laptop shutdown problem

Recently I called Dell's technical support about shutdown problems with my refurbished Inspiron laptop.  About 40% of the time, when I press the shutdown button, the blue shutdown screen comes up, the blue circle rotates a few times and then freezes up.  At that point I have to manually shut the laptop down. 

 

So I called technical support about the issue.  The first gentleman that I spoke to walked me through a lengthy troubleshooting process that included reformatting the laptop.  I was assured that this would fix the issue.  I asked the gentleman if the problem resumed, were there any additional steps I could take on my own before calling back in.  He stated there wasn't, that the problem shouldn't happen again, but if it did Dell would replace the laptop because we had already performed the proper troubleshooting steps. 

 

I don't use my computer every day, and as I stated before, this problem doesn't happen every time I shut the laptop down.  So, soon after my first call to technical service, the problem resumed.  I work a full time job, go to school full time, and have a family.  So I wasn't able to set aside an hour to call Dell to troubleshoot right away.  Today, late on 4/8/11, I called back into technical support because I couldn't sleep and I figured I could use this time to get this issue fixed.  The first person I spoke to was a woman who I explained the situation to, and she checked the notes about my previous call into Dell.  She had me run a diagnostic test on the laptop, and wasn't able to find a problem.  She stated that it had to be a software issue (my first time hearing this), and transferred me to the software department.  The technician I spoke to in the software department had me explain the situation again, and then immediately asked if I had purchased an additional software warranty.  I stated that I hadn't, and he informed me there would be a fee to fix this issue.  Also he let me know that Dell would only replace my laptop if I had called in within 21 days of purchase.  The first time I called was within 21 days of purchase however, and at no time was it even hinted that this was an issue that was on a 21 day time-frame, that I would have to call be immediately to ensure the possibility of a replacement, or that I would even need to speak to the software department!  I told all this to the software tech, and he simply repeated himself and threw in insincere empathy statements.  At that point I requested to speak to his supervisor to get this worked out.  The gentleman stated he would get them.  I was on my cell phone and the call duration was on the screen.  It was over 34 minutes total at that time.  I sat on a silent hold (which was probably a mute, because I work in a call center and know that a real hold plays music), and at 44 minutes the call was dropped.  The software tech disconnected the call. 

 

I understand that I purchased a refurbished laptop.  But it is my understanding that your refurbished laptops are still guaranteed to work properly, and that the risk I was taking in getting a refurbished product was with cosmetic flaws, not operating flaws.  I have worked in customer service my whole life with my most recent position being in a call center myself, and I could never imagine hanging up on a customer or even working for a company that didn't stand by their products.  l'd like to think that this isn't the norm for your company.  This was my first purchase of a Dell computer, and if this isn't resolved it will definitely be my last.