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December 27th, 2022 10:00
Inspiron 7415 2-in-1 hinge issue and what a horrible experience with Dell's support
Inspiron 7415 2-in-1
Hi,
I bought an Inspiron 7415 2-in-1 in Jan 2021, and in Nov 2022, the hinge failed. I googled it up, and sure there are many tickets on Dell's website, indicating this is a design flaw/issue. I contacted Dell's support via web-chat while I was travelling, and they said "no worries, and you'll have it back within 7-10 days".
The broken hinge was the main problem, but also the pressure from the hinge had affected the LCD causing discolouration close to the hinge. I also mentioned the frequent blue screens I was getting for months, and that the power button/fingerprint reader was working intermittently as well (sometimes you can't press the power button at all, and have to wiggle it).
Despite clearly having asked Dell for a delivery box for collection, UPS showed up with no box, and took the laptop in their bare hands! I asked Dell about this via web-chat, email, and WhatsApp chat, and there was no reply until they received the laptop in their depot. This is where the nightmare began!
After about a week or two I asked when the laptop is coming back via web-chat, and the person insisted that it's my fault that the laptop is collected with no box, and that they can’t give me any updates at all. When I mentioned I had already provided Dell with the info and that I have communicated this clearly with Dell, not only they hung up on me, but also all future attempt to chat on the support platform ended up with the same person opening and closing the chat immediately, i.e. hanging up, and even requesting a call-back form didn’t work. Dell simply never calls back, despite promising to do so. This has happened 8-9 times with me in this ordeal.
I got the same response (i.e. hanging up) calling local support via phone. They also did not respond to the inquiry emails I've sent them, and I've wasted a total of 15+ hours on the phone, WhatsApp, web-chat, and emails. When I tried to complain, they simply said "we don't have a complaint system", and hung up again!
Several people from WhatsApp team (Social Team) said not to worry and that they have prioritised my case, and I could expect a reply within 24 to 48 hours. They simply never got in touch, or called back despite promising to do so, and upon my further inquiries, they just repeated exact same script, plus their apology script. This went on for 1.5 months!
Someone from the same WhatsApp team offered a refund and said he'll call me back the day after, which I thought it wasn't a bad offer, given the fact that they've been repeatedly avoiding my calls, hanging up on me, or refusing to reply to my emails (I have proof of all these claims, in case Dell wants to see proof on how their employees are treating their customers). He called back after 10 days, saying refund is rejected, since this has happened while I was travelling. They offered a replacement, but only if I give up my extended warranty, which sounds like a very stupid idea, dealing with a laptop that is suffering from a design flaw. Dell is still selling this laptop (Inspiron 7415 2-in-1), while fully aware of the hinge problem.
So, not only Dell isn't taking any responsibility, dealing with their customer service has been a nightmare, and a horrible experience, and as they've clearly stated, they don't deal with complaints at all (I've got this in writing that they have no complaints system, from several sources).
Long story short, they sent the "repaired" laptop back after about 6 weeks, only to discover that the power button still works intermittently, laptop still crashes, and while they've replaced the whole lid/monitor, the bottom cover isn’t closed (looks broken), and there are seams on the chassis (I believe due to broken hinge/lid). Also, the keyboard and bottom of the laptop were covered with grease, and I had to use isopropyl alcohol to clean it!
Just to add that I've had a similar experience with Dell in 2008, and despite staying away for 13-14 years, I decided to give them another chance, and what a mistake that was! Exact same experience, with Dell taking absolutely no responsibility! Back in 2008, the XPS1330 I got was suffering from an overheating issue unbeknown to me, and motherboard fried up twice. First time during warranty period, and second time outside. Dell took no responsibility, and a 1200€ laptop turned into a brick with them refusing to repair it. It seems they're following the same approach after so many years, and I don't really understand what Dell's business model is! Selling a device with known flaws/issues, and hoping it would fail/brick right outside warranty period?!
Anyways, just wanted to share this here, and saying the case/ticket isn't really resolved, and even the hinge itself is scheduled to break at any moment... again!
Adding a few photos here for the reader's reference:
After repair. The back cover can't be closed.
Original issue. Broken hinge.
This is how easily Dell staff hung up on me.
Farhad_1980
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January 17th, 2023 01:00
Since my laptop was still covered by warranty, it was free of charge to "repair" (if you could call that repairing, as still some issues persist). And it took about 6-7 weeks in total (reporting, pickup, waiting for spare parts, repairing, sending it back).
I'm not sure what's your warranty policy, as it varies from country to country, but try getting it touch with Dell Social Media team over WhatsApp as well. At least they answer your messages!
If you're not covered by warranty, still contact them, and mention that this is a design flaw/batch issue, and if they refused to repair, raise the awareness by sharing your experience here.
As I've mentioned above, I think Dell's business model is to sell laptops that fail right outside warranty period, and they try to force their Premium Warranty down customer's throats!
fersoft1
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April 15th, 2023 05:00
I bought this Dell 7415 in May 2022, a few days ago the right hinge had a problem and the screen part is opening. It seems to be a serious dell manufacturing problem. I'm in Brazil now and I hope they give me the guarantee of the product.
Farhad_1980
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April 15th, 2023 06:00
You're in for a ride then...
You're still within your 1 year (or 2, depending on the region of purchase) global warranty, so they'll have to take it in and repair it. But if you want your money back (what I personally prefer, just to move away from Dell and their batch/manufacturing problems), they might tell you that you need to return it in the "country of purchase"!
Good luck mate!
bergprinzess
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October 6th, 2023 07:31
Hi,
i coming from germany. I have the same Notebook and had the same problem, but i have the premium support. It was a specialdeal purchase with the Notbook by dell.de.1 Chat and 2 Days later the pc-supporter came to my home and replace die LCD unit. It's a pity, this should be easy to do even without premium support.
(edited)
Sahil22
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October 13th, 2023 07:07
@Farhad_1980 - it is the recurring problem with the hinge even after you get it rectified , the same problem will occur and they will shelve the case by repeating their policy . You have to pay for the whole screen every year because of this issue, and after 3 years they will say we don't provide hardware assistance . Even after writing to Michael@dell.com , they have the same reply.
Ashil983
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October 16th, 2023 03:41
@Farhad_1980 Bro, you said to move away to move away from dell ( what I personally prefer, just to move away from Dell and their batch/manufacturing problems) , so which company would you suggest. Please tell me.It will be helpful for me and safe from future traps.
EngageInHealth8f5c3b
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April 21st, 2024 00:30
I have 2 of these both with broken Right hinges!! clearly a design problem and i'll never buy another one! I advise anybody not to purchase any of these 2 - 1 Laptops as they are made so cheaply and will break!!!
Warranty on both Expired 24 JAN 2023, so I guess I will just be breaking these for parts now LOL
(edited)
nitestick
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July 16th, 2024 05:49
@EngageInHealth8f5c3b
My right hand hinge failed about 1-2 months back. That and the cracking to the grill on the underside gives me "not fit for purpose" vibes - a claim you can make under the Australian Consumer Law that doesn't have a strict time expiry.
To me it's pathetic that laptop I paid $1500 for (marked down from other $2k iirc) had the grill on the bottom plate fracturing within the first two months. I babied the laptop in its handling ever since and it still got worse, the hinge is just the icing on the cake. This laptop has not been abused and has not seen much use outside it's first few months when I was travelling.