Vostro 3700 hinge problems

Sorry guys, this is a long one....

Well DPowell61, I am having the same hinge problem!  I bought my Vostro from Dell itself in February 2011.  I bought it as my personal computer, not as an office computer. It wasn't easy to open from the start, but I didn't think too much about it.  A couple of months ago the plastic frame (bezel?) started popping out like yours did.  Then the right hinge cover started to kinda pop up when I opened it.  And when I closed the screen, the right side wouldn't fold as flat as the left side.  Then small plastic pieces started to fall out.  So today I took the Vostro to a friend who knows computers.  He took the bezel and the plastic hinge covers off and looked at the hinges.  Then he noticed that the metal frame holding the screen to the hinge on the right side was broken.  The metal frame at the left hinge was also bent, but not broken.  He tried to open and close the laptop and noticed that the hinges were barely moving.  He unscrewed the hinges from the screen part, and tried to move the hinges by hand.  It took a lot of muscle for him to open or shut the hinges. I didn't have the strength to move them at all.  Since it had been difficult to open ever since I got it, he suggested that I call Dell customer support and see what they could do.

Now comes the very sad and very ugly part of the story....

I call the out-of-warranty customer support number posted on the Dell website.  I won't go into too much detail about how long I was on hold, but it was awhile.  I talk to a young lady, who it turns out is in the in-warranty customer support office. She had no idea why my call went to in-warranty CS.  She says she's never heard of a problem with the hinges and can't help me.  She says she'll transfer me to out-of-warranty CS.  Again on hold..... 

Well, this person couldn't help me, and transfers me to someone else.  Again on hold.... 

This person (#3) can't  help me either, and transfers me again.  Again on hold...  I was beginning to get steamed about all the transfers and being on hold so long.  Well guess what, I had been transferred to Sales!!!??

This guy was polite and gave me his name, etc.  He said he wanted to do some research and asked if he could put me on hold and apologized for having to do that.  He came back on the line in about 3 minutes and said he had found a some info on a manufacturer's defect in the hinges for that model Vostro made around that time.  He said that since he was in Sales, he didn't have any way to help me, but said he'd put all the info into the record associated with my service tag, so I wouldn't have to try to convince anybody else that it was a manufacturer's defect.  He agreed that Dell should fix it, in- or out-of-warranty, since it was a manufacturer's defect. He thought for a minute about who could solve my problem, but couldn't think of any department except Vostro out-of-warranty customer/tech support.  He took my number and said he would call back in about an hour because he wanted to know if my problem got resolved.  And then he transferred me.... 

Again on hold ..... Same inane message as for the first long on-hold.  My confidence started to go down the drain .... While on hold, I google "Dell Vostro 3700 manufacturer's defect hinge"  and guess what - I read this thread about that problem!  On Dell's own website, no less!!  So now I've been on the phone for an hour.....

Finally someone answers the phone.  He's in the Vostro in-warranty department.  I explain the problem to this guy and say that the previous person I had spoken with had entered everything into my service tag record.  So he looks it up, and says there's nothing there.  I question that.  He says that Sales and CS/TS have different databases. ????  You're kidding, right?  One of the premier computer companies in the world can't get their databases synchronized???  And of course then he says he can't help me because my laptop is out-of-warranty.  Ok, so by now, I am getting really cranky.  I say that it's a manufacturer's defect and it shouldn't matter if it's in- or out-of-warranty. I point out that the problem is posted right on Dell's own website, and that Dell knows it's a manufacturer's defect.

I ask for his name, and he really doesn't want to give it to me (I'm not asking because I want to complain about him, I want to be able to say so-and-so told me the following ...).  I ask to speak to a supervisor, he really doesn't want me do that (again, I don't want to complain about him, I want to talk with someone who has some power and can override the "rules") - he puts me on hold - oh all the supervisors are busy, so sorry - someone will call me back within an hour.  I ask did he know of a department called Social Outreach Services - nope, he'd never heard of it, so sorry - and then he started talking about how he couldn't help me and it wasn't his fault that the Sales and CS/TS had different databases, yada-yada-yada.  I interrupted and said I was tired of listening to excuses, that I was hanging up, and that someone better call me back within an hour.

Ok that was an hour and 10 minutes ago.  Dell, are you listening?  You have lost a customer, and I am known for sharing my opinions, loudly. 

So here's my take on things:

1) Why does the phone call go to a different department than it is listed for?  It happened at least twice.

2) Why does the CS person respond with a knee-jerk "never heard of that problem; I can't help you"?  Isn't the appropriate response "I'm sorry to hear that. I hate to put you on hold, but if you'll be patient, I'll do some research"??  All said sincerely, of course.

3) I had problem hearing and understanding every person I spoke with.  If you are going to outsource CS/TS off-shore, for heaven's sake make sure they speak slowly and don't slur their words.  And I find being called ma'am at the end of every sentence irritating.  Oh, and give them better lessons, not one person except the guy in Sales sounded sincere when they apologized.

4) I find it interesting that the only person I spoke with that really wanted to help me was in Sales. He was the only one who offered to try to figure out what was going on.  I guess Sales are the only people who are really trained in customer service. Of course, they do want me to buy another Dell.

A half hour later.... (It's now been almost 3 hours since I first dialed the Dell CS).  Someone calls me from in-warranty CS, says he's a manager.  He has a garbled version of the story.  I tell him the straight version.  He says he can't help me.  I tell him about this forum on hinge problems.   He says that Dell has no record of a recall for hinges or problems with them.  I ask him if he's saying the guy in Sales lied.  He waffles....  But he wants to transfer me to in-warranty CS.  I say I don't want to hold, I've spent far too much time on hold for one day.  Oh no, it won't be but a second, he says.  He gives me a number for out-of-warranty CS "just-in-case", which is different than the one posted on the Dell website.  He says something about not wanting my expectations to be too high, and I tell him that at this point I had absolutely no expectations whatsoever that Dell was going to help me.  So he asks me to hold.  I sigh.  I ask him to have them call me.  He can't do that because he wants to explain the problem to whoever answers.  He puts me on hold, 5 minutes go by, and then ...... I get disconnected......

That was 15 minutes ago and no one has called me...

To continue my take on things:
5) The guy in Sales hasn't called me back.  Don't waste my time asking for my name and phone number, and please don't promise what you have no intention of doing.  It really makes people angry.

6)  Why in heaven's name does it take talking to 5 (count 'em, 5) people and being transferred 4 times before I talk with a manager, and even then, he can't help me??   Let me tell you about real "customer" service:  At Ritz Carlton Hotels, every employee, and I mean every employee, from the manager to the valet that parks your car, is authorized to spend up to a couple of thousand dollars to make a client happy.  Did you hear that?  Every employee ... a couple of thousand dollars ... every client.  And if you don't know the difference between a client and a customer, you've never worked retail or in the service industry.  A client is a customer who comes back for more.  Hmm...  Maybe that's the problem, Dell has customer service, not client service.

I am going to copy this message and snail mail it, return receipt required, addressee only, to every Dell Board Member and all the executives. I will sign my name and give them my phone number, so they can call me.  Even if, by some miracle, someone calls me back and begs me to let them send someone out to fix my laptop or completely replace it, I will send this letter to all the Board Members and executives.  They need to know how shoddy Dell "customer" service is.

Hello Dell?!!!???  Are you listening???  YOU HAVE LOST A CUSTOMER FOREVER!!!!