Not happy with Dell laptops

I am also finished with Dell. BOTH of our Dell printers malfunctioned less than 6 months after purchasing them. Customer Service? Where is it? It does not exist. I paid extra for support and there was none.

Ok EJ lets split hairs on this.  Then Dell is your biggest if not only client and you are subcontracted by Dell.  There is just no way you would have posted over 71000 responses otherwise.  The differences between people and chimps in DNA is like 1%.  However I find the experience of interaction very different. They say if you had a room full of monkeys and enough time they would eventually make a Dell or was that a famous play? 

Thank you though for your honesty of the above brand comparisons though.  However I would have personally rated Packard Bell at the bottom not HP. 

If a Dell employee contributes to these forums, he indicates that he is a Dell employee. The rest of us do this in order to TRY to help people with problems that do not have the background to solve. Yes, EJ has contributed over 71,000 times, and he doesn't work for Dell. About 99% of the people he tries to help are grateful.

WELCOME TO THE ONE PERCENT CLUB

All you gripers out there abuse your machines, then want to blame Dell (or GM or GE or.....) for your problems.

I agree with jmelchio.  This is my second laptop with power cord issues.  While it could be due to improper use as many poster have blamed on other users.  I am not happy with customer service. 

I admitted to my laptop being dropped once 7 months ago (unfortunately for me I have children uner 9 years old) which of course is not covered under any warranty I purchased with the laptop. If I lied I would not have to pay the over $500 they say I need to pay for a new motherboard for my Vostro 1720.   Now with my Inspiron 1500 it just died after 2 years of use, never dropped.

Additionally on a side note my inlaws have a Dell PC (inexpensive model) used only for the internet which after 2 years the motherboard has gone bad but I am 100% sure they did not drop it. 

So please someone help me understand the faults of a motherboard since I am not a technical person but please be nice about it since I know some people can be snarky after reading a few of these posts.

Slightly off topic, but on Apple and their cord system for laptops...

Our daughter has a Macbook. At one point, we had the need for a new power cord (nothing to do with Apple quality, it was a cat). Anyway, while searching for the new power cord online, it was amazing the number of complaints for Apple at how weak their cable itself was.... I understand at least it spares the expensive motherboard, but it seems no one is happy with any laptop ppower cord if you just read the online complaints... The key is to remember that unhappy pepole usually make the most noise...

I am wondering if I should first try and replace the jack which was quoted at a lower price of $89 and $15.95.  I definitely can understand the pulling out of cords, my 17 month old loves to plug it in and out.  Or just bite the bullet and pay for the $500 repair.  I guess you are right I wish Dell would change the cord system, it seems to me like frequent travellers probably run into some of the same problems I have.

I did notice another company (found in another post) who offers repairs but am hesitant to use another company although my warranty is almost up so I guess it wouldn't matter.

Thank you for the reply.

Biggest problem with the mother board is the on-board power system. The DC socket is soldered to the system board in most models (some have a separate, replaceable power board). Any force on the plug/wire when plugged into the laptop puts stress on these solder connections. Although there are several larger, mechanical solder connections, the smaller ones conducting the DC AND the ID signal from the power brick can eventually break loose, ending the life of the mother board.

Unfortunately, the laptop manufacturers in China have not seen the need to beef up this socket system, or use one like on the MacBooks. This is a 4-pin connector held in place magnetically, so that when the cord is pulled out roughly, tripped over, or grabbed by 4-year olds (my daughter's twins have damaged 2 laptops (so far) this way).

The other main problem is failure of the system board integrated video chip, which was a biggie with 8400 and 8600 Nvidia chips used in Dell's and others.

A third problem is improper installation of the heat sinks on CPUs and GPUs. There are several possible problems, running from improperly attached coolers to improper application of heat transfer media.

Dell seems to replace a lot of system boards, which in many cases, does not solve the problem. Dropping a laptop can damage the hard drive, power socket (if plugged in when dropped, or the LCD screen.

Dell seems to replace the system board anytime someone complains about excess heat. The system board WILL NOT CAUSE EXCESS HEATING, unless the heat transfer parts are the problem. Replacing the system board will generally not solve overheating, but Dell keeps doing it, and it could make the problem worse. I have seen cases where heat sinks were not attached after a replacement, and where heat transfer media was not added. Heat problems are usually related to dust buildup inside. A laptop needs to be cleaned out every 6 months or so, depending on the environment. It takes very little dust or dust bunnies to greatly impede air flow inside because of the small amount of free interior space. In high ambient temperature areas, a supplemental cooler may be required.