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Dell XPS M1730 Service Call/LCD replacement engineer left broken Bezel, and I have to pay for it???
On the 07/08/08 at 16:00 UK time I received a visit I was expecting to replace My 2 week old M1730 LCD which the screen was very dimm.
I work with very High definition gfx and 3D visualizations amongst other intensive and very time consuming jobsand my Job can take me away all over the world sometimes for days sometimes for months.
After the repair was completed I had so much work to do and besides I was leaving next day for a month and a half project. close the laptop lid and that was it until two days later 3000 miles away
So I arrived at the office got laptop out which I always carry with me and I really concentrate on the screen I had no reason to distrust Dell Banctec service reps even though I have any many issues with many machines I bought from Dell I usually work so there's no sun pointing at the screen so I can see properly what it is Im doing but when I opened the laptop there was a bit of sun and I noticed a bit of dust on the screen so I got a special cleaning cloth smother than the one used to clean glasses a can of compressed air gave it a few jets to remove most the fine dunst and this wiped gently the screen with the cloth all the way down cleaning the bezel and surrounding areas when I noticed it.
Below the Dell logo where the screen bezel starts to round up I noticed either side two cracks on the part below Dell chromed logo that creases and goes around the bezel at the bottom. I'm not permitted to use company phone for long distance calls public phones are expensive as well as that leaves my mobile and roaming charges I had once were way beyond £300 on one time my another laptop I was using before this one died.
Once I got back I pulled the Banctec paper work and emailed Banctec if you ever had a service call in UK by Banctec you know what the form looks like and what it says very clearly point out if you have any issues raise with Technician straight away or email us no terms and conditions or nothing implying any other legalities regarding any issue especial concerning time passed are implied described or brought to your attention at any time.
Banctec replied to me on first email after I explained the issue that they were only a service partner and that they called Dell and ask them to call me regarding this or that I should call them myself. I was tired and went to bed never got any call form Dell. Next Day I again emailed Banctec and explained that this issue was cause by the replacement of the LCD for I never noticed it before they just said it wasn't their responsibility and dismissed me very quickly no concern was show and they clearly had no interest in resolving or helping or taking responsibility
Both emails were also forwarded to a senior member of Dell which had helped me through a previous incident with another machine she was very helpful and perhaps the only one that deserves her job and really looks after both the customers interests and the contracts that are legally formed between both parties.
Anyway I received a out of office reply from her mail I had to go out again on another job for 3 weeks but I emailed Banctec and this Dell senior person while I was away again regarding the issue, I never got a reply so when I got home I though well maybe she is on holidays or something I waited and waited and nothing.
you Must understand I never called Dell support because Bancted paperwork specifically asks for them to be contacted not Dell eventually I had enough and called Dell I don't have use for a landline so I used my mobile. £12 later two times put on hold and no where closer to getting a resolution even after speaking with the shift supervisor and eventually with the Customer Relations Manager who do not understand there is no legally binding document that I signed for this service call that specifies any time limit for reporting any issues resulting from a service call under warranty. This Senior Member and Customer relations manager Clearly had no interest in hearing what I had to say though he took some notes but still failed to understand there is no legal standpoint that Dell claims neither Banctec nor dell are responsible for the technicians incompetence in my view because I didn't report it straight away.
This is now sounding absurd, having a lawyer in the family is indeed a helpful thing and not only that I have studied retail law though I never really went in that direction. Essentially unless Dell can present me with legal documentation with my signature which specifies that I am indeed wrong in believing that Banctec should be held responsible and set this right they have no legal case. I would aslo expect such legal paper work to be produced by the Service company.
I Have submitted a request to speak to another senior manager and will request said legal paper work and because the only legal contract regarding the service which I signed is a legal document I am entitled to bill Banctec for the costs or the repair, the parts costs and any incurred cost that are reasonable like legal costs and my professional fees pro rata on time I spent dealing with this issue.
This is going on until then and this post will kindly be regarded by moderators and in which does not infringe any forum regulations and therefore also does not mention any names but I seriously advise every reader to beware of any repairs and examine your laptops under the microscope before that technician leaves your house and report any faults as you find them I would also urge people to take pictures of theire machines previous repair in the presence of the technician and prepare a paper which will inform him those pictures are of the state the machine was before and you are entitled to ask him to sign that paper work and provide copies in a cd for him to take with him as well as the paper work.
As a personal observation to this ordeal I feel that when you spend thousands of pounds, there should be a little more regard for you as a customer and better service put in place I remember way back to years for another machine which I emailed Dell and then followed it up by unresolved issues and I still haven't received a reply.
Dell chat for sales service is prompt and within seconds dell chat for xps support is never available.
Now is that not funny and interesting.
Sorry I made it long... Wake up keep reading...
Just in case this post is erased dont worry Dell I have a blog and guess what you just made it there unfortunatly at over 400 hits a day this is going to be a hot potatoe. sorry you get what you serve.
X3lectric
146 Posts
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October 18th, 2008 10:00
Oditius
808 Posts
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October 18th, 2008 21:00
X3lectric
146 Posts
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October 18th, 2008 23:00
if you read my post I know its massive I already spoke to some big shot who doesnt understand UK retail law I posted this mainly because so you guys know what to expect when you pay a few thousands and warranties and people come into teheire house leave your stuff broken and then just say well its your fault...
Legally they talking out of theire wrong end and at the wrong person and I not one to shut up and take it....
Banctec better watch theire back because Im holding them responsible and then Dell for allowing Banctec to treat theire customers like that... thire bigger and have more money but legally I havent signed any paperwork which tell me that I have time limit obligations or which parts are covered in warranty and after a 3 month old laptop wear and tear even if they wanted to claim that they be barking at the wrong tree, besides with 4 years warranty its ridiculous I even have to wastemy breath on something trivial that were they trained in retail law would avoid this confrontation like the plague.
Oditius
808 Posts
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October 19th, 2008 10:00
TheRealFireblad
4.6K Posts
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October 20th, 2008 12:00
Then why this was this your next post:
That suggests you were hoping to get a response from a Dell rep?
X3lectric
146 Posts
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October 20th, 2008 16:00
Lets just say the first part is to wake up and have you guys fight for what is fair
the second part is the persistence that is going on both on the phone, in writing and here on the forums...
Maybe a euphemism is what you need to understand
me David, Dell Goliath...
All of us and Dell better run... But of course most people who are treated unjustly they can't be bothered to fight for their right that why people like me have such a hard time and long time it takes fighting injustice, because were there more of us they wouldn't take it for granted...
I hope a Dell rep replies Im very interested in what they have to say though I suspect they will read it and be ordered not to reply... I know how the whole system works unfortunately for Dell their on my turf not the US... Or INDIA as in this case the people that I have contacted so far are...
I have to tell you Im not enjoying this a single bit and I promise I will keep on comming. Even a small ant can give a big sting. And I hope thousands read this... and thousands will, I have already posted it on my Blog and that blog gets 1000 views a week... and going up...
JUSTICE!!!!!!
TheRealFireblad
4.6K Posts
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October 21st, 2008 08:00
First of all... please don't try to 'educate' me any more, if you don't mind!
I was already perfectly aware of what a eupemism is, thank you.
And I think you need to understand, that... despite your assumptions/suggestions... many of us don't simply accept/suffer injustices, and many of us do fight for what is fair.
But I'd suggest the reason you don't hear/read about them very often, is because we don't air our grievances in public/on public forums.
You can rant and rave all you want in public of course. That's your prerogative.
But myself... I don't think the user forums on the manufacturer's website are the place to do it.
I much prefer to do so using more conventional channels.
I'd first contact whoever I have the grievance with.
If I'm not satisfied with how they deal with my complaint/concerns, my next course of action would be to approach the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau = a UK organisation) for advice.
Depending on the situation/circumstances, they may be able to intervence on my behalf.
If they can't... they'll at least advise what my next course of action should be.
You may get lucky, and a Dell rep sees this thread and responds?
But I very much doubt they'll respond in any detail on the open forums... not because they've been "ordered" not to, but rather because doing so would almost certainly lead to endless/back and forth 'differences of opinion', with neither party getting anywhere constructive at the end of it all?
They're far more likely to (i.e.) provide you with contact details, or *maybe* get in touch with you via PM?
As for your "turf": I don't know what you mean by that?
All Dell's support rep's are based in India now - no matter whereabouts in the world you are?
napoleon_online
7 Posts
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October 21st, 2008 08:00
I have to ask.....when you were away on your project and you first noticed the defect, you mention that you could not call DELL because your employer did not allow you (or something like that). Why could you not E-mail them or perhaps fax them? If I understand your post correctly, your saying that you did not report the issue to DELL or their nominated tech company for a considerable time period after the repair. If this is the case, I'm sorry but have little sympathy for you. If my 1730 suffered the damage you mention at the hands of a repairer, there is no way that I would allow my boss, distance or infact anything to stop me from contacting the repairer and DELL to report the issue and demand a resolution. I travel a great deal with my business and often spend weeks at a time in some very remote locations......but in this modern age I never have a lot of difficulty maintaining contact with the rest of the world.
If I have misread your letter then I do apologize.
X3lectric
146 Posts
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October 21st, 2008 15:00
First thing emailing Dell and hope for a response is impossible I have a two year old report that way never replied to and even was escalated to unresolved issues on a previous laptop.
I remember clearly that the company was Banctec but a search on the internet did not provide me with the right email which your specifically asked to Email not dell they ask Black and white that idf you have any issues contact banctec not Dell which I done as soon as it was possible.
I have even said to Dell its not Dell's responsability directly I expect Banctec to correcty the issu and have Dell just tell them that what they should do...
Read this http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=tt_buy&message.id=6343
Once a old laptop died on a job abroad and it cost me £500 pounds in phone calls (more than one including calling from public phones) to get nowhere in the end and lost the job, so if your questioning my reasons why its economical rather then logical were I to call Dell the price of the call would have bought me another small laptop...
There is no way Im letting this go because Dell have done me over many times and its my right as a consumer and retail law clearly states they should correct the issue, they just make it difficult because in the end if you use your warranty too much its not profitable for them... I have read posts of a guy that went out and bought a HDD for his laptop cause his died and he is under warranty but lord knows they make it hard and hardly speak clear English sometimes so you end up spending a fortune just on calls specially from mobiles...
Should I also bring the Chat support up??? Never available but sales chat pick up in less then 10 seconds.
Look at it as you like either way Im loosing I just refuse to loose on moral and principles because its a great injustice, I suppose many here will defend dell to the hilt regardless, but I wont give in...
Im Writing a actual physical letter and posting it to UK not India not US not anywhere else banctec have refused so far to answer my last email, I find that disgusting attitude. Its not about the money at all like I said. It wont Cost dell anything it would cost banctec but its just the people in the Company that are jsut unfriendly and really making it difficult for anyone to get a satisfactory resolution.
Im a fair person I would even meet them half way but no they still say its my fault, if my fault trusting Dell and their representatives then Im guilty, specially having given them a second chance.
Anonymous
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
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274.2K Posts
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October 21st, 2008 16:00
X3lectric
146 Posts
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October 21st, 2008 20:00
well I suppose I will read it though at the time I write this I havent but to be honest I expected that sort of reaction from Dell, Do I get banned for making it public? Just asking so I know where we stand here ok?
Either way thank your for your time and attention regardless what that reply says...
Anonymous
5 Practitioner
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274.2K Posts
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October 24th, 2008 14:00
While I love the detail of your advice on how to handle issues with Dell, you may want to edit it and put "post on the Dell forums and contact a Liaison by private message" at the top. ;)
Just kidding, but actually it's probably a step I would take long before pouring over policy documents and regional laws. Not to say or imply that knowing everything there is to know about consumer law and your warranty is something you should not do, but may not be necessary if you work with us here first.
I just got an email update back from the manager who assigns cases my team sends to the UK escalations group. She confirms what you already know. The damaged parts have been dispatched and a technician should be in contact with you on Monday or Tuesday.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for all the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience with us. I really respect your posts on the topic of how to deal with Dell. While some of the information is not applicable to all regions, (I am not sure that the detail for UK is even factually 100% correct, but I am not trying to enter into a debate on a topic I am not qualified to speak about), the general guidelines about recording names, dates, verbal and written committments, etc, are right on target. I always advise that customers use email and chat support whenever possible, because you can easily save written text in case of any future conflict.
X3lectric
146 Posts
0
October 24th, 2008 14:00
Well I wrote a letter following the guidelines that I mention on my top link of my signature and received a call 20 minutes ago regarding the situation By a corporate representative who after I showed the pictures to the damamge and a brief friendly chat resulted in this Person who I will not name because of forum regulations arranged a Replacement for broken part to be replaced I suppose under warranty or Dell will charge Banctec I dont know, all I know is that on This Monday comming I will get my cracked bezel replaced. It cost me a phone call and a letter.
I dont know if a Dell liason had a finger on it though this was not mentioned when I enquired shame I was looking forward to see that Dell liasons efforts be justly rewarded.
Regardless of that fact I still want to thank from the bottom of my heart Bill-B for taking the time to assist.
I will consider and close this case after Monday's conclusion.
until then I hope this as served in part to help others...
Regards
X3lectric
146 Posts
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October 24th, 2008 16:00
You know? Your quite right! I will add that to the topic... ;)
The matter of legality in UK is provided by 3rd party links on that post and they are legitimate government agencies so as far as I know all the advice there contained is ok by all means have a browse at the links if you can spare the time, when I was learning UK retail law these were websites they recommended for us to read and study.
I ideally would have liked other people to share similar information about their respective parts of the world because it helps people deal with situation the proper way, no one I met in a long time knows how to complain, so thats why I added that topic as reference guidelines.
I will add the Bit about Dell liaisons for sure there's definatly no harm in it and you guys are the closest thing here to Dell as you help bridge our concerns and claims etc to Dell itself.
No apologies necessary from yourself on behalf of Dell, though it would be great if we could work together on another problem I will pm you about the details...
X3lectric
146 Posts
0
October 27th, 2008 13:00
I dont know what is it with you and what I post but this is my topic I have every right to rant here for what I believe I should in fact Its a Dell issue I have where else am I suppose to vent or rant about it, it a Dell Forum a Dell Issue do you suggest for a moment I should keep my mouth shut (fingers away from keyboard) because you dont agree or find it inappropraite that I do it here?
This is the perfect place, Im ceratainly not going to go toa independant forumsay asus and moan about Dell Im not two faced I give it as well as you can dish it out.
Further more Let me put this to rest with you right now you are a user here like myself and have absolutly no rights what so ever to tell me what I can post or not based on your views, moderators do you dont. In fact Terms of service are quite clear and simple.
I try to abyde by the forums terms of service as much as possible while you constantly violate them in attacking me. And I dont mean in it in a casual way evry post I make you attack belitle me and my comments. Whats that for? Make you feel good?
Lastly I know none of you take your issues public to the forums like you say maybe if you all though it appropriate Like many others do Maybe Dell wouldnt think all is swell in customer land.
To finalise your arrogant, condescing attitude that you demonstrate here is so beyond invasive by suggesting Im interested in educating you. Though clearly you havent learnt any manners. That Im afraid no one clearly did teach you. Not only that I had so much of it from you and the likes of you that I get a faint impression you own the forums and have made me feel unwelcome, in every way possible... I dont know what your values are But I assure you misguided at least is how it all comes across.
Thank you however for wishing me luck though I dont need luck when I have a right by contract and law to have the issue sorted I had many but many more issues before Inever came here to post it or you had ever herad about them why? Because I was letting it go over my head, cannot do that anymore. sorry if it offends you but consider you wanted aconfrontation to probally size me out maybe thats what you
And finally Im not only done here Im actually please to say My issue as been resolved and it took the tech 35 minutes to fit the Bezel back on without breaking because theway its designed clip wise is an issue.
Thank you very much for being the most offensive and rude user in these forums by a mile you won the award of best at being the worst.
Now I hope that you understand what I have to say about you and your attitude and bullying tactics so much made me feel good I have to report you end of.