Dell wants to replace my 8600M GT with an ATI 4330.

You summed it up pretty nicely, Tianxia, thanks for posting, I was a little confused.

The Poll is showing some results...

 

I assume that there is some kind of way to have my case escalated beyond the level of the two Dell idiots I spoke with tonight??? I felt like I was speaking badly programmed robots.

 

Lawsuit might do it.

 

Yes, demand to speak to the highest in rank around.

 

Mention the Better Business Beurau, and if your state has a consumer protection board, that as well. See if that gets thier attention. Tell them if they won't give you a system that is equal to the machine you had, you just want your money back, and you will go shopping with a company that won't skrew you on warranty replacements. Tax and shipping included in the refund, remember. Also see if you can't find a way to get ahold of a different support group. I hear the XPS and business side cs people are at least somewhat more competent.

 

I bet that will scare them really, really bad, you, sirmetman, have posted a very great post right there, the Better Business Bureau will get on Dell's heels, hehehe.

Really, demand what you paid for.

 

Clipped from the dell complete care service agreement.

That last part is a fairly new addition. It is not in my original complete care service agreement. So, Dell can pretty much give you whatever they want .

This probably had a lot to do with some of the activity I used to follow over at notebookforums.com . Many of the members were having their XPS M170s replaced with XPS M1710s, but the 7900gs contained in the newer m1710 was a step below the 7800gtx inside the XPS m170 (at stock speeds). So dell had no other choice but to replace with a top of the line XPS m1710 with a 7900gtx.

The same pattern followed with the transition to the newest XPS M1730.

 

Dell's policies are dirty... basically, "We do not care about what the customer thinks, only our sole opinion matters.".

How disgusting, thanks for sharing the information, Jaydizz.

 

I don't suppose it matters that I've had the warranty for just under 2 years. When I bought the laptop I assume the warranty I bought was the "old" warranty.

 

AV1611,

Take a look at this thread. It might help you greatly in getting the proper customer service and replacement that you deserve. Just remember the golden rule about customer service problems: be polite but firm. As Teddy Roosevelt once said, talk softly but carry a big stick.

Launch a barrage of information at them, detailing the differences between the 4330 and the 8600M GT. Things like clock speeds, shader counts (make sure to explain the difference between 1 and 5 dimensional shaders), and bus-widths. Use the differences between the 4330 in the Inspiron, the 256mb 4570 in the Studio 15, and the 256mb 8600m GT in the XPS m1530 as additional leverage (using Dell's own information). Your informational expertise, in this case, is one of your big sticks.

Hoping that your problem gets resolved,

Cicero

 

don't give up.

 

Keep up the good fight, friend. Don't settle for what Dell offers you. You can take advantage of the Unresolved Issues form and you will be contacted, usually the next business day, by a Resolution Specialist who will work with you and personally oversee your case.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. After last night's mindless discussion with the Dell customer service monkeys I was despairing that they were going to screw me and send some complete piece of garbage in exchange. I assumed that there was some way to elevate the issue. Now I know.

AV1611 out....

 

If the Unresolved Issues form doesn't work to your advantage...e-mail at least the first 5 Executive Mgmt e-mail addys, posted on one of the posts above.

You will hear back from someone..usually w/in 48-72 hours.

Good luck to you.


Cin

 

Thanks, Cin. I didn't see the blue link in the above mentioned post. That's awesome help.

AV1611 out...

 

NP I hope it all works out for you....You should get some resolve with either the Unresolved Issues form, or taking to Upper Mgmt. (via e-mails)


Cin

 

Dell has cancelled the Inspiron 15 that they had configured for me (as seen when logged into my Dell account). Since they had configured that Inspiron 15 with the fastest available CPU and GPU, I guess that's likely a good sign. Here's to hoping for a good outcome without having to escalate the issue. We'll see what happens.

 

No, that's not a bad sign at all...I hope you have some resolve..today!

I also hope it doesn't have to be escalated, but with you've been thru as such, I wouldn't hesitate to get an escalation if they are not going to provide the good resolve you deserve!

*fingers crossed for you*

Cin

 

yeah best of luck to you i had a dell vostro 1400 with 8400m gs i argued to the end so they can replace my fried up motherboard took a while but it was well worth the effort even though the warranty only had less than a month to expire i was lucky....and determined so just keep trying they will eventually give in to your request....

 

Just send an email to [email protected]. I am sure they will give what you want. I was having a hard time with my laptop and was demanding for a replacement but the Indian tech team always created a new dispatch so I emailed in that following email. I got a reply with happiness. Yes, I got a brand new system and apology.

 

You sure they'll reply when you misspell the company founder's email address?

 

Use a little head
Edit:[email protected]

 

Well, I just got off the phone with the same supervisor that I talked to on Saturday. This is the guy who was insisting that the ATI 4330 was equivalent to my Nvidia 8600M GT DDR2.

First: Specs from my broken Inspiron 1520:

1.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo 2MB cache, 800 Mhz FSB
2 GB Ram DDR 667
8600M GT 256 MB DDR2
1440x900 LCD
160 GB HD 5400 rpm
8x DVD Burner
Dell 802.11 b/g wireless NIC
10/100 NIC
Integrated High Definition Sound 2.0

Now for the Studio 15 they've configured for me:

Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53GHz, 1066Mhz, 3 MB L2 Cache
3GB, DDR2, 800MHz
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
15.6 Inch 1920x1080 High Brightness LED Display with TrueLife and Camera
250 GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
8X Slot Load Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
10/100/1000 NIC
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

I can't believe they're giving me a 1920x1080 LED screen and a 2.53 Core 2 Duo. It's not even a listed option when configuring a Studio 15 on their website. It goes from 2.4 3 MB cache to the 2.66 6 MB cache chip. The 512 MB vid card was a nice little added touch. Dell does sell the ATI 4570 in 256MB but they still gave me the 512MB version.

I am ecstatic. I didn't expect anything nearly as nice. I would have been fine with a refurbed Inspiron 1520 in nice condition. Dell has redeemed itself in my eyes. I only wish they hadn't caused me such frustration with their first replacement offer.

AV1611 out.....

 

Congratulations!

Nice to see they managed to pull through for you ^_^

Those specs are definitely nice and worth the money you spent on warranty lol

 

It's not me who needs to "use my brain" but the OP who might well be careful of taking advice without checking.

But what do you care, a simple observation on my part gives me a hostile reply. Just as well I'm not the one who has to bother Dell about a replacement video card.

To the OP: Congratulations! All that hard work seems to have paid off. Enjoy your new replacement machine.

 

Either way, the problem is solved so peaceeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

congrats, graphics performance may be a little weaker, but you got an overall better machine.

 

^^ haha dude dont start it or he will start complaining...lol jk

but srsly i would be happy as **** if i got that upgrade. I mean srsly a FULL HD WUXGA? That is awesome and a nice CPU bump. And im telling you the 4570 is actually slightly better than 8600M GT, not that it would be noticeable in games. But you wont be let down by it.

So basically.
1.8GHz, 1mb L2, 800MHz ---> 2.53GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz
2GB ---> 3GB
8600M GT DDR2 (~33003DMarks) ---> 4570 512MB (~37003DMarks)
WXGA+ ---> WUXGA LED
160GB HDD ---> 250GB HDD

Thats a dam good upgrade in my book.

 

Excellent!! I am happy the reward for patience finally reaped its fruits.

 

No. Where are these 3.7k @ 1280x1024 3Dmark06 scores located? Please link me.

When you game OP, you'll need to be at a max of 1280x720, or your performance will suffer greatly.

 

If you aren't satisfied with Dell's response, take a look at these two postings on 'The Consumerist' website- LINK and LINK

One of those lists the email addresses for 19 of Dell's top execs and the other is an email for a "Customer Advocate". Send a firm, but polite email to all of those email addresses and you'll get a quick response.

I've been arguing with tech support for months about my defective 1535. But when I sent my grievance to all of those emails, I had a phone call within 12 hours telling me that the order for my replacement 1555 had been placed!

 

Nice for you, but the 1080p LED and P8700 do are listed as options. The 512MB card too but is it DDR2 or GDDR3?

 

I asked a Dell rep. He says their 4570 is DDR3.

AV1611 out...

 

Just chatted with another Dell rep. He confirmed that it is GDDR3.

AV1611 out...

 

GDDR3 in a (non-XPS) Studio? That's new, isn't it?

 

Yes. The Studio 1535/1537 and 1735/1737 were limited to the 256mb GDDR2 versions of the 3450 and 3650.

The Studio 1555 has the option of 256mb or 512mb versions of the ATI 4570, both GDDR3. My 1555 with the 256mb 4570 managed 4,292 on 3DMark06! Not too shabby.

 

Wow, I must say, that's an outstanding replacement. Good going, OP. Heck, now this will make me rethink the whole "Never buy Dell extended warranty" shtick.

 

Yeah, I'm almost 2 years into a 3 year warranty. If I'd gotten the standard 1 year warranty I'd be without a laptop as I am currently broke.

 

good going AV way to fight the system (lol) but seriously see what happens when u dont give up or pay for extra warranty gets u.......

 

since you now have a mighty impressive 1080 screen you could look at putting it to use with a bluray drive.

 

Dell should have fixed the problem, even without the extended warranty, as I believe the 8600 gpu was one of Nvidia's "Defective" chips !

 

lol i knew somone would ask me, i shouldve posted it before.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-4570.13885.0.html

if you go down you will see it.

And as allfiredup stated, he got 4292 in his Studio 1555.

 

Really?? My 1.8 C2D with the DDR2 8600M GT could play most of my games at 1440x900: Half Life 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Lord of the Rings Online.

I assume Lord of the Rings Online isn't that graphically demanding and that I'd be able to play it at higher that 720p???

AV1611 out....

 

Hi AV1611, you never told us how your laptop broke that it was beyond repairable? It just sounds really odd for a laptop just to become completely irreparable unless there was physical damage.

 

Dropped it on the cement floor in my basement. Cracked the battery. Completely broke one of the screen hinges. LCD was inoperative. Two big cracks in the bottom of the case. Optical drive popped open and wouldn't close. Basically, cement is hard on laptops.

P.S.: Got my Studio 15 in the mail Thursday. Very nice. 3dmark06 @ 1280x1024 is 3738.

 

Wow... You dropped it and freaking broke it and now they are giving you a brand new laptop?... Are all replacement plans this nice? B/c I might just get a laptop with 2 year warranty and throw it on the floor after 1 and a half years and send it back...

 

You have to pay extra ( significantly extra) for accidental damage coverage, which is what I assume AV1611 did. Otherwise your warranty will not cover any damage determined to be the user's fault. And not all companies offer that option to begin with.

 

I hear Asus gives 1 year accidental dmg... Which means I can buy a Asus laptop that is almost out of production and break it after 10 month . Lol... I'm thinking I should go pick up a G50... Lol BB G50 will be perfect also... ... ... ...

 

If you do that, you better make absolutely sure about the 1 year accidental damage warranty. Otherwise they'll be the ones laughing when you void your warranty by smashing up a perfectly good notebook.

 

Lol that is true. I'm sure Asus has a 1 year accidental warranty... This is so mean, yet if you are desperate enough it can work... Seriously the 9800m GS is getting out of production. Especially thinking 10 month from now. Not only that the P7450? Who sells that CPU. Also if this happens anything like this case Asus must give me a laptop that has a CPU and GPU combo that's at least better than the 9800m GS and P7450. In that case by spending 800 bucks now in 10 month later I will betting a laptop that worth around 1,000... including all new components and a big upgrade... :\

This is really evil.