a completely new system. It puts you on the wait list again but its the only way the consumer can guarantee they won't get burned by Dell.

 

I recently ordered and received two inspiron 1420s - one for me, one for my sister. The one for my sister has the SEC4457, while mine has the AUO1447. The difference side-by-side is very noticeable - the SEC has barely any graininess at all, while the AUO is extremely grainy. (both are 1440x900)

Also, when looking at them from an angle high above the screen, the colors on the SEC stay (relatively) normal, while whites and other light colors turn black on the AUO. I'm going to see if I can get dell to replace the AUO one with a new panel.

 

Good luck. It does not appear that Dell cares about which panels they use for replacements. Some people will get a replacement with the same crap AUO and others will get an SEC or whatever. To me, Dell just looks at display issues as isolated incidences believing that all their displays are generally the same likeness. Consequently, they just use whatever panel is available if they are going to swap out the glass. Like I said before, I actually pressed this issue with a Dell rep and asked 10X if my replacement would be a SEC.. I even told her if they could not guarantee that I would just return the system since I did not want to risk being out of 21 day return policy when the replacement came in. She put me on hold and asked supervisor or whatever and said.. yes, it will be an SEC. So she either lied, or was inept to the whole matter.

The main thing is you need to keep track of when your last day to cancel/refund system is.. If Dell gives you an extension then I would document that. If you get any kind of shady responses.. or contradictory replies as to when you can cancel.. then I would go the safe road and cancel/return the AUO system right now. Once you are out of the 21 day window, Dell may disagree that the AUO has a problem at all. And may deny
repair services. Just like they may deny services to someone who has a couple of dead pixels on the screen. To the user, the dead pixels may be annoying but most manufacturers don't always replace panels if their are 2 or 3 dead pixels.

 

***Edit***

OK... I just ordered a 1520, 1680x1050. How can I tell if it has the AUO or SEC Panel???


Found it...

Look under device Manager-->Monitor-->Plug n Play Monitor-->Details Tab--> You will see the Device Instance ID's listed in the white box like this...
DISPLAY\QDS005C\4&.....

QDS is short for Quanta Display Systems
AUO -> AU Optronics
SEC -> Samsung
LPL -> LG Philips
CMO-> Chi Mei

 

I just called dell up, and they decided to do a full system exchange on my 1420 with the crappy-looking screen... not what I was expecting, but I'll take it

So, another shot at the not-getting-a-grainy-screen lottery... wish me luck. I'm in Canada and for some reason we have a 30 day return policy instead of the 21 in the states, so it'll be well before that when I get the new one and can decide what to do with it.

 

I talked with Dell support today. I told them about my grainy AUO screen on the 1420, and specifically asked for an SEC. The lady said she had ordered up an SEC display for me, and should be getting the tech to replace the bad AUO tomorrow.

The conversation was pretty short, and surprisingly painless. I just hope I get the SEC as promised.

We'll see how it goes.

 

so only AOU have grainy screen?

AUO -> AU Optronics
SEC -> Samsung
LPL -> LG Philips
CMO-> Chi Mei

 

Bleh..

The technician said he couldn't see anything wrong with the screen.

Note: This is the same technician that came over to fix a keyboard problem and didn't know how to plug in the keyboard. For the keyboard problem (which it was), he said the problem was with the motherboard. Any way, I had a keyboard shipped to me (instead of through a technician) and I resolved it myself.

So, I'm pissed at that technician. I'm going to see if I can have a screen shipped to me, without a technician doing it.

 

It will be interesting to see if Dell will actually organize itself to pro actively send you a SEC screen.. per your request. I have seen no indication that there is anything but luck involved in getting a non grainy screen. I was also promised a SEC.. and got a very crappy AUO. However, they did review that call and the rep that promised it and acknowledged their mistake. Maybe with luck, Dell might sort by manufacturers when sending out display replacements. But I doubt it.

The other thing is the whole wxga + resolution seems to be very troublesome with display builders. More reports are coming in on bad SEC panels now.. Can't say how bad.. But you have to wonder what sources Dell uses. Me thinks its the cheapest available using low quality coatings for their glossy finish.

I will be getting my HP DV6500t on Monday morning. It has a wxga 1280 X 800 screen.. HP does not offer any other resolution for this model. I also don't see any grainy screen threads in the HP forum. I ask myself, why HP only offers the lower resolution. The answer should be obvious. It is to me.

My point is don't settle with a mediocre panel.. Its 2007 now and there are some amazingly beautiful displays on the market.

Also realize that although the SEC is probably better then the AUO.. it has terrible viewing angles.. it will annoy you. You will find yourself constantly adjusting the thing. I think I am lucky that I went with a wxga display with HP. Funny thing is many of the people who canceled their Dell 1440X900 systems are buying HP 6500 with lower resolutions on the HP forums. They could have (like myself) re-ordered their dell with lower res.. but too many sour grapes I guess. Somehow I think HP knew this all along and is probably showing a big grin now watching all the frustrated Dell customers buying up their lower resolution systems.

I can understand why Dell wants to offer more options.. faster hard drives, faster GPU's, and higher res screens.. But they have also acknowledged they want to improve their build quality and customer support. They took a risk by adding the higher res options and it might bite them back with all the return systems and people swearing off Dell forever. Already the new customer satisfaction index shows dell dropping. They dropped 5 percent recently to the low 2005 levels.. http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/2007/08/14/dell-low-customer-satifaction-rating-continues

In a time when Dell anticipated their new line to be better built and with improved customer support.. this is not good.

 

Since my laptop is for college, and I don't see more than one person (me) using it, I can live the he bad viewing angles (both vertical and horizontal). I'm really sensitive to the graininess issues, and really it's crap :/ And it bothers me way more, and regularly.

I've contacted support, and this time, they've dispatched an SEC (sans technician)...that is, I told them to dispatch to my home address, and that I'd replace the screen myself.


The customer-care over the phone is extremely helpful. They are very understanding, and don't ask any unnecessary questions. I give them props.

The technician that comes over is luck. I get the same crappy technician in my area every time. So, that's why I insist on doing stuff myself.


Also, some good news...I get to keep my AUO display! I don't have to return it... so...cool!

 

Wow nice! I received my 1520 today and I was one of the AUO victims....by the way what's the customer service number?