To those who received a refund due to warranty and support issues

So I'm dealing with a 4 year old purchase from Dell and being offered a refund after my original E1705 was replaced with a chronically throttling XPS 1645. Has anyone dealt with being given a refund at this stage in the game, how much were you refunded because they're telling me they don't know exactly what the amount will be if I go through with it. I paid $2300 for the system and this year paid an additional $4xx to extend the warranty again. Should I expect any deductions (trying to avoid further developing this horror story here)?

 

+1 curious also. I am waiting on a call from dell about my refund options. I started with a m1530 that had 3 MB replaced due to the nvidia 8600m issues... They finally swapped me out for a studio XPS, and I have had major throttling issues as well. I finally said I want a new M15x (since these do not experience the throttling issues) or a refund. I was told to expect a phone call about the refund. Anyone been through this? How does it work?

 

Wow, I am surprised they even offered a refund on a 4 year old purchase. No one has ever done that. I was denied flat by HP(months and over 50 phone calls) when I asked to refund my old Envy 15 due to overheating and BSOD's.
While I don't think you're entitled to a full refund for whatever reason since you've used their service for 4 years, but they will likely give you a full refund.

 

I disagree to some extent - if they weren't seriously willing to warrant and support the purchase through this long of a period, they wouldn't sell the service contract for as long as they do. I guess I feel fully entitled at this point considering they have the option of such long service contracts, it doesn't seem right to sell something and not intend to back it up when the time comes...

 

Does anyone know how they refund the money? Does it go back on your original purchase method (i.e. credit card)? Or do they mail you a check?

For instance I used my DPA account, would I get a credit back to that? If so since I have no charges on my account could I get DPA to send me a check.

The last thing I would want is a dell voucher as my refund. Short of an alienware... I am not interested in a Dell after this experience.

 

I was letting you know that Dell is just about the only store you could ask for a refund after 4 years. It just means they are soft with customers.
You seem to have wrong understanding of what warranty means in consumer market.

 

Warranty means having some protection against quality problems and defects, and there being some resolution for the customer when problems are encountered. In cases like this, Dell is selling a service contract and refund is one of the ways they have out of it when they can't otherwise fulfill it. What my contract really entitles me to is to have a computer that works as intended throughout the length of the contract (I have CompleteCare including Accidental Damage Protection), but they're currently unwilling or haven't been able to live up to the part that says they'll 'repair or replace defective or damaged products with something that works and is of equal or greater value' - in this case the option of a refund can be provided.

There are many other companies that offer similar warranties, just for example my Microsoft Zune 120 recently failed out of warranty. When I was reviewing the warranty, I noted they had the option to provide either repair, replacement, or refund at their discretion to fulfill the warranty, in addition I found my Zune was covered by automatic Extended Warranty Coverage through American Express. It ended up that I filed a claim with AMEX and their sole resolution for the extended warranty was full refund. A refund to fulfill a warranty / contract seems to be pretty common practice...

I did ask Dell if they made any deductions but they weren't able to give me any square answer, other than it probably wouldn't include shipping or tax refunds. Now that I've gone over this it makes even more sense that I should receive a full refund, but I'm interested in knowing how it went for other people who have experience because they didn't know the details when I asked (still in an on-going process of trying to find all the information).

 

I can answer part of your question. The Dell guy told me they will submit a request for refund, send a box to your house for you to return the system, and then once they receive it they will call to discuss the refund. The guy I talked to said it would be credited to my account - because I don't even have the same account that I placed all my original orders on, my guess is that they have the option to refund with a check, but even if it does go back to the DPA or a credit card and lets say it creates a positive balance because you've already paid it off. My experience is the creditor will issue you a check for the positive balance upon request or once the billing system processes your next statement.

 

While I understand your frustration, I can't agree with you.
Yes, warranty means a possible refund, but take that as if you're entitled to it? No, I don't think so. You should be asking for another product if your current laptop is having problems. You can't just ask for a full refund after 4 years of using their laptop and services. I think you're lucky Dell is nice to its customers otherwise that wouldn't be possible. You even said you had to involve Amex to refund your Zune. There is a reason as to why most companies have certain return period for a refund. Dell is probably the only company who would upgrade a lower end laptop to a top notch, maxed out model(I've seen this here) or even offer a refund after years of using their product.

 

You're mistaken thinking that. Dell doesn't do it out of the goodness of their heart, they specify it in the contracts they sell - they charge people and businesses a premium for it, it's their 'thing' they do and how they make their money. For your information, Dell refused to provide another model of system and at their own discretion, offered the refund. It's their own policy and this was part of the agreement that was made when I made my purchase.

The information I gave about the Zune, AMEX and most of the credit card vendors automatically extend the warranty of all items purchased on credit cards by upto a year or more (just like buying in-store service contacts, only it's a free benefit for using your card), that's the feature I took advantage of. Their insurance policy is to replace the item by providing a payout equal to the purchase price, not "refund" the money or do a charge back like I think you might have mistakenly thought I was talking about... They don't do any kind of repair or replacement directly, my only point was that it's common place that full refunds/payouts are issued under many warranty programs and that you were wrong because you thought it wasn't an entitlement. Whether it's entitlement I guess is up to the policy that was bought/included, and you'd be wrong to expect less.

(many hundreds of edits went into clarifying this issue)

 

So are you going to tell me you can do this with another company? HP? Sony? I've been through all and Dell is the only company who stepped up so far. Good for you that Dell stepped up and offered you a refund for your hassle. I'm sure you'd get a full refund, but don't think this is the standard because you will experience far worse with other companies as I have(even going as far as small court claims after numerous BBB reports).

 

I don't know about that, anodize. My sister had an HP laptop that needed a new motherboard. Originally they weren't going to replace it because it fell outside of the warranty. But after my dad wrote a letter complaining how they refuse to fix something while her warranty was still in effect, she was able to get a new motherboard and they also cut my parents new deals on their two new laptops. Now they refuse to go back to dell. In fact, they strongly encouraged me not to get with Dell. Should've listened to them... would have had my laptop by now if I went with HP.

Dell isn't as great as other people make them out to be. Definitely not "award winning customer service" like they like to tout.

 

mattstl77, I guess all the companies are the same, but Dell has done good job for me so far. May be a little headache, but not as much as what HP did to me with my envy 15. Your father's experience was completely exceptional and YMMV. Dell is definitely better than HP or other companies I've dealt with including HP and Lenovo.

 

Dell just contacted me. I was approved for the full refund of about 1300 bucks which was the price of my original laptop. I was emailed a pre-paid UPS ground return label and was told that they would issue the credit once the tracking number shows dell has received the laptop back. It will be refunded back to my DPA credit account that I used to purchase the laptop. I was told this could take up to 30 days.
Since I have no balance on my account, DPA customer service told me once the credit posts I can call in to request a refund check to mailed to me.

It sounds like this process might take another 6-8 weeks, but at least I won't have to deal with a shotty replacement laptop that suffers from horrible throttling. Now I need to figure out what Lappy is going to get that 1300 bucks spent on it. I figure I will probably add in another 500-700 myself in order to ensure I am future proof for a while. Any recommendations for a non-dell gaming laptop?
(I must admit, I am very, very tempted to get the m11x r2, but I am going to stick to my guns and avoid dell in the future)

 

So, after Dell swapped out three motherboards due to a NVIDIA issue, and then gave you a brand new XPS 1600.....and finally agreed to give you a $1,300 refund, you don't feel as if you've been treated very well indeed? I'd say your story is a testimonial to Dell's outstanding customer service. Most people would actually have a sense of gratitude.

Would you have been happier if Dell hadn't given you a full refund? Perhaps you are merely trying to demonstrate that an unduly generous refund policy is counterproductive?

 

What horror story? You've had the used of a computer for 4 years, no, make that the use of two computers, consecutively and you're getting a full refund? That's not a horror story, that's a fairy tale.

Considering your negative response, it seems as if Dell might actually be too generous. If a full refund - after 4 years and system exchange- illicits this sort of customer outrage, perhaps Dell's excessive generosity is a mistake.

 

Well I dropped my laptop off at the UPS store a few minutes ago. I will keep everyone up to date with how long it takes to finally get the refund back in my hand.

Oh just in case anyone is curious, I am replacing with the i7 Mac Book Pro 15 with the high res screen. I plan on heading down to the apple store tomorrow. With my corporate discount I will be able to get the MBP for about 1900 including tax.

 

chidlebaugh: I have a quick question for you. Do you have the address the laptop was shipped to? I am curious if they have a different address for UPS drop offs. Thanks.

 

LEBANON, TN, US is where the label was addressed for.

 

Was it Suite B or something like that?

 

yeah, suite b on eastgate blvd.

 

I see. Thx for the reply. It's so confusing why they use both fedex and ups.

 

I actually asked my rep that same question. He told me its because if some more remote areas, a person may not have convenient access to both a UPS and FedEx store. I was also told that if I called for a pick up instead of dropping off, they would reduce my refund by 10 dollars as that how much the pickup service costs.

 

$10 for a pick up? That's plain BS. I thought all major shippers offered free pick up services.

 

I can assure you that Apple does not have the same overly generous refund polices that Dell has. This time around, you probably won't be getting the free use of a computer.

 

Wow... this is like the twilight zone.

It's like reality has been twisted and you're told that good = bad and nothing makes sense.

 

I guess every manufacturer has fan boys... I didn't realize the "KIA of laptop makers", Dell, has such a faithful following...

 

On a more positive note, Dell received my return and I got an email saying they have processed my refund and I should have it within a couple of week. So... I went ahead and purchased a Macbook Pro 17" today via Amazon. I was able to save over 15% (if you include tax savings) by ordering via Amazon. Double bonus was Amazon is offering 12 months no interest financing via their credit line currently for laptop purchases. It’s due to arrive tomorrow via Prime shipping. I am very excited

 

I guess that's your lvl of understanding.
Dell isn't the best laptop maker out there, but certainly its CS is second to none. My conclusion arrived from my personal experience with other companies like HP, Sony, Lenovo, and more. I like my experience wit Dell so far if that's what you wanna call it. The reason as to why I entered this thread was to question the OP's sense of morality(and yours, too) rather than defending Dell. I hope you get the point.

 

anodize: At the end of the day I think we are going to have to agree to disagree.

All i ever wanted from dell was a 100% working laptop. At their discretion after my m1530’s mother board died they warranty exchanged me to a s xps 16. I didn't not ask dell for this, I was never given a choice, dell they told me that this is what I was getting. After going through 6 months of various in home repairs, 100s of hours of my time wasted and 3 replacement s xps 16s, none of which ever worked 100% … I called dell yet again for my recent cpu throttle issue, to which dell support said, we agree it’s an issue, we will sent you another s xps...
How many broken s xps 16s should I have to receive. There is major issue with the way the model was engineered. I asked Dell for another model and was told no. I escalated the issue to unresolved issue and was offered a refund. Where is the morality issue? I didn't do a single dishonest thing. They offered this as a solution I took it.
At the end of the day, I want a Laptop that works.... I don't feel that’s too much to ask for.

 

Exactly. Lets leave personal comments/attacks/inflammatory remarks out of the posts. See forum rules if you need clarification.

Thanks.

 

The thing is that you got the refund. Who else is going to offer you a full refund after years of using their product? Dell is really on and off with their XPS, but what they did to you was exceptional. I had to file a small court claim and sent a letter to HP via my lawyer to have my issue resolved. Normally you'd have to do the same thing I did, but Dell came through. That's amazing, IMO.

Edit: Okay. I will stop here.

 

Actually, these days calling a brand the "KIA of laptop makers" is more a compliment than a criticism. If you haven't noticed, Hyundai/Kia is one of the few car companies that actually kept on growing during the current recession. The shocking part of the story is that the turnaround occurred by increasing quality, while at the same time increasing prices to normal levels. These days a Hyundai/Kia is a normal car selling for a normal price - and sell they do. If you haven't noticed, the outgoing Hyundai Elantra was even the top pick in Consumer Reports for its class. Shocking. A Hyundai/Kia being sold on the basis of reputation for quality. I wouldn't buy one, but plenty of people do.

 

You left out the part of the story where Dell offered you a NEW, yes a brand new, not a refurbished, but BRAND NEW Alienware M15X! Wow! And you turned Dell down on their offer and got yet another XPS 16xx series. You were never trapped into accepting another XPS series. You had a choice - an enviable choice. You could have accepted an even higher end gaming laptop for you high end multimedia laptop. You really can't fault Dell, can you?

I personally think that your story, when told accurately, is actually quite a testimony to the excellence of Dell's customer service. Dell really went the extra mile for you. I can't think of any other company that goes so far to make a customer happy - certainly not Apple.

 

Yup, the shocking thing about this whole story is how well Dell treats its customers. Going back 5 or 10 years, even 15 or 20 years, I don't think that Dell was nearly this quick to provide repairs and replacements, even outright refunds after 4 years! Who would believe it? Use a computer for 4 years and get a full refund? How can anyone be angry about FREE laptop computers?

Dell is definitely being generous, and that generosity is not being with the proper level of gratitude. When a company goes above and beyond every reasonable industry standard, with such incredible, over-the-top refunds, that company deserves a little gratitude. Nobody is entitled to a full refund after 3 or 4 years. It isn't a matter of a contractual or legal obligation. Dell didn't OWE anyone a full refund. Dell simply is refunding as a matter of customer service. I'd say that's an incredible testimonial and not grounds for criticism.

 

I so agree with u. I know I am new here and all and am waiting for my own XPS 16 1645 but there are some people who can not be satisfied. I think the OP got very lucky that he could use all this equipment for FREE for 4 years. He should be thanking his lucky stars.

 

I am happy with free next day shipping. And KIAs rock, dude.

 

Kia' definitely don't rock. I wouldn't own a Kia if I was paid to drive it....

As for my vehicle of choice, I will stick with either my Land Rover LR3 HSE(wife's vehicle) or my Range Range HSE (my truck). Those vehicle rock. And I don't want to hear any bleeding heart liberal cr*p about gas prices/mileage. My theory is, if you can’t afford to maintain it, and can't afford to put gas in it... don't buy it...

 

Please note, I was under the impression that dell had resolved all my issues with the current S XPS 16. Since I THOUGHT all the issue were resolved I didn't feel that it would be ethical to accept a M15X. Also the M15X is the equvalent of a Honda Ricer with all those lights. It is not in the least professional. Anywho... It turns out of issue were not resolved, thus why I recieved yet another S XPS a month or so later.

 

Is that what you think? Haha. This company went above and beyond for you. That's all I was trying to say.

 

Update: Refund fell through, Dell decided to replace the MOBO/FAN assembly again. The system still has a bit of a throttling problem but IS performing a bit better and running cooler, I'm not investing the energy to make any further disputes about it right now though. It'll get me by until I get more serious about things.